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Ignoring the sting that clung to the roots of my hair, I pressed my lips to her forehead again. “But you said you didn’t want to?”
“Things have changed,” she quietly began. “She left me. Abandoned me. I deserve answers, and I’m so tired of feeling like I’m not the strong woman that my dad raised me to be. Facing her, a person who to me died twenty-eight years ago, will give me some of that control back. You’ve protected me since the day I arrived here. But you also believe that I’m strong, so let me be that strong woman please,” she answered.
“Okay,” I muttered. “Okay.”
Silence befell us as we remained wrapped up with each other. The closure that she needed with the woman who gave birth to her would come soon, and I was so proud of her. That defiance, that strength was what I wanted everyone in the world to see.
Shifting the subject to something more joyous, I spoke. “I also wanted to let you know that Wayde won’t bother you for a long, long time.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, for one, I beat the living tar out of him.” I pulled away from her and sat back down in the chair beside the white hospital bed. Sunlight poured in through the window opposite me; the constant sterile smell lingered in the bright air that was slowly beginning to fill with hope.
“Good,” she replied, her smile widening as relief filled the features of a woman I cared for so deeply. “And two?”
“Well, I dialed the police before he confessed, and they heard it all. So, he’s in jail. I felt horrible for playing into his game and trying to feed his ego—”
“But it totally worked!” She cut me off with a smile and looked up at the speckled ceiling.
“It did. I’m glad you caught on.”
“I trust you, Cassidy Duke. And I’ve never met someone as smart as you, so I figured you were playing an angle,” she answered. Her hand lifted, and she brushed her fingers over the silk bonnet wound around her hair. “Uh, what is this?”
“Your bonnet, Goldie. You think I wasn’t going to bring that to make sure your hair was protected?”
A light giggle left her lips. “Are you saying you like my hair even though it’s unusual?”
Leaning back in the chair, I threaded my fingers through her hand that was closest to me. “I’m surprised you’re even asking such a question after that shower we took together,” I teased, and she clicked her tongue.
“You should keep that to yourself,” she chastised.
“Oh yeah, I’m keeping all of you for myself.” I offered her a wink, and she gave me her infamous eye roll.
“By the way, did Doc find anything?” she asked, and I swiped my thumb up and down her hand. Bliss. Absolute bliss filled my soul. I should probably go let the doctor know she was awake, but I wasn’t quite ready for our privacy to end. Not just yet.
I nodded. “Yeah. The soil samples he took showed unusually high levels of sodium chlorate. Plus, the police were able to get and execute a search warrant quickly because of the recorded call and found the tubs that Wayde mentioned. Then the lab got back with results, and every one of your cattle had elevated levels.”
A tear slid down her cheek as the smile fell from her face. “I should’ve paid better attention. Or monitored them better. Or called the vet sooner. Or—”
“Or what? Goldie, it wouldn’t have changed anything. Wayde would’ve just found a different way. He’s not stupid. He’s also not the smartest guy in the world, but he was smart enough to do what he did. So, you’ve gotta let go of the ‘what if’s,’ okay?” Reaching forward, I swept the tear away from her cheek, the softness of her skin a sharp contrast to my roughened palm.
“Besides,” I continued when she didn’t say anything. “If it hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t have shown up at the ranch. We would’ve never met, and that would’ve been the real travesty in all of this.”
Her lips twitched, a smile threatening to join the show. “Even though I was mean to you?”
“It was your defense mechanism. Besides, I like some fight in my woman,” I answered.
She nodded, sniffing, and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m still your girl?” she questioned.
“Of course.”
“Even if I’m never able to ride horses again?” she added quietly, worry staining her gentle features.
“Why would you not be able to ride again?” I asked, my brows pulling together.
“Cassidy,” she whimpered, her face immediately twisting in terror. A stark, shocking difference from just a moment before.
“What is it?” Scanning her figure, my brows narrowed.
