My hands shook slightly, and I clasped my backpack tightly to stop them. This all sounded too good to be true. “What if...what if I mess it up?”
Ken’s dark eyes shone with a deadly seriousness. “Let me put it this way, Graham. You didn’t do anything to earn a spot at our home. And you can’t do anything to lose it, either. That’s not how this family works. We might not be blood, but we’re a part of you—forever. It’s your choice whether you want to accept the love and respect we have to give you or keep on fighting and running from it. That’s all on you.”
I worked my jaw as emotions erupted within me. My focus had been on getting back to my mom for so long that I hadn’t stopped to consider Ken and Mary and the boys as a real family. Could I do that? Could I let myself create a new family?
Could I let myself be happy?
Cassidy’s face immediately came to mind. She was always making the best out of things. Her mom had been killed in an accident when she was younger, and she was still the most positive person I’d ever met. Somehow, she saw the world in a different light. She wouldn’t have hesitated to grab on to a moment like this. And if she were sitting in this truck beside me, she would’ve elbowed me and given me one of those gut warming smiles, telling me not to be a blockhead and take the man’s offer. So would Nash. They’d both gang up on me. So the answer was pretty clear.
“I have just one question,” I said, fixing Ken with a stare. He waited patiently, his nostrils flaring slightly. “If I agree to come back to the ranch out of my own free will, does that mean I can get out of manure duty?”
Ken laughed and ruffled the hair on my head. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I grinned. “Can’t say I didn’t try.”
The flash of blue and red lights on the dashboard made me tense up. Ken and I both looked out his window to see a patrol car pull up alongside the pickup. Sheriff Redmond sat inside, his shades pulled over his eyes. Ken rolled down his window as the Sheriff did the same.
“I don’t suppose you two gentlemen are in need of a police escort back into town?” Sheriff Redmond asked, taking off his glasses.
Ken grinned. “Sure, Sheriff. Any chance you think we can make it back in time for Cassidy’s presentation?”
My stomach clenched at the mention of Cassidy’s name. She was giving her presentation to the city board right now. I should’ve been there. I should’ve been behind that computer screen, giving her all the good vibes and luck I could manage.
“Well, I don’t know if we’ll make it back in time.” Sheriff Redmond put his sunglasses back on and frowning. “But we can certainly have fun trying. Follow me, boys. Try to keep up, if you can.”
He blipped his siren, a loud piercing noise that made me grin from ear to ear. Pulling ahead, Sheriff Redmond’s car sped off. Ken started the truck back up and pulled onto the interstate, the force throwing me back against the seat. I whooped and hollered as Ken sped down the interstate at speeds I wouldn’t dare try in the old beat-up pickup us boys got to drive. Inside, my heart was racing.
I was going home.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cassidy
The city council meeting was officially over.
The Ivanovs were the last to leave. They’d stuck around as long as they could, but everyone else had gone. They’d given my grandma a ride home since Dad was still out looking. Even Hannah had to leave. Her stepdad was weird about dinner time at her house. And now, it was just me, waiting around in case the council had questions as they discussed my presentation.
I was pretty sure I’d killed it. The entire council had asked me and the audience members a ton of questions. Well, all except for Mr. Cook. He’d waited until the very end to bring forth a random professional he’d hired to do some numbers up on what reforming Cherry Street would mean to the city. He’d thrown out a ton of numbers, enough to make my head spin. I wasn’t sure if he was getting through to anyone, but the way Mr. Cook was leaning back in his chair and smirking told me he was sure he had the upper hand here. And all I could do was wait. Wait for news about the eminent domain deal. Wait to hear if my grandma still had a home.
And wait to hear about Graham.
This no news thing was driving me up the wall. I’d spent the entire presentation constantly glancing over at the door, hoping he’d walk in. No luck. And now it was over and the hallway outside the meeting room was starting to feel stuffy. I needed air.
I pushed out the doors to the back parking lot. Most of the cars were already gone for the day. A dumpster sat nearby. An ashtray on the ground signaled that this was where some of the workers came to spend their smoke breaks. I found a cement curb stop to sit on and took my phone out of my pocket. I knew as soon as I dialed his name that it would go straight to voice mail. Just like it had the hundred times I’d called earlier today. But I held out hope that for once, he would answer.
And then the robotic voice of the mailbox picked up.
I let out a disgusted sigh and hung up. Dad hadn’t returned, which meant they were still out looking for him. Maybe Graham had hitched a ride. Maybe he was already halfway across the state. Or maybe, he’d been attacked by some creeper looking to hurt a lonely kid. My heart couldn’t take going through all the possibilities. I covered my face and forced myself to breathe calmly.
Graham was safe. He had to be.
“Hey Cassidy, where’s your bodyguard?” a nasty voice called.
Looking up from my hands, my stomach jolted painfully when I saw Derek Cook strolling toward me. He was casually tossing his keys in his hands and wearing a cocky expression, as if he would’ve liked nothing more than to go head-to-head with Graham again. Except this time, his goons were no-where in sight. It was just Derek. He was awfully good at acting tough when no one else was around.
“Leave me alone, Derek,” I said, standing from the curb. “I don’t want to deal with you today.”
“Did lover boy run off?” Derek sneered at me. “Already chase another one away, Cassidy? That’s not a good sign. People are going to start to wonder what’s wrong with you. If you can’t even keep an Oakie satisfied...?”
He raised his brow, his smile so condescending that I had half a mind to slap it off of him for what he was suggesting. Instead, I calmly slipped my phone into my pocket and met his stare head on.
“I should be getting back inside. I’m sure the council will be announcing any minute their decision on the eminent domain deal. It’s a good thing you decided to drop by. It’s not looking so good for your dad’s pet project. He might need some moral support after this.”
Derek’s grin melted away. “You just had to go and put your nose where it didn’t belong.”
I shrugged as I turned toward the door. “And your dad just had to go and try to profit off of people getting kicked out of their homes. Not my fault. But it is my business to try and stop him.”
I was halfway to the door when I felt a hand wrap tightly around my wrist. Derek yanked me back around, his face a mask of rage as he stood hulking over me.
I yelped as his tight grip ground my bones together. “Derek, stop it! You’re hurting me.”
“I should’ve known you were trouble the first time I set eyes on you,” he growled, the blue veins in his forehead popping.
Pain jolted down my arm as he twisted it up. I panted, trying my best to keep my voice level. I didn’t like that look in his eye. The last thing I needed to do right now was feed his anger. It seemed better to try and talk him down.
“We’ve known each other since kindergarten, Derek. We used to be friends. What happened to you?”
“I grew up and realized that some people are meant to be on top and some are meant to be on bottom. You could’ve been up there with me. I could’ve made you someone special.”
Fear had gripped my stomach with its icy fingers. I looked into Derek’s watery blue eyes and I couldn’t see even a blip of sympathy. He was all rage and fury. There was no talking him down. And there was no tellin
g what he’d do.
“Derek, let me go.” My voice was far more confident and forceful than I felt on the inside. “You don’t want to do this. You don’t want to hurt me.”
“Don’t I?” He sucked in his cheeks and smirked. “You know, I would’ve thought that almost getting run over would put things into perspective for you. That maybe you’d have the sense to realize that what you were doing was irresponsible. And if you got a little hurt in the process, maybe it’d teach you a lesson. But Graham had to go and ruin it. He ruins everything.”
I stared wide-eyed up at Derek. He couldn’t have meant what I thought he was saying. But of course, hardly anyone knew about me nearly getting run over a few weeks ago. Or that Graham had saved my life. It was all coming together.
“It was you that night.” I breathed out the accusation in a hushed voice. “It was you in that car trying to run me down.”
Derek’s eyes flashed and his smirk was back. “Now, Cassidy, don’t go blaming other people for your mistakes. Little girls shouldn’t be standing in the middle of the road at night. They could get seriously hurt.”
He’d never admit to it aloud, but I knew it. Deep down, I knew that the person who’d almost hit me that night was standing in front of me, his vise-like grip on my wrist starting to cut off the blood flow. The blood drained from my face. I’d known Derek was a jerk, but I hadn’t realized how seriously messed up he’d become. Or what he would do next to get his way.
“Let me go!”
I banged on his chest with my free fist as hard as I could. I’d left my purse inside with the taser and the pepper spray. Derek was bigger and stronger than me. He definitely had the upper hand. Still, I tried my best to pull out of his grip.
Derek twisted my arm even farther, causing me to cry out in pain. “If my dad loses this deal, it’ll be all your fault.”
My chin quivered as righteous anger filled me. “That’s right. It’ll be all my fault. And so will this—”
My daddy hadn’t raised a fool. He’d taught me at least a dozen ways to get out of a tough situation like this, starting with a guy’s vulnerable spots. I stomped down on Derek’s foot, driving the heel of my shoe into the top of his tennis shoe. He shouted and automatically bent forward to stop the pain. Using his forward momentum against him, I drove my knee up into his groin. He released me, swearing violently as he leaned over and his face turned red.
“Don’t mess with Sheriff Redmond’s daughter,” I stated proudly.
Dad would’ve been impressed by my moves. It was too bad he’d missed this.
Derek glared at me, still clutching his groin in pain. As the blue veins on his forehead popped, he took a halting step toward me and reached out his hand. “You little—”
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you,” a deep voice said from behind me.
It was like getting a shock to the chest when I looked over and saw Graham suddenly appear next to me.
“You’re back,” I said in a breathy tone.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “I’m back. I’m sorry I missed your presentation.”
The presentation was the last thing on my mind. All I cared about was that he was here. He hadn’t left town. He was safe.
I’d never been more relieved in my life.
“This is just perfect.” Derek straightened his posture as best he could and then smirked at Graham. “I’ve been wanting a rematch. Your girlfriend can’t save you this time, McGrady.”
He lunged forward, throwing his fists recklessly. Graham side-stepped the first blow and then threw a side-hook that looked almost effortless as it popped Derek squarely in the eye. He stumbled backwards and landed hard on his rear, looking stunned. At the same time, the back door opened up and out spilled Mr. Cook, who ran right to Derek’s side.
“What’s going on here?” he demanded, pulling his son upright. He glared at both Graham and me, his cheeks bright red. “You’re going to pay for that. Just wait until I call the authorities.”
“No need, Mr. Councilman. I witnessed the whole thing.”
I turned to see my dad and Ken White strolling toward us. Dad had his hand resting casually on his holster in a move I’d seen him make hundreds of times to remind people of his authority.
“Arrest this man,” Mr. Cook snarled, pointing at Graham. “He attacked my son. I want him charged with assault and battery. And I want a restraining order so he never bothers my family again.”
I took a step toward Graham, grabbing his hand and lacing my fingers with his. No matter what happened, I was on his side. He wouldn’t be alone. Graham squeezed my hand gently, as if to say that the message had been received.
“From the way I see it, two things can happen here,” Dad said in a slow drawl. “Either all parties can calm down, agree to drop charges, and go their separate ways or I can make an arrest here and now.”
“Arrest him.” Mr. Cook pointed at Graham. “What are you waiting for? No one’s dropping charges.”
Dad unhooked the handcuffs from his belt and held them up. “Then, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask your son to turn around and put his hands behind his back for the attempted assault of Graham McGrady. I saw the confrontation, Councilman. Your son was the first to strike out. This young man was acting purely out of self-defense. If you’d like to proceed, I can take Derek down to the jailhouse and get him booked in myself.”
Mr. Cook’s face went white. He gripped the front of Derek’s shirt and gaped at my dad. “You can’t be serious. You’re joking.”
“Oh, I never joke on the job, Councilman.” Dad frowned. “That’s akin to lying and I hate liars, don’t you?”
Mr. Cook silently ground his teeth together, murder in his eyes.
“Oh, and if your son should ever put his hands on my daughter again, I will see that he is prosecuted to the fullest extent,” Dad added, his voice lowering to a dangerous tone that I’d never heard from him before. The sound of it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Do I make myself clear?”
I could’ve done a happy dance right then and there. Never had I seen anyone stand up to the Cooks like that. The meaning of his message seemed to be quite clear to Mr. Cook. He glared at my dad as he lifted his nose, grabbed Derek by the t-shirt, and dragged him off. We all watched him go until he disappeared around the corner and the mood immediately lightened.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I said, turning to Graham.
He swallowed and squeezed my hand again. “I’m here. I’m so sorry I made you worry.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.”
It felt like a million years since I’d seen his face. He looked better than he had at school today. As if a weight had been lifted from his shoulder. His amber eyes scanned my face, trepidation in the curve of his mouth.
“I shouldn’t have run, Cassidy. I wasn’t thinking. I was being a coward. I thought I had to run away to find my home, but I’m realizing that the ranch has been my home all along. A home that I can always count on.”
“You were hurting.” I placed my palm on his chest, his heart beating rapidly beneath my fingers. “I don’t blame you. I just hope you know that you can always come to me.”
“I do know that.” He raised my hand to his mouth and placed a searing kiss on the back. “And I won’t forget it anytime soon.”
There were so many feelings bubbling up inside of me that I couldn’t control myself anymore. I jumped into his arms and planted a kiss right on his lips. His hands found my waist, pulling me even tighter against him. We remained like that until we heard the clearing of someone’s throat. We sheepishly pulled apart and both looked over to see my dad and Ken still standing nearby.
“I think we’re going to have to set some ground rules,” Ken said, raising an eyebrow. His voice was rough, but there was a twinkle in his eye that told me he wouldn’t be unreasonable about the two of us being together.
Dad took a step toward us, the muscles in his jaw working. “An
d don’t forget, I have eyes everywhere in this town. Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will know.”
I looked over at Graham. His eyes were huge as he stared back at my dad. I burst out laughing and he looked over at me, a relieved grin on his face. Dad and Ken started in, too, and pretty soon the tension was broken.
“Any news on the council’s decision?” Ken asked, when we’d finally pulled ourselves together.
Looking over at the door, I shook my head. “No word, but since Mr. Cook left, I’ll bet we have our answer soon. They’re voting on Saturday.”
Suddenly, the nerves were back in full force. I’d been so worried about Graham that I hadn’t allowed myself to feel as nervous about the meeting. Now, I was feeling in need of a seat. What if the council went ahead with the eminent domain deal? What if my grandma and all of those people lost their homes?
“It’s going to be okay.” Graham wrapped his arm around me, enveloping me in his warm embrace. “Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out. Together.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into his chest, inhaling the scent of his body wash. That one word alone had given me enough comfort to make it through.
Together.
We’d get through this together.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Graham
I waited near the cafeteria door, like we’d discussed. Couples were streaming inside and every time another blonde-haired girl walked in, my pulse would quicken. But it wasn’t Cassidy. Not yet.
“Dude, you’ve got to relax.” Eric clasped a hand on my shoulder and grinned. “She’ll get here when she gets here. That is...if she hasn’t run away on you. You’d know the signs, right?”
Cowboy Crush : A Small Town, Enemies-to-Lovers YA Romance (Sweet Oak Teen Ranch Book 1) Page 17