Passion in Bloom (Hometown Heartstrings #2)

Chapter 2

Roarke

“S he’s not going to tell me to leave,” the man said, flicking his blond hair back from his brow like he couldn’t bear to be bothered like this. “She knows she belongs with me.”

Heather couldn’t. I didn’t see any way in hell that the gorgeous, guarded woman cowering behind me could ever fit with this douchebag.

If she was willing to return to her so-called boyfriend, she wouldn’t be hiding at my side.

If she was at interested in being near this guy, she wouldn’t be rigid with fear.

Even though we’d only had that one incident of intimacy, I couldn’t see how she’d be the kind of woman to fool around with someone else when she was in a committed relationship.

None of it made sense.

Heather wasn’t dating this rich-looking asshole.

She couldn’t be.

But it seemed like she lacked the backbone to tell him so.

“I’m going to give you five seconds to get the hell out of here,” I warned, fed up with how scared Heather was. She didn’t seem to think I’d keep her safe. I hadn’t forgotten how doubtful she was when I left her my number and told her that I’d always be available to help her with her safety.

This was my chance to show her. To prove to her that I wasn’t just talking the talk. I’d walk the walk. If this guy tried to lay a single finger on her, I would physically remove him from this cabin site.

The punk laughed, smiling. “Oh, yeah? You’re not in charge here.”

Heather should’ve been the one in charge. She should be the one telling him to get out of here, because I knew that was what she wanted. Until she could snap out of this trance-like fear, I’d take over this situation.

I lacked the opportunity to do so.

Tires crunched as Todd’s rusted, beat-up truck rolled to a stop. He braked behind my truck, and through the slightly cracked windshield, I saw him narrowing his eyes with suspicion.

While he didn’t come out this way often, he had every right to be cruising by. As the official manager of these cabins, he could come and go through here all he wanted. He didn’t. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw him out here, but I was damned glad that he arrived now.

“For shit’s sake. You’re calling on some redneck backup now?” the man asked. He looked back as Todd got out of the cab.

The old man didn’t take his stern glare off any of us. Not as he exited. Not as he seemed to hesitate, eying the situation.

“What’s goin’ on out here?” he called out, right by the truck still.

I didn’t change my expression once. Tense and defensive, keeping Heather to my side and slightly behind me, I tipped my chin at the guy claiming to be her boyfriend.

“Get lost, old man,” he said, flipping him off before reaching again for Heather.

I stepped to the side again, letting him drop his hand after hitting it on my side as I blocked her from him.

“What you say, boy?” Todd asked as he reached into his truck bed.

He stood facing us with a rifle in both hands. His gait wasn’t the steadiest for a lifelong rancher passing eighty years of life, but he didn’t tremble with that gun in his hands. That firm, no-nonsense glower didn’t falter for one second.

“What the hell,” the man whispered and stepped back at the sight of a gun. “I said get lost.”

“You talkin’ to me?” Todd asked as he walked back. “ Me ?”

“If you threaten me with a firearm—”

“He’s not doing anything,” I told him.

The city boy backed up, off to the side. Hands up, anger mixed with a healthy dose of fear, he shook his head and tried to sound like he was the boss. “You can’t carry that here like that and threaten—”

Todd walked closer, not stalling for a second. “Threaten?” He scoffed, glancing at me before looking back at the man. “Trust me, pretty boy. You’ll know when I’m threatenin’ you.”

Reaching us in front of Heather’s open door, he dragged his gaze up and down the blond man in the suit.

“You can’t come here armed and—”

Todd laughed, the sound dry and coarse with his age. “You own this property?”

“No, but—”

“You renting any a these cabins?”

“No, but—”

“Then I suggest you mind ya own damn bizness,” Todd said in his old drawling dialect, “before I demonstrate what happens ’round here when someone comes trespassin’ on the Grand River property.”

“You can’t—”

Todd moved his hands, holding the rifle up higher. “Says who?”

“Dammit, fuck. Stop.”

“Last I checked, I’m the supervisor ’round these cabins, boy. Not you. You wanna repeat the mistake of tellin’ me what I can and can’t do?” He lifted the rifle up and racked the weapon to load a round into the chamber.

“Hey!” The guy stumbled, backing up to retreat. He fell toward the ground, smacking one hand on the crushed leaves over the dormant grass. “Stop!” On his feet and backpedaling, he held his hands up. “Don’t shoot.”

“Shoot? You?” Todd turned slightly, pretending to aim the rifle elsewhere. “I ain’t shooting nothing but vermin lurking ’round these cabins.” He narrowed his eyes on the sights, letting the rifle point in the man’s direction. “Then again, I see a rodent awfully close to one now.”

“I’m going. I’m going!” He pivoted so quickly that he skidded again. As soon as he was on his feet steadily, he ran toward a cabin in the distance, where a sedan was parked under the shade of an oak that hadn’t lost its leaves yet. Three times, he glanced over his shoulder. And three times, he nearly faceplanted because of how clumsily he ran.

“Don’t plan on coming back,” I yelled before he got in his car.

“Yeah. You ain’t welcome ’round here,” Todd hollered.

“Fuck you.” He sneered, pausing at the car with the door open. “We’ll see what the cops—”

Todd stepped away from me and Heather, aiming the rifle at him. “Oh, lookie. I see that vermin again.”

The car door slammed. Brake lights shone bright as the man threw the car into gear and sped out. Dust flew up in his wake, and with a few clumsy corrections with his too-fast maneuvering on the bumping dirt road, he was out of there.

As if a switch was flipped, Heather exhaled a long, loud breath. “Oh, thank goodness.”

I hated how shaky her voice was. That pale complexion didn’t look great either. The woman was shaken, terrified, and nearly dropping to lean against the exterior wall.

She staggered toward the chair, and I hurried to drag it closer to her so she wouldn’t miss and drop to the ground.

“You—” She licked her lips and strained to swallow, coming out of her shock and terror. “You weren’t really going to...” Turning her eyes to Todd, she blinked but didn’t lose that heightened alarm.

“Nah.” Todd pointed the rifle at the trees and pulled the trigger. Nothing but a clicking sound. “It ain’t even loaded.”

I frowned, watching as Heather’s shoulders slumped. In relief or fear, I couldn’t tell.

“I jus’ keep it handy in case I do see a feral critter or whatnot.”

She nodded vaguely, looking at the ground now.

“But the way it looked, hunny, it seemed that man was giving y’all trouble here.”

“He claims to be her boyfriend,” I said wryly, biting the words out between the teeth I still clenched. That asshole was gone, but the tension remained tight and wired within me.

“Oh?” Todd raised his brows. “And he ain’t a fan of you two gettin’ together?”

“No.” Heather shook her head. “We’re not together. I’m—I’m not David’s girlfriend.” She furrowed her brow at me. “And I’m not Roarke’s either. I’m... I’m not with anyone. I’m living my life the way I see fit and that’s that.”

Then why the hell couldn’t you tell him that? Why couldn’t you use that hot tone and sass in telling him that you’re not interested?

“ Was he a boyfriend?” I asked.

She had to clarify something. Even if she didn’t, I wouldn’t regret it. I’d be damned if I watched a man try to intimidate a scared woman.

“Whoever he is,” Todd said when Heather seemed reluctant to answer my question, “if you don’t want him ’round here, you let us know and we’ll watch out for ya.”

“I’m calling Marty,” I said.

Heather stood, shaking her head.

“What? No. You’re not telling me to leave this be.” I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering if she was trying to protect that asshole or what.

“No, it won’t matter,” she said. Sighing as she walked toward Todd, she swallowed again, as if she couldn’t get her throat to work past all the fear that had her clamming up a moment ago. “Thank you,” she told him seriously. “Thank you for scaring him off.”

“Anytime, hunny.”

I exhaled a steady breath as Todd’s hun ya drawled out.

She was thanking him? Sure, that rifle was a good prop and he looked like someone of authority as the supervisor around here, but what the hell about me?

Did she not care that I stood up to him for her too?

Was that just an excusable favor that she could dismiss?

I was confused about who David was, but I tried not to let all the questions bombard me at once. She wasn’t forthcoming with information. I knew that. I was aware of how she kept her secrets and didn’t want to share—even after I took the initiative to open up to her first.

But what the hell?

I’d stood up to that asshole too.

Stop it. I mentally caught myself from going down a path of being jealous. It was a ridiculous waste of time to want her to show me gratitude when I would’ve stood up for her anyway. It was dumb, wishing she could look at me as her hero, and I hated that I could be that desperate, that hopeful, for her acknowledgement and attention that I’d feel overlooked.

“Just who is that man, Heather?” I asked, keeping my tone calm and easy.

She didn’t answer, shaking her head and not making eye contact.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she muttered, turning away. “But...”

I raised my brows, worried that she still seemed so scared in general.

“Thank you, Roarke,” she mumbled in a weak whisper before she turned to go inside. She practically bolted, rushing in there and closing the door.

As soon as she was gone, I let out all the pent-up anger and frustration I’d bottled in. One long, deep sigh left me as I stared at the closed door.

“The hell was that all about?” Todd asked, patted me on the back.

“I came home,” I said as I walked with him toward his truck, “and saw her scared, arguing with him.”

“Hmm. That’s what I saw too. I came out here to check on that water pipe and saw you spitting mad and her terrified.”

“Water pipe?” I asked.

He nodded, setting his rifle in the truck bed. “Yeah. Still some kinda issue with that one branch. I gotta check it before it gets any colder and snows.” Looking up at me with his old and wise eyes, he frowned. “You think he’ll be back?”

I nodded. “He’s determined.”

“Then I reckon I’ll be chattin’ with Marty too.”

I clapped him on the back. “I’ll set up some more cameras too.”

“I’ll do y’all one better. We got lots of trail cameras at the ranch.” He looked at Heather’s cabin. “Let’s use ’em. We look after our own ’round here. It don’t matter that she ran from town once. She’s here now and we’re gonna keep her safe.”

“I like that sound of that.”

And I intended to do just that.

Keep her safe.

For now.

If she could ever lower her guard and let me know what the big picture was, then I’d vow to keep her safe for good, too.

Keep dreaming.

I doubted Heather would ever be ready to let me in her life and trust me.

And it stung how much that hurt.