“Hey Diane what brings you here?” She looked nervous as hell, which was not like her.
“Where’s Amanda?”
“Outside with the guys why?” I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“What’s going on, what do you want with Amanda?”
“I think I messed up.” She wouldn’t look me in the eye and my fuck me radar went off.
“Messed up how?” I could already feel my blood heating beneath my skin. I knew whatever came out of her mouth next was not going to be good.
“I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen you understand, I was just talking out loud and then all of a sudden things just got out of hand.”
“What in the fuck are you talking about, what the fuck did you do?” It was taking all I had in me not to wrap my hand around her neck and choke the words out of her.
“Oh dear. Cecily contacted her husband.” She said the words in a rush and looked anywhere but at me.
“She did what?” I think I stopped thinking for at least thirty seconds as I processed the implications of what she’d said.
Diane wrung her hands and stepped back from my anger. “When did she do this, how long ago?” I was already planning my next move in my head. I just had to get out of here without killing her ass and being sent up. I won’t be any help to my woman then.
“Yesterday it was only yesterday, but I think, I think he’s coming here. She said something about him not being able to get away for a few days but he’s definitely on his way. That’s why I had to come, believe me I didn’t expect things to go this far.”
“You...” I turned and ran outside to find her. I’ll deal with the rest of them later. Right now I just needed to reassure myself that she was fine.
My heart felt sick, not so much with fear as with the worry of what this was going to do to her, how it was going to set her back.
She was in the middle of the corral with Jonah, who was teaching her how to rope steer on an untried calf.
The guys were all sitting along the rails encouraging her, but they broke off when they saw me coming at a dead run. Mikey was the first to hop down and move towards me but was soon followed by the others.
“What is it boss?”
I kept my eyes trained on her as she turned from what she was doing and looked at me. I hated like fuck to see the smile leave her eyes.
“We’ve got a problem boys but we’ll talk in a minute.” I walked away from them towards her. “Come ‘ere baby.” I held my arms out to her and she ran into them. “Oh my sweet girl.” I squeezed her tight as I felt all the love well up inside me.
“I’m going to tell you something but before I do I want you to remember where you are and what you are to me. Hold onto me.” She wrapped her arms tighter around me.
“Caleb...”
“Shh, I’ve got you, can you feel that? You feel how strong my heart’s beating for you and our baby? That means I won’t let anything in this world harm you. Lance knows where you are.”
She almost fell out of my arms as her knees went weak. “Remember who loves you, you’re not alone baby, there’s absolutely nothing for you to fear.”
I was surprised that I could string two words together so calmly, while all the while there was a dark rage growing inside me.
“You good? Tell me that you have enough in you to trust me to have this. Show me that you know I’m the better man.”
I whispered those words in her ear as the others started drawing near, no doubt alerted farther by her reaction.
She struggled but in the end she pulled it together enough to hang onto her man.
I lifted my head from hers and looked over at my boys who were already looking ready for battle.
I wanted to send her inside to lock the doors and draw the shades, as I’m sure that’s what she most wanted right now, but I couldn’t give it to her.
“The asshole knows where she is.” No sense in beating around the bush. I held her closer as she tried to settle herself.
I knew it was hard for her, fighting that fear that has been a part of her for so long, and it was then that I made another decision in my head.
“How the fuck?” Alex stepped in closer.
“Cecily.” I got pretty much the reaction I’d expected.
“I told you we should’ve trained that horse to throw her ass and break her fucking neck.”
“Well it’s too late for that now Simon and I don’t have time to deal with her right now.” I started to move towards the house with her under my arm.
If I was going to do what I was thinking I’d better get a move on. Who knows how much that idiot had told him and if he really was going to wait. Somehow I don’t see him waiting.