“It’s only been a few minutes, boss.”
I scowled at Carl, but he wasn’t looking at me. When I followed his stare, I saw my foot moving. Like I was tapping the ground in impatience. If I’d been standing on the ground, that is.
“How long you been doin’ that?” Carl asked.
“Not long. My toes started to tingle a few days back.”
Now that my foot was moving, I couldn’t stop it. I looked around to see who else might have noticed, but everyone else hung back behind us.
“You tell anyone?”
“No. I have a doctor’s appointment this week. With Thunder disappearing and the impending arrival of our guests, I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. Figure I’ll wait and see what the doctor says.”
“I can’t imagine it will go away as you heal. Must be coming back if it’s movin’ without you thinkin’ about it.”
I watched my foot bounce, and I shrugged. “Maybe.” My family wasn’t the only ones I didn’t want getting their hopes up. I was trying to keep myself in check as well.
Scanning the area, I tried to forget about the feeling that wasreturning in my foot. It was only the one. The other foot was still useless. Having one working leg didn’t do me any good. I needed two legs to stand on. Two legs to carry Jessie to bed. And two legs to walk down the aisle with her.
Emerson and the men I’d sent with Jessie and Hudson rode out of the forest, and I glowered at them.
“What the fuck are you doing out here? Where’s Jessie?” I wanted to jump off the back of this truck and stomp my feet. I wanted to kick Emerson’s ass for leaving her in there alone.
She’s not alone.
No, she was with my fucking brother.
“Hudson told us to leave. Jessie said Thunder was acting nervous; thought us leaving might calm him down.”
Nothing would calm him down but seeing me. Just like nothing would calm me down but running my hands over his back and making sure he was okay. Then I wanted to do the same thing to Jessie. I wanted to rub my hands over every inch of her, checking for any injuries and blemishes that might need attention.
“Your foot’s moving,” Emerson shouted, and I groaned.
“It’s just because it’s dangling over the edge.” I tried to distract him. He was easy to distract, and I sometimes used that to my advantage. I knew it was wrong, but he never knew when to keep his mouth shut. “Carl won’t sit still and keeps rocking the truck.”
“Sorry, boss. Guess I’m a bit nervous about Jessie gettin’ near that demon horse of yours.”
I twisted my head around to glare at Carl for the way he spoke about my horse, but he just grinned. He had my back, and I knew it.
Everyone was quiet as we waited, and I tried like hell to calm my nerves enough so I wouldn’t keep tapping my foot. Carl, who normally had the patience of a sniper, fidgeted next to me constantly to keep up the ruse.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“No thanks needed, boss.”
When Hudson appeared through the trees, alone, it tookeverything I had not to jump off that truck bed. It still wasn’t enough, but thankfully Carl was. He grabbed my arm and held tight.
“You’ll fall on your ass,” he whispered. “And mess up whatever progress your makin’.”
I huffed out a frustrated breath, but instead of yelling, I waited for Hudson to ride over.
“What the fuck—”
“Calm your ass down. She sent me out here.”
“And you fucking listened?” I shouted.
“Yes, she’s the only goddamn person other than you who can get near that thing. If she tells me to get the hell out ’cause I’m making the horse nervous, then I’m gonna fucking listen to make sure her life isn’t at risk.”
