Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Sydney
The landscape had changed from freeway sprawl to wide open sky and endless fences, and for the first time since she stepped off the plane, Sydney could breathe again.
The driver, a bored-looking man who hadn’t spoken more than a dozen words since picking her up, tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as they followed the long gravel driveway toward the main gates of Rawhide Ranch.
Her heart gave a hopeful flutter at the sight of the large arches up ahead, carved with the double Rs she’d dreamed about so many times.
This was it.
This was real.
Sydney was finally here. After months of late-night and early morning calls, juggling time zones, little care packages, stickers in the mail, and sweet rules whispered over a screen, she was finally going to see her Daddy in person.
Sydney sat up straighter, smoothing down her hair, and clutching Banana in her lap like a talisman. Her nerves had dissolved on the drive. All that was left now was excitement. Her heart beat like a hummingbird’s wings. The anticipation and joy so much it was almost too much for her to contain.
The driver pulled up to the security booth by the front gate. The guard inside was broad shouldered, with a pair of sunglasses hiding most of his expression. He stepped up to the car window with a welcoming smile.
“Good afternoon.”
Sydney leaned over from the backseat, smiling brightly. “Hi! I’m here to see Greg.” She paused and when he didn’t immediately respond she tried again. “Gregory Thatcherson.”
The guard blinked, then frowned slightly. “Do you have an appointment or a reservation?”
“I... I’m his girl,” she said quickly. “He works here. He invited me to come stay for a few weeks. I”—she swallowed the sudden lump in her throat—“I flew in from South Africa to see him. He was supposed to fetch me from the airport, but I took an earlier flight so I’m hoping I caught him before he left.
” She held up her phone, thumbs fumbling to unlock the screen and find the photos he’d sent her.
“See? This is him. Greg. He’s one of the guards here? ”
The man took a step back, his expression going from friendly to concerned. “I’m afraid we don’t have a Greg Thatcherson working here, ma’am.”
Sydney’s already faltering smile fell from her face completely. “What?”
The driver let out a sigh, tapping the wheel. “Look, miss. You gonna get out or what? I need to get back to the airport, this was a far drive.”
“My name is Jacob Andrews and I’ve worked here for a while, ma’am, and I know the team. I can check the staff list again, but I’m afraid there’s not a Greg Thatcherson here. I don’t believe he’s ever been a guard at Rawhide Ranch… not now. Not ever.”
Not ever.
Suddenly with those two words, the car felt too hot. Too small. Her chest tightened.
“Please, just... can I show you the messages?” she begged, unbuckling her belt and pushing the door open. She stumbled out, gripping her phone and Banana like lifelines.
When the guard noticed her stuffed bunny, his expression softened but she couldn’t let that penetrate, not in her current state.
“Look! Look at the photos he sent me. He said this was his room. His badge. This one is of your gate, right there behind him—”
The guard held up a hand, still calm, but firm, regardless of his softened expression.
“Little one, I’m going to need you to calm down for me.
Can you take a couple of deep breaths with me?
” Even as the guard inhaled deeply to demonstrate what he’d requested, he shot the driver a reproachful look as the guy muttered something under his breath and revved the engine slightly.
“I don’t understand,” Sydney whispered, blinking furiously.
Her fingers trembled on the phone screen, trying to scroll through messages, images, anything that would prove she wasn’t insane.
“I don’t understand what’s happening. This can’t be happening.
” The words kept running in a loop over and over and over in her head. This can’t be happening.
But it was.
“Did I come to the wrong place?” she whispered, staring at her screen before staring up at the guard who was pulling out his phone to probably call the cops to come and take away the crazy person at their gates.
“Is he at the airport right now, looking for me?” she said, again talking to herself, but the question was spoken out loud, directed at the guard whose expression filled with even more sympathy.
Her breathing turned ragged. What if this was all fake?
What if her dream man had catfished her from all the way across the world?
She clutched Banana tighter, the soft fur growing slick with Sydney’s anxious sweat.
The edges of her vision began to blur, like fog creeping in from the corners of her mind.
Sydney knew what was happening. She recognized the symptoms, even if she hadn’t had an anxiety attack in years.
But recognizing them didn’t mean she could stop it.
The guard said something again, but she couldn’t hear it. Her ears were filled with rushing static. Her knees buckled.
And then. Arms surrounded her.
Warm. Strong. Familiar.
She was vaguely aware of being held carefully. Not grabbed. Not restrained. Held with consideration and care. Her back was pressed against a broad chest, a low voice murmuring something steady and calm near her ear, grounding her.
She tried to lift her head to see who it was, but her body had other ideas. The lack of steady oxygen coming in finally caught up. The static got louder, the world spun once more, and then it went dark.
The first thing Sydney felt was warmth.
Not the feverish kind that came from the panic or being sick, but the comforting kind. Like a warm campfire. Something soft was behind her head, and someone’s arms were still around her. Protective. Steady.
Her eyes fluttered open.
The ceiling above her was timbered, high and rustic. A fire crackled in a hearth nearby. She shifted slightly, and a hand gently cupped the back of her head.
“Easy now, little miss,” came a low, familiar drawl. “You fainted.”
She blinked, and her blurry vision cleared to reveal a square jaw, concerned eyes, and tousled dark hair.
Levi.
Levi! Of all people to witness yet another of her meltdowns, it had to be the handsome stranger from the airport.
“Hi,” she croaked, her voice embarrassingly small. “Where...?”
“You’re safe,” Levi said gently. “You’re at Rawhide Ranch. This here’s the lobby.”
Sydney’s gaze drifted beyond him, across the room.
The lobby was spacious and yet seemed cozy, more like a hunting lodge than anything corporate.
Large leather chairs were arranged on brightly colored area rugs, offering guests various seating areas in which to relax.
The fireplace providing the warmth was not only massive, it was open to what she assumed was another public space.
Wide wooden planks and real logs made up the walls.
She couldn’t see everything, but what she could gave the impression of welcoming guests to come inside and sit awhile.
Resting against one of the chairs across from her and Levi, arms crossed loosely and expression thoughtful, was a man who looked carved from the same wood as the beams above her head. Tall and broad, with weathered skin, a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard, and intelligent blue eyes.
He gave her a soft nod.
“I’m Derek Hawkins,” he said, voice low and warm like the fire behind him. “I own the Ranch.”
Her lips parted but no words came.
Levi shifted beside her, adjusting the blanket draped over her legs. “You passed out at the gate. Had yourself a proper panic. We brought you inside out of the cold with your bags from the taxi.”
Sydney sat up a bit, the dizziness fading now. Banana was still clutched in her arms. Her fingers grabbed her bunny’s ear like a lifeline.
Derek stepped forward slowly, no hint of menace in his movements. Just calm, steady concern.
“Can you tell us what happened, little one?” he asked gently. “Start from the beginning if you will.”
Before she could answer, she caught sight of another figure sitting quietly in a straight-backed chair across the rug from her.
It was him. Levi’s partner. The same handsome man from the airport. He sat with his legs crossed, and brow furrowed as he watched her with quiet curiosity.
Three complete strangers. And still no sign of Greg.
Her stomach twisted, but she nodded.
Time to face the truth.
She’d been fooled by the man she thought she was in love with.