Traces Of You (Sunset Ridge #1)

Prologue

His gaze swept over the school grounds, sharp and instinctive before moving forward with purpose.

She was off to the side by herself. The same place. The same time. Probably the same reason she was alone.

His size twelve feet moved with quick, quiet precision in her direction.

“Ford. Wait up.”

His shoulders dipped, frustration simmering beneath the surface, but he kept it buried deep.

“Hey, Stacy.”

His silly classmate stopped at his side, slid her arm through his, and gave him a tug toward her group of friends.

He wouldn’t be budged.

“Come over here. Are you going to the game tonight?”

Friday night football. He’d be there with his family because they were known in the small town community of Warrensburg, New York. Hell, all of Warren County knew them.

“Yeah,” he said, his eyes moving back to Reenie Dupree eating her sandwich with her head down.

Once he realized she was outside with her lunch and not in the cafeteria, he had wolfed down his food next to his friends, put his tray away, and set out to find her.

The lingering ache in his stomach over her treatment by others in gym class earlier made him want to slam his fist through the wall.

He wouldn’t.

Never show your anger.

Never show a weakness.

It’d been drilled into his and his siblings’ heads from the day they first worked the family farm.

You got more respect when you remained calm.

“Do you want to meet up with us?” Stacy asked. “We are going to Landon’s after.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Excuse me.”

Stacy frowned after his words.

Sorry if he wasn’t rude by walking away without a word as his friends did. Or dropping the normal, “later” at her feet.

If his father raised them to be strong, his mother raised them to have manners.

Middle school didn’t excuse it.

His ten steps toward Reenie had four other people slowing him or calling his name.

He gave the cursory wave or head nod but wasn’t stopping.

His stride ended in front of Reenie, her brown hair straight and falling past her shoulders.

She was new to his school this year and in most of his classes.

Cute, shy, and troubled.

He could spot that look a mile away.

If there was one thing that all but gutted him, it was seeing someone in need and not being able to help.

“Hi, Ford,” she said when she glanced up.

He’d been casting a shadow on her for five seconds before she acknowledged him.

“Hi, Reenie.” He didn’t wait for her to say another word and sat down next to her. No one else was around, but there were plenty looking on.

The incident today wouldn’t happen again. He’d make sure of it.

His eyes traveled to the red marks on her knees where she’d fallen during their soccer game.

Not fallen. Been tripped on purpose, then had several of the girls laughing.

He’d raced over to help her up, but she’d brushed him off and continued playing as if she were the klutz and not been targeted.

He knew how the shit went down in his class. New kid always got the brunt of crap if they didn’t have the courage to speak up.

Reenie barely said a word.

“How come you’re sitting by me?” she asked, looking at everyone else but him.

“Because I like you,” he said.

She turned her head to him. Her brown eyes were wide and innocent, her mouth open slightly, her hair blowing around her face in the late September breeze.

“Why?”

He laughed. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”

“No one else does,” she said.

She was crumpling her brown bag that had held her lunch. He reached his hand over. “I’ll take it.”

She hesitated before she put it in his hand. Then he got up, strutted to the trash bin a few yards away, and dropped it in.

“Thanks,” she said when he returned.

Ford sent her a cocky shrug and smirk that resulted in a tentative smile from her.

She lifted her hand to push her hair behind her ear and the sleeve of her sweatshirt moved on her arm. The minute it did, he noticed the marks, faint but unmistakable. She always had long sleeves on, even with shorts, like now.

“Is that from today?” he asked, touching her arm.

She yanked it back to her lap and tugged the sleeve down in one sharp motion. Her fingers fidgeted, pulling and twisting the fabric as if willing it to hide more than it ever could.

“No,” she blurted.

He reached for her hand, his much larger one covering hers as gently as he could. If there were more eyes on them, he didn’t give one shit. This was about her and what might be going on that she was intent on hiding.

“What happened?” His fingers moved the sleeve up as softly as he did reaching in to get the eggs from the hens in the morning. Speed wasn’t always the name of the game; earning trust was.

“Nothing.” She jerked her arm away and pulled the sleeve back in place.

“It looks as if someone grabbed you.”

There were five bruises. Five fingers. Adult fingers that left that mark.

It wasn’t the first bruise he’d seen on her. He’d noticed others. Girls talked, and many said she always changed in the bathrooms for gym class, avoiding the locker rooms.

Just another piece of fodder for the gossip mills and all the more reason she was being targeted by the mean girls.

“No. I bumped into something at home last week. I don’t remember what.”

She didn’t lie well.

Her eyes were downcast, her knees were bouncing, her fingers plucking at anything they could grab.

He lowered his head closer to her so no one could hear or read his lips. “You can tell me, Reenie,” he said. “I mean it. You can tell me anything. I’ll protect you.”

She snorted. It probably sounded silly coming from a classmate. “I’m fine.”

No, she wasn’t.

In his twelve years, he’d seen his share of wounded creatures on the farm. Some broken on the outside, others carrying pain no one else could see.

She was anything but fine.

“You can call me at any time. I’ll come get you. My family will. We can help.”

“Thanks,” she said, standing. “You don’t get it.”

“Wait.” He reached for her arm, but dropped his hand when she turned. He wouldn’t be another person in her life to touch her without permission. “How about a friend? Can I be that?”

He caught the half grin on her lips before her head dropped again.

“Sure.”

He wanted to hold her hand. To let everyone watching know that the shit was going to end without words.

He tested the waters and put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a little tug.

She inched closer and snuggled in. He hadn’t expected that move and wondered when the last time was someone showed her any affection.

“I’ve got you, Reenie. You have my word.”

Her head lifted, her smile a little wider but a lot sadder, her eyes glassy. “No one can help me.”

His heart sank to the ground, but he wouldn’t let anyone know.

“I promise you, I’ll always be there.”

His overly large ego wouldn’t let her down.