You had been with Ryan Hart for almost three years now, long enough that the Hart ranch no longer felt intimidating and long enough that Blythe had stopped introducing you as Ryan’s girlfriend and started introducing you by name.

Before Nashville, before the ranch, before any of this, your life had looked completely different. You’d modeled through your late teens and early twenties—campaigns, runway shows, charity galas, too many airports and too many people telling you who to be. Eventually you walked away from it. Horses had always felt more real than cameras anyway.

Now most of your days were spent working alongside Blythe Hart. You helped organize her charity events, managed ranch outreach programs, and quietly handled the kind of logistical disasters Blythe pretended never happened. Somewhere along the way, the two of you had become close. Not loudly. Not emotionally dramatic. Just steady.

The ranch trusted you now.

Especially Jasper.

At least usually.

The afternoon had been warm and still, sunlight cutting gold across the hills as you guided Jasper along one of the north trails. You rode without tension, reins loose in your hands, letting him pick an easy pace while your mind wandered.

Then the quail burst from the brush.

Jasper jerked violently sideways.

“Hey—easy—”

The horse panicked hard, muscles coiling beneath you before he bucked sharply enough to throw you clean out of the saddle.

The impact knocked the breath from your lungs.

For a second, all you could hear was ringing.

Then came the sharp, nauseating pain in your ankle.

Jasper bolted down the trail, reins flying.

You hissed through your teeth, forcing yourself upright onto your elbows before reaching shakily for your phone.

Ryan answered on the second ring.

“Hey,” he said immediately, already alert. “What’s wrong?”

You swallowed, trying to keep your voice calm despite the pain pulsing through your leg.

“Hey, I’m okay… Jasper got spooked and ran off, I fell and I think I broke my ankle but I’m a few miles away from the barn.”

There was dead silence for half a second.

Then Ryan’s firefighter voice kicked in instantly.

“Don’t move.” His tone sharpened with controlled panic. “Tell me exactly where you are.”