Breaking Down Defenses (3rd in Breaking Series)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Sally rode across the plains and rock cluttered ground, not paying any attention to anything around her. Her mind was on Thomas and on what Cookie had said. That old coot was crazier than a lark if he thought that there was anything between Thomas and her. Thomas couldn't wait to get away...

Sally wasn't the crying type. As a matter of fact she couldn't remember the last time she had cried... Actually, yes, she could. It had been the day Thomas had left all those years ago. Well, Sally had news for Texas Ranger Thomas Cooper... She wasn't going to be crying anymore tears over him.

"He can just go riding back to wherever it was he's been all this time," she spat out loud. She looked up at the sky. She'd been riding too long and the sun was getting low. It would be dark within the next hour or two and she had a long ride back. If she wasn't back by dark Jacob would go tell Brody and Brody would probably lock her in her room again and this time the giant ogre would be smart enough to block the window too.

Sally smiled as she thought of her brothers. She loved them both. Jacob was more of a father figure. He tried to control everything she did and was always worrying over her and Susie but his heart was in the right place and he was quick to be there for them if they needed him. Brody was quieter than Jacob and he didn't seem to be bothered by a lot of what she did. Unless of course she ran her mouth too much and then he was quick to show her what he thought about that.

Sally wasn't paying any attention to where her horse was stepping when the sound of the rattle reached her ears. She glanced over on the rock about a foot from her young mare's hooves and saw the giant rattler curled there. Clearly it had been taking advantage of the above average temperatures of today and had been sunning itself.

Before she could calm her mare down the young horse reared back and threw Sally to the ground before taking off toward the ranch. Sally rose to her feet cussing and wiping the dirt off her bruised backside. She glared at the snake that had stopped rattling and was currently slithering away.

"I should shoot your stupid rattler off," she grumbled. She'd never make it home before dark now and Jacob and Brody would both take turns skinning her alive. She ran her hand through her thick golden air, unrolled her shirt sleeves to cover her arms against the cooling evening air and started toward home.

Sally became lost in her thoughts as she walked and didn't even hear the horse approaching her, "Need a ride?" She nearly screamed and had her gun halfway out of her holster before she realized it was Thomas and Nathan on Thomas's big black stallion.

"I believe she was gonna shoot you, ranger Cooper," Nathan laughed.

Thomas nodded and the look he gave Sally told him he meant it when he said, "Yeah, she has good reason to want to shoot me, kid."

Nathan appeared curious, "Why's that?"

Thomas just shook his head and slipped from the saddle, pulling the boy down as well, "It's grown up stuff, kid. Do you think you can lead the horse while I talk to the lady?"

"Yep, sure can," Nathan grabbed the reins from Thomas.

Thomas grabbed Sally's arm and pulled her ahead as Nathan fell into step a few feet behind them. Sally tried to ignore the heat his hand was causing. She tried to ignore the tingling she felt low in her stomach from his touch. When he removed his hand she checked her blouse to make sure he hadn't burnt straight through the fabric.

"What happened to your horse?" he asked.

"Damn rattler scared her. She's young and she threw me and took off."