Fractured Sky (Tattered & Torn #5)(23)

The man stepped to the side, his glare cutting to me. There was so much hatred there. My body longed to run. Wanted to put distance between myself and his rage. But I forced my feet to remain planted. I was done running. I’d used it to cope for too long. I was free, but I had to fight to defend that freedom.

Kai snapped his teeth, and the man jolted, letting out a few curses. His gaze narrowed on Ramsey as he backed around his truck. “This isn’t over.”

My chest burned as he climbed behind the wheel. Gravel and dirt flew as he tore away, headed back towards the front gate. Ramsey pulled a phone out of his pocket and tapped a few things on the screen. After a few moments, his shoulders relaxed a fraction. “He’s gone.”

My lungs released the air they’d been holding hostage with a whoosh. My next breath was shaky, but I managed a nod.

Ramsey’s jaw tightened as he studied me. “I’m sorry. I—”

“Don’t.” I shook my head, trying to steady my voice. “Don’t apologize for him.”

“He shouldn’t have been able to get in.”

“Who is he?”

Ramsey’s gaze drifted to where the truck had disappeared. “Kenny Chambers. An abusive asshole, who didn’t take me up on my offer to buy his horses.”

Nausea swept through me. I could only imagine how that man treated animals. “The sheriff’s department took them?”

A muscle below his eye fluttered again. “I guess so.”

“If you didn’t call them…?”

“Lor did.”

A foreign feeling skittered along my rib cage. “Lor?”

“Another trainer. She brings me especially tough cases.”

I worried a spot on the inside of my cheek.

Ramsey turned back to me, his gaze sweeping over my face. I felt each point it landed. When he paused on my cheek, I released my hold on the flesh. Something in him eased. “I guess the cops came through for once.”

I bristled at that. My brother gave his all to keep the residents of this county safe. “They come through more often than that.”

Ramsey didn’t say a word, his attention moving to the field opposite us. “I need to get back to work. I’ll show you your duties tomorrow. I left a key and the fob that opens the gate in the kitchen. Just remember, no guests.”

Before I had a chance to say anything in return, Ramsey walked away. Kai looked at him but stayed put near me. Ramsey let out a whistle. The dog looked woefully at me and then took off after his owner.

And then, I was alone. It was what I’d wanted. No prying eyes or carefully couched questions. But an ache settled deep in my chest. There was a difference between alone and lonely, and right now, I felt a hell of a lot of both.





I sat on the front porch steps, sipping my coffee. I’d need a few more cups to get with the program today. I’d slept horribly, tossing and turning for most of the night.

The sounds were different here. The way the cabin groaned and creaked was different from the barn I’d called home for so many years. I was too far from the stables on Ramsey’s property to hear the comforting sounds of the horses here. I did hear other wildlife, though. An owl dipping down over the fields, hunting for its dinner. Possums or some other nocturnal critter scavenging in the brush outside my window.

When I finally dropped off, nothing but terrifying dreams greeted me. I took another sip of my coffee, letting the hot liquid warm the places that had gone cold at the resurgence of old memories. It was understandable. So much had gotten kicked up. Howard dying. Moving away from my childhood home. My family’s concern. Kenny Chambers’ anger yesterday.

But I refused to believe that the lack of sleep or nightmares meant that this move was a mistake. It wasn’t. It was just new. Anything unknown was hard for me. I simply had to take it one step at a time.

A bark cut through the air, and I caught sight of a blur of fur. I couldn’t help my smile as Kai charged towards me. I set my coffee behind me and greeted him with a full hug. As my arms wrapped around his massive form, sinking into his fur, the first sense of peace swept over me.

I burrowed my face in Kai’s neck. “Needed this.”

He let out a whine and pushed harder against me.

“I missed you, too.”

I let myself stay like that for a few moments, soaking in Kai’s warmth. Then I forced myself to straighten, scratching behind his ears. As I did, my eyes locked with onyx ones that stole my breath. So much swirled in those depths. Secrets I wanted to know but had no business asking about.

Ramsey didn’t say a word for a minute. He simply stared at his dog and me. Then, he nodded. “Lor’s bringing a new horse in a few minutes.”

The foreign feeling was back. I struggled to identify it. It carried with it a bit of nausea and hints of anger. Jealousy?

“It’s one of Kenny Chambers’.”

All thoughts of jealousy fled at that. “How did she get it?”

“Lor has a relationship with the sheriff’s department and the humane society. I’m approved to take the more difficult cases.”

Difficult. Because someone had broken the horse so badly. I swallowed hard and pushed to my feet. “What can I do?”

“Help us get her in the round pen. Then we need to muck out the stalls in the barn.”