Fractured Sky (Tattered & Torn #5)(95)

50





RAMSEY





TWO WEEKS LATER

I leaned back against the steps as I took in the show in the round pen. I might have moved Shiloh into the main house, but the cabin steps were still the perfect vantage point to watch her do what she did best: make miracles.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting the landscape in a rosy glow. It made Onyx’s coat take on a gleam, or maybe it was just the pride the horse had in herself shining through.

I’d never seen anything like the moment those two had been reunited. Shiloh had made me pull over right next to the round pen, refusing to get into bed until she’d seen Onyx and Sky. Onyx had let out a whinny that cracked my damn heart. The two of them had stood forehead to forehead for…I didn’t know how long. I hadn’t had the heart to pull them apart.

Something about being without Shiloh for a week had broken through Onyx’s walls. In the past few days, she and Shiloh had made massive strides.

Movement flickered out of the corner of my eye as Lor approached, lowering herself to the step next to me. She was quiet for a moment, watching Shiloh guide Onyx around the pen on a lead rope. “Should she be up and around this much?”

“Probably not, but you try telling her that.”

The doctors had said that walking and movement were good, all part of the healing process. But I wasn’t sure they’d say the same if they saw just how much Shiloh was trying to take on.

Lor let out a snorted laugh. “She’s got steel in her veins.”

I sent a sidelong glance my friend’s way.

She leaned back, letting out a sigh. “I was wrong.”

My brow lifted at that. “Did the w-word just pass your lips?”

“Oh, shut up.”

I chuckled.

A shadow passed over Lor’s eyes, making her seem older than her years. “Didn’t want any trouble finding you. I worry about my boy, even though you’re a man now. Always will. But I tried to talk you out of a life that’s made you happier than I’ve ever seen.”

My ribs constricted around my lungs. “Lor—”

“No, let me say my piece. I’ve never seen you like this. There’s a peace in you that’s more than I could’ve hoped for. She healed you.”

I laid my hand over Lor’s, squeezing her fingers. “We healed each other.”

She stared down at the contact. “I’ll love her forever for that.”

“Good. Because I’m gonna make a family with her.”

Lor’s eyes flew to mine. “She know that?”

I choked on a laugh. “I’m just getting around to talking to her about it.”

“Men,” Lor huffed. “Always assuming.”

I grinned. “Sometimes, it pays to be confident.”

She shook her head as she rose. “I’ll be back tomorrow to check on your new arrival. Hopefully, Shiloh won’t have kicked your ugly mug to the curb overnight.”

I pushed to my feet, Kai rising with me. “Love you, Lor. Need you to know that. You saved me, too.”

She swallowed hard, her eyes misting over. “Love you like my own. That’ll never change.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Lor waved me off. “Go kiss your girl and stop making an old woman cry.”

The corner of my mouth twitched. “You could never be old.”

“Sweet-talker,” she muttered as she headed for her truck.

I made my way towards the round pen, Kai on my heels. Onyx’s ears twitched at our approach, but she didn’t tense. “What do you think? Is she ready to meet the welcome wagon?”

Shiloh’s mouth curved into a smile that hit me right in the gut. “I think she’s ready.” She patted Onyx’s neck. “What do you think, girl? Want to make some friends?”

The mare quivered as if she understood every word.

“I’m gonna unlatch the gate, and we’ll walk her over, nice and easy.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I unlatched the chain and walked the gate open, motioning for Kai to heel. Onyx’s head lifted as Shiloh guided her towards the exit. I didn’t miss how Shiloh guarded her movements. She was still hurting more than she wanted to let on. Flickers of anger and fear rose in me, along with the memories, but I did my best to let them pass through on a breeze.

It would take time for the scars to fade for all of us. All we could do was breathe through it and look for the good—like this moment right here.

I fell into step next to Shiloh and Onyx, Kai keeping pace but giving the mare her space. “Push it a little too much today?”

Shiloh sent a glance my way. “It’s annoying how perceptive you are.”

I chuckled. “Get used to it because you’re stuck with me now.”

She leaned into me, her warmth and life seeping into my muscles and bones. “I kinda like being stuck with you.”

“Glad to hear it.”

We walked in silence to the pasture, enjoying the comfortable quiet that Shiloh and I preferred. So often, what passed between us didn’t need words but said everything.

I unlatched the gate, and Shiloh led Onyx inside. She leaned forward, pressing her cheek to the mare’s. “This is a new beginning for you. There’s a whole beautiful world waiting. You just have to take the first step.”