Chapter 18
Eighteen
“ S o.” Sebastian took a long pull on his beer. The guys were deep into a round of pool when Sam and Evie showed up. She bounced off to be with the girls, and Sam was having a hard time taking his eyes off of her surrounded by all their friends. He laughed as Jake sank the eight ball right in the corner pocket and groaned. “Seems like that’s going well.”
“That?”
“You and Evie.”
He took a sip from his water. “Yeah. It is.”
“That’s great. You know I’m gonna campaign for best man rights at your wedding.”
Sam eyebrows nearly reached his forehead.
“Don’t think Daisy didn’t tell me how you wanted to fire Evie the very first day she was on the ranch. I got an emergency phone call and had to deal with shit from my fiance and her best friend for weeks. They made me promise over and over again that I’d go against you if you really wanted to fire her.”
“And you would have?”
“No. But those two are scary when they come together to fight for a cause. I would have done what was best if it came down to it, but I think we all knew that in the end, Evie was actually the best thing for the ranch.”
“Yeah. She really has been.”
“Are you ready to get help on those out of balance books yet?”
Sam sighed. “No. I want to give Evie a little more time to look into things. With what happened at her last job, I can’t imagine the stress of another investigation would be good for her, or the baby.”
“It still looks like she’s the one moving money?”
Sam nodded. “It started the day she got access to all the accounts. Nothing has happened in a few weeks, but we don’t know whether that means the person caught on or this is just their pattern and they’ll be back for more, you know?”
“Shit. You don’t think it could be her playing at?—”
“There is no way in hell I think Evie is stealing from me.”
“Okay.” Seb smiled. “I’m here if you need my resources for anything, Sam. I meant what I said last year. None of us want to see the stress of the ranch destroy you. We want you here. Healthy and happy. That’s what’s most important.”
“I appreciate that, Seb.” He looked back at Evie, laughing at something his sister had just said to her. “I’m quickly realizing there are much more important things in life than the ranch.”
Sebastian’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Good man.”
“It‘s not weird that I’m here, is it?” Evie sipped her lemonade and sank down in her chair. It felt like her belly had grown exponentially overnight, and although she loved Jellybean making herself known to everyone around her, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to hang around with her friends in a bar .
“Hey! I’m here, and I’m definitely bumping harder than you!” Grace waved at her belly and laughed.
“Yeah! Screw anyone who wants to have a problem with it. You’re not drinking, and we want you here!” Abby smiled as she placed her hand on Evie’s arm. “Besides, we all need hang out time with my brother’s girlfriend .”
The women all squealed as Evie laughed. Daisy’s arm wrapped around her back as she gave Evie a hug.
“I’m so excited for the two of you! We need to hear all of the details!”
Jellybean chose that exact moment to roll, squishing painfully on her bladder.
“I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it, but the baby is going to make me pee my pants if I don’t find my way to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
“Do you want company?” Emma asked.
“I’m good. No sense in having to stand in that line unless you really have to go.” Evie waved over her shoulder to the girls and made her way across the bar.
The hallway to the restroom was busy, but surprisingly there wasn’t a line. Evie was certain she would have peed her pants, or rather her shorts, if she had to wait for a stall to open up.
She finished up in the bathroom, excited butterflies dancing in her stomach at the thought of not only having so many wonderful things to share with the women, but about actually having a wonderful, supportive group of friends who would be genuinely excited for her to share.
A hand reached out and fingers wrapped painfully around her arm. Before she could even get her bearings, Evie was pushed up against the wall, a body grinding into her chest with so much force, it was hard to breathe.
“I told you, Evelyn, I would make sure you paid.”
Oh god .
Evie’s whole body went numb as her mind went blank. He was there. His threats were real. Ryan Bowman was in Texas, and the only thing Evie knew for certain was that after the way he’d been non-stop harassing her over the last few weeks, he terrified her.
She tried to push her former boss off of her, but he was too heavy. His punishing grip only tightened more each time she tried to buck him off of her.
Ryan leaned in, his hot breath hitting Evie’s face in a wave that made her gag. “You fucked everything up for me. If you had just gone out with me, we could both be sitting on a nice beach somewhere enjoying the money I’d been funneling away for an early retirement.”
“Dr. Bowman,” Evie winced. His hip was pressing painfully against her side, and Jellybean rolled against the intrusion. “Ryan, please. You’re hurting me.”
“You were right the first time, Evie. It’s doctor. We aren’t coworkers anymore. I earned that title, and I think you’ll find things go easier for you if you address me as such.
“If you don’t want something to happen to that absolute abomination in your belly, you best come with me, and don’t even think about making a scene.”
Evie stared over Dr. Bowman’s shoulder, willing Sam to feel her distress. She just needed to catch his eye for a second…
Jesus, she was beautiful. Her hair bounced over her shoulders as she walked to the bathroom. She fit in perfectly with his friends, and that settled something in his chest, like a missing puzzle piece finally sliding into place. He’d wanted her to like them. And he wanted his friends to like her too.
“What’s going on there, Sam?” Hank laughed. “You look like your whole world is across the room right now. ”
“I kinda feel like it is.”
“So, you and Evie? You know Daisy is going to insist on being your best man at the wedding.”
Sam laughed. “She’ll have to fight Seb for it. He’s also taking credit for things falling into place for us.”
“My money’s on my wife winning that fight.” Hank chuckled as he took another drink. “You’re okay that she’s bringing a little someone along with her?”
“Fuck. More than okay. The first time she let me feel the baby kick, I knew that was it. I want her and the baby in my life more than I want my next breath.”
“That’s amazing. I’m happy for you.”
Warmth settled over him. It felt great to talk out in the open about what he wanted. Even a hint that he was planning to make his relationship with Evie a permanent thing had his heart fluttering in his chest. He just hoped the damn machine in his chest wouldn’t think he needed a shock.
“I wanted to ask you something.” Sam hadn’t known whether to approach Hank about Evie’s old boss or not, but after tossing and turning the past few nights, he figured it couldn’t hurt.
“As a friend, or as the sheriff?”
Sam sighed. His tone must have given him away.
“As the sheriff.”
“I don’t have an update for you on the investigation for your cattle, Sam. I wish I did. I’ve got a contact in the Game Department I sent a message to, waiting to hear back from him on any crime that might be happening on ranches outside the county.”
“I appreciate that Hank, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. It’s actually personal.”
Hank took a long pull on his beer. “Okay.”
“Evie got a phone call from her old boss the other day. I overheard just a little bit of it, but from the way he was fucking verbally assaulting her…”
Hank sat up, his arms crossing over his chest. “You think the guy is a danger to her?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. She said that was the first time he called her, but she’s been getting nasty texts from random numbers for a while. I made sure she knew to block them, but I just don’t like the feeling that’s churning in my gut.”
“Send me the guy's name and I’ll look into him.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s my job to protect the citizens of Clarence County. And nothing is more important than helping family.”
Sam shook Hank’s hand. His eyes bounced back towards the hallway where Evie disappeared a few minutes before. She should already be making her way back to the table. Instead, his vision went white when he saw the fear in her eyes as some asshole pressed her up against the wall.
Sam was on his feet, charging across the room before Hank’s shouts after him could even register. He reached out and grabbed the fucker who was touching Evie’s arm.
With a hand around the asshole’s neck, Sam yanked backwards before slamming the man’s head down on the bar.
“Don’t ever put your fucking hands on my woman.” His voice had a deadly growl to it, and his clenched fists shoved down against the prick’s back as he tried to push away from the bar.
Sam moved, shielding Evie with this body. He felt her arms wrap around his waist. As much as he loved that she wanted to be near him, he needed her to be a safe distance away in case he had to punch the fucker.
“You okay, Evie?”
She shook her head back and forth against his back. Shit, he needed backup quickly because all he kept thinking about was wrapping his arms possessively around her and allowing himself to feel the weight of her against his heart.
“That’s him, Sam.”
“Him?”
“My former boss.”
Her former boss. The prick that had been calling her incessantly, messaging her, threatening her. The fucking asshole he’d just asked Hank to look into. He showed up. In their small town. He tracked her down and actually showed up.
Holy fuck. Sam was going to kill him. There was this primal urge bursting out, screaming at him to eliminate the threat to his woman. Protect her and the baby with everything he had.
“What’s going on here?” Hank’s voice finally snapped Sam out of his murderous spiral.
“Took you long enough.” Sam couldn’t help it. He was pissed the jerk had shown up and from how terrified Evie had looked when he ran over, the asshole had threatened her.
“Let me go.” Evie’s old boss thrashed against Sam’s hold.
“This is the fucker I was just asking you to look into. Seems he got sick of just making threats over the phone to Evie.”
“Fuck. Evie, are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine. Shaken up. He threatened to hurt me. I just… it was upsetting to hear.”
“Do we need to get you checked out?” Sam asked, growling the moment his eyes landed on the finger-shaped bruises that were already starting to form on Evie’s arm. “What about the baby?”
“That baby is a fucking bastard, and it’s mother is an abomination! Who would allow a woman to make a baby on her own? Without a father!”
His whole body went still, shock radiating from his fingertips to his toes.
“I suggest you never say something like that about the mother of my baby or my daughter again, or I will make sure you never see another Wisconsin sunrise.”
“Hank,” Evie’s voice shook, pulling him out of his rage. “I think… would it be okay if we went to sit down?”
“Yeah, I understand what’s happening here. I’ll make sure our newest visitor to Bell Ridge gets a real nice tour of our law enforcement facilities before he returns back to where he came from.”
“Don’t you need a statement from us? From Evie?”
“I’ll get it later, Sam.” Hank leaned in, never loosening his hold on the prick’s arms. “Make sure she’s okay. Looks like she could be in shock.”
He nodded, grabbing Evie’s hand as he walked back towards the front of the bar.
“Please, Sam. Let’s just go back to our friends. I don’t want to ruin the night.”
His hand slid down to the small of her back as he spun the both of them around. “Let’s go.”
Sam led her through the bar, but he didn’t stop at their table. When Evie passed, Abby and Grace looked at her with concern, but Daisy’s eyes drifted down to her hand in Sam’s and gave her a little smile.
“Where are we going?”
“To that booth over there.” Sam nodded his head in the direction of a table near the corner of the bar. It was a ways away from their friends, but seemed quieter than the rest of the bar.
He waited for her to scoot over on the bench seat before sliding in. Sam’s chest heaved as he laced his fingers through hers.
“Are you okay?” she asked, searching his face to try and decipher all the emotions running through him.
“Jesus, Evie. I should be asking you that. He was all over you. I should have been paying better attention. I’m sorry.”
“I can handle myself, Sam. You don’t have to feel responsible for me.”
“Yes, I fucking do. You aren’t here as some stranger, or even as my friend. You’re here as my woman. And I’m trying to get my heart to calm down because the second I saw him crowding you… putting his hands on you, I thought I was going to beat him to death. And I would have happily done it to make sure you were safe.”
“What can I do to help?”
Evie moved so that their hips were touching as she laid her head down on his shoulder. She felt his chest rise as he took a deep breath.
“This is helping.”
“Thanks for coming to my rescue. What he said about me…”
“Don’t even think about that for another second, Bluebell. There wasn’t a single thing that he said that’s worth another thought.”
“Why did you say that about me? About Jellybean?” she whispered.
“Say what?”
“That I was the mother of your baby. That Jellybean was yours?”
“Because I… I want that to be the truth. It’s what we’re walking towards, isn’t it? I’m not just dating you to get in your sexy maternity shorts. I want it all with you. The family. The future. Everything.”
Her eyes moved down to his lips, and it took every ounce of strength she had not to pounce on him like a possessive kitten .
She froze as Jellybean pressed out, her belly turning into a tight mountain of baby butt and feet.
“Ouch.” Evie breathed out slowly as she massaged the overstretched skin, willing her daughter to move to a comfortable position.
“Can I?” His hand hovered over her belly.
“Of course.”
“I meant what I said. I’m so fucking attracted to you.”
“I’m pregnant.”
“Yeah, Bluebell. I’ve kind of known that since the day we met.”
“But she’s not yours. Isn’t that hard to get past?”
Sam growled. “That’s the one time you get to say that, Evie. Because she is. She’s more mine than any other man’s and I want to be the only dad she ever knows.”
Jellybean rolled beneath his hand. Her girl was already smitten with him.
“Sam.”
“I know it’s a lot, Evie, but I know you feel it too. There’s a reason you came into my life. A little tornado in the shittiest car I’ve ever seen. Ready to set my ass straight whenever I get out of line. We’re right for each other. It’s just right.”
His face nuzzled into the crook of her neck, and her eyes fluttered shut as he peppered kisses along her jawline.
“Sorry to interrupt you love birds.” Hank stood at the edge of the table with Jake by his side, clearing his voice and looking anywhere but at the two of them. “Evie, I wanted to let you know that Ryan Bowman has been taken into custody by one of my on-duty deputies. He’ll be processed for physical assault, stalking, and harassment. We’ll need written statements from you and Sam, but that’s something we can take care of tomorrow, along with getting you a restraining order against him.”
Evie nodded, sinking further into Sam’s chest .
“Thank you, Hank.”
“Are you feeling okay, Evie? Do you want me to ride over to the hospital with you so they can check on you and the baby?” Jake’s concern was so sweet, but unnecessary.
“I’m fine, thank you though. I honestly just want to forget he even showed up here tonight.” She pressed a kiss to Sam’s cheek. “I think I’m ready to go back to the girls now.”