Chapter 10 Connor #2
“It’s not a big deal,” he mumbled, clearly regretting telling me. “Not the first time, won’t be the last.”
“That doesn’t make it okay.” The words came out harsher than I intended.
“What do you care?” Ryder snapped, his walls coming back up. “I’m just the spoiled rich kid who plays games, remember?”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “That doesn’t mean you deserve to be hit.”
Ryder’s face hardened, but I could see the hurt beneath it. “I don’t need your pity.”
“It’s not pity,” I said, my voice softer than I intended. “Nobody deserves to be treated like that, especially not by their own father.”
He looked away, but not before I caught the flash of vulnerability in his eyes. It was like seeing a completely different person from the cocky kid who’d been trying to get under my skin for weeks. This Ryder was raw, wounded in a way that went deeper than just the bruise on his jaw.
“Does he do this often?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.
Ryder shrugged. “Only when I really piss him off. Or when he’s been drinking.” He picked at the hay beneath him. “Used to be worse when I was younger.”
The casual way he said it made my stomach turn. I’d known men like Pete McGrath in prison and in life. Men who believed their authority gave them the right to hurt others. I’d always hated them.
“You should leave,” I said. “Find your own place.”
Ryder laughed, but there was no humor in it. “And go where? Do what? Everything I have is tied to this ranch. My inheritance, my future.” He shook his head. “Besides, it’s just a couple more years until he retires. I can handle it until then.”
I studied him in the dim lantern light, seeing the resignation in his slumped shoulders. This was the real Ryder McGrath. He wasn’t the flirtatious troublemaker right now, but a young man trapped in a life he couldn’t escape, playing whatever role he needed to survive.
“You shouldn’t have to ‘handle’ being hit,” I said firmly.
“Welcome to my world,” he replied, his voice bitter. “Where the great Pete McGrath can do whatever the fuck he wants because he’s respected in town. Nobody would believe me anyway. I’m the fuck up, remember? Everyone knows it.”
I knew that feeling all too well, the helplessness of having no one believe your side of the story. It was a lonely place to be. I’d lived there my whole damn life.
“I believe you,” I said simply.
Ryder looked up, surprised. Something passed between us then, an understanding that went beyond our previous interactions. For a moment, we weren’t ex-con and boss’s son. We were just two men who knew what it was like to be powerless.
“Why are you being nice to me?” he asked, genuine confusion in his voice. “I thought you couldn’t stand me.”
I sighed, trying to figure out how to answer that. “I don’t dislike you, Ryder. I just don’t trust whatever this is.” I gestured between us. “You’re young, you’re bored, and I’m convenient entertainment. But my freedom is on the line. My life.”
“It’s not like that,” he protested, leaning forward. “I mean, yeah, at first maybe I was just messing around. But...” He trailed off, searching for words that eluded him.
“Ryder,” I said softly, leaning closer. “Would you like me to come to the wedding with you?”
His eyes widened in genuine shock. “You’d... do that?”
I hadn’t meant to offer. The words had just tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. But seeing him sitting there, vulnerable and hurt, something protective flared in me that I couldn’t ignore.
“I’m not promising anything,” I said, keeping my voice steady despite the warning bells going off in my head. “But if your dad’s the kind of asshole who hits his kid for supporting his friends, then maybe you shouldn’t go alone.”
Ryder stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “Larry would never approve. And if my dad found out...”
“Larry doesn’t need to know. Neither does your dad.” I couldn’t believe what I was suggesting, but I pressed on anyway. “I’ll take my day off and meet you there. And if they catch wind of it, I’ll say it was a personal invitation from Evelyn. He won’t argue with that.”
“Why would you risk that for me?” His voice was small and uncertain, nothing like the confident flirt I was used to dealing with.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Because nobody deserves to be alone when they’re standing up for what’s right.”
The lantern light caught the moisture in his eyes before he blinked it away. He looked down at his hands, a small, genuine smile playing at his lips. Not the practiced smirk he usually wore, but something real.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of what I’d offered settling between us.
This was dangerous territory. If Pete decided to make a stink about things, I’d be back in prison before I could blink.
But sitting across from Ryder, seeing that bruise darkening on his jaw, I couldn’t bring myself to abandon him.
“Does this mean our month is over?” Ryder asked, a hint of his usual playfulness returning.
“Nice try,” I replied, unable to suppress a small smile. “You’ve still got a week left.”
He groaned dramatically, but there was no real disappointment behind it. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
I stood, knowing I should get back to the bunkhouse before someone noticed I was gone. “You should get some sleep. And put some ice on that jaw.”
Ryder nodded, rising to his feet as well.
We stood facing each other in the dim light, closer than we needed to be.
I could smell his cologne, that expensive woody scent that had haunted my dreams. For a moment, I thought he might try to kiss me again, might push his luck while I was feeling generous.
Instead, he simply reached out and squeezed my arm once, his touch warm through my shirt.
“Thank you, Connor,” he said softly. “For listening. And for the offer.”
I nodded, stepping back before I did something stupid like pull him into my arms. “Get some rest, Ryder.”
As I walked back to the bunkhouse, I couldn’t help wondering what the hell I’d just gotten myself into. As I crawled back into bed, I stared up at the ceiling hoping I hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of my possibly short free life.