Page 75 of Cruel Expectations

“About as good as your cheek. Still better than the other guy though.”

Colton bobbed his head in agreement. “I’m still surprised that we just walked into Badlands and found Mills.”

Hunter set down the sledgehammer he was using to pound in new fence posts and leaned on the handle. “So am I, honestly. What kind of criminal just gallivants around the local saloon?”

“A stupid one.”

“You got that right.”

Colton crouched and gripped a heavy wood post. He hefted it into the next hole and held it steady while Hunter swung the sledge to pound it into the ground.

Neither of them spoke more about what went down the previous night, the same way that they didn’t need to discuss Operation Nicklaus.

He glanced at Colton’s stern profile. His face was set in a mask, giving away nothing about his feelings on what they’d done—what they had to do.

Colton turned his head to catch Hunter’s gaze. “I know what you’re thinking, brother. You can’t second-guess it. We had no choice.”

He’d spent all night lying awake, questioning how they could have done things differently. As soon as they took the fight outside, all hell had broken loose and Mills had pulled a gun on them.

But two trained SEALs knew how to swing a fight in their favor.

His jaw flexed hard, shooting pain through the joint. “I would have done worse if you hadn’t stopped me. After what he said about Ivy—”

Colton met his gaze. “We neutralized the threat. End of story.”

Hunter nodded. “This is a different kind of war than what we’ve seen.”

He hammered the post in a few more times to ensure it was set deep enough and even with the rest of the line. Then he stepped back to survey his work. About twenty yards away, a couple other ranch hands were setting more posts. A small, perfect row of uprights stretched between them with a gap where more posts were to be set in a new, reinforced fence.

All the places the trespassers had cut would soon be closed.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s over. He can’t come after Ivy.”

“Or Meadow.” A shadow of darkness crossed Colton’s face.

They quickly set the rest of the fence posts and stretched heavy wire between them. The new electric fence would deter more people from trespassing.

When they wrapped up their portion of the work, Hunter sent Colton a look. “I need to find Ivy.” After what he and Colton did the previous night, he’d been avoiding her. He had blood on his hands—blood that had been spilled to save himself in the end. But still, it left him feeling unclean and unworthy of the beautiful bright ray of light that was Ivy.

He felt a shadow creeping in his mind. Over his soul. Even though they called the cops and they agreed that they’d killed Mills in self-defense, it was still another strike against him.

He needed to see Ivy—to touch her. He had to know she was safe.

Colton waved at him. “Go on and take the ATV. After I talk to the guys, I’ll walk back.”

They both aimed their attention at the other ranch hands, focused on their task with as much gravity as he and Colton had done theirs.

With his sledgehammer slung over his shoulder, he loped to the ATV and started the engine. The ride to the house didn’t take long, but he was itching to set his sights on the woman he loved.

The love of his life.

When that motherfucker Johnny Mills had snarled all the horrific ways he’d planned to use Ivy—to torture her—nothing could have stopped Hunter from pulling his weapon and taking aim right between his dull brown eyes.

He searched the house for Ivy. She wasn’t there.

He looked around the ranch. Meadow wasn’t even in the training ring with some frisky pony, because she’d gone to sit with her father and wait for him to be released from the hospital.

Where was she?

---