Page 26 of Live for Me

Miriam was quiet for a moment, studying Sheri. Then, she shook her head and said, “I don’t understand what happened to you, dear girl. You were a good girl once upon a time. Good. Decent. Kind. All the things your own mother raised you to be. Now, your daughter is the good girl, and you can’t get out of your own way to see that. Despite all your efforts to ruin her, she still turned out better than you.”

Abbie sucked in a breath behind me.

My eyes slid over to Miriam. That was the thing about small towns—the stories, the history, the drama between families never truly went away. They would always be remembered.

Big cities weren’t like that.

City life was fleeting, every person moving from one moment to the next without care, written in pencil. Things could be erased—with time.

Small town life was everlasting, each person affecting the other, written in stone. Nothing could be forgotten in a small town; legacies and curses would always remain. Legacies like Hallow Ranch. Curses like Sheri Spears.

“You don’t know me,” Sheri said through her teeth.

“Everyone in this town knows you, Sheri,” Miriam sighed, pulling out her phone. “You have three seconds to leave my shopbefore I call the cops. Sheriff Peters might give you a chance, but if that new Officer Bowen gets his hands on you, he won’t be so forgiving.”

When she refused to move, I stepped forward, a growl rumbling from me as I said, “Get a move on.”

Sheri tried to look around me, and I saw red, getting in her space now. The smell of old cigarettes and alcohol filled my nose. “I didn’t fucking stutter, Sheri,” I pushed out, putting my hand on the gun strapped to my hip. “I’ll take you into the sheriff’s office myself.”

I’d rather send her to an early grave, but I couldn’t do that to my girl. There was still a part of her that cared for her mother, her inner child.

Sheri’s eyes widened as she looked up at me, stumbling back as my jaw ticked. “Y-you don’t—”

I reached over her and pushed the door open. She fell back, catching herself before falling on her ass in the middle of the sidewalk. She glared at me for a moment, and then her eyes flicked to where Abbie stood. “You fuck—”

In a flash, I had my gun out and pointed to her, seeing red. “Finish that fucking sentence,” I snarled. “I dare you.”

She opened her mouth to shout at me, but a sharp voice cut through the air like a sword. “Sheri Spears.”

My head turned to find Sheriff Peters and Officer Bowen standing two stores down. Miriam poked her head out of the door. “Oh good, you’re here. Sheri came into my shop, caused a disturbance, and was about to threaten one of my customer’s. We’ve asked her to leave multiple times, and she has refused,” she explained as they closed the distance.

Officer Bowen’s blue eyes snapped to mine. “Mr. Marks.”

I tipped my hat. “Officer Bowen.”

His eyes shifted to my gun. “You wanna put that away for me?”

Not really. However, getting arrested wasn’t on my to-do list today. I looked back to Sheri as I sheathed the weapon before taking a step toward her. “You ever try to interfere with my woman’s life again, you’re done. Do you understand me? I won’t stop until you’re rotting in a fucking prison cell where you belong,” I said calmly. “Unless Abbie asks to see you, you stay the hell away from her.”

“Beau,” Sheriff Peters called. When I looked over to him, he said, “We got it from here.”

As they hauled Sheri away in handcuffs, Miriam went back inside, and I followed her once they were out of sight. Abbie was leaning against the counter, her arms folded over her chest as she looked out the window. I came over to her, putting my hands on either side of her neck. “Hey, hey. Look at me,” I murmured.

Her lips thinned, and I could tell she was about to cry, doing her best not to let that dam break. I silently cursed as I hooked my finger under her chin, tilting her face to me. My eyes scanned hers as I whispered, “No one is allowed to hurt you, not even her. You understand me?”

“You shouldn’t have to protect me all the time,” she whispered back.

My head tilted to the side. “Protecting you comes with the job, Wildflower.”

A single tear fell onto her cheek. “And what job is that, Beau?”

“Loving you.”

Present Day. Hallow Ranch.

Mags being in the bunkhouse this late at night was concerning.

Mags leaving his cabin to come to the bunkhouse this late at night wasveryconcerning.

---