Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
DARBY
God, the sound of his voice immediately soothes every jagged edge from the past two days, and I can’t help but exhale in relief.
“Are you there?” he asks. His voice is rough and low, and it almost brings tears to my eyes.
Jesus, he makes me feel better.
“I’m here.” I can hear the exhaustion in my voice. “I’m on my way to your ranch, but I’m so tired, Tucker. I need you to talk to me while I drive so I don’t fall asleep.”
“Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you.”
“I don’t want to leave my car here. I’m okay, I’m only thirty minutes away at the Kincaid ranch. Just keep me company while I drive, okay?”
“I’ll do anything you want,” he says. “Talk to me. What’s been going on?”
I blow out a breath while I pull down the long driveway to the highway and turn to the right. I have to go through Silver Springs to get to the Hendrix Ranch on the other side of town.
“A horse was in labor, and she was in danger. The foal was breech.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, ‘fuck’ is right. Every time we got that baby turned, she’d turn back again. That lasted forever, Tucker. It was horrible, and the mare just couldn’t do it. We ended up putting her down yesterday morning and delivering the foal alive.”
“But that’s its own set of problems.”
God, I love that he knows animals so well. That I can talk to him about this and he just gets it. I don’t have to try to explain it all to him, he just understands.
“Yeah, so it’s been a rough couple of days of trying to get this foal to attach to a nurse mare.”
“You found one?” He sounds incredulous, and I can’t help but smile. But then that smile disappears when I see lightning flash across the sky.
No. No no no.
I’m not strong enough right now to deal with a storm. I’m too wrung out.
“Darby?”
“Oh, sorry.” Another flash, and I swallow thickly. “Yeah, there’s another mare on the ranch who just had a baby a couple of days ago, and we worked with her to see if she’d take the newborn.”
“And did she?”
Thunder rolls overhead, and I pull in a sharp breath.
“Whoa, what’s happening?”
“Storm,” is all I say as more lightning flashes, and then the sky opens up, and my breathing becomes rapid and ragged, and shit.
“Listen to me, Duchess. Do you hear my voice?”
“Yeah.”
“I want you to pull over. Right now.”
“I’m on the highway.”
He growls, and I hear him running and then the slam of his truck door. “I don’t care if you’re on the highway, I want you to pull over right now, Darby.”
I press my lips together and do as he says, although it’s raining so hard, I can barely make out the shoulder of the road.
“Did you do it? Are you stopped?”
“Yes. Yeah, I’m stopped.”
“Good girl. Now, tell me where you are.”
The tears have started, and I’m hyperventilating because the sky is exploding in light, the thunder is deafening, and the rain is so hard, and I’m right back there, twenty-five years ago, tied to a fence post, out of reach of my sisters, and—
“Darby!” His voice is hard and loud, and it brings me out of my head.
“Yeah. I’m here.”
“Where are you?”
“I—I don’t know.”
“I need you to share your location with me, baby. Pick up your phone and share your location so I can find you. I’m on my way, I’ll be there soon.”
I fumble with the phone, and finally figure out how to send my location.
“Perfect, I see you. I’m less than twenty minutes away.”
“That’s forever,” I whisper, closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the seat. “I’m so sorry.”
“Nope. You’re not going to apologize to me for this. It’s a bad storm. It’s just starting to hit where I am.”
“Oh God, please be careful. Don’t get hurt, Hotshot.”
“Never. I’m on my way to my girl. Turn on the air-conditioning in the car. The cool air will help you feel better.”
I do as he says, just going through the motions because I can’t think for myself right now. The sky flashes, and then the boom is so loud, I swear my car rocks on its tires, making me yelp.
“Christ,” I hear Tucker mutter. “Talk to me. You got the baby and mama all settled?”
I sniffle and wipe my tears away. My eyes are closed because I don’t want to see the lightning. But then thunder booms again, and I jump in the seat.
“Tucker.”
“Tell me about that baby. What’s her name? You said it’s a girl?”
“Yeah, it’s a girl.” I wipe more tears. God, this storm is never going to end. “I think they’re going to name her—ah!”
“Stay with me, sweetheart. I’m less than five minutes away. What’s her name?”
“I don’t know.” I can’t stop crying. I can’t think of anything right now. “I don’t know her name.”
“Okay. That’s okay. What color is your shirt?”
That makes me frown and sniffle again. “My shirt?”
“What color is it?”
I glance down, cracking one eye open. “Red. But I’m so dirty. I’m bloody and gross.”
“We’ll get you cleaned up. Are you hungry?”
So fucking hungry.
Mr. Kincaid brought us sandwiches for dinner, but I haven’t had a true meal in days.
“Yes, I’m hungry.”
“I have tacos waiting at home, but I can make you whatever you want. I’m world famous for my grilled cheese.”
“World famous?” Lightning strikes again, and I whimper. “Where are you?”
“Pulling up behind you.”
I didn’t even notice his headlights in the mirror, but suddenly, my driver’s door is swung open, and Tucker reaches in to unbuckle my belt, and the next thing I know, he’s moved me to the back seat and I’m cradled in his lap, his arms around me, my face in his neck, and he’s holding me so tight, I’ve never felt safer.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper.
“Don’t be. Besides, I’m the one who needed to be held through this fucking storm, and you were taking forever.”
I can’t help but offer him a watery smile at that. “I’m a mess, Tucker. I’m going to get you so dirty.”
“You’re perfect. Don’t you dare worry about me.”
I press my palm on his chest, and I can feel his heart hammering, but his voice is so calm.
“Are you okay?” I ask him.
“I literally just told you not to worry about me.”
Lightning flashes, and I jump, clinging to him.
“I hate this,” I mutter.
“Listen to my voice.” His lips are right next to my ear. “I have you. You’re safe in my arms, I promise you. I won’t let anything happen to you ever again, Duchess.”
I loop my arm around his neck and hug him close, taking him at his word that he doesn’t care about the bodily fluids that I’m covered in.
“You’re so fucking brave.”
I scoff, but he rubs his hand down my back, all the way to my butt, and kisses my cheek.
“I know that arguing is your love language, but don’t argue with me about this. You’re so brave. The storm is passing. The thunder is getting farther away.”
We’re quiet as we listen, and sure enough, it’s off in the distance now, and the rain is just a sprinkle on the roof above.
I take a breath, pulling in the spiciness of Tucker’s shower gel and how right it feels to be cradled in his arms.
“How are you doing?” he asks quietly. “Your pulse is calming down.”
“So is yours,” I whisper into his neck.
“I’m just following your lead. You tell me when you’re ready for me to drive us home.”
I pull back and frown up at him. His green eyes are bright, even in the darkness of my car, with just the dash lights casting a glow around us.
“Your truck—”
“Will be fine until morning,” he replies.
“It’s late, baby. I’ll call Easton, and he’ll arrange for it to get home.
If you think I’ll leave you alone after all of this, when you already admitted that you’re too tired to drive, and now you’ve had a panic attack and you’re shaking like a fucking leaf, you don’t know me at all. ”
I drag my fingertips down his chin and lean my forehead against his.
God, he’s good. So damn good.
“Thank you. Can we go back now?”
“As soon as you disentangle yourself from my torso.”
I grin at him. “Maybe we can sit here for a couple more minutes.”
“Whatever you need.”
His hands drift up and down my back, he peppers kisses on my forehead and my cheeks, as we sit in the darkness. It’s growing quiet now, and my eyes are so heavy.
“I should let you drive me home now,” I whisper. “Before I fall asleep and you’re trapped under me.”
“Being trapped under you is now on my bucket list.” He kisses my mouth and then tenderly sets me aside on the seat next to him. “Do you want to be up front, or do you want to sleep back here?”
“I’ll sit with you.”
He nods, and then he helps me to the passenger seat, gets me buckled in, and then circles around to the driver’s side, and within seconds, we’re headed toward his ranch.
“You got to me in way less than twenty minutes,” I comment as I watch him drive. His eyes are on the road ahead. “How many speeding tickets should you have?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He reaches out and takes my hand, kisses my knuckles, and then presses them to his chest.
And I promptly fall asleep.