Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Mallory stopped on the sidewalk, unable to move forward. They were two doors down from Leroy’s Place in Porter’s Corner and it was just minutes before ten o’clock.
She couldn’t do this. She didn’t want to do this. The last thing she wanted was to see Mitchell again. He would find fault and start picking at her within two minutes of their meeting, and he would not be kind with his comments.
She could not understand why he was there, demanding to see her. He had not appeared too hurt when she’d broken it off with him before she’d left for Rawhide Ranch. Why would he want to see her now?
“Mallory? You okay, bunny?” Fletcher asked gently as he moved behind her and began to massage her shoulders.
This was the man she wanted. Fletcher was the man who understood her and had done more in the last two weeks to help her mend her broken heart and soul than anyone else had in her life.
Certainly not Mitchell, who always wanted her to change into something only he could envision but could not explain to her.
When she’d thought she had met his demands, they would change without warning.
Mitchell spent their time together tearing her drown, breaking her further when she could not be whatever it was he wanted.
“Why am I doing this?” she whispered.
“Because you need to put your past to rest so we can move into our future together,” Fletcher reminded her.
“Our future?”
For a moment Mallory did not understand what Fletcher was saying. He would be at Rawhide Ranch for less than two weeks longer. How did that constitute “our” future?
Fletcher moved to stand in front of her, leaning down until they were eye to eye.
“Yes, bunny. Our future. I love you,” he said then stopped speaking, obviously waiting for her to reply.
“And I love you.”
“So if I love you and you love me, don’t you think we should have a future together?”
Mallory’s heart thumped harder at the image of a future with Fletcher coming to life in her brain.
“I guess. Yes. Yes, we should have a future together,” she answered after a moment of thinking.
“Good bunny. Now, let’s go tell the foolish asshole. I’ll be beside you the whole time. And Master Derek will be backing us both up.”
Fletcher’s description of Mitchell as a foolish asshole tickled Mallory and she began to giggle as she nodded her agreement.
When she could speak again, she said, “Okay. Let’s go tell the foolish asshole that he won’t ever get me back, even if I hadn’t found the man of my future.”
Fletcher nodded and wrapped an arm around her back. His touch helped her confidence grow big enough to face her foolish asshole of an ex. She felt strong as they finished the walk to the diner.
Fletcher opened the door and guided her through before following her. Derek followed, still silent.
Mallory was surprised the resort owner had remained quiet, but then she realized that he’d taken a step back as her protector to allow Fletcher to step into the role. In any case, she was happy to have both men with her at this moment.
Entering Leroy’s, she glanced at the big clock on the wall.
10:12. They were late, but scanning the empty diner she was not surprised Mitchell was nowhere in sight.
They’d be lucky if he arrived before ten-thirty.
After her classes and counseling at Rawhide Ranch, she could now see that he was a self-centered narcissist and it never bothered him to put others out as long as he got what he wanted.
She smiled as she realized that, no matter what else happened, this time he would be walking away empty-handed.
“Morning, folks. Take any table you want and I’ll be with you in a minute,” the waitress appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. As soon as they nodded their acknowledgement, she disappeared once again behind the swinging door.
Mallory decided to sit at the booth closest to the door. She slid all the way across the bench seat so Fletcher could join her on one side of the booth while Derek sat on the other side, leaving just enough space for Mitchell to sit next to him.
That way she was protected if Mitchell tried to lay hands on her. If he even bothered to show up.
“What can I get everyone?” the waitress, whose nametag identified her as Roxanne asked as she approached. “Oh, good morning, Derek. What are you doing in town on a Tuesday?”
Derek glanced at Mallory before answering. “Dealing with a little problem.”
After ordering coffee for the men and a hot chocolate for her, along with three pieces of cherry pie with ice cream, the men looked at her.
“Is he often late?” Master Derek asked.
Mallory nodded and took a deep breath. “All the time. It was but one of the reasons I broke up with him.”
Both men nodded. “We’ll give him until we finish eating and then we’ll return to the Ranch and he can go fuck himself,” Fletcher said.
For some reason his words and disapproving tone set Mallory to giggling again as she leaned her head into his shoulder.
Fletcher could only smile at Mallory’s delight in his words.
What she did not understand was that he was not kidding.
If the man was so impolite as to not show up in a timely manner, he was taking her back to Rawhide Ranch and then setting his investigators to digging into the asshole’s life.
Then he would decide whether to destroy him or not.
They were nearly finished with their snack when the door swung open and a slick-looking man sauntered in as if he owned the place and had all the time in the world.
The clock on the wall showed he was twenty-eight minutes late. When Mallory stiffened beside him, Fletcher looked at Derek and nodded.
Mitchell had arrived.
“It’s about time,” Mallory said, going on the offense. She stared at the man who approached the table with disdain. “But I shouldn’t have expected anything less. What do you want, Mitchell?”
“Good morning, Mallory,” Mitchell said pleasantly, as if he hadn’t just kept them waiting a half hour after the agreed upon meeting time.
Fletcher had to take a breath and remind himself that he was here as backup, not to deal with the man for Mallory. What he really wanted to do was chase the man. Out of the diner, out of the state and as far away from his rope bunny as he could.
Fisting his hands under the table, he would instead sit back and remain silent while Mallory dealt with this self-absorbed piece of trash. A glance at Derek showed him the resort owner was also fighting the urge to step in and do damage to the man Mallory had once been involved with.
Uncurling his left hand, Fletcher laid his palm on Mallory’s thigh. He wasn’t sure if it was to give her strength, or just to assure her she was not alone. He had to bite back a smile when her hand settled on top of his.
“What do you want, Mitchell?” she asked again, her voice soft but intense.
It was obvious to him that she was ready to leave.
Mitchell looked confused for a moment. “Aren’t you going to ask me to sit down so we can talk and catch up?”
“No,” Mallory answered immediately. “You’re not wanted here and I only came to find out why you’re here.”
“Why haven’t you come home yet? You were only supposed to be gone for two weeks and it’s been over four months. You need to leave this den of vipers and sinners and come home with me. I’ve found a minister who can cleanse you of your wickedness and get you right with God once again.”
“No.”
“No? What the fuck does that mean?”
“First of all, what I do with my life is my business. Secondly, I am right with God and don’t need you or anyone else telling me how to live.
Third, and most important, we broke up more than five months ago.
Why are you here now? If you need to convert someone, go to hell and convert the devil to be a good guy because you’ll have better luck with him than you will convincing me to start dating you again. ”
Fletcher could not help the grin as he studied Mallory. She looked fiercer than he’d ever seen her.
Ignoring the man who stood beside the table blustering at her attitude, he leaned forward and brushed a kiss on Mallory’s lips. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Can we leave now? I need to talk to Sadie and Payne about an art exhibit and Reese about a coloring book if we’re going to have it before you leave in two weeks. I also think we need to talk about our future.”
Fletcher leaned in and kissed her again, this time lingering and taking it deeper and deeper until he heard Mitchell swear before stomping out the door. Only then did he pull back and break the kiss.
“Stay here with Derek for a minute. I want to go have words with your foolish asshole ex.” Fletcher brushed a kiss on her forehead before rising and following Mitchell from the diner.
“Hey,” he called as Mitchell stopped beside a rental car.
“What the fuck do you want?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be taking care of Mallory from here on and I won’t let anyone or anything hurt her. So if you do anything that will cause her pain in any way, I will end you. And I have the means to do it,” Fletcher said, keeping his tone conversational.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“A man who has vast resources and information at his fingertips. Don’t hurt her or piss me off and you can live to be an old foolish asshole. Otherwise, you might find yourself hurting in ways you could never imagine. Have a safe trip back to wherever you came from.”
With that warning delivered, Fletcher returned to the diner. After paying for their food and leaving a generous tip, he pulled Mallory from the booth and hugged her tight.
“Let’s go back to Rawhide and start working on our future.”
“Yes, Master,” she returned his smile with a bright one of her own, “I’d like that.”