"Sort of."
He'd purposefully made his answer vague because it wasn't his place to tell them, but also because he feared there was a whole lot more going on with Riley's stalker than she'd let on the other night, and the thought sickened him.
He'd expected to find Riley saddling Misty, intent on taking a long ride, like she'd done so many times since coming home. He was determined to take Rebel and join her. She shouldn't have to go through whatever she was dealing with alone.
But Riley was nowhere to be seen, and Misty stood in the nearby corral, looking bored.
Faint drumming reached his ears, and Daniel knew she was much more unsettled than he'd originally thought. Riley rode Misty when she was upset, but she went to the punching bag when something triggered her.
Riley's back was to him when he walked into the small gym at the back of the stables, so he quietly wandered over and picked up a fifteen-pound dumbbell and started doing bicep curls, waiting for her to notice him.
Her pounding paused momentarily when she spotted him, but then she picked up the pace again.
Daniel waited for what felt like an eternity before her actions slowed and she slumped back against the wall, a sheen of perspiration glistening on her brow.
"It was from him, wasn't it?" When she didn't respond, he tried again. "That Collin guy wrote the letter, didn't he?"
This time she winced and nodded. Her mouth opened but no words came out. The tears flooding her eyes expressed the things she couldn't seem to voice, and Daniel hated that he'd brought up that man's name.
The silence in the small room was deafening, especially since Daniel wanted answers.
"What did he say?"
Stupid question. She didn't even read it before tearing it up.
"I don't know, and I don't care. I just want him to leave me alone." She hugged herself now, the boxing gloves making the task awkward.
Daniel ached to cross the small room and pull her into his arms, but he didn't dare get close to her for fear of upsetting her even further. He should be glad they'd been able to work closely together delivering the calves without her going ballistic on him, but he could tell by the guarded look on her face now that getting close to her would only make things worse.
"Is it possible the letter was an apology for scaring you with his phone call the other night?"
She shook her head so hard he was surprised he didn't hear rattling. "No, he's trying to torment me."
"Playing mind games?"
"Exactly."
"Mind games can only have power over you if you let them." He put the dumbbell down and leaned against the opposite wall mimicking her posture. "Maybe if you talk about it, you can get it all out of your head, and it will have less of an effect on you."
"I can't." She shook her head again and her arms tightened around herself. Her gaze dropped to the wooden floor.
"You don't have to talk to me, but you should talk to someone." Shedidn't look up so he went on. "All you have to do is ask Emily if you can have some lemonade."
Her head popped up at this.
"It lets her know you want to talk about something personal." He rubbed his jaw as he realized what he was admitting to. "She's incredibly patient when you struggle to find the words you want to say. She doesn't judge or criticize." Riley continued to stare at him, so he kept talking. "She's got some great coping techniques to use when you get...triggered."
"Do you...have you...asked Emily for lemonade before?"
Now Daniel was the one to look away. He swiped his hand over his mouth and jaw as a sudden urge for a stiff drink hit him. "More times than I can count."
Her brow furrowed. "Why?"
A tense chuckle escaped his throat before he could stop it. He wasn't ready to bare his soul to Riley, but maybe if she realized she wasn't the only one dealing with difficult things, she'd be willing to talk to Emily. He couldn't bring himself to look at her as he spoke though.
"Two and a half years ago, I was involved in...” His stomach clenched, and the familiar tightness settled around his chest as he recalled hitting little Isaac Russell with his truck. “…something that...screwed me up."
"But Jake only married Emily a year and a half ago."
