Page 40 of Live for Me

Beau left without a word, and as soon as the tension in my shoulders dissipated, the front door was opening again. I spun on my heel to find him carrying my bag inside and setting it on the table. He looked up at me and ordered, “Get settled. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Then, he was gone, leaving me with nothing but the memories of our happiest days hovering around me.

Chapter Ten

Beau

Lance let out a cry in the distance as his brother and Mags shifted the herd to the left, maneuvering them to the other side of the field so we could set up a perimeter for the rangers. A fewdrops of sweat trickled down my neck as I approached Spirit, reaching into my saddle bag for my water as I heard Mason come up beside me.

He clapped me on the shoulder. “Hotter than a rodeo clown’s armpit out here,” he grumbled.

I pulled my hat off and tipped my head back, pouring some of the water over my face, groaning. “You would know,” I muttered before taking a drink, putting my hat back on.

Hooves thundered behind us, and I looked over my shoulder to find Denver atop Ranger, heading this way, the ranch owner’s face set as he commanded his horse to slow stop. Ranger neighed at me—or, rather, Spirit—and I felt my lips twitch. In my mind, those boys were best friends.

“They here yet?” Mason asked, referring to the team the Wildlife Warden was supposed to send out today.

“They are heading this way,” Den answered, his voice hard as he twisted his neck to look at the mountain. “Something is off with them.”

“What do you mean?” Mase asked, his eyes finding mine.

Clearing my throat, I went to put my water back in the saddle bag while explaining the situation, how Sheriff Bowen has been acting, how Paul the fuck face warden was treating our issue like it belonged on the back burner. The longer I kept talking, the more tense Mason became.

“You think Chase is losing his power?” he asked the both of us once I was done.

Before I could answer, Denver said, “If that’s the case, we can’t let that happen. I’m sending the twins into town tonight to do some digging. Lance is good at getting people to talk.”

“Because Lance is good at getting people to fucking drink with him,” I added.

Denver looked over the herd then, pulling his sunglasses off. “We can’t lose what we have here, boys. If we lose Chase, we lose our protection.”

“When’s the next town hall meeting?” Mason asked, petting his horse.

“Next Saturday night,” I told them.

“Well, Mayor Banks asked me to make an appearance. Apparently, she wants to draw in more tourists,” the bull rider said, looking up at his brother. “Know you don’t like the idea of Hayden becoming a tourist town, but maybe if I can sway the mayor, we can get Chase back on track.”

Denver grunted in reply.

“We need to get Chase out here,” I declared. “Away from…everyone and ask him what the hell is going on.”

“I agree.” Mason nodded.

“Right. We’ll try to do that before the next town hall. Let’s get this work done and get back home,” Denver said.

Minutes later, I was back in the saddle, and the workday continued. It wasn’t until the sun was beginning to set that all us cowboys started heading back, Mason veering off the left once we entered pasture two and Mags veering right, heading to his cabin. Mason and Harmony built a house last year behind pasture two, nestled just into the tree line, giving them one hell of a fucking view.

Part of me wondered if I would ever have my own house on this land, or if I would be like my father, living in the bunkhouse until I was old and gray with nothing to my name but a broken heart.

Abbie’s face flashed in my mind, and I looked to the left, the memory of the worst day of my life playing like a movie right before my eyes. We were in the middle of that field, me in jeans and a pearl snap, nervous as hell and her in a purple sun dress with her hair tied back. I’d gotten down on one knee, presentedthe ring I’d spent three years working for, and asked her to marry me.

I reached up and pressed down on the top of my hat, my jaw tight. “Doesn’t fucking matter,” I bit off to myself. “It never fucking did.”

Then, the barn and main house came into view, and I snapped the reins, commanding Spirit to run faster. Anger from that day settled on my shoulders, the feeling re-introducing itself to me. I’d thought I somehow managed to let go of the pain and move on with my life. And fuck me, I tried.

I really fucking did.

Days blended into months, and soon, I was running on autopilot. The only time I ever felt anything was when I was killing men who threatened Hallow Ranch and Hayden. I felt powerful—useful—on those dark night we reaped the souls of bad men. I was ready to end it at one point, the night Mags found me. That was my lowest point.

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