Page 14 of Roping Reba

“Fucking hell, I thought it was all a dream.”

His voice was quiet but loud enough that I heard him. I was lying in bed next to him after all. I sat up, clutching the sheet to my breasts, covering up as much of myself as I could. I had two choices, pretend like I had no idea what happened or run. I chose the latter. Pulling the sheet with me, I got out of the bed.

“Hell, Reba, give me a minute,” he yelled, pulling a pillow over his junk before his eyes went wide. That’s when I saw what he saw and I burned with embarrassment. “What the fuck did I do?”

Johnny ran his hand over his face as I took two steps back, nearly falling over his boots.

“Shit.”

“You were a virgin, Reba? How?”

I just shook my head as tears welled in my eyes. Damn it. I hated crying when I was mad, but here I was about to make even more of a fool of myself.

“Stop talking, Johnny, just shut up.” I bent down and threw his jeans at him while scooping up my clothes and running into the bathroom.

You know those moments in the movies where the girl runs and the guy chases after her? That’s not real. What is real is pulling your clothes on in a bathroom too small to do so while wiping away the tears of mortification that you just fucked your best friend only to find out he regretted every minute of it. I opened the door to the bathroom to find him still in bed, this time muttering to himself, and I heard the one word that sent me over the edge.

“Mistake.”

I didn’t bother saying goodbye. I just walked out of the room and let the door slam behind me as I ran from the best thing thatever happened to me. However, in that moment, it had spun into the worst thing that ever happened to me.

CHAPTER 6

Johnny

“That’s a good girl,” Reba murmured, taking slow, measured steps toward the mare.

The damn thing had been trouble since day one, jumpy, untrusting, and just plain mean when she wanted to be. But Reba was determined. She had the other three eating out of her palm, and this one was the last hurdle before we could call it a win.

Since the others were doing great, I planned to load them up and start our trek home by the end of the week. Jax was having the time of his life with the kids on Jagger’s ranch as well as those who lived on the Ridge, but I was itching to get back. The only problem was, I hadn’t made an inch of progress with Reba. And the more time I spent with her, the less I wanted it to end. Even if she was still pretending, she couldn’t stand me. I lived for the laughs I’d catch and she would try to hide, and the few moments I was able to bring a smile to her gorgeous face. I missed her so much it hurt. We had been great friends before I fucked everything up and we’d never been the same since.

“Come on, girl. You know you want a snack.”

Reba extended her hand with the carrot, her voice soft and coaxing. The mare hesitated, ears flicking back and forth, nostrils flaring. She was thinking about it.

I stayed still, keeping my distance, pretending I had a role in this when, really, I was just here in case things went south. And my gut told me they would. The feeling had been sitting in my chest since I woke up. That same familiar pull of dread. I’d already called Mac to check in on things back home. Jax was happy and healthy, running wild, like always. Everything was fine. But it didn’t feel fine. And standing here, a few feet away from an animal that could kill either of us if she got spooked, that feeling only grew stronger.

The mare stepped forward. Just one step. Then another.

“That’s it,” Reba whispered. “Good girl.”

Her fingers stretched out inches from the horse’s nose.

Then it all went to hell.

A loud crash echoed from the barn behind us. A metal bucket hitting the ground, maybe, or a door slamming shut. The mare startled violently, rearing back with a panicked snort. Reba barely had time to react before the mare lashed out. Her front hooves slammed down, one striking the dirt, the other grazing Reba’s side. She crumpled with a sharp gasp, and I was moving before my brain could catch up.

“Shit—Reba!”

The mare spun, still spooked, and I didn’t think, I just acted. My voice came out sharp and commanding. “Get!”

The horse bolted, tearing off toward the other side of the pasture, kicking up dirt as she went. But I didn’t care about her anymore. Reba was on the ground, clutching her side, her face tight with pain. I was on my knees beside her in seconds, hands hovering because I didn’t know where to touch, where she was hurt the worst.

“Talk to me, Reba.”

She sucked in a shaky breath, her fingers pressing against her ribs. “I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”

“Bullshit.” My voice was rough. Too rough. I was seconds away from losing it. “That horse nearly took you out. You’re not fine.”

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