Best Friend's Ex Box Set

I nodded. The front door opened a second later before Colt’s muffled voice cut through the morning. I glanced up at the clock above the stove: two minutes until ten. This was the first time in years, and certainly since owning the sanctuary, that I had ever slept in. Despite the pain in my hands and my heart, I had been able to sleep deeply, even though the remnants of the barn smoldered beside me. The knowledge that he was there had somehow allowed me to get restorative sleep.

Since Colt was occupied, I took advantage of the interruption to rush upstairs to shower. I let the hot water splash over my skin and ignored the pain in my hands. The skin beneath the gauze pads was bright red and raw when I peeled everything away, skin included. I washed every inch of my skin, watching the black water and soap bubbles swirl around the shower drain, before slipping into a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved sweater.

Colt was still outside on the phone near his truck when I glanced out the living room window. His .9mm was now holstered on his hip, and he adjusted his hat on top of his head. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have a man like Colt around. For more reasons than one.

I pushed that last wicked thought away. He was just looking out for me because I was close friends with his sister. From all I had heard, their parents had been kind and compassionate people. Their children were no different.

Grabbing the phone from the wall, I stared down at the numbers for a time. I had to call my parents to tell them what had happened. My grants would be terminated now that I didn’t have the proper place and materials to care for the horses. All the documentation for the previous adoptions was gone too, plus I was already behind on the mortgage for my house. This fire was just a cherry on top of an already shitty situation.

“A fire? What do you mean there was a fire?” my mother asked, aghast after I dialed their number to tell them what had happened. “How did it start?”

“I don’t know, Mom. It was in the middle of the night.”

“Something doesn’t sound right about this, honey. Doing this work puts you at odds with some bad people. Do you think someone could have started it on purpose? Did someone light your barn on fire?”

A headache pounded hard in my temples. “To be honest, Mom. Yes. I think it was a man that confronted me two days ago. The stallion he wanted back had been abused and mistreated. The local vet told me of other things he had seen from this man. I called PETA and asked that he open an investigation.”

“It sounds like he had something to do with it,” she said. “I’m telling your father about this as soon as he gets back home. Do you need us to come out there?”

“Cheyenne.”

I turned around to find Colt standing in the kitchen, phone in hand. He smiled apologetically when I jumped.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, or interrupt,” he said. “I can see the sheriff coming down the road. I’m hoping that it’ll be Paul.”

“Who is Paul?” I asked.

“A friend of mine who is trying to fight against the influence Bill Coates has on this town,” Colt replied and turned to go back into the living room.

“I have to go, Mom. The sheriff is driving up.”

“Who was that man talking in the background?”

I rolled my eyes at the question. Of course that was the one thing my mother was most curious about. Honestly.

“I’ll call you later,” I said, avoiding the question. “Call my cell if you don’t get me on the landline.”

I quickly hung up before she could say anything else. Colt was standing at the front window with his arms crossed over his chest.

“It’s Robert Jones,” he said tersely. “I should’ve known it’d be him because I said something about Bill Coates.”

“He’s the one who’s friends with Bill?”

“Closer than blood. Try to keep your cool.”

Keeping cool turned out to be harder when the older man stepped into my living room, nodding at Colt in acknowledgment before assessing me with critical eyes. He didn’t look to be in great shape to be a sheriff either, based on his hanging gut.

“It’s good to see you both are getting close here,” Robert said as he shot Colt a sly look. “I should’ve known one martyr would save another martyr.”

“It’s what I do,” Colt replied coolly. “What did the fire marshal tell you?”

Robert hooked his thumbs on his belt loop as he turned his gaze to me. “They reported gas cans near the barn when they arrived.”

“It wasn’t me who did it,” I said immediately. “Why would I keep gas next to my barn?”

“It was just a simple question,” he said, and the tone of his voice grated on me. “They are investigating the cause of the fire. However, I am certain it won’t be easy given that Cheyenne has created some enemies here in Green Point and the surrounding areas.”

My jaw dropped open.