Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
“How are we gonna get home?”
“Wyatt is going to send someone to pick us up,” I answered with a smile and a light tone to ease the worried frown on Hunter’s face. “Let’s put these packages in the car while we wait.” I walked around to the driver’s side to pop the trunk and froze. My eyes were wide, and there was a hitch in my gut that told me this was wrong. Just plain wrong.
“What’s wrong, Molly?”
“Nothing,” I said a little too brightly because I didn’t want to worry him, but I was worried. This was too coincidental to be anything but deliberate.
That was exactly what Colton said when he arrived in his oversized pickup truck and got Hunter settled inside. “You have two flats?”
I shook my head. “Turns out I have four.”
His brows furrowed, and he bent in front of each tire, examining them closely with a growing frown. “This isn’t just bad timing.”
I shrugged. “Maybe my tire pressure was lower than I thought before I made the drive to the ranch.” It was a slim possibility but unlikely since my dad had made sure I knew the basics of auto maintenance, which included checking tire pressure before any long trip.
“Yeah, and maybe the tires slashed themselves in an act of rebellion,” he growled, glaring at me with his arms folded over his chest.
“Slashed?” The knot in my stomach grew and twisted until I felt like my delicious chicken and bacon sandwich might make a reappearance. All the color drained from my face, and I turned away from Colton as guilt pulsed through me. It couldn’t be, could it?
Colton wrapped a quick arm around me and guided me towards his truck, helping me inside before he closed the door.
I watched him carefully as he moved gracefully around the car, checking each tire and snapping a photo with his phone before he placed a call. He was so big and strong; every move was purposeful, nothing wasted. His brows furrowed as he barked into the phone and then turned to me. His gaze softened for a moment, and my heart stuttered and slowed before it started galloping wildly in my chest.
No, this isn’t love. It can’t be; he’s my boss.
I ignored that hint of panic that zipped through me at that thought and focused on something else. Anything else. Like my slashed tires. I couldn’t hide what I was thinking from Colton. He deserved to know the truth, and when he asked if I knew who would do this, I was honest. “I have an ex, and we’ve been broken up for a long time, but he’s volatile and not taking ‘we’re over’ for an answer.” I turned away and watched the scenery flash by as he sped back to the ranch.
“What’s a long time?”
“Six months or so, but he doesn’t know where I am. And since I’ve been here, I had to block his number because he was texting me too much, and it was becoming worrisome.” That was an understatement, but Colton had a lot on his plate already—enough that I didn’t want him to worry about me on top of all that.
His face formed into a dark frown, and a pit formed in my chest. He was going to decide that I was too much trouble and let me go. “Do you want him back?”
I barked out a bitter laugh. “No. Not at all. I want nothing to do with him ever again.” I thought about the way he used to make me feel about my curves. Some days he made me feel beautiful, but most days I felt dirty and ashamed. “Ever again,” I repeated softly.
“Did he put his hands on you?” Colton’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I knew what he was thinking.
“No, he wasn’t quite that angry. He basically weaponized my body against me. He was angry that I wouldn’t, you know, with him, but then he would accuse me of being with all of his friends because there was no way a body like that was going to waste. When that didn’t work, he tried to convince me that I was lucky he wanted me like that since I was so big.”
“You’re perfect,” he growled.
“I’m not, but thank you.”
“I wasn’t doing anything with his friends or anyone else,” I said, that old defensiveness rising up like a bad habit.
“I know,” he growled. “I know that, Molly. I’m not accusing you of anything; I’m just asking what I need to know to keep you safe.”
I sighed and laid a hand on his thigh. “This is why I didn’t tell you, Colt. I don’t want you wasting a minute thinking about this. You have Hunter and the whole ranch to worry about. You don’t need to add me to your list of obligations.”