As the Westbrooks rode in, Hunter dismounted, came over, and helped her off Cherokee. Before she could say anything, Hunter dragged her off to the side and away from the deputies and his family. He turned on her, expression hard and voice lowered enough not to be overheard under the rumbling of the four-wheeler’s humming engines. “What were you thinking? That was over-the-top insane. You could’ve been killed.”
She placed her hands on her hips, refusing to be cowed by him. It was almost the exact rehashing of their fight when she’d hit her head. “I was thinking they were going to get your animals hurt. I was thinking that we needed to do something. I was thinking that I know how to rope and outride them any day of the week. I know you love your plans, and sometimes they’re great to have, but sometimes acting is better. This time acting was better.”
He pointed at her. “You’re the one who said that you act without thinking about the consequences to other people in your life—that you needed to be more considerate. I thought I was a big enough part of your life for you to think about what this would do to me if you got hurt.”
She fisted her hands. “And I thought you cared about me enough to treat me like an equal and respect my decision-making. You weren’t watching. They’d gotten off their horses and were walking up to Tornado to rope him that way, and he had nowhere to go. They would’ve gotten him. Someone had to do something.”
“You could have been hurt or even killed if you’d fallen off with all those horses and cattle running and trampling around,” he snapped. “What if they’d been armed? What about your head?” He reached a hand toward her wound, but she flinched back from his touch.
“I trusted you and followed you when you asked me to when all I wanted to do was run home to Brandon, but you don’t have that same amount of trust for me.” She lowered her voice and looked him in the eye. “And if you don’t, then I don’t see how this is going to work out.” The words tasted gross and felt worse, but they were true. She’d lived her life with brothers not seeing her as an equal; she couldn’t do the same with the man she loved.
Hunter’s face fell, and he took a step back from her like she’d slapped him.
She felt a sting in her heart, but she couldn’t back down. She was tired of people treating her like she was incompetent. She had to put her foot down now. She marched off, back toward the deputies and the Westbrooks, but she felt Hunter behind her, felt him following close, and took comfort in that.
The rustlers were each handcuffed to the back of a four-wheeler, and Tom spoke with the deputies. She stopped in front of them, and Hunter moved next to her, though he kept a few feet between them.
Carrie called out. “You two okay?”
Hunter nodded.
“Yes, Mrs. Westbrook,” Zoey said, forcing a little smile.
“Do you need help getting these men back into town, Deputy Danny?” Tom asked.
“We’re good,” replied the younger deputy with the dark hair and big-city accent. “But if you want to take their horses with you until this gets sorted out, that’d be great.”
Tom glanced back at Lucky and Swayzie, who both nodded, and rode over to the horses in question, gathering their reins.
“It’ll probably be a relief once this land is sold,” the older of the two deputies said. “Won’t have so much space to keep an eye on for things like this.”
Hunter stepped forward, his jaw dropping, his expression going wide in shock. The other Westbrooks all seemed to have the same response.
Zoey sighed. That was part of what she’d planned to tell Hunter tonight, but the surprise was ruined now.
“Who bought it?” Hunter asked.
The deputy’s brow furrowed as he pointed at Zoey. “I was told it was the Carrolls. Didn’t you know?”
Hunter turned a dark, unforgiving gaze on her. “You bought the property?”
She hadn’t technically bought it yet. Her brothers were still deciding. “I was going to tell you—”
“When?” he seethed. “When you decided to evict us? Or when you started tearing up the grazing land for … whatever?”
“No,” she stuttered, surprised by his rancor. “I—”
“You really don’t think about how your actions affect others, do you?”
Her stomach fell, and her heart began to shatter. She hadn’t given a lot of thought to dating him either—she’d just jumped right in, and look where that’d gotten her. Zoey turned her back on him and walked over to Cher Bear. She mounted and headed out without so much as word to him or anyone else.
* * *
“You alright there, dear?”Carrie trotted up beside Zoey. Tom came up on her other side.
She had a lump so big in her throat, she couldn’t talk, so she nodded instead.
“We’re riding home with you,” Tom said.
