8. Beast
BEAST
Ididn't like the truck.
I liked it even less two hours later.
Because I saw it again.
The dusty pickup sat across the street from Miller's Feed Store.
Parked beneath a cottonwood tree.
Engine off.
Nobody inside.
At least that's what it looked like.
I sat in my own truck three buildings away and watched it.
Waiting.
Thinking.
Not liking any of this.
The driver's door finally opened.
Gerald stepped out.
My jaw tightened.
The man adjusted his shirt.
Looked around town.
Then headed toward the diner.
Like he belonged here.
Like Eagle River was his town.
It wasn't.
Not even close.
I climbed out of my truck.
The gravel crunched beneath my boots.
Gerald spotted me immediately.
His smile disappeared.
Good.
We were making progress.
The man stopped walking.
I stopped too.
Twenty feet separated us.
Neither of us spoke.
A few people on the sidewalk slowed down.
Pretending not to watch.
The worst spies in the world.
Small towns were terrible for privacy.
Gerald shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Beast."
"Gerald."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Mine didn't.
I already knew exactly what I thought of him.
The man looked toward the feed store.
Then back at me.
"Following me?"
"No."
The lie sounded ridiculous.
We both knew it.
Gerald laughed.
I didn't.
That seemed to bother him.
Good.
Again.
Progress.
His smile slowly faded.
"You're making this difficult."
My eyebrows lifted.
"Am I?"
"Sadie and I have things to discuss."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Without thought.
Without hesitation.
Gerald stared.
I stared right back.
The silence stretched.
A truck drove past.
Somebody exited the diner.
The town continued around us.
Neither of us moved.
Then Gerald sighed.
Like I was the problem.
Interesting.
"I came here for her."
"No."
His jaw tightened.
"I did."
"You came here for yourself."
The words landed.
Hard.
Because they were true.
I could see it on his face.
The irritation.
The anger.
The entitlement.
The belief that he deserved something.
Or someone.
I hated men like him.
Always had.
Gerald took a step closer.
A mistake.
A very big mistake.
I didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't change expression.
But something in my eyes must have gotten through.
Because he stopped immediately.
Smart man.
For the first time all morning.
"She won't talk to me."
I shrugged.
"Sounds like a personal problem."
A couple exiting the diner suddenly turned around.
Trying not to laugh.
They failed.
Gerald heard them.
His face darkened.
I almost smiled.
Almost.
"You're not her bodyguard."
"No."
"Then why are you interfering?"
The answer should have been simple.
It wasn't.
Because part of me didn't know anymore.
The promise was gone.
The excuse was gone.
The distance was gone.
All that remained was one truth.
Gerald made Sadie afraid.
And I wasn't okay with that.
Not one damn bit.
So I told him the truth.
The simple version, anyway.
"Because she doesn't want you here."
For a second, something ugly flashed through his eyes.
Gone so fast, most people would've missed it.
I didn't.
Neither did Gerald.
Because he immediately realized I'd seen it.
That tiny loss of control.
That glimpse beneath the mask.
The silence grew heavier.
More dangerous.
Then Gerald smiled.
The fake smile.
The one that never reached his eyes.
"I'll see her."
"No."
His smile vanished.
Again.
"Eventually."
"No."
The word came out colder this time.
Gerald stared at me.
Long.
Hard.
Like he was trying to decide something.
Then, finally, he stepped back.
"You're making a mistake."
I folded my arms.
"No."
"You don't know her."
The statement almost made me laugh.
Almost.
Because, unlike Gerald...
I'd known Sadie for years.
I'd watched her laugh.
Fight.
Work.
Argue.
Love.
Survive.
Gerald didn't know her at all.
The man only thought he did.
Which was probably his biggest problem.
He shook his head.
Turned.
Walked away.
I watched him go.
Watched until he disappeared around the corner.
Then I stood there another minute.
Thinking.
The conversation replayed in my head.
Every word.
Every expression.
Every reaction.
Something wasn't right.
Something bigger sat beneath the surface.
I could feel it.
The same way I'd felt trouble overseas.
The same way I'd felt it before missions went sideways.
My phone buzzed.
I pulled it out.
A text from Sadie.
One of my teenage ranch hands just backed a tractor into the fence.
I stared.
Then another message appeared.
They're blaming each other.
A third arrived immediately.
Help.
For the first time all morning...
I smiled.
Because Gerald might be a problem.
But right now?
Three teenage ranch hands and one destroyed fence sounded a whole lot more entertaining.