Chapter Twenty-Four
The next morning, Nora paused mid-step in the yard when she heard someone approaching the ranch. Two riders came into view, with their silhouettes framed by the rising light.
She knew the front horse before she knew the man on it. It was Nash Colter’s gelding, sleek and black and too fine-boned for ranch work. Beside him rode Elias, quiet and heavy-shouldered, making eye contact with her no longer than he had to.
Startled, Nora watched Nash sitting in his saddle like a man arriving to claim something.
He was dismounted and patently brushing invisible dust from his coat, like he was stepping into a parlor and not someone else’s yard.
“Nora,” he said with that same smooth voice he always wore like polished boots.
“Heard about your horses. Terrible thing.”
She didn’t move, didn’t blink, and certainly didn’t say anything.
“I wanted to ride out, see how you were holding up.” A false smile appeared on his face. “I couldn’t quite rest easy, not without knowing how you were, if you needed anything.”
Nora stared at him for a long moment. She felt the weight of his eyes, the way they slid over her face, lingered too long on her lips, then drifted past her like he was already measuring what he might do next.
“We’re managing,” she said evenly.
“Still,” he said, stepping forward, as the reins lay loose in his gloved hand. “A woman in your position shouldn’t have to bear such trouble alone.”
Nora’s chest tightened, but she didn’t want him to notice her anger. “I’m not alone.”
Nash’s smile tightened at the corners. “Ah, yes. Weston Crane. Forgot you had a husband.”
He said his name like a taste gone bad. Nora gently set the feed bucket down. She didn’t glance toward the barn or the house. She knew Weston would come if she called, but she didn’t want to give Nash the satisfaction.
“I appreciate the visit,” she said coolly. “But as you can see, we’ve got things handled.”
Nora looked at Elias, who hadn’t said a word since the two arrived.
He just sat atop his horse, looking somewhere over her shoulder.
Nash, on the other hand, made a show of looking around.
His gaze landed on the paddocks, the pastures, the barn doors left ajar to let in the breeze.
He took his time, like a man inspecting property.
“You sure?” he finally asked. “I really wouldn’t want pride getting in the way of sense, especially not with things going sideways out here.”
Before she could answer, Nora heard the barn door creak behind her and saw Weston step out. He was still dusted with hay and sweat, and his face was set like stone—as was the sound of his voice
“We don’t want your help.”
Nora saw the twitch of Nash’s mouth. “Oh? I wouldn’t really think the same.” Weston stepped closer now. He didn’t raise his voice, Nora thought, but he didn’t need to.
“You sent your man here to dig into my past,” he said. “You’ve been spreading lies. I know it, and you know it, just like everyone else in this town knows it.”
Nora watched Elias shift slightly in the saddle. He opened his mouth, but didn’t speak.
Nash, on the other hand, blinked, all wide-eyed innocent. “Now, that’s a serious accusation, Mr. Crane.”
“You think I care about your name?” Weston shot back. “You think money makes you untouchable?”
Nash drew himself up a bit. “I’m the most respected man in this county. The richest, too.”
Weston took one more step forward. Nora could feel the way the space between the men pulled taut like wire.
“Then ride back to your land, Colter.” Her husband’s voice went dangerously low. “And pray it keeps you safe.”
Nash’s face stilled, losing its charm. For a long moment, no one moved; Nash didn’t waver until Weston took his last step forward. It wasn’t a lunge, but it was enough to remind every man watching that Weston Crane didn’t bluff.
Obviously alarmed, Nash stepped back. Just then, his boot caught the edge of a low beam from a broken fence post near the paddock gate.
He stumbled backward, arms flailing, and landed hard in the dirt with a loud thud.
The reins fell to the ground; Elias got off his horse, made a few steps forward, and took them without a word.
The yard went still again. Then came a few snickers. One of the ranch hands nearby coughed into his fist, trying not to grin.
Weston didn’t bother hiding his smirk, either. He crossed his arms and called out casually, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Careful, Colter. Pride’s harder to clean off than dirt.”
A few of the men chuckled outright at that.
Nash stood up, deliberately brushing dust from his coat in short, angry swipes.
He didn’t look at Weston. Instead, he started walking fast toward his horse, red-faced and fuming.
“Real fine company you keep out here,” he said loud enough to be heard.
“Strays and stragglers. This place must feel like home to you, Crane.”
Weston just tilted his head, lifting one brow . “Better a stray than a snake in the house.”
That got a laugh from Duke, and one of the younger ranch hands let out a low whistle.
Nash’s face flushed a deeper shade of red. “You’ve made a mistake siding against me, both of you,” he snapped, shooting a furious glance at Nora. “I don’t forget insults.”
Weston took one last and calm step forward. “Neither do I.”
For a breath, it seemed like Nash might say more, but then he caught sight of the men still watching from the barn and fence line with folded arms and smirks on their faces. He yanked the reins free from Elias’s hand and mounted his horse in one angry motion.
In the meantime, Elias glanced at Nora. His eyes flicked to hers, and for a fraction of a second, something passed between them. She could see discomfort, maybe even embarrassment behind his cold stare. And just like that, he mounted up.
The two men left the ranch in a fury, trailing dust and wounded dignity behind them. The sound of hooves faded into the distance, swallowed by the summer heat and the long stretch of road leading out of the ranch.
Nora watched it drift for a long moment, her arms folded tight against her chest. She didn’t feel relieved. Instead, she felt…worried, as if something had just been set in motion, a hazard she couldn’t stop once it picked up speed.
Nash Colter didn’t take kindly to being embarrassed, let alone knocked down in front of half the valley. She’d seen the way his eyes burned before he turned away, she’d seen the way his voice had curled at the edges when he promised he wouldn’t forget. And I know it in my heart; he won’t.
“He’s not finished,” she whispered, almost to herself. “On the contrary. He’s just started.”
Beside her, Weston stood quiet. His gaze was fixed on the road long after the riders were gone. But she could sense a discomfort behind his stillness that told her he was thinking exactly what she was. The only difference was, he wasn’t afraid of the danger coming their way.
She turned to him, and uttered, “He’s not done. You know that, don’t you?”
Her pulse thudded in her ears. She could still feel the tension coiled at the base of her spine, like a thread pulled too tight.
It wasn’t just a bad feeling anymore, it was a certainty.
Nash Colter was a storm, and it would wait until they weren’t looking.
Then, he’d strike hard, fast, and with the utmost cruelty.
She clenched her arms tighter around herself. The wind had picked up a little, stirring the dust left behind in lazy eddies, but her skin prickled like it was winter.
“Yes,” Weston finally said. “I know.”
He came closer to her, regarding her with no hesitation, no mask. His eyes were clear as running water and just as deep. She saw that quiet, unwavering certainty she’d come to recognize in him, the certainty that stood its ground and meant every word.
“I’m not going anywhere, Nora,” he said. “Whatever Nash throws our way, I’ll handle it. I’ll keep you and Mary Jane safe, no matter what. And that’s something Nash can never take away from you.”
“I know,” she whispered, taking his hand.
It was strong and full of promises too big for her to believe…
but she did. She let out a slow breath as her fingers gently started playing with his.
“I’ve been doing this on my own for a long time.
I didn’t think I needed anyone. But you taught me otherwise, Weston Crane. ”
Weston looked at her dead in the eye, gently brushing his thumb against hers. “And you didn’t need anyone. That’s what makes this matter. You chose me anyway.”
Nora hadn’t expected these words from the man who’d arrived dusty and broken with nothing but a battered satchel and a quiet kind of grief—and especially not from the man she’d eyed with suspicion at first, too protective of Mary Jane, too aware of how fragile their little life had become.
But now…now, she looked at him and saw safety when the world leaned hard against her. Weston didn’t make grand promises, but every time trouble came knocking, he stood his ground for her, for the ranch, and for every living soul in it. He was there.
Her fingers started wrapping more tightly around his. She was falling for this man more and more, day by day, with every word, every silence, every small gesture that told her she wasn’t alone anymore. Finally, the feeling didn’t terrify her. It gave her hope.
“I don’t know how to do this,” she said softly. “Letting someone else carry the weight.”
Weston offered a smile, still holding her hand. “Then we’ll learn. Figure it out together.”