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‘The worst part wasn’t the nightmare though,’ she managed, her voice husky. ‘It was waking up and being so scared, but still knowing, even as a child, that I couldn’t call out, that nobody was coming to help me.’

‘After we met, after I started at Hunt Ranch, I didn’t have them for a long time. But since being on the road again, with everything that’s happened, with my birthday approaching, they’ve come back.’

‘Still the snake?’

‘No, actually. This time, I’m not in bed. I’m back home, in the foyer. And there’s no snake, just Holden’s boot hovering over my face. I wake up when he stomps on my head.’

‘I won’t let him hurt you, Skye. I’ve got you.’

‘It’s not that I don’t believe you or even think he’ll have the balls to physically harm me. But he’s in my head, TJ. And I can’t get him out.’

TJ knew all about being so wrapped up in your own thoughts that the world passed you by. But he’d never had somebody else’s voice inside his head. So, he only asked, ‘What can I do to help?’

‘Nothing. Just be here with me.’

‘Always.’

They were both quiet for a long time, both wrapped in the intimacy of being lost and confused while wrapped safely in each other’s arms with no intention of going anywhere.

It was Skye who eventually said, ‘This is nice,’ her voice thick with fatigue.

TJ kissed the top of her head. ‘Sleep. I’ll stay right here.’

Chapter 35

Bismarck, North Dakota – February 7, 2027

Skye and Kai took fourth place in South Dakota and, only two days later, they were trailered at the County Fairgrounds in Bismarck, North Dakota, waiting to run at the Bismarck Event Center a few miles away.

Although the air was clear, the temperature hovered around twenty degrees Fahrenheit, so that Skye added the freezing conditions to her ever-growing list of things to worry about.

While she showered and got dressed, TJ brushed Kai and braided his mane.

Skye looked at her reflection in the tiny mirror above her sink. Her nerves were there, alive for everyone to see. ‘Get yourself together. You can do this.’ The demand wasn’t made just for herself but for Kai too. The horse was doing so well, and the last thing she wanted to do was stress him out with her anxiety.

She let herself out of the small restroom, pulled up short when she saw TJ leaning in the open doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

His green eyes scanned her from head to toe. ‘You okay?’

‘Peachy.’

When she tried to walk past him, he gently caught her wrist.

Skye looked up at him.

TJ just dropped a kiss to her forehead, murmured, ‘You’ll be great. Have more faith in yourself.’

The comment, the gentle way it was issued, had her dropping her head back. ‘Ugh, just once in my life, I’d like the irrational confidence of a man.’

TJ tipped his head, unoffended. ‘It does make life easier.’

Skye ran both her hands through her hair as her anxiety momentarily took over. ‘I still hate riding in the performance. And I’m so anxious that I feel like I’m holding Kai back.’

‘Do you need me to flick your ear again?’

A surprised laugh left her lips. But Skye didn’t reject the offer. ‘Probably. Yes.’

‘Okay.’ He tugged at a short strand of her hair. ‘I’ll make sure to distract you before your run.’