Page 15 of Tainted Empire (Sins of Our Father)

“Oh trust me, you are,” he says in that husky drawl before he turns and leaves the kitchen.

As soon as I hear the front door shut, I collapse against the counter and gasp for air. My mind is racing as fast as my heart. My panties are drenched, and I feel tears pricking my eyes. I rub them angrily and slap my hands against the counter, hating the storm of emotions he’s stirred in me. Fuck Hunter Brooks. I’ll never let that snake anywhere near here again if it’s the last thing I do.

As much as I want to believe that, a part of me doesn’t, and that part of me is my womb.

11

I’m lyingin my bed, staring at Hunter’s offer next to me when I hear the front door open and Claire calling my name. I sit up abruptly and grab the paper, shoving it under my books on the bedside table. Seconds later, my door opens and Claire steps inside with a smile.

“Hi, sweetie. How’s your morning been?” she asks in her kind voice.

I want to tell her about Hunter, but I don’t. I haven’t even told her about my worries about what to do with the ranch and I don’t want to worry her. Not to mention, I’ve been trying not to think about him and his amazing mouth since he left almost an hour ago.

“Fine. Do you have any plans today?” I ask, dying for a distraction and some fresh air.

“Just some tidying up, but other than that, no. I need to head into town and grab some stuff for dinner tonight. We always have a Sunday roast here for the staff and we’re out of some things,” she says, and I perk up immediately.

“Great! I’ll go with you. I wanted to go see the horses today, but I shouldn’t be in these clothes. I need to stop by the boutique,” I say, and she smiles, approving as she stares at my nice flats.

“I agree. Marcy’s will have some stuff for you. I’ll be ready in an hour,” she says and waves at me before leaving.

I sigh and lay back on my bed, grabbing my phone and searching for paint colors and furniture. I need to busy myself for the next few days. Distract myself with renovations so that I don’t think about the fate of my dad’s ranch. More importantly, so my mind doesn’t have room to wander to Hunter Brooks and his incredibly soft lips.

As I scroll through different furniture options, I try to picture how I want the bedrooms to look. Everything downstairs is fine and charming, Dad and Claire did great with the upkeep, but the three bedrooms upstairs need some serious renovations. I plan to redo my bedroom, the guest bedroom, and turn the other bedroom into a nice, cozy office.

I haven’t gone near my dad’s room, though. The door is shut, and I plan for it to be for a while. It doesn’t feel right going in there yet and I don’t really have the strength to do so anyway. I keep thinking that he’s going to walk through the front door any minute.

I ordered some new bedding for both rooms, a desk, more bookshelves and books. Some lamps, some end tables and some armchairs and paint. It cost nearly five grand with everything and the expedited shipping and movers, but who cares. My dad wanted it done and I need something to do this week.

I’ve decided to paint my bedroom a nice soft, gray like the bathroom. I ordered some matching gray and velvet bedding as well as matching throw pillows. Some of the pillows I ordered are a rusty orange to match the armchairs I purchased. I decided to make the guest bedroom identical, except instead of orange as an abstract color, I chose a light blue. The office will be my favorite. The desk is a nice wooden, ornate desk and I’m having my mom ship my laptop over as well as some of my books. The bookcases match the desk and the dark green, velvet loveseat I ordered reminds me of the couches downstairs. I finally have some excitement in me after this and I don’t want to lose it.

Claire calls my name and I grab my phone and my satchel and rush down the stairs. Earl is sitting at the kitchen counter drinking a glass of water. He’s covered in dirt and sweat, and I know he’s been busting his ass on the ranch all morning. He always has.

“Hey, Earl,” I say, grabbing a bottle of water as Claire grabs her keys.

“Well hey, Miss Ali! Don’t you look spiffy.” I blush at his lighthearted compliment and Claire laughs.

“She does, doesn’t she? But not nearly appropriate enough for the weather or the ranch. We’re heading into town for some groceries and new clothes. You need anything, Earl?” Claire asks, but he waves her off and shakes his head.

We head out the front door and I am blasted with the Montana heat. It’s the first week of September and global warming has made this place hotter than hell.

“Hop in, sweetie,” Claire says as we near her old, rust black truck.

She’s had this thing since I was a kid. I know my dad pays all of his staff well, so I’m not sure why she’s still driving a twenty-year-old truck.

“You still have this thing, Claire?” I ask as she starts up the truck and it rumbles and roars to life.

“Yep, and she’s never steered me wrong!” she says and I laugh, loving her humble attitude more than anything.

We ride into town, and as Claire heads into the grocery store, I walk into Marcy’s boutique right next door.

The store is small and carries clothes for both men and women, all of which are totally not my style. There are sundresses everywhere as well as shorts that would definitely make my thighs look huge. I grab a couple pairs of Levi jeans and the longest pair of shorts that I could find, which still will only go to my mid-thigh. I grabbed a few sundresses. Some yellow, some white, some red. One is actually kind of cute. It’s light blue and has daisies all over it, the back open at the top and the V neck low enough to accentuate my larger than normal breast size. I shove a few t-shirts in my cart as well and walk to the shoe section.

All I see are cowgirl boots. I sigh and skim through my options, settling on a pair of dark brown cowgirl boots and a pair of black work boots that look like off brand Timberlands. Once I near the checkout counter, I see a small, slender brunette with golden eyes and freckles. She’s cute and looks sweet, but she doesn’t offer me a smile as I set my things on the counter.

“Find everything okay?” she asks in a careless, country voice.

I say yes as she checks out all of my merchandise and asks for my payment. As soon as I hand her my debit card, she takes one look at it and her eyes snap to mine, all wide and apologetic.

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