Black

Black - Prologue

Fading Into Black

I know I grew up on a ranch, and to some it may seem a bit odd that I wasn't too keen on riding horses. Well, there's a story behind that; a traumatic one. Well, traumatic may be dramatic but nonetheless it scared the absolute hit out of me. I lost control of my horse and she took me on a wild ride. Long story short, I haven't been on horse since... That is until today. Spending my time with Dominic has given me some sort of peace. Being home from school and losing just about everything I world so hard for, has really put me into a deep depression. So this feeling, this peace, I'm sulking in it.

"Hang on tight there, girl."

"Trust me, if I could hold on any tighter I'd pop your lungs."

"Well trust me, this body has seen its fair share of collapsed lungs and broken ribs."

With that, we began our ride around my fathers ranch. Mind you, my family ranch is about 98 acres in the middle of Wyoming. This was going to be a gracious ride. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. If I'm being honest, I'm quite terrified. I tightened my hold around Dominic as the horse galloped faster, and I could feel as Dominic let out a light chuckle.

"You okay back there princess?"

"Just fine!" I shouted as the wind whipped by us, I felt a knot in my stomach while trying to keep my cool. I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to this. Maybe it was his dark curly hair, scruffy facial hair and tanned-olive skin, green eyes or his raspy voice. But whatever it was, he pulled me in and I said yes under duress. Okay, I'm definitely being dramatic again, but if it were any other man around here that asked to take me on a ride after telling them I'm terrified of riding on a horse, the answer would have been no.

The horse slowed near Knights Creek next to the old barn. This barn, imagine, is over one hundred years old. My family has owned this land for at least seven generations. It's still standing and sturdy but far away from the main part of the ranch. My father said this is where our family would stay during hunting season.

"Ya know, I've always wondered about this old thing." It stood in amazing condition for as old as it is, still little bits of red paint and a cute little window sits above the double barn doors.

"My family used to come here to hunt. Instead of riding to and from the main quarters they'd set up home here while my great... however many greats, grandmother would homeschool the kids back in the home."

"What do you think about kids?" Dominic leaned against the barn and took out a toothpick and put it between his teeth, looking at me with inviting eyes. Those damn beautiful green eyes...

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously.

"Lets say, in ten years time, I see myself with a family. Still doin' rodeo maybe sponsoring but my ultimate goal in life is to settle with a big family." As he spoke, I stared in awe of what he was saying. I didn't take someone like him, who seemed to dedicate practically his whole life to the rodeo, wanting to settle down and have a family.

"I don't know Dominic, I hadn't really come into that thought just yet. After my accident, it felt like my entire life was put on hold. I lost my scholarship, left school and came home for rehab. I had dreams and aspirations. Maybe I'll get back on track, but for now I'm taking it one day at a time trying to find myself again. And I always figured you to be a rodeo OR family guy, not both."

He looked at me with such loving eyes, but there was still some mystery behind his eyes. Something that I have yet to crack open. I was grateful he was being open and honest with me, but the realization that I had been put further back from my dreams started to toy with me a bit. He began to notice and took the toothpick from his mouth and threw it in the metal barrel at the other end of the barn.

"Come here for a second, Journee." I walked over to him as he held his hand out to grab mine. "Look at Travis Mountain Peak. It's probably one of the biggest in all of this state. But yet, it's small compared to other mountains and only a handful of people have made it to the top. Other mountains, hundreds. But this one, that small handful of people didn't let how difficult it was stop them from achieving something they dreamed of or were determined to do."

It made sense, he made sense. I understood what he was saying and tears began to swell my eyes. My dreams didn't mean much to others, my aspirations and goals were but a mere interference to them. But Dominic, he was goal driven, I could see it in his eyes as we stared at one another. I could feel my heart racing as our faces were but a mere inch from one another. He looked me up and down as I took a deep breath.

"Only you can stop you from what you already worked your ass off for. You can either stop three-fourths of the way and turn your ass around or you can keep pushing." He says as he holds my chin gently to hold my head high. We stared a moment more and my lips separated as my heart raced even more. So much that he could probably hear it through my chest.

"Don't be afraid, I won't bite." Dominic gave me a devilish grin as he noticed my lips parting and my breathing hitched. With that, we leaned in together to share a kiss. And my GOD are his lips touched by an angel. My legs damn near buckled under me as our tongues danced together and he held me close to his chest. Between his words lifting me up and his kiss being this savory and sweet, you would think this was some sort of dream... But I was here, with Dominic Black.