Chapter 16
16
Liam
L iam was on cloud nine. He couldn’t have been happier than he was at that very moment. Here he was, madly in love with a woman who was so far out of his league, and yet he was making it work.
Miracles could happen. Or maybe it was just hard work. Either way, he was winning at life, and he couldn’t think of a single thing that could make his life better. If he were to die right here, right now, in this very field after being trampled by a cow, he would die happy.
He chuckled at the thought of being knocked to the ground by a stampeding herd as he walked the pasture looking for anything that didn’t belong. It was a tedious job, but he was willing to do it while he waited for Margot to show up later that afternoon.
One day off from working for Zeke wasn’t going to hurt much, and he was far too distracted to be much help anyway. He was running on fumes as it was, and working with the horses wouldn’t be the smartest idea, either.
He picked up a tattered grocery bag and shoved it in the sack he carried. Motion out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned to find a newer-looking car driving up the gravel road toward the house.
It was a familiar car, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen it before. Only someone with money would own something like that around here. Could belong to Shane. Zeke wouldn’t be caught dead in a car. He preferred the solid build of the older trucks despite having money to buy the newest one on the market. It would have to belong to someone in town.
But who remained a question.
Liam paused what he was doing and followed the car with his eyes. It skidded to a stop near the barn, spitting gravel in all directions. Liam watched one of his brothers exit the barn and approach the car as someone stepped out.
Even from where Liam stood, he could see exactly who had been driving the vehicle, and his heart stuttered. What was Margot’s father doing here? He worked a nine-to-five job in town at the bank. While he had money, it wasn’t nearly as much as Shane or Zeke Callahan. Apparently, it was enough to buy flashy cars and walk around muddy fields in suits that had no business being outside of a conference room.
Rhett turned his head in the direction where Liam stood. Beside him, Caleb pointed at the field. What a traitor! Liam momentarily considered running in the other direction. There was no way Rhett was in good enough shape to keep up, especially if he was wearing a pair of dress shoes that matched his suit.
Turning to glance over his shoulder at the only path to escape, Liam already knew it wasn’t going to be an option. His personality simply wouldn’t allow it. Every man who had a daughter liked Liam. He’d never had an issue with any of them.
Rhett Bennet was the exception.
For some reason that Liam couldn’t figure out, the man loathed him. It might have something to do with the fact that Liam had brought Margot home late after some of her botched dates. Then again, he’d explained that he wasn’t responsible for the state Rhett’s daughter had been in. Besides, Margot had to have told her father that Liam could be trusted, right?
He swallowed hard and remained where he stood as the father of the woman he loved charged toward him. He got about halfway across the pasture when he stopped and looked down. Lifting a leg, he scowled at his shoe and let out a string of expletives that would have made the foulest man in town blush.
Uh-oh.
Rhett was not happy.
Forget that. Rhett was livid. Liam took a stumbling step back, even though the man had several more yards to cross before reaching him. He didn’t know what Rhett wanted, but it wasn’t going to turn out well. Maybe it was time to call Margot and ask her to mediate over the speaker.
No.
Liam was going to fight his own battles. And if that meant going head-to-head with Margot’s father, that was exactly what Liam was going to do.
He nodded sharply once, then a second time. After dropping the sack to the ground, he took a wider stance and folded his arms. Rhett respected men who didn’t let him walk all over them. At least that was what Liam assumed.
Rhett pointed a stout finger in Liam’s direction once he was close enough to speak without yelling. “You.”
“Good morning, Mr. Bennet. What can I do for you?”
“Don’t play coy with me, you miscreant. I know what you’re doing, and I want it to stop.”
Liam’s brows lifted. “What exactly am I doing, sir?”
“You can cut that garbage right now. I know it’s all for show. I might not understand why everyone in town thinks you’re such a good kid, but that doesn’t mean I have to go along with it. I want it to stop. All of it.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but you’re going to have to be more specific.”
Rhett snorted, poking Liam in the chest this time and accentuating each word he said. “You’re going to stay away from my daughter.”
“What?” Liam chuckled. “You want me to stay away from Margot? That’s actually kind of hilarious.”
Rhett was momentarily stunned by Liam’s response. His head pulled back and his expression slackened. However, the reaction was short-lived. “I don’t find any of this humorous. You’re to leave Margot alone and never see her again. You’re a bad influence.”
Liam laughed again. “You can’t be serious.” While he would never tell this man the full details of what his daughter had been up to since her return home, he wasn’t going to let the man make false claims about his reputation. “I can assure you that I’m the best thing that ever happened to your daughter.”
The man’s face turned a deep shade of purple. “I hardly think that keeping my daughter out late and getting her drunk is being a good influence. She’s not herself lately, and I think you are to blame.”
“If I’m to blame for anything, it’s that I’ve made your daughter happier . When she got to town, she was a shell of the person she was when she moved away to go to school. I’m the one who told her she should listen to you and re-enroll in college.”
Rhett snorted. “I doubt that.”
“Believe what you want, sir, but you might as well give up this whole quest of yours. Margot would be furious if she found out you were trying to keep us apart. I might not know a lot, but I know that much.” Liam didn’t think it was possible, but Rhett’s coloring seemed to worsen. He hopped about like an angry bird who couldn’t find the worm he’d been tracking all morning. “I’m warning you?—”
“Is that a threat?”
Rhett poked him once more, only to become startled when another voice sounded behind him.
“I think you should leave, Mr. Bennet.”
Margot’s father spun around to find Liam’s band of brothers standing only a few feet away. One by one, they weren’t all that threatening. But when there were five or more of them, their intimidation factor rose significantly. Wade, Lucas, Elijah, Henry, and Caleb all stood their ground while Wade did most of the talking.
“May I remind you that once you’ve been asked to leave, you’re officially trespassing. While I would prefer not to use force, I’m not against protecting my property and my family when it comes to outside threats.”
Rhett glanced back to Liam, who simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders. The Keagans were nothing if not supportive of one another. They didn’t take kindly to anyone pushing them around. Liam had only been surprised that it took his brothers this long to catch on to just how angry Mr. Bennet was.
“This was a nice little chat, Mr. Bennet,” Liam said, “but I think it would be best if you listen to what my brother has said and head on out.”
The man’s hands clenched at his sides. Whatever had possessed him to come all the way out here to the ranch ran deep. Liam wouldn’t have been surprised if Rhett had refused to leave and chosen to be taken down by manual force.
Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. He huffed and marched back the way he’d come. Liam and his brothers watched Rhett drive away, spitting gravel on his way out. When he was finally out of sight, Elijah was the first to speak. “Don’t worry about him. He’s just trying to take care of his daughter.”
Caleb snorted and strode away. Lucas and Wade nodded their agreement with Elijah, and Lucas chuckled. “You can’t win them all, buddy. I made my share of enemies when it came to the fathers of the girls I dated. You just have to remind yourself that the girl is the one who makes the final decision. Don’t get her mad, and you’ll be golden.”
“Gee… thanks,” Liam muttered. He’d never approved of Lucas’s way of doing things, and he wasn’t going to take what he said to heart during this matter, either. He glanced around at his remaining brothers. “Thanks for backing me up.”
“What are brothers for?” Henry grinned at him. “We’re always going to be there for you. Never forget that.”
When his brothers were all gone, Liam pulled out his phone. He didn’t know what Margot knew of her father’s little adventure, but he did know she wouldn’t like it. He also wanted to make sure that she was fully aware that he didn’t agree with what her father wanted for her.
He dialed her number and waited as it rang several times before going to voicemail. Liam tried again, telling himself if she didn’t pick up, he’d leave a message. Thankfully, he didn’t have to do that, as a groggy-sounding Margot answered, her voice unfocused. “Hello?”
“Margot? Sorry if I woke you.”
“Liam?”
He smiled at her sleepy voice.
“It’s like seven in the morning.”
“Yeah, I know, but I wanted to reach you before anything happens.”
There was a pause on the other end.
He glanced over toward the barn where some of his brothers were chatting. “You’ll never guess who I spoke to this morning.”
“If it isn’t the president of the United States, then I don’t want to hear about it.”
Liam chuckled. “Pretty close.” He waited for a moment, then sighed. “Your father stopped by.”
“What?” her voice practically shrieked. “My dad came to the ranch?”
“Yeah. He seems to think you need his protection.”
She groaned, but it was muffled as if she’d placed her hand or a pillow over her face. “You have to be kidding me.”
“I take it you didn’t know.”
“Of course I didn’t know,” she muttered. “I would have never let him leave the house if I knew that was where he was going.”
“To be fair, you were asleep only a few minutes ago.”
“Oh, hush, you.” While there was a note of teasing in her tone of voice, there was also a great deal of tension. “I can’t believe he did that. I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal, really. I handled it, and your father… dealt with it in the best way he could.”
She groaned again. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means he wasn’t happy that I stood my ground.”
“Figures,” she said flatly. “Do me a favor and forget that this ever happened, okay?”
“It’s not a big deal, really?—”
“Please, Liam. For me?”
He nodded, though he knew she wouldn’t be able to see it. “Sure. Of course.”
“Thank you,” she said, letting out a breath as if she’d been holding it.
“I love you,” he responded.
After a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke. “I love you, too.”