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Erica should have known Boyd was up to something when he refused to tell her where they were going. Boyd wasn't exactly spontaneous.
He wasn't boring, Erica would happily fight anyone who called her boyfriend boring, but Vernon Boyd believed in plans. He liked knowing where they were going, how long it would take to get there, whether they needed gas, and preferably whether there was going to be food involved. Boyd didn't simply tell her to put on jeans and boots and get in the truck without explanation.
Which was exactly what he'd done that morning. Erica had spent the entire drive trying to get information out of him.
She'd guessed hiking. A picnic. Some obscure werewolf-related errand Deaton had somehow convinced Boyd to do. She'd accused him of taking her somewhere to bury a body, although she'd pointed out that if that were the case, she would have appreciated being told so she could bring a better shovel.
Boyd hadn't cracked. Not once. Then they turned down a narrow dirt road several miles outside Beacon Hills, and Erica spotted the wooden fencing stretching along either side of them.
There were fields beyond the fences, acres of tall green grass swaying beneath the California sun. Trees dotted the distant hills, and an old red barn stood farther down the road beside a weathered farmhouse.
And there were horses. Erica slowly turned toward him. Boyd kept his eyes on the road.
"Vernon."
"Hmm?"
"Why are there horses?"
"Probably because it's a horse ranch."
Her mouth fell open. "Oh, you're hilarious now?"
Boyd's lips twitched. Erica looked back through the window as they passed another field. Two horses stood near the fence, their tails lazily swishing at flies. Another grazed farther away beneath the shade of a tree.
Something warm and almost painfully childish fluttered in her chest. She hadn't been around horses since she was little.
There had been pony rides at a carnival once, but her mother had immediately said no. Too dangerous. What if Erica had a seizure? What if she fell? What if the horse got frightened? What if she got hurt? There had always been a what if.
Her entire childhood had been built around them. What if she fell? What if she hit her head? What if nobody was there? What if her medication stopped working? What if her body betrayed her at exactly the wrong moment? Eventually, Erica had stopped asking.
Boyd pulled into a gravel parking area beside the barn and shut off the engine. Erica stared through the windshield. "Boyd."
"Yeah?"
"Why are we at a horse ranch?"
He finally looked at her. "You said you wanted to ride one."
Her eyebrows pulled together. "When?"
"A while ago."
"How long is a while ago?"
Boyd shrugged. "Couple years ago."
Erica stared at him. "You remembered something I said years ago?"
"You said you'd never gotten to."
The irritatingly casual way he said it somehow made it worse. Erica swallowed around the sudden tightness in her throat and immediately covered it with a smirk. "Careful, Boyd. Keep doing thoughtful boyfriend shit and people are going to start thinking you're secretly romantic."
"Don't tell anyone."
"Your reputation would be ruined."
"Exactly."
She leaned across the center console and kissed him. It was supposed to be quick.
Boyd apparently had other ideas. His hand settled against the side of her neck, holding her there for another few seconds before Erica finally pulled away.
"Okay," she murmured, slightly breathless. "Now show me my horse."
Erica discovered two things within the next twenty minutes.
First, horses were much bigger when you weren't looking at them from the other side of a fence.
Second, Vernon Boyd had apparently been hiding an entire cowboy phase from her.
She stood beside a chestnut mare named Daisy while Boyd calmly adjusted the saddle on a massive dark bay gelding a few feet away.
Erica narrowed her eyes. Boyd ignored her. She narrowed them harder. Eventually he glanced over. "What?"
"Who are you?"
Boyd blinked.
"You walked in here like you own the place. You knew how to put that thing on."
"The saddle?"
"Yes, Boyd, the fucking saddle."
He went back to checking one of the straps. "I've ridden before."
Erica crossed her arms. "How many times?"
"A few."
"A few?"
"Yeah."
She watched him check the stirrup, run one hand along the horse's shoulder, and quietly murmur something when the animal shifted.
"That is not a few times behavior."
Boyd shrugged. Erica pointed accusingly at him. "You've been holding out on me, Vernon Boyd."
That earned her the smallest smile. "My uncle had horses when I was younger."
"And this has never come up?"
"You never asked."
"Why would I ask if my boyfriend has a secret cowboy backstory?"
Boyd looked down at himself. Jeans. Boots. Dark T-shirt. "I'm not a cowboy."
Erica's gaze traveled slowly over him. Boyd immediately recognized that look. "No."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
"I was going to say you look good."
"No, you weren't."
Erica grinned. "You look really good."
"Erica."
"Fine."
She turned toward Daisy. The mare calmly stared back at her. Erica reached up and stroked the white blaze running down her face. Daisy's nose nudged against her shoulder. "At least someone appreciates me."
"She thinks you have treats."
"Still counts."
Boyd came over and stood beside her. "Ready?"
"Obviously."
He gave her a look. Erica rolled her eyes. "Boyd, I'm not going to break."
"I know."
The answer came immediately. No hesitation. No I know, but...just I know.
Something inside her softened. "Okay," she said quietly.
Boyd showed her where to put her foot. Erica grabbed the saddle, stepped into the stirrup and pushed herself upward. And froze. It happened so quickly she almost didn't recognize it. Her heart slammed once against her ribs. The ground suddenly looked farther away than it had a second ago. A memory surfaced without permission.
Her mother's voice. Absolutely not, Erica.
A doctor's warning. Activities where a sudden loss of consciousness could cause injury—
Kids whispering behind her at school. What if she has one? What do we do? Don't touch her. She's weird.
Her fingers tightened around the saddle. Daisy shifted slightly beneath her. Erica sucked in a breath.
Boyd's hand immediately settled over hers. He didn't ask if she was okay. Didn't tell her to calm down. Didn't tell her they could stop. He simply stood beside her. "I've got you."
Erica looked down. Boyd's expression was steady. Certain. Not worried. She swallowed. "I know."
"Whenever you're ready."
Erica breathed out slowly. Then she pushed herself the rest of the way up and swung her leg over Daisy's back. For several seconds she just sat there.
Then her face transformed. "Boyd."
He looked up.
"I'm on a fucking horse."
"You are."
"I'm taller than you."
"That's what you're excited about?"
Erica grinned down at him. "A little."
For the first fifteen minutes, Boyd stayed close. He taught her how to hold the reins without pulling too hard and showed her how to guide Daisy with pressure from her legs. Erica listened with surprising seriousness, although she threatened to bite him when he laughed at the way she initially tried to steer.
Eventually they left the smaller paddock and followed a trail into one of the larger fields. That was when Erica understood why Boyd had brought her here. The field seemed endless. Tall grass brushed against Daisy's legs as they moved beneath an enormous blue sky. Wildflowers grew along the fence line, and the trees surrounding the property hid almost every sign of civilization.
There were no cars or sirens. No school hallways or hospital rooms. No hunters or Alpha packs. No memories of concrete floors and electricity and claws and blood.
Just wind, grass, horses and Boyd. Erica looked over at him. He sat easily in the saddle, one hand loosely holding the reins. His horse moved beside hers at an easy walk. She smiled.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're staring."
"I can stare at my boyfriend."
Boyd raised an eyebrow. Erica looked ahead again, still smiling. After another few minutes, Daisy broke into a slightly quicker pace. Erica stiffened instinctively before remembering what Boyd had shown her.
She adjusted. The mare continued forward. A laugh escaped Erica. She urged Daisy faster.
"Erica."
She glanced over her shoulder. Boyd wasn't worried. He was smiling. That was all the encouragement she needed. "Come on, slowpoke!"
Daisy surged forward. Erica laughed as the wind caught her hair, sending it streaming behind her. The field blurred into green and gold beneath them.
For one fleeting second, something old inside her whispered that this was dangerous. That she should stop and she should be careful.
Then Boyd and his horse thundered alongside her. Erica looked over. His smile widened. And she let go. Not of the reins.
Of everything else: every warning, frightened look or every person who had treated her like glass. Every version of herself that had believed she needed permission to live.
Later, they sat beneath an oak tree near the edge of the field while the horses grazed nearby.
Erica had kicked off her boots. Boyd hadn't commented on it. She sat between his legs with her back against his chest, his arms loosely wrapped around her waist.
For several minutes neither of them spoke. Erica watched Daisy tear mouthfuls of grass from the earth. "You know what I like about this?"
Boyd rested his chin lightly against the top of her head. "The horses?"
"No."
"The field?"
"No."
"My charming personality?"
Erica snorted. "Definitely not."
Boyd pinched her side. She squirmed and elbowed him lightly before settling back against him. Then her smile faded into something quieter. "Nobody told me to be careful."
Boyd didn't answer immediately. Erica picked at a blade of grass between her fingers. "My whole life, everyone told me what I shouldn't do. Couldn't do. Don't climb that. Don't go swimming alone. Don't ride a bike there. Don't stay out too late. Don't lock the bathroom door. Don't..." She exhaled. "Everything was always about what might happen."
Boyd's arms tightened slightly around her.
"I know they were scared," Erica continued. "I get it now. Mostly. But when you're a kid, you don't hear we're scared because we love you. You hear you're different. You hear everyone else gets to do this except you."
She twisted the blade of grass around her finger. "And then I got the bite."
Boyd was silent.
"And suddenly everybody thought I was fearless." Erica laughed softly. "Hot Erica. Confident Erica. Bitchy Erica. The girl who'd walk into school wearing heels and a leather jacket and didn't give a shit what anyone thought."
"You were always her."
Erica tilted her head back enough to look at him. Boyd met her eyes.
"You were," he repeated.
"Maybe," she whispered.
Boyd kissed her temple. Erica looked back toward the horses. "I think sometimes I was trying to prove it. After the bite. Like I had to do everything I wasn't allowed to do before because otherwise..." She shrugged. "What was the point?"
"The point was you survived."
Erica's throat tightened. Boyd rarely said things just to fill silence. That meant when he did say something, Erica listened.
She covered one of his hands with hers. "Yeah," she murmured. "We did."
The wind moved through the field. Daisy lifted her head briefly before returning to the grass. Erica smiled. "Still like that nobody told me to be careful."
Boyd was quiet for a moment. Then he said, completely seriously, "You should still be careful."
Erica slowly turned her head. Boyd's expression remained perfectly neutral. "Excuse me?"
"Horses are big."
"Vernon."
"You could fall."
Her eyes narrowed. "Boyd."
"Safety first."
She shoved him. Boyd barely moved. Erica stared at him in outrage. Then Boyd laughed. Not the quiet little breath of amusement she usually had to work for. Actually laughed. Erica's outrage immediately disappeared. "There it is."
Boyd shook his head.
"Nope. Too late. I heard it." Erica twisted around until she was kneeling between his legs. "Vernon Boyd laughed at my joke."
"I wasn't laughing at your joke."
"You were."
"I was laughing at you."
"Even better."
She kissed him. Boyd's hands settled around her waist. When they separated, Erica stayed close, her forehead resting against his. "Thank you."
"For what?"
She glanced toward Daisy. "For remembering."
Boyd looked at her for a long moment. "You don't have to thank me for listening to you."
Erica blinked. Goddamn him. She kissed him again before he could see just how badly that sentence had gotten to her. When they finally pulled apart, Erica settled against his chest again.
The afternoon sun had started sinking lower, turning the field golden. They would have to go back eventually. Back to Beacon Hills. Back to whatever supernatural disaster inevitably decided to ruin their week.
But not yet. Right now there was nothing chasing them. Nothing hunting them. Nothing they had to survive. There was only an open field stretching beneath a summer sky, two horses grazing nearby, and Boyd's heartbeat steady against Erica's back.
Erica closed her eyes. For once, freedom didn't feel like running away from something.
It felt like finally being able to run toward it.
Erica wasn't sure how long they stayed beneath the oak tree. Long enough for the sun to drift lower in the sky and the shadows beneath the branches to stretch farther into the field. Long enough for Daisy and Boyd's gelding, Atlas, to wander several yards away in search of apparently superior grass. Long enough that Erica had become completely comfortable using Boyd as a combination boyfriend, pillow, and personal backrest. She was considering whether she could convince him to stay there until sunset when Boyd shifted behind her.
"We should probably head back."
Erica groaned.
"Or," she countered, "we live here now."
Boyd looked down at her. "Under a tree?"
"We'll build a house."
"With what?"
She gestured vaguely toward the surrounding field. "Nature."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the beginning of an answer."
Boyd shook his head, but Erica felt the quiet rumble of his amusement against her back. She tipped her head farther against his shoulder. "Think about it. No hunters. No homicidal Alpha packs. No weird druids sacrificing people. No lizard monsters. No Derek making that constipated face every time somebody does something he doesn't approve of."
"He'd find us."
"Unfortunately."
"Scott would call."
"I'll block him."
"Stiles would call."
"I'll throw my phone in the river."
Boyd considered that. "Tempting."
Erica twisted around to stare at him. "Did Vernon Boyd just admit Stiles is annoying?"
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"I didn't imply anything."
"Oh, I'm absolutely telling him."
Boyd caught her around the waist when she tried to scramble away for her phone. Erica shrieked with laughter as he pulled her backward against him. "Traitor!"
"Can't tell him if you don't have your phone."
"You wouldn't."
Boyd reached toward the pocket where she'd tucked it. Erica gasped dramatically. "Don't you dare!"
She twisted, grabbed his wrist, and attempted to wrestle him away from it. Attempted being the important word.
Boyd was built like a brick wall even before becoming a werewolf. After the bite, trying to physically overpower him when he didn't want to be moved was approximately as effective as arguing with a mountain.
Erica still tried. She planted both hands against his chest and shoved. Boyd didn't move.
"You're cheating."
"How?"
"You're stronger than me."
"So?"
"So stop being stronger."
"No."
Erica stared at him. Boyd stared back.
"You are such an asshole."
His mouth twitched. She lunged for him. Boyd caught her easily, and a second later Erica was flat on her back in the grass with Boyd braced above her.
Her laughter faded. Not because anything was wrong. Quite the opposite. The sunlight filtering through the branches caught the edges of Boyd's face. There were tiny pieces of grass stuck to his shirt, and his expression had softened as he looked down at her.
Erica reached up and plucked a leaf from his hair. "Very rugged."
Boyd raised an eyebrow. "Erica."
"Very cowboy."
"I'm not a cowboy."
She grinned. "Keep telling yourself that."
Boyd leaned down. She met him halfway. The kiss was slow and warm, nothing desperate about it. Erica curled one hand behind his neck while his fingers brushed along her side.
Somewhere nearby, a horse snorted. Erica broke the kiss. Boyd sighed. She bit her lip. "Did Daisy just judge us?"
"Probably."
Erica looked past him toward the mare. Daisy stood several yards away, staring directly at them.
"Oh my God." Erica started laughing. "She absolutely did."
Boyd rolled onto the grass beside her. Erica immediately moved with him, propping herself up on one elbow.
"You know," she said thoughtfully, "this is probably why they tell people not to make out in horse fields."
"I don't think that's a rule."
"It should be."
Boyd glanced toward Atlas. "We should get them back."
Erica followed his gaze. Then she looked toward Daisy. Then back at Boyd. A slow smile spread across her face. "No."
Boyd recognized that expression immediately. "No what?"
"We're not going back yet."
"Erica—"
"Race you."
Boyd stared at her. She scrambled to her feet.
"Erica."
She grabbed her boots. "Last one to the fence has to deal with Stiles the next time he has a supernatural theory."
"That's not fair."
"Life isn't fair, Boyd!"
She took off toward Daisy.
"Erica!"
Her laughter floated back toward him.
Getting onto Daisy the second time was different. There was no hesitation. No sudden tightening in her chest. No old voice telling her what could go wrong. She put her foot in the stirrup, pushed herself up, swung her leg over and settled into the saddle. Just like that.
The realization hit her only after she'd done it. Erica went still. Boyd was mounting Atlas a few yards away. He looked over. Their eyes met.
Boyd knew. He didn't say anything. He just smiled. Small yet proud. Erica rolled her eyes because otherwise she might do something humiliating, like cry. "Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"You know what."
"I don't."
"Yes, you do."
Boyd gathered Atlas's reins. "Ready?"
Erica looked toward the far fence. The field stretched ahead of them, glowing beneath the late-afternoon sun. She tightened her hands around the reins. "Oh, you're going down."
Boyd raised an eyebrow. "You've been riding for two hours."
"And?"
"I've been riding since I was eight."
Erica's jaw dropped. "Eight?"
Boyd realized his mistake.
"You said a few times!"
He looked ahead.
"Vernon Boyd!"
Atlas started walking. Erica pointed at him. "You lying bastard!"
"I didn't lie."
"You deliberately withheld information."
"You didn't ask how old I was."
"Oh, you're such a Hale."
Boyd's head snapped toward her. Erica immediately grimaced. "Okay, that was too far."
"Way too far."
"I'm sorry."
"You should be."
"I was angry."
"Still."
"Can you ever forgive me?"
Boyd considered it. Erica placed a dramatic hand over her heart.
"Eventually."
She gasped. "Eventually?"
Boyd nudged Atlas forward. Erica's eyes narrowed. "Fine."
She leaned slightly toward Daisy's neck. "Let's destroy him."
Daisy's ears flicked. Boyd heard her. "Don't encourage the horse."
"She's my accomplice now."
"Erica—"
"Go!"
Daisy surged forward. Erica laughed as Boyd cursed behind her. For approximately seven glorious seconds, she was winning. Then Atlas thundered alongside them. Boyd looked over. Erica glared. "Show-off!"
"You challenged me!"
"I didn't know you had a couple decades of experience!"
"That's why you get information before making bets."
"Shut up!"
Boyd pulled ahead. "Oh, absolutely not."
Erica leaned forward, urging Daisy faster. The mare responded eagerly. Wind tore through Erica's hair. Her heart hammered, but there was no fear mixed into it now. Only exhilaration.
Boyd reached the fence first. Barely. Erica pulled Daisy to a slower pace beside him.
Boyd was smiling. "I won."
"You cheated."
"How?"
"Experience."
"That's not cheating."
"Secret experience is."
"You made the rules."
Erica pointed at him. "Rematch."
Boyd laughed. She stared. There it was again. That full laugh. Rare enough that Erica treasured every single one. Her irritation vanished. Boyd noticed. "What?"
"Nothing."
"You're staring again."
Erica smiled. "I like when you laugh."
His expression shifted. Boyd had never been uncomfortable with silence. He lived inside it more comfortably than anyone Erica knew. But compliments sometimes caught him off guard. Especially the simple ones.
The ones that weren't about his strength or his size or what he could do for someone else. Erica reached across the space between the horses and held out her hand. Boyd looked at it and took it.
For a few seconds, they sat there holding hands between two horses in the middle of a field. It was ridiculous an d Erica loved it.
"You should do it more," she said.
"What?"
"Laugh."
"You should be funnier."
Her mouth fell open. Boyd's smile widened.
"Okay. Wow."
He released her hand before she could smack him. Erica stared at him in mock outrage. "You're getting mouthy."
"You're rubbing off on me."
"Good."
His expression softened. Erica looked toward the horizon. The sun was beginning to sink behind the distant hills now, washing everything in shades of gold and orange. The breeze had cooled enough that goosebumps rose along her bare arms.
"We really should go back," Boyd said eventually.
Erica sighed. "I know."
Neither of them moved. Another minute passed. Erica looked down at Daisy. "Can we come back?"
Boyd answered immediately. "Yeah."
She glanced at him. "Really?"
"Whenever you want."
Something tightened in her chest again. Erica looked away before he could see it. "Maybe next time I'll beat you."
"You won't."
Her head whipped around. "Excuse me?"
Boyd nudged Atlas toward the barn. "You heard me."
"Oh, you're asking for it now."
Erica followed. "Training montage, Boyd. I'm going full Rocky."
"Rocky didn't ride horses."
"That's not the point."
"You'll need lessons."
"I have you."
Boyd looked over his shoulder. Erica shrugged. "Unless your secret cowboy services are unavailable."
"I'm not a cowboy."
"Sure."
"I'm serious."
"Whatever you say, cowboy."
"Erica."
She grinned. "Can I buy you a hat?"
"No."
"Boots?"
"I'm wearing boots."
"Real cowboy boots."
"No."
"A belt buckle?"
"Absolutely not."
"Chaps?"
Boyd slowly looked at her. Erica's grin became positively wicked. "Definitely chaps."
"No."
"Assless chaps."
"All chaps are assless."
Erica nearly dropped the reins. She stared at him. Boyd kept riding.
"Hold on."
Nothing.
"Vernon."
Nothing.
"How the fuck do you know that?"
Boyd's shoulders started shaking.
"BOYD!"
His laughter carried across the field. Erica urged Daisy after him. "You have some explaining to do!"
By the time they returned to the barn, Erica's cheeks hurt from smiling. She slid down from Daisy's back and immediately felt muscles she hadn't known existed protest.
Her knees nearly buckled. Boyd caught her around the waist. Erica grabbed his shoulders. "Okay."
"You good?"
"Perfect."
"You almost fell."
"I gracefully descended."
"Your legs gave out."
"My legs are adjusting."
Boyd raised an eyebrow. Erica narrowed her eyes. "Say one word and you're sleeping alone."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face did."
Boyd steadied her until she could stand properly. Erica turned toward Daisy. The mare nudged her shoulder almost immediately. "Hey, pretty girl."
Erica stroked her face. "Thanks for not killing me."
Daisy breathed warmly against her hand. Boyd came up beside them. Erica rested her forehead briefly against the mare's face. There was something strangely emotional about saying goodbye. Ridiculous. She'd known this horse for a few hours.
But Daisy had carried her across a line Erica hadn't even realized was still there. When she finally stepped away, Boyd was watching her. "What?"
"Nothing."
"Boyd."
He shook his head. Erica looked at Daisy again. "I really never thought I'd do this."
"I know."
"I wanted to."
"I know."
She looked at him. "You remembered."
"Yeah."
Years ago. One conversation. Probably some passing comment Erica had made without thinking. Boyd had remembered.
She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. Boyd immediately hugged her back. Erica buried her face against his chest.
"Seriously," she murmured. "Thank you."
His hand moved slowly along her back. "Anytime."
She stayed there for another moment. Then she pulled back enough to look up at him. "I love you."
Boyd's expression softened. "I love you too."
Erica smiled. Then she narrowed her eyes. "But I'm still buying you a cowboy hat."
Boyd sighed.
"And chaps."
"Erica."
"Maybe a little vest."
"No."
"Spurs?"
"No."
"I think you'd look hot in spurs."
"I'm leaving you here."
Erica laughed and caught his hand before he could walk away. He laced their fingers together automatically. And as they headed toward the truck, Erica looked back once.
At Daisy, Atlas and the field beyond them, the enormous stretch of grass turning gold beneath the setting sun. She'd spent so much of her life thinking freedom meant finally becoming someone who wasn't afraid.
Today, she'd realized she'd been wrong. Freedom wasn't never being afraid. It was putting your foot in the stirrup even when you were. It was trusting the horse beneath you. Trusting yourself and the person standing beside you when he said, I've got you.
And then riding anyway. Erica squeezed Boyd's hand. "Hey, cowboy?"
Boyd sighed heavily.
"What?"
She smiled up at him. "Next weekend?"
He looked at her. Then back toward the field. "Next weekend."
Erica's smile widened.
Maybe there were still a thousand things in the world she'd never gotten to do. That was okay. She had time now. And apparently, she had a cowboy.
Even if he absolutely refused to admit it.