Page 27 of Bryson's Treasure

Lynn glared at him before running her hand along Midnight’s neck. “I’ll be fine.”

Bryson grabbed Whiskey’s reins out of her hands. “I want to go on record and say I think this is a bad idea.”

“Stop putting negative thoughts into the universe.” She slipped her foot into the stirrup and pulled herself up. “Look, he’s doing just fine.”

Midnight pranced a little. Lynn quickly spun him in a circle, and he calmed down. Knowing she wasn’t going to change her mind, Bryson got on Whiskey. The old horse didn’t move until he squeezed his legs.

Lynn trotted next to him as they went down the trail to the back of the land. Every so often, Bryson would catch Lynn looking toward the north property line. They couldn’t see the house to the north, but he knew what was there.

“Does it bother you, living this close?”

She didn’t answer right away. “No. I wish I would’ve done something sooner, but when I figured it out, it wasn’t what I thought it would be. Keith wouldn’t let me leave, and then I stopped trying.”

They spent the next half hour talking about what it was like living in the cult. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be trapped inside for three years. After a few days inside when it got cold out, Bryson would go stir-crazy.

Lynn was right about Midnight being ready for a ride. In the beginning, he was antsy, but as the walk progressed, he calmed down and walked next to Whiskey.

They stopped in front of the entrance to the mine. Bryson quickly jumped off Whiskey and came to Midnight’s side to help Lynn down. She didn’t protest when he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down. Her arms went around his shoulders, and she pressed her soft lips to his. The kiss was gentle at first until he pulled her in tighter.

Bryson pulled a blanket out of his saddlebag and spread it across the ground. The warm sun beat down, and he stripped off his jacket. Lynn sat next to him, and he pulled her into his arms.

“I know you didn’t have a normal childhood, but did you love something about Christmas?”

Lynn rested her head on his shoulder. “Ms. Jackson made Christmas fun, but I never felt like part of her family. It wasn’t because she didn’t try. She had three biological kids of her own, and they only came around during holidays, so she spent much of the day talking with them. I just want to spend Christmas with the people I enjoy being around.”

“Who’s that?” Bryson joked.

Lynn playfully nudged him. “You and Azadeh, silly. How about you? What’s your favorite thing about Christmas?”

“Before my mom passed, she would have all three boys help cook Christmas dinner. We had so much fun cooking and joking with each other. My dad was always in charge of the turkey, and we made everything else.”

“You guys were close.”

“Yes, and then it was hard when Grayson left for the Navy, and Noah left the following year. Then it was just Dad and me. After Mom died, Dad wasn’t the same, and Grayson and Noah never came back.”

“Is Grayson going to come up here for Christmas this year? I would love to meet him.”

“I think he will. Are you getting hungry?” Bryson reached into his bag and pulled out the food.

Lynn grabbed one of the sandwiches. “Yes, thank you.”

“We should take Azadeh to pick out a Christmas tree.”

Lynn took a bite of her sandwich. “I’ve never done that be—” Her words were cut off when the sound of a shot rang out.

“What the fuck?” Bryson grunted as he rolled Lynn to the side behind a rock.

It didn’t stop the shooter. Bullets flew past, a few hitting the rock they crouched behind. Bryson cursed himself for leaving his gun in the saddlebags. He wouldn’t be able to get to them now since the horses had taken off running when the first shot was fired.

“Do you think it’s the same person who’s after Gabriel?”

“I’m not sure.” Bryson sighed. “But it looks like we’re going to be here awhile. Let’s get into the mine and see if one of the workers left something for us to protect ourselves with.”

He hoped going into the mine was the right decision.

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