by Stasia Black
Isobel thought about Mel and all the guys waiting for her in the bar. They’d be disappointed if she didn’t show. And they’d have questions.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had that—people who wanted to celebrate the good times with her and noticed and cared about her enough to press when things were bad. If she’d ever had it at all, apart from the summer with Rick’s family at the stables. In the short months they’d all had together, the people at the ranch had started to feel like family.
“No, it’s all right,” Isobel finally said. She could grin and bear it for a few hours. Who knew, maybe being around everyone would help her forget her troubles for a while? Or at least help her put off making a decision. She was, after all, the queen of running away from things she didn’t want to face.
Her shoulders slumped at the thought but she stood and walked down the stairs and headed toward the sidewalk. Bubba’s was at the end of the block on the other side of the road. There weren’t any more cars parked out front than normal. They must have all either parked in the back or on side streets to keep up the illusion that it was just a regular night.
Hunter was quickly by her side, his hand sliding into hers. It was such a simple gesture, childish almost—holding hands. But Hunter’s grip was so firm and solid that again, she was tempted to believe that anything was possible. That what if maybe, just maybe, her future didn’t have to be as bleak as she always assumed?
How could a simple touch do that? But no, it wasn’t just any touch. It was Hunter.
Ugh, she was tired of her rollercoaster thoughts and emotions. Didn’t that just prove she wasn’t stable enough to trust herself?
Before she could think on that too long, though, they were in front of Bubba’s.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” Hunter asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern as he looked between her and the door.
“No.” She shook her head and then went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Go see to the cow and then hurry back.” She looked up at him through her lashes, trying to end the evening on a lighter note. “After all, I still need my birthday spankings tonight.”
His eyes flared. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“You better.” When he pulled her into him to kiss her, she couldn’t help nipping at his lips. Lust flared through her body. At least this part was easy. There was zero confusion when it came to her body’s response to Hunter.
Was it cowardly to ignore everything else and just revel in their connection for a little longer? She winced.
Gorging now and ignoring future consequences was an addict’s logic.
Hunter’s arms were around her again—how did she keep letting herself get caught in this position?
“I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours,” Hunter said, dropping his forehead to hers, “but I want you to think about one thing.”
“What?”
“Look at me.”
She’d had her eyes cast down but she leaned back just far enough so she could meet his gaze. He didn’t say anything. She started to ask him what he was thinking but he just covered her lips with a finger. And stared into her eyes.
Like the first night they’d met.
They were fully clothed, standing on a public sidewalk in the center of town. But somehow it felt more intimate than the first time when he’d been naked and buried inside her. And far more terrifying.
She knew him now. She knew that when he slept he preferred the left side of the bed. But his favorite way to fall asleep was with his arm slung around her waist, right beneath her breasts, tugging her ass up against his groin. If they hadn’t already made love that night then the position usually led to it.
She knew that while he could wake up as early as any of the farmers around, he was a bit of a bear before he’d had his first cup of coffee. She knew he loved animals but didn’t have any pets because he didn’t feel like he’d have enough time or attention to give them. She knew how he loved it when she teased him by ever so lightly scraping her teeth along the ridge of his cock right when he was on the edge of coming.
She knew all of that and a hundred other things. She’d found all that out in just two months. How much more was there to discover? She could spend a lifetime and not know him completely. Because he’d be constantly changing and evolving and oh God, how she wanted to be there to see it. To be part of it.
And in his eyes, she saw the offer—the offer of everything. No holds barred. No restricted access. She could have all of him if she’d just reach out and take it.
When she blinked, a tear streamed down her cheek.
Hunter finally spoke. “You keep talking about how you run away all the time. But what if you’ve been looking at it all wrong? What if it’s not running away from the bad stuff? What if it’s more about running towards something good?”
She could only blink at him. Everything she was feeling, and then his words… Could she really—
“I gotta go.” He held her face and kissed her hard before pulling back again. He kept cupping her cheeks as he looked her in the eye. “I’ll see you later tonight.”
She nodded. She felt a bit speechless at the moment.
“Remember to act surprised.”
She nodded again and he pressed another kiss to her lips before turning to walk toward his truck.
Isobel took a deep breath and then let it out through her teeth. After the emotional night of revelations and the freaking rejected proposal, all she really wanted to do was go climb in bed with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.
Hunter wanted to marry her. Could she even wrap her head around that?
Nope, she decided. Not at all. And there was still a surprise party to get through. So she tried to bottle up all her emotions as best she could, and then she turned toward the door.
“Surprised, act surprised,” she whispered to herself.
Then she pushed open the door and put on her best surprised face.
Chapter 23
ISOBEL
The bar erupted as soon as she opened the door.
“Surprise!” was yelled from everywhere at once and a confetti cannon erupted right in her face. And into her open mouth.
Isobel coughed and waved confetti out of her face
“Jesus, Reece,” Jeremiah said, smacking his twin on the back of the head. “Give the girl a second to catch her breath, will ya?”
“Oh no!” Mel laughed, coming forward and helping Isobel get confetti off her shirt and out of her hair.
As soon as she’d gotten most of the confetti out of her mouth, one server with a tray of champagne glasses handed one to her, and another approached with a big slice of apple pie. With a crumble topping.
Isobel took the pie and champagne, immediately looking around for Nicholas. He was always easy to spot in a crowd since he was a head taller than everyone else. He was standing toward the end of the bar near Liam, who was bent over his phone. She lifted the plate of pie toward Nicholas and mouthed thank you.
He nodded, then looked away, seeming embarrassed at the acknowledgement. That man. Mel was right. Whoever caught him would be lucky indeed. She handed off the champagne and took a bite of the pie—the waiter had brought a fork with it. It melted in her mouth it was so delicious.
People crowded all around to wish her happy birthday. Not just the guys from the ranch but everybody and anybody from the town who she’d even remotely had contact with through the veterinary practice. She was glad that Mel stayed by her side and helped her field all the well-wishers. She was glad too for the pie. Whenever she couldn’t remember someone’s name, she’d just take a bite. Except soon the pie was gone.
But then it was Liam to the rescue. He came and grabbed her arm right as one of the elderly farmers was starting in on how he was worried that switching to a cheaper feed might make his cows bloat. “Sorry, I gotta steal the birthday girl away,” Liam said, then snatched her and pulled her behind him.
Isobel waved at the disgruntled farmer. The
n, after they were out of earshot, she whispered to Liam. “Thanks for the save.”
“What?” Liam pulled her to the back corner of the bar where Mack was already waiting.
“Did you show her?” Mack asked.
“Show me what?” Isobel looked back and forth from Mack’s grim expression to Liam’s wary one. “What’s going on?”
Liam tapped something on his phone before holding it out to her. “Do you know you’re a missing person’s case?”
Isobel grabbed the phone which had a video from one of the network morning shows keyed up to play. And there was Catrina sitting on the couch across from the famous host. Isobel’s eyes widened and her heart sank through the floor.
“They’re calling you The Missing Heiress,” Mack said, reaching over and pushing play.
The camera focused on the hostess. “The public is fascinated by this case. Is it true your husband left your stepdaughter half a billion dollars in his will?”
The shot switched to Catrina. She’d had professional hair and make-up done but there seemed to be a few more lines on her forehead than Isobel remembered. What, had she been neglecting her botox injections?
“Yes, Isobel’s father loved her so much. We both do. It’s her birthday today.” Catrina dabbed at her eye with a handkerchief. Isobel felt like hitting something. Catrina, crying over her? Yeah, when hell froze over. “I just want to know that she’s all right. That she’s safe and getting the help she needs so she can receive her inheritance and live the life her father and I always wanted for her.”
Isobel’s hands clenched around the phone so hard she was afraid she’d crack it.
“When you say ‘the help she needs,’ what exactly do you mean by that?” The hostess tilted her head and looked at Catrina with a compassionate expression.
Catrina swallowed and sniffled dramatically. Isobel scoffed. “Overplaying it a bit, aren’t we, mommy dearest?”
In her periphery, Isobel saw Mack and Liam look at each other but she ignored them as Catrina began to answer.
“Isobel is a… a passionate girl. At times, troubled.” Catrina’s eyebrows came together. “But I’m afraid, sometimes she just…” Tears leaked out of her eyes. “Well sometimes she can become unstable. Violent even. Towards herself and others.”
Catrina stopped and broke down in sobs.
The hostess reached across and put a hand on Catrina’s arm. “I’m a mother too. And so are many of our viewers out there watching.”
The screen went back to a shot of just the hostess, staring straight into the camera. “Again, Isobel Snow has been missing since April 22nd, last seen driving a silver Toyota Carolla heading west on I-80.”
A picture of Isobel appeared on the screen.
Isobel winced. Oh God. It wasn’t a bad picture. They must have gotten it from her phone, but it was one Veronica had snapped of her smiling at Jason back when they’d all been at Cornell. Had they been sleeping together even back then or had it only started after she left?
They’d cropped Jason out of the picture but Isobel couldn’t help wondering if Catrina chose it because she was hoping to get a reaction out of Isobel.
“Do you have any last words in case Isobel or anyone who might know her whereabouts is watching this?” the hostess asked Catrina, who seemed to have barely recovered from her most recent sobbing fit.
The camera focused back on her. “Just please, please, Izzy bear. It’s time to come home. Everything will be forgiven. Just come home and get what you’re due.” Then a number flashed across the bottom of the screen.
Isobel slammed the phone back into Liam’s hand and turned away, barely managing to stop her scream of fury. Izzy bear was the nickname her mom—her real mom—had given her. It always set her off when she’d heard it after her mom died. And Catrina knew it. The bitch knew it and she was trying to goad her.
Plus, what was all that bullshit about Dad leaving her the money?
“Iz?” Liam asked cautiously.
“It’s bullshit.” She swung back around to him. “My dad didn’t leave me squat.” He couldn’t even look at her in the end. “Catrina had him so wrapped around her little finger.” Isobel was shaking, she was so mad. “The first thing she would have done was made sure his will was changed so she’d be the sole beneficiary.”
“I don’t know what that shit was about.” Isobel waved her hand toward the phone that was still in his hand. “Maybe some sort of trick to get me to turn myself in. Like I’d be stupid enough to go back just for the money.”
“Turn yourself in?” Mack asked at the same time Liam said, “Whatever’s going on, just tell us. We can help you. We can—”
“When did that air?” Isobel interrupted both of them.
“This morning,” Liam answered.
She turned away from them, shoving a hand out behind her. “Just give me a second,” she said, knowing they were following her. “I just need a second to think.”
Her first impulse was to run.
Go get in her car and start driving. They knew she’d been on I-80. That interstate led in almost a straight shot across the country to Wyoming. She could go south. Bleach her hair blonde. Cut it short. Head to Mexico.
What if you’re not running away from the bad but are actually running towards something good?
If she ran now, she wouldn’t be running toward anything good. All the good was here. The good was Hunter. And Mel. And Liam and Mack and Nicholas and the twins and Xavier and the boys. It was the animals she got to work with every day. It was this tiny nowhere spot on the map that had embraced her.
She stopped pacing.
No more running.
All along she’d been looking for what she’d found here. A place to belong. Family who loved her unconditionally. People who built her up instead of tearing her down.
When Hunter got back tonight, she’d tell him everything. Whatever repercussions she had to face from her past mistakes, they’d face them together.
And if it was too much for him? Her heart hurt at the thought. But it was better to know that he couldn’t handle all her baggage before she got even more of her heart invested in him. She was stronger now. Every day built her confidence. She’d do her damnedest to handle whatever life threw at her.
And in the meantime?
She took a deep, cleansing breath in. In the meantime, she was going to enjoy the hell out of her party.
She turned back to Mack and Liam with a bright smile. “How about this? I promise I’ll tell you all about it—tomorrow. Tonight, can we just kick back and have a great time? Can you guys do that for me?”
Mack and Liam exchanged a glance. Mack was the first one to speak up, stepping forward and offering her a quick embrace. “Whatever you need, beautiful. You just let us know.”
She pulled back, laughing as she looked at the two of them. “Wow.” She glanced over their shoulder. “Did I miss the flying pigs?”
“What?” Liam frowned like he was questioning her mental stability.
“The two of you.” She gestured between them, laughing. “I thought the two of you would only get along when pigs flew.”
“Ha. Ha,” Mack said, completely straight faced, muscled arms crossed over his chest.
Liam laughed and pointed at Mack. “What, me get on with this tatted up bastard? You off your nut?”
“What are you guys doing over here in the corner hogging the birthday girl?” Reece came up and took Isobel’s hand, then bowed over it and brought it to his lips. “May I have this dance, oh ye fair maiden?”
Isobel put a hand to her chest. “Why I would be honored, sir.”
“I call dibs next,” Liam said as Reece pulled her toward the area in the middle of the bar where people had gathered and started dancing to the music—country, naturally. But like Liam had said earlier today, when in Rome.
She spent the next half hour laughing, dancing, and mingling. She could really get used to this taking-life-as-it-came thing. Why did she spend so much of he
r life so damn worried all the time?
She took a break from dancing as the twanging notes of steel guitar faded. Her, actual enjoying country music. It was definitely a night of firsts.
She fanned herself as she headed toward the bar where Jeremiah and Nicholas were sitting together. She dropped to an empty barstool beside them.
“It’s hot in here. Do you guys feel hot? God, I’m so hot.”
“Well I could have told you that, love,” Liam said, coming over and handing Isobel a tall mug of beer. She took it gratefully and pressed it against her heated cheek. Then she took a deep swallow. But she only felt more thirsty and hot afterward. She set the mug down on the table, sloshing beer over the sides. She barely noticed though, she was so busy fanning herself again.
She looked around the busy bar. “Where’s Hunter? He said he’d hurry back.”
“He’s not coming back.”
“What?” Isobel swung around. The voice had come from behind her, she was sure, but when she looked, no one was there.
“Isobel?” Nicholas asked. “You okay?”
“Huh?” Isobel turned around and looked at Nicholas and the others who were watching her. She swiped at the sweat on her brow but then blinked. Her hand felt weird. Swollen. Too large for her arm, like she had a giant lobster claw for a hand. What the—
She jerked her hand in front of her face and shook her head.
Okay. It was normal. Not swollen.
“Aw, is poor little Isobel finally going crazy? Cracking like crackers?”
“Who said that?” Isobel turned so fast her head felt like it moved more quickly than the rest of her body.
“Whoa,” Nicholas said, reaching out and steadying her. “Honey, who are you talking to?”
“Hearing voices is how it starts, you know.”
Isobel jerked away from Nicholas, looking all around her, trying to figure out who was talking. “Do you hear that?” she asked the guys who were all staring at her like… like she was crazy.
“Crazy. Just like me, baby girl.”