In less than two minutes, Thorne had him scrambling to get back into his vehicle and head down the drive. The SUV peeled out so fast that it left a dust cloud the size of downtown Hartsville behind him.
“There.” Thorne waved his hand in front of his face to dissipate the dirt still hanging in the air. “Think he got the message?”
I rounded on him, my hands on my hips, my chest heaving. “What the hell was that? He’ll probably send the sheriff out here next to arrest you for wrinkling his suit. You can’t go around threatening people on my behalf.”
“He won’t get the sheriff involved.” Thorne looked more amused than threatened.
“You don’t know this guy. He’s been hounding me for months to sell this land. Every time I turn him down, he comes back with a bigger offer.” I wasn’t about to open up to the bully of a man next to me about how hard things had been since Dad died. He might have scared Dartman off with the threat of brute force, but he’d be back. And if this festival didn’t bring in the crowds I needed to raise enough money to pay the back taxes, I might not have a choice but to take the lawyer’s offer.
3
THORNE
I’d fucked up. I shouldn’t have come on so strong. Seeing that asshole threaten her had rage boiling up inside my chest. He was lucky he got away with a wrinkled suit instead of the long overdue ass kicking he obviously deserved.
After the lawyer left, Henry and I got the animals settled in the barn and Destiny showed me the small cabin where I’d be staying for the weekend. It made sense to stay on the property instead of driving back and forth from the motel in town to take care of the animals. Plus, it put me onsite so I could keep an eye on things and make sure that guy didn’t return.
I knew men like him. They thought the rules didn’t apply to them and that the end always justified the means. That’s what made him dangerous. I didn’t like the way he looked at Destiny, either. He was toying with her and knew she’d never willingly accept his offer. That meant he had a backup plan. I needed to figure out what it was so I could put a stop to it before he had a chance to set it in motion.
But first, I had to head up to the main house for dinner. I’d showered and changed into a clean pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. We were only going to share a meal together, but that didn’t stop the anticipation of seeing Destiny again from prickling my gut.
I still couldn’t believe the gorgeous, confident, spitfire brunette I’d met earlier was Mike’s little sister. If I’d known what I was getting into, I wouldn’t have been so quick to agree. Not only was she stunning, but she had a backbone of steel and a passion that probably followed her right into the bedroom.
Oh, hell no. I wasn’t about to let my mind wander into forbidden territory. Mike was like a brother to me. That meant I should view Destiny as the little sister I’d never had. Just like one of the guys.
I tried to picture horsing around with her like I used to with her brother. Instead of putting her in a headlock or kicking her ass in a competitive three-on-three game on the basketball court, the only images that came to mind were of me running my hands over her curves and spreading her thick thighs to find out just how sweet she would taste.
Mind over matter, asshole. I could do this. I’d imagine her as a female CO instead. They were ballbusters who had to work twice as hard to get half the recognition as the men who served with them. Unlike some of the other guys who thought women had no place in the military, I had nothing but respect for them.
Satisfied that my plan would keep my mind from wandering into the gutter, I headed toward the main house. The smell of meat on the grill made my mouth water. Music from the back patio had me detouring from the front door to walk around the side of the house. It sat a little higher up than the surrounding fields. A blanket of blue covered the hillside below while the sun hovered on the edge of the horizon.
“Try putting a price on a sunset like that.” Destiny came up behind me, her voice soft and full of reverence.
Wispy clouds hung in the air and reflected the colors of the setting sun. The sky looked like it had been painted on. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”
She handed me a cold bottle of beer. “You can start by telling me how someone who has military man written all over him ended up working at his brother’s animal refuge.”
Mike warned me she was a smart cookie, and it wouldn’t take her long to figure out there was more to my story than I initially let on. I was a firm believer that it was best to stick as close to the truth as possible to avoid getting caught up in a trap of my own lies.
“I’m on leave. Henry needed help, so I figured I’d spend my time pitching in at the refuge.” I took a long draw from the bottle, hoping that would satisfy her curiosity.
“My brother was a Navy Seal.”
“Once a SEAL, always a SEAL. They’re good guys.” I raised my bottle in a silent toast to Mike and hoped she’d move on.
“He loved it.” She tipped her beer back and swallowed.
My mouth went dry as I watched her throat bob up and down.
Destiny’s eyes took on a faraway look. “He’d probably still be with the team if we hadn’t needed the money to start chipping away at the back taxes we owe on this land.”
That was new information. Mike said he was tired of living out of a duffel bag and not being in control of his own time. I knew his dad left a bit of a financial mess when he died, but had no idea of the extent of it.
She shook her head and offered an apologetic grin. “Sorry. There’s a lot resting on the success of the festival this weekend. I won’t bore you with the details.”
“You’re not boring me at all. How can I help?”
“You already are.” She set her beer down on a table and moved over to the grill. “This is the first time we’re bringing in a petting zoo. First time for a lot of things. I’m hoping the extras will bring in even more people and that we’ll raise enough to pay off the taxes we owe and keep that wolf of a lawyer from sniffing around.”
