Page 9 of Rescued Love

“That’s not why I’m here,” Kimball’s voice is quiet, and her eyes plead with me to believe her, but I barely even notice.

I start shaking my head and point to her car, my tone is hard and final, “You should leave.”

Kimball holds her hands up in surrender and takes a step away from me. It’s a small action, but it does make my heart ache. How can I hate the thought of hurting this woman while also needing to protect Grandpa.

“Really,” she insists, “I’m just here to help. I think what Mr. Jacobson does out here is amazing. He’s given a home to animals who need it. I respect that, more than I can even express.”

My heart is pumping in my chest, and I feel torn between the desperate need to believe the woman standing in front of me and the fear of someone taking advantage of my grandpa. It’s a fear that grew while working on Culbert’s case.

“I’m not going to let you ruin what Grandpa has built here.” I glare at the woman in front of me. “I don’t want to hear your lies.”

Kimball’s face crumples before she turns and yanks open the door to her truck. When she’s seated and has started it up, something cracks in my chest. It doesn’t make any fucking sense. She glances at me through the window, there’s a fire in her eyes which has me regretting my words, even if they are true.

The way she shakes her head at me, disappointment echoing around me with that simple action, has me questioning if I’m right about her.

Before I can close the distance between her truck and me to try and find out if I’ve made a horrible assumption and accusation, she’s pulling away from the house and gunning it down the driveway. Dirt flies around her truck and Mr. Whiskers lets out a neigh that sounds like a plaintive yearning keen.

I glance over at Penny to find him looking at me. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear there’s derision in his eyes.

I find myself rubbing my chest and wondering if I fucked up. Hopefully, I didn’t, but the sinking feeling in my gut is a warning that my hope is misplaced.

What I can’t understand is why a sense of loss settles around me.

CHAPTER 4

KIMBALL

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Sadie’s voice startles me so much that I jolt and bang my knee against the inside of my desk. My head snaps up and I meet her eyes, knowing mine are wide and probably a little wild. I hadn’t even heard her come into my office.

After clearing my throat, I force a smile on my face. “I’m good, Sadie.”

The way she looks at me tells me everything I need to know about my acting performance. Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline and the look of disbelief might as well be a neon sign declaring ‘bullshit’.

Oh well. There’s not much for me to do about it. And she’s not wrong—it is bullshit.

Even though it’s been a few days since I was out at Mr. Jacobson’s sanctuary, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the run in I had with Nathan. Something deep inside of me jolted the moment I saw him and an attraction I’ve never experienced before washed over me.

Then he had to open his mouth.

What a shame. I should have known it was too good to be true. It’s not like I’m surrounded by asshole men, but I’ve never really wanted any of the guys I grew up with. I had one boyfriend back in high school. We shared our firsts, which included my first heartbreak because as I was realizing that going off to college wasn’t in the cards for me, he was making plans to embark on the rest of his life.

He went off to school and he didn’t come back for more than the holidays and school breaks. Then, once he graduated, he kept moving forward while leaving Sweetwater Valley behind. I don’t know what I expected to happen since I had made peace with staying behind and figuring out how to achieve my goals within the confines of the small town.

I think I’ve done well for myself, all things considered, but since he moved away and we broke up, love wasn’t really something I allowed myself to indulge in. I’ve tried dating, but didn’t really see the point after a while.

The guys who have stuck around, even those who end up back in Sweetwater Valley, haven’t made me want more than being friends or casual acquaintances. There certainly wasn’t a guy who made me feel like my skin was too tight or had electricity zinging through my body.

Which was exactly what happened when I met Nathan. I swear I’m still tingling days later.

I’m also still angry with the way he spoke to me and I’m unable to reconcile everything the man made me feel. He was so out of line, and I could barely form words to counter anything he said. There were so many assumptions made in the span of only a few minutes.

I can understand that he didn’t know who I was or why I was there, but he could have asked and then gave me an opportunity to answer. But no. He decided to jump down my throat instead.

At one point it was like he wasn’t even speaking to me. He might as well have been wrestling some ghosts. I have no idea if they’re from his past or more recent.

I’m not sure I’ll ever know.

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