“You have no idea. Plus, she’s been babysitting me for the last few months.”
Tammy shook her head. “You’re not a child, though, sometimes you’ve acted like one. I truly am proud of you. I can see how much you’ve grown since you started working here.”
“Don’t lose sleep over me. I’m probably a lost cause.”
“There’s no such thing. Besides, I’m secretly hoping you’ll wake up and see what a blessing you have right in front of you.”
Zach narrowed his eyes at Tammy. “What do you mean?”
“Lauren. That woman’s an angel, and she cares about you.”
Angel. He knew it better than he knew his own name. Lauren was unlike any woman he’d ever known. Caring about her and letting her continue to care about him was shackling her to a life sentence she didn’t deserve. She was innocent, and putting up with him and the mess he carried was a punishment.
“That’s her mistake. I’m just a waste of her time.”
Tammy glared at him. “That’s not true. I’m going to keep praying that both of you open your eyes. Look around you. Do you think any of the people here areperfect? We’ve all done things we regret. We’ve all made more than our fair share of mistakes. Yet, here we are, helping each other heal one day at a time. You’re part of that whether you like it or not.”
Matt walked in and stepped up to Tammy’s side to press a kiss on her cheek. “We’re going back out to the barn.”
“Don’t work too hard.”
“I never do.” Matt jerked his head toward the door. “Ready?”
He pushed off the counter and followed his boss. “Yeah.” He was ready for anything that would keep his mind off Lauren for the rest of the night.
28
Zach
Zach placed the wedge of the crowbar behind the backsplash and tapped the other end with a hammer, prying away the orange tile that had seen its heyday in the eighties. He’d lined the kitchen sink with plastic, and now there was a pile of broken pieces filling the space.
Working overtime at the ranch hadn’t done much good. Matt had never heard of an all-nighter, so Zach had moved his focus to Lauren’s house around eight o’clock. An hour and a half later, and she still wasn’t home from her date. If she didn’t walk through that door soon, he was going to demolish the whole kitchen.
He froze, gripping the bar in his hand. What if she invited her date to come in? She wouldn’t do that, would she?
No, she wouldn’t. She’d given him the night off, but she had to have known he would work anyway.
The minutes ticked past, and Zach’s skin was buzzing. He’d been determined not to call her under any circumstances when he left the ranch, but now the clock was pushing ten and his resolve was fickle. Restaurants were closed. If something bad had happened to her, every minute counted. She’d gotten a ride from her date, which meant she was completely at the mercy of someone else to get home, and Zach didn’t like that one bit.
His heart was trying to pound out of his chest by the time he ripped his phone from his back pocket and texted her.
Zach: Are you alive?
Her response appeared almost immediately.
Lauren: Almost home.
He tossed the phone onto the counter and propped his hands on the edge. The pounding in his ears was easing, but he wouldn’t be able to breathe until she was back inside this house.
He’d resumed his demolition when the front door opened, and Lauren’s keys clinked onto the small table by the door. Dropping what he was doing, he rushed into the living room.
Lauren slid her coat off her shoulders, revealing a bandaged arm where the sleeve of her sweater had been cut off. Dark blood stains were splattered down the left side of her jeans.
Zach’s fists clenched at his sides, and he forced the words past his tightening throat. “What happened?”
Lauren whipped around, sending her hairflying out in a wave. Dark circles hung beneath her eyes, and fear lit up her expression. “Zach, what are you doing here?”
He was by her side in a second, gently lifting the injured arm. “What happened?”
