Kate arched an eyebrow and looked from Hank to Travis. “The Veronica I know could not have accomplished what she did today without the support of two divine men, and the community that cares about them. I think it was an eye-opening experience for her. But she’s tired now. She’ll need you to take care of her a little so she doesn’t push herself past the point where she can function well. A respite is in order, I think.”
Hank patted Kate’s hand and said, “Reading you loud and clear, ma’am. Thank you.”
Veronica hung back as the ladies all entered the backyard and reached for Hank and Travis both in the dark confines by the door of Barn Number One.
She gripped them both and the moonlight reflected in her eyes as she looked up at them and then hugged them both hard. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d been alone when they arrived, besides have a major anxiety attack.”
Hank chuckled and said, “Looks to me like you handled it the way a pro would.”
Veronica frowned and shook her head. “I’m serious. The last time someone showed up on my doorstep it was a creep claiming to be my biggest fan and wanting to marry me. I’m just grateful my neighbor happened to show up and called 911. The shock set off an anxiety attack and I woke up in the emergency room.”
“Damn,” Travis murmured, seeing her accomplishment today in a new light. “Did they arrest the guy?”
“No. He disappeared. I moved as soon as I could and switched all of my accounts to my middle name, and wanted to kick myself for not using a pseudonym from the get-go.”
She leaned against him and just breathed for a few moments. He could feel the fine, exhausted tremble running through her as he and Hank closed ranks around her, shielding her from the ranch house and the gathering, allowing her a chance to gather her wits. He wished it was in his power to protect her from encounters like that. Knowing Hank, he felt the same way.
Hank eventually asked, “Did Ace talk to you?”
“Yes. I have an appointment with him, to go over my options, and to look more in depth at my computer and my mobile devices. I’ve handled all my own technology issues for years, and it’ll be nice to have experts I can trust to turn to for help.”
Hank smiled and shrugged. “Right now, your personal safety and the safety of your files online are the only things I’m concerned with, Nika. Did Brent have access to your computers?”
She looked back and forth between the two of them and said, “He installed antivirus software and did the updates when they were needed but he doesn’t have access to my files. I doubt he’d have the imagination to think up something like what happened today. You think he’d do something to me personally?”
“I think he already has, Nika,” Hank murmured, cradling her cheek where Brent had struck her. “I’m not sure whether he’s involved in this mess but I know I don’t trust him.”
Veronica shook her head. “I’m not letting him or anyone else scare me. I’m safe on the ranch.”
Travis opened his mouth to speak but Hank beat him to the punch. “We’ll discuss it when we’re alone.” There was finality in his tone that Travis approved of as he gently rubbed Veronica’s shoulder. He could feel the knotted muscles under the surface and knew what she needed.
They walked her up to the Divine Creek Ranch house and were surprised when they met with applause and a standing ovation as they rounded the corner into the treed backyard. They’d moved the amplifier and microphone up from the arena and Ethan was playing emcee to their well-timed arrival.
Charity Connors, Grace’s sister, rushed up to her and said, “We have a table reserved for y’all near the front. Keep a lid on all those sexy ménage vibes unless you want more questions than you care to answer, okay?” she said as she whispered to them. “This is a pretty perceptive group. Several of them asked who the lady of the Divine Creek Ranch is, like they can tell there is one, and some of them are looking at me funny like I look familiar. Not good, since Grace and I bear a striking resemblance to each other.”
“Oh boy,” Veronica said with a giggle.
They ate dinner with the group, Ethan and Jack shared logistic information with them about the town, and how to find accommodations in Divine if they needed them, and then turned the microphone over to Veronica to share some parting words.
Travis sat side by side with Hank and watched with pride as their woman graciously thanked all the ladies for coming out and for their patience early in the day.
Tracy and Sue Farmer both said a few words, thanking Veronica and the men and women of the Divine Creek Ranch for extending such openhanded hospitality to them. As a group, the readers agreed to handle the posting of the fake invitation with decorum, understanding that an outcry on Veronica’s behalf could result in a backlash that might hurt her.