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Connor shook his head and lowered his lips to her temple. “But, you know, it wasn’t them who was at fault, it was me. She was my responsibility and I didn’t live up to my part of the bargain, my pledge to her. She trusted I’d protect her and she ended up dying on the dirty asphalt of a fucking hospital parking lot.”

“What happened to the people she was with?”

“Not a fucking thing. There was no proof. No one saw her with them that night. They of course denied everything. One of them, the dealer, even had the gall of showing up at the club a week after her death, pimping the shit that killed her. I beat the living shit out of him, I would have killed him, my God I wanted to, but the cops showed up before I could finish him off. I ended up getting arrested and charged with assault.”

“So that’s why you sold the club?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I couldn’t stay in Miami, just couldn’t. I grew up in this town and I knew I could live a quiet life here. So I took my share of the money made from the sale of the club and bought this farm.”

“It’s not your fault Connor. You can’t change someone who doesn’t want to be changed.”

“You don’t get it. I opened that fucking club to begin with. I could have been a plumber, or a taxi driver, or a million other things and she’d still be alive. I could have caught on to what was going on sooner. I could have been stronger; kept a better eye on her. Been a better husband. I failed her Sam, I fucking failed her and she’s dead for it.”

“You can’t control another person, Connor. No more than my mother was able to control me.”

“She did send you here though…”

“Exactly… to you.” As the words came out of her mouth a possibility came into her mind. Before her stepfather came into the picture her mother would never have considered sending her away. It seemed like such an out of the blue decision for her mother to make; could the reason she was sent to Connor was because she was travelling the path of his deceased wife and they felt “straightening her up” would also help heal him? Could her being sent to the farm have been just as much to help Connor heal and perhaps give him a second chance?

Her eyes locked onto his and she could see he was coming to the same conclusions.
I’m his do-over.

“So what are you thinking?” she finally asked, unable to take the quiet a moment longer, running her fingers along the buttoned edge of his denim jacket.

“I’m thinking we should have left for the MacMillian farm ten minutes ago.” The seriousness in his expression gave way to a cocky smile.

She returned his smile, a flood of relief washing over her. “So, we’re okay?”

“We were never not okay, Princess.”

Chapter 13

Just like the last time, Samantha was out of the Jeep and heading toward the house before Connor could get the beer out of the vehicle. “You know, you could wait up for a guy,” he called after her, causing her to halt in her tracks.

Spinning around she flashed him a smile. “Sorry. Maybe I’m not too fast, but you’re just too slow. Ever think of that?”

He jogged up to her, stopping at her side. “I was starting to get worried maybe you decided to go on the prowl tonight and were trying to shake the buzzkill boyfriend.”

A peculiar look crossed her face, her grin widening. “Wait a second.” She placed her palm on his chest, eyeing him. “Are you calling me your girlfriend?”

“I ummm…” He hadn’t meant to let it slip, not that it really mattered. The status of their relationship hadn’t really been discussed – until now. Whether they labelled it or not, she was his as much as he was hers.

Her smiled began to slowly fade. “Oh, you didn’t really –” Her cheeks flushed crimson and she took a step back from him.

“Oh shit. No, no.”

Her smile faded completely.

Smooth Connor smooth, keep this up and she’ll go home with the Cooper brothers just in spite.
It was his turn to flush. “I mean. I don’t, it’s been so long I’m not even sure if I’m overstepping. But, I guess I am.” He’d never felt like a bumbling teenager more than he did at that moment.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she raised a brow at him, but he could see the twinkle re-ignite in her dark eyes. “You
guess
you are, or you are?”

“I am. Believe me Princess, nothing would make me happier right now.”

He could see she was attempting to keep a stern expression on her face, but a smile broke out as she walked up to him and slid her arms around his neck. “Then I would love to be your girlfriend, Connor Hudson.”

Sliding his free hand around her waist and pulling her tight, he lowered his lips to hers. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, she squealed and pulled out of his embrace.

“My hat.” She bent and retrieved the black Stetson from the ground, brushed it off and placed it back onto her head then paused a moment in a deliciously sexy pose that he was sure was for his benefit. Feeling eyes on them, he lifted his gaze from her to see the Cooper brothers looking over at them, envy in their stares.

He groaned. “I really need a beer.” He pulled a beer from the case and opened the can; before he could take a drink she snatched it from his hand and winked.

“Thank you.”

With a loud sigh, he began walking again, with her at his side. “You do realize the legal drinking age is twenty-one. What would your mother think if she knew I was letting you drink?”

She gave him a little hip bump. “I think she’d find it a little more shocking to discover I was fucking her new husband’s younger brother.”

“Language, darlin’, language.” He laughed despite his chastising. However, she did bring up a very delicate issue. How in the hell were they going to explain their relationship to his brother and Virginia? While part of the reason she was sent to him may have been to help him get over what happened with Rebecca, he seriously doubted his brother expected an intimate relationship to develop. It was definitely going to have to be handled delicately.

There’s no guarantee she’ll even want to stay when the opportunity arises for her to make the choice, despite what she thinks she wants
, a voice in the back of his head reminded. As much as he didn’t want to listen to that voice, it carried a valid point.

~*~*~*~

Once the fact that Connor was no longer a bachelor and they were a couple spread, which took all of ten minutes, the women stopped seeing her as competition and became welcoming. Gina in particular had been hospitable, showing her around and introducing her to some of the people she hadn’t had an opportunity to meet previously.

People here were so different than the people she normally spent time with. They seemed genuine and sincere in wanting to be friends. It was so touching it had nearly brought tears to her eyes a couple of times over the past few hours.

Samantha wandered into the barn in search of Connor. They got parted when the girls grabbed her to help with setting out some snack foods, but that was just a cover for some serious “girl gossip,” where she and Connor were the main focus of conversation.

I’m one of them.
The idea, which would have been implausible to her two weeks ago, brought a smile to her lips.

“So you and Hudson, huh?”

She stopped just inside the entryway of the barn and spun around to see Mark approaching her, his stride slow and unbalanced. He was one beer away from face-planting in a cow pasture.

She shoved her hands into her back pockets, rocked back on her heels and smiled. “It would appear that way.”

“Pfft. What the fuck is with that guy anyhow?”

She frowned. “Excuse me?”

“I said – what the
fuck
is with ’im anyhow? Takes off fer years, comes back an’ every chick in town has her panties wet for ’im.”

Her dark eyes narrowed as she glared up at him. “Connor’s a good man. That’s what is up with him.”

He made a huffing sound. “Yeah, I don’t know ’bout that, good man. Ha.”

As he got closer, she could faintly smell the alcohol on his breath, but up close he didn’t appear as drunk as he had at a distance.

“I know ’bout Miami.” He was about to take another drink from the can of beer, realized it was empty and chucked it against the side of the barn in agitation. “I know ’is wife was a cokehead. Big ol’ whore. Would fuck for a hit.”

Samantha gasped, her mouth dropping open in disbelief. Despite the loud music blasting from behind her, Samantha heard a few gasps and when she turned she noticed Mark’s comments were beginning to gain some attention. Not wanting anyone else to hear whatever it was he was going to say, Samantha grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him out of the barn and away from curious ears.

A lopsided grin spread across Mark’s lips as he allowed her to pull him away from the barn and around the corner out of earshot. She didn’t know what the town knew about Connor’s late wife or if what Mark was saying was true, but for Connor’s sake she didn’t want anyone who didn’t already know to find out.

“How do you know these things?” she demanded once out of earshot.

“Cousin lives in Miami, knew her.” He gave her a wink. “Knew every inch of that pussy.” His eyes scanned her from head to toe focusing on her breasts and her dark nipples that pressed against the tight tank top. “I’d like ta know you.”

Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod!
She looked around them and was horrified to realize that in an effort to get him away from the other guests, she’d also successfully isolated herself from any help if she needed it and by the look in his eyes, she might need it.

“I gotta go,” she said, rushing to walk past him, but his hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and with more force than she could have dreamed a drunken man could possess he tossed her against the outside wall of the barn. With lightning speed his body was against hers, a knee forcing its way between her legs and a hand clamping down on her breast, squeezing her nipple so tight she screamed out in pain as she pushed against his solid frame.

“You like his old woman? You want it, don’t ya?” His teeth nipped at her neck and the smell of beer became so strong it turned her stomach.

“Let me go!” she screamed out again, pure fear rushing through her veins as she pushed against him with every ounce of power she had in her. No one was going to hear her over the thump of the music. No one.

“You’re a cock tease. That it?” He pulled back and stared into her eyes, anger beginning to form within them. He laughed and grabbed at the front of her tank top. She heard an angry ripping sound as the front of the tank top was being ripped down the front.

She screamed out once more only to have his free hand clamp over her mouth. Closing her eyes she clawed at his hand over her mouth, using every ounce of energy to push him enough to escape. With a burst of energy she pushed at his chest and to her surprise his body went flying from hers.

“You fucking piece of shit.” A familiar rage-filled voice bellowed out into the night air. Her eyes sprung open to see Mark was on his back on the ground, Connor straddling him, striking him repeatedly.

“Connor!” Rushing over to the two men, she grabbed Connor’s arm as it drew back for another blow. Connor’s head turned and his eyes caught hers. The rage in his eyes was so intense if she’d just met him she’d have stepped back, trembling in fright. “Connor stop! You’ll kill him!”

Mark groaned from the mixture of alcohol and blows to the head. Connor looked back down at the man below him and then back at Samantha.

“Connor please. Let’s just go. Please.”

“Are you all right?” Slowly, Connor rose to his feet, shedding his jacket and helping her into it so her breasts were covered. After she was covered he did a thorough exam of her. “Did that bastard hurt you?”

She shook her head, slipping into his arms and holding tight to him. She’d never been so grateful to see someone in her life. “Just a little shook up. But okay.”

“Motherfucker. That all ya got?” They both turned to see Mark, unsteadily rising to his feet, stumbling and falling back down.

It looked like Connor was about to go after him again, so she grabbed his hand and gave it a tug. “Come on. Please. Take me home.” He began to move away from Mark with her when they heard movement behind them.

“You sure like the whores, Hudson.” Mark staggered to his feet again using a tree for support, spitting out blood.

Connor froze in his tracks, his body stiffening. Samantha closed her eyes and said a silent prayer Mark would shut his mouth and not repeat what he’d said about Rebecca. Grabbing his face in her hands, she forced his attention to her. “Please. I want to go home.”

Sliding an arm around her shoulders he hugged her to him and guided her around the corner of the barn. They heard a couple of people shout out to them, one of them being Gina, but Connor didn’t break stride and she was grateful for that.

“Did you want to say goodbye to Gina?” Connor asked as they reached the Jeep and he opened her door for her.

“I’ll call her.”

Please, let’s just get out of here,
she mentally pleaded with him
.

He leaned down and kissed her temple. “All right. Let’s get you home.”

The drive home too quiet, she could see the concentration in his expression and had a bad feeling over it. “What’s wrong Connor?”

“I was just thinking of what could have happened if I hadn’t shown up.”

“But you did.”

“I shouldn’t have let you get into the situation in the first place.”

She knew where he was going with this. He was on his way to adding her to his list of women he wasn’t there to protect like he felt he should. She couldn’t allow that to happen. “It’s not your fault Connor, it’s mine. I was the one who took him out back.”

“You did what? Why would you do such a foolish thing? Why would you put yourself in that position?” He glanced over at her, disbelief in his eyes.

Samantha looked down at her hands, lacing her fingers on her lap and shrugged. “He was being obnoxious and was disturbing people, and…”

“So you took a drunk man, who we both know wants to fuck you, to a deserted part of the farm?”

She wanted to tell him why, that she was trying to protect him and the memory of a woman she didn’t even know, but couldn’t. Whether what Mark said was true or not who knew, maybe Connor didn’t even know that part. She’d be damned if she was the one who would inform him, she’d prefer he think she was just being the careless, non-thinking Princess who had a lapse of judgment to him knowing the truth.