Chapter Four
Diana
I stared at the court documents, my eyes feeling dry, stinging.
“For heaven’s sake,” I muttered, lifting my head and closing my eyes, tears filling them as I shoved my hands into my hair.
I had a love-hate relationship with spring and summer. I loved the warmth, sunshine, and the colors. My sinuses, however, hated everything about them. We were weeks away from autumn, and then it wouldn’t be long after that when the temperatures would start to drop. The animals would go into hibernation, taking my seasonal allergies along with them.
Opening my eyes, I twisted my neck to look at the blue hydrangea bush outside my living room window. Oh, how I loved her.
You love the things that could kill you the most, apparently.
My mind immediately went to the cowboy with hair black as night and dark eyes to match. Goosebumps scattered across my skin, and I chewed on my thumb nail, silently cursing myself. It had been over a week since I’d made a fool of myself at Hallow Ranch, and since then, I’d been a recluse. I’d also made some horrible decisions in a poor attempt to forget said incident, which, as always, never panned out for me. Still, I did things I shouldn’t have, and now, I felt like I was two steps back when I should be four steps forward.
Regrettably, I rose from my spot on the couch to close the curtains, my eyes unable to handle the sunlight right now, and when that was done, I turned on my air filter in the corner, the steady hum of it reminding me of a hospital. I tilted my head back and rolled my neck, stretching it like my physical therapist taught me, feeling a twinge of a pain on the right side. I winced and pressed my hand against it.
I was falling apart in my thirties. Everything Jennifer Garner taught me in Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving had been a lie.
My phone dinged with a text from Thomas, and I scooped it up.
Thomas: Mr. Weatherford called. Apparently, the parents’ lawyer advised them to drop the case.
I had the phone to my ear within the next second, calling him. He answered on the second ring. “I knew I should’ve called, but I didn’t know how you were feeling,” he greeted.
“Don’t worry about me, Thomas,” I told him, brushing it off, the clogs in my mind already turning. I chewed on my thumb nail a for a moment longer, fully prepared to get lost in what I called: The Harper Law Black Hole of Work-aholic-ness. Then, Thomas’ voice cut through.
“Someone has to,” he replied, his voice soft, making my heart jump into my throat.
Thomas, sweet Thomas.
A man too good for this world and definitely too good to be working for me.
“What did the client tell you exactly? What’s their play here?” I asked, ignoring his comment. Though it was sweet, if I indulged him, it would eventually turned into a “you need to take care of yourself” lecture. I didn’t have time for that, not today.
For the next few minutes, I paced back in forth in my small living room while he went over the details.
“I don’t trust it,” I murmured when he was done, looking over the curtains I’d just closed minutes ago, already missing the sun.
“I was hoping you would say that, because neither do I,” Thomas said, humming in agreement.
“Who is their lawyer? Do we know?” I asked, moving to the window and giving in. In the next second, the precious light of the sun flooded my living room once more, and I ignored my stinging eyes. I’d get some eye drops the next time I was at the store. For the last week, I’d been trying to get this mystery lawyer to get in contact with me but kept getting roadblocks. The parents refused to talk to me, but that hadn’t stopped them from going back to Weatherford ranch two more times to harass my client.
I’d already sent Thomas to deliver a C&D to their residence. They slammed the door in his face.
“No, but Mr. Weatherford spoke with him directly, and I told him to call you with the name.”
I nodded, even though no one could see it. “Alright. Good. Anything else?”
“Denver Langston stopped by a few minutes ago looking for you.”
I tensed, my feet stopping in the middle of the living room next to my coffee table. My question was loaded with caution. “Did something happen?”
“No, he just said he was just stopping by to check on you. I told him you were out sick.”
My eyes widened. “Thomas, you didn’t.”
He was silent for three long seconds as I took in the state of my house, from the messy kitchen, the pile of laundry on my breakfast table, to the flattened pillows and scattered throws all over my couch. My eyes dropped down to my coffee table, my eyes widening in horror at the sight. It looked like there had been a mass tissue murder, the used pieces of cotton dotting the vintage wood along with the endless protein bar wrappers. Sitting on the edge of the table was my yogurt bowl from yesterday, the spoon perched inside.
All at once, I felt like Kathleen Kelly from You Got Mail when Joe Fox came to her apartment when she was sick. Denver wasn’t my Joe Fox, but he was my friend.
A friend who would show up at my house when I was sick.
“Oh, God,” I breathed, slapping my hand to my forehead.
“Was I not supposed to tell him you’re sick?” Thomas asked, pulling me back into the present.
Right on cue, a powerful knock sounded at my front door. A groan left me then as I looked up to the ceiling, pretending I could see the heavens. “God save me,” I sighed.
“What was that noise? Is that Mr. Langston?” Thomas uttered, and I could practically see the shock on his face in my mind.
“Unfortunately,” I muttered as the cowboy banged on my door a second time.
“Diana!” he bellowed. “Open this fucking door before I break it down!”
“What’s he going to do, kick the door down?” Thomas deadpanned.
“Yeah, actually.”
My paralegal was silent for a moment. “Please don’t let that cowboy kick down your door.”
“I’ll do my best,” I muttered, knowing it was too late for me to tidy up. Another sigh left me. “I’ll call you back, Thomas.”
“Sorry for sending you the trouble, Diana. I know you need to rest.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be back in the office on Friday.” I hung up and tossed the device on my baby blue couch, watching it bounce as a third knock floated through the air.
“Diana!”
I eyed the tissues. “The cowboy needs to learn patience anyway,” I whispered to myself before I cleaned up the trash, grabbed the bowl, and walked into the kitchen. Denver pounded on the door again, yelling my name as I walked down the hallway. By the time I got to the door, I was certain he was ready to kick it down. I yanked it open to find the six-foot-seven cowboy’s gray eyes glaring at me, his nostrils flared, black cowboy hat on his head and all. The outside air hit me, attacking my sinuses, and before I could utter a greeting, I squeezed so hard, it hurt.
“Denver,” I greeted once I opened my eyes, sniffling.
He said nothing, his eyes scanning me as I held the door tightly. I knew it wouldn’t stop the man from barreling into my home, but it never hurt to try. I really didn’t need him, my first client, seeing me like this.
“What’s going on?” he demanded, a crease of concern between his brows.
“I have a sinus infection, Denver. It’s not a big deal,” I answered softly.
“You running a fever?” he clipped.
I shook my head. “No, just a headache from hell. Oh, and I can’t breathe, but that’s neither here nor there.”
He stared at me, worry swirling in his eyes. “Are you resting, or are you working on shit you shouldn’t?”
My mouth opened and closed twice, heat rising in my cheeks.
Denver’s eyes narrowed to slits, piercing my soul. “That’s what I fucking thought. Move.”
He didn’t give me a chance to refuse before he stepped forward. I had no choice but to move, or he would bulldoze me over. I watched as he entered my house like he owned the place. I bent my head in defeat as his boots thundered down the hallway, and I quietly closed the front door before following him. As I walked into the living room, finding him standing in the middle of it, surveying the current state I was living in, I pulled my over-sized zip hoodie tighter around myself. I took a second to thank my past self for choosing this house, because without the high ceilings in the hallway and the vaulted one in the living room, Denver’s presence would’ve made it look small.
“It’s just a sinus infection,” I repeated when his eyes finally landed back on me.
“What happened with the girls at the diner scared the shit out of me,” he clipped, changing the subject.
My mouth turned dry as my lips parted, but nothing came out.
“You know all the shit my wife and sister-in-law went through with Moonie,” he continued, pausing for my reaction. I nodded, and he looked away from me. “The last time I was that scared, the love of my life had been taken from me, trapped in that fucking fire.”
Memories of that dark day shot to the front of my mind, projecting images I was hoping to forget. I’d never been so scared when I got the call from Beau that Hallow Ranch was on fire. In fact, the entire town had been fearful.
“I know, Den,” I whispered.
His intense gray eyes snapped back over to me. “You don’t need me to repeat what happened with that fucker. You know that no amount of justice you or any court would serve would’ve been enough for me—or Mason.”
I knew Moonie was dead, his ashes on Denver’s mountain. I knew those cowboys didn’t have a problem with exacting their own version of justice. “I know.”
“Then you need to understand that what happened at the diner couldn’t have been your business. If you knew who it was and what went down, then you would be caught up in the bullshit Chase is dealing with.”
Chase Bowen was Hayden’s sheriff. He was also my friend.
My brows came to together, my body suddenly on alert. “What bullshit are you dealing with?”
Frankly, Chase could handle himself. He was good man and one hell of a cop. He protected this town in a way other cops couldn’t. My concern was about my clients. If Denver and Mason were tied up in something, I needed to know about it.
Denver took off his hat and ran his hand through his dark locks. “It’s not your concern, Diana.”
“Like heck it isn’t,” I shot back, my hands falling to my sides as I took a step forward. “I’m your damn lawyer, Denver. What bullshit?”
He stared at me for a moment, testing to see if I would back down. I took a breath before giving him my two cents. “Need I remind you, when I found out about how you handled things, I didn’t run away?” I asked, taking another step forward, the front of my legs hitting the back of the couch now. “Did I run and turn you in? No, I stayed because I came to care about you and your son. I wanted to protect Hallow Ranch just as much as you because of Caleb. When I confronted you about it, do you remember what you said to me?”
He stared at me as if I’d grown two heads, his mouth tighter than his bearded jaw, his hat hanging at his side.
“You’re a good man, Den,” I continued, my voice soft now. “One of the best I know, and everything I have, I owe to you.”
“Diana—”
I held up my hand, shaking my head. “Don’t try to down play how important you and your family are to me. Please. You were the only rancher within a hundred miles who was willing to take a chance on me. You saw something in me.” Denver’s features softened then, but I kept going. “Everything I own, this house, my car, the clothes on my back…I would’ve had none of it if you hadn’t taken a chance on me.”
“Yes, you would’ve, Diana. You know—”
I cut him off. “In another city, maybe.”
His brows furrowed. “What?”
A short, huffed laugh left me then as I shook my head. “Do you know how hard it is to get male ranchers to trust a lawyer, let alone a woman? Every person I talked to before I wandered over to Hallow Ranch told me to go to hell.”
“Give me the names,” he demanded darkly.
I shot him a look. “That last thing I want you to do is take a life for me, Denver.”
Silence filled my house as we stared at each other.
Sometime later, he was the one to break it. “But you know I wouldn’t hesitate, right?”
I shifted my weight, looking away from him.
“Diana, I care about you too. Very much. You’re not just my lawyer. You’re like the sister Mase and I never had,” he confessed, his rough voice the softest I’d ever heard it outside of when he talked to his wife and children.
My heart halted as my stomach swirled and twisted in a way I wasn’t prepared for. I pressed my tongue to the top of my mouth, unsure of how to respond.
The cowboy sighed and looked at the kitchen behind me, running his hand down his face. “The man who took Abbie from the diner…He was a wildlife warden.”
“What?” I breathed, staggering back. “A—a warden?"
He nodded. “He pointed a gun directly into Valerie’s face when she tried to intervene, Diana. She’s still shaken up over it.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t—”
“I came to your office to apologize to you. Val told me about your discussion the other day and how you left abruptly.” He moved then, coming around the couch to stand directly in front of me. “She said you had a client emergency.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
He was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again, he rocked my entire world. “She also told me Mags spooked you.”
Oh… fuck.
As my New Year’s resolution went up in smoke, Denver held me captive with his smoke gray eyes, and a bead of sweat trickled down my back.
Did he know?
Could he see right through me?
Could he see I was hopelessly, desperately, madly in love with his cowboy? That I had been for over a decade? From the first moment I saw him walk out of the Hallow Ranch barn and pin me in place with those endless dark pools he had for eyes?
“I’m sorry for that. I told him to be more careful around you,” Denver said, breaking my train of thought.
Wait—what?
“I’m also sorry for not telling you about the situation at the diner. If Chase found out you were in involved, it might’ve destroyed the already damaged relationship he now has with Hallow Ranch.”
All thoughts of Mags were obliterated. “What the hell are you talking about? Damaged?”
Denver didn’t hesitate. “There was a case involving the warden, and Chase failed to mention that to us. His silence caused a lot of trouble for Beau, and Abbie almost died because of it.” His voice was no longer soft, but cold, brimming with malice.
I cleared my throat and wrapped my arms around myself again as goosebumps spread across my body. “I’m going to need you to get me caught up.”
“Diana—”
I held up my hand, stopping the usual protest about to flow from his mouth. “Right now, I’m not your lawyer. I’m your friend,” I reminded him.
He scratched his beard, looking out the window. “You’re a pain in my ass.”
“Everyone except for Valerie and your children are pains in your ass,” I deadpanned.
He shot me a look.
“Tell me everything,” I demanded. He continued to stare at me, and if I was anyone else, I might have back down in fear. But unlike everyone else on the planet, I’d seen Denver Langston at his darkest—his lowest. Nothing about him could scare me, not after that. “Either talk or get out, Den. I have a lot of work to do. The university called and—-”
“Come sit the fuck down,” he cut me off. “You look pale.”
“You going to tell me what I want to know?” I prompted, crossing my arms and raising my brows.
He looked me up and down. “You do you know you’re not intimidating in sweats and cat socks, right?”
I looked down at my feet, wiggling my toes in my lime green socks with black cats on them. I’d gotten them at a yard sale in the city a few years back. I looked back up at him, throwing my hand out. “I’m sorry, I left my intimidating socks in my gym locker.”
“You don’t go to the gym.”
My mouth shut, my arm falling to my sides as the sudden urge to punch him surfaced. He really was like a brother. An older, grumpy, slightly judgmental brother. “Ass. Couch. Now,” he ordered.
“I’m not one of your ranch hands,” I snapped. “You can’t just order me around.” As the last word left my mouth, a wave of dizziness hit me, and reluctantly, I moved over to the couch.
A deep chuckle left him, clearly not noticing my dizzy spell. “I almost feel sorry for the man who falls in love with you, Harper. He’s going to have his hands full.”
My stomach flipped as I took my seat in my usual spot, knowing damn well the future he’d hoped for was nothing more than that.
Hope.
The ranch owner sat down and told me everything I’d missed—including the horrible things Abbie had gone through with her stalker. By the time the story was finished, my flipped stomach was in knots, and I could feel the blood draining from my face. “Oh my God,” I whispered, falling back into my couch cushions, covering my face with my hands.
Denver was sitting on my coffee table, hat back on, his hands hanging between his knees. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I’m also sorry for brushing you off when you asked. Things have been complicated, and there were so many moving parts in all this…” He trailed off for a moment, looking at his hands. “I was scared shitless, Diana. I didn’t know if we were going come out of it.”
The lump in my throat was sharp, like shattered glass, slicing my vocal chords. Even though I wanted to say something, I physically couldn’t. When he looked back up, his gray eyes soft, I looked up, focusing on my ceiling fan as I tried to find the right words.
Nothing was said for a long time, the silence between us palpable.
My question was unsteady as it filled my living room, seeping into my walls, forever tainting my cozy little home. “How many bodies?”
“Five.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled a long breath through my nose.
“Five people were involved in something dangerous. Five people tried to hurt my family,” Denver rumbled.
I released the breath and slowly sat back up, feeling my hair shift around my shoulders. The cowboy watched me with cautious eyes, his mouth set in a firm line.
I reached out, placing my hand on his forearm. “Okay.”
“Okay,” he repeated.
“I’m the last person on this planet to judge you,” I murmured, sitting back again.
“What did the university want?” he asked. “You said they called.”
And that was that. Denver and I would never speak of this again. The cowboy did what cowboys did: protect their own. No one could fault him, or any of the others, for that. He told me, I took it, and now, we’d move on like we’d always done.
“They wanted to know if I could teach the spring semester next year,” I told him, referring to the law school I taught at in Denver. I’d only taught three semesters so far, and my classes had been relatively small, but it fulfilled something in me. It was also a good excuse to escape the small town life when I needed to. Usually, I taught a small class during the fall semester, but the Dean called last week and asked if I would be open to teaching the spring as well.
A grunt came from him. “You going to take it?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I haven’t decided. It depends on my case load.”
“Well, things aren’t going to be so complicated around here in a few months. All this bullshit will blow over when Chase closes the investigation,” he assured me.
I couldn’t help but give him a small smile. “Things are always complicated at Hallow Ranch, Denver. I can’t remember a time when they weren’t. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me you started working with the Mafia,” I joked, laughing at the end.
When he didn’t join in, my laughter stopped, his face unreadable. I felt the glass back in my throat again. “Why aren’t you laughing with me? That was a joke, right?”
Nothing. He didn’t say a damn word.
“ Right? ” I pressed, leaning forward.
“Sure.”
I blinked. “Denver Langston, are you working with the Mafia?” I asked as calmly as I could.
He clicked his tongue. “Not at the moment, no.”
I was on my feet before he could stop me. “What the heck?” I shrieked and he rose up to his full height, forcing me to tilt my head back. I was just a couple inches shorter than his wife.
He set his heavy hands on my shoulders as he chuckled. “It was a one-time thing—hopefully. Mason’s friends in St. Louis needed some help. It’s all taken care of now.”
“You’re not joking about this at all, are you?” I rasped.
The smirk he wore slowly spread into a devastatingly beautiful smile, a rare gift for me. “Sit back down. I’m going to cook you some soup,” he said before moving into my colorful kitchen.
“You don’t have to—”
“Diana Harper, sit your ass back down,” he ordered, opening one of my cabinets, keeping his back to me. The authority in his voice had my spine snapping straight.
“I can take care of myself, Denver,” I countered, needing to blow my nose all of a sudden. Truth be told, I felt like absolute shit, and despite this happening to me every single year around this time, I still had the gall to act surprised Ms. Sinus Infection knocked at my door.
“Family takes care of family. Now, sit down and rest. I got this.”
I wanted to roll my eyes, but his words struck me somewhere deep in my soul, short circuiting my brain.
Family takes care of family.
As I tried to get my thoughts together, my gaze shifted to the window as I watched my flowers sway in the summer breeze. My mother’s voice rang in my ears then, echoing the last time I’d ever spoken with her, recalling the utter judgment within her voice. It was once a voice I used to seek out whenever I needed comfort or advice. And now? Now, it was only a reminder of the pain she caused me and how everything could flip at the drop of a hat.
“Diana?”
Denver’s voice snapped me out of it, and I swung my eyes back to him. “Hm?”
He raised a brow. “Are you okay?” he asked sincerely.
Brushing off my own issues, I faked a smile and nodded. “I’m fine, really. You don’t have to make me soup. I can do it.”
“Know I don’t have to, Diana. I’m doing it because I want to.”
My smile flattened. “Don’t you have a ranch you need to take care of today?”
He gestured between us, his brows furrowed. “Fixing this was more important,” he said.
“Careful, Denver. If word gets out you were nice to me, you might tarnish your reputation in the town,” I warned, teasing him as I took a seat on one of my bar stools.
He glared at me then. “Told you to take a seat—”
“—and I have. You didn’t say where,” I countered.
“Fucking lawyers,” he mumbled. “What reputation are you talking about?”
I blinked. “Half of this town is scared of you—literally terrified—-and the other half doesn’t want to deal with you because you’re an asshole.”
He grunted, seeming to be impressed with himself, and turned back to the stove, working in silence for the next few minutes.
Both of us were lost in thought, and when he handed me a steaming bowl of taco soup, he said, “The entire town is grateful for Hallow Ranch, has been since my grandfather was running it. And this damn town knows I only give a fuck about a small group of people, Diana. You are one of those people.”
My lip wobbled. “Thanks, Den.”
“Shut up and eat your soup.”
For once, I did what I was told, and when the Hallow Ranch owner left my house, despite all the information that had just been dumped on me, I could only think about Mags.