Page 10 of Make Me Whole
Chapter Six
BRADLEY
I increased mypace as I continued to open and close my fist.What in the hell was that?I closed in on Sawyer and sidestepped him to head straight for the pen.
"Where are ya rushin' off to?"
Walking even faster, I ignored his question. My fist still clenching and unclenching.Why won't this sensation go away?"Dammit," I muttered under my breath. I knew indulging in Sawyer's curiosity would be a mistake. I freaking knew it. Still, I simply had to tag along to watch him make a fool out of himself.
Ha! Joke was on me. Shit, I'd barely looked at her before electricity was zipping its way through my body. And then she looked at me with this…vulnerability shining in her eyes. In an instant, I'd wanted to know everything there was to know about this woman.
Then I touched her.
Big mistake. For all I knew, the moment had only been a second, but to me, it had felt a lot longer. The feel of her soft palm pressed against mine still lingered.
I needed it gone.
"What the hell?" Sawyer jogged up next to me. "There something wrong with your ears?"
"Nope."
"Then why didn't you answer me?"
My shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Not in the mood, I guess."
Sawyer's robust laugh filled the air. "Who pissed in your oatmeal?"
"You did."
More laughing. "Me? I didn't do a thing. In fact, you were in a decent mood until…" His voice trailed off. I hoped the silence meant he was done talking, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Before I had time to grasp what was happening, he jumped in front of me like a jackrabbit on crack and started walking backward. "This wouldn't have something to do with—"
"No." He anticipated I wanted to sidestep him again, so he blocked my path. Bawling my fists, I swallowed the curses that lay on the tip of my tongue.
"You didn't let me finish."
"It's got nothin' to do with nothin', Sawyer." I stopped mid-stride and planted my hands on my hips. "I just want to get on with my day."
My friend studied me for a few seconds. "On a normal day, this would be the time we head inside for breakfast." He narrowed his eyes. "And yet, you're walking in the opposite direction."
"Not hungry." Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Talia and Hailey returning to the main house. "Now, if you don't mind, those fences ain't gonna fix 'emselves. You know as well as I do that old man Bill's cattle went on a little midnight stroll again." This time when I stepped around him, he didn't block me.
Without glancing back, I headed straight for the horse pen. A relieved sigh rushed from my lungs when I didn't hear any footfalls behind me. As much as I cared for my friend, I wanted to be alone. I needed a few moments to myself to figure out what the hell had happened with Hailey and how I was going to prevent it from happening again.
The instant I reached Max, some of the tension left my body. As I knew it would. With a smile on my lips, I dragged my hand along his neck and asked, "You wanna run, boy?" Sure, I could take the ATV out to the fences, but it wouldn't feed my soul the way riding Max would.
After I saddled him up, we wasted no time. We'd barely left the pen before he started trotting faster and faster. Gradually building up his speed until he could break out into a full run.
This was where I found my peace. Where a calmness settled in my bones. Nearing the fence, I pulled on the reigns to ease him down to a trot again. Tilting my head up, I briefly closed my eyes as the sun's rays kissed my skin.
Sucking in a deep breath, I slowly blew it out through my nose. For all my efforts, I still couldn't shake what'd happened at the cabin. I couldn't shakeher.
I still saw her green eyes peering up at me, the tiny freckles splattered across her nose and the deep red tinge that stole her cheeks. Women were no strangers to me, but if you asked whether I knew what color eyes the woman I'd slept with two nights ago had been, I'd have to lie.
As messed up as it sounded, I didn't pay attention to these details. I didn't need to. Relationships weren't something I dabbled in. From what I've seen, they weren't worth the effort. If I had an itch, I'd go out and find a warm, willing body to scratch it.
So, why the hell did every little detail of Hailey's face remain etched in my mind after spending mere minutes with her?
Loud, harsh curses filled the air as I brought Max to an abrupt stop. Swinging my leg over, I dismounted and immediately started pacing. I held my open palm in front of my face. Stopping in my tracks, I narrowed my eyes and studied it. I still felt her touch, almost as if she'd branded my skin with a simple handshake.
