Chapter 24 #2
“Fine, but only because he’s already stressed enough.
Some assholes got on the property and cut the fence line.
A couple hundred head of cattle got loose.
It’s all hands on deck at the ranch right now.
Since you’re okay and safe and sound with his best friend’s dog, I’ll leave this bit of information until tomorrow. ”
Owen shows no reaction to the news about the fence.
He already knew.
“Shit, that’s terrible. No clue who did it?”
“Nope. The ranch is thousands of acres, yet they did it close to home base, so we couldn’t miss it. They must have done it in the middle of the night.”
“Fuckers.”
The baby cries in the background. “Listen, I’m glad you’re okay, but your niece is hungry. I have to go. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Give her a kiss for me and keep me posted on the ranch. Yeah?”
“Yep. Bye, Dais.”
The call disconnects, and I stare at Owen. Neither of us says what I know we’re both thinking. It can’t be. I refuse to believe it.
“You didn’t tell her the truth about what happened.”
“I may have omitted the attempted murder, but I didn’t lie.”
“Same thing.”
“Agree to disagree.”
“Daisy, Wesley got on a plane to Boston.”
“Stop. Please don’t say it. Please.”
“Not saying it out loud doesn’t change the fact that what happened to you was personal. They aren’t just coming after you. They're coming after the family.”
“But why?”
“He flew back to Boston, Daisy.”
“You already said that.”
“If I remember correctly, you told Chad you refused to share his offer to buy the ranch with the family. Where was Chad from?”
“Boston.”
“Baby, this is a big deal, and the sooner we deal with it as a family, the better.”
“Just one more night. Please?”
“Daisy, your brother has notified the authorities about what happened at the ranch. Goose Hollow police know what happened to you. Someone is going to say something. I’d rather he heard about what happened from us.”
“Please, Owen. When we wake up tomorrow, we can tell the world. Let me have today.”
“Cal is gonna have my fucking head.”
“Thank you.”
He shoots off his stool and storms across the kitchen to pull a beer out of the refrigerator. Retrieving the bottle opener from the side of the fridge, he rips off the cap and guzzles it down.
He’s pissed.
“I’m—”
He holds a finger up, stopping me from speaking until the bottle is empty.
“I don’t give a shit if my beer intake turns you off. I fucking needed that.”
The edge in his voice is one I’ve only heard once before. The time he saved eighteen-year-old me from a handsy record exec who had cornered me in a dark room and wasn’t taking no for an answer. If Owen hadn’t found me and ripped him off me, the trajectory of my life might have changed that day.
“My comment about your drinking was a joke. Is that why you barely drink anymore?”
His grip on the bottle is so intense I worry it’s going to shatter in his hand.
“There’s always some truth in everything you say.
Even when you’re giving me shit. I haven’t been shy about how I feel about you.
I listen to every word you say. If I can fix whatever is holding you back, I will.
Beer. Root beer. Who fucking cares what I drink if it’s part of what’s keeping us apart? ”
Dumbfounded, all I can do is listen to the thump, thump of my heart, as it echoes from my chest to my head, while my inner monologue chastises me.
Why are you acting so surprised?
He’s made his feelings clear. It’s you who can’t own up to them.
It’s you who won’t take the next step.
You. Are. A. Coward.
“I’m sorry. For everything.” My voice is small. Unsure.
Opening the fridge, he doesn’t reply. He busies himself setting food on the counter ignoring me until he says, “I’m gonna make a batch of pineapple fried rice on the Blackstone for dinner. We’ll have plenty of leftovers for the next couple of days.”
He knows his pineapple fried rice is my favorite.
“Perfect. Can I help?”
“I’ve got it.”
The tension between us is so intense, I fear I’m about to break.
Staying where I am, I open my computer and work on a few things that may help Charlie with our client meetings, while he preps the food. Only my typing, his chopping, and Maui chewing on her toy break the heavy silence.
I know asking him to keep the truth of my accident from my family is selfish. But I need this right now. I need to be in his orbit and nobody else's while I come to grips with what is happening.
“You comfortable?”
How could I not be? He’s got me set up on the couch with two fluffy pillows behind me and two under my foot, with my favorite blanket covering me.
My favorite tea waits in a steaming mug on the table he’s moved closer to the couch so I can reach it.
He’s sitting in the chair facing me with my e-reader in his hands.
Since he came back into the house after making dinner on the grill, all tension has vanished, and he’s back to the Owen I know and might even love.
I can’t help but giggle. “Yes, I’m great, but you don’t have to do this.”
“You’ve already had too much screen time today. Until the docs clear you, you’re stuck with me.”
“Yes, but you don’t have to read to me.”
“I’ve always wanted to know what kind of dirty shit you and Mia are into.”
“Well, if I remember where I left off correctly, you’re about to learn a lot.”
“Is that so?”
“Do you know what knotting is?”
“Like tying someone up with rope?”
“Oh, this is gonna be fun. You’re about to read your first shifter romance. Buckle up, big boy.”
“Hot damn. Let’s do this.”
He reads, and he reads. Chapter after chapter. At one point he looked at me and said, “I get it.” Other than that, he hasn’t stopped.
And neither has my heart. It takes tumble after tumble and there appears to be no end in sight for its fall.
His voice soothes the pain in my head to a bearable degree. The clouds of my denial drift away as I sit in the moment.
Owen Swift is the most caring, most giving man I’ve ever known.
He makes me laugh. He listens when I talk and actually hears me.
All he wants is to love me, and for years, I’ve been pushing him away.
Only allowing the two of us stolen moments.
I’ve been hiding my feelings for him from the world.
Hell, from myself, when deep down I’ve known the truth all along.
I’m in love with Owen Swift. And it’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me. Attempted murder included.