Page 100 of If I Didn’t Have You

“He said he was a spy.” Ben chuckled humorlessly. “I didn’t believe him, of course. I thought he was just on the run, but after I put him up in the bunk house, I went into town and had the sheriff look him up. He didn’t exist.”

“Everyone exists.”

“Not this guy. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just kept an eye on him, and then he was gone. A few years later, he stopped in again, asking me if I could keep someone safe for a while. That’s when Jimmy came to work for us.”

Craning my neck again, I stared at him with wide eyes. “Jimmy? Jimmy that stayed with us for two years and then vanished one day?”

He nodded at me. “It was better if you didn’t know anything. Men came and went over the years, all of them hiding out and working the ranch…it was a thing. And then he showed up one day with Lily. Said she needed someplace to hide out. She was beaten to hell and so skittish, I couldn’t even stay in the room with her.”

“That was several years ago. Has he come back to tell you anything more?”

I felt him shake his head. “Michael never really came by with details. I just assumed that I was to keep her safe until he returned for her.”

“That’s a big thing to ask.”

“It wasn’t in the past. The guys always worked the ranch and earned their keep. But Lily…I couldn’t exactly turn her away.”

“Why not?”

“Would you want me to?”

I’d been around Lily a lot, bringing her food and trying to get to know her. Honestly, the woman hardly spoke to me. She couldn’t even make eye contact. It was clear that she needed help, and knowing my husband gave her someplace to stay warmed my heart.

“No, I suppose not.”

“Anyway, when he brought her by, that was the last time I saw him. When he didn’t come back for her after a year, I figured I’d better help her acclimate to the place. That’s when I called Ryder and asked him to help her out with a job. From what I understand, she’s getting better around people, but I don’t know that she’ll ever be okay.”

“Thank you for telling me,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

He tugged on Nox’s reins a short time later, stopping him just outside the falls. God, it had been ages since I’d been out here. Ben dismounted first, then held his hands up for me, helping me down. My legs were sore from the ride, but I enjoyed every second of it.

“It’s been a day or two since you were last in the saddle,” he chuckled.

“Tell me about it. Forget exercising. I could ride a horse a few times a week, and my legs would be as strong as an ox.”

Chuckling, he led me down to the pool of water that I hadn’t been in since we were much younger. The mist from the falls hit my face, cooling me in the late summer heat. Memories swarmed me from that night of our engagement, how Ben lured me into the water, and we finally had sex for the first time in the grass just a hundred feet away.

“What’s that smile about?” he asked, tucking his arms around my waist from behind.

“I was remembering our first time.”

He hummed in my ear, nipping at the lobe with his teeth. “Suave as ever. I didn’t exactly account for the bugs.”

“Or the dirt.”

“Nope. But it was sexy as hell, seeing you spread out on the grass for me.”

“Memorable for sure,” I grinned.

“That was the night we made Liam.”

“Thank God the wedding was the next month. The scandal would have ripped this town apart.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they knew,” he chuckled.

Then his fingers slid down my stomach, catching the material from my dress and tugging it up.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?”