Page 1 of Burned & Bound

PROLOGUE

WEST

Shut the heck up!”Jackson hissed when I tripped over a metal bucket.Again.I broke down laughing. “We’re going to get caught! You and your massive dang feet!”

I laughed harder—practically giggling. Jackson Myles wouldn’t swear if someone paid him all the money in the world. No, Sir. He was a good country boy, and good country boys didn’t swear.But me?I didn’t give a flying fuck. I, Dakota McNamara, was eighteen years old. I was a man. No one could tell me to do a damn thing.

Except my father. But that was a different story.

When I ran into a shovel, the horses stirred in their stalls.Grace was not my middle name.West was though, and everyone called me West.

Except my father.Again.

“You might as well set off an alarm, you know.” Jackson sighed dramatically. “There’s no point in sneaking out with you ever.”

“It ain’t my fault the stable hands suck at fucking cleaning,” I muttered. “Who the fuck let James run the stables anyway?”

“Our dads, that’s who,” he reminded me.Oh, yeah.

The Myles and the McNamaras had a long history together. Our great-great-great-too-many-for-me-to-fucking-remember-grandpas bought a plot of land with all the money they had in their pockets. They named it Double Arrow Ranch—for some reason or another—and then worked their asses off until that small plot of land became a thriving ranch. We were the largest cattle ranch in all of Oregon with connections all around the country for bull breeding. Some of the best bulls in the industry came from our ranch.

We also had horses, but those seemed to be more of a hobby than anything else. Jackson’s mom called the herd her babies. She had them named, spoiled, and looking just fine. Every minute I had, I helped her with them.

Jackson and I grew up on this ranch together, and one day, we’d run it together. His family had their house, and mine had ours, but I couldn’t remember a time when we weren’t together. Even at night, when we should’ve been sleeping, we’d sneak out to take our horses for a ride.

“Just watch your feet, Bigfoot,” Jackson teased. He took the lead, moving through the barn like he owned the place.Maybe he did. What did I know?Jackson belonged on this ranch. It ran deep in his blood. Me? Yeah, I was born and raised here just like him, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t want to be a rancher. Honestly, I didn’t know what I wanted to be. Or what I wanted to do with my life.

“Look at you, pretty girl,” I whispered as I slipped into my horse’s stall. Bailey was a gray leopard Appaloosa and a gorgeous one at that. She’d been a gift on my fifteenth birthday from Mrs. Myles. My father thought getting me a horse was a bad idea—too much responsibility for a kid who couldn’t wake up with his alarm. But I’d do anything for my girl. I liked her a hell of a lot better than I liked my father.

I brushed my hands over her snout and doted on her. Even if we did get caught, I was still taking my time. Bailey deserved my respect when I saddled her. Hell, I knew Jackson was doing the same with Lucky across the stables.

By the time I guided my girl out of her stall, Jackson was waiting for me with Lucky and wearing that soft brown cowboy hat of his.

“You and that stupid hat,” I scoffed. I made fun of him only because it looked so goddamn good on him. Jackson looked the part of arancher from his sunkissed chestnut hair to his tanned skin that made his blue eyes stand out in an unnerving way. I gave him shit for it but that didn’t stop me from admiring.

The real problem was that I was in love with Jackson Ford Myles. I had been for years. Boys like Jackson chased after the girl next door types while I just pined silently after my best friend. While it fucking hurt sometimes, I’d come to accept that this was my reality.

“Better than that tattoo you got,” he shot back. I grinned. On my eighteenth birthday, I’d gotten a tattoo—four simple words:no fear, no regret. It was small and technically two tattoos since I had one phrase on the inside of each wrist but still.

I followed him outside. As soon as we cleared the side of the barn, I mounted my horse and took off at a gallop. It was seconds before Jackson caught up. Lucky was a bay Thoroughbred and a fast one at that. Jackson could’ve turned him around and made some damn good money racing him, but the closest thing to racing Lucky would ever do was our late-night adventures.

Double Arrow fell just shy of thirty thousand acres. It gave Jackson and me a hell of a list of places where we could hang out away from our parents. Our favorite spot was just over the northern ridge—far enough to be alone but close enough that we could get back fast enough. The cows never ventured there and neither did the horses, leaving it untouched.I kind of had a feeling that Jackson’s mom had something to do with keeping the space for us.She was just that kind of mom.

We rode in silence like we always did. Mostly, we just wanted to make sure we got the hell out of dodge before we drew too much attention to ourselves. The twenty-five-minute ride always passed with ease.

Letting go of a heavy breath, I tipped my head back and enjoyed the rush of wind over my face. I loved the outdoors. I’d never go inside if I didn’t have to. There was something comforting about a clear night sky overhead and the pounding of hooves underneath me. I had no love of ranching, but I did love being on the back of a horse.

We hitched the horses and dropped down into the long grass. Jackson stayed close like he always did, and I was all too aware like I always was. His arm brushed up against mine, his knee knocked against my thigh. The contact had my heart galloping in my chest.

“I’m thinking of trying my hand at bull riding,” Jackson said.

“Didn’t your dad tell you no?” I replied. It was no secret he wanted to be a bull rider. He’d been dreaming of it since we were kids putting fake horns on calves when we played.

“Yeah, but I’m eighteen next month. Nothing he can do about it then.”

“Your mom’s going to have a heart attack, you know that, right?”

“Nope.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “You know those meetings she drags me to twice a week? They’re with Buck Hartley.”

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