"We literally putRefugeon the gate for a reason!"
"For Mom. Not for every person being chased by the devil. That brings the devil to our doorstep, and then it’s not a refuge for anyone, is it?"
"Dragonfly Creek was a refuge for us long before we bought this ranch. People helped us, and?—”
"She hid here. And look how that worked out for her," Ridge says, his voice sharp. "She lost twenty years with her family. Her parents died before she could reconcile with them. Her brothers, too. She spent her entire life looking over her shoulder."
"She's also alive. We're alive. And we're here, together, because someone in this town gave her a job and didn't ask questions." I meet his eyes. “We owe it to pay that forward. It’s one week, and then she’ll be gone. Be nice to her. Or even better, stay out of her way. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Ridge grunts and fires off a text message, then stalks away.
Sighing, I check my phone and see that he’s told Luna he’ll feed himself—and that he has a long two days of fencing planned, so don’t expect him around for other meals, either.
That’s one way to handle that.
And I should do the same — Hope was terrified of me, after all, and she seems to be settling in well with Mom. Best not to disrupt that.
Zane
Anything is fine for me, but I’ve got work to do, so I’ll grab leftovers if that’s all right?
Luna
Not a problem, we’ll have a quiet girls dinner and then they’ll probably go to bed early
As if my younger brother can sense that I’ve got my phone in my hand, a text pops up from Cash just before I put it away.
Cash
You got a minute?
I call instead of texting back. “Hey.”
“Listen, this woman Mercy’s helping…”
The hairs on the back of my neck lift. “Yeah?”
“What do you know about her? You said she might be running from something, right?”
“Why?”
He hesitates a beat.
“Cash—”
"Her registration is a few years out of date. Just noticed that while I was checking for a tire lock.”
Ah. He was being fucking nosy in her glove box, the shit. Cash has never met a situation he didn’t want more information about, for better or for worse. And I probably sent him on that hunt by saying too much earlier.
And…well, shit. Thatisa problem. “It's a miracle she didn't get pulled over.”
“You have any idea what kind of trouble she’s in?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
He chuckles. “She must be real pretty if you’re getting this defensive. First you didn’t want her on the ranch, now you don’t want me asking questions.”
"Shut your mouth." Heat crawls up my neck. "This isn't about that."
