by April Zyon
“You don’t understand. You never did, you fucking bitch. If I don’t get that money to them by noon in three days, I’m a dead man. I’m not fucking dying because you were a cunt and stole it from me. Give it back and I won’t have to come get it. Or worse, they won’t have to come get it from you when I tell them you have it.”
“Listen here, Scotty,” Travis said in a tight voice. “You don’t call her again, you don’t come near her. Hell, you don’t even fucking think about her. If you so much as think to come here and threaten her, I’ll ensure that what I do to you will be a thousand times worse than what whoever you fucked over will do. Forget you ever knew Cassidy Milner, it’s in your best interest.” He cut off the call and shut her phone off. Tossing it onto the bed, he looked to her. “You okay?” he asked softly. He stepped in closer to her, his hands settling on her shoulders to rub and squeeze lightly.
Cassidy nodded and stepped readily into Travis’s arms. “I am now.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and held onto him. “I didn’t even recognize his voice, isn’t that terrible? He didn’t sound right, at all. I don’t know who that was, but he didn’t sound like Scott until the second call.” And there had been so much hate in his tone, so much venom. “What the heck is he talking about? Who could he be talking about?” She questioned there against Travis’s chest.
“I don’t know, sweetheart.” His arms were around her, sheltering and protecting her. She could feel the stubble on his jaw catching on her hair as he rubbed his face to her head gently. “I do know that we should take this seriously, though. He sounded way too wound up, Cass. Like he’s in a tight spot and way too desperate. I’m going to let the ranch hands know to be on the lookout for anyone that’s not a local. We don’t get a lot of visitors here, but I’m not going to take chances with your life.”
She frowned and looked up at him. “Scott couldn’t hurt anyone. He’s seriously nuts sometimes, but I don’t think that he would ever really hurt someone. Maybe?” She frowned. “Oh God, I don’t know.” She chewed her lower lip. “Okay, yes, I think that you are right. Putting everyone on alert would be good.”
“I was going to do it anyway, sweetheart. I may even borrow Simon and Anthony from Vic for a couple of days, just to keep a watch on things.” He was talking about Simon Markham and Anthony Romero, former teammates of both Rhys Hollister and Victor Michaels who was, coincidentally enough, marrying Genny Baker, sister to Rhys Hollister’s wife Gwen. The men had all been in the Corps together and trained for many things. “I’m sure they’ll just be grateful to get out of the madhouse that is the Milner farm these days.”
“Oh I can only imagine. With the wedding being only weeks off.” Cassidy shook her head. “I can’t believe that they moved it up, but it seems to be working for them. Your mom has been a tremendous help so has Mrs. Hollister, Rhys’s mom. I swear that those two women had to have been generals in another lifetime the way that they marshal the troops, so to speak.”
He snorted and rubbed her back gently. “Pretty sure Mrs. H, hell, was likely the leader of many a Roman charge through Europe in the day. She can organize anyone, anywhere, and any time. Doesn’t matter who they are, what they do, she’s got a way about her to get them all in line for her vision.”
Cassidy couldn’t help laughing. “Merciful heavens, you are too funny.” She could see it, though, all that he said and so much more. She could totally see it all.
“It got you to smile,” Travis said softly. “That’s all that really matters. Now, let’s go and get a drink and sit out on the porch for a bit. I want to call Rhys and get his opinion on this all. Do you have any objection to him getting one of his guys to dig into Scott’s background? I ask because it crossed over with yours, so he’ll be digging into a bit of yours as well.”
Cassidy chewed her lower lip for a moment, but finally shook her head. “No, I don’t mind. Get him to do it if he doesn’t mind. Whatever has to happen needs to happen so that the asshat doesn’t come here and start trouble for us.” Not when her life was finally making sense.
“Okay,” he said. Rubbing his hand over her back again, he gave her a gentle push out of the bedroom. Down in the kitchen, they grabbed bottles of water before stepping out onto the porch. After they’d settled on the swing, Travis dug out his phone and made the call. “Rhys, Travis here. I need to know if you have a guy that can do a little digging into someone’s life for me, off the books.”
Cassidy listened to Travis’s end of the phone call and felt sick to her stomach. She hated that these men and their women would all know about her past, but it was just that. Her past. It wasn’t anything that she had held back from Travis either, something she hadn’t wanted to withhold from him, actually. With her hand in Travis’s, she listened to the confirmation and watched as he looked to her.
“Great, Rhys, yeah everything you have on him. He worked with Cass, used to be her producer,” he said. “Hang on, I’ll let you talk to her so she can fill you in all she knows about him and anything else you might need.” Travis handed her his cell phone and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, hugging her closer.
Cassidy took the phone from him and said hello. After listening, she told Rhys everything she knew about Scott, including who he dumped her for and how to reach both men. She gave the address of the station, as well as the address of the home that she had with Scott at one time. “Do you need anything further?” she asked quietly.
“No, that’s it, Cassidy,” Rhys told her. “Now, I’m sure Travis mentioned this, but for my own peace of mind, I have to as well. We’re going to end up digging through some if not most of your life. You were with this guy for a good long time, so it would happen no matter what I tried to do. Are you okay with us poking around? We won’t log anything not pertinent to what this Scott character could be a part of, but we’re going to see it.”
“Yes, I’m fine with it. I haven’t held anything back from Travis, not now and not ever.” She looked to Travis and smiled. “He’s too important to keep secrets from. Well, unless it has to do with his birthday and then I will keep that secret.” Even if the two of them shared the same birthday, just different years, which had freaked them both out.
“Good luck with that,” Rhys said. He chuckled softly into the phone. “He’s not exactly known as the sort to just sit back. His mother used to hide all his gifts over on our ranch until his birthday or Christmas because he was that determined to discover what he’d been given. You are welcome to do the same, just so you know. Now, pass me back to Travis, need to check a couple more things with him.”
Cassidy snickered. “Well, I can totally see that. Especially since he and I share a birthday and I’m just as bad, if not worse.” She looked to Travis and held out the phone. “Rhys wants you again.” She passed it to him and then leaned against him, relaxing as best she could.
“Do I even want to know what you’re discussing with him?” he asked before putting the phone to his ear. “Rhys, what do you need? He was quiet for a time, or making small grunting noises. After a while, he sighed. “Okay, let us know as soon as you have something. Rhys, you think that Simon and Anthony would be up for a little extra protection duty around here? Well, let me know. I have a bad feeling about this guy. He sounded way too desperate. Yup. Talk to you then.”
When Travis hung up, Cassidy looked at him and winked. “Okay, so we have that out of the way.” She rubbed her cheek to his chest. “What do you have planned for us today, babe? Stay in or go out?” She was all for staying in, especially with as wigged out as she was.
“I think we’ll stay on the ranch. I do need to go and give Josh a hand with a few fixes, but you can come along for that. On the way back, we can stop by the swimming hole and relax. Maybe we can pack a lunch and take it out with us.”
“I like how that sounds,” she said with a grin. “And maybe make sure to take towels with us and our swimsuits in case there are others out there who are swimming too.” Heavens only knew she didn’t want anyone to
see either her or Travis naked.
“Absolutely.” He smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Why don’t you go and grab the swimsuits and towels? I’ll get lunch together for us while you do that. I’ll keep it simple, sandwiches and such, finger food. Meet me back in the kitchen when you’re done, and, Cass. Leave your phone off, sweetheart. You don’t need to deal with that asshole anymore today, or ever if I have anything to say about it.”
“Sounds good.” Cassidy looked at Travis once more and smiled. “I will be back shortly. I will also leave the phone upstairs and off. I don’t want to deal with it. Besides, Rhys will call your phone if he comes up with something, right?”
“Yeah, he will,” he told her. “I doubt he’ll have anything for a few hours, which is good given how spotty reception is out on the ranch. The swimming hole’s a bit better, as long as I leave my phone up on the rocks. He’ll leave a message if he doesn’t get me anyway. Now, enough stalling. I really do need to give Josh a hand, so off you go.” Pressing another kiss to her temple, he got up off the swing and helped her to her feet.
“Sounds good to me.” She gave him another hug impulsively and then raced up the stairs so that she could get their suits, towels, and a nice thick blanket for them to lay out on if they wanted to. When she came back down, she came to a skidding halt before him and smirked. “There, see, didn’t take long at all!”
His gaze moved over her and the fact she had everything sort of thrown over her shoulder. “Uh, just a thought,” he said. His lips were twitching, but he was holding off the smile. “A bag might be helpful for carrying everything. So we don’t lose something important, like your suit.”
Cassidy looked down and shrugged. “I thought that’s why the horses had those bags on the sides of their saddles? We both know that I’m not riding alone and your horse has a…” She paused for a moment and then snapped her fingers. “Saddle bag. That’s it. Your horse has one so why not use it?”
“Because I will have other things in there. Like our lunch, some tools I need to take out with us. We can roll up the blanket and tie it on, but I don’t want the wet towels and our suits in the leather bags for too long. It’s best to have them in something else and outside the leather.”
“Oh, good point. Okay, where can I find a bag that will fit all of this?” She grinned and added, “Oh, and I did get a strip of condoms too.” She knew that neither of them would last long without being together again. No matter what was going on around them, for the most part, they would always need each other.
“Check the pantry,” he told her. He was grinning now, shaking his head at her. “I really hope none of the other hands are out at the swimming hole. Otherwise, we’ll have to save the condoms until we get home. Leave the blanket out, sweetheart. I was serious. We’ll tie it onto the back of the saddle. There should be a fabric bag in there. See if you can find one that has a weird waterproof coating on it. That would be best.”
“Gotcha. I will be right back.” She adjusted her hold on the blanket and passed it to him. “There, you have the blanket now. I will be back in two shakes,” she said with a wink, and disappeared into the house again.
By the time she reappeared, he had Bailey readied and they were both waiting on her. Travis smiled while the horse shot her a disinterested look. “Ready to go?” he asked her. Holding out a hand to her, he took the bag and hooked it onto one of the saddlebags.
“You betcha.” She took his hand in hers and didn’t make a sound this time when he effortlessly lifted her up and onto the back of the horse. She shifted to allow him more room to get on and then leaned back with a satisfied sigh of contentment when he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close.
He gathered up the reins and they were off. Bailey settled into a light jog that had them covering ground pretty quickly. She didn’t know exactly where they were going, but the horse, and Travis, seemed to know.
With her eyes closed, Cassidy simply enjoyed the ride. She heard the calls of, “Howdy,” and, “Hello,” as they plodded along, but she ignored them. She was happy right where she was, held by the most amazing man in the world. A man she had fallen in love with.
Eventually, she felt him slowing Bailey down and then stopping the stallion. She heard Joshua’s voice calling out a greeting a moment before Travis slid from the saddle.
“Hey, Cass,” Josh said as he walked up to them. Travis had just helped her down from the horse and was already digging into one of the saddle bags. “Did you come out to assist, or are you playing supervisor?”
“Oh no, I’m totally playing supervisor,” Cassidy said without even missing a beat. “Because I don’t do hard work.” She gave him a quirky grin. “Besides, who in their right mind would work when it’s so much more pleasurable to watch you boys working?” The Carver men were drop dead gorgeous, all of them. Yum. But no one made her heart skip a beat like Travis did.
Josh laughed at that and shook his head. “You and Ali are of like minds on that. She prefers to laze in the shade while I do all the heavy lifting. Well, pick a spot for you and Bailey then. I’m stealing your man for a bit of very heavy lifting.”
“You didn’t say anything about lifting,” Travis said.
“I know, but you wouldn’t have come to help if I had.”
With a groan, Travis muttered some unkind things about his brother under his breath. Handing the reins to Cassidy, he pointed to a spot under a tree. “Hook the reins around a rock. He’s trained not to wander. Remember to look before you sit down, sweetheart. Check every shaded spot carefully.”
Cassidy nodded. “Trust me, after I nearly stepped on that snake a couple of days ago, I’m so checking every single inch of the spot I choose to settle upon and even then I will continue to watch for animals.” She could handle spiders, but not snakes. Never snakes. “Go, do what you need to do so that I can watch. Oh, and taking your shirt off wouldn’t be a bad idea either.” Travis pointed to the tree with a firm look. Rolling his eyes when she just grinned, he hefted the saddlebags he’d removed from Bailey over his shoulder and followed after his brother.
She heard Joshua make a comment. “I like her. She’s so got your number.”
Cassidy just laughed when Travis gave his brother the one-finger salute. She snickered and leaned back against the tree after checking it for snakes and other vermin. Settled there, she watched the brothers as they began to work.
Chapter Nine
The brothers worked until it was too hot to do anything more. They were apparently replacing a number of posts for the fence line. Joshua had said that they’d been damaged over the last few years and it was just time. While he’d complained, Travis had worked just as hard as his brother, and as a result, she’d gotten her wish—he’d pulled off his shirt.
Since they were quitting, Cassidy knew that they’d head for the swimming hole. Joshua was talking about taking a quick dip before heading over to collect their mother from the Milner place. If she and Travis were lucky, his brother wouldn’t be there for very long and they could have the place to themselves.
Cassidy was treading water in the middle of the swimming hole while Travis changed into his trunks. She lay back in the water and smiled. She was happy. Even with all the crap happening in her life, she was, for the first time ever, truly happy. “Come on, slow poke,” she called without moving from her back floating state. “I’m getting lonely out here, you know.” “Just checking my phone,” he called to her. He shrugged and tucked it away in his jeans before setting the clothing aside. Walking to the edge of the boulder, he grinned at her, then he dove in, splashing her just a little when he hit.
She waited until he came up. “So, anything new? Anything I should know?” She hoped he would say no. She just wanted swim and enjoy the day with Travis. She noted that Joshua hadn’t joined them in the pond and she was more than happy about that.
He shook out his hair and gave her a look that said no. “Sorry, sweetheart. Nothing yet. I figured there wouldn’t be,
but I also wanted to know if he had anything.” Travis swam toward her then came to a stop, keeping himself afloat close enough so they could talk without needing to yell.
Cassidy reached out and placed her hand in his while they both floated on the water. “Well, I’m glad that there is nothing yet. I really don’t want to lose this remarkable day that I have with you.” There were already enough shadows on the day as it was with how it began. “Are Rhys’s friends coming to help keep watch?”
“He said he would ask them, and they likely will. Nothing on that front either. I have alerted all the hands to keep watch, though. We’ll also have a watch on each night. Nothing full scale, just a couple of extra men to keep an eye out around the house. If Rhys’s friends can help, that would definitely be a relief to me. They are trained for this stuff. Most of the hands can usually handle rustlers and the odd kid out to tip the cows over, but someone that’s off the rails like Scott? I don’t even know how to properly warn them except to tell them to be careful and approach with caution.”
She moved so that she was treading water instead of floating on her back and sighed. “Yeah. I’m so damn sorry, Travis. I never knew that I would be bringing trouble to your home. I honestly didn’t, and I’m so sorry for that.”
“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart. You didn’t bring this. You can’t control another person, and this guy really doesn’t seem like the sort to take direction well. He’s the one that got in over his head. You left him, got out of that situation, and he has absolutely no right to pull you back in.” He swam in closer and pulled her to him, brushing his lips over her cheek. “Don’t take the weight of another’s failures on your shoulders, Cass.”
“It’s hard not to when I was the one who was fool enough to actually get into a relationship with such a deadbeat,” she grumbled. “I should have known that he was using at least, right? I mean, I did live with him.” Although, they had vastly different lives, even when they were a couple.