Brothers of Miller Ranch Box Set

by Natalie Dean

  But she was also suspicious. Trust was a luxury someone like her couldn’t afford. If she let her guard down, and he turned out to be just as bad as everyone else, people would say “well why didn’t you notice the signs?” or “you should have seen this coming.”

  And she was also plain ol’ terrified. Regular ol’ scared half to death. Every shadow could be her ex, lurking to take her back. Or some sort of new terror that she hadn’t even imagined yet. Seeing her ex’s father show up with a cadre of his cop buddies only cemented that fear, making her more paranoid than she was before.

  Because if something did happen to her, it would be her fault. Or at least that was what people told her. Sophia still had a hard time separating what was real, good advice, and what was manipulation. Some people thought she should stay with her ex or somehow deserved what happened to her.

  Because while that was easy to believe—that she was stupid and had ‘asked for it,’ and it was some sort of moral failing on her part that she’d gotten herself into such a bad situation—deep, deep down, she knew that most of the blame laid with him.

  He was the one who chose to act how he acted, to terrorize her instead of discuss, to cut her down every time she tried to stand on her own. To manipulate her and break her down ‘till she didn’t know what was right anymore.

  But now, she had gotten away, and she was going to keep on growing without him there to make her wither.

  “You alright up there?” Bradley asked.

  Sophia looked down to see Bradley glancing at her curiously over his shoulder. With the sun setting to the side of him, he looked especially handsome. Like some sort of Prince Charming from a fairy tale. And even though he had been all smiles and handsome at first, she couldn’t help but wonder if this Bradley fellow was different. She was older now, and a whole lot wiser. She felt like she would be able to spot a wolf in sheep’s clothing much better than seventeen-year-old Sophia.

  No.

  She was not going down that road. She couldn’t. There was no room for handsome men or romance in her life when she didn’t even have a place to live. She couldn’t mix up her gratitude with affection. Those were two completely separate things.

  “Just thinking.”

  “I thought we were doing this so you wouldn’t have to think for a minute.”

  “Fair enough,” she said, feeling her smile grow. “I think I’m ready to go faster. A real walking pace.”

  “You think so?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Alright then, I trust your judgment.”

  Hyacinth picked up her pace, but that wasn’t what sent Sophia’s blood rushing.

  He trusted her judgment.

  He trusted her.

  The thought made her dizzy, and that, combined with the freeing feeling of the ever-so-slightly faster pace, had her red-faced by the time they fully circled the pond. The whole scene really was beautiful, the last of the sun’s rays disappearing from the water, making it turn from a shimmering, royal blue into the deepest, darkest navy bordering on black.

  The bugs that buzzed during the day, and the countless farm noises, all began to fade gently, until there was only the swish of the breeze and a cricket every now and then, punctuated by wuffles or patient breaths from Hyacinth.

  It was peaceful. It felt safe, even though that safety had been violated a few hours earlier.

  “You look like you might have had enough. Ready to go in? I’m sure Ma will have a plate for you and a lecture for me on skipping dinner.”

  Sophia realized that she didn’t want to go in at all. She wanted to stay in the moment, in the small bubble of peace for as long as she could.

  But… it really was getting dark, and her thighs were protesting angrily.

  “I… I guess you’re right.”

  “I’ve been known to be every once and a while. Alright, Hyacinth, let’s get you back into your stall.”

  He led her the rest of the short distance to the barn then “parked” the horse in the same spot where Sophia had climbed on. From there, he went and got the steps again, putting them beside Hyacinth and holding his hand out once more.

  “So be nice and careful as you come down, swing your leg over and sit sideways with both of your feet pointed towards me, then slide down onto the top step. Take as long as you need. I think you might be surprised by how shaky your thighs are gonna be.”

  “Nope, I’m definitely not gonna be surprised at all,” Sophia groaned, trying to lift her leg only for it to feel like a bag of bricks. Ow, ow, ow.

  “Yeah, gotta get the blood back into them. The more you practice, the more your body gets used to it.”

  “Uh-huh, I’m sure.”

  Try as she might, she couldn’t quite get her leg up on its own, so she grabbed the bottom of her jeans and yanked it up so that her foot caught against the horn of the saddle. Or at least, that’s what she thought Bradley had called it. If he thought anything about her unorthodox method, he didn’t say anything, just continued holding his hand out calmly in case she needed it.

  With a little more wiggling, she managed to get her leg where she needed it to be and turned to face Bradley. She was pretty sure this was the kiddy way of dismounting a horse, but she didn’t particularly care. All she had to do was slide from where she was in the saddle onto the top step.

  It hadn’t seemed like that big of a deal before, but suddenly looking down at the slight distance between her feet and the steps waiting below seemed ominous.

  “Don’t worry, you’ve got this.”

  “You seem very confident for the one who’s not in the saddle.”

  “Come on, I’m right here if you need me. You think I’m gonna let you fall in my own barn?”

  “…No.”

  And she didn’t, she really didn’t. Although she wasn’t exactly what anyone would call trusting, she knew that—at least at the moment—he wouldn’t let her faceplant on the ground.

  Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself off and slid down. There was the tiniest of moments where she wasn’t grounded at all and panic rose through her, but then her feet hit the top step and Bradley’s hands came to support her waist, steadying her.

  “Thanks,” she said, letting out a breath she’d been holding. But after the shock of landing, she realized she was just standing there, Bradley’s big hands holding her, strong, secure.

  Terrifying.

  She flinched instinctively, and it was like the moment was broken. Bradley stepped away, both hands up.

  “Sorry, sorry. I should have asked permission.”

  She stared at him, surprised by his reaction. Didn’t he want to tell her that she was overreacting? That she was being silly? That she should trust him?

  “Are you alright?” he asked instead.

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” she answered quickly, although her brain was whirling like she had suddenly chugged far too much caffeine. “Just got a little startled, is all.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “You don’t have to apologize.”

  She finished walking down the rest of the steps and wiped her sweating palms on her jeans. Looking back up at Hyacinth, she had a hard time imagining that she’d really been on top of the beautiful mare for about an hour.

  “If you don’t mind waiting a couple of minutes, I can walk you back to the house. I guess I didn’t take into account the sun setting and all that.”

  “Yeah, I don’t mind waiting.”

  “Good.” He smiled and the awkwardness from before faded. “Any good cowboy worth his salt knows to take care of his animal after they’ve taken care of you.”

  Sophia nodded, watching as he led the sweet horse back to her stall and went about taking off all the equipment he’d put on her. She had to admit that she hadn’t fully been paying attention when he’d gotten the mount ready; she’d been too busy staring at everything in the massive barn and all the tall, mighty horses in every stall. There were giant black ones, spotted ones, even gold and almost-red. She h
ad no idea horses came in so many colors. She really was learning a lot on the Miller Ranch.

  Like, for example, once the equipment was put away, that wasn’t the end of the job. Apparently, there was a bit of brushing, and some soothing words, and then refilling of water, more hay, and a treat.

  It was comforting watching Bradley take care of Hyacinth. Despite the corded muscles evident in his arms and shoulders, he was incredibly gentle with her, voice rumbling and sweet as he told her how good she was and how much he appreciated her being nice to new riders. It made the center of Sophia’s chest ache with… she actually didn’t know what. Maybe one day, when she’d finally been away from her ex long enough, she could unjumble herself on the inside and remember what normal emotions felt like. Things beyond fear, suspicion, and distrust.

  “There we are!” he said when he was all done, giving the horse an affectionate kiss on the length of her nose. “We’ll see you again soon, alright my pretty girl?”

  Hyacinth wuffled then turned to her food, clearly ready to relax for the rest of the night. Sophia couldn’t help but chuckle at the expressive animal. She clearly had a personality.

  “To home?”

  An interesting choice of words, and she almost argued with him. But instead, she offered a nod and whispered, “To home.”

  Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he switched on the flashlight. He made sure to hold the door open for her, then shut it soundly before leading the way.

  They were quiet the short walk to the house, but it was a comfortable sort of silence. One where she could be in the moment and experience what was around her. Or even replay everything that had happened on her first equestrian jaunt. They reached the porch far too soon in her opinion, and as she knew he would, Bradley opened the door for her.

  “You have a good night, alright?”

  She nodded, about to go in, before hesitating. “You know, sometimes I have trouble sleeping and I go soak in the tub to relax for a bit, and I notice there’s still one too many rooms that are empty. Aren’t you sleeping in your own room?”

  Bradley looked sheepish as he answered. “Uh, my room is right next to Benji’s, and we weren’t sure you were comfortable with that, so I’ve been staying in Bart’s addition ever since he came back. Him n’ Missy are back in her cabin until she takes her next animal rescue trip.”

  Sophia’s mind started whirling again. Lately, it seemed like it never stopped. “But why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why would you go through all this trouble for me? I’m the one putting you out, costing your family food and time and bringing drama here.”

  There was that cute confused look again on his face.

  “I don’t know. It seems like the right thing to do. I want you to be safe, Sophia. And happy. And I know I can’t just magically make that happen considering everything you have going on in your life, but if I can help, I want to.”

  “I don’t really understand why you would do all this for me.”

  But he just smiled crookedly at her, and she felt that strange feeling in her chest again.

  “That’s alright. You don’t have to. I just hope you know that me and all my family only want to do right by you. Really. We’ve actually got kind of a history of it.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, sometimes I’ll have Ma tell you a story about our a-million-times-great grandmother who was hard of hearing, and the start of our adopted cousins which began with a lost heir as it turns out.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, I most definitely am not. You can ask Ma if you don’t believe me, but make sure you have a couple of hours free because she really loves to tell those stories.”

  “Alright,” Sophia answered with a laugh, finally stepping into the house. “I guess I better go about washing up and getting to bed.”

  “And being fed by Ma, don’t forget.”

  “How could I?”

  They shared a laugh, and that feeling within her only grew stronger, warming her from her nose to her toes.

  “Anyway, I’m gonna head to bed now myself. It’s been a long day.”

  “You know, we didn’t really talk about what we were going to do about the engagement at all.”

  “No, but this seemed more important.” He shot her a smile that, wow, that did something. “We can talk logistics tomorrow if you want. Good night, Sophia.”

  “Good night, Bradley.”

  He gave her another little nod then headed to a door that was next to the one she had first entered the house through a week earlier. Funny how that almost seemed like another life. So much had changed in such a short time.

  But as he disappeared from sight and Sophia headed up the steps, the warm feeling in her faded and the shadows crept in. Shadows brought on by her ex and all the thoughts he brought with him.

  Her blood began to rush, and that familiar sinking feeling began to fill her, until suddenly the lights flicked on when she was at the top of the stairs. She almost screamed, sure he had somehow made it into the Miller’s mansion, only to see it was Ma in one of her flowing nightgowns.

  “There you are, dear. Are you alright?”

  Sophia let out a weak chuckle that sounded fake even to her. “Yeah, I’m fine. You just startled me.”

  “Sorry about that. But you weren’t around for dinner. You hungry?”

  “Nah, I’m alright.”

  “I didn’t ask if you were alright, just if you were hungry. Ain’t nothing wrong with being a slender woman, but it looks to me like you’re not where your body wants to be.”

  She wasn’t wrong. While Sophia had always been on the thinner side, she’d lost far too much weight from the stress and effort it took to stay away from her ex. She’d gained maybe a pound or two at most in the week she’d been on the Miller Ranch, and still probably had anywhere from five to ten to go before she was back to where she felt strong and healthy.

  Granted, she couldn’t even remember the last time she had felt both of those things. When she was nineteen, maybe? It was hard to say.

  “Okay, I guess I wouldn’t mind something.”

  “I thought as much.”

  Ma Miller trundled forward and wrapped her arm through Sophia’s, walking with her down the stairs. And in the woman’s presence, those dark, dark shadows shrank back to the edges of everything.

  But even as Sophia sat on the stool and let Ma lovingly bluster over her, she knew that all good things must come to an end.

  Eventually, the bubble had to pop.

  10

  Bradley

  Despite the fact that he was fake engaged to a woman he hardly knew, things began to settle into a comfortable rhythm once all the excitement of the dramatic visit wore off. His family eventually got that the ‘couple’ was fairly private, and the more days that passed, the less likely it seemed that her ex or his family were going to pop up.

  Sophia was hanging out and bonding with the girls even more, slowly growing calmer until she was able to get along with almost everyone. It was still very clear that she avoided most of the men in the house, but her shoulders didn’t go all the way up to her ears any time a male walked into the room.

  It was the small things he appreciated. Although a not-quite-so-small thing was that almost every day, Sophia would sidle up alongside him and ask if they could go for a ride. It made him feel important, in the same way that finishing a budget sheet or finding a lucrative new investment did, so he never told her no.

  Not that he would have told her no even if he hated walking her and Hyacinth around. Sophia had become more important to him than she would ever know. And she had so much basic human decency denied to her, that she could have asked him for pretty much anything, and he would have found a way to get it for her.

  Not that he ever told her how he felt, because that would just make her feel awkward and suspicious. But he was well aware of how much he wanted to… to…

  Spoil her.

  Yeah, th
at was the word for it. He wanted to buy her everything she wanted and shower her with everything she didn’t know she wanted until she was content and safe and soft. He didn’t want to see her bones anymore, or that look of fear in her eyes when there was an unexpected sound.

  “It’s been two weeks, little brother. All of her marks are gone, you can quit staring at her.”

  “Huh?”

  Bradley started and looked over his shoulder to see Benji walking up to him, a new tack in his hands. Ah, right. He’d been making himself useful repairing the horse gear that was looking a little long in the tooth. He swore, his brother could about fix anything in a couple of hours.

  “You stare at that lady in the same way you stare at your books when you go into that zone of yours. Like you’re trying to examine or memorize every part of her. One would think you’ve had plenty of time to do that in the three whole weeks she’s been here, but her face has done quite a bit of changing.”

  “I like to make sure that she’s okay.”

  “Yeah, because she’s in real danger out there with Missy. What are they doing today?”

  “Painting, apparently.”

  Bradley picked up with where he was tending to the horses. Normally he didn’t really help with chores unless two or more of his brothers were off doing their own things or sick, but he’d taken to spending the two hours between ten and noon doing things around the barn. And if that happened to give him a front-row view of Missy and Sophia’s activities… well, that was a happy coincidence.

  “Makes sense. Your girl’s an artist, right?”

  “Please stop calling her ‘my girl.’” Bradley bristled, his brother’s amiable nature rubbing him the wrong way.

  “Why not, she is, isn’t she?”

  Bradley almost automatically snapped a “no” but pulled it back just in time. “She’s more than that. I don’t own her.”

  “Okay, okay, message received. Dani says that I need to work on my possessive language a bit. Guess this reinforces a bit of her preaching.”