Chapter 11
11
Hudson
H udson couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d been filled with more fury than he was in this moment. Rachel didn’t deserve any of the treatment she’d suffered at the hands of those miscreants.
Holding her trembling body only fueled his rage. It was one thing to damage property, but to put that kind of fear into someone needed punishment. If he hadn’t been so worried about her, he would have jumped in his truck and chased them down. They wouldn’t have gotten far, and he knew it—mostly because he didn’t recognize them.
They were cowboys—but that was as far as their “local” nature took them. They could have been part of any one of the communities that surrounded Copper Creek. Come to think of it, they could be part of one of the criminal groups that had hung around the area a few years back when there was a shoot-out at Sal’s diner.
Whoever they were, Hudson wasn’t going to allow them to get within a hundred feet of Rachel. He didn’t care what he had to do to make that happen. If he had to stand guard outside of Rachel’s door, so be it.
Currently, he sat on his bed, waiting for the shuffling sounds to come to an end. From the sounds of it, Rachel was pacing. She’d refused to call her sister. They’d agreed on filing a report with the sheriff in the morning and leaving the room untouched.
Hudson had to force himself to sit still so he wouldn’t be tempted to go check on the pretty woman in the room next door. The last thing she probably wanted was for him to remind her of what had just happened.
And yet the itch to go in there couldn’t have been stronger.
He eyed the rifle on his bed, prepared to use it at a moment’s notice.
This was why he hated people so much. They were miserable, no-good wastes of space. His angry energy continued to mount until there was a soft knock on his door. He jumped to his feet, grabbing the rifle as he did. Charging forward, he didn’t think twice about what he might have to do next.
Hudson swung open the door to a startled Rachel. Her hair was up in a messy bun, her eyes red from crying. She wore a white tank top with a pair of baggy sweatpants. And the only thing he could think about was how beautiful she looked, even after going through this trauma.
Her wide eyes dropped down to the rifle, then bounced back to his face.
“What is it? Did you hear something? I knew I should have pushed to get those dogs. I swear, that will be high on the priority list?—”
“I can’t sleep,” she interrupted him with a soft voice. Rachel wrung her hands and glanced away. “I’ve tried to lay down on my bed a hundred times. I just keep thinking about… what if they come back?” Her voice broke, and along with it, something inside him.
Hudson could pull her into his chest. He could whisper assurances that nothing would happen to her and he’d be here to protect her. But that wasn’t what their relationship was. He’d be overstepping. “I could sit outside your room if that would help.”
He didn’t think it was possible, but her eyes widened further. Her cheeks colored, and she looked away once more. “I could never ask you to do that.”
What else was there? It wasn’t like he’d be sleeping any time soon. He was wired. There was a part of him that still itched to go out there to hunt, and he wasn’t planning on tracking any defenseless animals, either.
His hand tightened on the rifle, and he shifted uncomfortably. For once in his life, he was at a complete loss for what to do. He wanted to fix this—to help her. His heart yearned to make this right. A very big part of him blamed himself for what had happened. If he’d only been here, maybe he could have prevented this.
The guilt ate at him like a corrosive acid, and his stomach roiled in response. Before he could tell her just how sorry he was for all of this, she spoke again.
“Do you think… would it be weird if…” Her blush deepened a few more shades, and she brought a trembling hand up to her hair as if she needed to fix it. “Could I stay in your room? It would only be for tonight. I could sleep on the floor?—”
“Absolutely not,” he cut off her rambling, to which she gaped at him. He hurried on to clarify, “You’ll take the bed. I’ll keep watch. And before you say anything, I’m not tired. I don’t think I could sleep if I wanted to.” He pulled the door open wider and jerked his chin toward the queen bed he’d been using.
Her eyes darted to the bed, then back to him. “Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t. You need your sleep.”
“So do you,” she said sharply, her authoritative tone returning. “I can’t have you exhausted when you’re supposed to be keeping an eye on the place.”
“I’ll be fine. I can take a few naps tomorrow when my brothers help out.” He could see it in her eyes. She wanted to protest. This woman, who had pretended to be strong up until this evening, had finally let her walls crumble to reveal just how scared she was. Hudson muttered a curse under his breath. The reasons he hated people only continued to mount. At this point in his life, the only people he could tolerate were either bonded to him by blood or they were under this very roof. “Well, are you going to get some shut-eye or not?”
She ducked her head and moved past him, murmuring a quiet “Thank you” as she did.
Once he turned out the lights, he headed for the rocking chair in the corner by the window. He’d already moved it to the perfect location, where he could keep an eye on the main road in the distance. Any headlights that passed the ranch would catch his attention immediately.
Hudson took a seat and placed the rifle across his lap. He stared out the window, but his mind was elsewhere. He was so attuned to Rachel climbing under the covers that his ears twitched. The whole thing felt far more intimate than he’d anticipated, and he found his pulse quickening just thinking about how close she was. It wouldn’t take much for him to turn his head and watch her sleep.
But that felt like a violation of privacy.
So, he continued to look out the window. Several minutes passed by and he thought for certain that she’d drifted to sleep. But then her quiet voice broke through the stillness.
“Hudson?”
He stiffened, then peeked at her, though all he could see was the silhouette of her body under the covers. Hudson turned his focus to the window once more and grunted.
“Do you think things will escalate further?” Her voice no longer trembled, and the fear in her tone had disappeared. All that was left behind was a broken curiosity. It was as if she’d accepted her fate.
“They’d be idiots if they did.”
“Maybe.” She sighed, then she grew quiet again, but only for about five minutes this time. “Hudson?”
His breath was heavy as he glanced toward her once more. “Yeah?”
“Do you ever wonder if you’re making a difference?”
He frowned at her in the darkness. “What’s that supposed to mean? You run charities, don’t you? Of course you make a difference.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. Do you wonder if you make enough of a difference… or if all your efforts are for nothing?”
He didn’t know what to say to that. What was she getting at?
“I suppose you might not be the kind of person who cares about something like that.” Her voice had turned almost sleepy. “But I like to think that sort of thing matters—even to you.”
“I don’t know.” It was an honest answer. He hadn’t considered whether he was making a difference or if it mattered. All he cared about was making the right choice for the general community, and doing right in the eyes of the Lord. In a way, that meant he was trying to make a difference. But there was also a strong possibility that he was simply being selfish and doing what he wanted most. “You’re a better person than I am,” he murmured. “What you do is for everyone but you.”
She snorted. “Not really.”
That didn’t make a lick of sense. He nearly pressed her for an answer, but then she offered one of her own volition.
“It’s mine.”
Hudson shifted in his seat and stared hard at her silhouette. “You’re going to have to be clearer than that.”
“The sanctuary. It’s mine. I bought it with the trust my parents gave me. It was on a whim—but something that was most definitely all for me.” The confidence in her voice wavered. “Sometimes I wonder if I should have done it at all. Maybe that’s why this is happening to me. I bought it for selfish reasons, and now I’m paying the price.”
They might have only been a few feet apart, but they might as well have been separated by entire worlds. “Now it makes since why you care about it so much. You are the least selfish person I can think of,” Hudson said, his voice subdued. “No one would spend their money on a project to save wild horses just because they liked the town and liked animals. What you did wasn’t just for you. I hope you know that.”
“Maybe.”
There was that word again, though this time it was a little more hopeful than the last. She rolled over onto her side and adjusted her pillow. Hudson watched her for several moments before he finally forced himself to stare out the window.
This place wasn’t just some client’s. It was Rachel’s, and she’d gone and done one of the most miraculous things she could have with the wealth she’d been given.
And confound it if that new information didn’t make him like her that much more.
Hudson’s mind was reeling. Athena couldn’t possibly know about this expenditure, or Henry would have found out and word would have spread through the family ranks. Wade would have known for sure. Maybe Elijah. Hudson would have liked to think that since he was dedicating so much time to helping Rachel out, Henry would have given him a heads up.
He couldn’t help glancing over at her. The sound of heavy breathing filled the air. She’d finally found enough peace to fall asleep. Good. She deserved it. Something told him that things were only going to get worse from this point forward. Whoever wanted her gone wasn’t going to stop until they were caught.
His hands tightened on the rifle in his lap, and he sat a little straighter. Hudson thought back to that night they walked home from the country club and he’d told her about the land. The thought of her going and buying this land touched his heart more than anything had in his entire life.
He could think of little that was more admirable than to stand guard for a woman like Rachel. He’d show her just how important her decision had been. He’d protect her interests if it was the last thing he did.
It wasn’t just for the horses anymore. It was for the angel who had not only put her heart on the line but her life as well.