Chapter 9 #2
Cassie tightened her grip on Hudson’s hand.
He squeezed hers to offer some reassurance.
The idea that Jarek could send someone to the ranch to abduct a family member wasn’t out of the question.
She’d been camping on Sturgess property, and he might assume she had some type of deeper connection to the family.
But, most likely, Conrad was simply out of cell range.
The easy explanation was often the correct one.
It might be time to revisit the satellite phone idea as much as he hated the thought.
A new stressor came in the form of worrying about what could be wrong with Nikki—until she dropped her hands and one moved to her belly. The move was most likely subconscious, but it was telling. Was Nikki pregnant?
Nikki glanced at her smart watch. “I can always cancel the appointment so he can be with me.”
“He’ll probably show up any minute,” Chloe reassured her.
Knowing there was a human-hunting mountain lion loose on the property wasn’t exactly reassuring. Conrad would have a weapon on him. Everyone carried when they went out on the ranch. He knew how to protect himself.
Under normal circumstances, Hudson wouldn’t worry about Conrad.
These days proved that threats were all around and could sneak up on you when you least expected it.
Nikki was right. It wasn’t like Conrad to miss an important doctor’s appointment.
Was his brother about to learn that he was going to be a father?
Normally, the thought of pregnancy and babies made Hudson want to loosen his collar. With Cassie sitting next to him, he wondered if parenthood might not be such a horrible thing to consider.
For the first time in years, he thought about his future without the usual onslaught of guilt assaulting him. He didn’t know why life had been cruel enough to take Adina at such a young age and spare him. Living a long lifetime without her had seemed an appropriate punishment for his actions.
Talking about her with Cassie, talking about the past, had eased some of the weight he’d been carrying around all these years.
It also made room for some happy memories to surface, like when they’d first met at the lake and he’d been hit with a Mac truck the moment their eyes met.
If one of his friends had said those words to him back then, he would’ve laughed in their face.
After Adina, he realized there was something special when two kindred souls connected.
He’d known Adina would be special to him during their first conversation—a conversation that had gone on for hours.
The love they’d shared, young and innocent, had been special. It would always be special.
The way he felt about Cassie hit a whole other stratosphere.
He was older now, more mature. He’d lived a long time without feeling anything other than passing physical attraction.
Attraction was a good first step in dating, but wasn’t the kind of force that lasted through good times and bad.
It faded. There had to be real substance behind a pretty face to turn into something more.
A cell buzzed. Everyone jumped to check their screen.
“It’s Conrad,” Nikki said, holding the winning phone. “He’s running late but will be here in a few minutes.”
The collective sigh of relief in the room could have been heard in space.
“I’ll wait outside,” Nikki said. She and Conrad had been put through the ringer after her father, the family’s attorney and Beaumont’s running buddy, had been murdered in the Sturgess barn.
To make matters worse, Conrad had been accused of the murder.
The two had joined forces to clear his name and find the person responsible so they could be brought to justice.
The murderer had turned out to be Nikki’s stepfather.
Despite the bad circumstances, Nikki and Conrad had found their way to each other and fell head over heels in love.
Hudson would never have believed any of his brothers would willingly walk down the aisle if you’d asked him six months ago. Now? Four had found their soulmates.
Beau checked his cell and frowned.
“Everything all right over there?” Hudson asked his half-brother.
Beau shifted in his seat. “Family stuff. Nothing to worry about.”
“You sure?”
“Stuff with my mom,” Beau said. “She’s disappeared on me before, but never this long.”
“Do you need to go find her?” Kade jumped in. “Because we can handle things on the ranch until you get back if you need to take leave.”
Beau checked his screen again. His tight expression, coupled with a long pause, said he was weighing his options. “That’s probably not a bad idea.”
“Take whatever you need,” Kade said before holding up his cell. “And keep us posted so we don’t worry.”
Confusion showed up in the lines on Beau’s forehead. “I highly doubt anyone at this table would worry about me the way you do with each other. I’ll just pack a few things and then head out.”
“Beau…” Chloe said as he got up, then disappeared down the hall. She glanced around the table. “He’s right, you know. We don’t include him in much, and he’s proven himself time and time again to be loyal to this family.”
Kade bristled. “Excuse me for not hugging the man and singing Kumbaya.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about, Kade. You’re still pissed at him.”
“Loyalty and respect are earned,” Kade said. “He needs to give it time.”
“It’s not his fault Beaumont was a cheating asshole,” Chloe pointed out.
“Well, it’s not mine, either.” Kade and Beau were close enough in age to prove that Beaumont had cheated on his pregnant wife.
Hudson needed to get this meeting back on track before it spiraled. “Guys, we need to focus on the reason we’re here.”
Kade issued a sharp sigh. “You’re right.”
Chloe conceded with a nod. She turned to Cassie, who was taking it all in. “What do you think about moving into the main house for a while?”
“I…uh…guess I haven’t given it any consideration,” Cassie said. “But, now that I’m here, I think it would be best if I led Jarek away from Rescue Ridge altogether.”
Cassie was always ready to run. Could he convince her to stick around?