Page 42 of Falling For Her Cowboy
He released her hand for fear of hurting her. He lifted his hat and raked his fingers through his hair.
“So you don’t know who could have done this?” He was trying to get himself under control. Being around her brought out the protective nature in him. He wanted to be the one she turned to. He wanted to be the one to shield her from the world. She may be a military woman, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t need someone to have her back. “There’s a reason you’re carrying your gun now. You haven’t done this before.”
She glanced down at her holster on her thigh. He had been shocked at first when he’d arrived at the group and saw she had a gun on her. It wasn’t uncommon to carry a rifle when dealingwith predators coming onto the ranch and trying to take out a calf or smaller animals.
“I mean, I suspected someone, but I seriously doubt it was him.” She blew out a shaky breath and folded her arms.
She took a few steps away from him, and that was too far. He reached for her and gently took her arm and turned her back to him.
“What do you mean?” he asked softly. He didn’t want to scare her away and have her keep anything from him. This thing between them was moving fast, but he didn’t care. He was in for the ride and wanted her. Whatever he had to do to make her stay, he was willing to do.
He needed her.
Ridge swallowed hard. Melah’s brown-eyed gaze landed on him, and the air in his lungs rushed out. A weight settled on his heart, and it was then he realized his heart belonged to her.
“There was a reason I left the military when I did.” She hesitated.
She blinked, and her muscles stiffened underneath his touch. He released her arm and took her hand in his.
“I’m listening. There is no judgement here. Not from me?—”
“Or me,” Draven cut in. He tossed them a look over his shoulder before going back to staring out at the landscape.
Ridge already knew he and his brother were going to have a conversation. If Melah meant something to Ridge, then already Draven would accept her.
Her eyes cast down to the ground. He tipped her chin up so she could see he was open and willing to listen to whatever it was. There had always been something hidden in her eyes. Something haunted her—hell, half the vets who came to Silver Creek had something weighing them down. Demons chased them all. But whatever it was that bothered her, he wanted to take it away from her.
“I was raped by my sergeant,” she whispered.
Ridge’s heart stopped. Pain, embarrassment, and shame flooded her eyes. She tried to look away from him, but he held her steady. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard of something like this happening in the military. Most times it was covered up and brushed off.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
She studied him for a moment as if to see if his opinion about her had changed.
It hadn’t.
Hearing what had happened to her only made him want to do bodily damage to whoever the fucker was who’d done such a horrid thing to her.
“You don’t need to apologize.” She sniffed.
She blinked, and he saw a strength in her come to the forefront.
“I filed a formal complaint. Charges were brought up against him. He was arrested. There was a trial, and he was sent away to prison.”
“Good.” The word fell from his lips automatically. Hearing this just proved how strong she was. Not many women pushed forward to get justice from the person who’d assaulted them. Melah was a special woman.
“They tried to break me, you know. Everyone tried to get me to drop the charges. Told me I would ruin his career.” A sarcastic chuckle fell from her lips.
He released her face but still didn’t want to stop touching her.
She reached up and brushed a few rogue strands of her hair from her face. “But no one talked about how his actions ruined mine. I lost everything. The man I was supposed to marry, who claimed to love me, didn’t believe me. He accused me of lying andusing the charges as a way to hide an affair between me and Theo.”
Now there were two men on Ridge’s shit list. Whoever the man she had been engaged to was, didn’t deserve her. How could he not believe her if she’d said another had raped her?
“Melah,” he murmured.
But she held up a hand and shook her head. She took a few steps back from him.
