Page 17 of Reins

I don’t know if it’s the thrill or the fear that latches my gaze to his, but the haunted look in it carries with me all the way back to the barn.

Who is he and how did he know my name?

Or maybe the bigger question is what did my brothers do that has someone hiding in the woods to watch them?

Chapter 10 - Cade

As she moves away, all the strength leaves me and I slump onto the thick roots of the pine.

It was almost like seeing a ghost, a shell of the woman I used to know.

But Rosalyn has a different vein of frailty than Ava ever had.

Ava fought to get away.

Rosalyn has a set to her shoulders that says she’s given up.

What the hell happened to her since Ava died? And why did she come into the woods almost like she was looking for me?

Shaking my head, I trudge through the snow to where I have Bessy hidden and climb up.

Is this a fool’s errand trying to see if I can learn more? Maybe next time I see Rosalyn, I’ll reveal who I am.

Then I’ll know for sure what kind of stories have been told about me.

Reaching the spot where her trail veers off, I pause, watching Bessy’s hot exhales billow around her nose.

Should I follow? The fact that Rosalyn came out here alone tells me that she didn’t tell her brothers where she was going.

I have no doubts they would have accompanied her if they knew.

Directing Bessy to a patch of exposed grass under a few wide boughs, I let her snack while I give Rosalyn a head start.

As tempting as it is to find her and ask more questions, I need to get some better surveillance first.

After enough time passes that it feels safe, I slowly work my way closer to the main portion of the ranch.

“You stay here and out of trouble.” I tug the knot on her reins around a branch and make the rest of the trip on foot.

This way I can stick to the hard, icy snow and the thicker areas of cover where my footsteps won’t show.

I don’t know how observant the Baileys are, but I don’t want to get caught by an amateur mistake like leaving an obvious trail.

Finding a low hanging evergreen, I nestle into the bed of needles under it and pull out my binoculars just in time to see a truck hauling a livestock trailer come down the driveway.

At a glance I know it’s one of the brothers, I’m just not sure which.

He parks in front of the house and slams his door with a grin before going inside. In only a few seconds, he reappears with Rosalyn on his heels.

“After you get him taken care of, make sure you clean out the trailer. He shit everywhere.” His voice carries through the cold dusk.

Eli. I should have recognized him by the arrogant way he sticks out his shoulders.

Even when I knew him years ago, he acted like he had something to prove. I remember the stories that Ava would tell me about how he’d basically terrorize her and Rosalyn since they were younger than him.

By the tone of his words, nothing’s changed. He’s still snotty as shit to his sister.

A morsel of anger on her behalf settles into my gut.