My Knight

Prologue

"Kota, did you read this letter?" My father asks, lifting my head from the tack I was cleaning. I squint my eyes up at him. Tossing the rag over my shoulder I stand, kicking my leg over the bale of hay I had been sitting on.

"What letter?" My father only responds by shoving the flimsy paper in my direction. A glare resting heavy on his thick tanned, leather like skin. Years in the sun, having taken its toll, from rough hands to the leather skin. Dropping my eyes to the page, I scan over the header, same bullshit as always. "Don't they know we ain't taking that damn offer." Scoffing I crumple the paper, dropping it in a pail of water.

"Apparently we haven't gotten the hint across well enough." He takes a step dropping himself onto a bale of hay, his spurs jingling softly with each hard step.

"Ain't nothing gonna get through their thick ass skulls, not unless it's led." Grunting I drop down on my own bale, pausing to rub at my chest. A searing pain burns across the scars that mark up my torso.

"Them fancy doctors said to take it easy girl, have you been listening?" Glancing at my father I snort out a breath letting my hand drop after grabbing my rag. Cleaning the tack once more, you can only ignore the damn task for so many rides.

"Yeah, just like you taught me." Scrubbing at the dirt, I don't bother to look up at my father.

"Dammit girl! I ain't gonna be playing with this shit, I don't know if you heard or not but your ass died up on that damn table." Heaving a sigh, I let my head drop slightly before I tilt my head to look at him. My father isn't a man who gets emotional easily, but hearing that his little girl was lying on the operating table, and it wasn't looking like I'd be pulling through. Yeah it got to him, hell it still does and my ass wasn't even buried.

"Papa, I'm fine. I came home still kicking." It's his turn to go silent for a moment swallowing hard, he shakes his head.

"Dakota, that's not the point. You almost didn't, I know you're a Marine, a damn fine one. But you aren't bulletproof, I'm not ready to lose my girl." I shake my head, being transported to that night overseas. The night, my unit and I got pinned down in a rat hole. Under siege we had limited options, tucking tail or making a stand. And wouldn't you know we made our stand, didn't go without losses though. Swallowing as I think of the men that didn't make it back to the states, to their family.

"Papa, you ain't gonna lose me anytime soon. You oughta know by now that I'm too much of a hard headed heifer to go down that easy." He gives me a hard stare, before a soft chuckle falls from his lips as he drops his head, letting it hang.

"Girl you make me crazier than any son I ever could've had." I let out a chuckle, with a lopsided grin. Oh yeah, I've been a hellion ever since I popped outta the womb. There hasn't been a day where I wasn't getting into some shit. In my younger days it was getting into shit on the farm, then I went into the Marine's. Now it's training horses and getting thrown in the dirt more times than I can count. Making a living training horses ain't easy, it sure as hell ain't safe.

"Well hell I knew you wanted a son, I didn't want you to feel like you missed something." Switching rags I start to condition the old leather saddle, working the oil into it well.

"Trust me you did well." He sighs, making me look at him, seeing the strain on his face, probably from dealing with the developers, he hates them and how pushy they are getting. The bastards have never been told no in their cushy lives, now they just want to take. Take every fucking thing they can get their grubby ass hands on.

"What's on your mind Papa?" Resting my elbow on my knees I wait, watching as he stands up.

"I don't like how things are playing with them people. Things are gonna start to happen, I just don't know what. I want to start riding the property more, the perimeter, check herds shit like that." I sit straighter pinching my brows together.