Page 1 of Ashes of the Past
Prologue
Brynn
“Don’t go down there, sweetheart,” a deep, gravelly voice says to me.
“I have to,” I hiss back over my shoulder.
I don’t recognize the voice. I don’t need to.
I’m ankle-deep in mud, sweat trickling down my spine, and ready to throttle someone—anyone. The sun blazes overhead, baking the earth and everything on it, including me. My favorite boots are caked in filth, my white tank top is clinging in all the wrong places, and my hair is a frizzy mess of Auburn rebellion. This is not how I imagined spending my summer.
“Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to help?” I snap, glaring at the tall, broad-shouldered man leaning casually against the fence post. His hat is tilted low, shading his eyes, but I can feel the smirk radiating off him like heat waves.
He doesn’t move. Instead, he crosses his arms over his chest, the muscles in his forearms flexing just enough to make me grit my teeth.
“I’m supervising,” he drawls, his voice a slow, deep rumble that’s equal parts infuriating and… something else I don’t want to think about.
“Supervising?” I echo, incredulous. “I’m certain my father sent you out here with a job. You’re supposed to be fixing the damn fence, not… whatever this is.”
The man finally lifts his head, and when his eyes meet mine, I swear the temperature spikes another ten degrees. They’re the color of whiskey, warm and dangerous, and they’re locked on me like he’s ready to devour me.
“I’ll get to it,” he says, his tone maddeningly calm. “Once you’re done throwing your little tantrum.”
I let out a frustrated noise that’s somewhere between a growl and a scream. “This isn’t a tantrum! This is me trying to save the cattle from wandering off because someone—” I jab a finger in his direction. “—didn’t come out when he was hired originally to do the work.”
He pushes off the fence, his movements slow and deliberate, like he has all the time in the world. He’s wearing a worn gray T-shirt that clings to his chest and shoulders in a way that’s probably illegal, and his jeans are just tight enough to make my mouth go dry.
“You’ve got quite the attitude, don’t you?” he says, stopping a few feet away.
“And you’ve got quite the nerve,” I shoot back, refusing to back down even though he’s close enough now that I can see the faint scruff along his jaw and the way his lips quirk up at the corners.
“The cattle ain’t going nowhere with these floodwaters. You’re awfully brave or…” He looks me up and down slowly. “Stupid to get out here like this.”
My mouth drops open, and I fight the urge to hiss at him or slap him.
“I know what I’m doing.”
He reaches up and puts his hand under my chin, closing my mouth as he does. The gentle touch sends a shock right through me. I inhale sharply, but he does, too.
“That’s what they all say,” he says with a low drawl.
“Are you going to fix this, or are you just some creeper who thought he’d follow me out here?”
“Your dad hired me to fix the fence and tame a few wild mares while I’m in town.”
His eyes move slowly over me, like a soft caress that causes heat to pool in my core.
I’m pretty certain he just called me a mare.
I blink, caught off guard. I stare at him, trying to reconcile the cocky, too-handsome-for-his-own-good man in front of me with the experienced horse whisperer my dad described. This can’t be happening.
“Great,” I mutter, more to myself than to him. “Just what I needed.”
“Don’t worry, darlin’,” he says, his grin widening. “I’ll make sure to keep you in line.”
That does it. I take a step forward, jabbing my finger into his chest. It’s solid, of course, because the universe clearly hates me.
“Listen here, cowboy,” I snap. “I don’t need you to keep me in line. I’ve been just fine without you or anyone else trying to tame me. My boyfriend loves me feisty.”
