Page 28 of Lone Wolf in Lights
Nine
The next day, Sunday, theonlyday the bar closed, Eli wrapped his fingers tighter around the leather reins, the horse’s breath misting in the chilly air as he, Jaxon, Charly and Gunner gathered outside the barn. The ranch had been coated with snow that had fallen overnight. Although it was cold enough for their breath to fog before them, the sun’s rays pierced through the bitterness.
“Ready, girl?” Eli murmured to one of the ranch’s trained mares, a sturdy chestnut with a blaze down her nose. She nuzzled into his gloved hand, seeking out a treat that he did not have. Nearby, Charly adjusted the saddle on her gelding, while Jaxon and Gunner shared a lighthearted argument about which trail promised the best views for today’s ride.
Getting out of the car parked at the house, Willow and Aubrey approached, Willow’s hair escaping the knit cap she wore, her eyes bright. She wore a fluffy black winter coat with a scarf and fleece riding pants, along with tall winter boots, and he knew for certain that beneath all the clothes he could see, there were layers of more. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Lord, she was beautiful.
Aubrey headed toward Gunner who held her horse, as Willow approached him. “Ugh. I feel like I’m forgetting something,” she said, patting down the pockets of her thick coat.
“Unless you forgot your gloves, I think you’re set,” Eli said, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile.
She reached into her pockets, yanking them out. “Wouldn’t forget ’em.”
“Everyone ready?” Jaxon called out, mounting his horse with an easy swing of his leg over the saddle.
“Lead the way,” Gunner added, before helping Aubrey to mount her horse and following suit.
With a nod to Willow, he helped her up onto her horse, and he fought against his touch lingering longer than necessary. He hoisted himself onto his own mare, Maia, a gorgeous black horse that he’d hand selected for his own personal horse to use for working the ranch. Maia was a solid horse, and he spent more time with her than he spent with anyone. She was a part of him now, their minds seemingly linked through their partnership.
They moved out, the rhythmic crunch of hooves on snow the only sound, leaving a trail of footprints behind them.
As the ranch faded from view, replaced by the sweeping expanse of frosted fields and the distant mountains standing guard, Eli exhaled, falling into the quiet, while Aubrey and Charly rode next to each other, and Gunner and Jaxon led the way. Snowflakes danced in the air as the vast Montana gray sky stretched above them. Eli watched, fascinated, as Willow took in the rolling hills blanketed in snow, her breath fogging out in front of her.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he eventually asked her.
“I didn’t think anything could beat a Montana summer,” she said, “but there is something magical about the winter here.”
He agreed with a nod, resting his hand on the horn of his saddle. “Never gets old.”
Maia blew out a loud breath, relaxing into the walk. The horses’ breaths created small clouds in the crisp winter air as they walked across the snowy landscape. Their coats were thick and fluffy, protecting them from the cold.
“I don’t think I ever truly knew what the quiet really was until I moved here,” she confessed softly, breaking the spell that had fallen between them. “Out here, it’s like the world takes a deep breath.”
“That’s a beautiful way to put it,” he said, as his cheeks chilled with the frosty air. “It’s the best place to think as far as I’m concerned. Nothing gets in the way out here.”
Willow nodded, turning to look at him with an expression that spoke volumes. “And which thoughts to let go?”
“Especially those,” he affirmed, the corners of his mouth lifting ever so slightly. His gaze shifted to the mountain range. “After I came back from the rodeo...after what happened with Miranda, this land held me up.”
Willow’s warm voice brushed across him. “It’s good you had that.”
Eli felt the old scar in his chest throb, a dull echo of past pain. He looked at her, really looked, and saw not just the strong woman who had faced down her own demons, but someone who might comprehend the shadows that clung to his soul. “It was,” he admitted. “It taught me that you always find a way to keep moving, even if it’s just one step at a time.”
She hit him with that sweet smile. “I can understand.”
He knew that she could, and he realized talking to her was easier because it involved less explaining. She justknew.
Their horses ambled through the untouched snow, creating a path that would soon be covered again.
The urge to pull back his guards tugged at him—instinct born from years of self-preservation. Yet as he glanced over at Willow, her cheeks flushed from the cold, her smile radiant when her horse playfully tossed its head, something within him stilled. There was a softness to her today, a serenity that draped over her like the snowflakes on her shoulders. It was beautiful.
And so, they continued their journey across the winter-kissed landscape, as he listened to his friends’ laughter fill the chilly air. Eli reined in his horse, drawing alongside Willow’s mount as they crested the hill.
“What’s that?” she suddenly asked, spotting the small log house off in the distance, her gaze tracing the lines of its wraparound porch.
“My house,” he replied. “It took me a year and a half to build it.”
Willow’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s quite a long time.”
