over. If anything happened—
Crack!
Ryder jumped, but Megan didn’t seem to move an inch. How she’d learned that kind of discipline was beyond him. Pride welled up in him again.
“You can stand up straight now,” Gunnar said. “It’s over.”
Ryder had a lot to learn, but was determined to start tonight. Marc said Angelina was intrigued now, too, so while the two women hung out a while, Gunnar gave Ryder and Marc a joint lesson.
In the hands of an expert, a whip would be formidable weapon against almost anything but a sidearm. In this day and age, it also would have the element of surprise. He looked forward to learning more. There would be a time in the not-to-distant future when the ranch would have strangers roaming around and, while they’d do their best at screening and could ban firearms, there would be some troubled people making use of their services. He’d need to protect Megan, Cassie, and others working with the program.
The daunting responsibility weighed heavily on him as the primary caretaker of the ranch and its occupants.
God, don’t let me fuck this up.
Ryder & Megan:
Horsing Around in the Barn
R yder entered the barn, leading O’Keeffe to her stall with Chance hot on his tail. The dog had been at his side all day and now headed straight for the water and food bowls at the end of the barn. He patted O’Keeffe’s neck. After working with this horse, the most severely wounded of Luke’s rescues, these past few months, Ryder was pleased that O’Keeffe had calmed down enough to finally let him take her into the barn at night. Not a moment too soon, as winter prepared to set in for good now in late October. The sense of accomplishment Ryder felt in being a part of the animal’s transformation made him feel like a king.
Living on this ranch had transformed Ryder, too. Well, he had to credit more than the ranch for that. Having Megan as his bride had made the biggest difference of all in his life. While he still tried to avoid crowds, recently he’d ventured into Breckenridge with her a few times to have dinner at Angelina’s place. Talk about crowds, but the hostess was always accommodating and gave them a quiet table in a corner near the rear exit where he could keep his back to the wall and watch both doors. Okay, progress came slowly, but he’d probably never lose that instinct to be prepared and on guard when among lots of people. It was even more acute now because he needed to protect Megan.
Of course, they’d been to Gunnar’s dungeon in Breckenridge many times, too, but his house was far outside the busy tourist town. Most recently, though, he’d surprised himself and braved taking Megan into nearby Fairchance for a local celebration that brought out hundreds of local people. They’d only stayed an hour or so but had met some of their neighbors. Progress.
If Megan hadn’t been beside him, it was doubtful he’d have gone to any of those places. He’d still be hiding away on a pueblo outside Albuquerque.
But Megan and this ranch had become his sanctuary. Both helped to keep him grounded. He’d be content to stay in this place for the rest of their days, as long as he had her beside him.
Megan seemed to thrive here, too. She’d joined the local arts council and would be teaching a photography class this winter. Good training for when the ranch had its first group of guests. She’d also opened a studio in Breckenridge near Angelina’s restaurant and had already booked a number of weddings and other events well into next summer.
He’d worried at first about how this city girl from Chicago would acclimate to the slow-paced, sparsely populated area of Colorado they’d chosen to settle down in, but Megan said she welcomed the chance to focus on her art without a lot of distractions. She still spent more time outside the studio than in, setting up shoots in some places she’d scouted out for the more adventurous couples wanting engagement photos, or the parents of new
Crack!
Ryder jumped, but Megan didn’t seem to move an inch. How she’d learned that kind of discipline was beyond him. Pride welled up in him again.
“You can stand up straight now,” Gunnar said. “It’s over.”
Ryder had a lot to learn, but was determined to start tonight. Marc said Angelina was intrigued now, too, so while the two women hung out a while, Gunnar gave Ryder and Marc a joint lesson.
In the hands of an expert, a whip would be formidable weapon against almost anything but a sidearm. In this day and age, it also would have the element of surprise. He looked forward to learning more. There would be a time in the not-to-distant future when the ranch would have strangers roaming around and, while they’d do their best at screening and could ban firearms, there would be some troubled people making use of their services. He’d need to protect Megan, Cassie, and others working with the program.
The daunting responsibility weighed heavily on him as the primary caretaker of the ranch and its occupants.
God, don’t let me fuck this up.
Ryder & Megan:
Horsing Around in the Barn
R yder entered the barn, leading O’Keeffe to her stall with Chance hot on his tail. The dog had been at his side all day and now headed straight for the water and food bowls at the end of the barn. He patted O’Keeffe’s neck. After working with this horse, the most severely wounded of Luke’s rescues, these past few months, Ryder was pleased that O’Keeffe had calmed down enough to finally let him take her into the barn at night. Not a moment too soon, as winter prepared to set in for good now in late October. The sense of accomplishment Ryder felt in being a part of the animal’s transformation made him feel like a king.
Living on this ranch had transformed Ryder, too. Well, he had to credit more than the ranch for that. Having Megan as his bride had made the biggest difference of all in his life. While he still tried to avoid crowds, recently he’d ventured into Breckenridge with her a few times to have dinner at Angelina’s place. Talk about crowds, but the hostess was always accommodating and gave them a quiet table in a corner near the rear exit where he could keep his back to the wall and watch both doors. Okay, progress came slowly, but he’d probably never lose that instinct to be prepared and on guard when among lots of people. It was even more acute now because he needed to protect Megan.
Of course, they’d been to Gunnar’s dungeon in Breckenridge many times, too, but his house was far outside the busy tourist town. Most recently, though, he’d surprised himself and braved taking Megan into nearby Fairchance for a local celebration that brought out hundreds of local people. They’d only stayed an hour or so but had met some of their neighbors. Progress.
If Megan hadn’t been beside him, it was doubtful he’d have gone to any of those places. He’d still be hiding away on a pueblo outside Albuquerque.
But Megan and this ranch had become his sanctuary. Both helped to keep him grounded. He’d be content to stay in this place for the rest of their days, as long as he had her beside him.
Megan seemed to thrive here, too. She’d joined the local arts council and would be teaching a photography class this winter. Good training for when the ranch had its first group of guests. She’d also opened a studio in Breckenridge near Angelina’s restaurant and had already booked a number of weddings and other events well into next summer.
He’d worried at first about how this city girl from Chicago would acclimate to the slow-paced, sparsely populated area of Colorado they’d chosen to settle down in, but Megan said she welcomed the chance to focus on her art without a lot of distractions. She still spent more time outside the studio than in, setting up shoots in some places she’d scouted out for the more adventurous couples wanting engagement photos, or the parents of new
Similar Books
