Megan sighed as she stared out the window towards the corral, watching Tate work with Midnight. Midnight and Tate had become fast friends over the month or so that he had been working in the ranch and almost every day he took time out of his day to work with the horse. A stray tear trickled down Megan's cheek as she remembered the feeling of riding and how much she had loved it. Suddenly her dad came up beside her.
"You used to do that." He pointed towards where Tate was currently lunging Midnight and Megan sighed.
"Yup. I did."
"Why'd you stop?" Pain filled Megan's heart, but she tried to push it down and remind herself that her dad simply didn't know any better.
"Life just kind of got in the way I guess." She answered vaguely, something she tired to avoid doing with her dad as it just seemed to cause more confusion for him. He looked at her with questioning eyes, but before he could say anything, she turned her wheelchair around and headed into the kitchen. Tate would be coming in for lunch soon and she supposed that she should get something on the table for him.
****
"Of all the stupid things to happen." Megan watched Tate as he crawled out from under the burst pipe in his little cabin. He was soaking wet, and the floor of the cabin was completely flooded. He mumbled to himself as he gathered up the tools he had laying beside him.
"I'm sorry about this. Like I said we never use this cabin and I guess I should have guessed that the plumbing wasn't up to scratch." Megan spoke, feeling bad that Tate had had to try and fix the pipe.
"Nah don't worry about it. It wasn't anything you did." He grinned a little at her and then looked at the floor and swore. "Looks like I'm gonna be needing to clean and dry this place out for a week or two." He frowned, kicking a little at the water pooled all over the floor.
"Yeah. Well you can sleep in the house until we get it cleaned out. At least you got the pipe fixed now." Tate nodded and set about gathering up his things while Megan wheeled herself back to the house to set up the sofa bed for him. They didn't have a spare bedroom in the house and she hoped that the sofa bed would be comfy enough for him.
****
Later that night, Megan found herself wide awake. She could hear the soft shuffling of Tate getting ready for bed in the living room and for some reason she got butterflies in her stomach at the thought of him sleeping under the same roof as her. She shook her head at herself and giggled. She was acting like a school girl again and she hadn't felt this way since her and her ex boyfriend Luke, had started going out. He was another person she had lost after her accident though and she hadn't even really talked to men that she wasn't related to since. Slowly she drifted off to sleep with her mind on the cute cowboy in the next room over.
*****
She seemed to be flying. Everything was a blur beneath her and she couldn't tell if it was because the horse she was riding was running so fast, or because she really had grown a pair of wings. She felt the wind blowing her hair back and felt the power of the gelding beneath her and threw back her head and laughed. Suddenly a sick feeling started to grow in her stomach and she pulled back on the reins. Something was going to happen. She didn't want to be on this horse and she tried to slow it down desperately. She started screaming, but the wind whipped her voice away so she couldn't even hear it. And then a car horn and the sickening feeling of impact. A horse screaming and someone sobbing and a constant scream echoing over it. Someone calling her name desperately....
"Megan wake up!" She jolted awake, sweat steaming down her face in rivulets and her throat hoarse. She realized with a start that she had been screaming and that Tate stood over her, looking slightly wild eyed. His dark hair was tousled, as it had started to get long again. She also noticed that he was shirtless and it looked as if he had hastily pulled a pair of jeans on. She found herself looking at his muscled, hard stomach but then realized that he was still talking to her. Her brain spun with the nightmare and she couldn't seem to catch her breath.
"C-can you get some water?" She gasped out, as her throat felt like it was closing in. He nodded and dashed from the room. He was back within seconds holding a tall glass of cold water. He handed it to her and watched as she drank.
"What happened? You scared me so bad." It was then that she noticed he was shaking a little and she felt bad.
"I'm so sorry. It was just a nightmare. I didn't even know that I usually scream. I guess my dad doesn't wake up and well there's usually no one else to hear it. I'm really sorry to have woken you up like that." She babbled on and on, seemingly unable to stop and she felt panic working it's way up her throat again.
"Megan. Megan slow down. It's okay." She felt the bed dip a bit as he sat beside, before he took her face in his hands and held it gently. "Just take a few deep breaths." He murmured. She gasped for air until her breathes finally slowed and she could actually think straight. "You get those often?" He asked her, brushing a sweaty piece of hair behind her ear. She swallowed hard and nodded.
"At least once a week." She couldn't look up at him and felt his eyes on her.
"Are they of your accident?" He asked the question softly, and she felt tears come to her eyes. She nodded slightly and he sighed. "Can you scoot over a bit?" She looked at him in surprise, but then used her arms to maneuver her body over a bit, watching as he slid in beside her. They both sat propped up against the headboard and he wrapped strong arms around her, pulling her a little closer to him. "My momma always said to talk about your nightmares. She used to hold me like this and I would tell her them and then they would just fade away."
"But mine are real." She whispered, a tear trickling down her face. He squeezed her.
"I know darlin. But you can still tell them to me." She knew that by telling him this, she would be opening up a lot to him, and it would include telling him of what had happened to her. She found herself wanting to though.
"I was riding a new horse named Bucky. He was a good horse and an excellent prospect for poles because he was fast and agile. We were out on a trail that I didn't know as well, and so I didn't know it connected to a old logging road." As if he could tell what was coming next Tate sighed and pulled her closer.
"I was running him flat out, seeing just how fast he could go. I felt like I was flying. I was on top of the world. Then suddenly, I heard a horn and I realized that there was a road in front of us and I couldn't stop him and the truck couldn't stop and then suddenly I felt an impact and blinding pain. I couldn't see anything but I could hear Bucky screaming in pain, and someone swearing and then someone else screaming. I think it was me. Then I woke up in the hospital without the use of my legs." The memories were sharp in her mind and she let out a sigh full of anguish.
"I'm so sorry." Tate breathed into her hair.
"The worst part of it all was that it was my fault. I remember lying on the side of the road in pain worse than I ever could've imagined, but knowing that it was my fault. I listened to Bucky die. And he didn't die an easy death. I killed a perfectly good horse, all because I was too careless to check where the trail led and I wanted to go fast." Tears trickled down her face and Tate pulled her so close to him that she could feel the button on his jeans digging into her stomach.
"Trust me Megs, it was not your fault. What happened was an accident and besides, if it was an old logging road than you didn't expect anyone to be on it. I know guilt and I know how awful it feels but you don't have to suffer with it okay? You did nothing wrong." She just nodded against his chest and sniffled.
"It was so hard. I didn't want to live after my accident because I had to give up everything. I had lost my grandma two months prior and my dad was rapidly going downhill with his dementia."
"But you got through it." He whispered, planting a light kiss on the top of her head. "You got through it because you are so strong." Megan shook her head.
"It wasn't my strength. Uncle Rex pushed me to regain my old life, and helped me to realize that I could still do things I loved. He renovated this whole house. The ranch itself helped too. My grandma always used to say it had special healing powers to the soul. But most of all God helped me through." He grew quiet at that, but kept rocking her gently in his arms. Megan was getting sleepy again and the rocking soothed her, as did the warmth of his body. No one had comforted her since Rex had died and she had had to become independent and strong. Her eyes drooped and she snuggled against his hard warm chest.
"Just sleep." She heard his raspy whisper, and felt his fingers gliding through her hair.
"Thanks Tate."
"Anytime." The last thing she remember is sleepily babbling at him.
"I never got to ride again. I want too. But Rex never got around to it or maybe he was scared to let me ride again and I couldn't do it on my own. But I miss it so much. Four years without the thing I couldn't live without." She was asleep before she heard his answer.
****
Happy New Year guys!! Again I'm so sorry about not updating. This is a slightly longer chapter to try and make up for it. I really hope you guys are still enjoying the book though and I promise to try and update more regularly! ~ S