Page 9 of One Night Collision

“Five years.”

He frowns. “From here?”

I nod. This is the part I hate. His name always gets a response. Always. “Calvin Farnsworth… the third.”

If I wondered how good a lawyer Damien really was, I got an answer. He didn’t even blink. Then he says, “You must have had a shitty-ass lawyer… he ought to be paying through the nose.”

Chapter

Seven

Damien

She blocked me out as soon as I asked how long she'd been married. Knowing who she was married to, putting up a wall was a necessity to survive. The wall that I'm pretty sure she inserts into every portion of her life when she doesn't want to explain herself is up and high as the sky. But the thing about me? I'm the type of man who knows how to scale—whether it be over a wall, or in building my business.

With her head tilted to the side as she slides her plate across the table, she asks. "What? Why are you looking at me like there's some sort of combination that opens me up?"

I chuckle loudly. "Because that's exactly what I would call it, if someone were to ask me about you. I'm trying to figure out how I can get you to be open with me again."

She folds her arms across her chest. "First of all, that was a really good omelet, and you should probably be selling those on the side. It'd be a great side hustle, counselor. Second of all, I don't let people in, Damien. I learned a long time ago to keep my shit to myself." Her jaw is clenched, and more than anything, I know I have to get her to relax again. To get her to trust me.

"You got any more plans today?"

Her eyes lift to mine, surprised at the question. "No. I don't have anything else going on, why?"

I inhale deeply. "I'm gonna go change, and grab you a shirt. Together, we're gonna go do something fun, that's designed to let some of this tension go."

"I don't have any tension." Her brow furrows as she argues.

"The fuck you don't. Trust me, we're about to have a good time."

-------

"Are you taking me out here to kill me?" Maggie deadpans as we head to the outskirts of Bellehaven.

"If I were going to do that, I'd definitely have my location off. But I'm still sharing with both Cody and Troy. Since one of 'em is a cop, I think you're safe with me, darlin'."

A smile plays against her lips as she turns to me. "Then I guess I trust you, but really, where are we going? I've never been in this direction."

Glancing out over the fields that surround us on both sides, I try to see it through her eyes. It's probably nothing to her. To me it's the remnants of what Bellehaven used to be, and the city sprawl is creeping in more and more every single day. When I get to the drive, I slow down and turn on my blinker.

“Sizemore Farms..." she reads out loud. "Is this yours?"

It's bumpy as we drive away from the road and closer to my parents' house. "No, it's my mom and dad's. One day it'll be mine if they don't decide to sell before they pass away. It used to be ours as far as the eye could see. All that farmland we passed, where the for sale signs are? That was ours. The recession in '08 caused damage, and then COVID really put the nail in the coffin. We've always been a family farm, and we just couldn't compete."

"What do they do with the land now?" she questions, looking out, wonder on her face.

"There's a family garden. Both of them take care of it, along with my cousins and me when they need help. Cody's even been known to come out here and help, because that man can down some fresh tomatoes." She laughs at that. "But more than anything, we keep some farm animals. One of them being my horse. I've had him since high school. That's what I do when I'm tense and can't seem to relax. I come out here and ride."

We park, and I know eventually we'll have to deal with my parents, but Dad's truck isn't here, and more than likely Mom's with him. Until they come back, we have the place to ourselves.

"I can see why you wanted me to change T-shirts if your parents are here," she says as she gets out of the passenger side and hops down.

"They aren't, but honestly neither one of them would've said anything. It was a little too threadbare for my taste, and I was afraid you'd get a little too much sun. Where we're going there's not a ton of cover."

Hooking her hand with mine, I pull her toward the barn and open the door. Inside it's cool and darker. This is where I feel the most at home. "Hey, buddy," I whisper to Mustang as we approach his stall. He knows it's me and he shakes his head, his muzzle seeking out my palm. "I don't have any treats today, but I got someone else who's gonna ride with us. How's that sound?" He throws his head around again.

"Does he understand you?" She looks at us, amazement spread across her face.

---