Page 99 of Samuel

“You’re a good man, Samuel. Your father would be so proud.”

Was it his eyes? There was something sharp about them. Something that didn’t match the fond way he was speaking to Sam.

“Garrett, before I forget to do a proper introduction, this is Evelyn Williams, my office manager.” The introduction snapped Evie out of her introspection.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Langdon. Forgive me for my rude comment. I’m very protective over Sam, and the Coopers.” Evelyn extended her hand out for the man to shake. Instead, he gripped it gently, pulling it to his mouth and placing a delicate kiss onto her skin. The act was charming, but again, something uneasy settled in her stomach.

“No hard feelings at all. And the pleasure is all mine, Ms.Evelyn Williams.”

Holy shit. A deep shiver ran down her spine. Evie knew that voice! Snatching her hand back as though she’d been bitten by a copperhead, she watched as the man’s lips turned up into an amused sneer. Her heart dropped into her stomach as the ground started to sway.

“Hey. Whoa, Bluebell. What’s wrong?” Sam placed one arm on her waist and his other on her arm in an attempt to steady her. She hated that he’d seen her reaction. While hisbody had come between her and Garrett, Evie could still see the man’s face, complete with smug smile, looking at her.

“What? Oh, nothing.” She brought her hand up to her heart, eyes still trained on Garrett. “I’m so sorry. I think it’s low blood sugar. This little one is probably just mad at me for missing breakfast this morning. I just need to head back to the office and get something to eat.”

Sam’s eyes crinkled as he questioned her without saying a word. Of course, he made her a giant breakfast like he did every morning, and watched her eat practically her entire weight in blueberry pancakes. But Garrett didn’t know that, and she needed to get away as fast as she could.

“Pregnancy is such a beautiful thing. Terrible shame, it's so tough on most women.”

“Like I said, I just need a little snack. It’s perfectly fine, and I am managing it well.” Her eyes moved back to Sam.

“We’ll walk back with you.” She hated the concern written all over his face, but the last thing she wanted was to lead Garrett to the office where all the paperwork she’d been looking over was laying out. He’d know, in no uncertain terms, that she hadn’t heeded his warning. That she was still looking into the money discrepancies.

“No. No, honestly. I’m fine. I’ll see you in the office once you’re done with Mr. Langdon.”

“Call me Garrett, Evie. Please. I plan on being at this ranch a lot in the future now that we are mending fences. No sense in us being so formal all the time.”

Evie glanced back at Sam. His eyes never left her, but he gave a curt nod.

As soon as she was dismissed from the conversation, Evie took off towards the barn. She used every ounce of restraint she possessed to stop her feet from running.

Her sandal caught on the threshold of the open door and her stomach lurched. She twisted, a last minute attempt atprotecting the baby from the harsh impact that would jolt her body when she fell onto the floor. But that impact never happened.

Instead, a quiet “oomph” hit her ears as her eyes squeezed shut. Judging from the height and solid muscles that she fell into, Zeke had been refilling the feed box when she barreled through.

“Hey, Evie. Is everything okay?” Strong hands wrapped around her arms, steadying her before she fell any further towards the ground. Definitely Zeke. “You’re not looking so good.”

Her body shook. And not the cute goosebumps on a frosty night shake, but full on rattles that were so hard she thought her teeth might come clanging out of her head. It was no time for an adrenaline dump. Absolutely useless in this situation and all it was doing was making her more angry than she already was.

“C-can you h-help m-me back to the o-office?”

“Of course. Here, lean on me.” Zeke wrapped a steady arm around her back and led her to the office, where he helped her sit down on the couch.

“Do you want me to go get Sam?” He took his hat off, smoothing the long hair off of his face. His eyes were locked onto hers, wide with worry as he fiddled with the edge of his hat.

“No. Please don’t bother him. I-I’m okay.”

The last thing she wanted was Sam rushing in there before she could take a look at the records. There had to be something, anything, that pointed to Garrett. If there wasn’t, would Sam believe her? Would her word be enough to protect her from someone who was deeply entrenched in Sam’s life?

“Are you sure? You’re still shaking and you’re looking a bit pale. Here…” He grabbed her water bottle from the desk and handed it to her. “Drink some water.”

“You don’t need to stay, Zeke, I just needed to get back to the office.” She took a sip of the water. Coolness momentarily relieved the ache building in her throat, but the sting of tears was still in her eyes, threatening to overwhelm her at any moment. She didn’t want anyone to see how freaked out she truly was. There was no time for that. Evie needed to find a way to tie Garrett Langdon to the missing money.

He’d seemed so smug. Sure he’d won.

I justbethe thinks he’s going to be on the ranch a lot in the future. Asshole.

Well, he sure as hell had underestimated her. And she would make sure that his mistake would come back to bite him in the butt.

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