Page 96 of Entangled with a Mountain Man

My grip on the steering wheel tightens. I try to block the thoughts which add fuel to my doubts.

No. Kenzie's not Jillian. She wouldn't do that to me.

To the girls.

But the seed of uncertainty has been planted, and it's taking root fast. Kenzie's face flashes through my mind—her warm smile, the way her eyes light up when she's with the girls. It doesn't fit. She's not the type to deceive, to betray.

Is she?

I've been down this road before, trusted someone only to have it blow up in my face. The memory of Jillian's betrayal still stings. It’s a wound that's never fully healed. And now, with these rumors swirling about Kenzie and Ian, about a potential pregnancy... it's like history's repeating itself in the cruelest way possible.

I want to believe in Kenzie and in what we've built together. But the fear grips me, squeezing the air from my lungs. If it's true, if she's carrying Ian's child...

Fuck…

I don't know if I can handle that kind of betrayal again.

The road to Peterson's Ranch stretches before me, each mile bringing me closer to a truth I'm not sure I'm ready to face. But I have to know. I have to hear it from Kenzie herself, one way or the other.

If these rumors are true, everything will change. And I'm not sure my heart can take another beating like that.

We screech to a halt, gravel flying. I'm out of the truck before the dust settles, not bothering to cut the engine or close the door.

Big Bear meets me on the porch, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by concern.

"Everett? What's wrong?"

"Where's Kenzie?"

He frowns. "Gone to pick up the girls. What's eating you?"

"Nothing," I snap, already turning back to the truck. As I slide behind the wheel, my phone rings. It's the school.

My blood runs cold as I listen to the message. The girls are still there, waiting to be picked up.

"Fuck," I mutter, tossing the phone aside.

Axton looks at me, worry etched on his face. "What is it?"

"Kenzie didn't pick up the girls."

The implications slam into me like a wrecking ball, leaving me reeling. If she's not at the ranch, and she's not with the girls...

Where the hell is she?

I gun the engine, tires squealing as we tear out of the ranch. My mind's racing, piecing together the past few weeks' events. The rumors, Kenzie's strange behavior, her run-ins with Ian that she didn't tell me about.

"You think she left?" Axton asks, voicing the fear I can't bring myself to acknowledge.

"I don't know," I admit, hating how uncertain I sound.

Ghost doesn't do uncertain. But right now, I'm not Ghost.

I'm just a man terrified of losing everything. Again.

We speed through town, ignoring stop signs and blowing past startled pedestrians. I don't care about traffic laws right now. All I can think about is finding Kenzie proving these rumors wrong.

Because they have to be wrong. The alternative is unthinkable.

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