Bad Boy Brody(55)

Matthew swung his horrified gaze to Morgan. “Morgan . . .”

Two figures broke from behind the fence, hurrying down the hill toward us before a third joined them and, a second later, a fourth behind them.

Shiloh started moving back at the sight, her nostrils flaring.

“Shhh.” Morgan bent forward, crooning to her. She ran a hand down her side, but they retreated a few more feet.

Finn swore under his breath and then sighed. “It’s Abby and Jen.”

I recognized the two behind them. My hands tightened around the reins. “And Shanna and my manager.”

Morgan looked at me. I registered the look from the corner of my eye, and I wanted to turn to her. I wanted to reassure her everything would be okay, but I couldn’t lie. I told her things would change for her, and that had been the truth.

Shanna would want to know everything about Morgan.

Gayle would want to know everything about our relationship, and I’d have a hard time suppressing the desire to tell them both to fuck off. As much as I wanted to tell them to mind their own business, my business was Gayle’s business. Shanna, however, was my boss. If she wanted to grill anyone about Morgan, she could go to Matthew or Kellerman Senior, since he decided to show up.

“Morgan.” Abby was blinking back tears. “You’re okay.” She stopped, her hand reaching out like she wanted to go to her sister. Finn drew her to his side, his arm around her waist, and he pulled Jen against his other side.

“Brody.” Shanna drew up to the group, wrapping the ends of her sweater together in front of her. She looked from me to Morgan, paused for a minute, and then turned back to me. Gayle came to her side, but Shanna cleared her throat. “You’re okay?”

“I am.”

Her eyes kept going to Morgan. Her eyebrows pulled together, but she murmured to me, “I see. We were all worried.”

Gayle’s eyes were wide and accusing.

I ignored her. “I needed to make sure Morgan was okay.”

“Yes.” All eyes turned to Morgan. Shanna wasn’t even trying to disguise her interest. “I see. And you were okay?”

Morgan nodded. “Yes. I am fine.”

Finn laughed. “I’d bet a hundred it was you who found Brody, not the other way around.”

Morgan just looked at me.

I grunted. “I was lucky to stay on the damn horse, and yes, she found me.”

“Well.” Morgan folded her hands together over Shiloh’s mane. “You technically did find me. You just didn’t know it.”

I cringed at the memory of looking up and seeing her on the edge of that cliff. It didn’t matter that I knew different—she looked supernatural in that moment. It had been eerie. She was defying gravity by being up there, and even more so as her horse picked their way down the side of the cliff.

I didn’t reply.

“So, I’m assuming we can send the search party back? We won’t be needing it?”

Matthew jerked around to Gayle. “Yes.” He motioned back to them. “I’ll deal with all of that.” His gaze went from mine to Morgan’s and held there a second. “I’ll—uh . . . I’ll talk to my father as well.”

Morgan didn’t reply or move, and once he was halfway back up the hill, Finn asked her, “Are you really okay?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. Yes.” She motioned to the party. “I’m sorry about all of that.”

He shrugged. “There’s a difference between you running and hiding and you being hurt.” The side of his mouth curved up in a wicked grin. “Besides, it was really for the Hollywood golden boy.”

I barked out a laugh, gentling it as Shiloh’s head reared up. “Right. Say what you want, Kellerman Junior to the Junior, but that’s twice now I’ve ventured out there and come back alive. Can you say the same?” I was teasing, and when Finn threw his head back and started laughing, everyone else realized it too.

Shanna and Gayle exchanged mystified looks while Jen and Abby just seemed relieved.

Abby held up a hand toward Morgan. “Can I . . . this is Shiloh, right?”

A whole fence was between us and them, and they still remained back by fifteen feet. At Abby’s slight approach, the mustang’s head reared up. Her ears perked forward.

“Is that—” Shanna’s lips dropped open as if she were only just noticing the horse Morgan was astride. “Is that one of the wild herd?”

Morgan was still running a hand down Shiloh’s neck. It wasn’t working. The mustang started to back up the louder we talked and the closer Abby got.

She said to Abby, “Brody’s presence has been forced on her, but she isn’t tame. She’ll run if you keep approaching. I won’t be able to stop her.”

Abby stopped approaching. “She’s beautiful, Morgan.”

Morgan looked to Shiloh, who swung her head back to her. They looked at each other a moment, and Morgan grinned. “Yes, she is.” She bent forward and patted her neck, laying her cheek against her before sitting back up again. “Beautiful but wild.”

I was staring right at Morgan as she said those words.

When she lifted her gaze to mine, she saw my own message to her, and her eyelashes fluttered closed a little before her gaze cleared. She lifted her head higher, staring back at me steadily.