Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jack
Savannah charges at Brynn again, her wild eyes locked onto her like a predator that’s lost all sense of reason.
I feel my stomach drop. Damn it. This night was supposed to end with a drive home, maybe another stolen kiss if I was lucky.
Instead, it’s turned into a full-blown shit show in front of half the damn town.
My body tenses, irritation burning through my veins.
This is humiliating. People are watching, whispering, enjoying the spectacle of Savannah unraveling in public.
She’s always been dramatic, but this? This is a new low.
My jaw clenches as I step forward, ready to pull Brynn out of harm’s way, but before I can move, the flashing blue and red lights of a sheriff’s car flood the parking lot.
The moment Savannah sees the car, her focus shifts.
She hesitates mid-charge, her eyes darting toward the approaching deputies.
That split-second distraction is all Brynn needs—she steps smoothly to the side, and Savannah, in all her rage and desperation, misses her target completely.
Instead, she stumbles straight into the arms of a sheriff’s deputy.
There’s a beat of silence before Savannah, in true Savannah fashion, immediately changes tactics.
She plasters on a sultry smile, flipping her hair over her shoulder like she didn’t just make a complete fool of herself.
“Oh, officer,” she practically purrs, placing a hand on his chest. “I’m so sorry.
This is all just a big misunderstanding. ”
The deputy—a guy I recognize but don’t know well—doesn’t look the least bit impressed. He carefully removes Savannah’s hand from his chest, his expression bored. “Ma’am, I’m going to need you to step back.”
She pouts. “I want to press charges.”
“For what, exactly?” the deputy asks.
“What?” Brynn gasps. “You’re kidding.”
I move quickly to Brynn’s side, my hand on the small of her back before I gesture for her to move closer to the truck with me. I need as much distance between Brynn and Savannah as possible.
“I caught my husband cheating on me, and when I confronted them, he—”
I tune her out. I’ve heard enough of her nonsense to last me a lifetime.
Instead, my focus shifts to Brynn, who’s standing in front of me, arms crossed over her chest, watching the whole thing unfold with an unreadable expression.
She hasn’t said a word since Savannah started her meltdown, but I can see the wheels turning in her head.
Damn it. She’s never going to want to go on another date with me again.
Another deputy approaches, this one older, someone I do recognize—Deputy Reynolds. He tips his hat at Brynn and me before getting right to the point. “Mind telling me what happened here?”
I exhale sharply and nod. “We were leaving the restaurant when Savannah, my ex-wife, started shouting.”
“How long have you been divorced?”
“A little over a year. Separated longer. She lives in Texas. I recently moved back here for a job. She showed up out at Castings Ranch last night asking for a second chance, and I told her to leave then.”
“You’ve been divorced for a year, and she wants a second chance.”
“Yes, sir,” I say with an exasperated shake of my head. “I’m as confused by it as anyone. She got the house, a car, half my retirement, and a nice chunk of alimony because I didn’t want to fight her on anything after she cheated on me.”
Okay, maybe that was too much to say, but I need him to know that I’m not to blame here.
“You’re too kind, Jack,” he chuckles drily. “Seems she didn’t like you being out with another woman.”
“I tried to ignore her, we tried. I helped Brynn into the truck, and Savannah started throwing stuff at me. Then she attacked me. She tried to attack Brynn.”
Deputy Reynolds frowns, glancing toward Savannah, who’s still busy spinning her tale to the younger deputy. “You want to press charges?”
I don’t even hesitate. “No, but I want her to leave me alone. I’m done with this.”
Reynolds nods, scribbling something in his notepad. “Understood. Let’s just hope she gets the message.”
A few onlookers step forward, eager to put in their two cents. “She started it,” an older woman says, arms folded. “That girl didn’t do anything to her. Just started hollering and making a scene.”
“Yeah,” another man chimes in. “She was throwing stuff at him! That’s assault.”
The deputy nods, clearly gathering enough statements to shut Savannah down. Good. The sooner this is over, the better.
A few more minutes pass, and after some words with the deputies, they let Brynn and me go. I waste no time guiding her toward my truck, my patience long gone. The cab is silent as I pull onto the main road, my grip on the wheel tight.
I don’t know if I’m more upset at Savannah for her behavior and making a scene in front of half the town and Brynn or for the fact that she cheated on me and had the audacity to accuse me of doing it.
How do you cheat on someone, and a year after a bitter divorce in court, you expect them to take you back?
Who is that audacious and entitled to believe that would actually happen?
For a few minutes, there’s nothing but the sound of the tires on the pavement. All the irritation and anger is bubbling up and showing in how my jaw is clenched and my body is rigid. Then, out of nowhere, Brynn giggles.
I glance at her, my brows furrowing. “You okay?”
She presses a hand over her mouth, trying—and failing—to suppress her laughter. “Did that really just happen?”
I huff out a tired chuckle. “Unfortunately, yeah.”
She shakes her head, still grinning. “I mean, I’ve seen some crazy exes before, but that? That was next-level.”
I groan. “You don’t have to tell me.”
She smirks, side-eyeing me. “You must be some prize if a woman is willing to fight me for you.”
Relief washes over me. Brynn could have one hand on the door handle right now, ready to tuck and roll out of the truck the second we’re back at the ranch. Instead, she’s laughing about the ridiculousness that just ensued.
Thank goodness.
I snort, shaking my head. “I’m not a prize. I just learned too late that she likes chaos.”
Brynn tilts her head playfully. “Well, I guess that’s something we have in common.”
I glance over at her, raising a brow. “How do you figure?”
She grins, looking out the window. “Our first relationships were with crazy people.”
A laugh escapes me, genuine for the first time since we left the restaurant. “Yeah, I guess you’ve got a point there.”
“I definitely didn’t have that on my Bingo card for the night,” she says.
She reaches over and laces her fingers through mine.
“Me neither,” I say as I squeeze her hand. “I’m really sorry about her.”
“I appreciate the apology, but there’s no need for it. You can’t control her; her behavior is all on her. In the beginning of relationships, people tend not to show us the real version of themselves. I was blind with Clay, and like you said, I learned too late who he really was.”
“Yeah,” I murmur.
That’s an understatement. She’s being really cool about all this, and I’m so damn grateful for that.
“You probably have a thousand different emotions going through you right now. I just…I just want you to know that it doesn’t change how I feel about you. I had a really good time with you, and her actions didn’t change that.”
I glance back at her, swallowing a smile.
She’s really perfect in a million different ways.
“Thanks for saying that.”
“If you…if you’re struggling because I don’t know, maybe you still love her. I can…”
I resist the urge to slam on the brakes. Instead, I slow the truck down and pull into a field road. She’s stiff beside me, almost tense. I put the car in Park and turned in my seat so that I could look directly at her.
“I’m not certain how I can make this any more clear to you, Brynn Castings. I don’t want anything to do with my ex-wife. I’m only interested in you.”
“I know how hard it can be to shut those emotions off and—”
I put a finger up to her lips to silence her.
“Stop arguing with me.”
I unbuckle my seat belt before I lean forward and unbuckle hers. I put my hand on the back of her neck, my fingers tangling in her hair before I pull her into a kiss.
I kiss her, slow this time, savoring the way she melts into me, the way she grips my body like she’s trying to get under my skin. I deepen the kiss just enough to make sure she knows exactly where I stand, exactly what I want.
When we finally pull away, she’s breathless, her eyes half-lidded. “That was…”
“Yeah,” I murmur, resting my forehead against hers. “It was. Any more questions?”
She giggles and leans forward. “I do have another question.”
I sigh and shake my head, fully expecting her to argue some more with me about my feelings.
How can she not feel the way I feel about her? What else do I need to do?
“Can you put this thing in drive and get us back to the ranch ASAP? Otherwise, I’m about to crawl across this seat into your lap.”
I suck in a breath. That was not at all what I was expecting to come out of her mouth.
As I stare back at her, I silently thank whatever force in the universe made sure Brynn didn’t run for the hills after tonight. Because if I’m being honest, she’d have every damn right to.