by Laura Farr
“Pancake?” I offered, passing her an empty plate and gesturing to the stack she’d made. Smiling, she took one, squirting maple syrup over the top. “These are delicious, Quinn.” I devoured a pancake before reaching for another one. Moving to lean against the top of the bed, I patted the space next to me. “Come here, baby,” I said softly. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before scooting over to sit in the space next to me. I noticed she’d left a larger-than-necessary gap between us, almost slipping off the edge of the bed.
“Is everything okay?” I frowned at the space between us. She nodded and moved a little closer. “Quinn.” I paused waiting for her to look at me. “You know I’d never make you do anything you weren’t comfortable with, don’t you? If what happened in the kitchen was too fast for you, I’m sorry, sweetheart…” I trailed off, feeling like a jerk that I couldn’t keep my hands off her.
“No, Brody. I’m the one who’s sorry. I got carried away in the kitchen, that was all me.” She moved next to me and placed her hand on my arm. “I do know you’d never make me do anything I didn’t want to. It’s just…” She paused, dropping her eyes from mine. I placed my hand over hers and squeezed encouragingly, urging her to go on. “Well, I’ve not done this before. I have no clue what happens next.”
“What happens next is up to us. We can go as slow or as fast as you want, Quinn. There’s no right or wrong answer.” She smiled and reached up, kissing me on the cheek.
“Thank you.”
Taking the now empty plate from her hand, I placed it on top of mine and put them both on the nightstand next to me. As I lay down, I pulled her onto my chest, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. Tracing my fingers up and down her arm, I felt her body finally relax.
“How are your ribs feeling?” I asked her cautiously, using the question as a way to kickstart a conversation about Evan.
“They’re okay, I guess. Still sore when I cough or sneeze but loads better than they were.”
“Are you ready to tell me about Evan?” Sighing, she pushed off my chest and lay next to me, her blonde hair splayed out on my pillow. I turned on my side and waited for her to talk. Her eyes were focused on the ceiling and I tried to stay calm, knowing what she was about to tell me would push me over the edge.
“Mom married Evan when I was sixteen. Her parents had kicked her out when she got pregnant with me. I never knew my dad, and it had just been the two of us until she met him.” She turned her head and gave me a sad smile. “She was so in love with him. No one deserved to be happy more than she did, and Evan seemed like a great guy. I didn’t really know him all that well, but he made Mom happy. If she was happy, so was I.” She moved to lie beside me, resting her head on my bare chest again.
“Go on, baby,” I encouraged, wrapping my arm around her.
“They’d been married for just over a year when she got sick. Her kidneys began to fail. She’d had diabetes all her life, and it had taken its toll on her kidneys. She went on dialysis, but it only worked for about a year. I wanted to give her one of my kidneys, but she was stubborn and wouldn’t let me. In the end though, she was so sick and there was no match on the transplant list. She had no choice but to let me help her.”
“You gave your mom one of your kidneys?” I asked in surprise, my hand stroking her hair. She nodded.
“Yeah, about six months ago. It didn’t save her though. She was too weak to make it through the operation. She never woke up.” Her voice was choked with emotion and I could feel tears hitting my chest.
“Don’t cry.” I held her close to me, her body wracking with sobs. “You did an amazing thing, sweetheart.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered a few minutes later when she’d stopped crying.
“You have nothing to apologize for.” I lowered my head and pressed my lips into her hair. I hated seeing her cry and wished I could take her pain away. Taking a deep breath, she continued.
“After she’d died, I was left living with Evan. I didn’t know any of my mom’s family, and not knowing my father, I had no one, and nowhere to go. Things were okay for a while, but then Evan started to show his true colors. He was drinking heavily and that’s when he would get violent.”
I felt my body tense and I knew she felt it as she placed her hand on my abdomen, her fingers making circles on my skin. “The first time he hit me, he’d been out drinking all day and could barely walk. I’d left my dish from dinner on the counter instead of washing it up. He slapped me around the face. I managed to get away from him and upstairs before he passed out on the couch.” Her voice had dropped, and she was almost whispering. “He seemed to have no recollection in the morning of what he’d done. I didn’t mention it and neither did he. I prayed it was a one-off, but I wasn’t that lucky. He hit me again a few weeks later for something just as insignificant, only this time it was a punch to the face.”
“Fuck! I’m so sorry, baby.” She hugged me tighter, and we lay in silence for a few minutes. I could feel anger bubbling in my stomach as my mind replayed what she’d just told me. I wanted to find the bastard and cut his balls off. “What made you leave, sweetheart?” I asked after she’d been quiet for a while.
“His friends started turning up at all times of the day and night. Well, that’s what Evan told me they were, they didn’t seem like friends to me. Sometimes they’d beat him up, other times they’d share a drink with him. I managed to stay out of their way the majority of the time they were there. I wasn’t so lucky a few weeks ago. Two guys knocked on the door when Evan was out and forced their way in. When he came home, they demanded money off him. Money I knew he didn’t have.” Pausing, she dragged in a shaky breath. “We were barely managing to pay the bills, let alone give money to these guys. I guess he’d fallen behind on the payments to them. They told him they’d be back in seven days. If he couldn’t pay…” She trailed off and buried her head in my chest.
“What were they going to do if he couldn’t pay, sweetheart?” I asked gently, dreading hearing her answer.
“They were going to… to take me as payment instead,” she muttered.
I looked at her in disbelief. “And Evan was going to let them?”
She nodded. “He said it was my fault he owed them money. The insurance wouldn’t pay out for all the dialysis Mom had. When both of us had surgery, it wasn’t covered by the policy. He’d had to borrow the money to pay the medical bills. He chose the wrong people to borrow off.” Her voice was breaking again, and I knew tears were rolling down her cheeks. “He hit me and dragged me upstairs, throwing me into my bedroom and locking the door. My ribs were already sore from a few weeks prior when he’d thrown me against a cabinet. I think that fall added to the bruising that was already there.” She was sobbing by now and I could barely tell what she was saying.
“Okay, baby. Shhhhh. It’s okay,” I soothed. “You don’t have to tell me anymore.” I knew she hadn’t told me everything, but I couldn’t stand to see her so upset. I needed to know Evan’s full name so I could get Ethan to run it through the police database, but I wanted her to calm down first.
Rolling her onto her back, I wiped her tears away with my thumbs. “I am so sorry you had to go through all of that, Quinn. Thank you for telling me. I can see how hard it is for you to talk about.” Bringing my body over hers, I lowered my head and kissed her softly. “I think you’re amazing,” I murmured against her lips.
“Amazing? Why?” she asked, her forehead frowning in question.
“You were selfless enough to give your mom one of your kidneys. That’s an amazing thing to do, baby.”
“Anyone would do the same to save a loved one.” She gently shrugged her shoulders, and I shook my head.
“No, Quinn. They wouldn’t. Not everyone. It was an incredible thing to do,” I insisted, kissing her again.
“I only wish it had worked.”
“You did everything you could. She just wasn’t strong enough.”
“It’s not fair,” she whispered.
&n
bsp; “I know, sweetheart. I know.” I lay back down and pulled her into my chest. Reaching down, I threw the comforter over us and stroked her hair. After a few minutes, her breathing had levelled out, and I realized she had fallen asleep. After listening to what she had told me I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but I was more than happy to hold her while she did. I was still reeling from what she’d said. I only hoped Ethan could find some information out about this asshole Evan.
Whatever it took, I would keep her safe.
Quinn
Waking up wrapped in Brody’s arms, I could almost forget the conversation I’d had with him before I fell asleep. I was relieved I’d finally told someone what Evan had done. I hated the idea of Brody feeling sorry for me though. Slowly lifting my head, I saw him smiling down at me.
“Hey. Good sleep?”
I nodded. “Have I been asleep long?”
“About an hour,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Sorry. I bet you have better things to be doing than being my pillow.” The emotion of finally telling someone about Evan had wiped me out. I hadn’t planned on falling asleep, but once I was in his arms, it was hard to stay awake. Hearing Brody burst out laughing had me raising my eyebrows in question.
“Are you kidding me? I have nothing I’d rather be doing than lying in bed with you in my arms. Well…” He trailed off giving me a cocky grin. “Maybe I can think of one or two other things.” He winked at me and I rolled my eyes.
“You mean mucking the stables out?” I teased.
“Yeah, that’s just what I was thinking.” He rolled me onto my back and ran his hand up my thigh, over my stomach and up under my shirt. His fingers tickled my sides and I let out a scream.
“Brody! Stop it,” I yelled, laughing as my legs squirmed on the bed as he continued to tickle me. I was struggling to catch my breath, and I tried unsuccessfully to slap his hands away.
“Seems someone is ticklish.” He smirked at me, knowing there was no way I could get out of his grasp.
“Time out!” I cried, laughing harder than I’d done in forever. When all he did was laugh and ignore me, I knew exactly what would get him to stop. I grinned widely.
“Ow! My ribs,” I shouted. Immediately he stopped tickling me and removed all his weight from on top of me.
“Are you okay?” His voice was full of concern. Smirking back at him I scurried off the bed and ran to the door.
“Ha! Gotcha! I knew that would get you to stop,” I declared triumphantly. Standing by his bedroom door I watched his face as he realized I’d tricked him.
“You little...” he began as he jumped off the bed and crossed the room toward me. Squealing, I opened the door and ran laughing down the hall, taking the stairs two at a time. Brody was quicker than me though, and by the time I’d made it downstairs and into the hall he was right behind me. I felt his arms wrap around me, spinning me so I was facing him. I was out of breath from running downstairs and laughed as he caught me.
“You can’t get away, you know?” he mumbled into my ear, his tongue licking my neck. Picking me up, I wrapped my legs around him and he kissed around my jaw, his lips finding mine. Kissing me like he needed me for his next breath, I tugged on his hair at the base of his neck. My mouth opened to him and I heard him moan as our tongues collided. Never breaking the kiss, he walked with me in his arms until my back was pressed against the wall. The wall scraped my skin, but I was too lost in him to even care. My hands were in his hair and the familiar ache between my legs began to build.
Completely consumed by him, I suddenly froze when I heard someone clearing their throat behind us.
“Brody?” I heard Claire ask, surprise evident in her voice. Feeling my cheeks flush with heat, Brody took a step back, and I dropped my feet to the ground. His arm went around my waist, tucking me into his side. Looking anywhere but at Claire we turned to face her.
“Hi, Mom. Good weekend?” he asked calmly as if his mom hadn’t just caught us making out in the hall. I raised my head and saw the confused expression on her face.
“What’s going on?” she asked looking between us. I looked up to Brody, and he grinned down at me.
“Quinn and I are dating,” he announced. My eyes went wide, and my mouth dropped open.
“We are?”
He nodded. “Yes, baby, we are.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss across my lips.
“Dating?” Claire repeated. “Since when?” Chancing a glance at her I saw she was smiling, and I felt my body relax slightly. I was still mortified she’d caught us making out, but I couldn’t help feeling relieved that she didn’t seem angry. I didn’t want her to think I was taking advantage of her letting me stay with them.
“Since we went out on a date last night,” Brody told her. “Someone forgot to mention that it was her birthday.” He pressed my body tighter against him, tickling my side again.
“Brody,” I hissed, squirming to get away from him.
“Your birthday? Oh, honey, you should have said something. Happy birthday.” She stepped forward and pulled me from Brody’s side, wrapping me up in a hug.
“What’s going on?” Ryan asked as he walked through the door carrying luggage.
“Well, it seems like we’ve missed a lot while we’ve been away,” Claire told him, releasing me from her embrace and turning to speak to Ryan. “Quinn’s had a birthday while we were gone, and Brody and Quinn are dating.” Brody had pulled me back into his side, and I saw Ryan look at Brody’s arm currently slung over my shoulder.
“That’s great news, and happy birthday, darlin’,” Ryan said as he struggled to hold all the luggage he was carrying. “Now put your girl down, Son, and help me with all these. We only went away for two nights, but your mother insisted on taking all of this stuff.”
“I guess we know where Sav gets her clothes obsession from then.” He chuckled as he removed his arm from around me and relieved Ryan of a couple of duffels.
“Hey! In my defense, you didn’t tell me where we were going, or what we were doing. How was I supposed to know what to pack?” she asked exasperated.
“Sweetheart, you’d look gorgeous in anything.” Ryan winked at her, before walking over and kissing her on the lips. I smiled at them, as I watched Claire’s cheeks turn pink.
“Oh hush, you old charmer,” she said, playfully pushing Ryan away. Turning to me she smiled. “You want to watch these Parker men, Quinn. If Brody’s anything like his dad, he’ll have you forgetting your own name with just one glance.” My eye caught Brody’s, and he flashed me a panty-tingling smile. I had a feeling she was right. I was already in over my head with him.
Apparently, we were dating. It was news to me; we hadn’t exactly discussed anything. But I couldn’t deny how my heart raced at the thought of being his. Although I knew I couldn’t stay with him forever, I also knew I couldn’t walk away just yet either. He’d promised to keep me safe, but I knew if the time came and Evan found me, I wouldn’t bring my troubles to the ranch. They didn’t deserve to be caught up in the middle of my problems. I was beginning to really care for everyone here. There was no way I could stand to see any of them get hurt because of me.
Brody
Kissing Quinn goodbye at her bedroom door, I made my way to my room for a shower before heading outside with Dad to check on the ranch. Mom and Quinn were going to go over which cabins she would be cleaning tomorrow, and she’d promised to come and find me when she was done.
Walking down the porch steps and across the drive, we came to a stop in front of the charred grass where the stables used to stand. What was left of the building had been removed and the ground had almost been cleared of debris. Next week would see the frame of the new stables being put in.
“So, Quinn?” my dad asked. “When did that happen?”
Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair. “Honestly? From the minute I pulled her from the stables.” I shrugged my shoulders. “There are reasons why it couldn’t and probably shouldn’t work but…” I traile
d off.
“But?” he prompted.
“I couldn’t stay away.”
“Sometimes it just feels right, Son.” He slapped me on the back. “Has she told you what’s going on with her?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she told me this morning. It’s her stepdad. He’s in trouble and he’s trying to drag her into it.” I didn’t elaborate as I didn’t know if Quinn wanted everyone to know. I wasn’t going to break a confidence. I felt myself getting angry at the thought of her stepdad putting his hands on her and I took a few deep breaths to calm down.
“I hope it all works out for you, Brody.”
“Thanks, Dad. Me too.”
There wasn’t a lot to do on the ranch this early in the season. The cabins being renovated were mostly being done by an outside company. Other than seeing to the horses and the odd bit of general maintenance, it was quiet. Dad went to check on the cabins that were being renovated, and I headed to the old barn to check on the horses. Taylor or Colt would have been there first thing to muck them out and exercise them; I just needed to do a final check before having the afternoon off. In high season, I worked pretty much seven days a week, so it was nice at this time of year to actually get some time off.
After checking on the horses and meeting Quinn at the cabins, we headed back to the house. We spent the afternoon in the den watching Quinn’s choice of movie, which just so happened to be a cheesy chick flick. I didn’t care. Her body was wrapped around mine on the couch and we spent more time making out than we did actually watching the movie.
Savannah and Josh had come for dinner and we’d spent the rest of the night all together in the living room, talking and laughing. Savannah had collared me in the kitchen when I’d gone to get a drink, wanting to know every little detail of Quinn’s and my date. I’d told her the bare minimum, much to her annoyance. I knew Quinn would fill her in on the rest when they were alone. Girls loved to talk about shit like that.