Page 25 of Lasso Lovebirds (Rainbow Ranch #4)

beau

Thunder shook me from my sleep. My eyes flew open and in the dark, I could see the outline of Pris.

But not Sky.

I frowned and sat up, looking around the room. Lightning flashed bright enough that it lit up the room.

My chest twisted as my thoughts started to race. Thunder shook the entire house and all of the alarm bells rang in my head. I reached over, giving Priscilla a gentle shake.

She immediately turned over, lifting her head. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry to wake you up, darling,” I whispered. “Did Sky tell you they were going somewhere?”

She shook her head and then sat up, looking up at the ceiling as the sound of rain became torrential.

“Fuck,” she whispered. “Do you think . . .”

“That they left us?” My throat squeezed. There was no way, right?

Suddenly I worried that I’d moved too fast with them.

Priscilla’s eyes widened in the dark. “No, Beau. I don’t think they did. Not after last night. Could they have gone outside to look at the storm?”

“Maybe. I don’t like this,” I said.

“Me neither. Let’s find them,” she said.

Lightning flashed again as we both got out of bed, quickly throwing on our clothes. I heard boots out in the hallway and my door flew open, Benny poking his head in.

“Oh god?—”

“We’re dressed,” Pris said quickly. “What’s wrong?”

“This storm is bad,” he said. “We’re all getting up.”

“We’re up,” I said. “Let’s go out and secure the stables if we have time.”

He nodded and took off. My heart skipped a beat as I looked over at Pris. “I have to go help. You should grab Winnie and Boone and head to the storm shelter.”

“I’m going to find Sky,” she said, her eyes blazing with determination.

“Just be careful,” I said. “I’ll keep an eye out for them.”

She rushed over to me, grabbed me by my face, and planted a kiss on my mouth. “You be careful, too,” she said. “Go.”

I nodded and left the bedroom, rushing down the hall and knocking on any door that was shut. The last one was Billie, and I kicked it open without warning.

“Get up,” I called. “There’s a storm.”

She sat up in bed with a curse and then scrambled up, kicking into emergency mode. “I’m up,” she said. “Fuck. Tornado?”

“Maybe. We’re going out to secure the stables, but everyone else should head to the shelter.”

“Got it,” she said, already pulling on her boots. “Be careful.”

“I will.”

I ran through the house and out the front door.

The rain was pouring, but I didn't care. The ranch always came first.

Come hell or high water, flood or fire—the ranch always came first.

We had to make sure our horses were going to be okay. I sprinted across the road, looking around for Sky. I glanced back at the garage, noting that the door was open.

Goddamnit . They’d gone storm chasing.

The idea of them being out there alone in this sent a streak of fear a mile wide through me.

What if they got hurt? What if something went wrong?

I forced myself to breathe.

I had to trust that they knew what they were doing. Sky wasn’t new to storm chasing. They wouldn’t do something to purposefully put themself in harms way.

But I worried.

I worried because I loved them.

“Beau! We need help!” Benny shouted.

My attention was drawn back to the storm and the task at hand. I went through the gate and ran as fast as I could to the stables. We needed to get the doors chained, and everything secured.

Wylie, Benny, and I worked fast.

The horses neighed, stomping the ground nervously as the wind howled outside.

Whenever a bad storm hit, the best we could do was hunker down, and the stables were by far the strongest building we had on the property.

As humans could get down into a storm shelter, but our animals? We put all our money into making sure our stables were as secure as possible during a storm.

“Beau!” Wylie yelled.

I turned back as I secured one of the doors. “What?”

“Dennis got out!”

Fuck . “Dammit,” I rasped, securing the chains.

The sound of rain and thunder grew louder. The wind was battering the stables, the horses uneasy.

“I’ll get him,” I yelled. “Finish securing everything and get to the shelter!”

Wylie and Benny nodded. The three of us were drenched from the rain. I raked my fingers through my hair and went back out the front, holding my arm over my head as I scouted the ranch.

Where in the hell had Dennis gone? Where was he?

“Dennis!” I shouted.

The damn troublemaker. I loved that little menace and didn’t want anything to happen to him.

Headlights flashed and my head whipped back as I spotted Sky’s van. Relief flooded through me, but then it was followed by a wave of pure panic and fear.

Behind them, in the distance, was a twister.

Heading straight for our ranch.

“Get to the shelter!” I shouted above the storm.

I needed everyone to be safe. I had one job—taking care of everyone around me—and I had to get them to our shelter ASAP.

Wylie and Benny ran past me, heading toward the shelter behind the main house.

I spotted Pris waving at us, Winnie and Boone going down the steps of the shelter and disappearing below.

That left Sky and Dennis.

Sky waved at me as they got out of the van, and I pointed toward Pris, their shouts lost in the wind. My heart pounded as debris kicked up, the sound of a freight train bearing down on us growing louder.

And finally, I spotted Dennis.

“You son of a gun,” I yelled, running to him.

Thank god he was a mini horse and I was a strong cowboy. His eyes were wild as I wrapped my arms around him, and he didn’t fight me. I knew he was scared.

I needed to get to the storm shelter. I ran as fast as I could, trying not to look at the tornado heading straight for us. Straight toward everything I loved. Everything we had.

It could be gone in a blink.

I went through the gate and rushed toward Priscilla. Sky was the last one to go into the shelter aside from us. Pris was keeping the doors open for me and Dennis.

“Go!” I yelled at her.

I barreled past Pris with Dennis, letting go of our mini disaster. He snorted and trotted straight to Wylie and Boone.

I went back up the steps and helped Pris slam the doors shut. We turned the lock just in time, the door rattling as the wind screeched.

My entire body was shaking, but everyone I loved was accounted for.

Everyone was safe for now.

Pris arms wrapped around me and pulled me back down the steps, everyone hunkering together. I grabbed Sky, dragging them between us as we listened to the storm, everyone silent. Scared.

I sent up a thousand prayers, hoping that everything would be okay. Maybe it would just miss us. Maybe it wouldn’t.

Everything shook, the doors rattling violently. I swallowed hard, looking at my siblings. At our friends. My family.

“It’s going to be okay,” I said calmly. “We’re together. We’re safe.”

Dennis let out a soft, worried neigh.

“I’m sorry,” Sky whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Shh,” Pris murmured, holding them close. “It’s okay, Sky.”

The sound of metal screeching and wood snapping interrupted the horrific sounds of the storm.

But then . . .

It grew more distant.

And then slowly, but surely, it disappeared.

The silence that followed was deafening. Boone breathed out, slumping against Wylie. Billie, Benny, and Winnie melted against the walls of the shelter.

“That was a terrible way to wake up,” Billie announced.

That broke the tension. I let out a laugh, and then a groan, a weight lifting off my chest.

We’d made it.

Everyone was safe.

“I’m scared to see the damage,” I whispered.

“Whatever it is, we’ll handle it,” Pris said. “Together.”

Everyone agreed.

I stood up and went up the stairs, unlocking the hatch. With a shove, I managed to open it, letting in cool morning air.

Our group emerged from the storm shelter, the sunrise breaking through the dark clouds. Brilliant rays turned the sky peach in the wake of the storm.

I immediately did a three-sixty, feeling relief when I saw the stables and barn. They were fine. From here, the garden looked a little torn up, but we’d work together to help Pris get everything back to order.

The house had lost some roofing. There was some debris strewn around, but otherwise . . .

The ranch looked to be fine.

“I’m gonna go check on the animals,” Wylie said.

I nodded. “Let’s do a full round-up. Check on it all.”

“You got it,” Billie said.

Everyone was already breaking apart to do just that. Before I could follow, Pris dragged me close, and then I wrapped my arms around her and Sky, who was shaking.

“That scared me,” Pris rasped.

I nodded. “Me too,” I croaked.

Tears filled Sky’s eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t leave a note. I got a radar alert and wanted to go out and chase it. But I should have left a note. And then when I was out there, one of the tornadoes turned this way.”

“We worried for a moment you were gone for good,” Pris murmured.

They shook their head, the tears falling as they looked up at both of us. “I knew this morning that this was the place for me. I knew it. And the fear I felt in seeing that tornado come after the people I love . . .”

“ Love ,” Pris echoed, swallowing hard.

Sky sniffled. “Yes. Love . I love you. Both of you. I know it’s fast, I know it’s crazy, but I also know it’s the truth. I belong here at Rainbow Ranch. I belong here with you.”

My mouth dropped in shock. Love.

“Does that mean you’re here to stay?” Priscilla asked softly.

“I’m here to stay,” Sky said. “I’m yours. I’m all yours.”

Love. They loved us. They were staying.

They were staying at Rainbow Ranch.

“I love you, Sky,” Pris said. “I love you, Beau. And you’re right, it is crazy. It’s just as crazy as that damn storm. But it feels right.”

“It does,” Sky cried.

I was still in shock as the two of them hugged each other and then kissed.

Pris loved me too?

Both of them turned their attention on me.

“Beau,” Pris said, raising a brow. “You okay there?”

“Okay?” I breathed out, tears pricking my eyes. “I’m more than okay. I don’t have the words. I’m not good with words. But . . .”

I swept the two of them against me, my arms tightening as I held them close. “Welcome home, Sky. I love you. And Pris . . .” I trailed off, looking down at her as the tears fell. “I love you, too. I love both of you so much it hurts.”

Pris grinned and leaned up, kissing me hard. “I don’t know, Beau. I think you’re pretty good with words. What do you think, Sky?”

“I think he is too,” they said with a smile.

I kissed them, and then the three of us leaned into each other. Into the love that had taken us by surprise.

“Let’s help our family,” Pris said. “We got work to do on our ranch.”

“Our ranch?” Sky asked.

I nodded and grinned. “ Our ranch.”