Hendrixx maneuvered his horse forward so the big gelding was neck to neck with Princess, his hand reached out and took hold of the head halter.
“Those brumbies are dangerous Blake, they aren’t to be messed with ever. We have the conserve on the property to protect them from shooters, but that doesn’t mean you have the fucking liberty to go getting yourself into a situation you have no fucking right being in.” His tone of voice was harsh, the harshest he had ever used with me, unsettling me even more.
“Get back to the house Blake finish your chores in the stables. Maybe while you are doing them, you might want to think about growing the fuck up. Possibly think that people give a shit if you get trampled by dozens of wild horses.”
Looking over his shoulder, I could see that the mob had stopped their advance and were standing a hundred metres from us. The big grey in front of his girls, snorting and pawing at the ground in a demonstration of dominance as if he had won the battle.
A horrible ache started in my stomach, not because of the stallion but because Hendrixx thought of me as a child. Panic rose inside me, I was still hurt by his rejection to my touch, now add humiliation to the pile and confusion.
“Where are you going?” I asked when Hendrixx let go and pulled on the reigns turning Stash around.
“I’m going to run them off back down to Kelly’s Track. They won’t be coming back into the valley if I have anything to say about it. Go Blake, I will see you when I get back.”
“Drixx—”
“Go, now,” he shouted over his shoulder, not sparing me more than a quick glance, but what I saw gave me a little semblance of peace. His eyes were no longer fire and ice, what I saw was concern and … something I was too inexperienced to name, but I liked it just the same.
Shaking off the kind of thoughts I was having for Hendrixx, I instead focused on the fact that he’d interrupted my moment with the brumbies.
Who did he think he was anyway? This wasn’t my first time alone with the mob, and if he only knew how many times I had snuck off to look for them.
Giving Princess a cluck of my tongue, I urged her forward, reigning her into a slow walk, aware that her earlier bolt would have taken a bit out of her.
I tried not to worry about Hendrixx or his confusing behaviour. Or the fact that I might have pushed him too far this time.
HENDRIXX
My mood had not lifted in the two hour ride I had been forced to undertake.
Running the mob of brumbies down Kelly’s Track had taken longer than I anticipated mainly because once we reached it, I decided that it wasn’t far enough away from the homestead. Instead, I pushed them another ten kilometres to the west, closer to the ranges.
Now, with the stables in my sight, all I wanted to do was find Blake and shout at her some more, but not before I hold her in my arms and assure myself she’d dodged a bullet when she’d pulled her latest stunt. The brumbies roamed free all over the valley and on Triple H land. My brothers and I, as well as the neighbouring properties, all joined together to create a reserve. All of the wild horses could remain free to live without the danger of being rounded up and sold or worse. All that protection and care didn’t take away from the fact that they should be treated for what they were … wild and unpredictable. And that made them dangerous. Blake’s daredevil attitude to life mostly annoyed me, kept me on my toes and constantly praying for patience. Today, however, seeing her sitting astride her horse so close to the mob, not aware of the peril, scared the fucking shit out of me.
I pushed Stash harder than I think I ever had to get to her when I saw the big grey make his advance towards Blake and Princess. At the time, I knew I would never reach her and get in between her and the stallion, thank god I carried my rifle with me whenever I went on a ride. Shooting warning shots in the air was the only reason I managed to slow the big bastard down, I could see he had eyes for the pretty bay mare, the person on her back meant nothing to the grey. Blake would have been trampled, and most likely killed, had I not acted so quickly.
Not that Blake showed me any thanks for my quick thinking. As usual, her hot, sexy temper reared it’s head, asking me what the hell I thought I was doing!
I could ask her the same fucking question, especially when her fingers went on an exploration under my shirt. Fuck, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I first felt her fingertips smooth across over my lower abs, and then briefly dip below my belt buckle before I stopped her. Why the fuck did I stop her? I wanted her, she obviously wanted me going by her breathy comment about me being a god. So why then did I act like a true prick, and instead of turning in the saddle and sinking my tongue into the recesses of her wet mouth, did I growl at her to stop then proceeded to shout at her? Again.
I wanted Blake with a need there simply weren’t enough words
