Chapter Eight
S eneca pulled up in front of the cabin Colton was staying at and knocked on the door.
Yeah, they’d slept together, but that didn’t give her the right to go bursting into his private space, especially when the only reason he was staying there was she hadn’t allowed him to stay with her when he arrived on the ranch.
Heavy footsteps came to a stop and the door opened quickly.
“Here’s your—” Her words stopped when a familiar face other than Colton’s filled her sight.
Storm Cordero, a Latino man an inch or two shorter than Colton with a muscular frame, rich, dark, almost black hair, and tanned skin the color of sun-soaked sand, greeted her with a playful smile.
“Here’s my what, senora ?”
“Storm? What are you doing here?”
He stepped back and opened the door wide enough for her to step in. She came in, walking over to the kitchen counter and leaving Colton’s lunch there.
“Forgive me, I didn’t know you were here. I was dropping off food for Colton.”
Storm shook his head. “That lucky son of bitch. What did he do to deserve a beautiful woman delivering food to his door?”
She chuckled waving a hand through the air. “Absolutely nothing. I was picking up something from the diner and offered to bring him something back. But enough about him. What brings you out to the ranch?”
He walked into the kitchen and pulled two bottles of water out of the fridge, handing her one, and then twisting the cap open on the other.
“What, aren’t you happy to see me?”
She lifted a skeptical brow and offered him a sly grin.
Storm was as flirtatious as he was handsome.
He never took it too far, but his charm made him an easy person to be around.
They hadn’t spent a ton of time together when he first came to the ranch.
But the few times they did, he always had a way of making her feel like she was the only person in the room whenever he gifted her with a smile.
“I’d be happier to see you if I knew why you were here. With three Texas Rangers on property now, I’m starting to feel like maybe I should call my lawyer.”
The smile slipped slowly off his face. “Seneca, since your lawyer is currently sleeping with one of those rangers, maybe that’s a sign you have nothing to worry about?”
Lord how she wished that was true. She had no doubt that Aja would continue to protect Seneca’s legal interests. But she wasn’t so sure Jackson would show her any slack because he was sleeping with Seneca’s boss-slash-attorney.
“So, he told you?”
“Yeah.”
“And how’d you take it?”
She pulled out a chair at the counter and sat in it, trying to figure out how to answer a question she was still processing. “Not well. I broke things off with him. I can’t be involved with someone I can’t trust.”
Storm took a long swallow from his water and downed most of it before responding.
“Seneca, I don’t presume to know the ins and outs of your relationship with Colton.
He’s a really private person and he doesn’t always share things.
And when he does, it’s usually with Jackson since they go way back.
” He took the final sip of the water remaining in the bottle and tossed it in the nearby recycling bin.
“But I do know that the closest I’ve ever seen him come to being rattled was when you were poisoned.
Colton Adams doesn’t get rattled. The fact that he was should tell you how much he cares about you. ”
“So, you think I should give him another chance?” She had no idea why she asked him that.
After all, she’d already made a decision about her relationship with Colton.
It didn’t and would never exist. It couldn’t exist. He had a badge.
He’d always be a threat and his allegiance would always be split between her and the job.
After dealing with the betrayal of her ex, she couldn’t put herself in a situation where she trusted a man she knew might have no choice but to turn against her if the situation called for it.
“I think that’s a decision only you can make,” he answered. “I will say this, though. If you care enough to ask the question, that might be proof that maybe your decision deserves a little more consideration.”
She splayed her hands across the cool granite countertop and sighed. “I wish it were as simple as thinking about it. Things are too complicated and there are so many risks. Not to mention, learning this about Colton just showed me how much I don’t know about the man.”
Storm gave her a sympathetic nod. “You ain’t lying. He’s a closed book on most days. But maybe that’s a reason to try to get to know him.”
“Speaking of getting to know him, could you answer a question for me?”
“If I can, sure.”
She chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to find the right words.
The fact that she struggled to articulate her thoughts was a clear sign she knew she shouldn’t be asking this of Storm.
But since she doubted Colton would willingly tell her anything, this might be her only chance to find out what she needed to know.
“Why did Colton leave the army? Did something happen to him? He never talks about his service.”
Storm’s relaxed form tightened as he stood up straighter and pulled his shoulders back. “Have you asked Colton about this?”
Damn, he was good, and she was busted. “No. I didn’t think he would tell me if I did.”
“Why do you want to know? It doesn’t have anything to do with your relationship now.”
She tilted her head from side to side, trying to figure out how to answer him without revealing who put the question in her head in the first place.
“He just seems tense anytime it’s come up and I was curious. I thought maybe if I knew, it would help me understand him a bit more.”
Storm’s shoulders relaxed a little. He and Colton were complete opposites in almost everything from their appearance to their personalities.
But the way Storm instantly went into protective mode made it clear that Colton was a brother in arms to him and he would protect him from any and all threats, including her.
“Seneca, that’s not my story to tell. Colton deserves his privacy like anyone else.”
“Are you saying I should never bring it up to him then?”
His dark brown eyes softened and filled with concern as his gaze fell on hers. Whatever happened, whatever Storm knew, it was significant enough that he was worried about Colton.
“Quite the opposite, actually. I think he needs to talk about it with someone who cares about him the way you obviously do.”
She balked at that, letting a wry laugh slip through her lips. “Obviously? I couldn’t get far enough away from him once I found out he lied to me.”
“Yeah, but now you’re standing in his cabin after bringing him lunch, asking his friend about something you know distresses him.”
She shrugged off his observation, unwilling to admit his assessment was spot-on. “I’d do that for anyone. It’s no big deal.”
He folded his arms and laughed at her bullshit. “I see why you got convicted now—clearly you can’t lie worth a damn.” She glared at him, but it didn’t stop him laughing at her expense.
“You had worry lines drawn into your forehead while you were asking me.” She squirmed uncomfortably under his stare as he continued.
“Listen, I can’t tell you what to do as far as your relationship with Colton.
But honestly, he’ll never be able to open up and let you or anyone else in until he deals with his past. If you care enough to ask, you also gotta care enough to help him deal with it when you open up that can of worms. If you’re just being nosy, and you have every intention of walking away, don’t make him dredge up a past he’s worked hard to forget. ”
Her lungs tightened at the thought of Colton carrying past hurts.
It was silly—he was just someone she was supposed to have a few lovely orgasms and laughs with.
So why did it feel like someone was slicing into her flesh with a laser as she racked her mind for what was this terrible secret Holden alluded to from Colton’s past?
Realizing she still had a great deal of thinking to do where Colton was concerned, she sighed heavily and worried if she should give any more credence to things Holden said.
He obviously benefited by making her second-guess Colton’s motives.
But after sitting here talking with Storm, it was getting harder to dismiss Holden’s words as just manipulations to get what he wanted from her.
“I promise.” Her words were soft, but powerful. “I won’t hurt him if I can’t be there to help him heal.”
Satisfied with her resolution, Storm nodded his head then bent over, placing his elbows on the counter and his chin in his opened palms. “So…” He pointed toward the bags she’d brought in with her. “What’s for lunch?”
And just like that he was back to his playful and flirtatious self. “Nothing for you. You know how that man loves his food. I wouldn’t want to be you once he discovers you ate his lunch.”
She stood and started making her way to the front door when Storm’s voice stopped her. “Hey, Seneca, how’s he gonna know I ate his food?”
She grabbed the doorknob, opening the door before she looked over her should. “Because I’m going to tell him.”
Storm’s bark of laughter brought a smile to her face. “That’s cold, woman. Just plain wrong.”
It was, but she was certain it would also be the most entertaining thing she’d seen in a long while. After all she’d dealt with in the last few days, a good laugh was exactly what she needed.
*
The brief comic relief Storm gave her had faded by the time she’d walked back to her office. Since she’d eaten half a carrot cheesecake for lunch at the diner while she was trying to eat her feelings, the food that made up the rest of her to-go order went straight into the mini-fridge.