Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
The next morning, Ryker’s warm, solid body is wrapped around me like a cocoon. The house is dark and silent, my heart is full, and my mind is quiet and content as the soft-gray light of early dawn filters in through the curtains.
I yawn and stretch beneath the rust-brown comforter, a delicate smile spreading across my face at the gentle soreness between my legs. My hips ache from accommodating Ryker’s tree trunk of a body, my lips are swollen and bruised, even my shoulders are tender from the fervid way he fucked me into the bathroom floor, and yet I’ve never felt so alive. Never felt so strong and beautiful. So comfortable in my own skin.
My relationships with my brother and Isabel might be falling apart, and there might be a growing mountain of lies between me and my father, but the day still seems bright and full of possibility. Maybe I’ll stay like this forever, tucked away from the rest of the world in the shelter of Ryker’s strong arms where nothing else exists except for this moment…
The croon of a mourning dove drifts in through the window, her sad song an unwelcome reminder of the real world carrying on outside these walls. The world where Ryker and I can’t have forever because we don’t even have today…
In less than an hour, he’ll head to Denton to visit Charlie and tomorrow he starts the police academy. We might see each other for a day or two next weekend, but I leave for Austin on Sunday. An emptiness slowly replaces the warmth in my stomach. The longer I stay here, the harder it’ll be to disentangle myself from Ryker, but the urge to soak up every last second, even if he’s asleep for it, is almost stronger than my common sense.
Almost .
Wanting to let him rest for a bit longer but needing to escape the sharp twinge of pain radiating down the center of my chest, I attempt to slip out from the covers—barely making it a few inches before Ryker’s arm snakes around my waist and he yanks me backward.
“Get back here,” he grumbles, and a shiver dances across my skin as his smoky voice ghosts over the nape of my neck.
A second ticks by, my head at war with my heart until Ryker’s cock twitches, hardening against my very naked ass and sending heat pulsing up my spine. Now that he’s awake… I might as well give him a proper birthday-morning hello?—
My phone vibrates.
With an annoyed huff, I reach for it, barely managing to knock it off the charger into my waiting hands.
Dad
You up? Need to talk ASAP.
My heart skips a beat.
“Fuck,” Ryker groans, tensing behind me as he reads the text over my shoulder.
Stomach knotting, I turn to face him. “What do you think he knows? It has to be about UT, right? Or do you think it’s about my fight with Noah?” My voice is shrill as I run out of oxygen.
“It’s probably nothing,” Ryker assures me, but he’s already sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed. The B -shaped burn scar on his ribs flexes as he curses and rakes his fingers through his hair. “Let me shower and get dressed before you reply, just in case.” He rises from the bed, grabs a change of clothes from the living room, and heads to the bathroom.
After quickly scanning my phone for any other missed calls or texts and finding none, I throw on a pair of underwear and an oversized Johnny Cash T-shirt before dragging my feet to the kitchen. A terrifying thought lodges in my throat, threatening to suffocate me as the coffee machine gurgles and spits beside me. What if Dad’s text has nothing to do with UT and Austin? What if he came home during the night and saw?—
My head snaps toward the sound of footsteps on the porch a second before the door swings open, and I gag at the god-awful smell that pours into the house.
“Jesus Christ, kiddo. Put some pants on, would ya?” Dad says, closing the front door way too loudly before dropping his Stetson onto the entryway table.
Scrunching my nose, I forget every other thought in my head so I can concentrate on not puking. “What is that horrendous smell?” I screech, covering the lower half of my face as I dry heave. “Why do you smell like literal shit?”
“ Language ,” he chastises, but his voice is too tired for there to be any real bite.
“She’s right, Mr. Dunn. You smell like manure,” Ryker says, face contorted in disgust as he strolls into the living room and gives me a curt nod, like he didn’t just spend the night in my bed.
“Joel, son. I’ve already told you to just call me Joel.” Dad’s worn expression sags further when he drops into a seat at the table. “And judging by those statements, I’m guessing neither of you have looked outside this morning?”
My eyes dart to the window where a small fleet of vans and trucks are lined up in the Crowes’ half-circle driveway. There are several men in jumpsuits milling about, as well as a backhoe and other digging equipment being unloaded off a trailer .
“What happened?” I ask, nausea abating as I inhale the decadent, steamy tendrils of the breakfast blend coffee I pour into three mugs. It’s not quite strong enough to cover up Dad’s smell, but it does take the bite off.
“The Crowes’ plumbing took a dive,” Dad says with a shudder. “I’m not sure if the septic tank or the water heater went first, but either way, sewage backed up through the sinks and toilets and the flooding made the damage ten times worse.”
My steps are heavy as I walk to the table. “This is the last thing Elanor needs to be dealing with right now. How did that even happen? Is there anything we can do to help?”
Dad shakes his head, avoiding eye contact with me as he takes the cup from my outstretched hand. “Unfortunately, by the time I drove by and saw water streaming down their driveway, it was already too late. I managed to get the main valve shut off, but the damage was done.”
He lifts the mug to his face and blows on the liquid gold. “As far as how it happened,” he says into the rim of his coffee, “that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. The Crowes had flood sensors, but not a single one of them went off. Did y’all hear or see anything odd at the ranch last night?”
Warmth creeps into my cheeks as images of me and Ryker flash through my mind like a smutty montage, but the flush quickly abates when one memory stands out in particular.
“The lights were flickering on and off. Did anyone in town report a power issue?”
“No,” Dad says, taking an obnoxiously loud slurp from his cup. “But they wouldn’t have. Beau’s house, the Crowes’ Ranch, and our place are the only three properties on this section of the grid. Well, us and the Cartwright Estate.”
Ryker’s jaw flexes, his eyes darting out the window and then back to Dad as he takes the coffee from my outstretched hand. “Does the electric company have a record of outages?” he says, brows furrowed. “ Would that show if someone interfered or cut the power to the ranch?”
“You really are going to make a great cop,” Dad says with a pleased snort. “Keep up that line of thinking and you’ll be just fine at the academy.”
Ryker’s gaze drops to the floor, and a small smile spreads across my lips at the light-pink blush staining his cheeks.
God, he’s awful at taking compliments, but he’s so damn cute about it.
“I’ll call the electric company and see what I can dig up,” Dad continues with a yawn. “I’d hate to think someone in town was capable of sabotaging the plumbing, but I wouldn’t put it past any of the Blackthornes to try to steal the place out from under Kane. That being said, things like this do happen with old houses…”
His voice trails off, like he’s talking more to himself than to us, and I clear my throat. “Was that all you wanted to talk to me about?”
“It was. If neither of you saw anything else, then I’m going to hit the shower.” Dad rises to his feet and stretches his hands up over his head, sending another potent wave of sewage in my direction. “Do you have everything you need for tomorrow, son?”
“Yes, sir, I’m all set. I’m hitting the road soon to see Charlie, and then I’ll be staying at a hotel near the training center until Friday. I’m not sure what Noah’s plans are, but you and Willa will probably have the house to yourselves this week.” Ryker steps closer, nudging his shoulder against my back to urge me forward. “Depending on your work schedule, maybe the two of you could go fishing?”
Dad pauses in the hallway to glance between the two of us, his lips curving downward before hardening into a tight line. Much to my surprise, his blue-gray gaze meets mine. “Guess we haven’t seen much of each other lately, have we, kiddo?”
I shake my head and he nods, the creases near his eyes softening into something sorrowful that almost looks like regret. “Alright, then. Let’s plan a date at the range, maybe a little fishing followed by lunch at Rib Cage?”
“I’d like that,” I say through a forced smile, only drawing in a full breath when he leaves.
The shower starts up a few seconds later and Ryker wraps his arms around my waist, refusing to let go when I swat him away.
“ Uh, maybe the two of you could go fishing ,” I say in a mockingly deep voice while trying to peel his fingers off of me. “What the hell was that?”
“I don’t want you alone in this house, and it’ll be a good opportunity for you to tell your dad that you’re leaving next week,” Ryker replies with a gentle bite to my earlobe that instantly has my anger melting away. “Imagine how hurt he’ll be if he finds out on his own—the way you did with the Noah-Cooper shit.”
My throat bobs. I should be ashamed that I haven’t told my dad I’m leaving, but the sensation curled around my neck feels a lot more like fear.
“What if he says I can’t go?”
Ryker stills, his audible swallow filling the room. “Would that stop you?”
“Shouldn’t it? If my need to get away from this place hurts someone I love…” My voice is so thick I trip over the words.
“Willa, I thought you wanted to get out of Deadwood more than anything? Has that changed? Do you not want to leave anymore?” Ryker’s voice is ragged, rising up at the end with an odd quality I’ve never heard from him before.
My lungs strain with the effort it takes not to scream that yes, it has changed because now I also want him . But what would that accomplish other than distracting him during training or torturing me when he tells me he doesn’t feel the same way?
“That’s what I thought,” he says when I don’t respond, wrapping his arms around me just a little bit tighter. “Go after what you want, Princess. Leave this shithole in the dust where it belongs.”
Desperate not to acknowledge the gnawing ache beneath my ribs, I lean into his chest, staring out the window as a tractor begins excavating what I assume to be the septic tank at Crowe Ranch .
With only the quiet hum of the shower down the hall and the gentle thump of Ryker’s heart against my back, we stay like that for a good minute or two. Then Ryker pulls his phone out to check the time. The air shifts, and a frantic pounding takes over my pulse .
I’d almost forgotten he needs to leave soon…
“I saw the look on your face when Dad was talking,” I say in a rush. “Do you really think the Blackthornes did that to the Crowes’ plumbing?”
The muscles in his forearms stiffen. “No. I think it was Kane.”
“You can’t be serious,” I say, incredulity heavy on my furrowed brow. But when I tilt my head to glance up at him, my insides shrivel at the rage painted across his chiseled cheeks.
“It makes sense, doesn’t it? If the house is unlivable, Elanor will have to cut Kane a deal on the price.” Ryker sucks his teeth and lets go of a humorless laugh. “The question is, did he have me sign that rental agreement because he had this planned and needed plausible deniability? Or is this his retaliation for last night?”
Ice coats my stomach.
Kane knows what Beau’s capable of, would he really do something this malicious when Ryker’s applying for guardianship of their sister? There’s no way. No matter how mad I was at Noah—and I’m pretty damn mad at him right now—I’d never sabotage his living situation or do something that would put another family member at risk. Yes, Ryker and I might’ve pissed Kane off with our blow job stunt in the truck last night, but he’s not evil enough to do this … Is he?
I turn into Ryker, my breath catching in my throat at the way the morning sun shining through the window kisses his cheeks and brow with a golden glow. There has to be a trace of Ryker’s goodness in his half brother. “Are you sure he’d?—”
“I’m sure.” Ryker tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, holding on to one of the white strands between his thumb and forefinger. “Kane had a dark side long before Beau fucked with his head. I was reluctant to admit it when I first came back, but I think whatever happened in New Mexico changed him… Or maybe it just set free some of the darkness he always kept caged.”
I bite my lip, unsure how sensitive this topic is. “You mentioned New Mexico last night. Why was he there in the first place?”
“He found his dad,” Ryker says lowly. “A few weeks before Mom died, Kane found our birth certificates in one of her suitcases.”
Gaze zeroed in on my mouth, Ryker lets go of my hair and slides one hand down to my ass. “Once we had that, it only took a two-second internet search to find out Kane’s dad was the leader of a doomsday megachurch operating out of the southwest. You might have seen him on the news a few times lately. Josiah Koresh? I think he’s being investigated for embezzling church funds or some shit like that.”
I let out a low whistle.
“Yep,” he says through a sigh. “Kane took off the day after Mom died to go find Koresh. I didn’t realize he wasn’t coming back until I got a postcard from New Mexico two weeks later. He’s been out there with his dad ever since. At least he was until he showed up here a few months ago. He won’t say shit about what happened, but every time I bring it up, I swear to God his eyes turn black and he?—”
Ryker’s phone goes off with an alert. “Shit, I need to hit the road.”
I want to ask more about Kane, but really I just want a few extra minutes with Ryker. “Do you have time for breakfast before you leave?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not hungry.”
“What about for a birthday present?” I inquire with a lifted brow before guilt has me backpedaling. “I’ll go grab it so you can take it with you. It’s kinda for Charlie anyway.”
The next thing I know, Ryker’s lips are on mine and he’s backing me up against the table.
“The only thing I want for my birthday is more time,” he says breathlessly, hands sliding into my hair to keep my face close to his. “Are you sore from last night?”
I bite my lip and shake my head .
“Are you lying?” he asks, pushing into me so that my back arches over the table as he positions himself between my legs. “I could lick it better before I go…”
The shower shuts off, and he pulls away, keeping his palm on my neck until the bathroom door clicks open, like the thought of letting me go a moment before he needed to was as unbearable to him as it was to me.
Dad doesn’t look at us as he walks to his bedroom, but it’s not until he speaks that I realize it’s because he’s on the phone. “I already signed and emailed the paperwork,” he says, head hung low as he listens to the person on the other end of the line. “I understand that, but terminal or not, we’re still not requesting clemency or a reprieve from the governor. This is on the state to figure out. I can’t keep?—”
The conversation cuts out when he closes his door.
I shake my head. “That’s going to be your life here in a few months. Pretty soon, you’ll be so consumed with the job you won’t even notice when I’m around.”
Ryker roughly grabs my face with one hand, cupping my jaw with his thumb and fingers on either side of my mouth as he forces me to meet his gaze. “I’ve never been within a hundred yards of you and not known exactly where you were. You’re the first person I look for when I walk into a room, even when I know you won’t be there. I’d notice you if I was deaf and blind because you’re branded on my goddamned soul, Willa.”
His chest heaves and then he’s kissing me again, his mouth and tongue merciless, like he’s trying to sear those words into my lips to make sure I don’t forget them. We’re both breathless when he pulls away.
“Don’t you ever tell yourself something different. Got it, Princess?” I nod, heart overflowing with emotion. “Good. Then I’ll see you on Friday.”
With one more rough kiss, he turns, grabs his bags, and heads for the door, never giving me the chance to give him his birthday present.