Page 23 of Head Over Spurs

“They try to put as many as they can up for adoption. But it’s not a guaranteed happy ending.”

Her face fell, pain weighing heavy in her expression. “So if she escaped capture, how did she end up here?”

“If that’s what happened, she may have gotten hurt fleeing. They use helicopters to swoop in and herd them towards make-shift pens. The scene is chaotic. The horses are terrified.”

“Riley,” she whispered, her voice cracking now. “That is awful.”

He nodded. His plan wasn’t to bring her down and ruin her day. It was simply the reality these majestic mustangs faced. It wasn’t considered a sanctuary here for no reason.

“I hate it.”

Her tone didn’t carry her classic fire. Frowning, Riley reached over and placed his hand on her forearm. “Just think about all the animals you saw today. They’re here. They’re safe.”

“Red seemed pretty surprised to see you, like it’s been a while,” she said, keeping her sights on the mare. “Is it hard being back and thinking about all of this?”

“I don’t have to be here to think about it. But I should have made my way back before now,” he admitted.

“Why didn’t you?”

It was a simple enough question.

His response was anything but. Because he didn’t like the truth of the matter. He didn’t care to admit that he had stopped a lot of things the day he woke up in a hospital bed. And he had no intentions of letting Red, and the rest of the team here, see his broken spirit.

“No good reason,” he told her. “No good reason at all.”

12

JULES

“Where are we goingnow?” she asked as they turned away from the sign pointed towards Sterling Ridge.

“For the best burgers in Wyoming.”

She nodded, fighting the bubble of excitement forming. She hadn’t tried to spend the day with Riley, so really, she wasn’t giving in to the nagging urge to be around him. At least that is what she had been telling herself all day.

Turning her attention to the landscape instead of her thoughts, she tried to focus on what she could make out in the beams of their headlights. The road weaved on, dense trees beginning to close in around them. Jules watched them rush by in a blur, the feel of Riley’s gaze heating her skin.

“Do you want me to turn around?”

“No,” she replied. “I like burgers.”

It felt natural, riding through the dark wilderness with him. She chalked it up to their working together, nothing more than a familiar presence.

Up ahead, the glow of a neon sign peeked through the trees, and a tiny, old building crept into view. There was no business name. The only thing on the sign at the entrance to the dirtparking lot was the wordburgersin big bubble letters. It was a simple dive, with glass windows and a seating ledge stretching across the front. At the top, red painted stripes raced around the white brick building. This place screamed retro. And immediately stole her heart.

Despite the fact that they seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, the parking lot was packed. A line of people waited in front of the window marked “order here.” Those that already received food were scattered about, either sitting at the counter or on the hoods of their cars and in the beds of their trucks.

Riley pulled into a spot in the far corner, away from the crowd, and turned to her. “The line goes faster than it looks.”

“I don’t have anywhere to be.” Adjusting her denim shorts, she opened the door and jumped down to the dirt below. “Coming?”

He flashed a lazy grin as he climbed out as well, hesitating for a brief moment before letting go of the truck door. He seemed almost stuck in place, the grin slipping one second, then back the next. It was all so fast, she wondered if she’d imagined the flash of pain that crossed his features.

Meeting him at the tailgate, she asked, “What do you recommend?”

“The classic with cheese. A milkshake. And definitely a side of crinkle fries. They put this seasoning on the fries that will ruin all others in your future.”

“Why are you trying to ruin me?” she laughed, following him to join the people queued up to order.

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