Page 44 of Grit
“You’re not going to put on a shirt?”
“It’s hot. Is my chest offending you?”
“It’s… distracting.”
“Then I’m definitely not going to put on a shirt.” He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back, careful to sit right in Melissa’s line of sight. “So, what’s up? You here to be pissed at me about doing a background check on Stu?”
“Yes. If you had concerns, you should have come to me.”
“I did, and you blew me off.”
“When?”
“When we were pruning my grafts.”
She frowned. “When?”
“The time I kissed you by the greenhouse and you got mad at me and stormed off.”
“Right.” Some of the anger deflated. “I forgot about that.”
“Was it because I kissed you?” The corner of his mouth turned up. “Don’t answer. I’m going to assume it’s because I kissed you.”
“Ha ha.” The anger was back. “This is so easy for you, isn’t it?”
That woke him up. “Excuse me?”
“It’s so easy for you!” She looked around the room. “You’ve got your nice independent life. Your successful farm. Your awesome mom who cooks and cleans and does your laundry for you.”
Cary stood and put his hands on his hips. “Are you trying to imply that I’m lazy?”
“You have enough spare time to mess with my life, so maybe you need a new project to keep you busy.”
I do have a new project.In fact, you’re a project and a half, Melissa Oxford.
She continued in her rant. “You have enough time to go behind my back, investigate a man who has donenothingto you that would make you suspi—”
“This is not about me!” He stopped just short of yelling. “This is about you. And about Abby. Do you honestly think there isanythingI would not do to keep you and your family safe? Do you think there is anyone I wouldn’t check out? Big Bird could move behind your fucking barn and I’d do a background check on him, Melissa.”
“So you think I can’t protect them?” She slapped a hand on her chest. “You think I’m… what? Careless? Naive? A bad mother? Trust me, you’re not the first person who’s said it, but I don’t give a shit. I know I’m a good mother. All I do is work for my family. That is my whole life. You sleep soundly over here, and I lie in bed every night worrying—”
“You think I sleep soundly?” He swung his arm toward her ranch. “You want to know what I lie awake at night worrying about? I worry about strangers living behind your barn. I worry about someone doing something to hurt Abby. I worry about you working yourself into complete exhaustion because you’re too damn stubborn to ask for help. I worry about your fucking in-laws making your life so difficult you think mourning Calvin has to be a full-time job six years after he died!”
She got in his face. “I never asked you to worry about me, and dealing with Calvin’s parents is none of your concern. I will handle this. I’m not some whiny little—”
“Why?”
She stopped short and blinked. “What?”
“Why do you have to handleeverything?”
The sound she made was halfway between a laugh and a cry. “Because I have to, Cary. Don’t you get it? There’s no one else. Thisisthe backup plan. There isn’t a plan C. If I don’t make this work, then I have nothing. I don’t have any other options. I have one ranch. One chance to make something for myself and my daughter.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “And you have to do all that on your own?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
