She rushed to meet Justin, but stopped at the side of the barn to catch her breath before she went around the corner to meet her brother. Funny, he looked like he’d just come out of the barn instead of coming toward it. She tucked the bloody wrench in her back pocket. Ken couldn’t possibly be stupid enough to come after her again. But just in case, she’d keep the weapon.
“Justin. There you are. Do you want to go see Honey? I left an apple in the stables for you to feed her.”
Justin’s gaze never left his sneakers, even when he walked to her and handed her the cell phone. “Grandma said to give you this. Blake wants to talk to you. He’s on his way home.” Justin turned on his heel and walked toward the stables, dragging his feet in the dirt and kicking up dust.
Eager to talk to Blake, she dismissed his odd behavior and didn’t scold him for getting his school shoes dirty. Gillian followed Justin inside with the phone to her ear. Desperate to hear his voice, she pleaded, “Blake, please tell me you’ll be here soon.”
Chapter 21
Every time Blake called home to talk to Gillian over the last eight days, he’d heard how anxious she’d been to talk to him, but not like this. He felt the same urgency growing inside him. He needed to hear her voice. He desperately wanted to kiss her.
“I’m on my way, sweetheart. It seems the storm we left behind in Nevada caught up to us again. It’s slow going with the horse trailers. We won’t make it back until late tonight. You’ll probably be asleep.”
“I don’t care what time it is, you wake me up so I can see your face.”
It did his heart good to hear how much she missed him. “I plan on it. I can’t wait to see you. It’s been too long. It seems like forever since I set eyes on you.”
“It has been forever. I’ve missed you,” she admitted, her words soft. “So much.”
“I miss you, too.” More than he thought he would. He’d never felt like this about anyone. He’d never felt closer to anyone. She pulled at him. The farther away he got from her, the more he felt the tug to return to her.
“I heard about what happened at Justin’s school yesterday. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you out. I can’t believe they called the sheriff.”
“Yeah, well, they thought I was a wanted murderer.”
“It was self-defense,” he spit out and slammed his palm on the truck’s steering wheel. It pissed him off that Justin’s teacher was trying to cause trouble for Gillian. He wondered if it had more to do with his past than hers. “He tried to kill you.”
“His teacher thinks I’m a bad influence.”
“Bullshit. You’re everything he needs. You love him, and he loves you.”
I love you, too. Probably not the best time to tell her. Better to do it face-to-face. He had a serious need to tell her. He didn’t want to be without her ever again. This past week had shown him how much he wanted her to be a permanent part of his life. It had shown him how much a part of his life she was already. Without her, he wasn’t whole.
“Hey, what do you think about me saddling Boots?”
Blake’s gut went tight with dread. His mind conjured one image after another of her being thrown to the ground and breaking her bones. Still, he hated to tell her no. She loved riding and working with the horses. Her confidence with them and within herself grew each and every day.
He tried to be diplomatic. “You do not do anything of the sort without me there. He hasn’t been saddled or ridden in a long time. He might take exception to you trying.”
“I thought that’s what you’d say.”
The disappointment in her voice got to him. “I don’t want you getting hurt, sweetheart.”
“Speaking of, I got my cast off. I’ve got my hand back.”
“I can think of a few things you can do with it.” He had an entire eight days of stored-up dreams and fantasies about what she could do with her hands.
“Already taken care of. I fixed that truck that’s been giving you trouble for the last few weeks. I’ve got all your spreadsheets updated and spewing out reports. This month’s payroll is done.”
The teasing tone didn’t escape him. “That’s not exactly what I had in mind.”
“Oh, no. What exactly did you have in mind?” Her voice dropped a few octaves, sending a bolt of heat through his system. She liked teasing him. He had to admit, despite the need gnawing at him, her lighthearted game eased his heart. She felt safe enough with him to let her guard down, play, and have fun.
A slideshow of all the things he imagined raced through his mind. His blood heated just thinking about it, and his hands itched on the steering wheel. He needed to get his hands on her. “You’re killing me.”