Page 53 of Love Me Back
“You’re not the only one,” Addie offered. I’d forgotten she was still here. Hudson nodded, but Grayson shook his head.
“No, absolutely fucking not. I won’t put her at risk.”
“It’s the only chance we have, Gray,” Hudson argued. “She can ride out with me and ride him back.”
“She’s never even been on a fucking horse, and he’s not wearing a saddle!” Grayson shouted. People gathered around as the brothers argued.
“Then she can walk him out. The point is, she’s the only other person that’s ever gotten close to him. She can carry fucking sugar cubes in her pockets.”
“You know, I expected you to be the sensible one. This is something Emerson would suggest.”
“Gray,” Hudson warned.
“Alright, both of you, enough!” I shouted, getting between the two men. “Who are you talking about?” I had a suspicion, but I needed to be sure.
“Jessie, you are the only other person Thunder has let near him, other than Gray. I think if we take you out there, loaded down with treats, you could walk him out to where we can at least get Gray out there with a truck. Once Thunder sees Gray, he’ll follow him home.”
“Okay, then let’s go.”
“What?”
“He’s right. You can’t ride a horse yet.” I kneeled down in front of Grayson. “If you don’t get your legs back, you will ride again. You’ll have to learn to adjust to not being able to use your knees to guide him and there will be some equipment needed to get you on and off the horse. But there isn’t enough time to do all that. Thunder has been out there for days. We need to get him home.”
“You’re afraid of heights,” Grayson whispered as he leaned in close. And that was why I loved him.
“I am, but like Hudson said, I can feed him treats so he’ll follow me, and we only need to get him to where you are.”
“I don’t like this.”
“It’s the only option. And hey, I have been working on conquering my fears for months. This is just one more fear to overcome.”
Chapter Twenty
Jessie
I was insane. That was the only explanation for why I was on the back of a horse strangling Hudson’s guts. Ellie was going to kill me after she told me how freaking proud she was of me.
“How much further?” I mumbled against Hudson’s back.
He chuckled before saying, “Almost there. As long as he hasn’t moved.”
“You didn’t leave someone here to watch him?” I refused to look over Hudson’s shoulder. My eyes were tightly closed shut, and my forehead was buried between his shoulder blades.
“I was by myself when I found him.”
“By yourself?” My head snapped up, and I glared at the back of his head. “Why the hell were you out here alone? Someone stole that horse. Or at least tried to. They could be out here right now trying to do exactly what we’re doing.”
“They could. But I know this land.”
“So does your brother, and he’s now in a wheelchair.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I feel awful. I wish it had never happened. My heart breaks for him every time I see him struggle and get angry because he can’t do something he used to do without thinking about it.”
Hudson and I weren’t alone. There were others who rode out here with us, but they were back a way, so I felt comfortable opening up to him.
“I meant, how doyoufeel about him being in a wheelchair?”
