“‘Cause her mouth’s been suckin’ your co?—”
“We’re not together,” I snap.
“Does Noelle know?”
“Yeah, she does.” And so does her Daddy, who is none too happy about it.
And that’s when everyone, and God, hears Noelle say, “You have some nerve showing your face here after what you did at Blue Rock.”
Amusement glints in Kaz’s eyes. “I don’t think she knows.”
The air goes cold. Sarah stiffens, chin lifting, but I see the flash of pain in her eyes before she masks it. And somethingin me shatters.
Mav and I move at the same time, but I get to Sarah faster.
“Enough.” My voice rolls through the room like a warning shot.
I stand next to Sarah and, despite knowing she might knee me in my nuts, I slide an arm around her waist to hold her, to let her know I’m here as I promised I’d be, and to let the world know I’m with her.
“And how would you know what’s goin’ on at my ranch, Noelle?”
Noelle startles, her smirk faltering. “I was just?—”
“You werejustspreading lies.” I pull Sarah closer, and she doesn’t fight me, but I can feel her body go stiff, like she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Someone did poison my bull. Someone tried to kill ‘em. Sarah saved my herd. They’d be dead if it weren’t for her. So let me make this real clear”—I sweep the room with a glare, meeting the eyes of every rancher, every socialite, every gossip—“anyone who says otherwise is lying. Dr. K is an excellent vet. Bodie trusted her to take care of his clients. Which she has been doing. And I trust her with everythin’ I got.”
Silence crashes down, heavy and absolute. Even the band in the corner has stopped playing.
I don’t give a damn what anyone here thinks. They can whisper all they want when I leave, but tonight, they’ll know one thing: Sarah Kirk is not alone.
“Hey, Percy.” I cast my aim at the terminally grumpy rancher. “She saved your bull calf and heifer, and how do you thank her?”
Percy looks decidedly uncomfortable. “Ah…well, your girlfriend said that she was hurtin’ animals.”
“My girlfriend?” I raise both eyebrows. “You talkin’ about Noelle?”
When he nods dumbly, I look around the room and then at the woman who is too stupid to understand how done I’m with her. “Noelle and I dated for half a minute. I thought we were friends. And now, thanks to this bullshit, we’re not even that.”
I make a point of leaning into Sarah, so no one is in doubt about who I’m withnow. She might hate that image, but she’s playing along.
A glance at her face tells me she’s shocked. Her eyes are wide with disbelief.
“Told you, Dove, I’m with you, always,” I whisper, my lips brushing her ear.
“Are you… Are you withher?” Noelle screeches, pointing a finger at Sarah.
“Who I’m with is none of your beeswax.”
Before Noelle can respond, the band starts playing again. Louder this time.
Mav speaks over the music. “Dinner is ready, y’all. Please go toward the dining area and find your table.”
Lyle grips his daughter’s arm. “Come on, Noelle.”
“But, Daddy,” she whines.
“You’ve caused enough trouble.” He turns to face Sarah and me and nods once. “I’m sorry, Dr. K. You showed up at my place, too, and I was less than graceful. My apologies.”
Sarah just bobs her head but says nothing.
