Page 86 of Branded Betrayal

I slide down to the floor, sobbing, guilt and sadness tearing up my insides, raw, gaping wounds of grief that never did fully heal.

Every day, I lose more and more of what I’m trying so damn hard to hang onto.

Pretty soon, there won’t be anything left to fight for.

Minutes stretch into what feels like hours before Nash comes inside.

I’ve moved to the couch in the living room, hugging the soft, lavender-scented blanket close to my face.

He sits down next to me and leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “The cops came to file an accident report. And I called someone to take Miss Bea.”

Hearing her name again makes a fresh torrent of tears flood my eyes.

“I also called a couple of friends to help herd the rest of the cattle. Mikey and Randy are on their way too.”

I look at him without really seeing him, my body and mind numb. “Okay,” I say dully.

“Things are looking pretty bad out there, Savvie. I won’t lie. One part of the fence was cut through. That’s how the cattle escaped. And some of them are injured with deep gashes that need medical attention. Can you call Dr. Burgess?”

I nod, shock still consuming my guilt-ridden mind. “Yes.”

Nash peers at me for a long minute and then takes my phone. “Maybe I should just call him.”

“Okay,” I say again.

He finds the number and dials. “Hey, Dr. Burgess. This is Nash Carlson. I’m out at Red Rock, and we’ve had an accident . . .”

I tune out the rest of his assessment, so many things tumbling around in my head.

The fence was cut. Sometime last night.

It didn’t break. It didn’t fall apart. It was tampered with.

But by whom? And why?

A shudder ripples through me. Who would want to hurt us so badly?

Nash’s veiled warnings, Blaze’s unexplained overprotectiveness. What the hell do they know that I don’t?

Nash ends the call. “Dr. Burgess will be here as soon as he can.”

I look down at the edge of the blanket between my fingers. “Who would have cut the fence?”

Nash sweeps a hand through his hair and turns away from me and walks to the window next to the front door. His back is stiff, jaw tense as he stares out the window. “You know there were parts that needed repair. Or it could’ve been vandals. Kids messing around. Maybe just old wire that finally gave way. Sometimes a clean break can look like a cut.”

“You really think it was just kids?”

“Probably.” He doesn’t look at me, just continues to stare at the chaos outside. “Can’t imagine what else it’d be. We just need to get the fence fixed and be more careful going forward.” That’s when he finally casts a glance at me over his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You won’t be alone in this, Savvie.”

I stand up on wobbly legs and creep toward him. “Thank you for being here. For all of this. I don’t . . . I don’t know what I’d have done if you weren’t around.” Another sob lodges in my throat. “I can’t believe this happened. That Miss Bea’s really gone.”

Nash pulls me into his arms, and I cry into his flannel shirt. He rubs his hand up and down my back, and it’s the most comforting thing in the world to me.

“Hey, why don’t you go and splash some water on your face? Dr. Burgess will be here soon, and I’m going to herd some more of the cattle.”

I shake my head. “No, I want to help. This is my responsibility. I can’t let you do everything. I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

“Okay.” He opens the door, and we walk outside.