47. PAIGE
47
PAIGE
Shivers rack my body by the time the sheriff’s cruiser arrives. Rhett waves him over to the path that leads to my attacker, who’s being guarded by Jace.
Rhett hasn’t let go of me since he found me, and I lean into his side.
As Sheriff Reynolds strides toward us, my heart beats harder.
That fear I had when I was in high school, the worry Rhett won’t believe what I saw this morning, makes my stomach hurt. I haven’t told him what happened yet. I’ve spent the last few minutes trying to gather my thoughts.
But then I glance up at my husband, and the look he gives me makes all that negativity melt away. Leaning down, he presses a kiss to my forehead, and I hug him closer, his sturdy presence centering me.
“What do we got here?” the sheriff asks.
Rhett motions behind us. “Some asshole attacked Paige this morning. Chased her into the damn forest.”
“Who is it?”
I shake my head. “I never got a good look at him.”
And since the guy’s face is kinda smashed from where I took him out with a thick branch, Rhett couldn’t figure out who he was.
We head down the trail to where Jace is leaning against a tree. At his feet, my attacker is moaning and holding his face.
The sheriff frowns when he sees him. “Jimmy Calhoun? That you? Or did you steal Jimmy’s belt buckle?”
That’s when I notice the gaudy JC belt he’s sporting.
Harlan’s son.
Jimmy moans. “That bitch hit me.”
Rhett growls, and I grab his arm.
Sheriff Reynolds turns to me. “Can you explain what happened?”
I rush to get out the important stuff. “He’s the one sabotaging the ranch. He and Harlan. They’ve been stealing our cattle, making them sick, and returning them to infect the others.” If I understood them correctly. “He was paying off the state livestock guy, someone named Dods, to quarantine our herd so that we’d miss the auction this weekend, default on our loan, and be forced to sell him our ranch dirt cheap. I overheard them talking this morning behind the cemetery. They saw me, and then Jimmy chased me.”
My husband curses under his breath, and that anxiety resurges. I’m making claims against his long-time family friend. What if Rhett doesn’t believe me? Nauseous, I cross my arms.
The sheriff lifts a brow. “Those are mighty big accusations.”
Rhett’s nostrils flare. “You calling my wife a liar? Do you think she ran out into the forest and attacked a man for shits and giggles? If Paige says that’s what happened, that’s what fucking happened.”
I blink, needing a moment to replay what he just said.
He believes me.
Rhett’s on my side. Relief hits me so hard, I almost stagger.
Reynolds holds up his hands. “Cool your jets, Walker. I’m just saying, that’s a lot to swallow.” He turns to me. “You got any proof?”
“I recorded them talking, but when Jimmy started chasing me, I dropped my phone in the cemetery. I’m not sure what I got on video.” It’s possible the footage is grainy or it didn’t capture much audio.
The sheriff calls an ambulance while Rhett and I look for my cell, which we find under a bushy hedge.
Nervously, I thumb through my phone until I get to the video.
Rhett’s hand comes over mine. “You don’t need to be anxious, wildflower. Whether you caught something on video or not, I got your back.”
My eyes well, and I sniffle. “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
He gently cradles my face. “I have a feeling I do. And I want you to know I’ll never doubt you again.”
I push up on my tiptoes and kiss him. “I haven’t forgiven you for touching Darlene’s elbow at the Moonlight Mixer and one or two other things, but we’ll talk about that later.”
“Darlene who? As far as I’m concerned, there’s only been you.”
I grin and shake my head. “You smooth talker.”
The sound of an ambulance makes us turn. Jace joins us, and we watch paramedics rush into the forest.
Taking a deep breath, I play the video.
It’s wobbly and a little grainy.
Harlan’s voice is clear as day. Rhett stands next to me vibrating with anger, but when he hears Harlan bark to “get her and shove her in the trunk,” my husband loses it.
“That motherfucker.”
My video kept recording after I dropped it, and you can hear me screaming in the distance as I try to outrun that asshole Jimmy.
“Jesus Christ.” Rhett closes his eyes. When he opens them, there’s so much fear and grief in them. He opens his arms, and I press myself to his chest and cry because hearing that video makes me realize how close I came to losing everything. Rhett’s soothing voice coos in my ear. “You’re okay, baby. Take a deep breath.” I do as he says while he runs his hand up and down my back. “You’re so strong and courageous. You got through it. You beat these assholes at their own game.”
When the sheriff sees the video, he shakes his head and unclips his CB radio. Bringing it to his mouth, he says, “I’m headed to the old Gibson farm and will need backup in fifteen minutes. Put an APB out for Harlan Calhoun.”
“Sorry, Chief. Did you say Harlan Calhoun?” a male voice on the other end asks.
“Yeah.”
Silence.
“Sir, are you sure? Harlan just donated to the new gym at the high school.”
The sheriff rolls his eyes. “I’m not debating this.” Then he turns to us. “I want the paramedics to check you out, Paige, and then y’all go home. I’ll come by later this afternoon with an update.”
Rhett scowls. “I want to go with you to the Gibson farm.”
“Do you want this guy put away behind bars? Or do you wanna do something dumb that could get your case thrown out of court?”
I tug on my husband’s arm. “Let’s go home. I’m starving.” I don’t know if it was the running or crying, but I’m ready to eat.
His eyes soften and his hand goes to my belly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I’m having Rhett’s baby. The reminder makes the residual fear from this morning recede. This pregnancy is inconvenient and a huge shock, but I couldn’t be happier about it. I put my hand over his. “I think so. I just got scraped up when I was running in the forest.”
Jace jumps on his brother. “Guess we’re having another little Walker to add to our collection of wildings.” He hugs me. “Congrats, sister.”
“Thank you.” I look over at Danny’s headstone. “Can I get a minute?”
Rhett immediately understands. “We’ll wait over here, sweetheart.”
I nod and walk over to my mom and brother’s headstones. Kneeling down, I put my hand on Danny’s grave. “I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be okay. Rhett’s got me, and so do his brothers. You don’t need to worry about me anymore.”
Just then, the clouds part, and the sun shines through the cemetery, and in my heart, I know Danny heard me.