Page 6

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.”

She tried to sit up, but the second she moved, pain flashed across her face, and she hissed.

That was it.

I slid an arm under her knees and the other behind her back before she could argue.

“Johnny, no?—”

“Too damn bad.” I lifted her easily, adjusting her in my arms as she sucked in another breath. “You can yell at me later.”

She scowled, but there was no real fight in it. She was hurting. I carried her out of the pasture, ignoring the way her fingers curled weakly into my shirt. I could feel the tension in her body, the stubborn way she held herself, like she didn’t want to show how bad it really was. I wasn’t having it. By the time I got her to the house and kicked open the door, she was breathing heavily, her forehead damp with sweat. Moira came running over as I set Reba on the couch carefully, kneeling in front of her. “Let me see.”

She hesitated, jaw tight, but then she peeled her shirt up slightly, revealing the angry red mark already forming on her ribs and some slightly broken skin.

I cursed under my breath. “Damn it, Reba.”

“It’s not that bad,” she muttered.

I shot her a look. “It could be broken.”

“It’s not.”

“You don’t know that.”

“What happened?” Moira’s voice cut into my panic.

“That damn mare scared off and nearly killed Reba.”

“I’ll get some ice.”

“She needs more than ice!” My voice was far too rough for Moira. She certainly didn’t deserve my anger. “I’m sorry.”

Moira gave me a soft smile and made her way to the kitchen.

Reba exhaled sharply, wincing. “Johnny?—”

“I apologized. But you scared the hell out of me,” I cut in, my voice low, raw.

Her expression faltered for a split second before she looked away.

I ran a hand through my hair, forcing a slow breath. “I’m taking you to the hospital. Someone should check you over.”

“Dr. Nelson, or one of the nurses at the infirmary, can check her over for you, Johnny. That way, you don’t have to go into town, just back over to the Ranch,” Moira said, carefully placing an ice pack on Reba’s side.

Reba sighed but didn’t argue, which only made me worry more. I reached for my phone, but my eyes never left her. I knew one thing for damn sure, Reba might not be willing to settle down, but I wasn’t leaving this Ranch without figuring out how to get through to her. Because losing her, even for a second, wasn’t an option. It had damn near killed me.

Reba let her head fall back against the couch, exhaling as she pressed her fingers gently against the ice on her ribs. I wasn’t convinced she wasn’t seriously hurt, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it.

“I’m fine,” she argued again, looking up at me, but her voice lacked its usual bite.

“You keep saying that, but you’re still sitting there holding your side like you just took a beating in the arena.”

She huffed but didn’t have a comeback for that. I watched her carefully. Her jaw was clenched, her expression set, but I knew her well enough to see past it.

“I’ll make sure the kids are okay out back. Do you want me to tell Jax what happened?” Moira asked quietly.

“No, I don’t want to scare him,” Reba said before I could answer.

“Very well, I’ll keep him here until I hear back from you both.”

I watched as Moira left to check on the kids before turning back to Reba. “You really scared me out there.”

She blinked at me, her fingers tightening slightly around the ice pack.

“I knew that mare was a risk, but I still let you get too close. I should’ve?—”

“Stop.”

Her voice was soft but firm, cutting through my guilt like a blade.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Johnny. I knew what I was doing and you know that. Working with wild horses is a risk, and it’s one I was willing to take.”

I shook my head. “Still doesn’t mean I enjoyed seeing you go down like that.”

She looked away, focusing on the ice pack, and for a moment, silence stretched between us.

Then she sighed. “Guess you get to say, ‘I told you so’ now, huh?”

I frowned. “That’s not what this is about.”

“No? Seems like the perfect opportunity.”

I exhaled sharply. “I don’t want to be right, Reba. I want you safe.”

Her lips parted slightly, and for a second, I thought she was going to say something real, something honest. But then she shook her head, shifting on the couch with a wince.

“I just need to rest for a bit. I’ll be fine.”

“You need to take it easy for more than a bit,” I countered.

She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t start, Johnny.”

Too late.

“Reba, this isn’t some minor scrape. You might have a cracked rib. You will see an actual medical professional and follow their orders.”

“And what, let you do all the work? Not happening.”

I stared at her, biting back the frustration clawing its way up my throat. She was the most stubborn damn woman I’d ever met.

“You’re impossible,” I muttered.

“And yet, here you are.”

“Yeah, here I am. And I ain’t going anywhere, so you might as well get used to it.”

Her smirk faltered. Just slightly. She shifted again, adjusting the ice pack, and I could tell she was trying to ignore the weight of my words.

“Well,” she said after a beat, her tone lighter, deflecting, “If you’re sticking around, you might as well make yourself useful and check on the horses. Make sure that damn mare didn’t break out of the pasture.”

I held her gaze for a moment before nodding.

“Fine,” I said, standing. “But we are heading over to the Ranch as soon as I get back, so don’t even think about sneaking out there yourself.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. I stepped toward the door, but before I left, I glanced back. She was still watching me, something unreadable in her eyes. Yeah. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.