Renee Ryan (16 page)

She would win Hunter’s heart. She just didn’t know how. Yet.

Life is no fairy tale.
Her own words flashed through her mind.

Well, why not? Why couldn’t she have the fairy tale with Hunter?

“We’re here.” He pulled their carriage to a stop.

Annabeth looked around and smiled despite her inner turmoil. He’d parked the carriage near a side entrance of Mattie’s brothel, where no one would witness their coming or going. In the darkened alley the pink three-story house lost what little charm the front facade presented to the world. The building was decidedly run-down. She’d never really noticed that before.

And if Annabeth wasn’t mistaken, the ground was moving. Rats. They loved this part of town, as much as she hated it. She really disliked the nasty little creatures. But she was too proud to let Hunter see her fear.

Setting the brake with easy movements, he unfolded his large body and hopped to the ground. Coming around to her side of the carriage, he placed his hands on her waist and swung her down next to him.

A quiver went through her entire body. Her reaction had nothing to do with the sound of tiny toenails scurrying around in the dark and everything to do with Hunter’s sure touch. He had powerful hands, strong yet capable of such tenderness.

Again, she wondered what sort of jobs he’d held in prison. Blacksmithing, perhaps? Quarry work?

“Ready to face your mother?” he asked.

No.
“Yes.”

They turned toward the house at precisely the same moment, as if there’d been a silent agreement between them.

Hunter’s hand slid around her elbow as he directed her toward the side entrance. Even in this, in their arrival at a house no decent woman would enter during the day, Hunter had considered Annabeth’s need for anonymity.

She fell a little more in love with him. And for a dangerous moment, she struggled with two irreconcilable facts. She couldn’t have him. She
had
to have him.

“Stop staring at me,” she whispered.

“How do you know I’m staring at you?”

“I can feel your eyes on me.” It was true. She could actually feel the heat of his gaze falling over her.

He released a rich, throaty laugh. The sound rolled over her like a touch or maybe, a kiss. “You can
feel
my gaze? That must be a valuable skill for a schoolteacher.”

“You have no idea.” She wanted to spin around and smile at him. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to do it, not when she knew what would happen when their gazes connected. Her heart would leap into her throat. Her breathing would turn shallow.

His lips would tilt upward at an attractive angle. Amusement would dance in his eyes.

Distance,
she told herself.
Keep your distance.
Mattie cannot know how you feel about this man.

Priorities set, Annabeth entered the brothel with as much stealth as possible. She instinctively moved closer to Hunter in the poorly lit hallway.

So much for keeping her distance.

“Is Mattie expecting you?” she asked, grateful the shadowy corridor made looking at him unnecessary.

“She knows I’m coming.” His voice hardened slightly.

They must have been speaking louder than Annabeth realized because Mattie threw open her door before Hunter could knock. She looked briefly at Annabeth then turned to glare at him.

Completely unconcerned he was on the receiving end of one of her mother’s...moods, Hunter smiled pleasantly. “Good afternoon, Mattie.”

Annabeth repressed a sigh at his goading tone. As expected, Mattie’s eyes narrowed to two, thin, angry slits.

Hunter widened his smile in such a way that made him appear a bit wolfish. “I say,” he continued. “It’s a fine day for a serious conversation, don’t you think? Far better than, oh, say, last night or even early this morning?”

An irritated sniff was Mattie’s only response.

Annabeth looked from Hunter to her mother and back again. “Is there something I’m missing?”

They ignored her question. And her, as if she wasn’t standing right there, listening to every word they said.

Oh, yes, something was definitely going on between the two, something she didn’t fully understand. Hunter was antagonizing Mattie on a whole new level. And yet, it seemed her mother respected him all the more for his daring.

Maybe this meeting wasn’t going to be as awful as Annabeth feared. Then again, it was never a smart idea to presuppose anything when Mattie Silks was involved.

Chapter Sixteen

H
unter was fast losing patience with Mattie Silks. He’d allowed her the upper hand in the last day and a half, but she’d pushed him far enough. It was time she discovered exactly where he stood—and with whom.

Before making his move, he glanced briefly at Annabeth who stood with her arms clasped around her tiny waist. He felt the loneliness coming off her, a self-imposed “pulling away” he understood all too well. Except, she was no longer alone.

She had him.

Perhaps she needed to know that as much as her mother did.

He made the short trek to stand beside her. Shoulder to shoulder now, the two of them became a single unit, solidarity in their common purpose for the future.

But Hunter wasn’t through making his point.

Smiling tenderly into Annabeth’s eyes, he took her hand and brought it to his lips. For his own pleasure, he lingered several seconds longer than necessary.

Mattie’s sharp intake of air confirmed his silent message had been received.

Quirking a brow at the surly woman, he let a smirk play across his lips. He knew his behavior was in poor taste. But he wasn’t feeling especially generous at the moment. Mattie had left him to cool his heels for nearly twelve hours. And for most of today, as well.

No denying Mattie Silks liked her control, too much to go down without a fight. Hunter readied himself for the outburst to come.

She surprised him, though, by remaining perfectly calm as she held his gaze. “You should not have brought Annabeth with you.”

No. He shouldn’t have. He should have tried harder to convince her to stay behind. A mistake easily remedied.

But before he could ask Annabeth to give him a moment alone with her mother, she made her own move.

“I insisted on joining him.” She lifted her chin at an obstinate angle. “Now that I’m here, I’m not leaving.”

All right, then. Everyone knew where everyone else stood. He squeezed Annabeth’s hand.

She squeezed back.

Mattie gave a long-suffering sigh that expressed her displeasure better than words ever could. For a beat, her tough exterior slipped—just a bit—then returned with a sharp hardening of her eyes. “Annabeth, you are being uncommonly stubborn. I must speak with Hunter alone. I demand you leave us this instant.”

“No,
Mother.
” The muscles in her back and shoulders went taut as she spoke. “We both know your argument is with me, not Hunter.”

Untrue.

Mattie’s fight was with them both. Annabeth had to know that.
Of course
she knew that.

Which meant she was trying to protect him, in her own sweet way.

Something inside him softened, turned to mush. He felt her very essence pulling him to her. She was extraordinary, special, and he couldn’t help but stare into her forthright, earnest face.

Captivated inside those big, gorgeous eyes, his own need to protect kicked up a notch. He wanted to hustle her out of this room—out of this town—to a place where no one could hurt her. Not even her own mother.

Especially
her own mother.

Unable to stop himself, he cupped her face and smiled. He knew touching Annabeth was a bad idea—it would only further antagonize Mattie—but he did so, anyway. He suspected the gesture revealed a portion of his heart, a portion he didn’t quite understand himself.

He really needed to stop this madness.

Unfortunately, Annabeth wasn’t helping matters. She was actually leaning into his palm.

Mattie snorted. “That’s quite enough of that.”

True. And yet...

And yet...

He couldn’t seem to pull his hand away from Annabeth’s lovely face.

“Let her go, Hunter.” It was the panic he heard in Mattie’s voice that made him drop his hand.

Annabeth was not a pawn to be used in some twisted game against her mother. She was a beautiful, warm, loving woman who deserved to be treated with respect.

Swallowing, he took a large step away from her.

In the next moment, Mattie proceeded to push and shove until she’d physically moved him halfway across the room.

Seemingly satisfied she’d created enough distance between him and Annabeth, she said, “Don’t touch her again.” She thumped him on the chest. “I mean it, Hunter.”

At the absolute desperation in her eyes, he realized this was no game for Mattie.

He needed to tread softly.

“I have no plans to hurt Annabeth. Quite the contrary. I plan to do whatever it takes to care for her and keep her safe.”

“You can’t make that guarantee.”

Oh, but he could. Lifting Mattie’s chin with a curled finger, he looked her straight in the eye. “I give you my word.”

“Ridiculous man. You think I’d fall for that false sincerity in your voice?” Lips trembling, Mattie jerked away from him. “Mark my words, Hunter Mitchell, when boys start sniffing around your daughter, you’ll understand.”

If any boy came near Sarah...

The idea was so horrible to contemplate, he visibly shuddered. “I understand now.”

“If you two are quite done pretending I’m not in the room,” Annabeth said, “I’d like to speak for myself.”

Simultaneously, he and Mattie swung around and silenced her with a look.

“Fine, fight it out among yourselves.” She scowled at them both, then sank in a nearby chair.

Satisfied Annabeth was momentarily out of the conversation, Hunter turned his attention back to Mattie. He caught her staring at her daughter with unmistakable pain in her eyes, as if she loved her child more than life itself and was rendered helpless under the weight of the emotion.

Hunter knew that feeling. From the moment Sarah had leaped into his arms last week, he’d been torn between a complicated mix of fear and desperation, hope and love. Such love. Only since meeting his daughter was Hunter beginning to understand the Lord’s command to love as He loved.

Annabeth had inspired him, too, in ways he couldn’t yet define. Every day she slipped beneath his well-laid defenses, creating an emotional bond he’d never experienced with a woman before. He had no idea what to do with his feelings for her, or how to address his growing attachment. All he knew was that he had to make matters right with her mother.

“Look, Mattie, no more games, no more wordplay. I came here today to assure you that I—”

“No, no. Don’t you dare use that low, reasonable tone with me.” Mattie’s face went cold, her voice turned sharp. “Nothing has changed since the last time we had this conversation.”

Actually, a lot had changed.

“If Annabeth leaves town with you, she’s as good as ruined.”

Not if he kept his hands to himself and didn’t kiss her any more. “She will remain as innocent and untouched as she is now,” he vowed, a promise to himself as well as to Mattie.

Not that he was immune to Annabeth’s considerable charms, or that he didn’t want her in the way a man wanted a woman. But there was more to his feelings for her. She brought out a new, deeper emotion in him, one that went beyond the physical, a sacrificial willingness to give up his dreams in order to indulge hers.

He wanted to make her life easier. He wanted to see her happy.

And he had a good idea where to start.

“Come with us, Mattie. Come live on the ranch with Annabeth, Sarah and me. Come be a part of our family.”

A sharp intake of air made him cut a quick glance at Annabeth. He recognized the restrained hope on her face, and he knew he’d been right to make the request.

Mattie laughed in response, a twisted, bitter sound that made her daughter cringe and practically fold inside herself.

“Hunter, my dear boy, you can’t be serious.”

Annabeth’s face crumpled.

Feeling her pain as though it were his own, Hunter wanted to go to Annabeth, but not yet. Not until he finished with Mattie. “I’m deadly serious.”

“I can’t just leave town and go live on a ranch.” She shuddered. “The very idea.”

“Why not?” The question came from Annabeth, who seemed to have rallied once again. “Why not quit this life and start over?”

“You know why, Annabeth.”

“Do I?”

Sighing, Mattie pressed her fingertips to her temples. “Must you play dumb?” She slashed the air with her hand, the gesture full of pent-up frustration. “Too many people count on me for their livelihood to simply walk away.”

“Let someone else take on that responsibility.” Annabeth’s voice turned pleading.

Mother and daughter stared at one another for an unfathomably long beat.

“Sell the brothel,” Annabeth beseeched.

“Sell the brothel?” Mattie’s eyes widened. “You ask the impossible.”

“Then have one of your girls run it in your stead, or put Jack in charge.”

Shaking her head, Mattie momentarily turned her back on her daughter. Tension radiated from her, almost palpable as she worked her way over to the bookshelf and ran her fingertips along the wooden shelving.

The sadness in Annabeth made Hunter ache to spirit her away this instant. But he sensed this was a conversation that had been a long time coming. Annabeth deserved her answers.

That didn’t mean she had to hear them without the support of someone who cared about her.

He returned to her side and took her hand. The air practically crackled between them. There was something profound in the way she looked at him now, so trusting. He accepted the truth at last. He would do anything for this woman.
Anything.
She had the power to bring him to his knees.

Or perhaps save him from—

“I can’t leave the brothel in someone else’s care.” Mattie sounded sincerely remorseful. Even sad. “My girls rely on me to provide them with a home and a steady income. Someone else might not be so generous, not even Jack.”

Hunter’s jaw slackened at Mattie’s twisted reasoning.

She was no benevolent mother figure to a bunch of wayward girls. She ran a brothel, and she ran it with an iron fist. Men came here daily and paid considerable sums of money to enjoy the services Mattie herself brokered in this house of sin.

Hunter started to remind her of that cold, hard truth, but Annabeth let go of his hand and approached her mother first.

“You provide a home for your girls? A home? This is no home. And your girls aren’t family. They’re prostitutes.” Her voice was quietly calm as she spoke, alarmingly so, as if she was speaking from a considerable distance. “You barter their flesh and you make a considerable profit doing so.”

Mattie stumbled back a step as though Annabeth had struck her. “It’s not about the money.”

“Isn’t it?” Annabeth looked pointedly around the room, her gaze landing on a crystal vase, the silk curtains, the bookshelf filled with first editions.

“All right, yes, I like nice things. But try to understand, my dear. Most of my girls have no skills to speak of, not the kind that would result in a proper situation. If I walk away, they’ll simply end up doing for someone else what they do for me.”

“Then let them.” Annabeth’s eyes filled with tears. “As for you, stop perpetuating the cycle of sin in their lives.”

Sighing, Mattie sank into a chair. She lowered her head momentarily, perhaps to hide her own eyes. Eyes that Hunter noted were fast filling with tears, as well. “What you suggest is the equivalent of abandonment. The world beyond these walls is a cruel one, especially for women like them. You know all this, Annabeth.”

“How would I know?” Annabeth choked on a sob. “You’ve never explained any of this to me before.”

“I just did. And I won’t continue to defend my lifestyle choices to you.” Mattie rose and swept her gaze over her daughter. “We won’t speak on the matter again.”

Annabeth blinked. “But, Mother, I truly want you to come with us to the ranch.”

“With us? As if you’re a couple?” Her voice rose with emotion. “Has he made a respectable offer? Of course he hasn’t.”

Not waiting for her daughter’s response, Mattie skirted around Annabeth and approached Hunter. There was something rigid about her expression now, something a little ruthless, even cruel.

Hunter felt his throat thicken with dread. This was the Mattie Silks the rest of the world saw. “You will take Annabeth out of my sight at once, and never bring her here again.”

“Don’t do this, Mattie. Don’t do this to your daughter,” he said softly, pained. “Or to yourself.”

She ignored his plea. “Annabeth is no longer welcome in this house, nor are you.”

“Mattie.” Hunter appealed to the goodness he knew was in her. “There are other solutions.”

“Oh, please.” Annabeth gave an impressive eye roll. “Don’t be fooled by this ridiculous display, Hunter. She’s bluffing.”

“This is no bluff,” Mattie warned without an ounce of flexibility in her voice.

Eyes locked with Mattie’s, Annabeth stepped forward until they stood nose to nose. “You don’t get to control this situation. Not this time.”

Mattie flicked a desperate look at Hunter, then threw her shoulders back and hardened her resolve. “Get out.”

“Or what?” Annabeth asked. “You’ll have Jack escort me out? Go ahead, Mother, call him.”

The two women stared at each other. Or rather, glared at each other. Both were bluffing, but each was too proud to be the first to relent.

Hunter considered interjecting himself into the fray, but his instincts told him he would only make matters worse. He held back a moment longer.

“Stop this, Annabeth. Stop this right now. I will not tolerate open rebellion in my own house.”

“I’m not one of your girls. Nor am I under your control, financially or otherwise. You made sure of that a year ago when you cut me off. Funny how you didn’t have a problem abandoning me.”

Mattie’s shoulders dropped. “Everything I have ever done has been to protect you.”

“Is that right? Well, I don’t need your kind of protection.” Annabeth drew in a long, slow breath. “You’ve made your stand. Now it’s time I made mine.”

She shot Hunter a quicksilver grin. He had a bad feeling about this.

He quickly moved between the two women, fearing he’d waited too late to intercede.

Annabeth skirted around him, said something low to her mother and then spun around to face him directly. The look in her eyes was full of single-minded resolve.