Page 15 of Wild Spirit Revival

“I appreciate your concern, boys,” Joshua said, his soft-spoken words carrying across the yard. “This is something I’m determined to do. The stallion has so much potential.”

Parker threw up his hands in exasperation. “Potential? Josh, it’s got the potential to stomp you into the ground.”

Joshua’s eyes sparkled with determination. “Maybe so. I’ve got a feeling about this one. Sometimes, you’ve got to take a chance to achieve something great.”

Molly found herself drawn in by Joshua’s quiet confidence. She’d seen many men bluster and boast, but there was something different about his calm resolve. It stirred a mix of admiration and anxiety within her.

“You sure about this, Josh?” Nathan asked, his voice softer now. “We can’t afford to lose you, not with everything else going on.”

Joshua placed a hand on Nathan’s shoulder, his expression softening. “I’ll be careful, I promise. Now, how about you two help me get ready instead of trying to talk me out of it?”

As the brothers moved toward the corral, Molly’s enthusiasm began to fade. She’d come here expecting to capture a simple feat of horsemanship. Instead, she realized she might be witnessing something far more dangerous.

Her heart pounded as she watched Joshua, Nathan, and Parker enter the corral, their coiled ropes swinging loosely at their sides. The wild stallion snorted and pawed at the ground, its dark eyes glinting with defiance. Molly’s knuckles whitened as she gripped her camera, her breath catching in her throat.

“Joshua Beckett, you get out of that corral this instant!” Jolene’s voice rang out, sharp with concern. She strode toward the fence, her eyes flashing with a mix of anger and fear.

Lilian, the youngest Beckett sibling, hurried after her, her slight frame trembling. “Please, Josh. Listen to Jolene. It’s not worth the risk.”

Rebecca, the oldest of the two sisters, stopped beside Molly. “Josh is generally the most cautious of my brothers. His actions today make no sense.”

Joshua turned to his sisters, a gentle smile on his face. “Ladies, I appreciate your concern, but this is something I need to do.”

Jolene’s jaw clenched. “Need to do? Or want to do to prove something?”

“Both, maybe,” Joshua admitted, his gaze steady. “I’ve got Nathan and Parker here with me. We’ll be careful.”

Lilian wrung her hands. “What if something goes wrong? We can’t lose you, Josh.”

Molly found herself torn between her journalistic instincts and her growing concern for Joshua. She rose from her position of looking through the camera lens. “Is this really necessary?” she asked, surprised by the worry in her own voice.

Joshua’s eyes met hers, and for a moment, Molly felt as if he could see right through her. “Sometimes, Miss O’Sullivan, the greatest tales come from taking risks.”

His words struck a chord within her. Wasn’t the unexpected why she’d come west in the first place? To find stories worth telling, even if it meant putting herself in unfamiliar, sometimes dangerous situations?

As the tension mounted, Molly realized she was witnessing more than just a man trying to break a horse. This was a family grappling with fear, love, and the pursuit of dreams. And at the center of it all stood Joshua, calm and resolute, ready to face whatever came next.

The stallion reared suddenly, its hooves slicing through the air…

Molly’s chest tightened as she watched Joshua, Nathan, and Parker circling the stallion from inside the corral, their ropes at the ready. Her fingers hovered over her camera’s shutter, but a nagging doubt crept into her mind. Was she really prepared to capture potentially devastating images?

Joshua’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Easy now, boy,” he coaxed, inching closer to the stallion.

Molly’s grip tightened on her camera. “If something goes wrong…” she whispered, her stomach churning.

Just then, Joshua made his move. With lightning speed, he swung his rope, and it sailed through the air. Time seemed to slow as the loop descended toward the stallion’s head.

“You’ve got him,” Parker shouted.

Before either Nathan or Parker could throw their ropes, a sharp yell pierced the air, followed by two deafening gunshots. Molly whirled around, her heart pounding in her ears.

Molly’s eyes widened as she saw Elijah Beckett and three younger men on horseback thunder toward them. The tension in the air thickened, electric and dangerous.

“We’re in for it now,” Jolene exclaimed, her voice tight with worry.

Molly’s grip on her camera tightened as she studied Elijah’s face, set in grim determination. His eyes blazed with intensity, sending a shiver down her spine.

As the riders drew closer, Molly could make out the faces of the other men. No boys, she realized. They couldn’t be more than fourteen or fifteen. Though young, their expressions mirrored Elijah’s stern features, and Molly’s stomach knotted with apprehension.

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