Chapter 19 I Was Scared . A Few Days Later … Elenas P.O.V. Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid and so good that you didnt want it to end ?. Well , I was having a very naughty dream about Tanner and he was doing things to me in bed that I didnt even know was possible . My s * x life with Tristan was very mundane and mediocre even when he wasnt double dipping in my family tree and it felt like s * x had become more of a chore for him , especially during the latter part of our marriage , so we never really had the chance to try anything new or experiment in the bedroom but in these steamy s * x dreams Ive been having , Tanner was like a sexpert who was determined to give me the best s * x of my life . Ive been having these dreams for the past few days ever since Tanner had summoned me to his office the other day which was also the same day I had decided to put some distance between us because I felt like we were moving too fast . We had just got together the night before and made things official and within the space of twenty four hours , I was having talks about love and s * x and it felt like too much for me even though I couldnt deny my feelings for him , it still felt rushed to me , so I decided to focus on my work and I put some distance between us so that I could think about things without Tanners sexy ass influencing me . It turns out that I didnt need Tanners presence to influence me or my dreams and the little fucker has even found a way to torture me in my subconscious and damn were his torturous ways hot and dominating . I dont know if real life Tanner will be anything like dream Tanner but if he is then Im officially marrying the man tomorrow because my god , the way he was making me feel was either a way I hadnt felt in a long time or Id never felt before period and the way my body was reacting to him as well felt incredible or at least it was until I was disturbed from my dream by my beautiful dog Sunday who was barking , howling and licking my face to try and wake me up . Sunday , sweetie , give mommy five more minutes I say with my eyes still closed as I run one of my hands through her fluffy tanned fur , Sunday continued to bark to get my attention but it wasnt just her who was bothering me now , no my phone had also decided to join the party as well . 1/9 Chapter 19 I Was Scared . Urgh!! god , why do you hate me so much? O I groaned in annoyance as I sat up in bed resting my weight on my elbow as I grabbed my phone from off the bedside table and answered it . Hello Hey Elena , its Bobby Oh , hi Bobby , how are you ? +10 Point : Bobby is one of my main stable hands along with his eldest son Jake who helps me out with my horses when Ive gotta deal with other animals or handle other areas of my ranch and theyre the only ones who I trust with them because they love and care for them just like I do . Bobby and Jacob are great guys and are incredibly smart and experienced with horses , they also love their jobs and work so incredibly hard , Id honestly be lost without them here to help me . How I feel depends on how you answer my next question , Ellie Bobby says sounding nervous and worried which had me narrowing my eyes in confusion . What do you mean , Bobby ? Have you been out to the stables today ? He asks me making me feel nervous as I immediately become alert . No , Ive just woken up , why ? is everything ok ? s ** t Bobby muttered to himself . Whats wrong , Bobby? talk to me I asked him again and what he said next almost made my heart stop beating . Elsas gone , Ellie What ? what do you mean shes gone ? I asked as I sat up straight in bed . I mean what I say , Elena , I went to the stables just now to check on Cherub , Snow White and Elsa , Cherub and Snow White are ok but Elsas gone S ** t . 2/9 Chapter 19 I Was Scared . Oh my god . I think Im gonna throw up . +10 Points Ok Bobby listen to me carefully , I need you to get Jacob and tell him to man the stables , I then want you to go to the security room and check all of the footage by the stables and the entrances and exits and see if you can find anything on the cameras and Ill meet you back at the stables in around fifteen minutes , do you understand me ? You got it , Ellie I hang up the call and get out of bed . I then headed towards my en suite bathroom where I had a quick shower and got dressed into my usual ranch uniform before blow drying my hair and styling it into a sleek ponytail . I was scared and I was also a nervous wreck because one of my beautiful babies is missing . Im hoping with all of my heart that its just a simple mistake made either by myself , Bobby or Jacob and shes just running loose somewhere on the grounds because I dont even want to think about us having a possible Shergar situation on our hands . Elsa is a beautiful , pure white , thoroughbred racehorse , she raced for several years and had even won many awards before she was forced into retirement after she was injured . Shes a prized horse and worth a lot of mooney , therefore many people want her and will do anything to have her including kidnapping her . As youve probably already realised , Elsa was named after the main character from Frozen by her previous owner and thats because shes all white from her beautiful mane to her hooves and her eyes are a stunning blue colour which is incredibly rare for a horse . When I first met Elsa , she was a petrified mess and she wouldnt let anyone near her and it took a lot for us to get her to trust us . I was told by her previous owner that shes experiencing PTSD like symptoms which have more than likely stemmed from how she was raised and trained which resulted in a lot of abuse and that it will take a lot for her to trust people and he was right . He also told me that it would take a lot of time and patience from us for her to finally feel like she can trust us and thats what we did . Bobby , Jacob and I worked really hard to get Elsa to feel safe and comfortable with us and to get her to trust us but my daddy didnt have to do any of that , no that man just waltzed in like he was a white knight and he immediately had Elsa eating out of the palm of his hand both 3/9 +10 Points Chapter 19-1 Was Scared . literally and figuratively . This is why my heart is in my throat and Im feeling very on edge right now because if some bastard has got Elsa then theyre gonna traumatise her even further and undo all of our hard work . After getting ready , I left my room and headed downstairs , I then quickly grabbed my coat before heading to the stables where I ran into a frantic Bobby and Jacob . Bobby , Jake , did you guys find anything ? Yeah , I did and youre not gonna like it , Ellie S ** t . What is it ? I ask Bobby who starts to tap away on his tablet . Some guy broke into the stables this morning and was with the girls for a few minutes before he took Elsa out and theyve been gone ever since Which is a good thirty minutes now, Ellie Jacob said and I groaned as I rubbed my forehead in frustration . Im gonna kill this bastard when I find out who he is . I mean , who the hell breaks onto someone elses ranch and takes a horse without the owners permission ?. Who does something like that honestly ?. Have you got a picture of the bastard so that we can send it to the cops ? Oh yeah and its crystal clear as well , look Bobby shows me his tablet and relief washed over me when I saw who the cheeky little thief was but I was still angry as f ** k , especially when I saw him looking directly at the camera and winking like he was winking directly at me . You give people an inch and they take a freaking mile. Excuse me 4/9 +10 Points Chapter 19 I Was Scared . I said as I stomped my way out of the stables and headed out towards the main field where we usually ride our horses . I was hoping to see Elsa gliding around in the snow like the stunning white beauty she is but unfortunately for me , the field was empty . I then checked the other two fields which were also barren and it was while I was checking the third one that I saw the most beautiful and glorious sight I think Ive ever seen . Out on the field was Tanner , my Tanner , my big , strong biker boyfriend riding Elsa who looked so happy and carefree as she galloped around on the mixture of grass and snow . I was so engrossed with the sight that I didnt even realise I had now been joined by my two very angry colleagues who looked like they wanted to tear Tanner a new one . The nerve of this guy I know , how dare he take Elsa out without permission ? I mean , who the hell is this guy anyway ? His name is Tanner Young I say almost breathlessly as I take in the Greek god riding my beautiful horse . Wait , the biker guy ? Jacob asks me and I nod my head while smiling . Do you know this guy , Ellie ? Yeah , hes my boyfriend I said proudly as I somehow managed to capture Tanners attention and he smirked at me as he rode Elsa back over to us . Good morning , beautiful Dont you good morning me , Tanner Young , what the hell are you playing at ? What ? what did I do ? He asks innocently but I knew he was anything but , especially with that cheeky smirk on his face . What did you do ? you stole my freaking horse for Christs sake You look sexy when youre angry , do you know that ? He asks stumping me . 5/9 +10 Points Chapter 19-1 Was Scared . And for your information , angel , I didnt steal her , I borrowed her and took her for a ride , theres a difference This fucker . How did you get her to trust you ? Elsa doesnt trust anyone except for us three Jacob asks with annoyance and curiosity in his tone . What can I say ? Ive got a charm that no lady can resist Tanner says whilst looking me in the eyes . He then got off Elsa and led her over to us . I gently cupped her beautiful face with one of my hands and ran my free hand through her mane intending to comfort her but I quickly realised that she didnt need comforting . Can this man make even horses fall in love with him ?. I briefly narrowed my eyes between Tanner and Elsa before looking over at Bobby and Jacob who were looking at Tanner with wary eyes . Can you take her back for me , please ? I need to talk to Tanner alone Sure , boss Bobby takes hold of Elsas feigns and leaves with Jacob but not before giving him one last look . When they were gone , I turned to look back at my handsome man who was now leaning against the gate with his arms resting on it and he was looking up at me with a smile . What did you need to talk to me about , angel ? Why are you here , Tanner ? Because youve been avoiding me for the past few days and to quote my beautiful woman , youve been coming up with some pretty lousy excuses not to see me , so I thought Id bring the mountain to Mohammed so to speak He says and I narrow my eyes at him . You came to my property at the ass crack of dawn , you broke into my ranch and decided to take one of my horses out for a ride because you needed to talk to me ? I ask him and he nods his head . 6/9 +10 Points Chapter 19 I Was Scared . I had to get your attention somehow , babe By stealing my horse ? I ask incredulously . Once again , I didnt steal her , I borrowed her and I wouldve used my favourite method of waking you up , love but something tells me thats the reason why youve been avoiding me like Im the plague or at least like Im Covid keeping your six feet away from me Tanner says with a humourless chuckle and I drop my head feeling guilty . Talk to me , angel , tell me whats going on in that pretty little head of yours Tanner said as he placed his hand on top of mine . I briefly looked down at our hands before sighing and looking up at him . Youll hate me if I tell you , Tanner Thatll never happen , sweetheart , I could never hate you Tanner said with sincerity in his tone and his eyes which made me smile . I then let out a breath before explaining to him whats on my mind . I got scared , Tanner … the day you summoned me to the clubhouse I … I felt like I was being pressured by everyone and by my own body and I got scared Scared of what , angel ? He asks me and I look up at him . Scared of letting you in I say and his face drops . Dont get me wrong , Tanner , I love you , I really , really do love you with all of my heart and Im the happiest Ive ever been since I met you , its just … I feel like everythings moving too fast , we got together one day and the next , we were declaring our love to each other and my cousins were harping on about us having s* x , not to mention , my body always betrays me whenever Im around you I say the last part whilst letting out a breath and looking out at the beautiful scenery in front o I just needed some time and space to think and refocus , Im sorry , I didnt mean to hurt or upset you with my actions 7/9 +10 Point Chapter 19 I Was Scared . You worried me more than anything , angel , I thought youd changed your mind about us Tanner said with a slight nervous chuckle and I scoffed . As if … what did you say the other day , hmm ? Im yours and youre mine for eternity ? I asked whilst pretending to think and Tanner chuckled but this time he was amused not nervous . He then closed the space between us , well as best as he could with a gate between us and he cupped my face and kissed my lips for the first time in what felt like forever . Our kiss was filled with so much love and affection which I continued to feel long after hed pulled away from me and rested his forehead against mine . I know youre scared , angel and you have every right to be because its scary to open your heart to love again , especially after what youve been through but trust me when I tell you , sweetheart that youre safe with me and Ill never hurt you I know I said barely above a whisper . Thats my good girl Tanner said with a smile as he kissed my forehead . As for everything else , sweetheart … well , Im willing to wait until youre ready, Elena … Id never pressure you into doing something youre not ready for , Ellie Thats good to know I said with a smile as I gave him a brief kiss before walking away and heading towards my home . Hey , where are you going ? Tanner asks bringing me to a stop . Im going to make breakfast , Im starving Wait , are you telling me that not only is my woman beautiful , sexy , smart and a total badass but she can also cook as well ? Tanner asks sounding both shocked and impressed as his smile grew bigger and brighter which made me smile as well . Mmm hmm , Ive got many tricks up my sleeve , Mr Young 8/9 Chapter 19 I Was Scared . Really ? Tanner asks as his smile turns into a smirk . Well , thats good to know , Miss Donovan He said as he jumped over the gate and chased me into the house as I chuckled . God , I love this man .