The breeze cools the ice in my veins as Windbreaker makes a mad dash for the vegetation behind our home. I can almost feel the soothing calm of the creek back there as it brushes past my limbs. It’s the one place in the entire world my mother hasn’t ruined. Tainted with her hate.

Brantley seems so genuine, kind.

Possessive.

I found myself wanting to know more about him. I want to know about those heated glances he keeps sending my way. I have this craving to know what they mean. Until my mother caught us outside, I had planned on learning everything I could from him before he got bored with me.

Mother’s threat of selling Windbreaker to a slaughterhouse stopped any intent I had cold. Dead, in their tracks. Having done nothing wrong, Windbreaker doesn’t deserve to be punished because I want more from my life.

I promised to give her everything she would ever need, and I’m determined to give her everything she deserves and more before she’s taken from this earth.

I don’t understand my mother’s obsession with making sure my life is miserable, why it makes her so damn happy. For as long as I can remember she’s either ignoring me or taking the things I love most away.

Losing Windbreaker would be the ultimate win for her, and she knows it. I don’t know what I’d do without my beautiful girl. She’s the calm in the eye of my storms. Every time.

Like now.

Sending Brantley away, telling him to leave, I felt something inside of me crack, and it hurts. The way he touches me, so softly, but with absolute resolution and devotion, I don’t think I’ve felt that before. Not that I can recall. I wish I had something to offer him. Something more than a broken small-town girl.

With Luke, I just can’t take the chance my mother will do something stupid. She’s been known to before.

Windbreaker slows her speed as the hint of the creek breaks free in the air. The smell of fresh water has both of us sighing in relief. The ride out here is always a hard one–worse than normal because of my knee. I work her, and she gives me her all. Instinctively I think Windbreaker knows when something is wrong. I give her control, and she always brings me here.

After that first time when I was twelve and Luke was away for his first sleepover, mother and I got into a huge argument. She hit me twice, and I ran. First for the barn, then on Windbreaker.

We found the creek by accident, and it’s become our sanctuary. A safe haven I’m finding we need more and more of lately.

I know Brantley wasn’t lying when he called my mother a whore. She is. Almost everyone in town talks about her. Once in a while, there will be a customer to come into Henderson’s and assume I’m the same way. The propositions have been degrading and further instill my lack of faith and fear in men.

I didn’t date in high school because of the accusations thrown at me. The way some of the boys would look at me like I was a piece of meat to put on the table. It scarred me in ways I didn’t think were possible.

“Come here girl,” I beckon Windbreaker with a hand as I jump off her back. Leading her to the water’s edge, I remove my boots and step into the shallows. Soothing my sore knee. I shouldn’t have jumped on her the way I did. Rode her as hard as I did. I’m paying for it now.

The creek isn’t very deep, only about twenty feet across, but the current sometimes picks up high speeds. Staying where I’m at is always safest. With my luck, I’m sure I’d be on the news in no time as the girl who drowned in the two-foot creek.

The warmth soothes my aching bones. Warming me from the bottom up. I can see tadpoles dragging with the current as I stand still. Frogs and crickets can be heard in the distance as Windbreaker drinks her adrenaline away.

Sitting on a rock, I close my eyes and listen to mother nature surrounding me. The peace, the calm, my heart rate levels out and I feel free from the confines of my life.

Some days I wish I was born in simpler times. When technology didn’t exist. When I wouldn’t have been hounded like a criminal for stealing my brother away to give him a better life. I often wondered what it would have been like when the law was on the side of the victims.

After today, I know things will escalate. It’s a feeling deep in my gut that screams of destruction. Luke is at a point where our life, our mother’s lifestyle, is going to impact the kind of man he will become.

He’ll either let it consume him, fuel a hatred for authority figures and maybe women, or make him into a man with honor. For his sake, I hope it’s the latter. I hope he doesn’t allow the abuse he’s witnessed to define his life in a meaningless way. I hope I can help him when he’s going to need me most.

Windbreaker can be heard munching on grass as she wanders a few feet away from me. Laying back on the grass, my feet still in the water I absorb the serenity around me. Let it lull me into a false sense of security, if only for a little while.

A telltale rattle has both of us jumping up and into action as I realize what’s only feet from me. Dropping my boots, I turn and run, hoping the sting in my calf isn’t from the bite of the angry looking rattler as I jump on Windbreaker and she high tails it back home.

* * *

After leaving Adilynn’s place I drove around for a while. I needed to clear my head. Figure out what the fuck it is I want from this girl before I go barrel-assing in and turn her world upside down.

With her mother’s damage and a soon to be teenage brother on her hands I think what I need to figure out first and foremost is, is she worth the trouble I know she’s going to be.

My dick says yes, my heart says try, but my head is telling me to think logically. I don’t want to do more damage to her than what’s obviously already been done. But I don’t think I can just give her up either.

Adilynn is special in a way that my own mom was. She has this air of innocence and strength deeply embedded into the woman she is.

“You’re thinking mighty hard there boy,” Pops says from his position on the porch. A place where he spends more time than anywhere else.

“Not really, old man,” I smirk as I join him.

“Who is she?” he asks.

“Who is who?” I don’t know if I’m ready to reveal anything about Adilynn yet.

“Don’t play dumb with me. I sat here over thirty years ago with your father having this same conversation. Poker is not your game, Brantley.”

Looking off into the paddock where Thunder is stomping around I don’t know how to answer without giving everything away.

“It’s just a name Brantley.”

“Adilynn James.” I finally say.

“Not just a name then.” His laughter has me looking towards him. “If you aren’t in love with this girl already I’ll be shocked.”

“I’m not.” I can’t be. Shit like this doesn’t happen so damn fast.

“If you say so.” Chirping is the only thing to break the silence befallen us. “What’s it about her you’re not sure about?” All joking is gone from Pops demeanor.

“It’s complicated.” I don’t know how else to describe her.

“Aren’t they all.” He laughs again.

“Her mother is the biggest whore in town–“

“Don’t be a fool boy.” His tone is harsh, and I finally look at him. “If that’s stopping you, then maybe you don’t deserve this girl.”

“I don’t think she’s like the woman–“ “Then stop being an idiot and get your ass in gear.”

“Pop! Would you stop interrupting me here?” He waves his hand like I need to talk faster. “The mother is a huge problem. She said something to Adilynn this morning that had her sending me away.”

“And you left?” He scoffs.

“Not at first. She hurt herself the other day, so I stayed to do her chores when she took off on her horse. I waited as long as I could.” I shouldn’t feel so shitty about leaving.

“As long as you could?” He repeats. “Did she come home before you left?”

“No.”

“Then you didn’t wait long enough.”

“In case you’ve forgotten old man, I have a damn ranch to run.” Standing I’m ready to leave when his words stop me cold.

“And it won’t mean shit if you have nothing to show for it!”

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” We’re shouting now. “I have the best breeding program in the south!”

Standing, he gets in my face. “That very well may be, but it doesn’t mean jack shit if you don’t have a warm body to hold at night. Love to fill your life. This”–he waves his arms wide–“is nothing, if this”–his finger jabs at my chest–“isn’t full.”

“This ranch is everything, Pops.”

“You may think that now boy, but when you’re my age, sitting on this rickety old porch, with no one by your side, you’ll think differently.” As he walks away, stopping at the door, he gives me one last shot. “Trust me, I know.”

Fucking hell.

Damn old fool has me questioning everything. Exactly what I don’t need.

“Brantley!”

Spinning around, I snap, “What?!”

“Damn, who’s twisting your titties today?” Blaine and Mason laugh as they join me.

“What the hell do you want?” I’m not in the damn mood for their crap.

“Just wanted to let you know we’ve got that fence squared away over in the east fields. Jake and Brock are going to plow in the morning, and Wayne’s got the barn under control.” Blaine’s eyes squint like he wants to say something.

“So?”

“Get the fuck out of here, Brantley.”

“What?” Now they’re pissing me off.

“You’re like a brother to me man, and I knew when I saw you hauling ass down the driveway you were pissed off, seeing you get cranky with Pops just confirmed it. I don’t know what’s going on with you and Adilynn, but I do know you need to figure that shit out. So, get the fuck out of here. Kiss the boots off her and either claim her or forget her.”

I don’t get a chance to respond as they walk away. I’m not sure I could even say anything worthwhile. They’re all half right.

I need to do something about Adilynn and the way she makes me feel.

But I could never walk away from her.

* * *

The one thing I love about being out of the city, or town as Hixson is, the stars at night. I can see them all. When the clouds clear, I often catch glimpses of different constellations too.

After being chased away from the creek by that darn rattler, I lost my only pair of boots, and now I’m stuck with sneakers that aren’t fit for anything involving horses. Brantley was kind enough to muck out the stalls and put fresh hay down for me and for that I’ll be forever grateful. Seems everything else with him is nothing but regret. What we could have been will haunt me for the rest of my days.

Thankfully when Windbreaker and I came trotting back into the barn my mother was gone and so was her newest boy toy. I keep hoping one day she’ll realize what she’s done to our family and come to her senses. I don’t think it’ll happen, but the hope is there.

“One day Windbreaker, we’ll have everything. We’ll have a house in the hills. More land to run on then either of us will ever know what to do with. Luke will be happy, safe.” I lean my head against her nose as I try to calm my breathing. The sadness to envelop me as I picture a dream I’ll never have is so consuming I can barely breathe.

Gentle hands on my hips startle me into spinning around. Brantley’s face is not what I expected to see. His lips descending on mine are a welcome surprise.

The safety as he captures my mouth and circles his arms around my waist to cradle me into his big body, my chest pressed into his, was definitely not what I was expecting to happen tonight.

The encompassing heat to rush through my blood like a river runs wild has my breathing stalling in my chest for a whole other reason. The way he makes me feel safe and sound is addictive as hell.

When his tongue pushes through my startled lips, I let him lead the way. I follow Brantley’s motions with my own fumbled ones. His teasing hands roam my back, play with my hair, hold my face with a soft loving touch, and I melt so deeply into the web he’s weaved around us I don’t think I’ll recover if he walks away.

“Perfection,” he murmurs against my lips as he slows the kiss. My body is buzzing, and I don’t know what to do with myself, so I hold onto his forearms to prevent my body from collapsing.

“Why are you here?” I finally ask, finding my sanity.

“To kiss you,” he smirks.

“Oh.” I don’t know why I’m so damn disappointed.

“Hey now,” his finger guides my chin up as I try to hide. “This is new for me. I had to know if what I’m feeling is one-sided.”

“Oh.” I don’t know how to react to Brantley. He leaves me completely dumbfounded more often than not.

“That’s all?” He teases, and I fight the shy smile trying to break free. “Tell me what happened today flicka.”

“Flicka?”

Narrowing his dark gaze, he explains. “Wild, free, skittish.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.” I’m deflecting, and I know it. I didn’t anticipate him coming back. Not after I took off on him.

“From where I’m standing, it does. Now tell me what happened.”

How the hell am I supposed to do that?

“I’ve heard of your ranch. Even seen some of the gorgeous colt’s and their momma’s come through here before.” I look around my small piece of land, comparing it to his and coming up short. “I imagine you, your family, take great pride in every new life born.” I turn to face Windbreaker again as he nods. “Windbreaker came to be mine because I grew up leery with a lack of trust for the human race. I’ve lived in Hixson my entire life. I’ve wanted very little for myself.”

“Tell me,” he whispers against the back of my neck. Pushing my long hair to the side, he rests his head against mine.

“I wanted to go to college, to become a veterinarian. I’ve always loved animals.”

“What else?”

“To leave.” His body tenses as he moves closer. “I’ve never felt like I belong here, that’s mostly my mother’s fault. She’s always treated me like a burden. My father took off before I could remember him. Luke’s dad came around when I was about six.” Rubbing my hands along Windbreakers long neck, I smile at her. “That’s when I got her. She became my best friend, my only friend. She’s my sanctuary, and there isn’t a single thing in this world I won’t do to protect her, to make sure she has everything even if that means I have nothing.”

“I understand that.”

“I don’t think you do.” I contradict quietly. “I’ve been given nothing but hell for as long as I can remember. Nothing just comes to me, I work, and I work damn hard for everything I have. Losing Windbreaker will end me. She’s my saving grace, and without her, I have no purpose.”

He spins me around so quickly I lose my balance. “Let’s get two things straight. First, you do have something, you have Luke. From the way you talk about him, I know you love him. You also have me, I’m not going anywhere no matter how often you try to scare me off.”

“You don’t know me.”

“But I know me, and who better to know what I want then myself.”

Can’t really argue with his logic. “And the second thing?”

“What?”

“You said let’s get two things straight…”

“I’ve worked for everything I have too. Harder than most, because some people think I was just handed the RMR. My father died, doesn’t mean I didn’t work to earn that ranch.”

The mention of his father hurts him deeply, and I wrap my arms around his hulking mass, shocking us both. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, be honest with me. Tell me what she said to you today, Adilynn.” He just won’t let that go.

“I can’t.” I want to, but he’ll do something if I do. I just know it.

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Maybe both.” He growls, and I can feel it to my toes as it vibrates through his chest. “I only have six more years before Luke can leave on his own. I have to keep the peace until then.”

His strong hands grasp my shoulders, and he pushes me away, while still keeping me close, “Six years? You’re putting your life on hold until he leaves?”

“I have to take care of him.”

“Who the fuck takes care of you Adilynn?”

Good question.