Page 88 of Wild and Unruly
“Bonnie was a little on the chubby side.” He tilts his head, and I clench my fist, ready to take my next hit. “But I figured if I couldn’t get rid of Mason, I would just work on her a little. See if I could gain her empathy and convince her to tell Mason to quit.”
He smiles, and it shows the truly evil and purely wicked person that lurks underneath. “But I never had to. Mason’s horse acted up, Mason overcorrected, and boom. A cripple for life.”
Anger like I’ve never felt before courses through me. Thispiece of shit was the reason Bonnie’s life derailed so hard, why her brother was such a problem, why she was beat to shit now.
I’ve heard enough.
Without warning, I roll my arm back and keep swinging, feeling gratification with each punch that lands on his face, in his stomach. Blood spurts from his nose and from his mouth, where I knocked a couple of teeth out.
I don’t stop until his pleas do, and even then, I can’t seem to get myself to stop.
“Stetson.” I hear Logan’s warning. I hear my brothers and CT start to tell me to stop, but I can’t. I was a man possessed, and this man in front of me, this sniveling fraction of a human being, he had hurt the one thing on this earth that I love more than anything.
Payment was due, and I was collecting.
Finally, when his head is lolling and his eyes no longer stay open, I stop.
My chest heaves, my gloves are bloody, as are my jeans and boots. God knows what my face looks like. Stepping back, I don’t even look to my family around me as I turn and make my way up the stairs and back to my truck, leaving behind this chapter of our lives and moving on to something better.
35
bonnie
My hand glides happilyover Freckles’s forehead, and I smile as she leans into my chest as if asking for a hug. I was all too happy to oblige. She was definitely one of the happiest things in my life right now.
Four days ago, Stetson came back to Dani’s place, blood on his jeans and boots, and reached out a hand for me, tucking me into his chest as if he needed me there to calm his racing heart.
I didn’t ask what happened, even though I was dying to know, but I found out part of it when the news broke two days ago.
Tommy Smith was found in an abandoned trailer in some small area of woods. Someone had reported suspicious activity, and when the police came, they saw that he was there, badly beaten.
Word was, Tommy was barely hanging on, and even though he was on life support, he was now facing life in prison for a string of illegal activities and, after his fatherreleased video footage from their barn, the murder of Eugene Waters.
The news rocked our little community, and I got a call from Virginia congratulating me on uncovering how horrible he was.
I don’t feel much relief on the matter, but I am happy he can’t hurt anyone anymore.
Since then, we’ve found ourselves here at the ranch, spending time with Stetson’s family and working to keep our minds busy. Stetson watches me like a hawk, probably sensing how overwhelmed I am with the state of my life.
I’ve received several inquiries from different magazines all over the country, wondering if I was looking for work. Maybe I would take a job from someone where I could keep myself here and work remotely, but I was in no hurry to do anything that took me away from the ranch. And from Stetson.
“Honey?” I hear his voice call, and I step out of Freckles’s stall, smiling when she takes my absence to go outside to her run, running her mouth along the ground and nuzzling for grass.
Stetson sees me step out of the stall and gives me a smile. He knew where to find me. It’s where I always am, growing the bond with my horse.
“There’s someone here to see you,” he starts, glancing down the long alleyway of the barn.
I stop when I see the chair and take a deep breath. “I don’t know…”
“Honey, you love your brother.”
I glance at him suspiciously. “You hate my brother.”
He shakes his head, reaching out to pull me into his arms. I love and hate that I can only really take a full breath when I’m right here in this spot. “I don’t hate him. I hate how he’s treatedyou.” He shrugs and says, “If he’s willing to work on that, then I’m willing to give him that space to do so.”
I shake my head and look at this man who has completely stolen my heart. “How did I get to be this lucky?”
“You’re not lucky, you’re deserving.” He pulls me in for a tight hug and presses his lips to mine. “And so am I. I want you to be happy.” He glances over to where my mom and brother are, talking with Dani and CT. “Your family makes you happy, Bo.”
