Honoring Freedom (Cowboys of Sagebrush Rose #3)

Chapter Eight

“Why did you do that?’ Freedom asked just as soon as they stepped inside the cabin and she toed off her boots. She’d refused to talk to him on the short ride back, livid over the altercation.

“He was an asshole, Free. He deserved to be put in his place for talking to you the way he did.” Keller swiped off his hat and tossed it onto the coffee table, knocking a stack of magazines onto the floor.

“I can manage a man like Kent Downs.” She flipped her hair over one shoulder.

“Who the hell is he anyway?”

The tension in the room was almost suffocating. She watched Keller striding back and forth on the bearskin rug. “One of Daddy’s biggest rivals. You wouldn’t know Kent because he settled in the area about five years ago and since then he’s made it his goal to get his paws on Sagebrush Rose. He’s got a reputation for pressuring landowners to sell.”

Keller stopped pacing and stilled his gaze on her. “He’s pressuring Sam to sell the ranch?”

Her anger started to fade. "Kent isn’t the only developer interested in the ranch,” she said, “But he’s... different. He has powerful friends. Just like the group we saw at the bar. When ranchers refuse to sell, Kent and his team begin to chip away at their resources. He's tight with the county commissioners who create fake code violations, pressure business owners to hike up prices on feed and hay. and make it hard for ranchers to get timely repairs. Even sometimes going as far as to cut off water supply. Kent has tried many times to reroute the river so Sagebrush Rose will lose public water usage.”

"That sounds like quite a costly undertaking."

“To make money you’ve got to spend money.”

“And you’re upset because I punched him?” Keller’s anger shone in his eyes.

“I know it’s hard to see the bigger picture, but we walked right into Kent’s evil web. I don’t know how, but he will use this situation to his advantage. And then there’s the fact that you had no right to step in and manage a situation that I had under control. In this business, I need to show others that I can handle myself and that I don’t need a man, or anyone, to save the day for me. Do you think this is the first time I’ve been spoken to in that manner simply because I have a vagina? Or do you think that punching a snake like Kent will stop all the other men who enjoy a power trip of demeaning a woman?”

“No way while there’s still a breath left in my lungs will I let anyone speak to you like that,” he said the words in a deeper voice. “Not on my watch. I won’t apologize.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

“I want you to see things from my point of view.”

“I do, but if you’re mad at me that’s something I’ll have to live with.”

“I’m not mad at you, not now, but I’ve learned that responding to men like Kent Downs will only create more ripples in the water.” She shook her head in exasperation. She walked over, stopping just inches from him. “You can’t throw punches and think everything is solved. If things were that simple everyone would be walking around with a bleeding nose and black eyes.”

He clenched his hands in and out of fists. “Says the woman who almost beat an innocent woman over the head over a miscommunication.”

“That girl is anything but innocent. Mark my words.”

“Oh? So there is some wiggle room when it comes to you throttling someone and not for anyone else?”

She was backed into a corner. “Okay. I should have never come rushing in wielding a skillet.”

“Wow. She can admit fault. Downs deserved more than a punch. Any man worth his weight would have done the same in that situation. I did what I had to do.” His voice was softer but still firm. “I’ll always stand up for you, Freedom. Always.” He started unbuttoning his shirt that was covered in the blood Downs had smeared over the front.

A mixture of frustration and gratitude bombarded her. “I don’t remember you being so…protective.”

He shrugged. “That’s because no one dared say anything rude to you. Why does the man want Sagebrush Rose?” He shrugged out of the soiled shirt and gave it a toss.

"He aims to open a casino. With the newly constructed airport just an hour away, he sees a business opportunity. But as far as men like him, they don’t like having their egos bruised.”

Keller nodded, touching her arm. “Before I respond that way again, I’ll make sure I’ve allowed you to manage it yourself first. But there’s a promise you need to make to me. Don’t push me away.”

“I’m not pushing you away.”

“Sweetheart, you pushed me away years ago and you’re still pushing. You get a little uncomfortable and you shut down. You need should get comfortable in being uncomfortable.”

The tension faded as they stood there staring at each other.

“Is that so?” she said and broke the silence.

“Yeah, it’s so. I plan on being in your life.”

“Keller, it’s not that simple—”

He gently held her cheek, and she glanced up at him. His eyes were so full of kindness and reassurance that she felt tears welling up. She wasn't accustomed to someone stepping in to help her or looking at her with such genuine concern that it melted through all her defenses.

Growing up with a stubborn father she’d learned to put strength before emotion.

“I understand that both of us have our boundaries, and you need respect from the hands, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the connection between us. Am I imagining the chemistry? Does it no longer exist?” he asked in a husky tone.

“Why are you doing this?” She lowered her eyes.

“Look at me,” he demanded.

Bringing her gaze back up, she swallowed against the constriction in her throat. “What?”

“Didn’t I just make it clear why I’m saying this? Now it’s your turn. Tell me if I’m wrong?”

There was an urgency in his tone that reached inside of her and softened her resolve. She could make him think he was wrong, but she’d be lying, and that wasn’t like her. “There is a connection between us. I’m not denying that, but…”

Then he cupped her other cheek, holding her gaze on him. “Tell me.”

“I don’t want things to get messy. The crew should see me as a strong, knowledgeable leader and not a woman who is using hands to scratch an itch. I see their looks. I can read into their thoughts.”

“I’m not a hand.”

“But…but…”

He dropped his hands. “I don’t want to put any pressure on you.”

With space between them, she felt a sudden void. A cold sinking into her skin and bones.

She found herself stuck between what she wanted and what she needed. However, with Keller she both wanted and needed him.

“I like my privacy.”

“Freedom…”

“Wait, let me finish. This is dangerous.” She stepped forward. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Stepping onto her tiptoes, she pressed her mouth to his. At first, the kiss was a gentle exploration as if they were finding each other through a fog, and then his tongue slipped between her lips. He tasted like mint laced with whiskey, an aphrodisiac.

Something came over them, a reunion of desire and emotion.

Wrapped up in each other’s arms, neither of them had noticed that the backdoor was left unlocked and Pok had slipped outside before he could be spotted.

Anger ripped through him.

He wanted to hurt someone. He wanted to hurt the doc.

Freedom turned out like all the rest. She was just like her sisters.

A box opened inside him. All his emotions came to a head, and he could barely breathe.

He stopped to stare inside the window at the couple who were going at each other like bunnies. It made his stomach turn. Pok left the window and strode through the dark and headed on the path to where he’d parked a mile down the road. Impulse made him stop. He searched the ground for the biggest rock he could find and was satisfied when he found a large one that he had to pick up with both hands.

He raised the rock high and hurled it at the window of the truck, smashing the glass. Pok sprinted away and ducked behind a nearby tree, panting heavily as he watched to see if anyone would come out. His rage grew even more. The doc was so confident that he hadn't even bothered to set the alarm on the truck.

He pulled the delicate lace from his pocket and brought the panties to his nose. He’d gotten away with a little souvenir.