Best Friend's Ex Box Set

I rubbed my jaw with a weary sigh. “It’s just threats, Tif. Probably drunken threats at that. I know he has an ugly temper, but I don’t think he’d really try to harm her.”

“He abuses animals,” Tiffany said, aghast. “You don’t think he could lose control and go crazy on Cheyenne? He’s already showed up once to threaten her.”

“What? When was that?” I asked. Anger shot through me. “He’s already tried to mess with her?”

Tiffany nodded her head vehemently. “Yes! That’s what I’m telling you. He showed up out there demanding it back, and she sent him packing, refusing to give it back to him. He had already heard from PETA too, so he was even more furious. Now he’s been jacking his jaw all over town. He’s up to something, Colt. I know it. I can feel that something bad is going to happen.”

“Damn. Cheyenne is out there alone, too,” I commented, pinching the bridge of my nose to fight off the headache I felt coming. “I’ll drive by there when I’m done here to check on her. I don’t know how receptive she’ll be to me trying to help since she barely knows who I am, but I’ll try.”

“I’ll try and talk to her about it. She’s just too damn proud, I think, over what happened to her.”

“Something happened to her?”

Tiffany hesitated at my question. She looked down at the table, twisting her hands nervously again.

“I can’t tell you, Colt. I wish I could, but I promised,” she said. “She made me promise not to tell anyone because she doesn’t want it going around town.”

“I can respect that,” I said, but I didn’t bother hiding my disappointment. I wanted to know what kept Cheyenne so isolated at her sanctuary. I assumed it had something to do with men because of her aloof and distant reactions to anyone who expressed an interest in her.

“So, you’ll check on her tonight?” Tiffany asked.

I nodded, “Promise. I’ll take the long way back to the ranch and swing by to check on her.”

Tiffany sank back in her chair with relief. “Thank you. She doesn’t answer her phone at night, so I can’t even call. I’ll feel so much better knowing she’s okay before I go to bed tonight.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” I said.

I walked Tiffany out to her truck, and she hugged me goodbye before sliding in behind the wheel. After watching her pull away, I went back inside to finish up before I headed out. I immediately realized my heart wasn’t in it, and a building anxiety in my stomach was driving me to get going. I backed out to drive slowly down a dark and quiet Main Street. I kept one eye peeled for the sheriff who normally sat on the stretch of road that turned into highway, but the familiar SUV wasn’t parked in his usual spot.

Unease filled me then, as it had my sister. What if Bill Coates did get revenge? The man could be a crazy son-of-a-bitch, especially when he was drinking.

As my foot pushed down on the accelerator a little more, the truck roared to life, picking up speed in the direction of Cheyenne’s ranch.

Cheyenne needed a way to keep herself protected. My fingers clenched the steering wheel tightly as I turned onto the county road that twisted around a patch of evergreen pines. This road led to Cheyenne’s place, as well as mine, but it also went right past the ranch belonging to Bill Coates and others. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was truly so naïve to think that threatening a rancher’s reputation out here wouldn’t lead to retaliation of some sort. I knew she was new to Green Point and all the local characters, but Bill Coates made his money through his ranch. A lot of it.

Dark smoke danced in front of my headlights when I drove around the last twist in the road. I pushed through the cloud, my heart racing until it cleared for a moment. I slammed on the brakes when I caught sight of black smoke and orange flames curling above the barn next to Cheyenne’s log home.

“Fuck,” I swore, fumbling around in the driver’s seat for my phone while I floored it towards the gate. “Oh, God. Where the hell is my fucking phone?”

My fingers finally found it tucked beneath my sweater. One hand on the wheel, I felt the back end of my truck kick out when I turned to ram through the gate Cheyenne had locked. I dialed the sheriff’s department number. It was Deputy Paul Franklin who answered to my great relief.

“What is it, Colt?” Paul asked, already sounding worried. “You never call me this late.”

“There’s a fire at Cheyenne’s Horse Sanctuary,” I shouted, staring up at the massive cloud of smoke curling through the moonlight. “Paul, it’s bad. Get the fire department. The entire roof is on fire.”

Paul swore into the phone. “It’ll take twenty minutes, Colt. I’m clear across town doing patrols. Get the horses and Cheyenne out of there if you can.”

I jammed my truck into park as far from the barn as possible.

“Just hurry over here, Paul.”

Heat and smoke crashed over me the second I jumped out of the truck. I could hear the terrified cries from the horses inside the barn. Flames licked out from the roof, giving light to the pathway as I ran up to pound on Cheyenne’s front door.

“Cheyenne!” I yelled, pounding hard on the door. “Wake up! There’s a fire.”

A light flicked on upstairs immediately. I left the front door to run alongside the house to the water well and looked for a hose to spray water. Sweat poured down the back of my neck as I scanned the

ground frantically.