How Cassie Got Her Grind Back(Divine Creek Ranch 23)(2)
As if to remind him of what he needed to say, he glanced up and spotted two adults, parents of one of their classmates, both of whom were prominent members of the volunteer fire department. There wasn’t animosity in their eyes, but the judgment there was sufficient to remind him time was short.
“Promise me you’ll get out of this damn town, with all of its small-minded people and its gossip mill. Go chase your dreams with all your heart and make me proud. Make us both proud.”
Her eyes flared as she looked in the distance around his shoulder and he knew her family had spotted her when she moved toward his center and looked up at him. “I promise I will. I’m going to miss you so much.” Her voice broke on the last syllable, and the pain in his gut increased as if he’d been sucker-punched.
Cupping her cheeks with his palms, he said, “I believe in you. I’m gonna see you on stage some day and say I knew you before you were famous. Go for it. Go for all of it. Show this damned town what you’re made of.”
She firmed her lips and tightened her grasp on his forearms for a moment and then nodded. “I’ll do my best. Please be careful, both of you, in basic training…and wherever they send you.” She grabbed hold of Ivan’s forearm with one hand. “Please?”
“We promise, Cassie,” Ivan replied for both of them after glancing at Samson. His eyes were bloodshot, and the emotional struggle was audible in his roughened voice. “We can’t wait to see your name on a marquee. You be careful in the big city. Don’t let them swallow you whole.”
Cassie gave a watery chuckle, having heard that admonition almost daily since her acceptance letter to Berklee College of Music in Boston had arrived. “I promise.”
“Cassie!” the firm voice shouted, anger evident in its strident tone.
Samson didn’t turn to look. Normally he paid Mr. Villalobos all due respect but not today.
He pretended to not hear as he drank her in one last time. “I’ll never, ever forget you, chiquita. Smile for me?”
Her lips trembled, but she did her best and nodded. “Samson, I—I lo—”
“Cassie!” her father shouted from mere feet away, putting a stop to a declaration Samson wasn’t sure she should make with their parting so imminent, a parting that was tearing out his heart because it was likely permanent. Once the world got to hear her gift, she’d surely skyrocket to fame and unattainability.
I love you, too, Cassandra.
She panted and then cleared her throat and whispered, “I won’t ever forget you, not as long as I live. Please, be safe, both of you.”
Ivan gave her a small nod and blew her a tiny kiss, despite probably being seen by her dad.
To hell with him.
Samson kissed her one last time, drank her in one last time, and then steadied her on her feet when her knees went wobbly. When she took a deep breath and patted his arm, he walked away without acknowledging her father or her family. They’d done too much already, and he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of ruining the moment with a confrontation.
Of course his feet disagreed with his resolve and failed him just a few steps away from her.
“She has her dreams, and you need to let her chase them, man,” Ivan muttered, his voice deep and gravelly with emotion, while tightening his grip on Samson’s shoulder to keep them both moving ahead. “Who knows, maybe you’ll see her again someday. Keep walking. You don’t want her dad giving her a hard time because you’re hanging around. He’ll pay you back through her.” With every step he took, the ache grew sharper, but Ivan kept them moving. “That’s it, buddy. It’s gonna be okay.”
But nothing was okay and wouldn’t be. Not for a long time. Like an amputee suffering with the pain of a phantom limb, Cassie stayed in his heart in the coming weeks and months, passing into years. And although time could heal old wounds, every veteran, every survivor had scars.
Chapter One
Present day…
Samson Cutter hated seeing a woman cry unless he’d been the one to give rise to her tears and only if that catharsis was what she needed. Watching the woman his best friend was in love with as she cried for the loss of her grandmother wasn’t enjoyable in the least. Bunny’s grandmother had passed away just days before after suffering from a stroke, and now Bunny and her brother stood at the casket saying their good-byes before the funeral home director closed it for the last time.
Sitting to his right was one of his oldest friends since childhood, Hank Stinson, Sheriff of Divine County, and a fellow Dominant. They were among the men serving as pallbearers while his closest friend, Joseph Hazelle, sat with Bunny and her brother, Tristan, in the front row.