“Come back anytime,” Chloe said before cutting across the room and pulling Ivy into a hug.“I mean it.You’re welcome here anytime.No need to call first.Just show up, and we’ll set an extra plate at the dinner table for you.”
Ivy coughed as she turned her face away from the room.Heads whirled in the opposite direction of her to give her privacy as she composed herself.
When Chloe released Ivy from the hug, she almost bolted out the door.
Beau took a step forward to follow.Chloe caught him by the forearm.
“She’s a keeper, Beau,” Chloe whispered.
Since he didn’t know how to respond, he gave a slight nod.
“Don’t let her go.”With that, Chloe released his arm and walked away.
Emotion clotted in his throat as he exited the house.For the first time, he felt accepted by his siblings and like he was part of something bigger than himself.
Who did Ivy have?
“We can take one of the ranch vehicles,” he said as he fast-walked to catch up.Movement hurt like hell.Not as much as letting her get away will,the annoying voice in the back of his mind said.Damn voice.What did it know anyway?It wasn’t like Beau was looking for someone to spend the rest of his life with or needed to find someone to consider himself “whole.”News flash.He was already a whole person.No one could complete him because he was already complete.
“Do you want me to drive?”Ivy asked, cutting into his thoughts.
“I can sit and steer without passing out from pain.The least I can do is let you kick back and rest.”It occurred to him that Clay and Royce knew what she looked like.Did they know him, too?
Now that they’d had access to his phone, they must at least be aware of him.He didn’t do selfies, so there weren’t any pictures of him on the camera roll.His non-tech skills had finally paid off, especially with how easy it was to take a picture with the built-in camera on his phone.He’d taken a few photos of horses as requested by some clients.That was as far as his cameraman skills went.
Since pictures of horses wouldn’t be worth anything unless they were smart enough about horse racing to put a price tag on the stock, he figured he was safe.Not having a phone would’ve been frustrating.He might not be a tech wizard or dependent on a device, but it sure came in handy when he needed it.Like now, for the GPS’s sake.Why hadn’t he thought of getting a phone for himself while at the ranch?
“Hold on,” he said.“Wait here.”
He started hobbling back toward the house.
“What do you need?”Ivy asked.“It’ll be faster for me to run and get it.At this pace, we’ll be here all day.”
He faked being shot in the heart with an arrow.
Ivy laughed.The sound was musical.He wasn’t sure he would ever hear that sound again.
“I meant to grab a phone since mine is toast.I need a GPS to get back home after dropping you off.Heck, I need one to get anywhere.As much as I pride myself on not having a phone glued to my hand twenty-four-seven, they do come in handy at times.”
“Look at you, admitting that you’re wrong about something,” she teased.Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.They were heavy with worry and fear.He understood all too well.The roller coaster he’d just been on since he’d seen the picture of his mother had been awful.He wouldn’t wish it on anyone.What kind of assholes toyed with someone like that?
The kind who are trying to provoke you.That’s what kind.
Ivy was right, and so was Travis.As much as Beau wanted to track down the bastards responsible and ensure justice was served, he had no intention of being obvious about it.This situation would take finesse.
“What did your sister say to you before?”Ivy asked, stopping at the back door.
“To be careful,” he said.It wasn’t a lie, since Chloe had warned him.Ivy didn’t need to know the specifics.“Stay here for a sec.”
He stepped inside the kitchen and asked for a phone.
Chloe disappeared and then returned with one a couple of minutes later.“Don’t know why I didn’t ask about this before.”
“It’s been a long day.”
She nodded as she dropped her hand to cradle her stomach.
He leaned in and whispered, “You’re an amazing mother.This little one is the luckiest kid alongside Grayson.”
