Page 5 of Stolen Dreams

“Better, now that I’m talking to you,” he says, and I look down at my boots.“I was wondering if you’re free tonight.”

“I am,” I confirm.“What did you have in mind?”

“We could go for dinner and then maybe go out to Thatcher’s?”he suggests.

I should tell him no and not lead him on, but I don’t.Instead, my mouth speaks before my head catches up.“That sounds great.What time should I be ready?”

ChapterThree

EMMETT

“Okay, so we have another load coming in in two weeks,” Charlie informs me as I sit in his office with the clipboard.“We will have to move twenty horses to the other barn.”

“Building that extra barn was a great idea.”I smile at him since it was my idea to expand.We never thought it would happen, but the business is just taking off.

“Yeah, sometimes you have some bright ideas.”He gets up from his desk.“But those are few and far between.”I shake my head, not bothering to answer him as I get up and follow him out of his office.“Let’s go through the barn and see who we can transfer over there.”

I don’t say anything as I walk into the barn and toss the clipboard on my desk.I already know who I will transfer and who will stay.Fifteen years ago, I finished my second tour and decided that was it for me.I put my life on the line twice, and it was time to get on my path.The path that sent me to the Barnes farm, working side by side with Quinn.I loved the program he created to help fellow soldiers returning home and suffering from PTSD.They come and train with the horses, riding them and caring for them.Giving these soldiers a place to go every day if they are alone, which most are.That was me.I was one of them until I was part of the Barnes family.

When they started talking about expanding, I was the first one to put my name on the list to go with them.I had no roots where I was, so it was easy for me to pack up and leave.Now here I am in charge of handling everything the barns have to offer.I make sure the horses are exercised and brushed out.I make sure there is a rotation with the horses used during the day.I make sure the horses are ready to be ridden.I run the staff of over fifty people who work in the barns, two shifts a day.Charlie is the one who gets the horses ready, making sure he rides every single horse that comes in.Assessing them and telling me how to proceed with making sure they are ready for people.Most of the horses are rescued themselves, so it’s a great company to work for.

We walk down the stalls, and I look over at Rosy, knowing I would love to send her to the barn, but she isn’t ready.We make a list of fifteen horses that can be transferred, and I’m standing next to my desk when I hear her voice.

“Bye, guys,” Lilah says, sticking her head into the barn.I look over, seeing her smile at Sammy and then Bobby, who holds up his hand at her.My jaw gets tight as soon as she looks at me.“Bye, Emmett.”I don’t say anything to her.Instead, I silently grunt as I give her a chin up and watch her walk to her car.

Her tight jeans hug her ass perfectly as she looks to someone at the side and gives them a smile and a wave.I inhale deeply before I take my eyes off her car.“You okay there?”Charlie asks when he comes into the room.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I snap.I’m not fine.Anytime Lilah is around me, I feel like my whole body is alert.Like one touch and I’m going to explode.No matter how often I tell myself I should walk away from her when I see her, I do the complete opposite.Like this morning when I got here and saw her riding Rosy, the new horse.Instead of letting her be, I stood there for fifteen minutes, watching her on that horse.My cock was hard like a rock and straining in my jeans, and then she stopped.Just like a million times before, my chest seized just by looking at her, which pissed me off, so I made sure I snapped at her.Fuck, I was a dick.“Why?”

“I don’t know, I heard you yelled at Sammy?”His eyebrows go up as he waits for me to say something.

“I didn’t yell at him.”I roll my eyes.“I simply told him he’s not allowed to let her get on a fucking horse without anyone around.You were the one who made the rule.”I point at him, and he nods.“It’s not safe, and she’s careless with the horses, pushing them until they look like they’re going to collapse.She has to stop being reckless.”My mind wanders back to the first time she got here.She was so scared of everything.Every little noise scared her off, except the horses.I saw her go from a scared little bird to a fucking hawk soaring through the sky.Over the years, I have had to remind myself that she is just a girl, and the last thing she needs is an old man.Especially an old man who has nothing to give her.

“You done?”Charlie asks, and I glare.Was I done?No.I would never be done when it came to Lilah.“One, you know she’s better than that.Fuck, she’s been riding horses since she was five years old.She can ride better than some of the stable guys, and you know it.”

“Whatever,” I bark, annoyed that he’s right, but there is no way I’m going to admit it.“I’m done for the day.”I get off of my desk.“I’m going home, showering, and we’re going to hit up Thatcher’s.”

“Not sure,” he says, picking his baseball hat up and scratching his head, “depends on the wife.”Charlie and Autumn just got their happily ever after, and it came out of the blue.When Charlie lost the love of his life in a car accident, he blamed Autumn for it since her boyfriend was drunk while driving them, and she knew about it.He went into a downward spiral after that happened, and I’ve stayed close by him since then.He’s become my brother, or at least the closest thing to a brother I would ever have.I would lay down my life for him, and I know he would do the same for me.I wouldn’t let him, though, especially not now that he has a baby boy to take care of.

I nod at him, turning and walking out of the barn.I get into my old pickup that has seen better days but can’t seem to part with yet.Even though I know it’s a matter of time before she dies.I park on the gravel by the side of the house, getting out and walking up the two steps to the black front door.

The house is at the edge of the property between both barns.Entering the code on the door before opening it, I step into the big house.Without telling me, Casey built me a house when we were building the barn.When he tossed me the keys, I threw them back at him, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.One does not say no to Casey Barnes.I was fine living in the trailer I had, but he said it was time I put roots down, find myself a wife, and start my family.I didn’t tell him that was never going to happen.I was never going to settle down with a woman, and I especially was never going to have children.It wasn’t in the cards for me, and I’d come to terms with that when I was fifteen and setting up in one of the foster homes I was in.Over the years, I’ve hooked up with women for a couple of months here and there, and as soon as I felt them getting too close to me, I moved on.There was no point anyway since it always led to them wanting to have children.

Kicking off my dusty boots at the door, I walk past the open-concept living room and kitchen toward my bedroom and straight to my shower.Tossing my shirt into the laundry basket, I watch it sit on the top before my jeans join it.After my shower, I fire up the grill, making a steak and a baked potato.Then I get dressed in another pair of jeans and a light brown T-shirt and run my hands through my hair.“You need to get a haircut,” I tell my reflection as I try to tame the top of it.

I’m slipping on my new boots when a horn honks for me to get outside.I walk out, seeing Sammy and Bobby waiting for me.“Boys,” I greet them, getting into the back of the cab as we pick up Hector and Elijah.The five of us walk into Thatcher’s and take a table on the side.

A couple more guys join us by the time the first round has come.I’m sitting with the glass of whiskey in my hand when I look over at the door.Everything in me stops except the blood flowing down south.She walks in with Caleb at her side, but my eyes are on her, always on her.She wears a white dress with sheer long sleeves and little blue flowers all over it.The hem of the dress hits her mid-thigh, while the neck plunges down lower than it should be, showing her perfect silky skin.“Fuck,” Bobby says from beside me, “she cleans up good.”I turn to look at him, my eyes for sure in slits, and he holds up his hands.“I’m just saying she’s pretty.”

“You work with her,” I point out.“Don’t shit where you eat.”

He takes a sip of his whiskey when I hear Sammy call her over.“Lilah.”She turns toward us, and I see her eyes taking us all in.She smiles and says something to Caleb before they make their way through the crowd to us.

“Hey, guys,” she says once she gets close enough.I see the little ruffles on the dress and also see light pink flowers between the blue ones.“I want to say I’m shocked to see you guys here.”

“Are you guys staying long?”Sammy asks.“We can move over and make a place.”

“No, that’s okay,” she replies, looking up at Caleb.“We’re going to get our own table.”The words hit my stomach like poison when she turns toward him.“Get a table.I’m going to be right back.”

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