Page 46 of Rancher's Pride

“Eww, I don’t want to hear that. He’s my brother and looks like my dad.” Fallon grimaced, shuttering as she and Nora walked out of the office.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

FALLON

The darkness crept in around the house and I kept looking from the book I was trying to read to the door, waiting for Nash to burst through it. His supper was in the oven, and the girls were long asleep. Josie was sad he wasn’t back to tuck her in, and I decided not to have the conversation that in this life there’s going to be lots of nights her dad will be out late.

Her dad. That thought still makes me stop in my tracks. For two years I refused to accept it, for two years I did everything I could to forget. But now we’re here and I’ve admitted to whom she really belongs.

Cold air flowed into the house, and I grabbed the blanket and held it tighter to myself. He closed the door with a thud and hung his hat on the rack before shrugging out of his jacket. He finally looked at me andhe froze. “Why are you still up?” A slight frown crossed his face before he took off his overalls.

“Your supper’s in the oven,” I said quietly, now feeling ridiculous for staying up. I could have just left him a note.

“Thanks, I’m going to have a quick shower, then I’ll eat.” He walked past where I was sitting without another glance at me. His shoulders hunched over and his eyes filled with exhaustion.

The quiet thud of the bathroom door closing made me close my eyes. A disaster, that’s what this is. I always knew it would be. It’s part of the reason I avoided it. Did I make the right decision coming here? It wasn’t a decision; it was the only thing I could do.

Flipping the blanket off myself, I stood and shut the lights off, except for the one in the kitchen. Walking down the hallway, I wasn’t expecting Nash to exit the bathroom. We ran into one another. My hands resting on his chest that was covered in droplets of water. Our bodies pressed up against one another, the towel that had been wrapped around Nash’s waist on the floor covering our bare feet.

He was warm, and his arms were encircling me, holding me tightly so I didn’t fall over. The soft light from Josie’s room filtered into the hallway through her slightly open door. The outline of Nash’s muscles almost glowed in the light, and my hands felt like they were melting into his chest.

“Umm, I’m, oh, umm.” I couldn’t form words. It was like I forgot how to speak.

“Toots, think you could let me get the towel?” His voice was low, gravelly, and I took a step back when he let go of me. I should have kept my eyes locked on his, or the ceiling, or anywhere but letting my gaze fall. For a split second, my eyes were locked on his growing shaft. “Fallon.” Exasperation now filled Nash’s words as he crouched and wrapped the towel around himself.

“Okay, well, umm, goodnight.” I stammered as I side-stepped around him.

“You’re not going to keep me company while I eat?”

“I suppose I could.” I glanced down at the tenting towel and slapped my hand over my eyes. “God, Nash, I’m sorry.” Heat crept through my cheeks, and I was glad I’d turned the lights off.

“I’m going to put some clothes on, even if I don’t really want to, and then I will be back down.” He growled next to my ear as he moved past me and walked away from me. What did he mean he didn’t want to put clothes on? Did he want me looking where I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off? Did Nash just tell me he wanted me?

“Stop thinking Toots.” He called from the stairs, laughter filling his words.

Damn, that man always did know what I was thinking. It was like he could see into my head and was always one step ahead of me.

Unknown: I’ll see you soon, wifey. Everything will all go back to normal.

It had been weeks since I’d been contacted. The new phone number was supposed to be a secret. How had he gotten this number? I looked out the window and there were no lights, nothing to make me think anyone was watching, but he knew, he always knew when Nash and I were close.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

FALLON

“Hi honey.” My blood froze in my veins. That voice, that cologne, the shivers that went down my spine when he was close, made it so I didn’t have to turn to see who it was. “So you’ve been playing house with that dumb cowboy.” His hot breath on my neck made me want to throw up and run, but I stood unmoving. My mind spun in a million different directions, but the one thing I always circled back to was I’m glad I left the girls at home with mom. They were safe, even if I wasn’t.

“You’ve had my child, I see.” He let his hand slide across my hip and over my abdomen, which had been distended when he’d seen me last. “Now I can make you pay for deceiving me about Josie.” He walked around to face me, bent down and looked me in the eye. “I knew she wasn’t mine, and you tried to pretend she was.” He reached behind him and pulled out a gun and pointed itat me. “Get in the fucking car.” He growled. How in a town where everyone knew everything, there was nobody on the street finding out what was happening?

Walking around me slowly, he pressed the gun to my back and pushed me forward. Taking slow, deliberate steps, I hoped someone would cause a scene, or give me time to come up with a plan. Someone had to be watching.

Opening the car door, the smell of cigarettes and coffee crashed into me. “You’re smoking again.” I say flatly. He’d smoked when I’d met him but had stopped when he was trying to impress me, but I’d always had a suspicion he hadn’t actually quit. There were telltale signs, the smell, the taste of his kisses. He’d had an excuse every time I’d question him. They were always he’d been out with friends who smoked, a new client smoked and on and on with the lies I’d overlooked.

“One more thing you’ve driven me to do, taking off like you did.” He sneered over my shoulder, whispering in my ear.

“Taking off? You fucker, you left me to be happy with your mistress.” His mistress. Why was he even here? Why had he been so obsessed with getting me back? I could never measure up to her, so what made him take this course of action? “Where is Chrissy? Did she come with you for this family reunion?” I turned and looked into his cold, dead eyes. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his gaze at me.

“You’re my wife, you’re the mother of my child. Why did you think you could just run off and hide behind your mommy?” He slammed the door as I got my foot in the car. The click of the locks sent dread through me. He unlocked his door and got in beside me.

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