“Roundup?” she says, sitting up a little straighter in her seat as she spots the exit sign. “I thought you lived in Billings?”
There’s an edge of panic to her voice, so I’m quick to explain, not wanting her to think I’m taking her somewhere I shouldn’t be. “We tell everyone the ranch is in Billings. It’s the closest major city to us. No one knows where or what Roundup is anyway. Honestly, it sounds like a town someone made up for an old country western movie.” The corners of her lips pull up at that. “Joe probably didn’t think anything of it. It’s just a habit. If it’d make you feel comfortable, you can call and ask her.”
She looks at me for a beat before refocusing her stare out the front window and relaxing back into her seat. “No. I-I trust you.”
That sentence sits heavy in my chest.
She shouldn’t trust me. I’m a man she barely knows. And yet, Iwanther to trust me. I don’t know how to explain that, so I don’t. Instead, I give her a reassuring, non-creepy smile and drive through the small town. It takes all of five minutes before I’m turning out onto an unpaved country road.
I meant what I said. Roundup is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere with fewer than two thousand people. There’s a post office, gas station, grocery store, coffee shop, vet, and a small clinic, but that’s about it. Oh, and of course, The Busted Barrel. Because what’s a small western town without a bar. For everything else, you’re pretty much forced to go to Billings or go without it. But that’s the way it goes out here. You get pretty used to being able to do a lot with a little.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice as Abigail starts fidgeting with the hem of her flannel. The corners of my mouth turn up as she opens and closes her mouth a couple of times, like she wants to say something but can’t quite find the words. Once I turn onto the last road before we reach the entrance for the ranch, I hear her take another deep breath before her mouth pops open again.She stays like that for a few more seconds, and just when I think she’s going to speak, she snaps it closed all over again.
Before I can think better of it, I reach across the center console and gently place my hand on hers, stopping her from fidgeting with her flannel. Her entire body tenses, so I slowly remove my hand and place it flat on the console.
Shit.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to see if you were okay.”
She lets out a shaky breath as she looks down at her hand. Analyzing the spot where my skin touched hers. She rubs the pads of her fingers across the back of her hand before looking up at me. The same eyes that I was so drawn to outside of the airport are locked on mine once again as they shine with sincerity. Slowly, she lifts her hand and places it on top of mine. She lingers for a moment and, once again, time ceases to exist as I memorize the way it feels, before she pats my hand gently and puts hers back in her lap. “I’m okay. Just… it’s been an exhausting couple of days. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous.”
“I understand feeling nervous,” I answer. Because I truly do. “But I promise you there’s nothing to be afraid of. You may be hiding, Abigail—” Her breath hitches as I say her name. I know that’s not her real name, but it’s the one we best get used to calling her. Because that’s who she is now. “You may be hiding from everything that fell apart back there. But if you’ll let us, we can help you build yourself back up here. You won’t ever have to run from them again. Not with us around.”
“Why?” Her voice is soft now. Barely above a whisper.
“Why what?”
“Why did you agree to help me? You don’t even know me. How—how do any of you even know I’m worth all of this hassle?”
She asks the last question so quietly I can hardly even hear her as she stares down at her lap.
I take a moment to let an oncoming truck drive by us before I allow myself to look back over at her. “Abigail.” She doesn’t look at me. “Abigail, Darlin’.” Still nothing. “Look at me.”
Her gaze immediately snaps to mine.
“Nobody deserves what you went through. Do you hear me? Nobody. And if you’re ever ready to talk about it, any of us will listen. But if you don’t want to, that’s okay too. Just know that you’re worth it. You’re worth having a life outside of whatever hell you were living in. And sure, we might be helping you because Joe asked, but that doesn’t make what I’m about to say any less true.”
“And what’s that?” she asks, sitting up a little straighter.
“You’re here, which means you’re ours to protect now. Got it?”
The corners of her soft lips lift ever so slightly, and she narrows her eyes at me. “Sounds a little possessive, don’t ya think?”
I can’t help the chuckle that forms in my chest. “You think I’m bad, just wait until you meet the other three.”
Abigail crosses her arms over her chest.
I like seeing that fire in her eyes burn a little brighter.
“I’ve had enough possessive men to last me a lifetime.”
I scoff. “Those men—if you could even call them that—weren’t possessive, Darlin’. They wanted to own you. To control you.” Her nostrils flare and I grip the steering wheel tighter with my left hand. “But us, out here, when something is ours we don’t try to control it. Because it’s not really ours at all. You’re a part of this land. This place. Thispeace. And the best we can do is protect it and help set it free. That’s the difference between us and them.”
“That’s a very cowboy thing to say,” she says, smiling softly.
“Yeah, well. If the boot fits,” I answer with a wink.
Abigail giggles, and I do everything in my power not to let the sound go straight to my cock.
