The sound is deafening, echoing off the mountains like thunder. Mabel spooks hard beneath me, rearing up with a terrified whinny that vibrates through my whole body. I cling to the saddle horn, heart slamming against my ribs as snow flies up around us. Harlan's horse Buck reacts too, but Harlan’s already moving, rifle coming up in one smooth motion.
"Sunny, get down!" he shouts, voice rough and commanding.
Another shot rings out. This one hits Harlan. I see the impact jerk his big body sideways in the saddle, blood blooming dark and wet across his shoulder. Red against the white snow and his dark flannel. He grunts in pain, a deep guttural sound that tears something inside my chest, and then he’s falling. Flying off Buck's back in what feels like slow motion, his strong framecrashing into the snow with a heavy thud that sends powder exploding around him.
"Harlan!" I scream, the sound ripping from my throat raw and terrified. Mabel is panicking, spinning in circles, and I fight to control her while my eyes stay locked on the man I love lying motionless in the snow. Blood is soaking through his clothes, staining the white ground crimson. The metallic scent of it cuts through the clean pine air, making my stomach twist with fear.
I slide off Mabel's back, legs shaking as my boots sink into the deep snow. It’s freezing against my ankles, seeping through my jeans, but I don’t care. I run toward him, heart pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears, tears already streaming down my cold cheeks. "Harlan! Oh god, no, please wake up! Daddy, please!"
Strong arms grab me from behind before I can reach him. Rough hands yank me backward, a thick arm wrapping around my waist like a steel band. The smell of cheap cologne and cigarettes hits me like a nightmare I thought I’d escaped. Derek.
"Got you, you little bitch," he snarls in my ear, his breath hot and sour against my neck. His blond hair brushes my cheek as he hauls me back, his blue eyes wild with that possessive rage I remember too well. "You thought you could run forever? Hide up here with this mountain trash?"
I scream and kick, my boots connecting with his shin but not hard enough to break his hold. The snow makes everything slippery, my feet sliding as I thrash against him. "Let me go! Harlan! Somebody help! He’s hurt! Please, Derek, don’t do this!"
Harlan stirs in the snow, his hand pressing to his bleeding shoulder, eyes fluttering open with pure agony and fury. "Sunny... run..." His voice is weak but still so protective it breaksmy heart. Blood trickles between his fingers, dark and glistening in the sunlight. The sight of my strong cowboy, my Daddy, hurt like this makes fresh sobs tear from my chest.
I fight harder, elbows flying back into Derek's ribs, my head snapping back trying to hit his face. He grunts but tightens his grip, dragging me toward a snowmobile hidden near the tree line. The engine is already running, a low mechanical growl that vibrates through the cold air. The smell of exhaust mixes with Derek's awful cologne, turning my stomach.
"Stop fighting me, Sunny," Derek growls, his fingers digging painfully into my waist. "You belong to me. Always have. That cowboy’s done."
"No!" I scream, tears freezing on my lashes. The cold wind whips my hair across my face, stinging my eyes. I can still see Harlan trying to push himself up, blood soaking the snow around him in a widening circle. The metallic tang is stronger now, mixing with the pine and the fear-sweat on my skin. "Harlan! I love you! Please hold on! Don’t leave me!"
Derek yanks me onto the snowmobile, his body pinning mine in front of him as he guns the engine. The machine lurches forward, snow spraying up in a white cloud that blinds me for a second. The vibration rattles through my bones, the cold seat freezing against my thighs. I keep kicking and screaming, my voice hoarse as I twist in his grip.
"Harlan! Help! Somebody from Haven 7! Rafe! Silas! Anyone!" My cries echo across the field but the mountain swallows them. Mabel and Buck are spooked, running loose now, their hoofbeats fading. The snowmobile accelerates, cutting through the powder with a harsh whine. Derek's arm is like iron aroundme, his hand groping roughly at my breast through my coat like he owns me.
"You feel so good, baby," he mutters against my ear, his voice slimy and triumphant. "Missed this body. Missed breaking you. That cowboy thought he could keep you? Pathetic."
I elbow him again, harder, feeling a small crunch that might be his nose. He curses and backhands me across the face. Pain explodes across my cheek, hot and sharp, the taste of blood blooming on my tongue where I bit it. The world spins for a moment, white snow and blue sky blurring together. But I don’t stop fighting. I can’t. Not when Harlan is back there bleeding in the snow.
"Derek, please," I sob, my voice breaking into that quirky desperate tone even now. "Let me go. I don’t love you. I love him. He’s good. He takes care of me like no one ever has. He makes me feel safe and you... you only make me scared."
He laughs, an ugly sound that cuts through the wind rushing past us. The snowmobile bounces over uneven ground, jarring my bones, the cold air burning my lungs as I gasp for breath. Trees whip by in a blur of green and white. I can still hear Harlan's voice in my head, low and gravelly.Stay close, sunshine. You’re safe with me.
But I’m not safe. Not anymore. The fear claws at my throat, thick and choking. I picture Harlan lying there, strong body crumpled, blood turning the snow red. The thought of losing him, of never feeling his rough hands on my skin again or hearing him call me his good girl, makes fresh tears pour down my face. They freeze instantly in the wind, icy tracks on my burning cheeks.
I keep struggling, nails scratching at Derek's arms, legs kicking wildly. One boot connects with the snowmobile's side, sending a jolt through us. Derek swears and tightens his hold until I can barely breathe. The engine roars louder as he pushes it faster down the mountain trail. The scent of exhaust is choking now, mixing with the pine and my own terror-sweat.
"You’re mine, Sunny," he yells over the noise. "Always will be. I tracked you across three states. This ends with you coming home where you belong."
I scream again, raw and broken. "Harlan! I love you! Hold on for me, Daddy! Please!"
The field disappears behind us as we plunge into the thicker trees. Branches slap at my arms and face, leaving stinging welts. Snow shakes loose from the boughs overhead, dumping cold powder down my neck. My heart is shattering with every second we get farther from Harlan. From the man who made me pancakes and held me through the storm and showed me what real safety feels like.
I have never fought so hard in my life. My muscles burn, my throat is raw from screaming, but I keep going. For Harlan. For the future I can still see if I can just get back to him. The romcom happy ending I thought I had finally found.
Derek laughs again, loud and cruel. The snowmobile hits a bump and we jolt hard, but his grip never loosens. The mountain that felt like home is slipping away, taking my heart with it. All I can do is cry and fight and pray that my grumpy cowboy, my Daddy, is still breathing back there in the snow. And that somebody finds him. Please let them find him.
The ride stretches on, cold and terrifying, every second pulling me farther from the man I love. I can still taste his kisses on my lips. Feel his strong arms around me. Hear his low voice promising everything would be okay.
But right now, nothing feels okay. The world is spinning too fast, too cold, too wrong. And all I can think about is getting back to Harlan before it’s too late.
TWELVE
HARLAN
Pain hits me like a freight train, sharp and burning through my shoulder as I lie in the cold snow. The world fades in and out, white flakes drifting down around me like they’re trying to bury me. I can taste blood in my mouth, metallic and warm, mixing with the clean crisp scent of pine and disturbed earth. My body feels heavy, like the mountain itself is pressing down on me. Buck’s somewhere nearby, his hooves pawing nervously at the snow, the sound muffled and distant in my ringing ears.
