Chapter 10
NAOMI HAD BARELY finished reading the last of the seven texts Ethan had left over the last six hours when a pounding on her motel room door sent her into a panic and Ruby into a spate of fearful barking.
With her phone still in her hand she was ready to start punching in nine-one-one.
“Naomi! Open up! It’s me!”
Her brother’s voice was loud and forceful. She dropped the phone, grabbed the dog, and stumbled toward the door.
“How did you find me? I just saw your texts, not a second ago.” She jumped back out of his way as he stormed in. Ruby whined and wiggled in her arms; she closed the door against the cold air and stood with her back against it watching Ethan pace to the chair and then around the bed.
“I went to that ranch then I came to town. There’s only one place with Lodge in their name. I drove through the parking lot until I saw your SUV.”
“Why? Why are you here? Your texts were confusing. What is the emergency?”
Ethan pulled off his coat and threw it on the bed, covering her laptop, and plunked himself down in the chair. He was out of breath, angry, and grinding his teeth.
“Where’d that mutt come from?”
“Found him.” She stood clutching Ruby, soothing the dog and herself by running her fingers through the soft fur. “Why on earth did you drive all this way?”
“To get your signature. On the papers.”
“What papers?”
“They’re in the car. I’ll drive back tomorrow and submit them. To the court. To get Dad committed. He’s really gone off the deep end this time, Naomi. We have to do it.”
Naomi stared at her brother, her pulse pounding in her ears. Ruby squirmed in her arms, clearly picking up on the tension. “What are you talking about? Committed? To a psychiatric hospital?”
Ethan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his face lined with exhaustion and frustration. “Yes, Naomi. I’ve been trying to tell you for ages, but you’ve been too busy playing ranch hand to listen.”
Her chest tightened. “I wasn’t ignoring you. I thought you were exaggerating, like always. Dad’s eccentric, sure, but—”
“No, Naomi,” Ethan interrupted, his voice harsh.
“He’s not just eccentric anymore. He’s paranoid, delusional, and downright dangerous to himself.
He’s been locking himself in the barn, claiming someone’s stealing his ideas for inventions.
He won’t eat, won’t sleep, and he pulled a shotgun on the mailman this yesterday because he thought he was planting a bomb in his mailbox. ”
Her breath hitched, and she slowly sank onto the edge of the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?”
“I tried!” Ethan threw up his hands. “But you were too busy with your consulting gig to take my calls. And now apparently you’ve been ignoring my messages until tonight.”
Naomi looked down at Ruby, who was now licking her wrist in a gentle attempt to comfort her. Tears pricked her eyes. “I didn’t know it was this serious,” she whispered.
“Well, now you do.” Ethan’s tone softened slightly. “I’ve got the paperwork ready. All I need is your signature, and we can get him evaluated. The court will order a commitment if they agree he’s a danger to himself or others.”
Naomi shook her head, her thoughts spinning. “I need to think about this, Ethan. I can’t just sign something like that without—”
“We don’t have time!” he snapped, standing up so abruptly that Ruby barked again. “Do you want to be the one who gets a call saying Dad hurt himself—or someone else?”
Before she could respond, there was another knock at the door. Both siblings froze, and Ruby growled low in her throat.
Naomi got up cautiously, setting Ruby down and stepping up to the peephole. “Who is it?”
“It’s Trent,” came the muffled reply.
Her heart lurched. Of all the people to show up right now… She glanced back at Ethan, whose jaw clenched as if he already didn’t like what he was hearing.
She opened the door a crack. “Trent? What are you doing here?”
He was standing there, his hat in his hands, a sheepish but determined look on his face. “We, uh, had a crazy visitor at the ranch looking for you. Thought I’d check and make sure you were okay.” His eyes flicked past her, catching sight of Ethan. “Oh … you know him?”
Ethan stepped into view, crossing his arms. “And you are?”
“Trent Castleberry,” Trent said evenly, meeting Ethan’s challenging stare. “Met you earlier tonight.”
“Well, Trent,” Ethan said coldly, “this is a family matter, and we don’t need any interference from—”
“Ethan!” Naomi cut him off, stepped outside with Trent, and pulled the door closed behind her.
She turned to Trent, her face heating. “I’m sorry about that. My brother’s a little … intense.”
“Your brother?” Trent tilted his head, studying her with those steady, unreadable eyes. “You okay? You seem upset.”
“It’s just family stuff,” she said, waving it off. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Naomi,” he said softly, his voice low and reassuring. “If you need help, you can ask. Doesn’t matter what it is.”
For a moment, she couldn’t speak. The kindness in his tone, the quiet strength in his presence—it made her want to crumble and lean on him.
But the door creaked open behind her, and Ethan’s voice broke the spell. “Naomi, are you coming back in, or are you going to stand in the freezing cold all night?”
Trent narrowed his eyes at Ethan, then looked back at her. He gave a small nod. “I’ll be on my way. But remember what I said.”
She watched him walk away, her heart twisting. Turning back to the motel room, she braced herself for the battle with Ethan—and the decision she wasn’t ready to make.
***
Trent drove back to the ranch confused and a little mad at himself for not finding out more. She called him her brother, but was that to get him to leave? Maybe Ethan was an ex-boyfriend or a current one. Or maybe something else entirely was going on.
As Trent drove the dark, winding road back to the ranch, the rhythmic thrum of the truck’s engine did nothing to calm him. Something about Naomi’s situation didn’t sit right.
She’d called the guy her brother, but the way he had acted—the tension in his voice, the barely veiled hostility in his gaze—felt off. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but Ethan hadn’t looked like a protective sibling; he’d looked territorial, like someone staking a claim.
And then there was Naomi. She had seemed nervous, sure, but was that because of the so-called “family matter,” or because she didn’t want Trent to stick around and make matters worse?
He hated the doubt that crept in, but he also hated the idea of leaving her alone with someone who might not be who she claimed he was.
“Maybe it’s nothing,” he muttered aloud, gripping the steering wheel tighter. But the image of Naomi’s face—flushed, her eyes wide with a mix of surprise and something else he couldn’t quite place—kept replaying in his mind.
And then there was his own reaction. He’d felt an undeniable pull to protect her, to step in and make sure she was okay, even if it meant sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.
That was his downfall. That was how he’d lost his last job.
He’d never been the type to go around meddling in other people’s business, until this year.
And he certainly didn’t want to be the type of guy who butted into a woman’s personal life.
But Naomi wasn’t just another woman.
He sighed, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he turned onto the ranch’s long snow-covered driveway.
In a very short time, she’d gotten under his skin in a way he hadn’t expected.
She was smart, independent, and had a quiet strength that drew him in.
The way she smiled when she was relaxed, the way she talked to Ruby like the little dog was a person—it all added up to something that made his chest tighten in a way that confused him.
The truck rolled to a stop near the barn, and he killed the engine. The night was cold and still, the stars bright and sharp in the vast Montana sky. Trent sat there for a moment, his hands resting on the steering wheel as he let out a long breath.
Maybe he’d been wrong to walk away without pressing for more answers. Maybe he should’ve trusted his gut and stayed to make sure Naomi was really safe. But then again, he barely knew her. What right did he have to interfere in her life?
He glanced at the faint glow from the ranch house windows. Mason and Taylor were probably still up, pretending to be finishing chores but really just finding time to be alone together. The thought of their budding romance irked him for some reason.
He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
“Lord,” he murmured, bowing his head, “I don’t know what’s going on with Naomi, but You do.
If she’s in trouble, show me what I’m supposed to do.
And if I’m just getting in my own way, help me see that too.
I don’t want to mess this up—for her or for me. Just … guide me, please.”
The words hung in the still air, his breath visible in the cool night as he exhaled slowly.
For a long moment, he stayed like that, letting the quiet of the ranch seep into him, waiting for an answer, waiting for that quiet peace.
When he finally opened his eyes and stepped out of the truck, he felt a little better.
Whatever was going on with Naomi, he’d figure it out. And maybe he’d figure out what God had in store for the two of them as well.