Chapter Twenty-Eight Blaze
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Blaze
My hands shake as I grip the steering wheel, foot pressing hard on the gas. I try to draw in a breath, but my lungs feel like they’re being squeezed by thick and unforgiving chains.
Because of me, Miss Bea, the animal Savannah loved most on this ranch, is dead. Gone. Because I allowed myself to fall into a trap where I will only ever do more harm than good.
Labored breaths have my heart pounding relentlessly in my chest. I swing the steering wheel to the right, tires screeching to a stop as I brake hard. My fingers find the neckline of my T-shirt. I tug at it, pulling it away from my body, blood rushing between my temples.
I’m becoming my fucking father, using people to save myself from facing all the guilt and anger plaguing me every day of my damn life.
I don’t know how long I sit here for. Feels like days pass before my phone buzzes on the seat next to me.
With a quick look, I feel my stomach free-fall.
Wilkerson.
I pick up the phone and stare at his name. But even if I don’t answer, he’ll find me some other way. He’ll track me to the ends of the damn earth to do his filthy fucking jobs. So I click the Accept button.
“What?” I try for gruff and in control, but who the hell am I kidding?
“Saw the pictures you sent of that fence. Nice work.”
“Great,” I respond through gritted teeth. “What do you want?”
“I’m tired of you half-assing this, Hartman. I gave you an order, and you’re fucking it up, dragging it out, and pissing me the hell off.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been doing what you asked.”
“It’s taking too long. I gave you a timeline. Two weeks. Complete chaos. And so far, you’re failing.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I yell. “Her livestock were scattered across three different properties today. One of her cattle was hit by a truck and needed to be put down. Others were hurt and needed medical attention. What the hell more do you expect?”
“Don’t test my patience any more than you already are. I want that ranch on the verge of collapse. Do the damage and walk away. Break her, Hartman. Or I will.”
Click.
I squeeze my eyes shut, the stress knot lodged at the base of my skull throbbing, echoing between my temples.
The vet’s face floats into my mind. His stupid shit-eating grin, the glasses I’d love nothing more than to knock off his smug-ass face.
He’s always around. Always ready and willing to lend a helping hand. Always a thorn in my side.
Back at Red Rock, he looked at me like he has the upper hand, like he’s the fucking chosen one. There was a challenge in the smug bastard’s eyes. I know what I saw.
And I didn’t like it.
My lips twist like I’ve just tasted shit, and I know I’m projecting. I just don’t give a damn.
Rage floods my insides. I jerk the steering wheel to the left and stomp on the gas, heading toward the center of town. Burgess said he had some house calls, but maybe he went back to his office first, for supplies or whatever the hell else.
Red floods my vision as I speed down the highway, glaring at the sunshine streaming through my windshield. It’s a beautiful day for a good ass kicking.
His office is across from Brixton’s General Store. A bitter smile lifts my lips when I see his silver Ram backed into a spot out front.
I stick my hat back on and get out of the truck. My boots hit the ground hard, like I imagine they would if his head was under them.
Stalking toward the office door, I stiffen at the sound of Mrs. Brixton’s voice talking to someone behind me.
“. . . wonder where he’s headed in such a hurry . . .”
“. . . looks like he’s aching to cause some trouble . . .”
Slowly, I turn, casting a glare over my shoulder. “Pleasure to see you, too, Mrs. Brixton. If you’re so curious, next time just ask instead of wondering.”
Her jaw drops. And Ms. Eloise, who’s standing next to her, is shocked silent.
Pain-in-the-ass gossips.
Yeah, they’re right, but still. I’m right fucking here. Have some tact, for Christ’s sake.
I pull open the glass door. A bell rings overhead, the jingling sound inciting me even more, if that’s possible.
Rounding a corner, I find Burgess sitting at a desk. He looks up at me. No smile. Just disdain in his eyes.
“Hartman, what can I do for you?”
I step toward the desk. “You need to back off Savannah.”
“Pissing on territory you think is yours, huh?” He lets out a dry, humorless chuckle. “I’m her vet. Just doing my job.”
“Bullshit. It’s way beyond that. I’m not a fucking idiot. I see you, showing up there to comfort her, advise her. I see the way you look at her.” I lean toward him. “She doesn’t need you, got it? So fuck off.”
“Jealous?” he says, tossing his pen on the desk. He stands up. “I get it. And you should be. She knows which one of us will always show up for her and which one will leave her hanging.”
“I’m not playing games. Stay away from her.” Anger bubbles in my chest. I’m damn close to throwing his desk against the wall. And he’ll be next.
“What are you going to do about it, Hartman? Tell her you’re better for her?
That you actually give a shit about her?
We both know that’s a lie. Hell, she knows it too.
” A nasty smirk plays at his lips. “Why do you think she keeps calling me? Because she knows she can count on me. So maybe you should step off. Give her a chance to be with someone on her level, someone who actually cares about her happiness. Someone like me.” He glares at me. “She deserves better than you.”
I swallow hard. I know it, dammit.
His eyes harden, morphing into black ice. “Someone stable. Reliable. Someone who won’t destroy everything she has left.”
Fuck me. I knew there was something off with him. And right now he sounds like some crazed stalker.
Maybe he is. Maybe that glimpse was into something evil, something nobody in town has seen yet since everyone thinks the sun rises and sets on his scrawny ass.
He smiles at me, the professional mask slipping back into place. “If there’s nothing else, I have some work to do and house calls to make. Including one for tomorrow at Red Rock. Savannah asked me to come and check on the herd again.”
I grip the edge of the desk.
“Don’t you dare cross the line with her—”
“What line? Being helpful? Professional? Everything you’re not?” He laughs. “I’ll try.”
Tyler walks around the desk and stops when we are toe to toe.
“It’s you who should really steer clear of Savannah.
Men like you bring destruction wherever they go.
Don’t let her be your next victim.” He folds his arms over his chest, an unhinged look flashing in his eyes and then smoothing over like he flipped an imaginary switch. “Have a good day, Hartman.”
I storm out of the building, rage burning through my veins.
She deserves better than you.
His words echo in my head, and I hate that they’re true.
Tyler’s a smug bastard with his own agenda. But that doesn’t make him wrong.
I do bring destruction. I am poison to everyone I touch. And Savannah? She’s already paid the price for being close to me once.
I should let her have a chance at something normal with someone who won’t get her killed.
But the thought of Tyler or anyone else putting their hands on her makes me want to burn the whole damn town to the ground.
Hours pass. I’ve stopped at the hospital to see Wyatt, had an argument with Colt over some details around a bad business deal he’s about to strike with a shady partner, and dealt with some more bullshit from my dad about keeping my nose out of things I gave up when I left town.
The sky is now dark. My stomach is in knots. I can’t eat. Panic over Wilkerson’s threats claws at my chest. And through it all, it’s Tyler’s voice I keep hearing. The condescension, the confidence, the certainty that he’s the guy for Savvie.
I wish I’d put him through the wall when I had a chance.
That’d sure give the gossip girls around town something to talk about.
In my daze, I find myself heading down the drive toward Savvie’s house at Red Rock. A glance at the dashboard clock confirms it’s past her bedtime.
But the porch light is still on. She usually turns it off when she goes to sleep.
Jealousy surges in my chest.
What if she told Tyler to come by, that she’d leave a light on for him?
“Oh, fucking no,” I growl.
I pull up to the house, my pulse punching a hole in my throat.
This might be the last time she lets me in.
If she lets me in.
I haven’t given her a reason to, and I’m a selfish bastard for it.
None of that stops me from knocking on the door, though.
And when she opens it, I half expect her to slam it right in my face.
She doesn’t. But she doesn’t speak for a long minute, and I wait for her to tell me to go to hell.
“Why are you here, Blaze?” Her voice is exhausted, defeated, and hollow.
I inch toward her and put my hands on her shoulders. “Because everything is falling apart and you’re the one thing in my life that feels real and good. And I need that. I need you.”
Selfish. So fucking selfish.
She stares at me, her face stony, war waging in the depths of her eyes.
“Please, Savannah. Give me one more night, one more chance. Let me do this right.”
She steps aside to let me in, then closes the door behind me. We just stand there in her foyer, the deafening silence stretching between us.
“One night,” she finally says, voice thick. “But if you leave me again, don’t bother coming back. Ever.”
The finality in her voice cuts through me.
“I won’t leave.”
She searches my face, looking for the lie. I let her see the truth. I mean it, for tonight at least.
Then she steps into me, hands fisting in my shirt.
“Don’t talk,” she whispers. “I can’t hear any more words tonight.”
And then there are no more words at all.