by Vivian Wood
She bit her lip again, narrowing her eyes as she considered his offer. After a few moments, she gave a decisive nod.
“I’ll do it,” she declared.
A knot of tension uncurled in his stomach as she agreed.
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. I have nothing keeping me here. And you’re right. We can help each other. I get a place to stay far away from Dimitri until I figure things out, and you get your family off your back for a while. I can’t see a good reason not to do it. You’ve already proven you’re not a rapist or a serial killer..." she paused, brow furrowed. "You’re not? Right?”
“I swear it.”
“Then yeah, just like that.” She nodded again.
He released a long breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as a slow grin spread across his face.
“Thank you.” Relief was evident in his voice. “Okay then, let’s get packing and head home.”
5
Walker grinned at Doll. She really was shocked, apparently.
“Right now?” She let out a small squeak. “Don’t you need to meet your friends at a club or something?”
“Nah. I mean, I do have to send word. But I’ll let them know something came up and that I had to head home. They’ll be fine.” He leaped to his feet and grabbed his leather carry-on bag.
“Okay, so I guess we better get some basics out of the way before we leave.”
He smiled at her as he fired off a quick text to Ace, letting him know that he had to leave. He said he wouldn’t be joining them for the rest of the bachelor party.
“What basics are we getting out of the way?” she asked once he’d slid his phone back into his pocket. She still seemed to find him suspicious.
He didn’t blame her though, no one could. She’d been nothing but used and hurt and lied to by men for close to a decade. He was going to have to earn her trust, not just make promises and have her blindly believe them. And he was okay with that.
“Uh, you know. Basic stuff people in love know about each other. Like, my last name is Roman. I’m twenty-nine, I served as a Navy SEAL for just over eight years. I’m now in satellite recruitment for the Navy."
He took a breath, and screwed up his face.
"I'm a traveling recruiter, not someone who recruits satellites. I work on my family ranch with my brothers. That’s why I moved back home. I can do the recruiting from anywhere with a fast internet connection. They needed my help with the business end of things on the ranch. My father turned the place over to my brothers and me. He threatened to sell if we didn’t manage it ourselves.”
She blinked at him, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Uh, okay. My name is Ashleigh Walsh. But everyone calls me Doll. My mom gave me the nickname as a kid and it stuck. Eventually it became the name Dimitri and the others called me. So it was the name they gave my customers. I’m twenty-four. You already know everything about what I do and how I got into it.”
“Speaking of which, have you got any clothes and toiletries somewhere other than what’s in that backpack?”
“At Igor’s, but it’s not much. And there’s no way to get it now anyway.” Her eyes turned down as she shrugged.
“Okay. We’ll make a stop on the way out of town, pick up some stuff for you. Sound good?”
With that, he turned toward the bathroom to gather his things.
“I... uh... I don’t have enough money--" she said quietly, rooted to her spot.
He cut her off as he emerged from the bathroom and strode over to her.
“But I do.” His voice was gentle, but sure. He reached his hand toward hers, but stopped short of taking it until she offered it to him.
She did, albeit slowly. He gave it a reassuring squeeze as he continued. “Come to think of it, I’m adding one more term to this agreement of ours. From now on, you don’t worry about money. While you’re ‘with’ me, I pay for everything. No argument, okay?”
“But, I--” she started.
“No argument, Doll. Please? You let me pay. You don’t think about the money. I know you’re used to taking care of yourself, but I’m asking you to let me take care of you for now.”
She sucked her lower lip in between her teeth again, a clear sign of her uncertainty. She nodded as she dropped her eyes, but set off to gather her things.
He shouldered her backpack and his own bag. He swept the room one last time, making sure that they had packed everything. Then he held the door for her, letting it slam shut behind him.
Once they reached the parking area, he led her to his black Escalade. He stowed both their bags in the back and slid into the driver’s seat after he’d helped her in the passenger side.
“You ready?” he asked as he fastened his seat belt and pulled out the parking bay.
“I hope so,” she said in a voice so low, he almost hadn’t heard her.
He gave her a reassuring smile as he pushed the car into gear and pointed it toward the exit.
“You’re safe now, Doll. Really. Well, from Russians anyway.” His grin turned almost grim for an instant as he continued. “My family, on the other hand...” He trailed off. “You are going to love my brothers though.”
An easy grin spread across his face as he spoke of his brothers and their families. He was actually happy to be heading back to them.
They’d spent a lot of time apart in the service, but they’d always been close. They’d grown even closer since they had returned to manage the ranch together.
“There’s Sawyer, he’s the oldest. He’s married to Remy. They’ve been in love forever, but they went through a rough patch for a while there. He knocked her up when he was stateside a couple of years ago. Only then he had to go back on tour, and she never told him about the baby.”
He surprised himself by telling her the family drama. He never talked this much. Yet it seemed easy with her. He wanted to tell her about his family. More than that, she needed to know. A real girlfriend would.
“The Colonel, my father... Let’s just say he contributed to Remy’s silence.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. He remembered the sheer hell The Colonel had caused for Remy and Sawyer with that particular act of intimidation and deception. “But they got through it in the end. Shiloh’s the coolest kid.” He grinned as he thought of his nephew. He missed the little man. “Then there’s Harper. She’s six months old. She’s just started crawling, and she’s keeping everyone on their toes.”
"Sounds like Sawyer and Remy have their hands full," she said.
He pulled up outside a strip mall toward the edge of the city.
“You should be able to pick up some stuff in there. How much time do you think you’ll need?”
He handed over his credit card to her. Some may have thought it was a foolish move, but he trusted her for some reason. Besides, he could always cancel it if she ran off.
A slight panic flared in his stomach at the thought of her running off, but he squashed it quickly. She wouldn’t do that. She couldn’t. She’d agreed to come back with him.
Damn it. He hated that he needed someone else to pull this off. That he needed her to stay...
“I could be done in about an hour, probably? Is that okay?” Her eyes shifted nervously as she turned the card around in her hand. “Are you sure about this?”
She held the credit card up and away from her as if it frightened her.
“Absolutely. And don’t worry about what stuff costs. Okay? The limit on that bad boy can handle it.” He winked.
She still looked tentative as he opened her door and helped her out of the car. “How will I find you again?”
“Do you have a phone?” He pulled his iPhone out of his pocket to program in her number, but she shook her head.
“I wasn’t allowed...” she said, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks.
“Well then, I think we just found our first order of business.” He nodded toward the cellular phone store across the way.
> “You’re buying me a phone?” She gawked, staring up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. “That’s too much, Walker!”
“You’re going to need one. Besides, it'll look suspicious if you don’t have a phone.” He cocked an eyebrow at her, daring her to refuse. “I told you, Doll. You need to let me take care of you, okay? I’m not holding you hostage. You’re not living by their rules anymore. Consider it a symbol of your freedom.”
She seemed to study his eyes, searching for a hint of something. From what he knew about her now, she was probably searching for dishonesty or a trace of maliciousness. His stomach turned as he took in the distrust in her emerald eyes, the ever-present hurt.
He tried to push down the rage bubbling up his throat at the assholes who’d done this to her. The cowards who had exploited her and made her believe that she was nothing more than a possession, her body their toy.
If he ever saw any of them again, he’d rip them limb from limb with his bare hands... But he knew that it would scare her if he let her see the depth of his wrath, his dark desire to put each and every one of them in the ground.
So instead, he sighed and tucked a stray strand of brilliantly red hair behind her ear. He cupped her cheek.
“I know you’re used to being hurt, Doll. But you need to know that I would never intentionally hurt you. I would never use you. You’re more than what they’ve made you believe. I see that. And I’m going to make sure you see it, too.”
She blushed to the roots of her hair, dropping her gaze. Walker smiled and led her into the Apple store.
6
It had taken longer than she’d expected, but they were finally on their way to Catahoula Creek... wherever that may be. Her new home. Home.
She could hardly believe it. It was such a foreign concept to her that she didn’t even really know what to make of it.
She’d never been anywhere outside of New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Except maybe to a few of the surrounding small towns to strip at parties.
Yet, she also had no concept of home, or of Baton Rouge being hers. It had been more like a prison. As had every place she’d ever lived.
She tried to relax into the leather seat of Walker’s Escalade. It was hands down the most luxurious car she’d ever been in. She was trying to surreptitiously fiddle with all the buttons. She kept stroking the soft leather on the side of her seat. It happened to be more comfortable even than any bed she’d ever slept in, with the sole exception of his hotel bed last night.
She could feel the weight on her shoulders lift and get lighter with every mile they put between them and the city. The Russians had no idea who Walker was, and no way to find her.
Yet the pit in her stomach still felt heavy. The feeling wouldn’t go away, even as they flew through the countryside. The back of the Escalade was filled to bursting with her purchases to start her new life.
Temporarily, that was. A lump formed in her throat as she reminded herself of that fact, but she pushed it down.
Freedom with Walker was not even on the same scale as the alternative. So she’d take this bizarre, temporary opportunity and figure the rest out later.
He was so gentle with her, making sure that she was okay with everything. He kept asking her to agree to things, instead of insisting or demanding. She’d never been treated like that before. She was never given the option to say no, or to ask for something else instead.
“Will you carry on telling me about your family?” she asked shyly as they left New Orleans in the rearview mirror.
She snuck a sideways glance at the man beside her. She was struck again by just how gorgeous he was.
His dark hair was cut short. He kept it in that buzz cut style that she now knew was because he had actually been a soldier. That also explained the muscles. Especially when she added that he hadn’t just become some desk jockey after returning stateside. He still worked on his family farm, which explained the tan and the calluses on his hands.
The corners of his mouth turned up in a relaxed grin as he started telling her about his younger brother.
“Colt used to be such a whore before he met Rose.” He shook his head, his eyes crinkling at the memory. “The kid has always been more carefree than the rest of us. But he’s had it rough since his injury, and he used to get into trouble a lot. He lost his foot in an IED blast on his last tour. It took him a long time to come to grips with the fact that he hadn’t voluntarily left the SEALs. It was hard for him to admit that he couldn’t go back to active duty even if he wanted to. He fucked and fought his way through it. Never thought he’d settle down, but Rose had him bent out of shape pretty much from day one.” He chuckled and ran his hand over the spikes of his hair, seemingly surprised at himself. “I'm usually not this... talkative. Anyway, they got hitched a while back and they’re more in love than ever. I should warn you that they’re not afraid of public displays of affection.”
She found herself smiling as he chuckled. She felt the nervous anticipation at meeting his brothers and their significant others building inside her.
You’ll never fit in, a voice snarled in the back of her head, dimming her smile. The voice reminded her just how out of place she really would be. A cold shiver ran though her.
What the fuck am I doing? she questioned herself silently. There’s no way anyone would believe that I’m really with him. No way that a guy like him would be interested in a girl like me.
Still, here she was. This had been his idea, after all. Maybe they would buy it...
His jaw set in a tight line before he continued. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel with the force of his grip.
“The Colonel is a piece of work.” Clearly, there was a lot of water still flowing over this particular familial bridge. “He’s married to Marilee. Waited barely three months after our mom--”
He drew in a deep breath and didn’t finish his sentence.
"I see," she said.
Scratch that, the whole river still seemed to be flowing over the bridge.
“Marilee -- that's his second wife -- she's not all that terrible. But The Colonel... he still tries to control us as if we’re children.”
He made a turn. Suddenly, a town sprang up before them.
"Whoa," she said, looking out the window at a diner as they passed it.
“Welcome to Catahoula.”
He smiled, shaking off the tension that had become visible as he spoke of The Colonel. “Your new home. It boasts, well, pretty much what you can see right now.”
The town was small, but quaint. She tried to imagine what her life was going to be like here. What must his life have been like growing up here?
He passed through the downtown area without stopping. She looked out the window as he headed down narrower country roads now. There was farmland spreading out in all directions as far as the eye could see.
The countryside was dotted here and there with a farmhouse, but mostly it was barns and cattle. The grassy pastures eventually gave way to sugarcane fields. After a while, he pointed to the sugarcane.
“This is Remy’s family farm. Sawyer and Remy live in town, but her parents still live here. With the dude ranch, they’re around all the time anyway.”
She felt her jaw drop just a bit.
“Dude ranch?”
"It's a working ranch, where all the work is done by tourists. They actually pay to shovel horse crap, if you'd believe it."
"Huh," she said. “I mean, I know you mentioned your family ranch before, but I didn't realize the extent.”
She’d never learned to ride horses, but she'd always thought of them as majestic creatures. It was something she’d always wanted to do. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she’d have the opportunity to actually do it.
“Yeah. My mom used to operate a dude ranch from the farm. Sawyer insisted on reopening it after he came back. He and Remy take care of it, mostly. But you may get roped in to help, if that’s okay?”
“Yeah... I mean, sure,” she stamm
ered as he turned off the road.
An aging wooden sign that read Roman Ranch caught her eye as they passed beneath it. She felt a shiver run through her body, unable to believe she was actually here doing this.
“One last thing,” he said as he glanced over at her.
She pulled her gaze from the house just as he reached into his pocket and produced a ring. It was a beautiful, ornate antique design with a single diamond set in the center. He held it up to her and then placed it in her open palm.
Surprise threatened to overwhelm her, but she accepted the ring. She raised an eyebrow as she slid it onto her ring finger. He said nothing, merely shrugged as the ring twinkled on her finger. His eyes were tight, unspoken emotion in them as he turned his eyes back to the road.
Pastures spread out on either side of her in the dwindling light. Soon, buildings started coming into view. A barn, a bunkhouse, and a sprawling farmhouse. The farmhouse had light pouring out of it and was visible now. Two smaller, darker houses were visible a ways behind the main farmhouse.
A pack of large, furry dogs ran toward the Escalade as Walker pulled up outside one of the smaller farmhouses. She peered up at it. It was not that it was small by any stretch of the imagination -- just smaller than the main house.
“Welcome home, Doll.”
He gave her a quick grin before hopping out of the car and striding around to open her door. After she’d slid from the vehicle, the dogs surrounded her and Walker.
"Oh!" she said, pleasantly surprised when the dogs pushed under her hands, demanding attention.
Their tails wagged as Walker rubbed the dogs' heads. She wasn’t afraid of dogs, necessarily, she just hadn’t had much interaction with them. So she patted one or two of them on the head but mostly tried to stay tucked behind Walker.