31
T he squeal of tires cuts through the silence of the summer air.
Colton makes a kind of squeak when he sees them coming. Four pissed off cowboys storm across the gravel drive toward the barn like some sort of take-charge Wild West swat team coming to lay down the law. Fists clenched, faces tight.
Colton’s eyes flick to me, the color draining from his face. “He’s gonna hit me, isn’t he?”
I bite my lip and say nothing. Charlie’s expression is a man rage bent and hell bound.
That’s the least he’s going to do.
Colton inhales a steeling breath, drawing his shoulders up. “Okay. Fuck. Fuck .” Fear ghosts his youthful face.
I feel bad for him. But then I remember my poor cottage and my crushed cowboy hat and my broken plants and my panicked heart and him trying to sabotage Runaway Ranch and the cowboy I love and I don’t feel so sorry anymore.
I feel as pissed as Charlie looks.
“Move away from her. Now.” My heart jumps at the fierceness in Charlie’s voice.
In two larges strides, he’s planting his muscled body in front of me.
“You get one minute,” Davis calls out.
The rest of his brothers hang back, arms crossed, stances defensive.
Then Charlie takes the first swing.
I jump and clap my hand across my mouth.
Charlie’s brick of a fist connects with Colton’s jaw, sending the kid crashing against the door of the tack room. Colton doesn’t even try to fight back. He stands there, stunned, plastered to the wall for support. Blood trickles from his nose, his eyes glassy with pain.
Before Charlie can get in a second punch, I step in front of him.
His eyes flash, but he drops his fist at my appearance. “Ruby. Don’t make me put you over my shoulder.”
Charlie’s voice has dropped to an unearthly authoritative growl, and my stomach clenches. I hate that it turns me on.
“No.” I cross my arms, drawing myself up tall. I press a hand against his rock-hard chest, pushing him back, ignoring the amused smiles Wyatt and Ford trade. “You can’t hear what Colton has to say if you break his face.”
Our gazes lock, war.
“She’s got a point,” Ford says mildly, swaggering inside. Seeing the baseball bat in the corner of the room, he gives me a nod of approval.
Charlie swipes the back of his hand over his brow like I’m making him sweat.
Maybe I am.
“Listen to him,” I order, scanning the brothers. “All of you.”
They need to know what I know.
“Let’s get comfortable, asshole.” Wyatt kicks out a feed bucket.
Ford grabs Colton’s arm and slams him down on the makeshift seat. The Montgomerys surround him, looking like executioners.
Colton’s eyes lift desperately to me like he doesn’t know where to start.
“Don’t look at her,” Charlie growls through his clenched jaw. The icy mask of rage he wears has me going still. “She won’t help you. Look at me and tell me what you did.”
All at once, adrenaline leaves me. My breath is a shaky hitch and right before my legs can turn to jelly, Charlie wraps an arm around me, steadying me against him.
“Go on,” I tell Colton. “Tell them what you told me.”
Colton swipes at his busted lip. “The woman in the video of Ford ...she’s my mom.”
Ford jerks back with an expression of shock.
“And my father ...” Colton gulps. “He’s Declan Valiante.” His whisper lands like a grenade.
“Holy shit,” Wyatt breathes.
Wide-eyed, the brothers share stunned glances. Charlie squeezes me against him tight, like he’ll never let me loose, like it’s all he can do to control his fury.
I know the feeling. It was sabotage, coming from inside the house. The most prominent developer in Montana, a man running for office, sent goons—his own son—to sabotage small-town ranches.
Sighing, Colton continues. “We thought if I got a job here, if my mom posted that video, we could sabotage the ranch from the inside. If it got bad press, it’d force you to fall behind in payments. And you’d either default or sell to DVL.”
“Underbid by about two million bucks, bud,” Ford says.
“That was the plan.” Colton swallows. “Get it for cheap. Get all the land in Resurrection for cheap.”
Davis scoffs in disgust. “And let me guess. Strip our land. Call it progress.”
Colton hangs his head. “Something like that.”
Hearing it all over again has me clenching my fists, just like Charlie. My heart hammers in solidarity with this family.
“It wasn’t personal,” Colton whispers, eliciting a growl of warning from Davis.
“I wanted to get out of this town. If I did what my dad wanted, spent one summer here, he’d pay for my college.
I could go anywhere. I could get out .” A helpless expression crosses his face as he looks pleadingly at Charlie. “I had to do it, man. I had to.”
“You attacked Ruby. My brother. How do you justify that?” Charlie spits.
“I didn’t attack Wyatt. Those were people my dad hired. As for Ruby ...she’s turning the ranch around. You don’t need to sell now.” Colton’s gaze drops to the hay-covered floor. “My father wanted me to scare her away. I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
His statement has Charlie’s fist flying out to grab a hunk of Colton’s T-shirt. He yanks him off the bucket. “You did hurt her,” he snarls, steel in his voice.
“I know.” Colton hangs in Charlie’s tight grip. “I’m sorry.”
“Damn.” Wyatt swears, looking like a leaner, boyish version of Charlie. “I liked you too, kid.”
Ford shakes his head. “We trusted you, you little shit.”
A tear tracks its way down Colton’s cheek. “I know.”
Davis, fists clenched, says, “I think you know what this means.”
“I’m fired.” Colton looks miserable.
Still fisting the front of Colton’s T-shirt, Charlie leans in, his blue eyes searing and murderous.
“You should be dead right now, but you’re not because of her.
So get your shit and get the fuck off my ranch.
If I see you again—if you breathe in Ruby’s direction—I’ll hang you in the town square.
” Charlie releases him, shoving him in the direction of the door.
Colton turns toward me, and Ford puts a hand on his chest. “Don’t even think about it.”
Charlie levels a big finger at Colton. “Tell your father if he’s got a problem, he can come back and talk to me.”
We watch as Colton slinks off and then four sets of eyes land on me.
“Ruby, how in the hell you figure this out?” Davis sounds impressed.
“The belt buckles,” I tell them, flushing. “Colton’s matched the woman’s Instagram avatar.”
Ford’s brow bunches. “What the hell’s an avatar?”
I stifle a smile. “Her profile picture,” I explain. “They had the same motto on the belt buckle. Like some weird dysfunctional family crest.”
Wyatt cackles. “Check it out. Fairy Tale hunting down bad guys.”
I blush, chance a glance at Charlie.
He doesn’t look as amused as his brothers. Jaw tight, fingers flexed at his side, face stormy. He looks downright terrifying.
“What do we do about the developers?” Wyatt asks.
“I’ll talk to Sheriff Richter and the surrounding ranchers,” Davis says. “Get everyone on the same page and let them know what’s happening.” Grooves deepen around his mouth. “I’ll help anyone who needs it with security. If we can get some proof they’re trespassing, we might have some recourse.”
Charlie nods, his expression hard now. “Good idea.”
Ford sighs, glancing out the barn doors. “Better make sure the kid gets off okay. Don’t want him sticking around here longer than necessary.”
“Y’all go on up to the house,” Charlie grits out. “I wanna talk to Ruby. Alone.”
As soon as his brothers disappear, Charlie turns his fury-filled gaze to me.
Goosebumps break out over my arms.
That look. A look I love. A look I’ve seen before. A thrill of anticipation rolls down my spine.
I’m in trouble.