Thunder Horse Redemption

She stared up into his face and recognized that Thunder Horse stubborn streak in the tightness of his jaw. He wasn’t going to budge on the matter.

The ache in her head intensified and her shoulder burned where she’d been nicked. She willed herself to be stronger, squeezing closed her eyes as a wave of nausea washed over her. When she opened her eyes, her vision was no less blurry, maybe having something to do with the tears of frustration threatening to fall.

Dear God, she refused to cry in front of Pierce. She’d already spent the past two months crying when no one was looking.

With her horse gone, the shooter still at large and herself just about too tired and bruised to muster up the energy to do anything at all, she decided not to argue with the man. Instead, she clamped shut her lips and tried to keep as far away from Pierce as possible. A difficult task, considering she was sitting in his lap.

After a few minutes, the sway of the horse lulled her into a daze. Giving up the fight, she leaned into his body and stayed there the rest of the ride back to the Thunder Horse Ranch.

The scent of leather and denim and the familiar earthy, musky male aroma set her heart beating faster and heat radiating throughout her body, reminding her of better times and of all they’d lost.

If she hadn’t called off the engagement then she and Pierce would have married by now. They might even have had a baby on the way. She’d loved Pierce so much, had been so sure that she’d finally found someone she could count on, someone who could be a real partner in her life as well as a lover. Losing that hope had hurt. It still hurt.

A sob rose in her throat, choking off the air to her lungs. Her head aching with each passing mile, Roxanne stiffened and tried to move away from Pierce.

The arm around her tightened, pinning her. Short of making a big fuss and possibly falling off the horse, Roxanne had no choice but to stay put.

Rather than relive their final days as an engaged couple, Roxanne forced herself to think through what had just happened. “What do you think that man was after?” she wondered out loud.

“I don’t know, but he seemed pretty determined to shoot you.” Pierce’s grip tightened on the reins.

The stallion danced sideways, seemingly confused by his rider’s instruction to slow.

A slight movement of Pierce’s legs, and loosening the reins, set the horse in a forward motion again.

“If someone wanted to shoot me, why would he wait until I was out in the canyon? There are easier ways to find me, in places where he could have gotten close enough to get a much better shot.”

Pierce liked that thought even less if the way he tensed was any indication, but before he could reply, the stallion beneath them stumbled, jolting Roxanne. She winced, pressing a hand to the back of her skull. “Ouch. Must have hit my head harder than I thought.”

“I’ll get the doctor to come out as soon as I’ve got you settled.”

“I’m fine. Just a flesh wound and a bump on the noggin. I’ll be back in the saddle by morning.”

“Not if you have a concussion.” His voice was firm, unyielding. “The doctor will have to clear you to my satisfaction before I let you leave the ranch.”

“Hey, get this straight, mister.” She poked him in the chest. “The decisions about what I can and cannot do are between me and the doctor. You’ve got no part in them, or in anything else that has to do with me.”

She recognized the mulish expression on his face and knew what he’d say before he even opened his mouth. “When you don’t know what’s good for you then somebody has to step in.”

“You’re not good for me—we’re not good for each other. We can’t even ride a couple of miles of trail together without fighting.” She took a deep breath, forcing her voice to sound calm, collected. “Just let me go home, Pierce. I’m not your problem anymore, and I can take care of myself. I’ve been running a ranch by myself for years. I think I can make my own decisions.”

Another jolt and the pain reverberating around the inside of her skull made her cringe. Well, darn it all. Why did she have to be so weak in front of the one man she’d sworn to never show an ounce of vulnerability again?

“Look,” Pierce said. “I don’t want you at the ranch any more than you want to be there. But I won’t let you go home until the doc says you can.”

Her chest tightened at his harsh words. Once they could barely stand to be apart. Now they could barely stand to be together. Too much had happened. Irreversible actions and words with permanent consequences. “Okay, I’ll stay until the doctor can convince you that I’m all right. Which I am.”

Roxanne didn’t relish the idea of being at the Thunder Horse Ranch with Pierce there. She’d been over a couple times to meet Tuck’s fiancée and get measured for her bridesmaid dress, but she’d left as soon as possible to avoid any chance of running into Pierce.

Why did he have to be the one to find her out in the canyon? Why couldn’t it have been Tuck, or one of Pierce’s other brothers? Why did her already horrible day have to sink to the new low of having to depend on the man who’d encouraged her brother to join the FBI and then let him die in that explosion?

What had happened had been inexcusable and irreversible. She knew that for sure. Not because of the FBI—the official word they had given her was that Mason’s death had been ruled unavoidable.

No. Roxanne knew Pierce was responsible for her brother’s death because that was what he had told her himself.

Chapter Two

Pierce insisted on carrying Roxanne into the cavernous great room of the Thunder Horse Ranch house, despite her objections. The feel of her body against his brought back so many memories he could barely breathe.

“I can walk, really.” She kicked her legs and pushed against his chest. “Let me down.” Twin flags of color rose in her cheeks as he entered the room where two of his brothers and his mother stood gaping at them.

Stopping just inside the entry, Pierce braced himself for the onslaught of questions his family was sure to ask.

His mother was the first to remember her manners. “Roxy, good to see you, sweetie,” she said as though it was an everyday occurrence for her son to stroll in carrying his ex-fiancée. “Oh, dear, is that blood?” She lifted a hand to her own cheek, her eyes widening. “For goodness’ sake, Pierce, let her have the lounge chair,” she commanded. “I’ll get some coffee. Maddox, you call Doc Taylor. Pierce, give Dante the details of what happened in case you need his help with anything else.”

Pierce smiled despite the gravity of the situation. Though thin and petite, his mother had a will of iron, with a bossy streak to match. She didn’t hesitate to tell her boys what to do, no matter that they were all grown men who now towered over her small frame.

“Yeah, what happened?” Dante planted himself in front of Pierce, his gaze taking in the torn shirt and bloodstains. “Are you hurt, too?” His arms crossed over his chest, his eyebrows knitting in a fierce frown, clearly ready to take on anyone who might be a danger to their family.

“I’m fine, Roxanne’s the only one hurt,” Pierce said. “Found her out on the northernmost corner of the ranch.” Pierce’s jaw tightened. “Someone was using her for target practice.”

“The chair?” Roxanne tipped her head toward the chair Pierce’s mother had indicated. “At least put me down. It’s not like I can’t walk.”

“Yeah, why are you carrying her?” Dante asked. “Are her legs injured, too?”

“She’s not all that steady on her feet. Her horse threw her and she hit her head. I think she might have a concussion.” Pierce relented and eased Roxanne into the chair.

“What were you doing out by the canyons?” Dante asked, turning his focus to Roxanne.

“I was checking on the wild horses.” Roxanne sat in the chair, her chin tipped upward, one hand feeling the back of her head. She winced. “I was following Sweet Jessie. I found her by the watering hole near North Canyon. When I went down to check on her, I heard a loud bang. Something stung my arm and almost knocked me out of the saddle. Whatever nicked me, hit Jessie—most likely in the shoulder, but I couldn’t say for sure. She might have tripped or been hit because I think I saw her drop to the ground before my mount took off. The shooter came after me. That’s when Pierce found us.”

Dante swore. “Did you see who it was?”

Roxanne sighed. “No. I didn’t. He was on a dirt bike in full-coverage gear, including a helmet.”

Tuck entered the room, carrying his baby girl, Lily. “What’s going on?”

His beautiful blonde fiancée, Julia Anderson, followed him. When she noticed Roxanne on the chair, she hurried around to stand in front of her. “Good Lord, Roxanne, are you all right?”

Pierce frowned. Apparently the two women had already met while Pierce had been wrapping up his previous assignment in Bismarck. What else had he missed?

Roxanne smiled. “Don’t worry, Julia, I’ll be fine for the wedding.” She pushed against the seat cushions, preparing to stand.

Julia laid a hand on her uninjured shoulder. “I’m not worried about the wedding. I want to know what happened to you. Holy smokes, you’re bleeding.” Julia reached out to touch Roxanne’s other arm where Pierce had wrapped his shirt around her injury.

“It’s nothing. Just a flesh wound.” Roxanne shot a glance toward Pierce. “Pierce patched me up and it’s not bleeding so badly anymore.”

The baby, clearly picking up on the distress in Julia’s voice, leaned away from Tuck, reaching for her mother.