Black Horse (Breaking Black) Read Online Free PDF Page B

along with what Randy said and did. Things are different now, though. While Randy still holds firm to the vendettas of old, Tim is ready to move on. He joined the Marines when he turned 18, and was honorably discharged in 2010. Before now, he never told Averi where he stood on Colton. She just knew that he always had Randy’s back.
    Randy could be so damn stubborn! Averi thought angrily.
    Averi’s convictions were strong. How could a five year old boy be held responsible for crimes that he did not commit? Crimes that his father committed. He couldn’t and he shouldn’t be held responsible. It infuriated Averi that her brothers continued to vilify Colton. She loved Colt and her brothers, but it was days like today that made her wish that her and Colton could just leave this place.
    Averi hugged the curves as she turned off Route 10 and took the scenic backwoods into Helman’s Grove. It was a deeply wooded area with picturesque valleys and meadows, farms and a handful of houses. It was no man’s land, but Averi knew it well. Her grandparents had owned several acres here. Now Averi, Randy and Tim each owned a third of the property. It was their inheritance after Grandma Ford passed away. Averi wouldn’t be going to the family homestead today, though. She gave the old farm a meaningful look before turning down an old dirt road towards Mother of Mercy Cemetery.
    Averi’s heart hung heavily in her chest as she climbed the barren hill that led to the cemetery. The dirt road that weaved through the cemetery seemed to go on for miles, until finally, Averi found the St. Jude section where her parents and brother were laid to rest.
    She wasn’t alone.
    Her breath caught as she took in the sight of a man standing before her parents’ graves. The man stood slumped with his head dipped in sorrow. He covered his face with one hand and laid a single yellow rose in between the two stones. Averi watched him from afar. She wasn’t the only one who remembered what today was. August 17, 2013 – the twentieth anniversary of the Ford family murders.
    Averi climbed the hill with purpose in her stride. Carefully, she approached the man with a sad look upon her pretty face. Gently, she touched his arm. He looked at her with tears streaming down his beautiful face.
    “Colton…”
    He didn’t say a word. Colton reached for her and buried his face in the curve of her neck. She hugged him tightly, squeezed him. She could feel his muscles quake underneath her touch.
    “It’s alright, Colt…”
    “No. It’s really not. Who lives like this? You deserve better. You deserve the white wedding and the babies and the beautiful house.”
    “I’ll have it some day.”
    “I wish I could fix it. I wish I could lift this load off of you…”
    “Colton, you do… Every moment I spend with you, I know I am right where I am supposed to be. You were a little boy. You did nothing wrong.”
    Averi reached up and wiped away a freshly fallen tear from his ruggedly handsome face.
    “There is nothing that I can do to make things right. Everything is so complicated…”
    There goes that word again , Averi thought.
    That’s when it hit her. It really wasn’t complicated at all. She loved Colton. He loved her. End of story, right?
    “You’re wrong, Colton. It’s not complicated at all. It’s simple. Nothing anyone says is going to take me from you.”
    “I feel so guilty for what my father has done. The Fords… They were good people.”
    “You are not Black Horse!”
    “I know.”
    “Say it. I am not Black Horse.”
    “I am not Black Horse.”
    “You’re his son, yes. You have the power to change the direction of your line. Your history does not define you.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “For what?!”
    “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
    “Seriously?! You’re human. You can’t always be the tough one. This shit is enough to rip the heart out of any man.”
    “Where do we go from here?” Colton asked, clearly confused.
    “Home.