Page 162 of Ride the Sky

“Then take a fuckin’ UTV,” I growl.

Ignoring me, she knocks me out of her way with her hip. “I go first, asshole.”

Then I watch in a combination of awe and horror as she swings herself up onto Pepita’s back.

My eye starts to twitch. “What the fuck, Fallon?”

She pales like she’s realizing what she’s just done. “Shit.”

“Yeah. Fuckingshit.” My mind races a million miles a minute. I’m proud, but I’m also pissed as fuck. I yank on the reins. “Goddammit, you promised you wouldn’t ride without me.”

Leave it to Fallon and her fucking rebellious streak to start riding the second I leave her alone.

Her lips thin. She knows she’s in trouble. “You gonna argue with me, or we gonna look for Ruby?”

She’s right. Right now, Ruby’s first.

“I’ll deal with you later,” I say grimly.

Nostrils flaring, she snaps the reins.

“Be careful,” I tell her. Worry sweeps over me in a cold, icy wave. “You hurt yourself, I’ll kill you.”

She gives me an abashed look and then snaps the reins and trots toward the ridge.

I gun the UTV across the ranch, headed for the training grounds and facility. My heart thuds against my chest like a damn kick drum.

Fallon. She’s gonna be the death of me. Trouble. Fucking trouble. And yet, I still love that girl. We’re just going to have to have a goddamn talk about her sneaking around.

The late afternoon sun pulses with a dull warmth. Summer’s almost over.

I slow the gas as I pass by the training facility. The front door is cracked open. I cut the engine and head straight for the door, shoving inside.

It’s quiet, the only sound the clomp of my boots on the hardwood floors. I walk past the desks, the screen and the computer, when I push open the door to the adjoining tack room, I sigh.

Ruby.

She’s sitting on the hay-strewn ground, arms wrapped around the knees pulled up into her chest, head down.

“Hey, Ruby. You okay?”

She lifts her face. Sniffles. “I’m okay.”

Shit. She’s crying.

To see Ruby upset feels like a punch to my heart. She and Charlie have had more than their fair share of pain. It’s bullshit. I hate feeling this fucking helpless.

I shove my hands in my pockets, take a step toward her. She looks fragile sitting there like that, her blue eyes glassy and pained. “Everyone’s lookin’ for you.”

“Ugh, great,” Ruby says under her breath, a scowl darkening her pretty face.

I sit beside her, resting my back up against the wall. “You know, you leave, Charlie sounds the alarms. It’s just the way it is.”

She wrinkles her nose. “I just needed…”

“Air?”

“Yeah. Air.”

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