Emotions whirled through Naomi.
Changed his entire lifefor her. Found the best doctors…for her.
It almost seemed like he meant Naomi, not just their daughter.
Jonah stepped forward.
By the time she realized why…he was swinging.
His fist slammed into Eric's jaw.
CHAPTER 3
Eric's vision blurred.
Pain and anger surged together, unleashing a flood of pent-up fury.
Returning the punch came as instinct borne of a thousand fights with his cousin Harvey.
Eric swung hard with his right, then jabbed with his left. Keep him off-balance. Keep it coming. Muscle memory, etched deep in his core. Only a pounding would stop his cousin. Eric would pummel until he pinned Harvey to the ground.
But this wasn’t Harvey.
Jonah was no youth. From the thick cord of his neck to the solid steel in his middle, this man knew how to fight back. Each blow plunged Eric’s head back, sending flashes of light through his vision or knocking the breath from his lungs.
Voices around them called for the fighting to stop, but they were so distant, his instincts pushed through every call to cease.
Fury, pent up and growing, feeding in the months since he’d received Naomi’s letter, fueled him. He had a daughter Naomi had never told him about, and now these people were trying to keep her from him. They had exposed his child to all thedangers in this wilderness and wouldn't even let Eric step in to protect her.
He landed a blow in Coulter's face, feeling a satisfying crack. Lecherous snake thought he could force his way into Naomi’s life, into the babe’s life. Take over Eric's rights and responsibilities. Let this be a lesson to him.
Coulter rammed a fist into Eric's gut. The force shot pain through his core, up his spine, into his chest. He doubled over and clutched his middle.
He had to straighten. Had to prepare himself, and not just for another blow. He had to attack.
"Enough!"
Jericho's voice boomed, slicing through the pain and his body’s panic as he struggled for breath. The words sounded like they came from a distance, but they cut through the fog in his mind.
"This solves nothing,” the oldest brother said. “And fighting will not be tolerated on our ranch."
At last, a bit of air seeped in, but Eric’s body demanded more. He sucked another breath, then another, each inhalation a ragged draw that seared his ribs like a torch. The world slowly solidified around him, the edges of objects sharpening as his head cleared.
He finally managed to straighten. At least he was still on his feet, though he wasn’t sure for how long.
Coulter panted too, blood trickling from his nose and running into his beard.
The fury that had fueled Eric ebbed away, leaving a hollow ache in its place. Especially when he glanced at Naomi, standing near Coulter—her intended—holding their daughter.
Mary Ellen wailed, and Naomi bounced her, trying to soothe her. They shouldn’t have fought in front of the child.
Naomi’s sister stood at Coulter's other side,lifting a cloth to his nose. He started to wave her away, but Dinah pressed harder, and Coulter allowed her help.
Dinah, who used to be his friend.
Naomi, who’d once promised to marry him.
Both had chosen Coulters.
