But even though I’d never actually seen the man, I knew that every time I closed my eyes, I would see his face. Hewould stand there, piercing my soul with his steel gray eyes and whisper,“Mine.”
I was so screwed.
Brady
Chapter 10
“Well, come on then,” Ollie said. “Let’s go meet your girl.”
“Really? You mean it?”
“Sam said you’re good to go, let’s get the hell out of here and see if we can figure out what’s going on, okay?”
I grabbed him and threw my arms around his neck.
“Thank you.”
“I’ve got your back.”
Oliver always had my back, no matter what. He could think I’ve absolutely lost my mind, and he’d follow me right down that rabbit hole anyway.
I was quiet as he checked me out of the clinic and then drove us over to the ranch. A part of me was relieved to know that he was right there by my side.
There was no reason to believe he’d be anywhere else.
My big brother had been my biggest champion my entire life. Through thick or thin, no matter what, he was right there with me. When our father took off his belt in a drunken rage, it was Oliver who had stepped between us every damn time. He took the hits. He protected me. Even when no one else believed me, he always had. He was the best brother in the entire world.
It had been a rough few days, but with Ollie by my side, everything was looking just a little better. He was going to make things right, just as he always had. He was going to make sure everything worked out just fine.
The relief that gave me was unspoken, but I knew he saw it too.
He pulled up to the stables and stopped. We sat there for a few minutes. I was nervous, but also anxious. I’ve been away from Clementine for too long. I needed her scent to help ground me and make everything make sense again.
“You ready?” my brother asked.
“Yeah. Come on.”
I was nervous to introduce them even though I felt like a fool. Part of me understood she was just a horse, but apparently, she was meant to be my horse.
Oliver followed behind as I walked into the stable and found her stall.
I breathed a sigh of relief that she was there and not stuck out on the range
“Hey sweet girl,” I told her as I approached.
Her head tilted to the side and for a moment I genuinely thought she understood me.
I let myself into her stall and wrapped my arms around her neck and gave her a quick peck on the nose before leaning in to breathe in her scent.
Then I froze.
“Is everything okay?” Oliver asked.
“No!”
I scruffed her mane—nothing.
I began sniffing her all over.