Mitch appeared again in the distance, leaning low over Razor's neck as he galloped back toward me. He was halfway there when the chopper descended in a whirlwind of dust and noise.
Mitch skidded Razor to a stop and swung down as the chopper touched down about fifty yards away. Before the rotors even stopped spinning, the pilot door flew open, and a woman with long sandy-blonde hair came tearing out, running full sprint toward Mitch.
She launched herself at him, and he caught her, spinning her around like she weighed nothing.
His sister. She had to be Cassidy.
Another man climbed out behind her. He was taller than Mitch, broad-shouldered, and moved with the same determined stride as Mitch. He pulled Mitch into a rough handshake that turned into a back-slapping embrace.
I hung back, suddenly feeling like an intruder.
Mitch caught my eye and waved me over. I gripped Zeus's reins and led him toward them.
"Charlie, this is my sister Cassidy and my brother Kayden. Guys, this is Charlie."
Cassidy grinned at me and tilted her hat. "No wonder you went radio silent. And here I was worried about you being lost and alone."
Heat crept up my neck.
Kayden's sharp green eyes swept over me before locking onto Mitch. "Where the hell have you been? And who the hell is she?"
Cassidy smacked him over the head, knocking his cowboy hat clean off. "Manners, jackass." She turned back to Mitch. "We've been worried sick about you."
Mitch cleared his throat. "Yeah, sorry about that. It's been a hell of a couple of days."
"I can see that." She gave me a knowing smirk, then nodded at the horse. "Where'd you find Razor?"
"Wandering around out here," Mitch said. "Look, we can catch up at the ranch. Charlie needs food and medical attention."
"I'm fine," I protested.
Mitch shot me a look that said he wasn't asking. "She's exhausted, dehydrated, and hasn't eaten properly in days."
"I said I'm fine."
"Charlie." His voice was gentle but firm. "Let's get you back to the ranch and get you looked after." He took Zeus's reins from my hands and passed them to Kayden. "We'll ride the horses back and meet you there."
“But you need food and medical?—”
Before I finished, Cassidy had her arm around my shoulders, steering me toward the helicopter. "Don’t worry about him. The big brute can look after himself. Besides, us girls have some serious catching up to do."
I glanced back at Mitch, but he and Kayden were already mounting up.
"Looks like you've been to hell and back. I can't wait to hear this story," Cassidy said, helping me into the passenger seat. She strapped me in quickly, then handed me a headset.
She shut the door and raced around to the pilot's side. Her grin was pure mischief as she climbed in, buckled up, and flicked a few switches on the dashboard. "You might want to hang on." She nodded at the handle above the door.
The chopper lifted so fast my stomach nearly shot up my throat. Cassidy kept us low to the ground, chasing after Mitch and Kayden as they galloped across the red dirt.
Once she got close, she rose up a fraction and swooped right over the top of them. I saw Mitch look up with his stunning grin.
Cassidy turned to me, her eyes dancing. "It's so good to have my brother back."
She banked the chopper hard. "So, what's your story? How'd you hook up with Mitch?"
I hesitated. "It's... complicated."
"I bet." Her gaze sharpened. "You two seem close."