Promise Me Light's one year anniversary was yesterday. I can't believe it's been one whole year since Maddie and Ryder got their happily ever after! I've been in my writing hole so much lately that the date slipped my mind until a reader reminded me of it. I wanted to do something special so I thought - why not release a deleted scene that I had sitting on my computer? So here's one I randomly picked. Yes, it's short but it conveys what I love about Ryder - his overprotectiveness, his love for Maddie, and his stubbornness too. I hope you enjoy!
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As Ryder and I stared at each other with anger, Cash grabbed the reins of the saddled horse. Stuffing the rifle in the scabbard, he led the horse back toward us, taking his time. His walk slow and sure, his gait measured. Holding the reins against his body, Cash started to peel off his gloves, one finger at a time. I glanced at him as he held the gloves toward me.
“If we’re gonna ride, you gotta be warm,” he explained in his thick Texas drawl.
I took the gloves with a snap of my wrist and slipped them on, almost weeping with relief when warmth enveloped my fingers. Ryder had made me so mad that I hadn’t realized how cold it had become. The temperature had dropped quickly with the falling snow, blanketing the ground with white. And Gavin was out there somewhere, lying on the cold, hard ground, thanks to Ryder and his short temper.
“Give me a leg up, Cash,” I said, turning my back on Ryder and holding the reins. Cash started to help me up, but was stopped quickly.
“Don’t touch her,” Ryder’s deep voice boomed behind me, snapping out like a whip. Before I knew what he was doing, his hands were around my waist and he was lifting me into the saddle.
I scrambled to hold onto the reins as Ryder planted me firmly on the horse’s back. His hand stayed on my thigh, burning me through my jeans, as I tried to calm the horse down. She danced and jerked sideways, away from Ryder. I understood the feeling. He made me skittish too.
His hand slid down my thigh and then off as he grabbed the reins. Stepping in front of the horse, he rubbed her nose, trying to get her to calm down.
“Whoa, girl. It’s okay,” he said in a soothing, calm voice. His eyes moved up to mine, looking so blue against the dark stubble on his face. Lowering his head again, he whispered to the horse, his gaze on me. “Calm down, girl. You’ve got my entire life riding on your back. Both of them. My heart and my baby.”
Oh, God. When he said things like that ... I was lost. Indefinitely.
