“Who?” Kyler’s eyes seemed to darken as he stared at her. “It’s okay. You can tell me. You can trust me.”
Emery didn’t trust anyone. But what choice did she have now? He’d seen her trauma. She couldn’t pretend the panic was nothing. She couldn’t pretend she was in control.
Right now, she didn’t even know what to do. “My sergeant in the Army.”
Kyler didn’t speak, but she could see his posture tense.
Her gaze drifted to the windshield. That made it easier to talk. “We were deployed to Afghanistan.” It had been her first deployment since she’d joined up, and she’d been terrified about what they would have to face.
She’d thought it was the enemy she had to fear, but she quickly learned the real threat was much closer.
“It started with comments here and there.” About her looks, her body. Nick had always been careful to make sure no one else heard them though.
“Then he started touching me sometimes. Like my face. Or my leg. Or my butt. He made it seem like he was joking around but—” It had rattled her every time it happened.
Nick had never been her friend. He’d been her superior and the touching had almost felt predatory. “I was the only female, and I didn’t know what to do. Or who I could talk to…”
The truth was, she couldn’t talk to anyone. All of her comrades had loved Nick. He was a strong leader—he was there for his men, pushing them to be better, to work harder.
“Emery…”
She couldn’t look at Kyler or she’d never get through this. “That went on for good month, and then one night everyone else was out and he got me alone.”
Her nightmare had started with Nick joking around but then he’d groped her and something inside of her had snapped. She’d told him to back off.
Emery closed her eyes, remembering how his arms had come around her, how he’d pinned her up against the wall with his hand shoved into her mouth while he told her she wanted it as much as he did.
The rest…she refused to remember.
“He told me if I reported him, he’d kill me.” And she hadn’t doubted that he’d meant it. “I didn’t care though. I couldn’t even look at him without feeling sick. I had to tell someone.”
She finally peeked over at Kyler. He held her gaze, his eyes full of empathy and his jaw strained, but he simply waited for her to continue.
“I told our staff sergeant what had happened,” Emery went on before she lost the nerve to tell him. “And he promised me he would take care of it. Next thing I knew, I was informed they’d given me an honorable medical discharge and I was on my way home.”
“He got away with it.” Kyler’s voice had dropped to a low growl. “The sonofabitch got away with it.”
Emery nodded. Instead of protecting her, they’d protected him. “Right before I left, Nick told me he’d find me someday. He told me he’d kill me. He has a lot of connections. A lot of power.”
“And you think he sent that guy here to find you.” It wasn’t a question.
“That man was asking about a woman named Kelly Pryor at the feed store yesterday. I heard him.” No one had said her real name in so long. She’d been careful. She hadn’t developed too many close relationships.
How could anyone have tracked her here?
“You’ve been using a fake name?” Kyler shook his head. “That’s not fair. You can’t live your life in hiding because of some power-hungry predator…”
“I felt like I had to use a fake name.” The last time she saw Nick, he’d looked angry, dangerous. She already knew he was capable of anything.
“Have you told Agatha? And Nash and Mack?” Kyler asked. “You can’t let this Nick guy force you into hiding. He’s the one who assaulted you. You’re the victim—”
“What am I going to do about it?” she snapped. The anger was easier to accept than the fear, the sadness, the sense of helplessness. “I told our superior and he covered it up by sending me home. There’s nothing more I can do. Nick is still in the Army. He’s even been promoted.” No surprise there.
“But he’s probably a repeat offender,” Kyler argued. “There’s got to be a way to bring him down.”
Oh, no. He wasn’t going to try and fix this for her. That’s not why she’d told him her story. “I don’t want to bring him down. I want to live my life.” She had been living her life just fine before yesterday.
“I’ll hide out at the ranch for a few days. That man won’t find me there. He’ll move on eventually.” And if he didn’t, she would have to.
She’d picked up and moved on before. She could do it again.
“I didn’t realize you needed a degree in rocket science to put a playhouse together.”
Kyler stared at the directions that might as well have been written in a different language for how helpful they were.
He stared at the different pieces of wood and screws and bolts he and Nash had laid out in the grass behind Agatha’s house.
His friend laughed. “Wait until we try to attach the swing set. I have a feeling that’s gonna require a doctorate.”
“Definitely don’t have one of those.” And Kyler’s bachelor’s degree happened to be in agricultural science, not in engineering.
“This is gonna take us a week.” And yet…he’d power through simply to see the smile on his niece’s face when she got a look at it.
“We don’t have a week,” Nash reminded him. “Agatha, Mack, and Emery are taking Bri to a movie, then out shopping in Steamboat. That likely gives us only about six hours tops.”
“Right.” That’s why they’d brought the cooler of beer out with them. It was going to be a long afternoon. Not that he would mind—being outside, hanging out with his friend, doing something for his niece. That was all worth whatever headaches this playhouse would cause.
Besides all that, it might give him a chance to think through Emery’s situation. He couldn’t tell Nash—he’d promised her he wouldn’t tell anyone, but he couldn’t simply let it go. There had to be a way to help her without putting her in danger.
So far, he hadn’t come up with any brilliant ideas, but he’d keep thinking on it.
“I can’t thank you enough for all this, “Kyler said, rifling through Nash’s tools to find the right drill bit. “Your aunt didn’t have to buy Bri a playhouse.” With the frilly pink wood trim and the flower boxes for the windows, it sure looked expensive.
“When Agatha gets her mind set on something, don’t even try talking her out of it.” His friend lined up two of the boards so Kyler could drill in a couple of screws.
There. Step one complete. Only about five hundred left to go.
“Besides,” Nash said, “My aunt thinks it would be good to have a playhouse here long term. For kids who come to visit the animals. For families who are looking to adopt animals. It makes sense to have one anyway.”
Yes, but they likely wouldn’t have gotten it yet, considering his friend had told him how slowly the funds for the ranch were coming in.
Speaking of… “Have you been seeing more donations come in?” He and a few of his buddies from the circuit were regular supporters but it took a heck of a lot of cash to run a place like this.
“Not like we’d hoped,” his friend admitted. Nash lined up two more boards and Kyler drilled the screws into place. “In fact, I’m thinking about starting a boarding program for bovine athletes, a place where the best of the best can be cared for and trained and well fed during the off season. That could bring in some serious cash.”
“That’s brilliant.” Kyler set the drill aside. Two steps down and he was already sweating. “You have all the connections.”
Nash had built an impeccable reputation as a veterinarian on the rodeo circuit. “Everyone would be lining up to put their animals in your care.” He picked up the drill again while Nash knelt and rifled through the supplies to find the pieces they would need for the third step.
“Yeah. It’ll take some work to get it up and running.”
His friend paused and glanced up at him. “In fact, I’ll need a manager for the program so I can focus on the medical side. Would you be interested?”
“Oh.” Wow. Kyler set down the drill again. “I guess I haven’t thought about moving permanently.” To keep things as normal as possible for Bri he’d moved into his sister’s house so he could keep her in the same school district, but…well, school wasn’t working out so well. “We’ve been taking it one day at a time.” More like one hour at a time some days.
“Totally understandable.” Nash took care of drilling the next section into place. “But keep it in mind. If you’re looking for a change. If you think Bri would be happy here, we’d love to have you on board.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.” If he only had himself to consider he’d say hell yes right now, but he’d have to talk it through with Bri. They couldn’t make any permanent changes like that without making sure she would thrive.
“The offer is open ended,” Nash said, walking to the cooler.
Once again, thanks didn’t seem like enough. “I don’t know what to—”
The hum of an engine cut him off.
“Wonder who that is.” Nash handed him a beer and Kyler turned toward the driveway right as a black Jeep flew around the curve. He couldn’t see anything through the windshield, but after what had happened with Emery in town earlier that morning, he had a bad feeling.
The Jeep parked in front of Agatha’s garage. Kyler followed Nash around the side of the house, and, sure enough, the man from the coffee shop got out the driver’s side door.
Now that he knew the history, Kyler had to hold himself back from marching over there and starting something he’d be more than happy to finish. Emery had trusted him to keep her secret, and he couldn’t betray her. He had to play this cool.
“Can I help you?” Nash approached the man first while Kyler hung back a few steps. At least Emery wasn’t here right now.
“I’m looking for a woman who’s thought to be in the area. Kelly Pryor.” The man pulled a tattered picture out of his back pocket.
Kyler studied it, trying to keep a neutral expression. The picture looked nothing like the Emery he knew. The woman staring back at him had short blondish hair and a slender face. Almost too skinny.
“There’s no one by that name around here,” Nash said. He took an extra second to look at the picture. “But she kind of looks like—”
“That lady we saw in town the other day,” Kyler interrupted before Nash could say Emery’s name. His heart pounded harder and he gave his friend a glare so he’d go along with him. “Remember? We stopped to talk to her at the store. She said she was just passing through town though.”
Nash eyed him, but kept his mouth shut, thank the good lord.
The man stuffed the picture back into his pocket. “That so?”
“Yep” Hell, he’d never been a good liar, but Emery’s life could depend on this one. “Sounded like she was on some kind of cross-country voyage or something. She seemed like a free spirit.”
He might’ve used that term to describe Emery before he’d found out she was a prisoner to her past.
“When did you see her?” The man addressed the question to Nash.
“Oh.” His friend shot Kyler a desperate look. “I guess I can’t really remember. Was it two days ago?”
“Yep.” Kyler made sure he didn’t look away from the man’s face. “Definitely two days ago.”
The man gave them each a quick assessment.
Kyler held his breath but still didn’t look away.
“If you see her again, here’s my card.” The man handed Nash a business card and then turned around, got into the Jeep, and left without another word.
“You want to tell me why a private investigator is looking for Emery?” His friend asked, handing over the business card.
He took it and studied the name. Matt Pearson, Private Investigator.
Why the hell would the man who’d assaulted Emery hire an investigator to find her? “I can’t tell you. It’s not my place.”
Nash gave him a good long look. They’d known each other a long time, and he’d like to think his friend trusted him. “Is she in some kind of trouble?” he finally asked.
“Not with the law,” Kyler answered in case that’s what Nash had been concerned about. “Look, I promised her I wouldn’t say anything.”
He decided to level with his friend. “But I will tell you one thing. She needs us to look out for her right now.”
Because she had no one else.
Chapter 7
“This has been the best day ever!”
Bri made the declaration when they parked Agatha’s SUV in front of the house.
Emery shared a look with Mack from the backseat. Wait until she saw the playhouse the men were supposed to be building while they were gone.
Hopefully they’d finished. From their vantage point, she couldn’t see the backside of the house. “What was your favorite part of the afternoon?” she asked the girl as they climbed out of the car.
“The ice cream!” Bri’s whole face broke out into a smile. “No, wait. I think it was the movie and the popcorn!”
Not for her. The popcorn and the ice cream were swirling with the anxiety that had settled in her stomach. It had been wonderful to escape this area for a few hours, to be able to walk around a town without worrying who would see her.
But now that they were back, she couldn’t stop thinking about the creep who seemed to be stalking her.
“Well, it’s about time.” Nash walked across Agatha’s expansive green lawn, followed by Kyler.
Emery’s stomach seemed to flip at the sight of the bull rider, but she couldn’t tell if it was attraction, nerves, or if she simply regretted telling him her secret.
“Uncle Kyler!” The girl threw herself into her uncle’s arms, and the sight of the man lifting his niece into the air only adding to the gymnastics in Emery’s midsection.
He adored the Bri, that much was clear.
“I missed you.” The cowboy pulled his niece into a hug that would’ve made even the most cynical person let out an awwww. “Did you have fun?” he asked, setting her feet back on the ground.
“We had so. Much. Fun!” Bri started to chat about all of the things they’d done that afternoon, and Kyler lowered to one knee, oohing and ahhing as he listened.
If Emery had randomly met him on the street, she never would’ve guessed he had such a soft spot for his niece, but every time she saw them together, she saw more of his tenderness.
“Well, we have a surprise for you,” Kyler said when Bri finished chatting. “Why don’t we all go around the back of the house?”
“Okay!” The little girl couldn’t seem to stop grinning. It was a stark contrast from her facial expression when Emery had first met her. “You’re coming too, right Emery?” Bri asked.
“Well…” She had a ton to do and she wanted to make herself scarce in case any uninvited visitors showed up at the ranch. “I don’t know—”
“You have to see it.” Kyler’s grin was every bit as irresistible as his niece’s. “It took us five hours, fifty-six minutes and thirty-eight seconds to put the thing together.”
“Yeah,” Nash added. “We should all admire it for a good long while.”
“You boys are brilliant,” Agatha sung, leading the charge around the side of the house.
“I guess I could take a few minutes to check it out.” Emery peered back over her shoulder at the ranch’s winding driveway. She had a feeling she’d be looking over her shoulder a lot.
“You’re going to love it, Bri.” Kyler hoisted the girl up so she could sit on her shoulders. “Miss Agatha and Miss Mack and Mr. Nash really outdid themselves.”
“I can’t wait to see.” The girl patted her uncle’s head affectionately while Emery walked alongside them. “Thank you for bringing me to the ranch, Uncle Kyler,” Bri murmured. “I love it here.”
“I do too.” Emotion weaved into
the words, and Emery saw it in his eyes too.
Geez, these two were so sweet together…she’d forgotten her heart could feel things like this.
They rounded the corner of the house, and while Emery was still looking at Kyler, Bri let out a yelp. “What is that?”
“It’s a playhouse.” Agatha ran toward it as though she was ready to relive her childhood. “Isn’t it lovely?”
Emery wasn’t a bit surprised when the older woman sat on one of the swings and started to pump her legs.
“It’s like a castle!” Bri flailed and climbed her way down from Kyler’s shoulders, falling so he had to catch her in his arms. Once her feet hit the ground, she tore away from them and ran right through the bright pink front door.
“Wow.” Emery stopped to admire the house-like structure. It had two stories with a tower and turrets on each side. A swing set attached to the top of the house, complete with three swings. “I had no idea it was this elaborate from the pictures on the box.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Kyler laughed. “I’m sure glad no one was around to watch Nash and I put it together. Talk about a humbling experience.”
Emery found herself laughing too. Before they’d arrived home, she hadn’t been sure how it would feel talking to him again now that he knew the worst parts of her past, but the way he looked at her told her he saw past the secrets, past the pain she’d been through.
Kyler was comfortable to be around, easy to talk to. It had been a long time since she’d felt safe with a man…
“Hey, there’s something I need to tell you.” Kyler’s voice dropped to a low murmur.
“Okay.” Anxiety ballooned in her chest once again.
The man kept his eyes on Bri, who went down the winding slide that came out of one of the windows. Agatha was still on the swing and both Nash and Mack were snapping pictures on their phone.
“That guy came to the ranch earlier,” Kyler said quietly. “While you were gone.”
The blood seemed to drain from her face, she could feel the vertigo, the swell of fear. “Did you talk to him?”
“Yeah.” Kyler turned his face to hers. “We told him we’d never heard of anyone named Kelly Pryor, but Nash recognized you in the picture he showed. I saved it and told the guy we’d seen the woman in town, but she was just moving through.”
This Place Called Home: Includes Bonus Story! (Forget-Me-Not Ranch) Page 21