There was nothing on the horizon. No plume of dust rose up from a horse galloping my way. No vehicles barreled toward us in our path. But Thunder wouldn’t settle.
The MC was having some trouble. A new club was trying to push its way in. They’d already lost a prospect. And I had one brother and a woman living in a cabin not far from Danny and Dante.
Tyson had been living at home since Banshee and Aspen had moved to the ranch. Protection for them, and us, he said. He patrolled at night. And a couple of prospects hung around during the day while he slept.
King wasn’t in the habit of sharing club business with me, but when he needed a place to put someone, he had no choice. I wouldn’t put my family at risk without all the facts.
Thunder sidestepped his big body, and I pulled on the reins. He sensed something. Pulling out my phone, I called Tyson.
“What’s up?”
“Not sure. I’m in the west pasture. Thunder is spooked. I can’t see anything, but he won’t settle.”
“I’m on my way.”
He disconnected the call, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before he was here. I turned the horse around as I heard a hiss. Then something hit the ground, tossing grass and dirt in the air.
Thunder reared up, and the reins slipped from my hands. Time felt as if it slowed to a crawl as I slipped off the back of the horse, hitting the ground with a thud, before everything went black.
Chapter Two
Jessie
Running down the hospital hallway, panting hard, I growled as an orderly stepped out of a room and almost crashed into me. I wasn’t a runner. In fact, I hated all forms of exercise. Everyone knew if you saw me running, to look behind me because there was bound to be someone chasing me.
I hated anything that made me sweat. But I loved my best friend. And when she asked me to be there when her son was born, nothing would have stopped me. Even if I had to run to get there on time.
Ryder called as soon as they knew it was time. Only I was driving in the opposite direction. I had to turn around. My fears could wait.
Since moving to Diamond Creek, I had been trying to face my fears. I had a lot of them. Heights were a big one. So, once a month, I would drive up to Scottsbluff and attempt to go up the monument.
I hadn’t made it yet.
In fact, I hadn’t made it past the bottom parking lot because I knew once I was on the road up, there was no turning back. Literally, you couldn’t turn around until you got to the top.
I’d made it to the top once. Ellie had driven me there. She’d distracted me with the shit she was going through with Ryder, and before I knew it, we were in the parking lot at the top.
How she convinced me to get out of the truck I didn’t know. Well, yes, I did. She literally dragged me out. But I couldn’t look out over the side of the mountain. I was too afraid.
It was an unhealthy fear. I knew that. There was no past trauma that my brain clung to. I was just short. And plump.
I was convinced there were studies showing that eight out of ten short people were afraid of heights. We spent the majority of our lives close to the ground. It was only natural that being high above it would be terrifying.
That was the day I methim.
Grayson Powell.
The ridiculously tall cowboy, who wore his faded Levi’s like a second skin. He’d barely talked to me, but it was enough that no one else in town had even come close.
I was smitten.
I would never admit that to anyone. Not even Ellie. I didn’t do men. I mean, I liked men. Men were hot. Well, some men were hot. Danny and Dante were hot. But they had eyes only for each other. God, what I wouldn’t do to be a fly on their bedroom wall.
Ryder was hot. Ellie was a lucky girl. In fact, all the guys in the MC were hot. Well, except Freeway. I shuddered as I thought about him.
I dodged a nurse who yelled at me to stop running. I waved her off. There was no chance I was missing the birth of my nephew. Ellie had better appreciate all I was doing for her because I even avoided the elevator in lieu of the stairs.
I hated stairs more than I hated running.
