I’d run from a massive city after a destructive relationship because I realized no one actually cared. When all was said and done after Dexter and I had parted ways, everyone followed the jovial man with the bright smile, leaving behind the devastated woman who had been drained of all she had to give. Pictures online of intimate moments were shared among circles of friends I didn’t recognize, and then I was cast out as the nasty one when I confronted Dexter and asked him to take them down.
“This fundraiser is going to go much better than you expect, I promise,” Colt said.
“I guess. I don’t know, Colt.” I trailed off, unsure of what to think or feel.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
I looked up into his eyes, and suddenly my soul began to warm once again. The chill winter air that had cascaded up my legs and shaken me in my boots suddenly began to dissipate, and in its place was a warmth I could only gather from the eyes of Colt Smith. The hustling and bustling of his home faded to the background while I swam in the depths of his eyes, and for a second, my heart stilled its anxious movements. My blood pressure settled, my muscles began to relax, and when Colt began massaging my shoulders, I instantly melted into his touch.
This man was dangerous for me, but his danger was everything I needed, with none of the extra chaos and pain.
“Take a deep breath and relax,” he whispered into my ear. “Just close your eyes and take a moment.”
It had been a long few weeks. I had been dragged through the mud, threatened within an inch of my life, seen a horse in my care murdered, endured repeated harassment and threats, rebuilt my sanctuary from its very ashes, and allowed a strong, determined man to slowly chip away at the walls I had built around my heart to keep strangers out who might want to do me harm.
Gradually, I felt like a phoenix, rising from the ashes of a life someone tried to destroy, but there was one last puzzle piece that had to fit into place in order for my transformation to be complete.
And it was completely out of my hands.
“Hey, Colt!” someone yelled out. “Wanna come try this?”
“That would be the chef,” he said.
“Go taste some food. I’ll be here when you get back.”
He released his grip on my shoulders, and I turned myself back to the computer. I refreshed the screen, hoping that between the time the screen went blank and the time it reloaded that my bank account would suddenly find a surplus of funds it had not registered before.
But when that zero popped back up onto the screen, I felt my blood pressure slowly begin to rise once more.
“Enough with this,” Tiffany said. She hobbled over and closed the laptop with a thud, and I whipped my gaze over to her in an attempt to figure out what was going on.
“I’m all done with what I need to do for now, so you and I are going for some lunch,” she said.
“I gotta stay here and feed the horses, Tif,” I said. “I can’t just go to lunch.”
“Michael’s already out there doing it,” she said. “Now come on.”
“Wait. Michael’s feeding the horses?” I asked.
“He offered to do it when I mentioned that you hadn’t eaten yet today.”
“Yes, I did. I ate breakfast.”
“Three cups of coffee and the smell of horse feed doesn’t count as breakfast,” she said, as she rolled her eyes.
“It has for a few years of my life now,” I said.
“Well, it doesn’t now, so come on.”
“Did he say why he was feeding the horses?” I asked.
“He said he would so I could take you out.”
“You know that man’s got it bad for you, right?” I asked.
“No, he doesn’t,” she said with a little smile. “He’s become a good friend through all of this. You know he helped Colt muscle down Bill at his house, don’t you? I like a tough man with a backbone of steel.”
“Then it’s a good thing Michael likes your spunky ass,” I said.