Whisper Ridge Ranch

Chapter 2

"Dakota?" I hear a deep voice behind me as I stand at Mabel's stall door.

I look behind me and see Wilder. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing here it's 3 A.M.?" He asks confused.

"Do you still sleep upstairs?" I ask suddenly remembering that when I left he was living in the loft about the barn.

"Well, I live up there still, yes but it's more like an apartment nowadays." He says moving to where he is next to me and reaching to pet Mabel lightly grazing my hand as he does, and I feel the same sparky feeling I used to. The feeling I have never had with anyone else before.

"No wife, or girlfriend that has an issue with it?" I ask curious hoping the answer is no for my own selfish reasons.

I look at Mabel and sigh heavily. "I haven't ridden much since the accident," I admit. "I tried after but Mabel just wouldn't."

"I didn't say run the barrels I said a ride, like a trail ride." He clears up. "Before you say Mabel isn't a trail horse, that horse would do anything you asked of her and maybe a trail ride is what the two of you need right now."

I sigh and nod giving in. "You get her ready and I'll go grab Rowdy."

A little while later we are headed out of the barn out towards a pasture. We ride in silence in the dark which is questionable at best and probably not a smart decision but I trust that Wilder knows where he is taking us. With that thought I laugh at the fact that this man, this man who wasn't born here, didn't grow up here like I did, knows it better then I do.

"What's funny?" He ask curiously.

I look at him surprised but not really seeing him well, but well enough due to the moon light.

"Just," I laugh awkwardly.

"Just what?" He jokes, then gets a little serious. "Come on Honey, you know you can tell me anything."

"Just the fact that you know more about this place than I do and at one point I was in line to take over." I say. "In fact, it was all I ever wanted to do."

"You still can." He says. "You just have to prove to your father you are not going to go running again, everything fell apart when you left."

I laugh. "Doubtful."

"It did, I remember when your father came home from the hospital looking for you after he could get a hold of you on the phone." He says shaking his head. "Then all hell broke loose, your mother was never around cause they she was at the hospital a lot with Half Pint. Greyson was expected to pick up the slack and the kid wasn't prepared." He continues. "He did his best but it took him a long time to catch up but he still its up to your fathers standards cause he still isn't you. You did so much and handled so much so your dad could do other stuff that he needed to do and even now Greyson can't handle stuff on his own for long."

"It wouldn't really be fair to Grey, he has been here doing everything... Every thing I used to do." I said as we continue into the dark just trusting that Wilder knew where we were going.

"No, I have taken most of the responsibilities you had, The Kid still can't handle it all like you could, and I really don't think he even really wants to." He looks back at me and on his face I can see the sincerity on it. "His heart Just in it like yours was." "No, I have taken most of the responsibilities you had, The Kid still can't handle it all like you could, and I really don't think he even really wants to." He looks back at me and on his face I can see the sincerity on it. "His heart Just in it like yours was."

"To take this place over when my dad stepped back was what I always wanted, even if that meant I did it alone." I tell him remembering my child hood dream.