Chapter Seven: Off the Ridge
Rain hit Kylie so hard it almost knocked the breath out of her lungs.
The second she left the stable, freezing wind tore through her jacket while mud slipped beneath her boots. Lightning flashed overhead, turning the ranch silver for half a second before darkness swallowed everything again.
“Nolan!” she shouted into the storm.
The wind stole her voice instantly.
Great.
Absolutely great.
Kylie pushed forward anyway, using the weak flashlight beam from the lantern to follow deep boot prints cutting through the mud toward the ridge trail.
Rainwater streamed down her face.
Her soaked clothes clung to her skin.
And somewhere ahead, thunder rolled across the mountains like a warning.
She should turn around.
Any sane person would.
Instead, she kept walkin
