Page 23 of Training the Heart

TROUBLE

Yes sir.

I look up to find Nash sipping a bourbon and grinning at me like the cocky motherfucker he is.

“Got that work problem solved, Sarge?”

The rain is back as I hop into my truck over an hour later. I look out the windshield to see what kind of storm I’m dealing with. All I can think about is Janelle’s roof holding up through it so I don’t have to go back to her house tonight.

It’s really coming down as I turn down the muddy drive to Silver Pines. The big house is eerie and dark with my mother gone. I’m just pulling into my own driveway when I see a shadow move on my porch behind the rail in my headlights.

I freeze then grab my full-size Maglite from the backseat; we’ve had coyotes and black bears in this area before and I’m not taking any chances. I stalk toward the front porch as the shadow moves again. Just as I’m about to go beast mode and start making all sorts of noise on the porch rail with the flashlight, I hear the tiniest, “Wade?”

I blink, then squint in the dark.

“What the—?”

I rush to flick the porch lantern on, only to find a damp and disheveled Ivy crumpled beside my front door in a wicker chair.

“I’m sorry … I just didn’t know where else to go.”

CHAPTER TEN

Ivy

“Jesus Christ … what happened?” Wade crouches down beside me, swiping my damp hair off my forehead.

“I was teaching Nutmeg to navigate in the rain.”

“At ten o’clock at night?”

“Well no, I was out right after I talked to you. I couldn’t unwind and I heard the rain. It’s beneficial for them you know, to learn to navigate in it—oww.” I wince as I try to move my ankle that I’ve already pulled out of my boot.

Wade moves down to it. “What did you do? Ivy, your ankle is swollen … I think I need to take you to the hospital to get it checked out.”

“Hospital? No, no it’s fine. I—fuck,” I mutter as I try to grab hold of the wall to help me stand, but Wade is faster, gripping under my elbows.

“Uh-uh. Nope. We’re going. Now,” Wade commands in that voice that tells me not to argue.

“I don’t—I don’t have insurance. I’m trying to save …”I’m still helping my mom with some of her bills since she spends her government money on booze.

“Nonsense. It happened at work so the ranch will pay thebill. Now whether you’re done protesting or not, I’m going to get you to the truck.”

I nod and lean back against the wall. Wade disappears for all of one minute and returns with a bottle of water, an ice pack, and a dry, warm coat. He gently pulls mine off that got wet while I hobbled here from the barn. Jo is gone and CeCe is at Nash’s with Mabel. I’d assumed Wade would be home and was surprised to find he wasn’t when I got back.

“Okay, let’s go,” he says, his voice gruff and rushed, as he hands me the ice pack and curls his powerful arms under my legs. I wrap my arms around his neck and settle into his warm, strong chest.

“It was so stupid. I didn’t think to check the radar, it was such a nice, crisp night. I figured, why not?” I feel my cheeks heat just thinking about the reason I was all keyed up and having trouble getting to sleep. Him and the way he looked at me today before he left the ranch in a hurry. The way his eyes raked over my body for just a split second. Just long enough for me to notice and have it send goosebumps over my skin.

I look up at him for a moment. It’s not so bad being in Wade’s arms with his warm, fur-lined flannel coat around me. He sets me on the passenger seat of his truck. The scent of leather and spices with a hint of mint fills my senses. It’s fresh and clean. It smells like Wade.

He hops into the driver’s side, looks at me, and with a sort of huff, he speaks, “You should definitely bring your legs this way”—Wade gestures to the bench seat between us—“prop them up here, to keep it elevated.” He turns the key, and the truck roars to life.

“Gravity will make it swell more if you don’t,” he adds.

I nod and pull my other boot off, then lift my legs to rest them across the front seat, doing a little dance of trying to place them so my feet don’t touch Wade’s muscular thigh. The iceslides off my ankle but he catches it, then gently lifts both my feet onto his lap and meets my gaze in the dark cab of his truck.

“Elevated,” he repeats, holding the ice to my ankle.

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