“Not really,” I admitted. “Can she stay here for a bit?”
Nora nodded without hesitation. “Of course. Come on in, Kris.”
Kristin paused, looking up at me like she wanted to argue again. I leaned down, pressed a kiss to her temple, and kept my voice low so only she could hear. “I’ll be back for you. Trust me.”
She swallowed, the fight leaving her eyes, and nodded. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
I waited until the door closed behind her before I turned and walked back to the truck. The sound of the latch sliding home echoed louder than it should have. My pulse thudded heavier with every step.
Time to call in the boys.
The night air was cold enough to sting my throat as I started the truck and turned toward Nash’s. The drive across the ranch took less than ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity. My headlights cut through the dark, catching the glint of metal in the distance. By the time I turned down his long drive, the yard was already filled with trucks. Kipp’s Ford sat crooked at the edge of the gravel, Ryder’s blacked-out Chevy beside it, Griffin’s Dodge parked square and precise like always.
Kipp climbed out of his truck when I pulled in, falling into step beside me without a word. We didn’t need to talk yet. The look on my face told him enough.
Inside, Nash’s house smelled like strong coffee and old cigar smoke. The living room lights were low, the hum of the refrigerator the only sound before we entered. The four of them were gathered around the big oak table, beer bottles sweating rings onto the wood. Heads turned when we walked in.
“About damn time,” Ryder muttered, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed tight across his chest.
“I had to make sure Kristin was squared away,” I said, pulling up a chair. My voice felt steadier than I expected.
Nash tipped his chin. “She with the girls?”
“Yeah.”
Griffin, quiet as ever, nodded once. His eyes were sharp under the brim of his hat. Nash sat at the head of the table, broadand calm, exhaling slowly and steadily like he was measuring what I hadn’t said yet.
“Alright,” he said finally. “Tell us.”
I pulled the folded note from my pocket and set it on the table. The sound of paper against wood was louder than it should have been. Nobody reached for it, but every one of them leaned in, eyes scanning the words. The air went tight. Kipp cursed under his breath. Ryder’s jaw twitched. Griffin leaned forward, hands flat on the table.
Nash was the one who broke the silence. “Who?”
“Team roper she had trouble within Vegas,” I said. “He invited himself into her trailer and tried to push it when she said no. The bruises on her arms, cut on her lip, the ones from that weren’t from her fall, were from him.”
Ryder let out a low whistle that broke into a muttered curse. “Jesus.”
Kipp’s voice came rough. “How long’s this been going on?”
“Since we got home from Vegas,” I said. “I’ve been intercepting the letters, texts, all of it. I thought I had a handle on it. Tonight, he got past me. Left that at her shop.”
Griffin spoke next, quietly but firmly. “This why you got married?”
“Yeah.” I nodded once. “I didn’t expect him to get up from the ditch he was in.” There was no point lying to them.
“You should’ve involved us sooner,” Griffin said. His tone wasn’t accusing. Just a fact.
“I know.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I thought I was doing fine protecting her.”
Ryder barked a laugh, sharp and humorless. “By yourself? Did you forget what we used to do, Linc? Just happen to forget we don’t leave each other hanging?”
My chest tightened, because he wasn’t wrong. “I didn’t want to drag you back into it. We walked away for a reason. You’ve got families now.”
“Yeah, we walked away,” Nash said slowly, his voice hardening, “but we didn’t forget who we are. And we sure as hell didn’t forget what we do when one of ours is threatened.”
The silence that followed felt heavy enough to bend the air. I looked around the table, at the men who’d once been my team, my brothers. We weren’t just ranchers now. Not underneath. We were still trained to push back and cross lines when necessary. That kind of thing never left you.
