Free Fit for Love (A Stand By Me Novel Book 3) by Brinda Berry Page B

his mouth with his hand and giggles. “He eats,” he says through his hand.
    I glance at Makenna, my lips parting in amusement at Ryder’s obvious excitement.
    She studies me for a minute. “Thank you.”
    If a happy life can be reduced to ten second moving images, this time in the barn would make the cut to be stored in my box of best memories. My senses respond to the simple beauty of the scene: sunlight streaming in the windows and glinting off Makenna’s hair, Ryder’s small fingers reaching out to touch the coarse hair on Zelda’s muzzle, the smell of Makenna’s soap on her skin.
    These two feel like they are already mine. It’s a dangerous feeling, so early in the relationship. But there are some things in my life I don’t question—the perfect workout track, the right career, my lifelong buddies.
    And I have this same feeling today. It’s the clicking sound of pieces that fit together.
    After feeding the horse several more carrots, Ryder wiggles in Makenna’s arms. “Down,” he demands.
    “OK, OK.” She puts him on his feet. “Tired of feeding Zelda already?”
    Zelda shifts in her stall, the sound of her clacking hooves echoes in the barn.
    Ryder runs a couple of feet away from us and climbs onto a hay bale to sit like it’s his personal throne. He surveys Zelda and his kingdom from a safe distance.
    Makenna turns to me. “I can’t thank you enough for this. He loves it. I wish we lived out in the country.”
    “We can come back anytime.”
    She wrinkles her forehead and looks away. “Sure.”
    “I mean it. Gunner will tell you that.” I reach out with one finger and move her chin so she’ll make eye contact with me. “Something wrong?”
    “No. Of course not. I just don’t want you to think you have to make me any promises. We’re here today and that’s great.”
    I run my finger along her jaw until I reach her throat. Reaching around to clasp the back of her neck, I pull her toward me.
    She closes her eyes and I kiss her lightly on the corner of her mouth, then move onto her full bottom lip. I tease her lips apart, my tongue darting into her inviting mouth.
    Pulling her body to me, I kiss her like she’s mine. I kiss her to say this isn’t the last time. I kiss her to indulge in her mouth. Later, I promise myself, I’ll enjoy more than her mouth.
    A scream pierces the air. Ryder. We break apart, near stumbling as we look around the barn. The hay bale is empty and he’s missing.
    I shoot through the door, my heart slamming in my chest as I run toward the scream. How could he get away so quickly? We were only kissing for a minute or two.
    I glance to the west of the barn where a series of wooden steps lead to Gunner’s fire pit. It’s the only place hidden from my view. I run faster in the direction of the steep steps.
    Fuck. There’s less than a dozen steps cut into the sheer drop leading down the hill.
    Ryder lies crumpled on the rocky ground at the bottom. He reminds me of a felled bird, fragile looking and still. I scrabble down the steps, almost losing my footing in my rush to get to him.
    Dust whirls at the bottom when I leap onto the ground.
    My chest seizes and everything amplifies. Blood pounds inside my ears like an ocean wave rolling in during a storm.
    I drop to my knees and roll him over, place two fingers on his neck to check for a pulse and then rest my cheek to his mouth to feel for air.
    Blood. So much blood. On his face and in his hair.
    “He’s breathing.” My voice shakes. “He’s going to be OK,” I chant to myself.
    “Ryder,” Makenna screams his name from the top of the steps and the pitch sounds like a punctured lung losing air.
    “Careful,” I yell up to her and my voice sounds like someone else’s. Voices seem to come from a distance.
    I glance downhill to see Gunner and Kiley beyond the fire pit and guess that Ryder had seen them and wanted to follow.
    Makenna slides in next to me. Her hands shake when she grabs his sticklike arms. “Ryder.