by Krista Lakes
Somehow the flames grew. Carter panicked, his feet turning to stone as the flames consumed him.
And then he woke up.
Carter sat straight up in bed, gasping for air and clawing at his bed-sheets. It was just a nightmare. It was the nightmare he'd had every night since the incident.
He sucked in the clean mountain air, trying to convince his lungs that he wasn't still trapped in the smoke and fire of the dream. His heart rate was through the roof, and he was going to need to change the sheets on the bed. They were soaked with sweat.
He heaved himself out of the covers and out of bed, reveling in the feel of the cold tile on his feet as he made his way to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. The man in the mirror looked haggard and exhausted, but not burned. His eyebrows were intact, and there wasn't soot in his hair.
It helped convince him it had been just a dream.
Still, there was no way Carter was going back to sleep after that. When he closed his eyes, the flames came back, though less vibrant with every minute he was awake. Regardless, he wasn't about to risk falling into the dream again. He'd rather go to the garage and work than risk the dream again.
He threw on a pair of well-loved jeans, finding a hole in the knee. He frowned at it, then shrugged. It didn't matter what he looked like here, so he could just be comfortable. He put a clean t-shirt on and a pair of slip-on shoes to walk the short distance to the garage.
“It was just a dream,” he whispered to himself as he went down the stairs. “It isn't real. It didn't happen again.”
He shivered. The flames had been so real. It had felt the same as that day when he nearly died a month ago. He'd come to the ranch to escape those flames, but still, they chased him through his dreams.
Outside the stars twinkled and shone. The breeze was cold, but Carter didn't bother grabbing a jacket. It was just a short walk, and the garage would be warm enough. He hurried across the gravel path, noticing at least one security guard watching him.
The garage was quiet and serene. He took a deep breath in, smelling motor oil and metal. It was soothing and comforting. Here, the dream couldn't get him. He was safe here.
He went to his drafting table and turned it on. He lazily pulled up some design ideas and started playing around with future model ideas for his cars. Most of them would never be put into production, but he enjoyed the process of creation.
A yawn cracked his jaws, and he glanced at the clock. It was just after one in the morning. He really should go back to bed, but he hesitated. He didn't want the dream again, so instead, he forced himself to remember.
It had been a long day at work. There was always so much to do when preparing a beta for a new design. The test model was coming along nicely, and he was excited to see how it held up to testing in the next couple of weeks. He was ready to head home, take a long shower, and go to bed early.
He waved goodnight to his secretary and headed out to the parking garage. Keys in hand, he walked to his designated spot near the door. Any other day, he would have gone straight to the driver's seat and started the engine, but today, he forgot his phone on his desk.
He sighed and thought about just leaving it for the night, but decided against it. He had to go back inside for it.
He was close enough for the car to recognize his key fob and begin to uncurl the mirrors and turn on the engine. He pushed a button on his keys to remote start his car so it would be cool by the time he returned. Since it was electric, he didn't have to worry about wasting gas. He'd just go grab his phone and be on his way to bed before he knew it.
He didn't see the explosion. He was halfway through the door when the bomb under his car went off. Turning on the car had triggered it. The heavy door leading out of the garage took most of the impact. Still, the noise deafened him, and the smoke blistered his eyes. Flames and car parts rained down inside the parking garage. Fire filled his vision.
The police said he was lucky. If he'd been inside the car when he started it, he would have been dead. He couldn't decide if the remote start or forgetting his phone had saved his life. Either way, he was making remote starts standard on all his cars from now on.
Suddenly, the death threats to his office had taken a new meaning. The police had almost no leads to work with. All the pieces of the bomb could be bought at a regular gas station, and the security cameras were disabled at the time of the blast. All they had to work with was that someone wanted Carter Williamson dead.
Unfortunately, given the amount of people who sent him death threats because they felt wronged by his cars, the list was rather long.
They'd whisked him away to Stone Mountain Ranch in Colorado and told everyone who didn't need to know that he was at his ranch in Tennessee for a vacation.
No one except his security team and his main assistant knew he was here. He was safe from car bombs here, other than in dreams. He had cameras and security personnel making sure no one got within a quarter mile of him without consent. He was here to make sure that the death threats stayed threats rather than reality. Once the police caught the person responsible, he could go back to his regular life in the city, but until then, he was trapped on the ranch. He loved the ranch, but he couldn't leave which frustrated him.
Carter scrubbed his face, feeling the prickles of a beard forming on his chin. He'd need to shave before Mia and the kids arrived. The thought of Mia drove the flames from his mind and he smiled for the first time since waking up.
She made being out on the ranch more fun than he'd expected. Her visits and the smiles of the kids were the highlights of his day and he found himself wishing they were at the ranch more often. He felt better when they were there. Less alone.
In his mind's eye, he saw her smile. Her pixie nose and crinkled eyes made his heart lighter and he let a yawn overtake him. She was a dream he would happily take. He yawned again and switched off the drafting table. Bed, with dreams of Mia, suddenly sounded like something he could handle. She would keep the dreams of flame at bay.
Carter had to resist the urge to throw the piece of paper wrapped in a plastic bag as hard as he could. He wanted to rip it to shreds, but it was evidence and needed to be saved. Instead of chucking it, he handed it back to his head of security.
“You'll pay. It's your fault she's dead. You're next” The words glared up at him from a plain sheet of white paper.
“And you can't find anything on it?” Carter asked, looking at it the way most people would look at a venomous snake. For a moment, flames danced across his vision, but he pushed them away. This was just a piece of paper. Nothing more.
Brian shook his head. “No leads. It's from a generic printer on generic paper. The return address is a cheap motel in Texas. We're checking it out, but it doesn't look like it's going to tell us who sent this.”
Carter turned from Brian and looked out the window at the mountains. People died in car crashes all the time, so since he made cars, people often blamed him. He understood that. He could commiserate with many of them, and as such, he rarely took the threats sent to his business personally.
This letter unsettled him. He was used to getting threats of all kinds at his office in the city. Or, rather he had been until a couple of weeks ago, but getting one here was a different matter.
He wasn't supposed to receive them here. No one was even supposed to know he was at the ranch, let alone even in Colorado. The address wasn't even publicly listed, and the one on record went to a PO box just outside of town. He'd even gotten his address removed from the Internet map programs. There was no way for a threat to be delivered here.
Except one had been. This threat was on his doorstep, waiting for him. They knew where he was. This was personal. This had to be related to the bomb. They still hadn't caught the person who had tried to kill him. Unease ate his belly. But, he wasn't going to run again. This was the still the safest place for him.
Carter watched as a cloud danced across the tip of the mountain, changing the play of the shado
ws. Whoever sent this was close. They were watching him. They knew he was here and how to get to him.
This letter wasn't just a threat. It was a warning that whoever had sent it knew exactly what they were doing.
It was unnerving, to say the least.
“And nothing new on the security front? Nothing happened?” Carter turned from the window and back to Brian.
“No, sir. It's quiet, just like it always is. I even went over the security footage, and whoever it was stayed in the cameras' blind spots. I didn't even know there was one, but all we have of the guy is that he's wearing jeans.”
“Like every other person in the state,” Carter replied. He could feel a headache starting to form.
“But, with the arrival of this letter, I've stepped up patrols.” Brian stood up straighter. “Do you want me to hire more men? I added three guys to the roster a week ago, but I can find more.”
Carter shook his head. More bodies weren't the solution to this.
“No.” He frowned. “Are you sure about the new guys?”
“They all passed the background screens, and you know how thorough I am,” Brian explained. “Everyone came highly recommended. I don't think they had anything to do with the letter or getting it here.”
He trusted Brian with his life. If Brian said the new guys were good, then they were. Carter nodded. “Good.”
“Do you want me to cancel with Ms. Amesworth?” Brian asked. “The children don't need to come this afternoon.”
“No!” Carter said too quickly. Seeing Mia and the kids was the only thing he was looking forward to today. He'd been looking forward to it since waking up last night. “No. I promised them we'd go riding today. As long as there isn't an imminent threat, I want them here.”
“Of course, sir,” Brian deferred. He paused for a moment, then smiled, his stern features softening slightly as he thought about the kids. He obviously had a soft spot for them as much as Carter did. “The work has been good for those kids. They'll enjoy the ride today.”
“Yes, they will,” he agreed. A small smile crossed Carter's face.
But, he wasn't smiling about how much the kids would like it. He was thinking about how good it was going to be to see Mia.
Chapter 9
Mia
Mia appraised the brown quarter horse in front of her, not quite entirely sure how confident she felt getting back up on the horse by herself. The gelding looked steady enough, but it had been a long time since Mia had been on a horse. She remembered it being fun, but she didn't remember the horses looking quite so big. She decided to wait a moment before getting on. The kids would probably need her help.
“Why do I have to wear a helmet?” Alexander asked, looking askance at the riding helmet they all had to wear. He held it in front of him like it smelled as he waited to get up on his horse. “Cowboys wear hats.”
“You wear it because I like your head in one piece,” Mia told him. “And you need more practice to be a cowboy.”
Alexander opened his mouth to complain, but Carter held up a helmet of his own.
“I'm wearing a helmet,” Carter informed him, putting the heavy helmet on his own head. He shrugged like it was nothing. “These don't blow off in the wind, so I actually like it better than a hat.”
Mia could have kissed him for the little white lie. Alexander stopped pouting and immediately put his helmet on without a fuss. Carter gave her a wink as he walked over to her.
“Here,” Carter said, coming up beside her and handing her a sugar cube. “For your horse. His name's Jasper.”
He stood next to her in the arena as they got the kids ready for their first ride. The touch of his hand sent flutters through her stomach and she couldn't have stopped the smile that filled her face if she'd tried.
“Thank you for the helmet help,” Mia said quietly. She held out her hand and gave it to her horse, holding her hand out flat.
“For that?” Carter replied. He knocked the helmet with his knuckles loudly. “I really do like this better.”
She laughed at his easy manner as he walked away. She shook her head and reached down to tighten the straps to her saddle and fix the stirrups. She'd had lessons for a few months when she was Alexander's age. It was right after she'd been put in the foster care system and was one of the few good memories she had. She'd always been drawn to horses since that.
Mia's horse was tied to the arena fence along with the kids' horses. Lily was in the process of getting up on a gentle looking light gray mare.
“You're a natural,” Laura told Lily, as Lily settled into the saddle. The teenager looked more comfortable up on the horse than she did on the ground. Lily grinned as Laura moved to help her brother up onto his horse.
Alexander had a determined look in his eye as he used the mounting block to get up on his own brown gelding. Once there, he grinned proudly and let out a loud, “Yee-haw!”
“You're up next, Grayson,” Laura told him as she fixed the stirrups to better fit Alexander's long legs.
Grayson had the apprehensive look again from the other day. He kept looking up at his horse like she might step on him. Mia patted her horse and started to go to him, but Carter beat her there.
“You ready?” Carter asked, kneeling in front to the boy. He took Grayson's small hand in his and walked the boy over to the horse that he was going to ride. She was the smallest horse there, more of a pony than a horse, but Mia could see how Grayson might still feel intimidated by her size. Her dark gray features were kind and friendly.
“I don't know,” Grayson replied slowly. He stopped short of touching the horse. “She's awfully big.”
Carter handed him a sugar cube and leaned over to whisper in Grayson's ear.
“Don't tell the others, but she's my favorite,” he told the boy. “There's a reason she's named Sweetness.”
Grayson held out the sugar cube, giggling as the horse daintily took it from him. She crunched it happily as she let him pet her. Grayson ran his small hand along her gray coat, watching her eat the sugar and steeling his nerve.
“Will you help me up?” Grayson finally asked, looking up at Carter.
In one smooth motion, Carter had him up in the saddle. Grayson laughed with delight.
“Now, use your legs to hold on to her,” Carter advised, patting Grayson's legs. “It's all about your legs. The reins are for steering, but even if you drop them, she'll listen to what you tell her to do with your legs.”
Grayson nodded nervously. He had the reins in one hand and the saddle pommel in the other, and a death grip on both, but he was smiling. Mia's heart swelled with pride at his bravery. This was hard for him and he was doing a good job.
Carter slowly led him around the arena, giving him pointers on what to do with his legs and his hands. Laura had Lily and Alexander who were already getting their horses to walk, stop and turn around the arena without help.
Mia turned to see Grayson laugh as Carter started to jog with the horse leads. Sweetness was living up to her name, giving as gentle a ride as she could. Grayson's fear had evaporated.
“You're doing great,” Carter told Grayson as he slowed to a stop next to Laura. Laura guided the pony over behind the other two children. Laura would lead the ride, with Lily and Alexander behind her, then Grayson, then Mia, and followed up in the rear by Carter.
Mia turned back to her horse. Now that the children were ready, it was time to mount up and get going.
“You ready?” Carter asked, coming up beside her. He wasn't even winded from jogging with Grayson.
“I was born ready,” Mia informed him. She put her foot in the stirrup and confidently swung herself up on the horse. She remembered it being a lot harder when she was little, but that was probably due to her size. She went up smoothly and settled into the saddle like an old pro.
Carter raised an impressed eyebrow and pride warmed Mia's chest. She kept her head up, sending a huge thank you for the childhood lessons, and nudged her horse to join the kids. She let
out a small sigh of relief when the horse did exactly as she asked. The last thing she wanted was to look foolish in front of Carter. She rather liked that impressed look on him.
“Okay, we ready to go?” Laura asked from her own horse. When everyone nodded, she moved to the front of the line. “Then I think we're ready for our ride.”
Alexander let out a loud whoop that made Mia wince, but none of the horses even flicked an ear. It made Mia less anxious about their ride. These horses were steady and calm.
Laura led the line of horses out to a path alongside one of the paddocks. It was a perfect early September day. The sky was so blue that it hurt Mia's eyes to look at it for too long. The aspens were still green, but the grass was starting to yellow. Mia was glad she'd worn a light jacket. The breeze coming down the mountains and across the big open meadow was cool and fresh.
The horses walked at a comfortable, sedate pace that was perfect for the children. All three of them had smiles on their faces and were having a fantastic time. Alexander kept talking with what she assumed was a cowboy accent. He kept calling everyone “y'all” and “pardner” but the rest of the accent sounded more like he was having a stroke than a drawl.
Mia took a deep breath of clean air into her lungs. This was a little piece of heaven. The horse moved smoothly under her. She could feel the gelding's power, but it was contained and calm. It was incredibly zen and Mia slowed her breathing to match the horse's strides. Her legs were going to be sore tomorrow, but today, it was worth it.
“Having fun?” Carter asked, coming up beside her.
She grinned. “The best. Thank you.”
“You look like you never left the saddle,” he commented. She felt a blush of pride cross her cheeks.
“I bet you say that to all the girls you take out on horseback,” she replied.
He thought for a moment and then nodded. “You're right, I do.” She looked over at him surprised that he would admit such a thing and he grinned. “Because you're the only girl I've ever taken out on horseback.”