To Be Yours

Chapter 28

Mila was exhausted when she woke up with Buck. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, casting the house in a warm orange glow.

She got dressed and followed him into the barn. Jackson was already out there with his horse.

"You guys look like shit. What happened to your face? Where's Dusty?"

"He took off in the rain last night," Buck muttered.

"That was one hell of a storm. We lost power for most of the night. I could see a bunch of down trees on the property. What's the pretty lady doing up so early?" he asked referring to Mila who was grooming Sugar.

"I'm going after Dusty, too," she said.

"Jackson and I will look along the pastures on the eastern side of the property, if you want to stay along the west where we were yesterday," Buck told her, handing her a walkie talkie and a lead rope. "If you find him, hook this to his halter and guide him behind you. Hold the rope like you do when you're walking Sugar. Don't tie it to anything or wrap it around you're arm."

"Got it," she said, climbing up on her saddle. She did her best not to grimace because he was watching her, but she was uncomfortable.

"Remember, if Sugar spooks, do not pull back on the reigns."

He leaned up and she bent down for a kiss.

"Love you," she whispered.

"Love you back," he said just as softly. "Be safe."

When she took off, he got another horse saddled up. He needed to check on the cattle, but he was worried about Dusty and couldn't focus on anything else.

"Do you want to tell me what's up with you?" Jackson asked.

"Nothing," Buck said. His best friend could read him like an open book. "I was pissed off at Mila because she came out to get me in the rain, on the quad of all things."

Jackson gave a large, startling laugh. "She's full of surprises. How did she even know how to drive the thing?"

Buck shrugged, his eyes looking every which way for his horse.

"You shouldn't have gotten mad though," Jackson said. "My entire life, all I ever wanted was for someone to care. I'd never take that out on Audrey."

Jackson was right.

"I know. I fixed it, I think. I just- if something happened to her because of me."

"I know," Jackson said. "I get it. She seems okay, if not a little on edge. You probably just need to make it up to her."

"She was so angry with me," he said. "I was such an ass. I tore up my knees and landed on my hand."

"You're lucky you didn't hit your head."

Buck nodded. Mila on the walkie startled them both.

"I found him," she said. "He's got a cut on one of his back legs but he's okay. Meet you at the barn."

Buck and Jackson raced to the barn, arriving just as Mila was.

Buck jumped off of his horse, eager to inspect Dusty.

"Poor boy," he said, running his hands along his back. "What did you get into?"

The cut wasn't too deep, and the bleeding had stopped.

"What do we do for his leg?" Mila asked.

"We'll have to clean it with water and we have an antiseptic for horses we'll wrap it in, make sure all the debris and stuff will get out," Jackson said. "Make sure you check Sugar's feet really good before you put her away."

Mila nodded, before going to check on the chickens and her plants.

The garden was a disaster. She sighed. All of that hardwork just for one storm to rip away most of it.

She bent down, gathering any stray produce she could salvage. She didn't even want to see what her flowers look like. She was so frustrated with all of it.

"Mila," Buck called, and she startled with a gasp. She didn't even know he was watching her.

He held out his arms and she quickly went into his embrace, stuffing her face against his shirt.

"Don't cry, Darlin'," he said. "It'll grow back."

"It's all ruined," she said.

"No, it's not. It's just what happens. You saved so many of them by covering them, and you protected your chickens. You did such a good job."

She sucked in a shaky breath.

"Thank you for finding Dusty. I know riding Sugar at dawn wasn't ideal after our late night."

"He wasn't far from where you must've fallen."

"I appreciate you. I love you. You take such good care of me, and I feel bad about the way I reacted last night."

She smiled, "It's okay. I'm not upset anymore. Besides, I got something good out of it."

He grinned, pressing his lips to hers.

"Go inside and take a nap or a bath. Just rest. I'll come inside to fix us lunch. I want to check on the cattle."

She nodded, not going to argue with that. She was more then ready for a nap.

"Please be careful," she whispered.

He kissed her forehead. "I will. After that, I'm taking the day. Just me and you and my bed."

She muffled her laugh in his shirt. "I'm assuming you mean sleep, but either way, that sounds great."

She was the first to pull away from his warmth, heading into the house.