Page 58 of Wrangled Up

Surprise speared her. She’d had no idea that Christian might have these fears or that he wasn’t with her every second simply because he wanted to be.

She must have made some noise, because Christian swung his gaze toward her. The depths glimmered with fury and hurt and something deeper she didn’t understand. But it wounded her to see it.

She reached for him. He slashed the air with a hand and tore into Tucker again.

“What the hell do they want with your land?”

With an unsteady hand, Tucker pulled off his hat. The shorter ends of his hair stuck up, giving him a more boyish look. Claire’s hearttumbled straight into the dark heaven-hell it was to love this man.

“They want another access shoot for the coal mining taking place on their adjoining property. But I won’t grant it because I want to preserve the water and land for my stock.”

“You mean our stock.”

“Chris,” Claire gasped. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Did he mean to challenge Tucker for part ownership of the animals or ranch since he’d invested some time?

Tucker shot her a look then returned his attention to the pissed-off laborer who’d turned cowboy in front of him. As Tucker stared at Christian, his expression softened. “Look, man, I’m sorry.”

Christian’s composure shattered. His features convulsed, and he scrubbed a hand over his face. Claire couldn’t take it another minute. She drifted to Christian’s side.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her into his body.

Tucker gave a slow blink at the sight. “I was afraid it would be this way.”

She opened her mouth to stop him from jumping to conclusions, but Christian beat her to it.

Looking right at Tucker, he wrapped a possessive arm around Claire. “We’ll leave right after we’ve finished this sauce.”

* * * * *

Christian leaned against the porch railing and stared at the spot in the yard where so many people had just enjoyed each other’s company. Several tables had been clumped together and Letty had insisted upon feeding everyone who had come to help with the sauce-making.

Now the only evidence he’d even shared a civil meal with Tucker were the depressions on the grass where the table legs had rested.

Damn that man for believing he could just march into the middle of it all and take over. Did Christian’s hard work amount to nothing? Even Tucker’s possessive gaze on Claire fueled Christian’s annoyance.

A boot scraped over the porch floor behind him. Without turning, Christian sensed Tucker’s presence.

“We’ll be goin’ soon.”

Tucker sidled up to the rail beside him. “Don’t go. Stay on the ranch and take my bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

Christian glanced at Tucker’s face, hoping to see anything but the remorse that lived on his rugged features. The kettle of anger in Christian’s soul bubbled. Tucker had hurt Claire—hurt both of them. His leaving had heaped stress and work on them. If Tucker believed just turning up on the ranch would earn him forgiveness, he was dead wrong.

Christian stared at Tucker for a long minute. Tension stretched between them. Finally, Christian tugged on the brim of his hat. “Thank you for that. Claire and Letty are pretty exhausted after working all day. We’ll take your offer tonight and figure out what to do tomorrow.”

Tucker turned away, eyes averted. Christian sucked in one more deep lung full of fresh air and went in search of Claire.

He found her at the kitchen table, head in her hands. His stomach hollowed out at thesight of her despondent pose. Wrapping his fingers around her wrist, he said, “Come to bed with me.”

She looked up. Her gaze wasn’t focused on him but on some faraway point in her mind.

On Tucker, most likely, as his was.

Drawing her against his side, Christian led her down the hall to the bedroom they’d been sharing since Tucker left. So many amazing moments they’d spent together, always wishing for the man who’d run. Now he’d returned and Christian was pissed off at him for it.

No, not angry because he’d returned. Angry because Tucker hadn’t begun to say jack shit about being sorry. He and Claire needed more than Tucker’s handsome face to make their burning pain of the past weeks recede.

Claire allowed Christian to strip her. Then he pulled down the covers and tucked her into bed. When he had abandoned his dusty clothes and boots, he slipped in behind her.

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