Page 1 of Ridin' Free

I wasat atable near the back of the reception hall. If I had to guess, there were no more than a hundred of us in the room—summer’s sunset painting a breathtaking picture across the horizon, seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the furthest side of the space.

It was the prettiest barn I’d ever seen. So pretty, in fact, it seemed silly to call it a barn.

Then again, brides liked the idea of a rustic wedding—even if all it meant was the cushion-less chairs were made of wood andthe table lacked the adornment of a tablecloth. Still, the place had crystal chandeliers, for crying out loud.

I pulled in a deep breath through my mouth, held it for a second, then slowly emptied my lungs through my nose. I was being a bitch. It didn’t matter that no one could hear my thoughts—Icould.

This was the wedding Alexia wanted, and it was beautiful. No matter how jaded I was, I couldn’t deny that. Not to mention, even though we weren’t particularly close, I did like the bride. She was good people and a woman with far more intelligence than I’d ever possess.

Wrangler had chosen well.

Tess, another one of the ol’ ladies, hadn’t wanted a big wedding. She and Mustang merely woke up one day and decided it was time. As soon as she was sure her brother could make the trip to Gillette, they scheduled the date for a couple of days later. They were married at the courthouse in October. At the time, Tess was seven months pregnant with Lydia-Jane—but that didn’t stop her from wearing a bomb-ass, tight, white dress. Mustang shut the bar down that night for anyone who wasn’t family, and they threw a party which lasted long after the bride and groom headed home.

I slung drinks, like I did every other night.

Technically, the Barker wedding was the second one I’d been invited to in a span of six months. Maverick and Jenna were married in January. I managed to get out of that one on account of it being a couple of hours out of town. Most guests stayed the weekend—including Mustang—which meant I was able to pull the work card.

Someone had to stay behind and man the bar.

But theBarn at Aspen Acreswas only a little over an hour outside of Gillette, in Spearfish, South Dakota. Seeing as Wrangler had invited me himself, I couldn’t very well sayno. Iwouldn’t call us friends, exactly—I didn’t have any of those. Not really. Though, it couldn’t be disputed, he was a good guy. We’d worked together at Steel Mustang for years. I respected and appreciated him enough that I agreed to make the trip.

Now, from where I sat—as far away from the center of the room as I could get—I watched as Wrangler danced with his wife for the first time.

It wasn’t jealousy that gnawed away at my insides at the sight of them.

It was something nastier. Darker.

It was the devil I knew.

The monster of my lived experiences haunting me.

Taunting me.

No man had ever adored me. No man had ever looked at me like I was his whole world, the way Wrangler gazed at Alexia—not even my husband.

I knew what it felt like to be held. To be fucked. To be the object of one’s obsession. Still, I’d never been loved. If I was honest, I’d gone most of my life believing unconditional love didn’t exist. Not outside of a fairytale, anyway.

The evidence that it did was out there on the dance floor.

The reality of it broke my heart as much as it stitched it back together.

I’d seen it too many times now to deny it.

With Bull and Winnie.

With Mustang and Tess.

With Maverick and Jenna.

Now, the expression on Alexia’s face—it was further proof that love could be true, and pure, and beautiful. I knew, without any doubt or reservation, in Wrangler’s arms was the happiest place she’d ever been.

There she was safe.

There she was protected.

There she was loved.

I wasn’t jealous.