Seventeen-year-old Chloe Matthews is done with guys, done with her ex, and done with the cowboys of the Grand Teton Mountains. She refuses to get hurt again.
All that matters now are the horses. Every horse Chloe helps is another piece of herself pu...
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I headed down the plank-wood sidewalk to the café, thinking of how Tina said talking about it would accelerate the healing process. She must've known what she was talking about. She hadn't let her attacker hold her back. She lived her life, didn't waste it.
But it was so awful, the way I ugly-cried when I even thought of it. But if that was what I had to do to get better, I'd do it. If it'd make the Billy hallucinations go away, it'd be worth the pain of going through it.
As I got closer to the café, a splash of yellow caught my eye. A chill ran up my spine.
A single, perfect, long-stemmed yellow sunflower lay on one of the outside tables.
Only Billy knew they were my favorite flower. He used to tuck them into different places so I'd find them when he wasn't there. Sometimes on the seat of my car, or stuck in the wood of Piper's stall.
My body trembled. I couldn't breathe. The street started to close in on me. I wasn't ready. I hadn't learned enough.
Except to be aware.
I straightened my shoulders and stood tall, gripping the mace in my hand. The breath flowed back into me as I deliberately glared up and down the street, searching for any sign of shoulder-length black hair, or lanky rocker build. But nothing looked familiar.
Despite the sick feeling in my stomach, I picked up the sunflower. It was so beautiful. Each delicate petal so soft and yellow without a hint of wilting around the edges. The seeds were a rich chestnut brown. Freshly picked. It could've been a coincidence. A chance occurrence. But I was a different Chloe now. Attentive to every nuance. I glanced up and down the street once more, and then crushed the flower in my shaking hand. Just in case anyone was watching. Then I took it inside to show Mom.
*
"Hop in," Jack said from his truck the next day. "I already cleaned your stalls and it's time to take down Sagebrush."
I couldn't look him in the eye. "About the other night, uh . . ."
"I know someone hurt you," he said. "I'm not that guy. I'm going to prove it to you."
"You don't have to prove anything." If only he'd realize that just being around me was dangerous for him. "It's more complicated than that."
"Hands off." He held his hands up. "I promise." There wasn't a hint of sarcasm or judgment.
He'd already done my chores and I needed something to take my mind off the sunflower. "Okay."
"We're going to get them today." Jack kept both hands on the steering wheel as I got into the truck. "I can feel it."
By the time we got to our spying hill, Miller was working a horse in the round pen below. At least that's what it looked like at first glance. At second glance, the horse was tied to a side rail with her front feet hobbled. Miller cracked a whip behind her. She was frantic to get away. Only she couldn't.
