Page 27 of Cinnamon Cider Whiskey
“Trust me, he terrifies me. But I didn’t want you to get into a fight and land yourself in county lockup. I know you, and you don’t hold back when your buttons are pushed. I also know Brad and he wouldn’t hesitate to slap cuffs on you, especially if it was for your own good. But that would have left me alone and that scares me more.”
“I’m here for you.” Austin moved to the next set of stitches. “I’ve grown up a little in the last fifteen years. I have more restraint.”
“Perhaps, but your rage was palpable.”
He leaned over and kissed her scar. “Can you blame me? Look at what that asshole did to you.” He pinched her thigh and tugged at the stitch with his fingers before making the first snip.
“Tonight could have been really bad for you.”
“Me?” Austin jerked his head. “What about you? All that man was focused on was getting his hands on you.”
“That’s only part of what he wanted.”
“What do you mean?” Austin finished rubbing the ointment on her leg. He stood and pulled out a shirt from his dresser and handed it to her. Climbing onto the bed, he fluffed a pillow and eased in next to her.
She sat up and let out a long breath. “I didn’t accidentally call you that night I said I meant to call JW.”
“Then why did you say that?”
“I’d managed to lock Pete in the bedroom after he beat the shit out of me. I called the cops, and then I called you.”
Austin closed his eyes. “Why did you hang up on me?”
“Because Pete managed to get out.”
“What happened when the cops got there?” He blinked, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.
“I told them it was a mistake and that I fell down the stairs. They tried to separate us so they could talk to me alone, which they did. But I kept to my story because if I didn’t, I was afraid he’d go crazy and kill me because of you.”
“He knew you called me?”
“Pete had found a journal I had been writing in, which had many references to you, about how I missed you and made a mistake in marrying Pete.”
“Jesus,” Austin muttered. “All your texts now make sense.”
“In my phone I had you listed as Audrey. I don’t know when he figured out Audrey was you, but he did.”
“Did this have anything to do with me?” He waved his hand over her body.
Tears stung the corners of her eyes. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I know that. But I still want to know what happened.”
“You stopped texting and for some reason that crushed me. It had been years since we talked and getting those random texts brightened my day. When they stopped, I felt more alone than I had in years. I risked journaling again. He found them, as usual.”
“What kinds of things did you write?”
“How I missed Whiskey Ranch. My cousins. You.” She swiped at her cheeks. “He had taken my phone and shut off the internet when he was out of the house. I wasn’t allowed to work and my only friends were the ones he approved of, which were like none. I would sneak down early in the morning while he was in the shower to use the computer and google you.”
“You did what?” He jerked his head.
“I know that sounds crazy.”
“No.” He took her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “It’s sweet.” He brushed his lips across hers in a tender, romantic kiss. His tongue darted into her mouth.
She gripped his shoulders. Her muscles filled with heat.
“Continue,” he whispered.
