Page 44 of Never Left You

It wasn’t until Rhett’s loud ‘Whoo-ee’ rang in my ear that we came back to reality. She looked at me, our gazes locked for mere moments before she smiled and said, “You did it,” soft enough only for me to hear. Then, when Lachlan and Rhett appeared at our side, she quietly left the barn.

But that didn’t stop my mind from racing.

I laid in my bed that night, staring at the ceiling, sleep far from happening. Each time I closed my eyes, I felt her arms around me, felt her heartbeat next to my chest, heard her voice in my ear.

You did it…

To try and return my train of thought to normal, I’d avoided the ranch during the day. I could keep myself busy with other tasks, but no matter what I did, Abi found her way into my mind. Even Quinn mentioning her at a physical therapy appointment—just hearing her name—turned my stomach inside out. The jolt of electricity that shouldn’t be there was shooting through my arms and legs. And all from hearing her name?

I shook my head and wrote it off as excitement that we were becoming friends again. She was finally opening up and smiling when I was around. It had taken weeks, but maybe the hug was the breaking point. The reminder that we were and always would be friends, no matter what happened in the past five years.

Yeah…that was it. That was the answer.

Then why couldn’t I get her out of my head?

I never noticed her scent as strong—cinnamon with a hint of maple. I never noticed the dark blue specks in her eyes until I held her close and our gazes locked. I never noticed the way her lips had the most perfect Cupid’s bow. I never noticed the way her breath shook as she inhaled. It caused an entirely new sensation in me.

I wouldn’t have noticed those things before. But now she was right in front of me. Now…I could notice those things. I wanted to notice them. I wanted to discover more.

Thatmorefrom before…

Hook snorted—pulling me back to reality. He shook his head and then bobbed it up and down, heavy breaths coming from his nostrils.

“You got your attention,” I said to him, turning back to Nova in front of me. “It’s her turn now.”

Hook shook his head again, completely turning away from me just as I began to hear rushed footsteps coming into the barn, followed by heavy, scared breathing.

“Lachlan! Uncle Rhett!!!” The scream echoed around me.

Tossing the brush to the ground, I left Nova’s stall and watched as Stetson ran into the stables, a look of fear on his face. His cheeks were completely flushed as he rushed in. The moment he saw me, he screamed my name, his legs moving faster than before.

“Stet?” I questioned, lowering myself to his level as he barreled into my arms. “What the hell happened?”

His breathing was quick, and between each breath, he spoke. “I fell off Marsh,”Oh shit…“And he took off…”Shiiit…“Uncle Rhett didn’t hear me fall, and it was getting dark, and I didn’t know how far I was and…no one is at the house… where did everyone go?” His body began to shake as he tried to catch his breath. I held him tightly, taking deep breaths to try to calm him. I could feel his heartbeat, rapid thanks to the run and his fear.

“Breathe, bud…” I muttered into his shoulder. “Breathe.”

Moments passed, I’m not sure how long exactly, but soon he calmed. His breaths matched mine—in and out, slow and deep. He sniffed and pulled away, tears streaking down his face.

Standing up, my arms settling onto his shoulders, I looked around the empty barn. Buckle was gone, so was Onyx, but other than the few missing horses, everything seemed normal. There was only the one ranch hand when I got to the ranch, and when I thought about it, I hadn’t even seen Lachlan.

“I’m sure they’re in the house…”

“No,” Stetson mumbled, reaching up to wipe some tears away from his face, “I went and looked, no one was there.”

“Alright, dude.” I reached in my back pocket for my phone. “I’ll call Lachlan, someone is around.” Lachlan’s number was the first in the recent list, tapping his name I brought my phone to my ear.

“Cash?” Lachlan’s voice hit my ear, sounding just as scared as the little kid attached to my legs. “We can’t find Stetson. He went riding with Rhett and—”

“I have him.”

“What?” Lachlan shouted, “Abi!” His voice was faint when he screamed her name.

“He just ran up. How long have you guys been out looking, and why didn’t you call me?”

“An hour or so, maybe longer. I figured you were with Quinn, but…where are you?”

“The stables. Stet just came in. He looks kinda beat up.”

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