She glanced over at the full water trough and nodded, reassuring herself.
“See you in a few hours,” she whispered, knowing she’d be back before sunrise.
As Shannon pushed the stable door open, an eerie lull of music drifted through the howl of the wind, like a ghostly melody attempting to weave itself into the air.
A chill ran down her spine, the hairs on her neck prickling.
She locked the stable door, casting one last lingering glance at Trixie before stepping out into the moonlight.
When she passed the feed room, her steps slowed, almost instinctively. The door was ajar, and the darkness inside flickered.
Her heart thudded in her chest, a strange awareness of danger creeping over her.
She moved herself into the shadows and stood still, listening.
Through the narrow slit in the door, silhouettes moved—figures in the dull light from the energy-saving bulb overhead.
Laughter echoed around. Then groans.
Shannon edged closer, a breath held in her lungs as she peered inside.
The newest female stable hand lay flat on her back, naked, her legs spread wide. Taking it all in, Shannon noticed the trail of white powder over her belly.
“Don’t fucking move, Gracie, or my coke will go everywhere,” a male voice growled from the shadows, out of sight.
She recognised the voice straight away. Niall’s shoulders dipped, and he sucked air through a small tube, then sniffed.
Shannon froze, her stomach tightening, as she he covered one nostril, then the other, snorting up lingering powder.
“Your turn, Gracie. Then it’s shots.”
Every nerve in her body screamed for her to leave, to run back to the loft and pretend she hadn’t seen anything. But her boots stuck to the ground.
Shehadto see more. To gather more ammunition. Or maybe Jamie had unlocked something inside of her?
Either way, her body held still, waiting.
Gracie rolled to her side and fixed the horse rug under her, humming from the back of her throat. Niall dropped to his haunches and crushed his lips to hers.
Rich auburn curls spilled over Gracie’s shoulders and her breasts pressed into his bare chest.
Shannon inched away, her steps silent in the shadows. The wind tore through the yard again, knocking over a metal bucket, which careened across the gravel before slamming into the stone wall with a deafening crash.
The sound echoed in the night and the feed door blew open.
Shannon froze as Niall turned, his eyes narrowing. The slow movement of his head seemed deliberate, like he knew there were eyes on him.
As his gaze burned into the darkness, he smiled, almost taunting, but said nothing.
Her heart hammered and time seemed to freeze. For a split second, she swore he was looking right at her. She stepped further back into the shadows, holding her breath as if that would somehow hide her.
If he knew she was spying on him, her life in Meadow Dawn would get a lot more difficult.
When she moved again a cold handwrapped around her arm, and she spun around, gasping. Bucky stood there, his large form a shadow in the darkness.
His grip was firm, but not unkind. She recoiled, then took a steadying breath to control the panic beating in her chest.
“Jesus, Bucky, you scared the shit out of me,” she half-laughed, clutching her chest, trying to steady her racing heart.
