Page 61 of Burned & Bound

“Just you wait! They’re coming your way!” Peter laughed.

“Who the fuck is coming…” My words trailed off as I caught sight of what had my men riled up.

It was West.

West was riding Thunder Jack.

West was back on a horse.

And damn did he look good.

I stared for all of a few seconds, taking in his wind-blown hair and relaxed stature. There was a flash of familiarity—a little glimpse of the West I grew up with. He’d never looked more comfortable in his skin than when he was on the back of a horse.

And from the look of it, some things never changed.

I urged my horse Zeus forward, and he broke into a run. We galloped across the field, following after West. For as fast as Zeus was, he had nothing on Thunder Jack.

But I was used to chasing after West. Growing up, we’d always been like this. On a horse, he was fast and reckless.Free and unrestrained.His pick in horses always reflected that part of him.

And me? I never minded chasing him down.Hell, I still didn’t.There was an exhilaration in pushing myself to keep up with him. A thrill in the challenge.

I’d chase West anywhere.

The North Elm River bordered the edge of the ranch. The region was largely untouched. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d come out this far.And even as they neared the bank, Zeus slowed. They crashed into it with a massive splash while I pulled up on the bank. I leaned on the pommel, watching with utter fascination as Thunder Jack trampled through the water.But it wasn’t the horse that held my rapt attention.

It was the giant smile on West’s face. The utter joy in his expression was a sight to take in—one that tugged at my heart in a way I hadn’t known possible.

“Afraid of getting that hat wet, cowboy?” West teased, that grin never wavering.Hell, if he kept on smiling, I’d let him make fun of my hat all he wanted.

“Yup,” I drawled and tipped my hat in his direction. His smile widened, and damn if I didn’t love it. “I see you finally got back on a horse.”

“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his dark hair, pushing wet strands away from his face.

“Feel good?”

“Feels good.”That made me stupidly happy. Not that I told him that.

“Good,” I said.

“I’ll race you back,” he said, and I made a face. We both knew he’d win. “What? You afraid the hat’s going to weigh you down, cowboy?”

Yeah, I fucking liked it when he called me that.I liked the smirk he wore and the depth of his voice when he said it. I felt it in every nerve in my body.

“You’re on,” I shot back, feigning my annoyance.

I had the window to gain a lead as he nudged Thunder Jack forward, prompting the horse to climb up the angled bank. But for the life of me, I got caught up in his smile.

That moment cost me the win, but fuck, I didn’t care.

CHAPTER 45

jackson

West was more relaxedthan he’d been…well, ever. It was like riding a horse again unlocked something inside of him. He went on and on about the horses and what he was doing with them as we sat on the corral fence. I didn’t have much to add to the conversation, but I could listen to him talk all afternoon.And I did.

Eventually, evening rolled around and my guys wandered in. I didn’t bother getting off the fence. I’d kept track of their work on the radio—not that there was much going on anyway. Instead, I just tipped my hat in their direction as they corralled their horses and stayed right where I was.

The last one to come in was Mickey, and I stiffened as he started in our direction. I had no fucking desire to talk to Mickey. There wasn’t a damn thing I needed to be updated on, so there wasn’t a damn reason he needed to talk to me.

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