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“Are you okay? I was so worried about you.”
Here he had been, concerned that she wouldhave second thoughts after seeing him at the gas station. He was a monster and didn’t deserve her tears. He reached up and ran a finger along her cheek.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” he murmured. He relaxed slightly now that he was able to see her up close and personal.
Worry and fear filled her eyes, and he wanted to erase them. Later, he’d ensure she would have other thoughts on her mind.
Someone cleared their throat, snagging Draven’s attention. He glanced over and found his father studying him with raised eyebrows. He jerked his head to the door.
“Let’s get out of here.”
They exited the building and walked toward Draven’s truck. Ridge’s pickup was parked next to Draven’s. He entwined his fingers with Cashea’s and brought her close to him. He didn’t want her out of his sight. Once they were out of earshot, Ridge turned to him and folded his arms in front of his chest.
“Your brother introduced us to your friend, here,” Andy said.
His light-blue eyes, the same as Draven’s and Ridge’s, had a special twinkle in them. His fatherwas horrible at hiding his feelings when it came to his boys and their love lives. Draven was pretty sure he’d probably already called Bee and told her about Cashea.
“I was going to introduce her to y’all,” Draven admitted.
Cashea’s head swung toward him. He felt the heat of her gaze on him. He glanced down at her and drew her closer to him. They hadn’t had a chance to finish having their conversation. They had a lot to discuss, and eventually he would have brought it up.
“What the fuck happened?” Ridge growled. A scowl crossed his face.
Ridge may be the laid-back one of the two of them, and their bond was tight, but his brother would have been right by his side had he been there. A muscle ticked on the side of Ridge’s face. He was pissed off.
“And are we still going to have a problem?” Buck asked.
Draven glanced over at the station before leaning back against his truck. He tugged Cashea next to him, not wanting her to be too far from him.
“Brett Falco. I had a little encounter with him down at the bar,” Draven started.
“John’s son?” Andy interrupted.
Draven nodded. His father pretty much knew everyone in the damn town. The Falcos had been in the town as long as the Harveys had been.
“Brett was getting handsy with Cashea, and I had to set him straight. The fucker then went and slashed her tires,” Draven said.
His brother, father, and Buck all went still. Each of them were military men. His father and Buck were retired Navy while Ridge had served in the Army before he’d come home and gone to veterinarian school.
Draven briefly summarized his visit to Brett at the hardware store.
“Wait, what? Why didn’t you tell me?” Cashea exclaimed. She pulled away from him and tilted her head, studying him. She reached up and tucked her dark hair behind her ear. “Is this why he brought his boys to attack you? As payback?”
“They’ve learned their lesson,” Draven said.
Buck appeared to relax slightly. His father’s friend was a hard-nosed vet who didn’t take any shit from anyone. He was like an uncle to Ridge and Draven.
“Well, until we are for certain, we’ll make sure everyone knows to stay alert. They’ll be picking thewrong damn ranch to fuck with—excuse my language.” Buck’s face softened as he looked over at Cashea.
She smiled and leaned into Draven. He liked the feeling of her body resting against his. He could certainly get used to this. He didn’t miss the way his father took the two of them in. Draven was sure he and the old man would be having a conversation later about Cashea. He tugged her back to him and held her close.
“I need to take Cashea home so she can go to work,” Draven said gruffly.
She shook her head. He raised an eyebrow at her.
“I called off once I got here because I wasn’t sure how long they would keep you. I didn’t want to leave without making sure you were okay,” she said.
Draven softened at her words.
