“Jesus,” I breathe. I knew Noah was dangerous, but I don’t like hearing something like this.
“I gave her my jacket and drove her home,” Devlin continues. “Made sure she got inside safe. Gave her my number in case she needed anything else.”
“And that’s how you two started…” I trail off, letting him fill in the blanks.
He runs a hand through his hair, scattering more sawdust. “Not right away. She called me a couple of days later, just to thank me. Then we started talking more. She was in my English class, so we’d sit together, study together. Eventually, it turned into us hanging out on the weekends, and then one day I kissed her.”
I can picture it—young Devlin, already protective, already drawn to helping someone in trouble. “Did you love her?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
He considers this, his expression thoughtful. “In a way. Not the way I should have, maybe. Not the way I…” He trails off, his eyes finding mine. “We were comfortable together. She was sweet, smart. But it wasn’t…it wasn’t like this. She deserved more than what I could give her, which is why she didn’t wait for me.”
The words hang between us, weighted with meaning.Not like what we have.
“What happened with Noah?” I ask, already suspecting the answer.
Devlin’s mouth curves into something that’s not quite a smile. “I waited two weeks. Let Jessalyn heal up and made sure she was okay. Then I caught Noah alone in the locker room after practice.”
“And?”
“And I beat the living shit out of him,” Devlin says simply, with no pride or regret in his voice, just stating a fact. “Broke his nose, cracked two ribs, left him with a black eye that didn’t fade for a month.”
I should probably be horrified by the casual way he describes violence, but all I feel is a fierce, savage satisfaction. “Good.”
That gets a genuine smile from him, brief but real. “That’s not what most people say when they hear that story.”
“I’m not most people,” I remind him.
“No,” he agrees, his eyes warming as they hold mine. “You definitely aren’t.”
He turns back to his work, measuring a piece of wood with careful precision. “Anyway, that’s why Noah’s got it in for me—actually, for the whole family. Jesse stood lookout in the locker room. He’s been waiting all these years to get back at me. Football scholarship, college plans, his reputation—of it took a hit after what happened. And Noah is the type to hold a grudge.”
“Did Jessalyn press charges against him? For what he did to her?” I ask, although knowing that probably didn’t happen since he’s now a cop.
Devlin shakes his head. “She didn’t want to. Said it would just make things worse. It was his word against hers, and things weren’t as fair back then? Maybe is a good way to put it. Now, people are more likely to believe a girl. Back then, they weren’t.”
I do know. In places like Grizzly River, victims often stay silent rather than face the whispers, the judgment, the inevitable taking of sides. It’s less so now, but it was definitely that way back then.
“What happened to her? To Jessalyn?” I ask, realizing I’ve never heard this name around town.
“After we broke up, by letter, I might add…” He chuckles. “She moved out east. Last I heard, she was living in Boston, married with a couple of kids.” He smiles faintly. “She sends me a Christmas card every year. Might seem weird, but I’m happy to know she’s happy.”
The thought of Devlin receiving Christmas cards from an ex-girlfriend would have bothered me a few weeks ago. Now, knowing the full story, it just makes me love him more.
“That’s why you stepped in with me, isn’t it?” I ask softly. “At the pharmacy. You saw someone else who needed help, and you couldn’t walk away.”
He looks up from his work, his eyes serious. “I’d have helped anyone in that situation, Atlee. But with you…” He pauses, searching for words. “With you, it was different. Right from the start.”
My heart flutters at the intensity in his gaze. “Different how?”
He sets down his tools again, crossing the room to sit beside me on the couch. His hand finds mine, callused fingers twining with my smoother ones.
“With Jessalyn, I wanted to protect her because it was the right thing to do,” he explains. “With you, I wanted to protect you because the thought of anything happening to you felt like someone ripping my heart out of my chest. Especially after us having hung out previously. There’s been something about you since that first night that I haven’t been able to let go.”
The raw honesty in his voice steals my breath. I squeeze his hand, unable to find words.
“Noah knows that,” Devlin continues. “He’s smart enough to see what you mean to me. That’s why he’s targeting you now.”
“You think this is all about revenge?” I ask. “The cattle rustling, Project Watershed…it’s just an excuse to come after you?”
