Chapter Twelve
Abbie
Harmony said nothing as we climbed into her small SUV, starting it as she hummed a soft tune. The majority of the ride was silent, my bag in the backseat, my boots on my feet. I was chewing on my bottom lip, trying to control me anxiety as I scanned the fields for cowboys.
Last night, Beau never came back to the bunkhouse, and it was just another sign I didn’t belong here. Not anymore. I didn’t know where he went, but one of the twins assured me in passing that Beau knew how to take care of himself.
I didn’t need the reminder.
I knew he did.
Beau was one of the strongest men I knew, but also one of the most dangerous.
“I don’t want to make this sound awkward,” Harmony began, her soft rasp drifting through the silence like a soft breeze. I twisted my neck, pulling my eyes from the passing pasture to look over to her. “I actually know who you are—well, not like that. I know your work.”
My eyebrows lifted. “My work?” I asked, seeking clarification. Was she one of my customers?
She slowed the car as we came around a bend, turning the wheel with grace. “Your articles.”
I blinked. That wasn’t the answer I expected. “You read my articles?”
Harmony shot me a sheepish look. “Reading the news is a guilty pleasure of mine—and I like it from an actual newspaper. I try and pick up the Denver Tribune every Sunday.”
“Oh, well—uh—thank you,” I said as a new thought hit me. “It’s rare to see someone our age reading a physical paper. Most prefer our online subscription.”
As she kept her blue eyes focused on the road ahead of her, the side of her mouth lifted. “I like the feel of it in my hands, the crinkle of the pages when I flip to a new section.”
My chest warmed, feeling the same and remembering the first time I saw the Denver Tribune printing press.
“I just wanted you to know I respect it—your career. Being an investigative journalist can’t be the safest job in the world,” she said before adding quietly, “for a woman.”
I short laugh came from me then. “You have no idea,” I told her, thinking about all the times I’d been threatened, bribed, and harassed.
“You have no idea who you’re inspiring, Abbie,” Harmony murmured, taking the turn to go around the back side of the main house and the barn. “There could be so many little girls seeing your name everywhere in the city, or even the state.”
My throat thickened.
“What you’re doing is very brave, and I admire that. The first column I read by you was the church embezzlement one.”
The memory tugged at me. I’d received two death threats when I was investigating it, and then more followed after the article was released. I never took those threats seriously. Most of the time they were from guilty, pissed off people. In that case, it was two members of said church who lost millions of dollars. Before I could stop it, the words left my mouth. “Christians are some of the most hateful people in the world, using the Holy Bible as a form of bleach to wash away their sins.”
The sentence hung in the air like a noose, reminding me of the Christ believers who’d hurt me in the past. Then, multiple questions rang like a series of bells in my head.
Was my stalker a Christian man? Did he believe in the same God I did? Or did his God praise the terrorizing of women?
“You have no idea,” Harmony whispered, more so to herself than me, pulling me from the questions rattling off inside my head.
I blinked, clearing my throat and looking straight ahead at the Hallow Ranch entrance. My eyes drifted up to the iron archway for a moment before a flash caught my eye. I dropped my eyes to see Dave’s Audi pulling onto the gravel path, stopping a few feet in front of us.
I looked over to Harmony. “Thank you,” I pushed out, my voice heavy with emotion.
Tears glistened in her eyes as she smiled at me. “I’m sorry for everything. Those cowboys are wild, and sometimes, they do things without thinking.”
I returned the smile and got out of the car. Harmony followed suit, coming around the front, holding her arms open, the question lingering in her eyes. She didn’t have to ask. I stepped into her embrace, returning it. “Thank you,” I croaked again. She would never know how much this meant to me.
We broke apart, and Dave got out of his car, his eyes fierce behind his glasses. Suddenly, the events of the last few weeks caught up with me, and I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The sight of him was just enough for me to breakdown. Before I knew it, I was running to him, my hair whipping behind me. I needed my best friend, my safe space.
“Dave, thank God!” I rasped as I slammed against his body. He wrapped me in a bear hug, lifting me off the ground slightly.
“Jesus, Abbie,” he breathed out, his hand going to the back of my head as I buried my head in his neck. My body shook with sobs as I tightened my hold on him. “Who the heck are you?”
“I’m Harmony Langston.”
“Hey, hey,” Dave cooed, urging me to pull back so he could look at me. My face was wet with tears, my heart cracking into a million pieces. “Abbie, talk to me. What’s going on?”
“Get me out of here,” I begged. “Please God, Dave. Get me away from Hallow Ranch.”
His eyes scanned mine, his brow furrowed. “Abbie, did he hurt you?”
No one would ever know how much. He hurt me every single day since the day I left. His absence was painful, but his presence was my damnation. I couldn’t tell Dave that, though. There was so much left unsaid, hiding in the dark where they would forever remain.
I shook my head, choking on a sob.
Dave set me down, but didn’t let me go as he looked back at Harmony. “Who is she?” he asked me.
I looked back to Harmony, wiping a tear. “A friend.”
She smiled and took a few steps back to the door of the backseat, getting my bag. She closed the door with her hip and began walking toward us when I heard it.
The sound of rolling thunder.
I stepped out of Dave’s arms, spotting a cowboy on horseback coming over the hill, the sun shining down on him.
“Abbie!” he roared, his call rolling through the swaying blades of grass like a siren’s song. Goosebumps scattered across my skin, stretching over my arms and down my legs.
Harmony looked back to Beau and then to me. “If you go now, I can hold him off,” she offered.
I jerked, looking at her. “You—you would do that?”
Dave took the bag from her. She gave another sad smile, lifting her chin. “Go.”
I looked back to Beau, seeing how close he was now. I could see his sharp jaw, the only thing that wasn’t covered by the shadow of his hat, watching the way his body moved in time with the mighty steed underneath him. Suddenly, I had the overwhelming desire to paint, to capture this moment on a canvas, to hang it on my wall. My fingers twitched, missing the feel of the paint brush in my hands. The sky above him was crisp, the clouds fluffy and grand, the sun high and bright, and I knew his eyes were fierce. His horse—Spirit—was a work of art all on his own, tall and golden with a mane and tail as black as midnight and pairing him with the beautiful cowboy on his back seemed almost criminal. How dare God put such beauty in my life, such love…only to take it away?
“Abbie?” Dave called from beside me. “Are we going, or did you want to say goodbye to him?”
“Abbie!” Beau bellowed again, Spirit’s hooves pounding against the earth.
Harmony wrapped her arms around herself, her thin, sage green cardigan falling off her shoulder, revealing more freckles dotted across her pale skin. “Abbie,” she rasped. “If you don’t leave now, he’ll never let you go.”
Tears stung my eyes. I knew she was right. I had to go.
Still, my feet didn’t move.
They didn’t move when Dave put my bag in the car.
They didn’t move when Beau started slowing his horse.
They didn’t move when he got off his horse, holding the reigns as he stalked towards me, his blue eyes on fire, his nostrils flaring.
They didn’t move when he ignored Dave and Harmony’s presence as he closed the distance between us, not stopping until he was inches from me.
I remained frozen in place as he reached up, hooking his rough finger underneath my chin as he glared down at me.
“Leaving me again, Wildflower?”
As if I had a choice the first time.
The tears in my eyes spilled over the edge as my lip trembled. I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t. His blue eyes scanned my face, the air around us growing hotter by the second, having nothing to do with the sun looming over us.
When I didn’t answer, he tilted his head to side as he softly noted, “Regret doesn’t look pretty in your eyes, Abbie.”
I flinched, and then his hand was gone.
He took a step back and twisted his neck, his eyes on Harmony. “Your husband is looking for you,” he said.
“If my husband wants me, he’ll find me himself, Beau,” she returned, raising her chin.
He said nothing and looked over to Dave, tipping his hat. “Dave.”
My best friend gave Beau nothing and looked at me. “You ready?” he prompted firmly.
I cleared my throat and nodded. Thankfully, my body could move now, but when I stepped forward, heading towards the passenger side of the car, Beau’s hand shot out, landing on my mid-section. My breath caught, and I looked up at him, finding despair in his eyes.
There were so many things I wanted to say.
So many things I needed to say.
So many things I couldn’t say.
Silence stretched between us our gazes holding each other captive as my heart drummed, the sound filling my ears. After a few moments, Beau’s hand dropped, and he looked away from me.
Something, deep within the broken parts of my soul, died in that moment.
The moment Beau Marks truly, finally, let me go.
I looked straight ahead and lifted my chin, hoping the disguise would work, hoping no one could see the torment storming inside me. This was for the best.
Someday, I prayed I would be able to tell him the truth. When we were both old and gray, I prayed he would have mercy on me.
I prayed he would understand.
I opened the door and turned back to face them, the Hallow Ranch sign directly above me. Harmony’s eyes shined with friendship, her curls gently shifting in the breeze. I gave her a nod and mouthed, “Thank you,” before casting one more look at Beau.
He wasn’t looking at me, focusing on anything but me as his horse huffed and puffed behind him. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. After a moment, he looked down at his boots, his throat working.
This was our silent goodbye.
I got into the car and looked down at my lap.
Then, I burst into tears.
“You ready to tell me what the hell is going on?” Dave asked from the driver’s seat, the hum of his engine filling the space.
I looked up to find a tissue in his hand, held out for me. I sniffled and muttered a thanks as I wiped my eyes.
He put his hand back on the wheel. “Abbie, what’s going on? Why were you at Hallow Ranch?”
I looked out the window watching Hallow Ranch fly by us as we headed to Hayden. “He found out about my stalker,” I whispered.
“Beau?” he breathed out in shock. “He—he found out—how? Did you tell him?”
Dave knew about Beau. He knew how much I loved Beau. He knew that, once upon a time, Beau was my lifeline, my sun. After I left him, I was a wreck. I spent three weeks on Dave’s couch, crying and refusing to eat. I'd lost twenty pounds, and it got to the point where Dave had to spoon feed me. I was a mess.
Now, here I was, six years later, once again a mess.
“I called that agency in Denver you thought could help, and apparently, the owner is good friends with one of the Hallow Ranch cowboys.” I looked over to Dave. “I was trying to find some way to protect myself and, later that night, Beau was at my door, demanding answers.”
Dave’s jaw dropped as he did double-take at me. “Wait—wait, you mean to tell me your super hot cowboy ex-boyfriend found out through the grape vine that you had a stalker, and he kidnapped you to protect you?”
I nodded. “He stomped into my house like the last six years hadn’t happened, packed my bag, and threw me over his shoulder.”
Dave made a noise. “What a man.”
My head jerked towards him. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I snapped through my tears. “He kidnapped me!”
“To protect you,” he clarified.
I opened my mouth, ready to protest, but Dave shouted a curse, swerved, and slammed on the breaks. I looked out the windshield just in time to see Spirit hopping over the barbed wire fence, his cowboy on top. He made a solid landing, and Dave and I watched in shock as Beau snapped his reins again, commanding him to walk into the two lane road. He stopped the horse on the double yellow line as few feet from Dave’s car. Beau sat tall on his stead, his chest heaving, his face hidden by the shadow of his hat, but I could feel the heat of his gaze.
I popped the car door open, folding myself out of it. “What the hell are you doing?” I shouted, shaking my head in disbelief.
“What the fuck does it look like?” he quipped.
I slammed Dave’s door and stalked towards him, throwing my arm out. “Endangering Spirit.”
“He’s fine. He’s jumped higher,” Beau replied.
I gaped at him and looked back to Dave’s car to find him slowly getting out.
“If you think I’m going to just watch you walk away from me again, you’re out of your goddamn mind.”
My head whipped back to Beau, finding him off his horse now. He took a step closer. “If you think I’m going to let you walk away when you’re in danger, you’re out of your goddamn mind.”
He took another step, then another, not stopping until he was directly in front of me, his scent overwhelming me. His next words came out as a whisper, almost to himself as he stared down into my eyes.
“If you think I’m going to let you go again, you’re out of your goddamn mind.”
I shook my head, fear blooming in my heart. “You can’t say things like that to me,” I whispered back, my voice cracking at the end.
His hand shot up, wrapping around the back of my neck. “The hell I can’t,” he growled just before his mouth slammed down onto mine. My hands shot up to his chest, ready to push him off, ready to set a boundary.
Then, his tongue shot out, stroking the seam of my lips.
Before I could comprehend it, my body gave in to him. My mouth opened, letting him in as my hands fisted his flannel, clinging to him. On a second growl, his tongue swooped in, drinking from me like I was the only thing he needed in this world. His fingers tightened on the back of my neck, holding me in place as he rediscovered me and I, him.
His taste— God . Mint.
A sound came from the back of his throat just as I let out a moan. My hands slid up his chest to his shoulders, feeling his chest against mine as the breeze blew around us. He slanted my head to the side, groaning and kissing me harder.
Our lips melded together in a frenzy of apologies and heartache. For a few fleeting moments, I wasn’t Abbie, successful journalist. I was just Abbie, Beau’s wildflower, and he was still the same old Beau, the man who supposed to be my husband, my everything.
“Jesus Christ ,” he grunted against me, his hand moving to cup my face just as he pulled away.
“Beau,” I rasped, my eyes fluttering open to find nothing but his blue.
His thumb stroked my cheek, the rough pad of it sending a chill down my spine despite the heat. “Yeah,” he murmured, his voice low.
A throat cleared behind us, and I looked over my shoulder. Dave was leaning against his Audi, holding up his phone. “Now that,” he said proudly, “needs to be framed.”
My jaw dropped, and Beau said nothing, his hands falling away from me. I looked back to him, ignoring how much it hurt to watch him pull away. The warmth, the overwhelming heat in his eyes, had disappeared by the time they collided with mine again. That was when I knew.
Beau never intended on kissing me.
That was mistake, and we both knew it.
“You aren’t leaving Hallow Ranch,” he declared.
“I have to, Beau,” I told him, my voice unsteady, heart pounding.
“No, you don’t. You are under my damn protection, and the safest place for you is here.”
I waited: like a fool I waited for him to add on to that sentence. With me.
When those words didn’t come, I mentally shook it off and took a few steps back. Being here with him was dangerous. We hadn’t even been around each other two days, and we’d already given in. He regretted kissing me. I could see it in his eyes, the agony glimmering within his blue.
What pissed me off about that was his agony only made them even more beautiful.
“Abbie, you’re staying here.”
I whirled at Dave’s declaration. “What? No! You came here to get me—”
“—yeah, and Beau ran after you on horseback. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I agree with him. Your stalker is in Denver and you’re here, three hours away.”
“This is my hometown,” I argued. “Whoever the hell he is probably already knows my connection to it.”
“Yes, but he sure as shit doesn’t know about Beau,” Dave countered, looking behind me.
Something nudged me from behind, shoving me forward a bit. I turned to find Spirit staring at me. He neighed in greeting, and I reached up to pet him. “Hi, pretty boy,” I cooed as I looked at his rider. I shook my head. “I don’t want this coming back on Hallow Ranch, and Mason made it very clear this morning that I wasn’t welcome.”
Beau looked out to the road and nodded. “Well, he’s right. You aren’t.”
My hand froze on Spirit, and I jerked back. Beau rubbed his jaw and looked at me again. “But that doesn’t fucking matter, because this is life and death. The cowboys will get over it soon enough.”
“If she isn’t welcome, then…” Dave trailed off, looking at me.
I glared back at him, hating him for suggesting I should even stay here.
The warmth and purity of that kiss faded away, and now, the only thing I was left with was shame. “Dave, I want to go home.”
He opened his mouth, but the sound of his cell ringing cut through the air. He pulled it out of his pocket, answering it. “Harris, babe, I can’t talk— what?”
Dave’s eyes shot to mine, a look of horror painting his face. I took a step forward, nausea swirling in my gut.
Was something wrong with Harris?
“Babe, slow down,” Dave said, looking at Beau, his skin growing paler with each passing second. Slowly, as he held the phone to his ear, he looked over to me. “Abbie…your house was broken into and ransacked.”
“What?” I breathed.
My best friend looked pained as he pushed out the next words. “Your art room has been destroyed.”
The next thing I knew, my knees were giving out, and I was heading for the pavement. A strong arm banded around my waist as a gut-wrenching cry escaped my mouth. I doubled over as Beau hauled me back against his body.
“No! No! Dave, tell me you’re lying!” I cried out, my voice echoing through the summer day.
Beau hauled me back against him with a low grunt, his other arm banding around me, just under my breasts. I felt his mouth against my ear next. “Steady, Abbie.”
I shook my head as Dave put his partner on speaker.
“They—oh, God, Dave…” Harris trailed off.
“What?” I shouted, desperate for answers, silently praying for mercy. “What is it?”
“Abbie, sweetheart, they destroyed your art pieces. All of them.”