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“That can’t be helped. We can’t leave them here. As far as they know, we’re just innocent bystanders, which is why you need to split.”
“Dusty?” I murmur. Was that his name? “I-I don’t k-know who I am. How I got here…”
“It’s gonna be okay,” he tells me. Somehow, his voice is calm. Like he knows exactly what to say and how to say it. “We’re gonna get you to a doctor, check the bruise on your head, and make sure everything’s okay with you, all right?”
I’m scared, so scared, but when he comes into better focus, the first thing I notice are his eyes. They’re kind, softening when I stare at him. They’re the brightest blue I’ve ever seen. Electric almost, and he’s wearing a cowboy hat.
“I’m safe?” I repeat.
“That’s right. Nobody is ever gonna hurt you again, got me?”
I don’t know whether it’s true, but it feels like I can trust this man. Don’t ask me how, I just have that inkling.
“I’m scared,” I whisper.
His smile is warm. “Dusty’s right here, honey, I’m not gonna let anybody hurt you again. You have my word.”
I snap out of my reverie when he gets closer. There’s nothing quite like the sight of Dustin McGranger hurtling toward you on his giant beast—a Friesian Sports horse— in his plaid shirt, ripped jeans and chaps, plus his favorite Stetson. I think it’s the damn chaps that do it for me every time.
Dustin slows as he approaches, grinning at me as he tips his hat. “Fine time of the mornin’.”
Oh, goddamn. His voice is like smooth silk and caramel, hitting me low in the belly. Dustin has wide shoulders, an amazing body, a gorgeous face with a small amount of scruff. Even his fucking thighs are majestic, especially wrapped around his horse like that.
I imagine them wrapped around me, and I shift in my saddle. Cool it, girl. Dusty is a friend.
That’s right, we’ve been in the friend zone since forever. Don’t get me wrong, being friends has its perks, but it also means we get to hang out all the time. I live for those moments. We tell each other everything, but right now? I have to at least try to keep my thoughts PG.
“Sure is,” I reply, unable to hide my smile. “What brings you out here?”
He circles my horse, and the butterflies in my stomach wreak havoc on my insides. “Am I not allowed to check up on my favorite girl?”
His favorite girl?
Oh, how I wish.
Hoping my blush isn’t evident, I try to remember how to breathe. “I bet you say that to all the ladies.”
He chuckles, one hand presses against his heart. “I’m wounded.”
“You are not.”
His skin is tanned from being outdoors all day, and while he rarely goes a few days without shaving, I’m standing here wondering whether it’s soft or scratchy.
We’ve always had this banter between us. Dustin is a terrible flirt, yet I’ve never seen him with a woman.
The only thing is, I can’t seem to find the right words to tell him how I feel. I’m chicken shit. Every time I gun up the courage to ask him out, I fail miserably.
Risking our friendship would be like taking a bullet.
CHAPTER 2
DUSTIN
Her long, golden hair hangs down her back, and I blink when she smiles, momentarily stunned. Who am I kidding? This woman has taken my breath away since I met her two years ago.
Jade—whose real name is Tilly—is a sight for sore eyes, even this early in the morning.
She’s a slight woman; short in stature but curvy in all the right places, with piercing blue eyes and a smile that could banish a desert storm.
