Page 25 of Stay for Me

He said nothing, his eyes scanning me as I held the door tightly. I knew it wouldn’t stop the man from barreling into my home, but it never hurt to try. I really didn’t need him, my first client, seeing me like this.

“What’s going on?” he demanded, a crease of concern between his brows.

“I have a sinus infection, Denver. It’s not a big deal,” I answered softly.

“You running a fever?” he clipped.

I shook my head. “No, just a headache from hell. Oh, and I can’t breathe, but that’s neither here nor there.”

He stared at me, worry swirling in his eyes. “Are you resting, or are you working on shit you shouldn’t?”

My mouth opened and closed twice, heat rising in my cheeks.

Denver’s eyes narrowed to slits, piercing my soul. “That’s what I fucking thought. Move.”

He didn’t give me a chance to refuse before he stepped forward. I had no choice but to move, or he would bulldoze me over. I watched as he entered my house like he owned the place. I bent my head in defeat as his boots thundered down the hallway, and I quietly closed the front door before following him. As I walked into the living room, finding him standing in the middle of it, surveying the current state I was living in, I pulled my over-sized zip hoodie tighter around myself. I took a second to thank my past self for choosing this house, because without the high ceilings in the hallway and the vaulted one in the living room, Denver’s presence would’ve made it look small.

“It’s just a sinus infection,” I repeated when his eyes finally landed back on me.

“What happened with the girls at the diner scared the shit out of me,” he clipped, changing the subject.

My mouth turned dry as my lips parted, but nothing came out.

“You know all the shit my wife and sister-in-law went through with Moonie,” he continued, pausing for my reaction. I nodded, and he looked away from me. “The last time I was that scared, the love of my life had been taken from me, trapped in that fucking fire.”

Memories of that dark day shot to the front of my mind, projecting images I was hoping to forget. I’d never been so scared when I got the call from Beau that Hallow Ranch was on fire. In fact, the entire town had been fearful.

“I know, Den,” I whispered.

His intense gray eyes snapped back over to me. “You don’t need me to repeat what happened with that fucker. You know that no amount of justice you or any court would serve would’ve been enough for me—or Mason.”

I knew Moonie was dead, his ashes on Denver’s mountain. I knew those cowboys didn’t have a problem with exacting their own version of justice. “I know.”

“Then you need to understand that what happened at the diner couldn’t have been your business. If you knew who it was and what went down, then you would be caught up in the bullshit Chase is dealing with.”

Chase Bowen was Hayden’s sheriff. He was also my friend.

My brows came to together, my body suddenly on alert. “What bullshit areyoudealing with?”

Frankly, Chase could handle himself. He was good man and one hell of a cop. He protected this town in a way other cops couldn’t. My concern was about my clients. If Denver and Mason were tied up in something, I needed to know about it.

Denver took off his hat and ran his hand through his dark locks. “It’s not your concern, Diana.”

“Like heck it isn’t,” I shot back, my hands falling to my sides as I took a step forward. “I’m your damn lawyer, Denver. What bullshit?”

He stared at me for a moment, testing to see if I would back down. I took a breath before giving him my two cents. “Need I remind you, when I found out about how you handled things, I didn’t run away?” I asked, taking another step forward, the front of my legs hitting the back of the couch now. “Did I run and turn you in? No, I stayed because I came to care about you and your son. I wanted to protect Hallow Ranch just as much as you because of Caleb. When I confronted you about it, do you remember what you said to me?”

He stared at me as if I’d grown two heads, his mouth tighter than his bearded jaw, his hat hanging at his side.

“You’re a good man, Den,” I continued, my voice soft now. “One of the best I know, and everything I have, I owe to you.”

“Diana—”

I held up my hand, shaking my head. “Don’t try to down play how important you and your family are to me. Please. You were the only rancher within a hundred miles who was willing to take a chance on me. You saw something in me.” Denver’s features softened then, but I kept going. “Everything I own, this house, my car, the clothes on my back…I would’ve had none of it if you hadn’t taken a chance on me.”

“Yes, you would’ve, Diana. You know—”

I cut him off. “In another city, maybe.”

---