Page 45 of Stay for Me

Ms. Harper.

I’d never once called her that, but for my own sake, I needed to get her out of my fucking arms and as far away from me as possible. As Kings pulled up, I set her on her feet in the grass gently and backed away, each step more painful than the last. With the greatest amount of effort I could muster, I pulled my eyes away from her, finding Kings’ gray ones as he walked towards us.

“What happened?” he demanded, his head snapping over to Diana. “You alright?”

I couldn’t look at her, so instead, I looked at my boots as she explained her tire.

“Mags.”

My head snapped up. “Yeah?”

“Did you find the calf?” Kings pressed.

“Nope. Found your lawyer instead,” I answered coolly.

Minutes later, after Denver had taken Diana back up to the ranch and I was halfway done changing her tire, the calf finally showed itself, coming out of trees about a hundred yards away from me on the fence line. I tightened the last bolt on the rim and shook my head.

“Little shit,” I muttered.

Chapter Eight

Diana

Theeeriesoundofmy doorbell echoed throughout my quiet house, halting my fingers, forcing them to hover my keyboard as my gaze landed on the dark hallway outside my home office. I held my breath, wondering if it had been my imagination. After the day I’d had, I wouldn’t have blamed myself for going slightly insane.

All my client’s horses had been killed, their bodies left out in the field and in the barn to rot.

Mr. Weatherford and his wife had gone out for lunch, taking the advice I’d given them just the day before.

Do something for you this week. Take your wife out. Do something not related to the ranch that makes you smile.

The couple got dressed up for the occasion, heading into their small town for an early steak dinner, and while they were gone, all their horses were shamelessly killed. After Thomas received the call, I’d raced out to Weatherford ranch, trying to hold in my tears. Despite my deep fear of horses, I’d always admired their beauty from afar. They were magnificent creatures and deserved to be treated with tender care and respect. I’d spent the rest of the afternoon consoling the old rancher and his wife while the authorities and livestock officers conducted their investigation.

After questioning, the police and I were on the same page, suspecting revenge. By the time I left Weatherford ranch, the sun had begun to set, and the couple who’d sued my client were in custody. I was halfway home when Mrs. Weatherford called to tell me the little boy confessed, turning his parents in. They’d left him in the car while they went on their horse killing spree. I don’t think I’d ever been so ashamed of humans in my life. Then again, I’d doubted the boy’s parents possessed even an ounce of humanity after what they did.

A powerful knock echoed through my house, snapping me back to the present.

Alright, it wasn’t my imagination.

“What the hell?” I whispered, checking my watch. It was nearly midnight.

I looked back up into the darkened hallway, a chill cascading down my back. Suddenly, I regretted putting on my dark purple silk nightie and matching robe. I’d only come into the office to check an email, but ended up getting sucked into work. I’d been in this chair for three dang hours.

Blindly, I reached for my mouse and looked back at my desktop, opening my security system and checking the front camera feed. I didn’t have a doorbell camera; because this house was nearly fifty years old, and I wanted to preserve a bit of its history as I gutted out the old. So I’d left the antique, possessed-looking doorbell, only to discover that it sounded like something out of a horror movie two months later when the pizza delivery person showed up.

Now, years later, I had yet to change that dang doorbell, but I managed to install a security camera in the top right corner of the porch. My eyes narrowed as the camera feed finished loading to reveal a man.

Not just any man.

Lucas.

“Jesus Christ,” I murmured, pulling out my cell phone, ready to call the police.

The doorbell rang again, and I found myself hesitating. If I called the police, then they would call Chase. Chase being Chase, he would of course call Denver. Lucas showing up at my office in the middle of the day was one thing, but Lucas showing up at my house in the middle of the night was something else entirely. I wished him having my address was a concern, but unfortunately, if anything that he spouted out of his mouth today was true, he received it from my parents.

I knew one thing for sure: if Chase called Denver, Denver would end up killing a man tonight on my behalf. I didn’t want that, even though said man was a bigoted bastard.

With a quiet sigh, I slipped my phone into my robe, rose from my chair, and padded to the safe in the corner. The doorbell rang again for a third time, the sound alone enough to fuel my nightmares, as I put in the nine digit code. The safe opened with a soft click, and I grabbed my pistol—just in case.

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