Forever You're Mine (MINE #4)(15)

It hurt too damn much.

“Cannon, look out!” The moment the words shredded her throat, I caught a glimpse of the white ball of fur in the middle of the road. I jerked the wheel in the opposite direction, the ass end of my truck all over the place. My heart froze in my chest, forgetting it needed to beat in order for me to regain control. I aimed for the median, slamming on the brakes as soon as the tires met dirt.

We skidded to a breath robbing halt. “Fuck!” Fear and adrenaline pumped mercilessly through my veins.

“You ok?” I pushed her hair from her face, revealing the fear in her eyes.

Thank God she had her seatbelt on.

“I’m fine. Are you ok?”

“What the f*ck? You can’t scream like that while I’m rollin’ eighty down the damn interstate.” I shouted.

Cora flinched and I immediately wished I had bit my tongue. She looked downright distraught. I cupped her cheeks, leaning in to kiss her trembling lips.

“The puppy.”

She unfastened her seatbelt and barreled out of the truck just as an 18 wheeler flew by. “Goddamn it, Cora. What the hell are you doing?”

“We can’t just leave it out here. The poor baby will get hit.”

“Get in the truck now before you get hit,” I ordered as she walked onto the shoulder of the highway.

“Not until we find him!”

Fuck me.

Fuck me. Fuck her. Fuck the damn dog that nearly killed us.

Another 18 wheeler flew by, whipping golden locks of hair all around her face. She stumbled two steps backward. “Get your ass in the truck and I’ll find the damn dog.”

I spotted the little shit cowering behind the guard rail next to a cardboard box. The damn thing couldn’t be any more than a few months old. “Shh…it’s ok,” I soothed as I gathered the frightened mutt in my arms and looked between its legs.

Female.

Fucking figures.

All white with a small patch of dark grey around her right eye and her chest. She shivered in my arms. “It’s ok, girl.”

“Oh my God,” Cora said, stroking her dirt streaked coat.

“I thought I told you to get in the truck.”

She gently took the puppy from my arms, ignoring me. “I can’t believe someone left you out here all alone. Poor thing. I’ll take care of you sweet baby. It’ll be ok.” The way she spoke to the scared animal, with so much sadness in her voice, made my chest ache.

She held the puppy close as I eased back onto the interstate. “My mom won’t let me keep her, Cannon. She never let us have pets growing up. She hates animals.” Cora’s voice drifted on a soft whisper. “Can Hope stay with you until I figure out something else?”

I chuckled, relieving some of the tension in my shoulders. “Hope? You already named her?”

“Yeah, she has a heart shaped patch of grey on her chest. I think it’s a sign.”

“She could have killed us.”

“But what if she saves us?”

Six words, one by one branded themselves on my heart, bringing it back to life. One word stood out among the rest.

If.

“She can stay with me. I’ll take her to the vet tomorrow.”

Cora beamed back at me. “I’ll pay for everything.”

“We’ll split it,” I said reaching over to scratch behind Hope’s ear. “If she’s gonna save us both, might as well do my part right?”

*

Flashes of light blinded me, breaking through the sea of red while muffled pops of gunfire infiltrated my foggy mind. I blinked, trying to shift the loose pieces of my brain back into place, but it only made me dizzy.

I rolled onto my hands and knees, coughing uncontrollably, thick heat and dust coating my lungs. My ribs rebelled against the movement, screaming in agony. The pain bringing everything around me into focus.

When I pushed to my feet, I lurched forward, propping myself up on the brick wall. The edges of my vision remained blurry as uncertainty tainted my judgment.

Never second guess.

Never hesitate.

I reach for my pistol strapped to my leg, unsure of where my rifle is amongst the chaos.

“Cannon!”

“Landon, where are you?”

“Here,” he moaned in agony.

Blood.

So much f*cking blood.

Pain.

So much f*cking pain.

Sweat covered my entire body, soaking the sheets beneath me. I pushed up from the bed, trying to catch my breath. I couldn’t say the last time I’d slept through the night. The whole night without going back there. The nightmares weren’t as bad as they’d been in the past, but they were still f*cking there, reminding me every day of what I’d lost.

I peeled the sheet from my damp skin, dropped my feet to the floor, lowering my head. I let go of a steely breath, trying to find somewhere to bury the images burning through my mind, the ones that plagued my dreams.

Hope nudged beneath my arm, settling my anxious blood. I sucked in a relieved breath, scooping her up into my arms, grateful for the distraction. I nuzzled her beneath my chin and stroked her soft coat. The vet confirmed she was a mix between lab and pit which made her wicked smart and overly rebellious. In the span of a week, I’d lost my new Guns and Ammo magazine, a boot, and a turkey sandwich. “You’re turning me into a *,” I told her as she licked my face and pawed my chest. “You and your mama both.”