Page 13 of Wyoming Bodyguard (Sunrise Security #1)

A fter Lily took all his money, Madden convinced her to call it quits and head back to her place. The other men were happy to see her leave and hold on to what little cash they had left. He was happy to put some space between him and Dax.

The sun had started its descent, casting an orangish glow in the sky.

He jumped out of his truck and stared at the open country beyond the fence.

His job at Tremont Ranch the past few days wasn’t the type of work he once did, but it was nice being outside.

Having the opportunity to absorb the land, even if it wasn’t his own.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

The awe in Lily’s voice turned him toward her, and his breath caught in his throat. “Yeah. Beautiful.” He turned back toward the mountains before she caught him staring.

“Can we take a ride?” she asked, still facing forward. “This is my favorite time of day to take Queenie out. I love how everything has some kind of magical glow around it and the world is just a little bit quieter. It’s the best time to focus my mind, and I could really use some focus.”

No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t tell her no. Not when his reason for staying off a horse was tied to the constant throbbing in his shoulder. Better to agree the find a way to make it a quick ride. “Sure.”

“Thanks.” She led the way to the barn, hauling open the heavy door with little effort. Standing in the wide aisle, she stopped for a moment and closed her eyes. He could practically see the strain melting away, her muscles loosening.

He envied her. Envied her ability to pour her whole heart into what she loved.

“Do you remember where everything is?” she asked, heading toward the tack room.

“Yup. Do you want me to saddle Ace again?”

“If that’s okay with you. He’s my dad’s mount and is used to being ridden daily.”

He waited for her to grab what she needed to get Queenie ready then found Ace’s saddle, saddle pad and brushes. He carried everything to Ace’s stall.

Ace whined and butted his nose against Madden.

“Hey, big guy. Gonna take it easy on me again today?” He worked quickly and efficiently to ready the horse, offering plenty of pets as he went. When everything was situated, he slipped the bridle and reins over the horse’s neck, gently placing the bit in Ace’s mouth. “All right. Here goes nothing.”

Madden guided Ace outside where Lily and Queenie waited. He made some last minute adjustments on the girth then heaved himself on the animal’s strong back. “Ready?”

“Always. Let’s head a different way tonight. I don’t want to go by the shed. For a few minutes, I want to forget all my problems, not come face-to-face with them.”

“Lead the way.”

Lily maneuvered Queenie away from the barn in the opposite direction of the shed. “There’s a meadow behind the house I love. Goes down to a quiet, little stream.”

“Sounds nice.” He kept Ace at a steady pace, the reins loose in his hands. As long as he didn’t have to use his arm too much, he could relax and enjoy an evening stroll on a magnificent creature.

The meadow stretched out in front of him, long blades of grass interrupted by a smattering of colorful wildflowers. Pine trees stood tall in the distance. The faint outline of the stream looked like a single line cutting through the landscape at this distance.

“Your dad was great tonight,” Lily said, interrupting his thoughts. “I was nervous to go to his house, but he made me feel nothing but welcomed.”

“That’s Pops. Wants to be friends with everyone.

Never muttering a bad word unless it’s about one of his sons or something in jest. He’s one of the good ones.

” A beat of love pulsed through him. He’d been blessed with a wonderful role model, a father who loved his kids without limits.

He’d do anything for the old man, even when it made him a pariah in his own town.

“I hate that I’ve judged him so harshly.” Her soft words were almost lost on the subtle breeze.

A lump formed in his throat. “The last couple years have been tough for him.”

Lily gave a noncommittal hum. “Dax surprised me. I hate to say I haven’t noticed him much lately. In my mind, he’s still the kid who followed us around. He’s not a kid anymore, that’s for sure. He seemed upset.”

He huffed out a humorless laugh. “He’s always upset.”

Lily spared him a glance before returning her focus ahead of her. “Sorry to hear that. I can’t say I understand the dynamics between siblings, but I hope you both realize how lucky you are to have one another. Someone who can share the burden of life’s troubles.”

He swallowed the retort that came to mind.

Dax wasn’t one to share anything except his complaining.

His brother was quick to judge Madden, blaming him for everything, without understanding a damn thing.

“Dax is…hell, I can’t even say I really know him anymore.

So much changed while I was away. And when I returned home, we both expected things to just go back to the way they were.

But that wasn’t possible. For any of us. ”

Lily pulled on her reins, halting Queenie. She stared at him with nothing but compassion in her wide eyes.

The wind blew wisps of hair across her face, and his fingers itched to comb it back. To brush away the long strands to show off her long, elegant neck.

As if reading his mind, she tucked her hair behind her ears.

“It’s funny how one choice, one action, can have a rippling effect on so many people.

I hope whatever the issue, you both can find a way past it.

I’m learning that life’s too short to carry ill will or animosity in our hearts.

Well, that, and people tend to surprise you when you open up a little.

” Her narrowed stare told him exactly who she meant.

He grinned. “Fair points, but this conversation won’t do much to help you unwind. I thought that was the reason for this whole ride.”

“True. How about a race? We see who can make it to the stream the quickest, then let the horses take a little break and get a drink before heading back to the house so I can call and check in on my dad.”

He opened his mouth to refuse, but she kicked her heels into Queenie’s sides and shot off like a train barreling down the tracks.

He wanted to stay put and watch, just admire her fluid movement on the horse.

The two moved as one as they raced toward the gentle slope, the pink and orange swirls of dusk casting Lily in a magical light.

But he had to move or risk her questioning why he wouldn’t take the bait to her challenge.

Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on the reins and urged Ace forward. “Be gentle with me, boy,” he whispered against the horse’s ear.

He leaned into the wind and clenched the muscles in his thighs to keep steady in the saddle.

Wind smacked against his face. His heart lifted with every stride, and he urged the animal faster.

Lily had gotten a head start, and her laughter trailed behind her.

He might not catch up completely, but he had to at least give a solid attempt.

Pushing Ace into a gallop, he sprinted forward. He smiled wide, a lightness lifting his spirit in a way he hadn’t experienced in years. He forgot the pain in his shoulder, forgot his limitations, and just enjoyed the simple pleasure of racing an old friend on a horse.

Lily glanced over her shoulder and grinned seconds before Queenie leapt over a fallen log. Her saddle slid to the side. Shock registered on her face seconds before she was thrown off the horse and crumpled onto the ground.

* * *

Pain ricocheted off every bone in Lily’s body. Her eyelids fell shut and she fought against the instinct to curl into a ball among the grass. Her palms stung as if she’d been sliced by razor blades. Ringing in her ears muffled the sound of hooves pounding the earth.

Queenie?

Crap, she needed to open her eyes and find a way to her feet. But even the thought of such a sudden motion seemed as difficult as moving mountains.

Strong hands touched her tender body. The familiar smell of cedarwood and citrus relaxed her muscles and calmed her nerves.

Madden.

“I’ve got you,” Madden said. “Are you hurt? Can you open your eyes?”

She did and winced against the unusually harsh glow of twilight. “Do I have to? My head is killing me.”

He grimaced. “We need to get you back to the house and make sure there aren’t any serious injuries. Can you stand?”

She took mental stock of her body. Everything hurt, but she didn’t think anything was broken. “I think so.”

With Madden’s palm under her elbow and his arm wrapped around her waist, he helped her to her feet. Worry drew down the corners of his mouth.

Queenie stood near Ace; her saddle lay in a heap on the ground by the fallen log.

“What the hell happened?” She hadn’t been knocked off a horse since she was a teenager, and she’d never been neglectful of putting a saddle on properly.

“It was the weirdest thing,” Madden said, staying close to her side as she limped toward the hunk of leather. “Queenie jumped and the whole saddle slid off.”

Lily patted Queenie’s back as she passed, letting the animal know everything was all right, then knelt beside the saddle.

Madden kept his hand on her elbow and crouched beside her. Keeping her steady, he picked up the leather strap hanging off the side of the saddle. “The cinch is severed.”

“What? Let me see.” She held her hand out for the rough material, and her stomach dropped. “This doesn’t make any sense. Everything seemed fine when I tightened it.”

“Look here.” He ran his finger along the material. “Not a straight cut. Someone must have torn it enough to not make it noticeable when you readied Queenie for a ride but enough that it’d eventually snap. If not tonight, then at some point.”

She shook her head, not wanting to believe someone would purposely try to hurt her. If she’d taken Queenie for a ride alone or the jump her trusted pet had taken had been bigger, the result could have been catastrophic. “Did your phone notify you of anyone on the property today?”

“I’ll double-check, but I didn’t get any notifications.”

Frustrated tears stung her eyes. “How is that possible? Someone had to be in that barn. Someone sabotaged my riding gear.”

“You’re right, but we don’t know when it happened.

The cameras just went up this afternoon.

If the tear was small enough, it might take days to completely come apart.

Maybe we should speak with Charlie again, and I still need to track down Daniel.

They might know who all had access to the tack room recently. ”

He didn’t say more, but she knew where his mind went. Both Charlie and Daniel had plenty of time to tamper with any of the equipment in the barn.

“We need to get you back home. You have some cuts we should clean, and I still want to make sure nothing more serious is wrong. I’ll come back and get your saddle. We’ll need to leave it here for now.”

Groaning, she leaned against Madden. “Normally I wouldn’t hesitate to ride Queenie bareback, but I don’t think it’s a good idea right now. My head is killing me, my back’s sore and I’m not sure how well I’d stay on.”

“Will either horse let us ride double?” Madden asked. “If not, I’ll help you get on Ace and walk beside you while holding Queenie’s lead.”

A rush of heat washed over her. Riding double made the most sense and would get them back to the cabin much faster. But the idea of being nestled against Madden with his arms wrapped her would knock her over if he wasn’t keeping her upright.

She cleared her throat, forcing her to pay attention on the issue at hand. “Queenie will be fine with both of us, and then we can keep Ace’s gear in place. You okay riding bareback?”

His tightened jaw gave away a hint of reluctance, but he nodded. “I’ll manage. Let’s get you up there first.”

Lily pressed a kiss to Queenie’s nose. “Sorry about this, girl. I’ll give you extra treats once we get home.”

Grimacing, she fisted Queenie’s coarse mane in her hands while Madden circled her waist in his palms and lifted her off the ground. She swung her leg over the horse’s back.

Queenie stood still as a statue.

“Good, girl.” Lily patted Queenie’s neck, the movement making the cuts on her hands scream.

Madden handed her Ace’s reins. “Hold this while I get on.”

She took the loop of leather, guiding Ace a little closer.

Blowing out a long breath, Madden pulled himself up behind her and hissed out a groan.

Concerned, she glanced over her shoulder. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

The gruffness in his voice didn’t convince her.

“I’ll take Ace,” he said, hooking one arm around her middle. He caged her in, securing her. Protecting her.

She handed him the reins and melted against him. The heat of his body seeped into her back. His nearness was intoxicating, making her lightheaded. His scent surrounded her, and she fought every instinct in her aching body to turn around and finish the kiss they’d started earlier.

“You ready?”

Oh God, was she ever. She needed to speak, to answer, but desire clogged her throat and stole all coherent thoughts. “Mmm-hmm.”

She lightly tapped Queenie’s sides and urged her forward, Ace keeping a nice pace beside them. She wrapped her hands in Queenie’s mane and swayed with the movement, confident Madden would keep her upright, and way too comfortable in his arms.