“I’ll drive you back to the ranch,” Ryder said as he pulled his shirt over his head. “It’s too dark for you to walk through those pastures alone.”
I nodded, fingering the key that now hung around my neck. I tucked it beneath my shirt, feeling it press against my skin. Our secret. Our promise.
The drive back was quiet, both of us lost in our thoughts. I kept my hand on Ryder’s thigh, unwilling to break contact until absolutely necessary. The truck’s headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the narrow dirt road as we wound our way back toward McGrath Ranch.
“I’ll try to get a message to you this week,” Ryder said as we approached the end of the driveway. “Maybe through Larry or Evelyn.”
“Be careful,” I warned, squeezing his thigh. “Your father’s watching everyone closely now. I don’t want you getting caught in his crosshairs again.”
He pulled the truck to a stop about twenty feet from the end of the driveway. The night was dark enough that we probably couldn’t be seen from the main house, but I still felt exposed and vulnerable. The weight of reality was settling back on my shoulders with every passing second. I wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow without Ryder.
“Kiss me,” I said suddenly, turning to face him. “One more time before I go back to pretending I don’t know you.”
Ryder leaned across the console without hesitation, his lips finding mine in the darkness. I cupped his face in my hands, trying to memorize the feel of him, the taste, the small sound he made in the back of his throat when I deepened the kiss.
When we finally broke apart, I rested my forehead against his, our breaths mingling in the space between us. “Four months,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
“Four months,” he echoed, his fingers tracing the outline of the key beneath my shirt. “And then whatever we want.”
I kissed him once more, quick and hard, before forcing myself to pull away. “I have to go, pup.”
He nodded, his eyes shining in the dim light of the dashboard. “Be safe.”
I slipped out of the truck, shutting the door silently behind me. With a wave I watched Ryder make a U-turn back the way he came. I stood there for a long moment until the taillights disappeared over the next hill leaving me alone in the darkness.
The walk back to the bunkhouse felt longer than usual, my mind lingering on the cabin, on Ryder’s body against mine, on the key that now hung around my neck. Each step took me further from him and closer to the reality I’d managed to escape for a precious day. The weight of the key against my chest wasboth comfort and burden. It was a promise of something I wasn’t sure I deserved but desperately wanted. And now that I had something to look forward to, I was more terrified than ever that I might lose it.
As I approached, I kept to the shadows, careful to avoid the main house. The last thing I needed was Pete catching me returning from a day with his son. I’d nearly made it to the bunkhouse when I noticed something that made my blood run cold. There was a red glow in the darkness, the unmistakable ember of a cigarette burning on the porch of the main house.
Someone was watching.
I forced myself to maintain my pace, not too fast, not too slow. Just a man returning from his day off, nothing suspicious. But my heart hammered against my ribs, the key suddenly feeling like it might burn through my shirt with its presence. I couldn’t make out who sat in the darkness, just the silhouette of a figure and that burning red dot tracking my movement across the yard.
Was it Pete? Larry? Some other ranch hand? Whoever it was, they weren’t making any move to call out or approach me, which somehow made it worse. I felt exposed, like a deer in a hunter’s sights, waiting for the shot.
I reached for the bunkhouse door, my hand trembling slightly despite my efforts to appear casual. The cigarette flared brighter as its owner took a deep drag, illuminating the face just enough for me to catch a glimpse.
Pete.
Our eyes met across the yard, his narrowed with suspicion or anger. I couldn’t tell which. But I knew with absolute certainty that he’d been waiting. For me. There was only one question left unanswered.
How much did he know?
I nodded slightly, an acknowledgment that could have been mistaken for respect if you didn’t look too closely. Then I slipped into the bunkhouse, shutting the door firmly behind me. I leaned against it, heart racing, as the reality of our situation came crashing back.
Ryder had been right to worry. His father was watching, more closely than we’d realized. And something told me this was just the beginning.
Chapter 21
Connor
“Alright, I need some volunteers,” Larry said the moment he pulled up in the ATV. He looked positively irritated. Then again, he’d looked like ever since Ryder had left nearly a month ago now. “Pete’s trying to save face, and he told Pastor John that he’d send over some boys to help set up for the annual rummage sale.”
“So… is this a volunteer thing or a mandatory thing?” Joey asked, lifting an eyebrow in Larry’s direction.
“It’s mandatory,” Larry replied, letting out a big sigh. “And I need all of you.”
I groaned along with the rest of the guys. Just what I wanted, to spend my day doing Pete McGrath’s charity work to improve his image. Ever since Ryder left, Pete had been desperate to salvage his reputation in town. Apparently, sending his ex-con laborers to help with church functions was his latest attempt at damage control.
