Danny
Sigh. The last few hours–heck, the last few days–have been crazy.
Who would've thought that I would be sitting here right now, contemplating how my ex and her opportunist minions, my recent hires, had concocted an elaborate plan to snatch up the two newest editions to my ranch?
Scoff.
I can't make this stuff up.
But, it did happen. Ellie along with Benny and Shane had somehow met up and got it into their heads that it was a solid idea. That they could just take Angel and Tempers, cash in on their enormous worth and get away with it.
Satisfyingly enough, Benny and Shane had learnt how gravely mistaken they were. And Ellie's enlightenment would soon follow.
It was inconceivable that I had given those two imbeciles a shot to make a good living–make something tangible out of their lives, and they had spat in my face without a second thought.
We'd gone down to the sheriff's station after successfully apprehending the culprits to sort out the matter of the kidnapping of my horses. They were placed apart, in respective interrogation rooms, so that Hannah could get a good chunk out of them individually. And ascertain what had provoked this turn of events in the first place.
It became all too clear that neither of them held any remorse. In fact, we surmised that they had no feelings about the matter, at all.
Don't think for a minute that I cared. What got me riled up was the fact that I wasted my time on those two idiots. And their stunt very nearly shattered my girl.
I felt responsible for the entire charade regardless of the fact that I had o idea that it was brewing behind the scenes. After all, it had been under my watch that they'd been hired and I clearly hadn't done enough digging to know that they were capable of committing such an act without an inkling of a conscience.
Sigh.
Well–we all knew who was responsible. The woman whose name triggered the rise of bile at the mere thought.
Wherever she was, whatever she was doing, she wouldn't get very far. Unless she was smart enough to use an unassuming disguise to throw us off her scent.
A few deputies were out searching for her, right this moment. And I had no doubt that she'd be caught.
One way or another, she would be brought in and held in custody. It was a satisfying thought, knowing that it was only a matter of time before she got her just desserts.
Glancing briefly over to my left, I took in the state of the woman beside me.
Her head rested against the window, and her pretty eyes were closed. Soft puffs of air escaped her tiny button nose, her chest rising and falling in steady breaths.
I was happy that we got our horses back. But this sight got me all bent out of sorts.
She was almost completely drained of energy, due to the malicious intentions of three prats who wanted to make a quick dishonest buck at her expense.
Shaking my head, my grip tightened around the steering wheel. Inhaling and exhaling only went so far, to sate my anger. They would certainly pay. But would they truly get what they deserved?
The thought made me churn the longer I pondered on it.
Scoff. Isn't life funny that way?
On the upside, we're finally heading back home.
Who would've thought that we'd be thoroughly spent before the day had even begun?
After sticking around the station to make an official report, and give our statements, there was no further need for us to stay. At last, we were free to go home.
The day's start was undoubtedly turning out to be quite unusual, to say the least. The event had shaken things up, and given every one of us a fright, putting us all on edge.
I don't doubt for a second that everyone involved in the search would need some downtime. That included the woman beside me. So if she thought for a second that she would be going back to work as though nothing had happened, she thought wrong.
This entire ordeal had certainly taken a lot out of her. So much so that a few measly seconds after hopping into the truck and fastening her seatbelt, she was out like a light. She'd barely managed to make it so far, as her tired eyes kept haunting me in the station every time I looked at her.
It was completely understandable that she had succumbed to sleep so quickly.
God only knows how tired, mentally and emotionally drained, she was. And that's before she could even begin completing her tasks for the day.
This woman with her youthful, vibrant and active demeanour could weather storms on any bad day. However, she had taken one hit after the next. Her emotions had stretched her so thin that she was almost completely depleted by the time she buckled up.
She would not have to worry about lifting a finger today, though. And I would make sure of that.
Her work could wait. In such a state, I doubted she'd get much done. Albeit, a little task here and there. Her capabilities were not in question. She was quite capable of defying those odds with her force of will alone.
At the end of the day, Paege might've been our dream trainer, but she was also my girlfriend. I wouldn't let her run herself into the ground. Period.
Her work would always be there. But she could not be replaced. There was only one of her. And she was not expendable. Not to me.
I didn't need a doctor to tell me that she would need some time to recuperate. Especially after such a tumultuous ordeal. And she'd get it.
Thank God for my mother's quick thinking earlier because we would've begun the search without breakfast. A few sandwiches with refreshments held us together, if only just.
What a way to start the day.
But, at least, there was an upside.
Thank God, for the upside. Thank God that we had accomplished the very thing we set out to do earlier.
Quite frankly, I didn't know what I'd do if we didn't get them back. If we couldn't salvage the situation.
Any fool could see that those horses meant the world to Paege. She'd be devastated to never see them again.
They were more than cordial. More than mere acquaintances. They were like old friends who could finish each other's sentences. They had that kind of relationship. A relationship that contributed to her health, make no mistake.
It wasn't lost on me that her mother had declined of a broken heart when her horse Diana had died. I didn't dare want a repeat of such an event. I don't think I'd survive it.
They meant the world to her, but I couldn't escape her gravity. She was my world. I'd certainly deteriorate without her at an exponential rate.
Thank God we were finally bringing Angel and Tempers back home–safe.
Thank God my baby could finally rest.
My world would be set right again, only then.
I could see the visible strain that this event had put on her. And though I knew she was strong, she shouldn't have to be all the time. She shouldn't have to bat at every opportunity, only to have her wound up drifting off to sleep before the word 'go'.
I wanted her to not have to be.
Instead, it would be great if she was able to relax in her feminine grace. Without the threat of needing to don her armour, in preparation for yet another battle.
But that seemed more like wishful thinking, and a hefty dream of mine, than any reality I could foresee. So I would have to put things in place to cushion the blows.
Gosh, she had been through so much.
Just the mere thought of the mile-long list in its entirety was enough to sap my energy. So I'd much rather not go down that dark road.
Turning right onto the dirt road, I almost exhaled a sigh of relief. We trailed behind the ranch trucks, headed by dad while A.J. and Jeb followed us for security reasons.
The last thing we needed was another hatched ploy to snag these horses out from under our noses again.
The sun was barely at its peak when I finally eased on the brakes and put the pickup into park.
I shot off the vehicle, and sure enough, Paege was still fast asleep. She must be really tired.
Hopping out of the pickup, I closed my door before rounding the truck to the other side to get her.
"A.J. please get the horses settled back into their stalls," I asked, while opening the door and unbuckling her seatbelt, noting as he was in mid-stride heading in my direction.
"Sure thing, Boss," A.J. returned, pausing for a second, "I hope she recovers nicely."
"Thanks, A.J.," He nodded his assent before I focused my attention back on my baby's sleeping form. Not long after the sound of metal clanging caught my ear, though not enough to wake this sleeping beauty it would seem.
"Hey, Baby," I cooed, pressing a kiss to her temple as I scooped her up in my arms, closing the door with my heel before starting towards the main house. "We're home. Angel and Tempers are safe. You can rest now."
I couldn't tell if she'd heard me, but Paege stirred in my arms, snuggling closer and tightening her arms which I'd secured around my neck, prior to taking her out of the pickup. "Mmmm," She murmured in her sleep.
Good heavens, this woman was perfect. She'd fit seamlessly in my arms and even snuggled closer to me. Not to mention, she smelled like cinnamon and honey. Two of my favourite things.
While climbing the stairs, the door flew open and out rushed Bell and mom who immediately silenced their movements when they saw that she was sleeping.
"Is everything ok?" My mom mouthed, stress lines creasing her forehead.
I nodded with a small smile. "She just fell asleep after we left the station. She's so tired. I'm going to take care of her."
"Poor, Paege," Bell mouthed, caressing her best friend's forehead thoughtfully.
"Absolutely, take care of your girl," My mom beamed with a soft smile.
Nodding in appreciation, after mom and Bell both briefly rubbed my shoulder, I turned to go, carrying this little lady to my bedroom to ensure she got the best possible rest.
Thankfully, in my hasty exit earlier, my door was left open, making it easy to enter the room with Paege in my arms.
With a gentle click, I closed the door with my heel before heading to bed. I placed her gently on the bed and was about to pull away to remove her shoes, but she held on, not wanting to let me go.
"Give me a second to remove your shoes, baby," I spoke softly into her temple, placing another kiss there.
I tried to pull away again and her grip wasn't as strong so I slipped away, removing her shoes as well as mine before I nestled into bed next to her, pulling the comforter over us and resumed our position.
Paege snuggled closer to me and our feet became tangled as I sought to be as close to her as our position would permit.
Gosh, I was so hopeless where this woman was concerned. And I didn't care at this point.
With one arm cradling her back, I held her to me, caressing her temple in delicate strokes.
"Mmmm," came her brief response.
As she slept in my arms, I couldn't help but regard her beauty and soft expression of contentment. Her creased lines had evened out, and her eyes though tightly shut early in the pickup softened considerably. Her general deportment seemed more relaxed somehow, though I thought that maybe I had imagined it.
Whatever the case, she seemed more at ease somehow and I was beyond grateful for that.
Not long after we settled into bed, my eyelids became heavy as I stroked her temple with my thumb.
I nuzzled her cheek with the tip of my nose before placing a kiss on her forehead. It became all too clear to me that I would never get enough of her. Nor did I want to. She was the best thing in my life.
Before long, I found myself drifting off to sleep with that thought on my mind.
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