Travis grabbed Nash by the collar, but he wrestled free. The air around them detonated with years of loathing, each grappling to gain the upper hand. Nash threw his arms around Travis’s waist tackling him to the muddy ground.
“You can throw punches and sling all the dirt you want, motherfucker. She’s mine,” Nash roared, each jagged word backed up by his raging fury.
“Fuck you,” Travis grunted, taking aim at Nash’s head. “You had your chance and blew it. Just like you always do.”
Ember paced around them frantically, hands smashed to the top of her wet head, cringing at the sound of each fist connecting blow.
“Stop it! Stop it! You’re gonna kill each other!”
A fine edge of terror sharpened her perception, but sanity was nowhere to be found. Ember thrust a hand between the two men, clumsily attempting to break up the chaos. She tugged at one of their shirts, but caught an elbow to the cheek, knocking her to the rain-soaked ground.
A loud, screeching whistle tore through the air like a warning beacon right before Mr. Montgomery and another ranch hand threw a large catch of water on both men.
“That’s enough! Knock it off!”
Covered in mud and muck and blood, the three of them hauled themselves to their feet.
Tremors wracked her body, her spirit as broken as her heart. Ember slogged through the muck, marching straight up to Nash. She wanted to shove him. She wanted him out of her face. She wanted him gone. No matter how fucking painful. No matter how much it was going to break her heart.
Ember dropped her tearful gaze to the ground, looking down at her boots rooted in the mud-soaked earth beneath her feet. The same ground her father cherished and protected with his life, as well as his father before him, and his father before that.
The thudding of her heart pounded in her ears drowning out the rain. The fierce desire to safeguard the land beneath her boots that ran through her forefather’s veins now rushed through hers. Ember refused to let her indiscretions tarnish the Walker name.
Straightening her shoulders, she allowed her narrowed gaze to reach his eyes. The ocean of blue, now holding notes of the dark stormy clouds unloading above them.
Ember raked the back of her hand across her cheeks, flinging mud-soaked tears to the ground. Her chest heaved, each harsh syllable pushing from her lips one growl at a time. “Get. Off. My. Land.”
The words hit like daggers straight to his jugular. He stretched for her hand, but let it fall, grimacing when she twisted out of his reach. “Ember, please. Let me explain.”
“Don’t fucking bother. I’m done with you.”
Mr. Montgomery stepped forward. “Nash.”
Nash’s eyes volleyed between Ember and the growing number of ranch hands flanking Mr. Montgomery. Witnessing the devastation and determination in his eyes, she privately wondered if he could take them all at one time.
“This isn’t over.” Leaning in, the raw sentiments building in his lashes captured her full attention. “We aren’t over.”
Ember’s face crumpled. Part of her was dying inside. She’d never felt so much pain, anger, heartache, and loss at one time.
Blinking back the tears, she cleared the painful ache in her voice, ensuring, “I’m afraid it is, Nash.” She retrieved his hat from the muddy ground and crammed it against his chest, whispering in his ear, “You don’t get to fuck me over and still fuck me in your bed.”
Agony twisted his features, each tiny muscle fading into its place of torment. She’d never seen a man look so beaten. Regret, pain, apology, all on display. One foot following the other, he slowly backed away, demons trailing behind him in the shadow of his slumped shoulders.
Adrenaline and anger rode through her blood, forcing away the hurt as courage bolted forward. “And Walker Ranch isn’t for sale. Consider yourself informed.”
Turning her back, Ember plodded toward the barn. Shoulders back and chest out, her gate remained strong and steady, but her insides shattered, kaleidoscoping into a million tiny pieces of betrayal, pain, and heartache.
Chapter 23
Ember
Never give up on someone you can’t go a day without thinking about.
The sun set behind the horizon as Ember climbed into her king-sized bed. Daring to sift through the memories of endless conversations, sensual kisses, and mind-blowing sex brought her to her knees. Her heart felt as if it’d been casted in stone and smashed with a sledgehammer leaving nothing but crumbled pieces of granite and an infinite variety of anguish.
After tossing and turning all night, Ember rose to the daunting chore of patching her heart back together. Forcing herself out of bed, she trudged into the bathroom, avoiding her swollen, red-rimmed eyes in the reflection of the mirror.
She grabbed her mat and headed for the front porch as the sun pushed through the darkness of morning. Straightening her posture, she gathered up what was left of her pride and shifted her focus back to the gift of her practice and the ranch.
Refusing to look back, Ember disconnected from memories she made of Nash, pressing forward in her thoughts to a life without him. A mental detox of sorts. That strategy worked great…for about thirty minutes.
Mental numbness kicking in, she trudged to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Ember lurched hearing the creak of the back screen door, heart nearly beating out of her chest. Bee rounded the corner making her way into the kitchen. Her bright eyes softened immediately, seeing Ember standing at the sink.
“Good mornin’, hun.”
“Morning, Bee.”
“Can I make you breakfast this mornin’?” Silver strands in her pixie cut gleamed in the sunlight filtering in through the window as she zipped through the kitchen. “I can whip you up an egg white omelet loaded with veggies.”
“No thanks, Bee. I’m not hungry.” The upward pull of her lips an automatic response.
Silence swirled through the kitchen, gathering between them. After a few awkward minutes, Ember could sense Bee’s hesitation losing its hold.
“I’ve never seen him like this,” Bee murmured, tidying up the already pristine counters.
“Who?”
Lowering her gaze, Bee batted her lashes over the rim of her glasses. Their eyes locked. Optimism clawed at her dignity, striking fire to a vein of stubbornness.
“Yeah. Well…I’ve never felt this shitty either.” Ember’s shoulders slumped to the floor, taking her heart with them. “Wait. You saw Nash?”
“I stopped him on the way out yesterday.”
Ember didn’t want to care. She didn’t want to ask questions. She didn’t want to fall for Nash Harris. But her heart couldn’t stop from loving him.
Curling her fingers around her mug, Ember rested a hip against the counter. “Did he tell you what happened?”
“I’ve known that boy for twenty-five years and can read him like a book, so he didn’t need to say much. Monty rehashed the events last night.”
Ember’s heart throbbed. A dozen questions swirled through her brain, but she forced them out of her mind, intent on putting Nash Harris in her rearview mirror. Self-preservation kicked in reminding her to look forward into the future, not into the past.
“I’m sorry, Bee. I don’t mean to cut it short—” She pushed from the counter, briefly resting her hand atop Bee’s. “—but I’m not up for talking much this morning.”
Bee softly smiled away her surprise. “Oh. Okay. You let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“I just need a few days to process everything that happened.” The tension in her chest faded. “I know the two of you are close. He’s never talked about it, but I can tell.”
“Monty and I were never able to have children of our own. Nash spent some time here growing up. Hiding from the craziness at his house. I’ve never shared this with him…I suspect he already knows…but that boy was like the son I never had,” she divulged with a nod of affirmation.
Any response Ember thought she could manage was stuck in her throat. Bee fl
ashed her a look of sympathetic understanding, brushing a hand along Ember’s shoulder, before walking out. Swallowing the knot of webbed emotions wedged in her throat, Ember headed for the shower.
Yoga didn’t help. Tea didn’t help. The hot shower didn’t help. The entire scene played through her mind on repeat. Anger, resentment, and heartache consumed her, drenching her heart in sorrow and darkness.
Exhaustion taking hold, Ember curled up on the couch in front of a fire and closed her eyes.
A knocking at the door startled her from her sleep, spurring her heart into an all-out frenzy. Her knees buckled, legs barely keeping her upright as she dared to make her way to the front door. Peering through the peephole, relief and disappointment reared their ugly heads, seeing JC’s bright green eyes staring back at her.
Opening the door, she greeted her friend with a groggy smile. “What are you doing here?”
JC stepped over the threshold bringing the day’s sunshine with her, extending a bottle of red wine and a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers.
“Oh, God. Not you too,” she growled. “How do you already know?”
“Better question is, why didn’t you call me?” JC sassed.
Biting back a rattled sob, Ember averted her gaze to the flowers. She started to speak but the words got caught in her throat.
“Awe, come here my little Goddess.” JC pulled her into her arms, swaying and rocking, soothing her sobs.
Cheek resting on JC’s shoulder, Ember asked, “Who told you?”
“Reed and Sam were on the golf course this morning and Nash showed up looking for his brother. I only know bits and pieces, but apparently Nash was a hot mess. Reed called and told me I needed to get over here asap, so—"
“Nash golfs?” Ember didn’t know why she asked, but the question popped out of her mouth without thinking.
“Not very well, but Reed likes taking his money.” She gave an easy smile, gathering Ember’s hands in hers. “Tell me what happened.”
“Wine first,” she sniffled, tying her hair into a messy bun.
After pouring two glasses, they sat cross legged on a brindle cow hide, in front of the stone fireplace. Ember held it together recanting the day’s events to JC, only breaking into tears at the end.
“I can’t believe he hired a private investigator and had you followed.” JC’s chest puffed as she ranted.
Wine hitting on all points, Ember lifted her glass in agreement.
“What a jerk!” JC wrinkled her nose and threw a hand in the air. “Bastard!”
A burning sensation gathered in the pit of Ember’s stomach.
The anger in JC’s voice felt like a hot dagger sinking straight into Ember’s chest. Heat licked up her chest and neck, burning all the way to her ears.
“It…it’s not like he’s a bad person,” Ember stammered. “Prior to yesterday, he’d been wonderful to me.”
JC’s brows raised to a high point, fluttering her lashes cheekily. “No bastard then?”
“Are you sticking up for him?” she gasped.
“Of course not! He’s got some explaining to do!”
Words of agreement tumbled from JC’s mouth, but there was a sting to her tone.
“Explaining to do?” Ember’s nose wrinkled in dispute. “He lied to me!”
“I know. The jerk.” JC shook her head in disgust.
“But?” Ember tossed her hands outward, wine sloshing to the rim of her glass.
“There is no excuse…that you know of.”
“JC!”
“Look, I know it looks bad, but when you love someone—" JC wagged a finger at Ember, moving to her feet. “—and don’t even attempt to convince me that you don’t love him, because I’ll call you out on that bullshit all day long.”
“I won’t deny it. You’re right. I was in love with him.”
“You still are. Hence the jab to the heart when I called him a bastard.”
“That doesn’t mean he gets to lie to me. I may love him, loved him,” she corrected. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let someone take advantage of me so they can shove a pipe in this land.”
“All I’m suggesting is that maybe there’s more to the story. And I think you owe it to yourself to get the answers.”
Ember shook her head in denial. “He wants this ranch. What more do I need to know? That he was willing to fuck me to get his hands on this land?”
Pretending to accept defeat, JC raised a palm. “You’re right.”
Ember’s chest heaved.
“But—”
“There is no but, JC. What he did…hurt me.” Another dose of heat flooded her face holding back the waterworks threatening to flow.
“What he did was wrong. And I know your heart is breaking. There’s no denying what Nash did was shitty.” JC reached for her hand. “But you have strong feelings for him and those aren’t going to disappear.”
Heartache pushed its way through her fury, double tapping her heart with a sledgehammer.
“I know you’re probably right, JC. I should hear him out, but I’m not sure I could forgive him. Or trust him! Love…love is trusting someone with your life.”
“You mean, kind of like someone who saves you from a stampede?”
“That doesn’t count.” Muscles in her face softened, thinking back to the coffee shop. “Not really.”
Accepting the slightest bobble in her tone as an indication of a possible truce brought an uptick to JC’s lips. Seemingly satisfied that Ember would at least consider speaking with Nash, JC tabled the subject.
“More wine?”
“Definitely.”
Chapter 24
Ember
Strength is what we gain from the madness we survive.
Rain fell from the sky in buckets. An upper-level high pressure system stalled over the region dropping eleven inches of rain in two days to the already saturated ground.
Ember sat atop Storm, listening to Mr. Montgomery deliver stern instructions for the day. The seriousness in his tone drew every ounce of her, and the two dozen cowboys flanking her sides, undivided attention.
“Our task today is searching for displaced cattle and any cattle loitering in water above their legs. The river has already overflowed its banks and we’re expecting more rain today which means our situation is only going to get worse as the day goes on. We’ve gotta get the cattle out of there and drive them uphill before we lose them, or they drown.” Rain funneled off his bone-colored hat in ribbons. His voice, more robust than normal, carried through the open range. “Rain or no rain, we’re here to get the job done, but I don’t need to remind everyone to be careful out there.”
With a nod of his head, they trailed off, dispersing into the weather.
Travis trotted up beside her. They hadn’t spoke about what happened, but a hint of pity still lingered in his eyes. One of which still held onto the black and blue aftereffects of a nasty bruise.
“Nice to see you finally breaking in those chaps and duster, Miss Thompson.”
“Now that I have them on, I understand why you wear them. I’m not even wet yet.”
Rough laughter crooned from beneath his hat. “You will be by the time we’re finished.”
Mr. Montgomery circled back. “Miss Thompson, I want you to ride tight with either myself or Travis. I don’t need to tend to two emergencies instead of one. The last thing I need is you getting lost or injured. I swore to your father I’d keep you safe and I intend on keeping my word.”
Wide-eyed, Ember assured, “Believe me, the last thing I want to do is get lost out here. Especially in this weather.”
Travis interjected, “You can ride with me, Luke, Johnny, and Sawyer.”
They’d been riding for nearly two hours. Rain pelted her shoulders, winding through tall sagebrush and trees searching for stray cattle. Thunder rumbled across the darkening skies in the far distance and cold rain whipped sideways through the air, lashing at her cheeks.
Following Travis’s lead, she rod
e for shelter under a large mesquite tree. Persistent rain pummeled the mud-soaked earth beneath the outer branches of the canopy but slowed to a drizzle under the heavily foliaged center of the tree.
Ember pulled a thermos from a deep pocket of her duster. The hot tea warmed her insides as she brushed a hand over Storm’s wet, glossy coat giving him a few good pats.
“I never got the chance to thank you.” Voice rising above the driving rain, she sliced him a look of strangled appreciation. “For telling me the truth.”
“No need.” Travis’s gaze remained straight and focused. “I hope the situation didn’t sour your taste for the ranch.”
Peering out from beneath the vibrant green branches, large droplets of rain hung from the tree’s drooping leaves. Her eyes squinted studying the land for as far as she could see. A sense of pride and contentment grew warm in her belly, spreading up her neck, striking fire to the lobes of her ears.
“Nothing could spoil my love for this place.” Her eyes feathered shut pulling a deep breath into her lungs. “The land, the ranch, the people, everything about this place has a way of seeping into your soul.”
Travis let loose of a rattled breath full of what she thought sounded like relief. “Walker Ranch does have a way of getting under your skin.”
“Even the infinite challenges,” she agreed, eyes popping in bewilderment. “I’ve grown more in the last four months on this ranch than I had in five years in California.”
Travis’s brows lifted in speculation. And hope. “In five years, you could be one of the most respected ranchers in Texas. But if you want my honest opinion, you could manage it in three. You’ve got your old man’s grit.”
The sincerity in his voice softened the roughness strangling her heart.
In the distance, Luke, Johnny, and Sawyer pushed a small heard of lumbering old bulls and skittering calves into the open.
Catching Ember (Buckle Up Series Book 1) Page 25