Cowgirl Heart (First Book in Cowgirl Ways Series)

Chp.14

- Five months later-

I tiptoed downstairs and to the kitchen to make breakfast. I grabbed the eggs, bread, sausage, and butter after I put the coffee on. Scrambling the eggs, I dumped them in the pan and started cooking.

  It's been a while since I moved in with Hunter. At first I was very wary of it. I constantly felt like a burden since he wouldn't let me pay for rent or split the utilities. The only thing he let me buy was supplements for Trixy. He didn't even let me buy hay or feed. I did find a loophole through work. I worked my butt off in the barn and around the yard, making everything cleaner and more organized since a group of men could only do so much. He was against me working with cows but after the fifth time of me rearranging hay bales, he finally let me have a go. So since then I've filled my time with riding, day working, and being a ranch girlfriend.

     Hunter had been great to me. We've used the past couple months to really become closer and give each other our all. It took a while before I truly became comfortable with being romantic with him but it was definitely all worth it. He was a true gentlemen who did everything in his power to take care of me and he would never know how much it truly meant.

     I was frying sausage when big arms wrapped around my waist and a head sat on my shoulder. I smiled and pulled myself out of my daydream as he placed a kiss on my cheek.

     "Watcha makin?" He asked.

     "Breakfast." I answered. He took a deep breath. I slid the last link off the pan and onto a plate. I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck, playing with his hair. He flashed me a smile and pulled me closer to him. He started looking around the house, from the ceiling to the countertops to the living room. I frowned at him in confusion.

     "I think we should start decorating for Christmas." He said. I beamed up at him and knocked him over with how much I leaned into him.

      "Yes." I laughed. 

      "Okay, I'll show you where the decorations are and then I'll go and get a tree." He said, pulling me away.

     "I've never had a christmas tree." I smiled up at him. His eyes lit up with something I couldn't pin point.
 
     "Well we'll have to make it a permanent thing in our home." He said, kissing my forehead.

     "Okay, let's eat breakfast, change, and then we'll start!" I said kissing him on the lips.

I slipped on my purple sweater, faded skinny jeans, and my moose socks then walked down stairs. Hunter had pulled out all of the tubs filled with Christmas decorations and was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

    "You ready to begin?" He asked. I eagerly nodded.

     "Yep." I said as I wrapped an arm around his waist. He clicked something on the tv remote and Christmas music started playing.

     "Aww." I said smiling. He just laughed and squeezed me with the arm wrapped around me.

     "Alright, I'm going to go get the tree, you can start decorating." He said pecking me on the lips before grabbing his truck keys.

     "Okay, be safe!" I called after him as I opened the tub with the lights. I couldn't help but smile to myself.

An hour later a knock came at the door. I set down the snow globe I had in my hand and peeked through the window to see who it was. Hunter has a key so he wouldn't ring the doorbell. What I saw sent a chill to my bone. My ex stood on the porch looking at the door. The last person I would've ever thought standing at my door. I ran around the room and finally found my phone before racing upstairs so he wouldn't see me. I found Hunter's contact and called him.

    "What's up love?" He asked, his voice chirpy on the other end of the line.

      "My ex is currently on our porch and I don't know what the hell to do." I mumbled, watching the door before turning to try and take a peak out the window.

     My ex had been borderline abusive but compared to my father it was nothing. Hunter was aware but neither of us thought that the problem would arise. Especially at a time and place like this.

     "Are you upstairs? Is the front door locked? Did you lock the bedroom door? I just turned down our road I'll be there in like two minutes don't hang up." He rambled out quickly and I could hear in the background his truck roaring as he know doubt exceeded the speed limit.

     "Yes I'm upstairs. All doors are locked and okay. Please just hurry." I said. I heard a bang come from downstairs and heavy footsteps. My heart dropped into my stomach as my blood ran cold. "Babe he's in the house." I whispered into the phone as I crept back into a corner.

    "Shit sweetheart hold on, I'm coming just hang tight. Do not hang up I'm pulling in." I could hear the anger in his voice but before I could say anything the door was slammed open. And their stood Chris in all his glory.

    He was skinnier than I remembered, looking like he got hooked onto some type of drug. It wouldn't have surprised me. His eyes were bloodshot and he was beginning to look like my Dad.

    "Hunter." I whimpered out before Chris lunged, effectively knocking the phone out of my grasp. He knocked me to the floor with him on top. I bucked my hips and tossed him to the side but didn't get too far up before he crawled back on top of me, putting his hands around my neck.

    
    "Your Dad sent me. I wasn't ready when you dumped me." He sneered. I looked at him in shock.

    "You dumped me you asshole." I glared at him and tried to move away but he just put pressure around my neck. "How did you even find me?" I rasped out.

     "Did you honestly think Daddy dearest wouldn't keep tabs on you after you found your new boy toy? You've got to be smarter than that. He just decided to send me to do his dirty work." He smirked at me and I cringed.

     "Amelia!" I heard Hunter yell from downstairs. Relief rushed through me but was shortly lived after Chris jumped up and shut the door again, propping a stool against it since he broke the lock.

    He jumped back on me and pressed a hand against my mouth as he flipped a knife open. My heart stopped. Banging came from my door.

     "Amelia, open up." Hunter screamed. I brought a knee up into Chris's stomach and he let out a groan before dropping his knife.

    "I knew we should've killed you. Your dad was too much of a coward." He gritted out before wrapping his hands once again around my throat and squeezing. I started to wheeze. A thump came from the door. My vision started to blur as I felt my face turn blue. A louder one came and the door broke off its hinges. Hunter raced over to Chris and tackled him off of me. I drew in a huge breath as I propped up on my side, trying to stop myself from passing out. I clawed at my neck, trying to suck in as much air as possible. I could hear Hunter and Chris fighting in the background but the black dots wouldn't go away. Before I could stop myself they clouded over even more and I eventually slumped back to the floor, the dark shutting in completely.