“The kind of talk that ends with a smashed face?” I quirk one eyebrow.
“Oh, his face will be fine, eventually. I just dented it a little.” He reaches around my neck, under my hair and pulls my lips to his for a kiss. I didn’t expect it to be a kiss with so much oomph behind it though. He kisses me long and hard before pulling back and letting me know, “I did nothing that’ll put me behind bars. No one saw anything. But they will when he walks into town tomorrow.”
“What are you talking about?” I feel stunned, but the corner of my mouth lifts.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m so damn proud of you, blondie. Redemption at its finest. Tomorrow we can stop by the bank and get what’s left in that safe deposit box, then we’ll head home.” A contented sigh blows from my lips. Home. Silo Springs Ranch, my horse, my man and two little girls I’m completely smitten with. Yeah, that’s my home.
“After we get back to Montana—I want to talk to someone about turning the estate here into a bed-and-breakfast. I was walking around the yard this morning and I just knew that’s what I wanted to do with it. Give it a new story. The property is perfect for that sort of thing, don’t you think?”
“Wow.” He kisses my forehead. “I can’t think of anything better.”
He made love to me again last night. Every time we do it, it gets better. Every time he takes me, I feel more like I’m really his. This morning I packed up my mama’s things while Chris was… I don’t actually know what he was doing. But oh well. We locked up the house and now we’re headed to the bank. We slept in and didn’t even leave the driveway until noon. I needed to say one last goodbye to my mom and Sarah.
The bank closes at one o’clock on Saturday’s, so I hurry inside, Chris racing ahead of me to get the door. I make a bee-line for Billie and the grin on her face is too big to be simply happy to see me. But I smile back as I get closer.
“What the hell are you smilin’ about, Bills?”
“You mean you don’t know?” Her grin turns to shock.
“No…” My voice turns hushed. “Tell me what I don’t know, Billie Jo.”
She leans on her elbows and slides her phone through the opening at the bottom of the plexiglass screen. There’s a video pulled up, and she tells me to push,play.
“No fuckin’ way!” I say too loud, remembering what Chris said last night about everyone seeing Jasper this morning, and it all clicks. My hand covers my mouth. It’s him—buck naked, no shoes, covering his dick with his hands, walking down main street. Wait, there's a big arrow on his back that says—hold on, let me look closer…Entrance only.
Fuckin’ hell!My eyes grow wide as I lift my gaze up to see my friend stifling her laugh and trying not toroll on the floor. I’ve never had someone defend my honor to any such degree. I’m used to pullin’ my gun, raising my fists, and defending myself—but to see justice served by someone who loves me… I think I might cry.
“Karma’s a bad bitch, Dixie. Looks like your boss made sure of that.” I look back over my shoulder at Chris, who’s guarding the door. Probably making sure nobody suspicious tries to enter the building. “I hope dirtbag skips town and never comes back!” She’s eating this up like a Thanksgiving feast. She leads me through to the back, where I empty the box then we walk together to the main door, and to my protector.
She pats one of his biceps. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for our girl.” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “Especially with you know who. That jackass deserved what you gave him and I wish he’d gotten a lot more.” Chris gives her a side smile and lowers his voice too.
“The internet’s forever. That video will haunt him for the rest of his life.” We all chuckle in our little corner by the door, hopefully everyone else in the office just thinks it's a friendly conversation we’re having.
“Thanks, Bills. Keep in touch, and I want you to come visit me in Montana, okay?” We hug each other tight and she moves her head up and down saying she will. I love her and can’t believe I have so many wonderful people in my life that I can count on. I don't know how a life can change so drastically over a summer…but mine has.
When we are safely inside the vehicle where no onecan hear us talk, I turn to Chris with a wild smirk on my face. “That’s what you did to him last night?”
He bites the center of his lip and grins. “Well first, we had a little talk. Then I beat his ugly ass, drove him to the edge of town and left him there to walk home.”
“But he was naked! With that arrow down his back!” My eyes get big again just thinking about it. A chuckle comes from deep inside his chest and he almost can’t catch his breath.
“Oh, yeah—I stripped him naked too. Thought about putting a stick up his butt, then decided the marker was a safer bet if I ended up in court. He was defenseless at that point and there are rules in combat.” He grins further and I can’t help myself. I throw my body over the console and sit in his lap between his chest and the steering wheel.
“You are one hell of a man, Chris Cole. I don’t know how you did it, but as of this moment, his face isn’t haunting me anymore… You effectively turned the monster into a clown, and now I can’t unsee it.”
He tucks the hair surrounding my face, behind my ears and lowers his voice. “I’ll always be your dreamcatcher, baby. Nothing touches what’s mine.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Leaving Dill Creek—Come again.
We pass the town sign, and it feels like we spent a lifetime together over the last week. So much happened—not only between us, but everything around us too. I’m too old for dating games. I’ve been to war, I’ve been married, I have two daughters and one that will be a teenager soon…I know what I want. I knowwhoI want. The woman sitting next to me, she’s not justmysecond chance at happiness, she’s that for my girls too.
“I’m ready to be home.” Dixie smiles with a sigh as she looks out her window. “I miss Montana, I miss my horse, I miss the girls…” She pauses, then turns to look at me. “You’re not kickin’ me back to the bunkhouse are you?” She winks.
I reach over and grip her chin. “Over my dead body.” Then bring her lips to mine in a hard kiss.
“Good.” She chuckles and sighs, “Just makin’ sure.”
