Chapter 12
Isabelle
“Izzie, wait up!”
Isabelle stiffened then relaxed when she realized who was calling for her. She offered her baby brother a small smile. He wasn’t much of a baby, only a couple years younger than she was, but he was still the baby of the family. “What do you need?”
She couldn’t help but eye him warily. The other day he’d been chatting with Jason. That wouldn’t have been anything to worry about, except it came after her second panic attack. He’d wanted her to talk. He’d wanted to help fix her.
But there was nothing that could be fixed. Her issues were her own. And they certainly weren’t big enough to tattle to her brother about.
Ten days. She’d kept an eye on Jason to see what he’d do.
Marcus’s frown said it all. What had Jason told him? No one on this ranch knew about her attack… well, at least not until Jason. Apparently, he’d been harboring this secret for years. Why now?
“Hey,” Marcus said. “You listening to me?”
She blinked. Had he been talking? Shoot! If Jason said anything, her reaction right now would only prove Jason right. Isabelle cleared her throat and nodded. “Um, yeah.”
Marcus didn’t look convinced at all. “Then what was I asking?”
Chewing on her lower lip to quell the anxiety clawing at her insides, she let out a laugh. “Okay, you caught me. I’m a little… distracted.”
“Yeah. Looks like it.” Marcus tilted his head. “You doing okay? You seem off.”
Off?
Off!
She wanted to give Jason a piece of her mind. He’d definitely said something because she hadn’t been acting any different than she’d been for years. Schooling her features, she nodded. “Of course I’m okay. Just tired, maybe.”
Marcus nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay.” He studied her for a few moments, then nodded again. “Right, well, I wanted to tell you that the vet stopped by. The pups are doing good, but the one you asked about might not make it.”
Her heart fell. “What?”
He nodded. “I’m sorry. Not sure what we could do except to try nursing it back to health by hand. There’s too much going on in the pen for it to keep up.”
Isabelle fought her already heightened emotions. She hated it when this happened, but they did have a protocol for this exact reason. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll take care of it.”
Marcus patted her on the shoulder. But when he didn’t leave right away, she could do nothing but stare at him expectantly.
“What?” she demanded.
“You sure you’re okay?”
Isabelle threw her hands up in exasperation and stormed off.
Jason had definitely said something. And if Marcus knew, it was only a matter of time before everyone else in their family knew as well.
Soon, Sophia and Camilla would be banging down her door to talk.
Mateo and Roman would be insisting on getting a name and address for the guy who had thought he had the right to drug her.
Everything would turn into one giant mess.
And it was all Jason’s fault.
Her blood simmered. Her eyes narrowed just before she reminded herself to ease the tension in her facial muscles. “Yeah. I’m good.”
Still, Marcus didn’t look convinced. But at least he didn’t push the issue. He nodded, tapping his fingers on his thighs. “If you ever need anything, you know you can tell me, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” she insisted.
“Okay.” He nodded sharply as if he needed to convince himself to go.
Jason definitely said something.
The second he was out of sight, Isabelle’s eyes darted around the immediate area. She didn’t know why she expected to see Jason lurking in the shadows somewhere, but when her search turned up nothing, she hated that she found herself even more irritated.
Hands balled into fists, she stalked toward the kitchens. He was probably prepping for the next meal. Isabelle should have realized that it would look funny for her to march into the kitchen and demand to speak to him, especially in front of her sister-in-law.
“We need to talk.”
It wasn’t until the words left her lips that she regretted them.
Jason froze.
Nikki stared at her with surprise, then suspicion.
Mark clearly found humor in the situation. But when she glowered at him, he ducked his head and bit back whatever choked laughter attempted to escape him.
She cleared her throat and glanced at Nikki. “I need to talk to Jason for a second. Is that okay?”
Nikki arched a brow, then glanced toward Jason.
If Isabelle wasn’t livid with him, she might have been pleased to see the guilt that swept over his features. He’d done something wrong, and the evidence was written all over his face.
“It won’t take long,” Isabelle reassured her sister-in-law.
The woman flicked a hand in their direction. “Fine.”
Jason pulled his apron from his head and tossed it to a nearby counter.
Then he followed her out. There was no way she’d be caught talking to him about this in the cafeteria area.
Anyone, including those in the kitchen, could walk in and hear her demand to know what Jason had been saying to her family.
Rather than wait for him to saunter after her, Isabelle grabbed ahold of his wrist and all but dragged him out of the side door. Once they were outside, she whirled on him. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
He blinked at her. “Sorry?”
“Is that a question?”
Jason crossed his arms, his brows furrowing. “Yes. I want to know what you think I need to apologize for.”
She threw her hands in the air with exasperation. “I can’t believe this.”
“If this is about me not telling you that I intervened when—”
Her sharp eyes stalled the words he was about to say. “It’s not,” she seethed. “This is about the fact that you have been telling my family about what happened.”
His whole body seemed to jolt with her accusation as if he’d been struck by lightning. “What?”
Isabelle jabbed him in the chest with her finger. “Admit it. You told Marcus about what happened. I saw you.”
The scowl that formed on his face surprised her if nothing else. He leaned into her, forcing her to take a step back. The low, rumbling sound of his voice caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. “I haven’t said a word to your family. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
She glowered right back. “Then why is Marcus acting like something is wrong?”
“Maybe because you’re more transparent than you think,” he snapped back. “The only person I mentioned anything to was Mark.”
The blood drained from her body, and she felt weak. “What?”
“I didn’t tell him much—just that you were drugged and I took you to the hospital.”
She wanted to rage and scream, but his next words tamped down on her reaction.
“He was there that night, too.” This time, he spoke quietly, gentler. “I didn’t want him asking too many questions, so I gave him the smallest bit of information to ensure he didn’t push too hard.”
Why did she suddenly feel grateful to him? Jason was right. If Mark poked around too much, it would draw more attention to her. The fight went out of her body, and she fought the onslaught of emotion creeping back in. “I want to know everything.”
Jason didn’t move. His stance remained rigid. “I don’t know if that—”
She stepped up to him this time, though her confidence was still wavering. “I need to know.”
He dragged a hand down his face. “It’s not really a quick story.”
“The Cliff Notes, then.”
Isabelle eyed him, watching for the crack in his defenses to widen. When his shoulders relaxed and he finally gave her a small nod, she knew she’d won.
“After dinner. Find me and we’ll… talk.”
Isabelle’s tears had run dry. They both sat against the side of the house where no one would interrupt them. Her back pressed against the cool siding, and her arm brushed against Jason’s. She felt sick to her stomach.
From the moment he started telling her about when he first saw her to the moment he intervened in the alley, she’d been transfixed. Snippets of her memory flickered in her mind as he relayed everything he knew.
Then when he told her about dropping her off at the hospital and making sure she was looked after, her heart practically swelled in her chest. They’d been strangers. And yet, he’d been there for her like no one else would have.
Now, it was quiet between them.
The tension had fizzled.
Now, she just felt like a shell of herself—again.
Where was the closure? Wasn’t that expected once all her questions had been answered? She should feel better. But she didn’t. There weren’t any more questions. Understanding the events that occurred didn’t fill the hole she felt in her soul.
Hollowness.
Fury.
Pain.
They all remained.
She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her forehead atop her knees.
“Are you…”
“If you ask me if I’m okay, I’m going to slug you.”
Isabelle sensed more than saw him nod. “I’m still angry with you.
” When he didn’t demand to know why, as she’d suspected he would, she opted to explain herself.
“I’m angry that you kept this from me. I get that we didn’t know each other, but…
” She lifted her head and turned it enough that she could look at him.
“I’ve spent so much time thinking that if I could get all the questions about that night answered, maybe that would help.
” Her voice cracked. “But nothing’s changed. ”
A part of her was relieved that he wasn’t telling her he understood. Because how could he? Jason hadn’t been the one hurt.
“That doesn’t mean I’m not glad I know,” she added.
He nodded again, but still, he didn’t speak.
“And you didn’t tell my brother? My family?”
Slowly, Jason shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that to you.” He chewed on the inside of his cheek and turned his attention to the evening sky. “You know, if you want to talk about it—any of it—I’m here. I can’t say that I will understand, but… sometimes it’s good to just… talk.”
“No,” she said more firmly than she meant to. Then softer, “Thanks, but no. I’d rather just try to move past it. I don’t want to dig it up and analyze it. I don’t need to beat it to death. I’d rather just bury it like the corpse it is.”
“That’s not smart.”
Isabelle’s body tensed at his words. “I’m sorry, but who do you think you are? Do you have any training?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Have you ever been the target of an attack?”
“No. But Isabelle—”
“Then don’t you dare tell me what is smart or good for me.” The last thing she wanted was for him to point out she needed to talk to a therapist. He’d be wrong. Therapists might be a good fit with some things. Certain people needed someone to talk to.
But not Isabelle.
Talking was too painful. And it wasn’t going to change anything. Only time was going to heal the scars she was dealing with. Isabelle jumped to her feet and frowned down at Jason. “Thanks for… everything. But I just want to forget.”
He peered up at her from where he still sat. It looked like he was going to say something more. Clearly, he was battling with the instinct to. Her body itched to take off running so she didn’t have to endure whatever it was.
But then he nodded again, his jaw tight.
Her body relaxed and she turned to walk away. She got three steps away from him when his words stopped her in her tracks.
“I mean it, Isabelle. If you ever want to talk. Or if you ever need a hug. Even if you want someone to beat your fists against.” He paused as if expecting her to turn to face him. When she remained frozen in place, he continued. “Just know I’m here for you.”
Part of her wanted to turn to face him, to run back to him and beg him to hold her. Isabelle’s fingers twitched. The muscles in her legs spasmed.
“I miss our runs,” he said so quiet she almost didn’t hear him. “Mind if I join you on your next one?”
Guilt swamped her, weighed on her. They both knew she’d been avoiding him. With a sigh, she said, “See you tomorrow morning, Jason.” Then she shook her head more to herself than anyone else and strode toward the front porch.