Secrets Behind Those Eyes (17 page)

“Yeah but I mean most of that was her
years ago. What about now? I mean she doesn’t seem to have a
boyfriend now. Maybe she’s outgrown some of that.”

“Maybe but last account I had she was
dating some blown up gym rat or something. The boys wouldn’t say
but I’m pretty sure he was running around on her and knocking her
around.”

“Damn that’s sad. Seems like she’s had
it pretty rough.”

“Yeah and I like her. I just worry
about her being with my brother that’s all.”

“Hey he’s probably just being a friend
to her, which it sounds like she could use a few of
them.”

“Yeah I guess you are right. It was
just weird walking in that room today and her there like that.” She
shakes her head. “Whatever. Let’s just go enjoy the
concert.”

“Sure we can deal with all of the
drama later.”

She leans over and kisses me. “Sounds
like a plan to me.”

Chapter 27

Scarlet

Gable’s concert last night was
awesome. I know it won’t be long before his band hits it big and
are headlining their own shows. People were going crazy. They
opened for Razor’s Edge and they’ve had billboard chart toppers. So
I know being around them has helped their publicity, but that place
was balls to the walls crazy. I’ve never seen so many girls trying
to get my brother’s attention, hell there were some who even wanted
Ivie’s attention.

Now I’m heading back to my real world.
I’m sad, I know I’ll see Gable in a few weeks but I’ll still miss
him. That in combination with the fact that I have to go back home
and figure out who in the hell is basically threatening and
harassing me.

“Hey what are you in such deep thought
about over there?”

I jump a little. “Oh I was just
thinking about how crazy good Gable’s show was last
night.”

“Yeah babe they were pretty great. I
think it won’t be long and they’ll be selling out venues all on
their own. Don’t get me wrong Razor’s Edge was great but I actually
liked the sound Gable’s band had better. I like more of the old
school rock sound they have, but with a sexy edge. Ivie’s voice is
like amazing.”

“Yeah it is. So how do you think I can
about finding out who this is harassing me?”

“Well first of all I think we need to
get your cell changed, but also I’m going to talk to the bastard
that owns that bar.”

“Please don’t cause yourself any
trouble. I mean both of us probably wouldn’t look to favorable in
the judges eyes right now, if we got into trouble.”

“Yeah well I’m not going to let
someone threaten you or hurt you. Do you understand me?”

“Yes I do. I just think we need to be
smart about this.”

He takes my hand. “We will I
promise.”

The rest of our ride home is quiet, I
nap while Ryder bless heart talks to his dad and Nelson on the
phone about farm stuff.

I wake up as we are pulling down the
drive to Ryder’s house. “Babe I needed to go by my house and get
some clothes, my car. I have stuff to do tomorrow.”

“Yes I know which is why your mom
packed some of your things and dropped them and the car off at my
house. Plus she’s going out of town again and until this mess is
sorted out you are not staying alone.”

“Did she say where she was going? Hell
she tells you more than she’s ever told me.”

“Well I actually ask her. She’s going
up to Augusta something about a meeting with some of the people
from her retreats. She knows I don’t like you staying alone so we
have an understanding. She lets me know when she will not be in
town and I always have an emergency contact number for her. I think
your wreck scared the shit out of her, more than she lets on. She
wants to know that someone is taking care of you.”

“I’ve been doing a fairly decent job
of taking care of myself for years. Why now is she so
concerned?”

“Like I said I think the wreck, the
fact that Gable is gone and he depended on him more than she
realized when it came to you. Plus, she knows that I love you and
would never let anything happen to you. Now come on lets go inside.
I know you are dying to go check on your cow.”

I smile. “Yes I do.”

My phone dings, I almost dread it
until I see it’s a text from Annabelle.

Has Ryder talked to Judd
lately?

I look over to him. “Hey Annabelle is
asking if you’ve talked to Judd lately.”

“He told me their base would probably
be on blackout for a few days, something to do with a sand storm
coming in and some high rank officials coming through. Tell her
don’t worry they can continue sexting or Skype sex or whatever they
are doing soon enough.”

“Ugh.” I text her back.

Ryder says that he told
him his base would probably be on blackout for a few days because a
sandstorm was coming in and high officials coming through. That
you’ll be able to continue whatever the hell it is you two are
doing soon enough. LOL

My phone dings right back.

Okay it just worries me
when we go on radio silence like this. Tell Ryder to get his damn
head out of the gutter it’s not like that between us. We had our
fling, but he’s my friend.

I text back.

Will do. We should do
lunch this week I miss you.

K. Will do.

“She said get your mind out of the
gutter, they are just friends, she was just worried about him.
Which is true, she was going out on a date the other night. I guess
he’s been seeing someone in his unit from what she told me, he told
her.”

“I think he’s killing time with
someone in his unit. But whatever. Let’s go out and check on your
cow.”
I clap like a little girl. “Okay. I know you think I’m silly
because I love that damn cow so much.”

He shakes his head. “No I don’t.” He
kisses me. “I think it’s cute.”

~*~*~

We walk out to the barn and check on
all the babies and their mommas. I check on Button who will still
eat straight out of my hand. Nelson and Ryder talk about the cows
that got sick. It seems they are all fine now and that it was
narrowed down to one shipment of bad feed that was
delivered.

I’m rubbing Button when Ryder walks up
behind me and puts his hands around my waist. “Hey you ready to go
inside and settle in for the night? I’m kinda tired and I have to
meet Nelson out here at 4 in the morning.”

I lean back into him. “Sure let me get
Button his treat and I’ll be ready.”

He laughs. “Okay get him his
treat.”

After getting Button a treat and
closing the gate, Ryder and I make our way back to the
house.

As we enter the bed room Ryder turns
quickly and picks me up, I instinctively wrap my legs around his
waist. “What are we doing?”

He grins. “Shower. Because you are a
very dirty girl.”

He carries me in the bathroom. “Oh I’m
a dirty girl? Well I think you are a very dirty little
boy.”

He grins as he sits me on the counter.
“Baby you know there isn’t anything little about me.”

I slide off the counter and strip out
of my clothes while I watch him strip. As soon as his boxer briefs
come off I drop to my knees and take him in my mouth. That damn
piercing does it for me every time.

“Shit babe. That feels awesome.” He
pulls me up and I let go with a pop sound. “But before I blow I
want to fuck you in my shower.”

I squeal as he turns the water on.
It’s so cold my nipples automatically perk up until they almost
hurt. He takes one of them in his mouth roughly as he thrust into
me. “Oh God Ryder.” I feel his piercing inside me. It always drives
me right to the edge as soon as it hits the spot. “Ryder I’m about
to come.”

“Good because I’m so fucking turned on
this won’t be my best time. This is definitely going to be a
quickie.”

We come together, he sits down on the
shower bench. I’m still straddling his lap. “I love you
Ryder.”

“I love you too babe.”

Chapter 28

Ryder

“Damn boy you look rough.” Nelson
chuckles when I walk through the barn doors at four in the
morning.

“Thanks, you look like one big
freakin’ ray of sunshine yourself.”

“Hey. You should be in a good mood if
you’re tired for the reasons I’m guessing you are tired
from.”

I laugh. “Thanks Nelson.” If he only
knew that I got about two hours of sleep because we couldn’t seem
to get enough of each other and when my alarm went off I really
could’ve went another round with her, but I didn’t have
time.

I spend the morning going around with
Nelson to our different farms. We are checking the feed shipments
to see if any are from the same group that caused the cows at home
to get sick.

Which I can’t stop worrying about
Scarlet and whoever is threatening her.

We pull into a small café to grab some
lunch. Once we sit down he looks at me. “So are you going to tell
me what’s goin’ on in that head of yours? I see the worry all over
your face. Your daddy gets the same look.”

“That obvious huh?”

“Yeah. Look I know Judd is who you
normally talk to. I know that you don’t trust many people and
truthfully son I can’t blame you. But why don’t you give me a shot
at the job until Judd gets back home.”

I nod. “Okay.” While we eat our blue
plate special I explain to him all that’s happened to
Scarlet.

“I agree son. We need to figure out
some way to get to the bottom of it.” He looks at me curiously. “I
do have one question. Do you think whoever is doing this might be
involved in the cows getting sick?”

I shake my head. “No it seems like
that was narrowed to the one shipment of feed, plus you know there
is so much security footage of the farm I think we’d have caught
something.”

He nods. “I get your point. So what
are you going to do about Scarlet?”

“Well, we are going to change her
phone number and I’m going by to talk to that asshole she used to
work for.”

“Don’t get yourself in trouble Ryder.
The judge may not be so lenient next time.”

“Yeah I know. She said the same
thing.”

“Well listen to her. I tell you a
secret son. When it comes to common sense, women are mostly right.
After twenty-five years of marriage I’ll admit that.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Thanks
Nelson. For the record, you listen and give out advice like
Judd.”

“Huh, I taught him everything he
knows.”

~*~*~

I pull into the parking lot of Silver
Moon. It’s still kinda early so I know there won’t be many people
in the bar. As I walk in I see the older lady working that was
worked with Scarlet. “Hey is Danny in?”

Lana looks up. “Yeah he’s in the back
we aren’t open yet though.”

“Well I need to speak with him. It’s a
private matter.”

She tosses the bar towel on the
counter and takes off toward the back. “Fine.”

A few minutes later Danny comes out
from the back looking pissed. “So what can I do for
you?”

“Well it seems my girlfriend Scarlet
was ran off the road after she left work here one night. Also she’s
been getting some very harassing phone calls and texts. You or
maybe your “clients” know anything about that?”

“What exactly are you getting at
boy?”

I lean onto the bar. “I think you know
exactly what the fuck I’m getting at.”

“I think you might want to get the
fuck out of here before you have to be carried or the ambulance
needs to be called.”

Lana steps in. “Hey look here Danny
might be a dickhead, but he’d never hurt that girl.”

“What about that asshole who groped
the shit out of her one night and then she saw him cutting lines
with Danny here? What about him?”

Danny braces himself on the bar. “Look
you tell her to forget she saw that and I’ll check with that guy to
make sure he leaves her alone. Another piece of advice son. Don’t
waltz up into a place like this with that attitude or they may have
to search to find your body. You get me?”

I flip him off as I’m walking out the
door. “Yeah. Yeah. I fucking get you, I’m just not
scared.”

I storm out to my jeep never looking
back at the bar. I tear out of the parking lot throwing gravel
everywhere.

I decide to stop at a small jewelry
store on the way home. The lady behind the counter stops me. “Sir
Can I help you find something?”

“I don’t really know what I’m looking
for yet. I want to get my girl something special for
Christmas.”

“Like perhaps an engagement
ring?”

“Ugh no, we aren’t quite there yet.
Don’t get me wrong we will get there but I don’t want to scare her
off.”

“Well. Have you thought about maybe an
open heart necklace or a promise ring?”