River worked in the world of rodeo. She’d known that and figured the name would be familiar but she hadn’t expected his dramatic reaction. Miserably, she nodded, watching him.
“Fuck.” He let his hand drop. “They back all the rodeo stars, the pros, and finance most of the big competitions. If he bought your father’s stables, he did it to convert it into a training camp. He has dozens of them for his favorite riders.”
“I know that now.”
Dark eyes closed, River’s hand dropped to his side, he took a deep breath and then his eyes opened again. “It’s a good thing I’m not on the circuit anymore.” He frowned. “Your ex-husband would make sure I never competed again.” He paled again. “Damn it, Brit. I work a lot of those shows. They could have me banned as a wrangler.”
“I have been telling you that I need to leave and that Kyle could make your life hell.”
“But you didn’t tell me who he was, damn it.” Anger flashed in his gaze but then it faded. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just a bit stunned.” He bent, gripped the chair, and righted it. He stared at her. “It doesn’t change anything.”
“Have you lost your mind? I just told you who he is. I warned you that he could make your life hell.”
“I understand that.” River sighed. “I’m still not fixing your car or letting you leave.” He sat again in the chair. “Tell me the rest of it.”
“There’s not much to tell,” she lied. “He had a lot of money. I filed for divorce, he hired attorneys who blocked the motions, and he did a lot of shitty things to keep us married.”
His eyes narrowed again. “Brit…”
“Fine.” She nodded. “It turned ugly, all right? He did everything to try to stop me, including ruining my name after he circulated some awful lies about me. I couldn’t get a job, no one even wanted to rent me an apartment, and he started stalking me. The police wouldn’t arrest him. He had all that money, convinced them I had lied about everything, trying to get more of a divorce settlement from him, and they bought it. I had to live with my dad and Kyle did a smear campaign from hell until my father ended up having a heart attack from the stress that killed him.” Pain sliced through her. “Kyle, in effect, killed my dad with his bullshit and refusal to let me divorce him.”
“I thought once you filed for divorce, that was it.”
“So did I until his attorneys filed motion after motion to stall the courts. I would show up only to be told the date had been postponed and told to hire a lawyer. I never had access to a dime of Kyle’s money so I couldn’t afford one. He made sure of that.”
“I’m sorry.”
He looked it too, Brit acknowledged, staring into his sincere gaze. “I have to leave. He’ll find out I’m here and he’ll do or say horrible things to get back at me. He does that, River. Anyone who helps me, tries to protect me, he goes after too. I had a few friends who put me up after my father’s death. Kyle spread rumors that they dealt drugs until I left their houses. I wasn’t about to let him ruin them the way he did my father and me. I don’t want that happening to your family either.”
“Is that what he did with your father? Made people think he dealt drugs?”
Anger burned through her. “No. Worse. I said my father raised me alone. My mother died in a car accident right after I turned five. Kyle spread it around that my father had killed her. You know, put her in the car and drove it off the hill where she’d lost control of her car. My father loved my mother, he never would have hurt her, but it didn’t stop Kyle from making those nasty accusations. It destroyed my father that his neighbors and friends looked at him with suspicion and it broke his heart to even consider the possibility that anyone thought him capable of something that horrific. He never remarried, didn’t date, even when I was in my teens and tried to set him up with some single moms of my friends. He always told me no one could compare to my mother in his heart and it wouldn’t be fair to any woman to live in her shadow.” Tears slipped out. “And Kyle made up those horrible things just to get back at me for refusing to come home to him. He targeted my father for giving me a safe place to live.”
“Son of a bitch,” River muttered, leaned across the table, and grabbed hold of Brit’s hand. “He must be one hell of an asshole.”
She used her free hand to wipe away her tears. “Kyle is a bastard, River. He’ll say or do anything to punish anyone who stands in his way of making me pay for leaving him. They have this family history of no divorces and it’s almost as if his entire honor depends on it remaining that way for him. I managed to get away and he won’t ever let it go. He’s spiteful and he’s not right in his head. I need to leave.”
“It’s not happening. Let him make up anything he wants. We’ve weathered some bad rumors as Raines. Nothing he could say or make up would sway me from being with you.”
“Then you’ve lost your mind.” She jerked her hand away. “He’s also dangerous when he drinks. He can grow violent in a snap. Trust me on that. I know.”
“I told you he doesn’t scare me. I’d kick his ass.”
“What if he shows up with a gun? You can’t fight a bullet. He did that once. He showed up with a shotgun at a friend’s home I stayed in. He threatened to kill me if I didn’t get into his truck. He’s unstable and he’s really angry right now.” She paused, bit her lip, released it, and then locked gazes with River, knowing she had to tell him more to make him understand. “He served four years in prison and I put him there. He just got released. Do you understand? He’s spent that time thinking of ways to get revenge on me. Whatever you think you may be facing, you have no idea how bad it can get, but I do. You don’t want any part of this mess.”
He paled slightly but then nodded. “So he’s probably really bent out of shape. I got it. What did he go in for?”
She refused to tell him. It was still too painful to share and she didn’t want him to know what had been done to her. She’d left that part of her life behind and wanted to keep it there.
“It doesn’t matter and I don’t want to talk about it. The point is that he isn’t the type to take responsibility for the actions that landed him in prison. He blames me and he is going to show up here. I have no idea how bad it will get but I can guess pretty scary. That’s why Dale sent me here. He thought I’d be safe if Kyle couldn’t find me. He will though, now that his friend saw me and heard the name Raine. It’s just a matter of time before he comes.”
“Then I’ll be waiting and ready.”
“You’re insane if you don’t let me go.”
River suddenly grinned. “I guess I am a little nuts.” He winked. “About you.”
“Damn it, I’m being serious.” Frustration poured through her. “Aren’t you hearing me when I say it’s dangerous?”
Something turned cold in River’s eyes, the spark in them dimming until she nearly got a chill from the icy look. “I’m not a pussy cat, Brit. I can handle your ex-asshole and you will be safe here. We’ll take a few precautions. If he shows up we’ll be expecting him. I’ll have a talk with a friend of mine in law enforcement and it will get handled.”
She stared at him, mute, astonished that he refused to understand how dangerous Kyle could be.
“What about your sister-in-law? If you’re going for macho bullshit, think about her. She’s pregnant.”
A frown marred River’s mouth. “Trina and Nav have been talking about taking a mini vacation. They wanted to go to Houston to visit my brother. Now would be a great time. I can take over for Nav, do his chores, and I will keep you glued to my side.” He flashed a grin. “Not a bad thing in my book and you can show me what you’ve got with horses.”
“I need to go so he follows me away from your family.”
“You need to stop harping on that and give it up, baby. It’s not happening.” He slowly stood. “I’m keeping you real close to me until you’re no longer in danger.” His gaze fixed on her breasts. “Real close.”
Frustration burned. “Sex with me isn’t worth this much t
rouble, River.”
“I happen to disagree.” He held out his hand. “Since you’re not eating anymore, let’s go upstairs. I distinctly remember you and I have a date with a shower wall.”
She hesitated. “Nothing good is going to come of me staying.”
He chuckled. “Say that when I’m buried inside you.” He gripped her hand, tugging her to her feet. “Go up ahead of me. I have a few phone calls to make and then I’ll meet you in the bathroom.”
* * * * *
River waited until he was certain Brit had gone upstairs to walk to the phone on the wall. It still stunned him that she’d been married to Kyle Marthum. He wasn’t about to tell her that he’d met the asshole more than a few times when he’d been active in the rodeo circuit. Imagining her with that pompous ass was hard for him to do. The guy had been a snob, arrogant, and now he knew he’d been abusive to a wife he never deserved.
“We have a problem,” he said softly into the mouthpiece. “I need you to get Nav and Trina up to your place and I need you here.”
“What’s the problem?” The man he spoke to instantly sounded tense.
“I need a favor, bro.” He paused. “I’m dating the ex-wife of Kyle Marthum. She’s not telling me the whole story but she said he just got out of prison and he’s got a hard-on for revenge against her. She’s staying at the house. Dale sent her to us to hide but we ran into someone she knows. She thinks her ex is going to make trouble. She claims he’s dangerous and with the amount of fear I saw in her eyes, I tend to believe it. His father is a real piece of work too. Can you do anything?”
There was silence on the other end of the phone. “I’m on it. I’ll get Nav and Trina out of there. We don’t want anything happening to that baby.”
“Damn straight. I want them clear if this turns into a mess.”
“I’ll show up with all the information tomorrow and will call in a few favors.”
“Thanks, Drake.”
“That’s what brothers are for.”
River hung up, relieved that had been easier than he’d hoped for. He made a few more calls to his brothers, giving them a heads-up. He wanted everyone alert on the ranch in case trouble by the name of Marthum arrived. Anger burned in his gut. No one was going to hurt Brit. He wouldn’t allow it.
It wasn’t Kyle who really worried him, but Kevin, his father, had a reputation for being a real vindictive son of a bitch. The man doted on his only son. If Brit really had put his precious boy in prison then the man was the one to watch out for. He’d heard stories about Kevin Marthum ruining lives of the men who had screwed him over.
Dale answered his cell phone on the second ring. “Is Brit all right?”
“How’d you know this call was about her?”
“Ryder?”
“Close.”
“River, what are you doing at the ranch?”
“You said my family wanted me home.”
“You never listen or do what you’re told. Is Brit all right?”
“Yeah. She’s fine. Why did you assume this was about her?”
“I saw the caller ID for the ranch. Your brothers call me on their cell phones, not the house line.”
“What’s her story, Dale?”
The other man remained silent.
“Damn it, I want answers.”
“She’ll tell you if she wants you to know anything about her private matters.”
“I know some of it. She was married to Kyle Marthum, he’s recently been released from prison, and she’s afraid he’s coming after her.”
“Yeah. She’s got a reason to be afraid. That’s why I sent her to your family. Nobody is going to get to her out there.”
“What’s the whole story, Dale?”
The other man sighed. “If she wanted you to know she’d tell you. You’re calling me, which tells me she hasn’t made it any of your business.”
River hesitated, not wanting to get her fired but he needed to make it clear that everything about Brit was his business now. “She’s mine, Dale. She’s scared, some asshole is after her, and I want to know exactly what kind of threat she’s facing.”
“Shit. You keep your hands off that woman.”
“Too late. Answer my questions.”
“Son of a bitch,” Dale raged. “She’s not some rodeo tramp, damn it. She’s fragile and not your type of woman. I never should have sent her to you boys. She’s too pretty. I should have figured one of you would try to jump on her. Damn it, River! I―”
“Need to shut up and take your mind away from where you’re heading,” River intervened. “She really matters to me and I know she’s special.”
That seemed to calm Dale. “Okay. You need to get your answers from her.”
“I’m calling you.”
“Damn. Okay. Kyle was always an asshole. He did some bad shit to her and that’s all I’m saying. He’s set on getting her back and he’ll really hurt her if he gets his grubby paws on her.”
“That isn’t happening.”
“Damn straight.”
“How’d you meet her? Let’s start there.”
“I donate money to some women’s shelters. I dropped off a check and I recognized her.”
“She worked there?”
Dale hesitated. “No, River. She lived there. They may have locked Kyle up but they couldn’t charge his father with shit. Kevin’s made it his mission to terrify Brit. He found her about a week before I ran into her. He’d made some threats and she knew she’d be safe at the shelter. They protect women there, their locations are secure, and she had nowhere else to go. She had no idea I knew who she was but hell, I was a guest at some parties Kevin threw. It was big news when Kyle brought his new wife home. She didn’t remember me but there were a lot of people at those things so that’s no surprise. I’d heard what happened and I offered her a job, knowing full well Kevin couldn’t bully me into firing her. He’s made a habit of doing that. No one else would hire her or they’d fire her as soon as Kevin got a lead on her again. I paid her in cash to help her hide and it didn’t leave a paper trail. I even had a friend rent her an apartment that is off record. I’ve tried hard to keep her off the radar.”
“What did Kyle go to prison for?”
“That’s Brit’s story, River. I won’t tell it. It was bad shit though. She’s lucky to be alive. I don’t care how much money some folks have, it don’t mean they aren’t animals.”
“I need to know―”
“Then ask her yourself. I swore I’d never share her story and I keep my word. Just keep her safe.” He paused. “And if you hurt that girl, you’re going to need a doctor to remove my boot from your ass.” Dale hung up.
River’s gaze lifted to the ceiling when he hung up the phone. Brit was a sweet woman, vulnerable even though she tried to hide it, and the idea of any man hurting her ripped right through his gut. He’d never been so hung up on a woman and wasn’t sure how deep his feelings ran, but she meant a hell of a lot to him. No way would he allow her to run away. He’d keep her safely at his side where he could protect her.
River’s jaw clenched along with his fists. He wasn’t letting her run. He forced his feet to move, his body to relax, and flexed his jaw to loosen it up. Keeping her safe had become his priority. As thrown off as he felt with his strong attachment to her, he wasn’t going to worry about it now. He’d just go with it, see where it led, and worry about how deep his feelings went later.
He heard the water in the bathroom going when he paused in front of the closed door. His cock hardened instantly just imagining what he wanted to do to her. The smile came next. Brit made his blood boil. He couldn’t get enough of her. It wasn’t just sex. The sound of her laugh and the sparkle in her pretty eyes left him feeling gut punched every time.
Brit waited naked in the shower stall when he shut the door behind him and locked it. He reached for his shirt as he toed off a boot. She opened the door, already wet, and that smile of hers made his cock instantly hard. His fingers twitched to to
uch her. She wiggled one of her little fingers at him to motion him to her and he knew in that moment that she could totally wrap him around it with no effort at all.
Oh hell, he thought. I’m in love.
Chapter Ten
Brit laughed, her hands on her jeans-clad hips, and shook her head. She watched River brush off his jeans as he struggled to his feet in the horse stall. His sheepish grin made her laugh again.
“So what was that about you saying you were some super horse wrangler? I thought that would mean you could ride.”
“I can.” He shook his head in mock disgust, deeply amused. “Brownie here is mad at me for being gone so long. He’s got a pissy attitude.”
“He just threw your ass off him. Maybe you shouldn’t try to ride bareback.”
“He is showing me how displeased he is that I haven’t ridden him in five months.”
She released her hips and carefully approached the mustang that blew out air and sidestepped away from her. Her attention fixed on him.
“Easy, Brownie. If you really want to make him mad, let me climb on you.”
“Hell no.” River kept his voice low, all traces of humor gone. “No one rides him but me. He’ll buck you off.”
“The way he just did you?” She smiled and flashed him an amused glance. “What do you mean, no one rides him but you?”
“He won’t allow it. He was born wild and got injured. This rescue outfit caught him and decided to put him down after he tried to kill anyone who got close enough to try to treat the nasty infection. I bought him from them to save him. I transported him here and had to tame him a bit just for him to not take a chunk out of me while I doctored his leg. We think a wolf bit into him. It took me months to get him to let me ride him but he refuses to allow anyone else to.”
“And you haven’t been home in five months?”
“I know. Don’t give me that look. My brothers take real good care of him, he’s got plenty of running room on our ranch, and he likes his freedom.”