Silas (The Sutton Ranch Series Book 1)

by Taryn Plendl

  The ride over the uneven pasture was slow. Driving a vehicle out to the far north field was a bit more tedious because fences and gate separated the pastures. Every time I made it through one, I had to get out and open a gate, drive through, then go back to close it. On horseback, or even on a quad, the gate could be opened without dismounting.

  By the time I caught sight of the guys, the sun was almost set. Other than their flashlights, and the truck’s headlights, it was close to pitch black. Without the moon, the fields so far from the main property were like another world at night.

  I parked the truck, leaving the lights on, and helped the guys unload everything.

  While they settled their pads and sleeping bags, I dished up their food.

  “This is so good.” Nate groaned around a bite of chicken.

  Ryke nodded, not wanting to stop eating to say anything. Silas planted a greasy kiss on my cheek before going back to his meal.

  When the guys were full, I packed their garbage and threw it in the truck. As I sat, Silas tugged me onto his lap and settled my back against his chest. After being in a large city for so many years, I’d forgotten how striking a star-filled night was in Colorado.

  “I can’t believe how dark it is out here.” My eyes strained to see the area, but my small, battery-operated lantern only spread light so far. Beyond that, everything dropped off into inky nothingness.

  “Yeah, this is why we stay out here when the job needs a couple of days’ work. It isn’t safe to try to maneuver back in the dark,” Nate explained.

  “Speaking of, I think you should stay out here with us tonight,” Silas said, tightening his arms around me. “I’m not comfortable with you driving back in the dark.”

  For a split second, I thought about arguing, but the idea of opening and closing all those gates in the dark didn’t thrill me.

  “I better let Caroline know.” I extracted myself from Silas’s hold to get my phone. After a quick call informing Caroline of my plans, I called Silas over to the truck.

  “What’s wrong?” Concern filled his features.

  “Nothing, except I need to use the bathroom.” I giggled, looking around. “Can you hold a light for me?”

  “Oh, of course.” Taking my hand, he grabbed a roll of toilet paper and led me away from the guys. “Will this work?” He shone the flashlight behind a small group of bushes, like he was presenting something special. I nodded. I’d been squatting for as long as I remembered. It just came with the territory when you grew up on a ranch.

  “Let me do a quick sweep for snakes,” he joked, sweeping the light back and forth.

  “Not funny.” I smacked his shoulder, snatched some toilet paper, and headed a few feet away.

  When I finished, Silas handed me a bottle of hand sanitizer. I raised my eyebrows in question, but was secretly thankful for the thought.

  “Hey, just because I work out here with the shit, doesn’t mean I can’t try to have good hygiene.” He chuckled, pulling me into his arms.

  “I missed you today,” I admitted before kissing him softly on the lips.

  “I missed you, too.” He sighed, nuzzling his nose into my hair, holding me tightly against him.

  He began to harden against my belly, and I moaned softly, reaching between us to feel him. His low groan went straight to my core, making me want to take this further.

  “Careful of snakes!” Nate hollered. “Word on the street is there might be an anaconda on the loose.” He howled in laughter, causing his brother to join in. I yanked my hand free of Silas’s pants as a flashlight beam rushed across us.

  Mumbling under his breath about cockblocking and beating someone with his own snake, Silas adjusted himself.

  “Come on.” I giggled, taking his hand and pulling him back to where they guys were settling in for the night.

  Silas smacked Nate across the back of the head as we passed, sending him into another fit of laughter.

  As Silas zipped two sleeping bags together, it dawned on me that Caroline packed one for me. I had to hand it to her, she always anticipated the needs of everyone on the ranch.

  “Leave it to her to plan ahead,” he remarked. “Come on. Let’s get some rest.”

  We climbed into the sleeping bag, and I drifted off to sleep snuggled in his arms.

  S I L A S

  The cool night air hit me when I rolled over. Mirabelle’s side was empty. I hadn’t heard her get up.

  “Mirabelle?” Keeping quiet not to wake the guys, I slipped on my boots and searched blindly for my flashlight. When she didn’t answer, I called again. “Mirabelle?” This time, my voice was louder. My stomach knotted with rising concern.

  It had been a long time since we’d had a woman in the field, and late night bathroom trips took a little more effort. My assumption was that she’d gotten up to visit the bushes again, but it annoyed me that she didn’t wake me up to go with her. She was as stubborn as the days were long.

  Though we had our fair share of wild animals out here, I was more worried about her losing her footing and hurting herself in the dark.

  “Fuck,” I grumbled, unable to locate the flashlight. Hopefully, Mirabelle took it with her.

  “You okay, Si?” Ryke asked from a few feet away. His sleeping bag rustled as he moved.

  “You got a flashlight, Ryke? I can’t find mine.” The blackness of the night was absolute. Only faint silhouettes were visible.

  “Yeah, here,” he said, shuffling around.

  Following the sound of his voice, I inched toward him, stepping on his leg in the process. His grunt told me it must’ve hurt.

  “Shit, I’m sorry, buddy.”

  “What the fuck are you two doing?” Nate grumbled.

  “I’m sorry.” Waking them up made me feel like shit. “Mirabelle’s gone, and I think she has my flashlight.”

  “Where the fuck did she go?” Nate sat up as I clicked on Ryke’s flashlight, sweeping the blinding beam across the land.

  “Probably to the bathroom.” Shining the light where I’d taken her earlier, I didn’t see any sign of her. “I’m going over here to look.” Heading off in the direction of the bushes, I’d barely passed the truck when a huge crash rang out in the opposite direction, echoing through the silence of the night.

  “What the fuck was that?” I hollered. “Mirabelle?” I started toward the noise, stopping at the truck to shine the headlights in its direction. Ryke and Nate were out of their sleeping bags in a blink, running across the field toward the back fence.

  As soon as the lights were on, I took off, too. With the shadows cast from the headlights, the tall pasture grass made it difficult to maneuver.

  A small utility vehicle idled in the distance by the fence—or where the fence had been. It had obviously been pulled down by the vehicle. Even with the shadows, I could discern a figure moving around.

  “Who the fuck is that?” I yelled to Nate, who was closest to the fence.

  “It looks like that asshole, Rick!” he hollered.

  Whoever it was hopped into the vehicle and started to move forward.

  “Don’t let him leave!” I yelled, running as fast as I could, fury rushing through my veins.

  A smaller figure suddenly stepped out from the trees, into the direct path of the utility vehicle.

  Time slowed. Anxiety and fear hit me like a knife to the chest, twisting and turning until all I felt was pain.

  “Mirabelle!” My voice was unrecognizable, coated with thickening dread.

  The clunk as she hit the bumper was deafening. Her small frame flipped over the hood and tumbled off to the side where she lay unmoving.

  “No!” Slowly, my brain registered my feet moving in an uncoordinated gait as I pushed myself harder over the uneven land, trying to reach her. The vehicle stopped, and I could now make out Rick Andrews with a shocked look on his face, staring at an unresponsive Mirabelle.

  Nate and Ryke reached her first and knelt next to her. I propelled myself forward into Rick, slammin
g his back against the vehicle.

  “You fucking asshole!” A red film clouded my vision, and my fist connected with his face. Feeling his nose shatter on impact gave me a moment of satisfaction. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

  Rage bubbled inside me, pouring out with the fury of a thunder storm. The sight of my Mirabelle flying through the air played over and over in my mind, keeping me swinging, punch after punch. If my own hands were to break, I’d still beat him with my shattered bones until he couldn’t hurt my family ever again.

  As though someone whispered the answer in my ear, everything became clear to me. This was the asshole tearing down the fences around the ranch, I was sure of it.

  “You killed him! You killed Dalton!” Hate consumed me like a prairie fire—fast moving and destroying anything in its path. If this asshole hadn’t torn down the fence back then, Dalton and I wouldn’t have been out there, and he wouldn’t have died.

  And Mirabelle was his latest victim. If she died, too, I would kill him and bring him back so I could do it again.

  “Silas!” Hands pulled at me, finally dragging me off Rick. “Stop!” Ryke shook me until my eyes focused on him. “Mira needs an ambulance.” His words finally broke through the fog of rage in my brain.

  I rushed over to Mirabelle. Blood seeped from a cut on her forehead, turning the ground beneath her dark and sticky. Her breath was shallow and raspy. Paralyzing fear brought me to my knees. My clumsy, trembling hands brushed her hair out of the way so I could see where she was hurt. Jerking my shirt off, I pressed it to her head, trying to stop the bleeding.

  “Don’t you die.” My voice cracked as I placed gentle kisses on her pale face. “Get the truck!” I begged, hoping someone would listen.

  “Si, I’m not sure we should move her,” Nate said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

  “I’m not watching another person I love die in a fucking field, Nate! Get the fucking truck.” Uncontrollable shaking spread through my body, tears rolling freely down my face.

  “Okay, Si.” Nate’s usual joyful personality was absent as he regarded Mirabelle.

  “Get her into the Gator,” Ryke said, pointing to Rick’s vehicle.

  “I’m gonna move you, baby.” Slipping gentle hands under her legs and shoulders, I steadied myself before carefully standing, holding her tight against my bare chest. Her face was ashen underneath the blood smears. “Please don’t leave me, Mirabelle.” Pressing my face into her hair, I inhaled her sweet scent as I sat in the passenger side.

  When Ryke lifted Rick into the Gator bed, anger coursed through me.

  “Why the fuck are you bringing him?” I snarled. “Leave him for the coyotes.”

  “Si, he needs an ambulance, and I need to call the Sheriff. Nate’s going to drive the truck, and I’ll get the gates,” Ryke explained as Nate did his best to avoid the bumps.

  Facing front, I put the limp man out of my mind, not willing to give any more attention to that asshole.

  When we reached the truck, I placed Mirabelle in the back seat. As soon as I closed the door, Nate didn’t waste a second. We got more speed in the truck than in the utility vehicle, but Ryke was true to his word about getting the gates, barely keeping ahead of us.

  Rick flopped around in the back, and I hoped like hell he was in pain. If he survived and Mirabelle didn’t . . . No, thoughts like those weren’t allowed in my head. Focusing on Mirabelle was the only thing that mattered.

  The whole way to the hospital, Nate drove like he was in a race. Despite a few moans and moving her head side-to-side, Mirabelle never fully regained consciousness. I looked over every part of her body that was visible, checking for obvious trauma, but other than the wound on her head, I didn’t see anything significant. That worried me even more. What if there were internal injuries?

  When we arrived, Mirabelle was taken straight to the back.

  And now, they wouldn’t let us see her because we weren’t family.

  Freaking out on one of the nurses and screaming about seeing Mirabelle wasn’t the best plan, but somehow, Nate managed to assure security I wouldn’t be a problem. After a while, someone brought me a clean scrub shirt and a cup of coffee, but sitting around the waiting area almost drove me crazy.

  My hands itched and trembled to wrap around Rick’s neck. The urge was so strong, I could almost feel the bones in his throat. I wanted to hold onto that anger, keep it at the front of my mind. Otherwise, I would be forced to admit fear like I’d never known consumed me.

  Not comparing Dalton’s accident to hers was impossible. Losing my ‘brother’ was horrible, but if I lost Mirabelle, I would never recover. Four years wasted when we could have been together. Four years of ‘what ifs’ and ‘what could have beens’. If only I could go back and do it all over again, that night in the barn would end differently.

  “Dammit, Si, sit down before someone calls security again.” Nate startled me from my chaotic thoughts when he grabbed my shoulder and steered me to one of the hard chairs.

  Smells of urine, vomit, and bleach assaulted my senses. My stomach rolled with nausea. A stiff neck and shoulders were giving me a headache. And the image of my girl flying through the air haunted me.

  “I can’t lose her, Nate.” My eyes squeezed shut, stemming more tears. Now that she was back in my life, it was easy to see how big of a piece of me had been missing all the years Mirabelle was away. She was it for me. Even when we were fighting, everything was better because she was there.

  When your life was marred by losing people you loved, you tended to hang on tighter to those still with you. But with Mirabelle, it was different. It always had been. Everything tying us together had tangled over the years, but some ties never completely broke. She and I were supposed to be together. With my entire existence, I knew this. I felt it as sure as my heart beat.

  “Silas!” Caroline hurried across the waiting area. When she reached me, she pulled me into her arms and held me as only a mother could, providing comfort I hadn’t realized I needed.

  “How is she?” Caroline asked.

  “I don’t know! They won’t fucking let me see her because I’m not family.” My hands flew up in frustration. “Ow!” Caroline’s smack to the back of my head hurt more than a punch to the face.

  “Watch your language, Silas. Not Family? Well, we’re going to fix that right now.” She stormed off, a woman on a mission, and relief settled through me. If anyone could get me to Mirabelle, it was Caroline.

  I sat back down beside Nate, rubbing the back of my head.

  “I’d hate to be in her line of fire right now,” Nate muttered, looking in the direction of where Caroline had disappeared.

  “No doubt,” A small smile threatened my mouth. Caroline would take them to the mat the way only she could. Her words and looks could send the biggest of men scrambling.

  Less than five minutes later, a nurse came out and called me by name.

  “Come with me, Mr. Anderson. I’ll take you to your fiancée.”

  My mouth dropped open as Caroline passed by me and winked.

  I would be forever indebted to that woman. That was for damn sure.

  M I R A B E L L E

  The constant beep sent shards of agonizing pain through my head. If it didn’t stop, madness was one breath away.

  “Turn it off.” My eyes clenched shut from the painfully bright lights.

  “Mirabelle?”

  Silas. The familiar voice sent a rush of relief through my body. Confusion overwhelmed me, but knowing Silas was with me helped me to relax a little.

  “Mirabelle? Can you hear me?” His smooth voice caressed my ears as he came closer. The scent of his spicy shampoo brought a smile to my face. “Open your eyes, Mirabelle.”

  “Too bright.” I managed to get through my dry throat. Every swallow felt like glass scratching its way down. The brightness cutting through my eyelids like daggers dimmed. Eyelids fluttering, I squinted to allow my eyes to slowly adjust.

  His features came i
nto focus. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and dried blood dotted his temple. He looked horrific.

  “You’re hurt.” His hand stopped mine from reaching his face. He wrapped it in his, kissing my fingers. It was then I noticed the tubes coming out of my arm.

  “It’s not my blood. I’m okay.” Silas observed me closely, his jaw tight. He wasn’t telling me something. It showed in his hardened expression and stiff shoulders. He was wound as tight as a ball of rubber bands.

  “Not yours?” I asked, needing to know, yet afraid to hear. “Whose blood is it?”

  “Yours.” Sadness clouded his features, as if the mere mention of that word caused him physical pain.

  My hand reached up, fingers sliding gingerly over the throbbing place on my head. A bandage?

  “Rick?”

  Sharp anger slashed Silas’s features, and I tried to squeeze the hand that held mine.

  “It’s okay, Silas,” The only thought crossing my mind was how to take away the grief and despair from this man. His pain became my pain; his sadness became my sadness.

  “Okay? Fuck, Mirabelle. Nothing about what happened is okay.” The warmth of his hand disappeared, replace by coolness as he stood and began to pace beside the bed. “He fucking ran you over. You flew through the air.”

  The need to comfort him had me pushing myself to sit. Every muscle in my body ached like I’d lifted a car and run a mile afterwards. Silas sat in the chair next to the bed, guided my shoulder back to the mattress, and then rested his head on my belly.

  “I thought I was going to lose you, too.” Warm tears soaked through the hospital gown, and I realized he was crying.

  “I’m okay, Silas.” My fingers glided over his head, the short hair tickling my hand as I rubbed small circles.

  “I can’t lose you,” he said as he looked up, his eyes rimmed with red. “I fucking love you more than anything in this world.” My thumb brushed under his eyes, wiping away his tears.

  “I know, Silas. I love you too—so much.”