Chapter 24 #2
“It’s not a threat,” she replied, her voice steady despite being half his size. “It’s a promise.”
I stood frozen, watching this woman who couldn’t be more than five foot two stare down a man who’d spent his life intimidating everyone around him. The church remained deathly silent, everyone holding their breath to see what would happen next.
Pete’s eyes darted around the room, seeming to finally register just how many witnesses were present. His shoulders sagged slightly, but the rage in his eyes didn’t diminish.
“This ain’t over,” he muttered, jabbing a finger toward me. “Not by a long shot.” He turned to Ryder, who stood rigid beside me. “And you. Don’t bother coming home for your things. I’ll have them burned by morning. I don’t ever want to see you again.”
“Pete!” Evelyn gasped.
“Dad, please—” Ryder started, but Pete was already shoving past us toward the door.
“The rest of you convicts,” he called over his shoulder to the other guys from the ranch who had been watching wide-eyed from the corner, “If you’re so much as a fucking minute late to work in the morning, you can kiss your freedom goodbye.”
The door slammed behind him with enough force to rattle the windows. For a long moment, nobody moved or spoke. Then Larry winced, touching his rapidly swelling jaw.
“Well,” he said dryly, “I guess I need to update my resume.”
A nervous laugh rippled through the crowd, breaking some of the tension. People began to murmur among themselves, and I could feel their stares burning into my back. Pastor John clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Alright, folks. Let’s give these men some space. Mrs. Thompson, I believe you were telling me about your grandchildren’s visit next week?”
It was a transparent attempt to distract the congregation, but I was grateful for it, nonetheless. As people reluctantly returned to their conversations, Pastor John turned to us.
“Larry, let’s get some ice on that jaw. The rest of you should head home for the night.”
I glanced at Ryder, who looked shell-shocked.
His face was pale, his eyes wide and unfocused.
I wanted to reach for him, to comfort him, but I knew that would only make things worse.
What little hope he ever had of inheriting the ranch was now gone for good.
And it was my fault, because I couldn’t say no to him.
I’d been a fucking fool.
“Ryder, I—” I started to reach for him, then stopped myself. We were still standing in the middle of the church hall with dozens of eyes watching our every move.
“Don’t,” Ryder said, his voice hollow. “Just... don’t.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. I took a step back, letting my hand fall to my side.
“You should go with the others,” Evelyn said gently, gesturing toward Joey and the rest of the guys who were already heading for the door. “Pete might come back, and it’s better if you’re not here when he does.”
I nodded, knowing she was right. Pete was volatile enough when sober. Drunk and humiliated, there was no telling what he might do. But I couldn’t just leave Ryder like this.
“What about—”
“I’ll take care of him,” Evelyn assured me, her voice low enough that only I could hear. “He’s hurt and needs some time. That’s all. Go back to the ranch and keep your head down. That’s the best thing you can do for both of you right now.”
She was right, and I hated it. The best thing I could do for Ryder was to stay as far away from him as possible. I was the reason his father had just disowned him in front of half the town. I was the reason he’d lost his inheritance, his home, everything he’d ever suffered for.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not sure if I was apologizing to Ryder or Evelyn or both.
“This isn’t your fault,” Evelyn said firmly. “Pete McGrath has been a ticking time bomb for years. This was just the match that lit the fuse.”
I glanced at Ryder one last time. He stood with his arms wrapped around himself, looking lost and small in a way I’d never seen before.
I wanted to pull him into my arms, to tell him everything would be okay, but I knew that would only make things worse.
Not with so many witnesses. Not with his father potentially coming back any minute.
“Tell him...” I swallowed hard, fighting against the lump in my throat. “Tell him I love him.”
Evelyn nodded, her eyes sad but determined. “Go on now. Larry will drive you all back.”
I joined the other guys by the door, ignoring their questioning looks. Larry was holding a bag of ice to his jaw, wincing as he adjusted it.
“You okay?” I asked him as we walked out to the truck.
He shrugged. “Been hit harder by better men. Besides, worth it to see the look on Pete’s face when Evelyn stood up to him. That woman’s got more balls than half the men in this town.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that, though it faded quickly. “You didn’t have to take that hit for me. Or for Ryder.”
Larry’s eyes softened. “Yeah, I did. If he’d hit you, there would be evidence to suggest you’d been fighting, and that would break the terms of your parole. I don’t want Ryder to lose you too.”
I stared at him, not sure I’d ever been so grateful to anyone in my life. “Th-Thank you, Larry,” I said, choking back my emotions. “You’re a good man.”
“Just make me a promise.”
“Anything,” I replied.
“When this is all said and done, take damn good care of Ryder. Okay?”
I nodded, patting him on the shoulder. “That’s an easy promise to make.”