CHAPTER 9
ELIZA
I lean my head against Kendrick’s shoulder while hating that we’re only a turn away from my street. Then I’ll have to get out of the truck, and I hate leaving Kendrick. It’s even worse leaving him when he’s clearly upset.
I’ve seen how his dad being at home has caused him more worry. The man is wound tight, but there’s not much I can do about it other than ask him if he’s okay and hope he opens up to me.
It’s not just his dad being home either, although it is a huge part of what is causing him stress.
Kendrick is getting it from a bunch of fronts, and I refuse to be someone who expects something else from him. I don’t need him to fix anything in my life; things are just fine. Even if it feels like I’m always walking on a tightrope when I’m at home. It’s my problem, not Kendrick’s.
Two days ago, when Kendrick picked me up from the market, it was the first time he was riding his motorcycle. At first, I wasn’t sure about climbing on behind him, but then I looked into his eyes. He was pleading with me not to fight or question him because he needed me close.
I swallowed down my fear and stood still as he strapped a helmet to my head. After I climbed on behind him, I wrapped my arms around him so tightly that I’m not entirely sure how he was able to breathe.
Maybe it wasn’t quite that bad since he was able to take us out to the spot that had become ours. For the longest time after we came to a stop, he just sat there. The sun was shining down on us even though the air was starting to chill as dusk approached.
I couldn’t help but ask, “Are you okay? Was there a problem with your dad coming home today?”
Kendrick’s shoulders slumped and he shook his head slowly.
Then he climbed off the bike and helped me join him as he leaned against the side while pulling me against his chest. “I should have brought the truck to pick you up,” he mused, clearly upset with himself.
When I gave him a questioning look, he explained, “It’s going to be too cold out here soon.
At least in the truck we could have sat inside and blasted the heat. ”
“I’ll be fine,” I insisted. “Now, tell me what’s weighing on your mind.”
He looked at me for a long time, his eyes roaming over my face like he was looking for something while memorizing me. Did it make my nipples pebble and my clit throb? Yes, but that’s become my normal whenever my man looks at me.
And I’ve accepted that he is my man.
Not that he would accept anything less.
I’m not sure how many times he’s told me I’m his and how he’s not letting me go; it’s managed to sink in. Nothing in me doubts his sincerity; they aren’t just words to get what he wants.
I have no idea how he’s so different from what everyone believes him to be, but he is. He’s a good man; I can feel it every time he touches me. His bad boy reputation? It’s all bullshit and, if I have to, I’ll set everyone in town straight.
Kendrick deserves to have someone stand up for him. To stand by his side as he shows the world just who he is. Honestly, I’d be lucky to do it.
“Dad is a grumpy bastard,” Kendrick told me, his voice tired as I propped my chin against his chest and looked up into his brown eyes. “He’s home now.”
The breath he let out was full of relief, the worry he was holding onto about his father being in the hospital lessening just a little bit. But I knew, just as well as he did, that his dad wasn’t out of the woods just yet.
“I’m pretty sure the nurses are throwing a party because he’s no longer there to bother the hell out of them,” Kendrick joked, part of his mouth quirking up in a grin.
“He was giving them a hard time, huh?”
He groaned and chuckled under his breath. “They looked haggard every time I was there,” he explained, and I giggled before snuggling into him.
“You dad isn’t what is really bothering you,” I pushed. “Spill it.”
He buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. Since he was being a creep about it, I didn’t bother trying to hide my own deep breath. It was only after I melted against him, soothed by his clean scent with hints of pine and pepper, that he started talking.
He told me all about Cliff waking him up because of one of the dogs barking and finding someone on the land next door with wire cutters going to town on one of the fences. The more he told me, the more pissed I became.
He wasn’t fast enough to keep ahold of me when I jerked back and started pacing in front of where he was leaning against his bike. My hands were waving all around and it felt like there was retribution in every step I took.
“And you’re sure you don’t know who it was? Cliff didn’t know either?” The questions seethed out of me and Kendrick, wisely, just shook his head. “We have to find out who it is. They don’t get to sabotage your ranch. I won’t stand for it.”
“Baby,” his voice gentled into something mysterious and coaxing, “it’s okay.
” I shook my head violently but on my next pass, he was able to snag my hips and pull me until I was pressed against him again.
This time, though, I was vibrating with anger.
“I have to say you’re sexy as hell all fired up. ”
I pointed my finger right in Kendrick’s face and warned him, “You better find out who it is before I do or else no one will be able to hold me responsible for what happens.”
Kendrick’s rich laughter filled the air around us and I was momentarily stunned out of my rage by how damn light he looked. When he looked down at him, his eyes still sparking with amusement, I couldn’t look away.
“I need to protect you against yourself, noted,” he teased.
Before I could defend myself, his lips were on mine. When I moaned, he swallowed down the sound. The way his large hands slid down to cup my ass before kneading it, had me shivering and pressing my body against his even tighter.
“You’ll figure out what is going on and who is coming after your ranch,” I whispered the words against his lips and felt him relax underneath my touch.
Kendrick has still been on edge for the last few days. Now with his dad at home, we haven’t been able to spend as much time together when I’m not at work. I understand because his dad needs help. Whether he accepts it or not is another story.
I’m brought back to the present when we pull up in front of a house a few doors down from my own.
When I asked him to do it the first day he took me home, he didn’t seem bothered by it.
After having the chance to get to know him, I hate not shouting from the rooftops about how special I feel because this man wants me.
My man.
Kendrick Watts.
If you would have told me I would fall in love with a man who roared back into town after being away for a few years, a man whose name starts tongues wagging, there is no way I would have believed you.
Yes, I’ve fallen in love with him. I’m quite sure he wasn’t going to allow anything less to happen. One thing he’s been is determined, right from the moment I bumped into him.
Which did not cause him to almost topple to the ground.
“I wish I didn’t have to run,” his voice is apologetic, but he’s glancing around like he’s in a hurry.
“Did something else happen?” I hate it, but my voice hits a note no one should be subjected to. “Was someone else on your land?”
I swear, I’m about a second away from grabbing a pitchfork and a torch to go on a hunt. Do I know where I’d get a pitchfork or a torch? No. But that’s not the point.
“Not that I can prove.” His words are like gasoline, and my breathing picks up. He looks at me like he thinks I’m cute. “Calm down, Baby,” he holds his hands up like he’s trying to ward off the panic rising up inside of my chest.
We stare at each other for a beat before he pulls the ballcap off his head, which he must have changed from his cowboy hat before he came to pick me up. This man in a cowboy hat? It’s not fucking fair how sexy it is.
Unfortunately, a ball cap doesn’t make him look any less sexy. It’s still a distraction I can’t handle at the moment.
“When we were switching the cows into a different pasture, we noticed one of them was lame,” he tells me.
I’m fairly sure my eyes glaze over for a moment as he tells me about separating them and examining their hoof.
“She stepped on a nail, and we had to get it out or else it would have caused way more fucking problems,” he snarls.
“It doesn’t make any sense because she hasn’t been near where any fences were mended for weeks.
She shouldn’t have come across a nail, and she was fine just a few days ago. ”
My face scrunches up as I think over what he’s said. “Are you sure she wasn’t near any of the fences? Maybe before you got home?”
“We can keep track of our cows,” he snaps at me.
My body stills and Kendrick’s whole demeanor shifts.
“Fuck,” he groans and reaches over to cup my face in his large hands.
“I’m sorry, Baby. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.
I know you’re just asking because you want to help.
” He leans closer and presses his lips to my forehead.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs against my skin.
“Okay,” I whisper.
I can feel his sincerity, and I know things are not easy for him, but I won’t tolerate being treated badly. No, not after the things Arden told me about how her dad treated her mom. Her mom kicked him out, but the situation left scars on my best friend’s heart.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers again. He shifts just enough to press his forehead against mine. “I went out to the pasture the cow was grazing on and found a shit ton of nails. They aren’t the same kind we use on the fences. They aren’t like anything we have on the ranch at all.”
My eyes widen and I jerk back enough to look into his eyes. “You think someone put them there? To hurt the cattle?”
“I don’t see why else they would have.” There’s a note of resignation in his voice, one which I hate to hear.