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Ignoring my plea to change the subject, her face falls. Her voice comes out weak when she says, “I want to be stronger, Ryker. I need to be stronger.”
She brings her hand up to her face, and I keep quiet, letting her continue.
“I used to be me. I want to be me. There was a time where I laughed, where I had fun, when I knew who I was. When … When I left, I thought I was going to get me back. But now I spend my days looking over my shoulder, worried about who is coming out of the shadows.” Tears roll down her face. “I’m just a shell, Ryker. I’m so lost and broken.”
“Sweetheart, you’re not lost, and you’re not broken. Since you’ve been on this ranch, I’ve seen such a different side of you. From the moment you got here, you’re not the same person, Zo. You left a fucking asshole of an ex—who I’d like to fucking kill with my bare hands, by the way. Zo, you came to a new town, a new fucking state, and started over.” I reach over and lift her chin so she’s looking at me. “You took back your life, albeit with a new name for now, but you took it back. If that isn’t strong, then I don’t know what is.”
I lean in and kiss her lips.
“You’re the strongest woman I know,” I whisper. She moans, and I scoop her up, wrapping her legs around me. Nibbling on her lips and kissing down her neck, I bring us into the bedroom. Slowly, I lower her onto the bed and hover over her, savoring every inch of her skin.
I wasn’t lying. Sheisthe strongest woman I know. She fought to get out of the situation. She planned and got the fuck out of dodge when she found the right time.
Zoey fought for herself, and I’ll do everything I can to fight for her.
* * *
“Ryker, wake up.” Zoey taps my face.
“Hmm. What is it, baby?” Then I hear it.Bang, bang.“Who the fuck is at our door in the middle of the fucking night? If it’s one of my brothers, I’m putting them in a holding cell.” Slowly, I extract myself from Zoey, which is the last thing I want to do.
When I sit up, I hear sirens and suddenly smell something burning. “Zo. Zo, get up. Something is on fire. Now.”
Zoey shoots up, and her eyes go wide. I have a sinking feeling in my stomach. From the look on her face, so does she.
The banging on my front door continues, and we both run over to open it.
Deputy Dalton is there. Her face is etched with concern, and the corners of her mouth are turned down slightly.
“Dalton, what the fuck is going on?” I rub my eyes, trying to rid myself of the sleep that still lingers in them.
“It’s the store. It’s not good, Holliday.” She turns to Zoey and then back to me.
Zoey and I both slip on our shoes and bolt out of the house, sprinting over to the store. Dalton was right. It’s not good. Thick black smoke billows out of store. Flames shoot out of the roof, windows, and doors. My mouth drops open at the sight. The entire building is gone.
“Oh my God. Ryker, what the hell happened?” Zoey reaches out to me, and I pull her into my side.
“I don’t know, Zo. Let’s go find out.” We walk about fifteen feet over to where my parents are standing and holding each other.
“Ry, honey.” My mom’s in tears and reaches out to lay her hand on my arm. My dad’s mouth hangs open in shock, and his face looks pale. I turn back to the shop, finding that orange, yellow, and bits of red flood the scene in front of me.
It’s gone. All those years of hard work, gone, just like that.
I turn to Zoey, and there’s terror in her eyes. She doesn’t blink, her eyes open wide as she looks on. Her body’s shaking, and she covers all but her eyes with her hands.
I reach over to tug her into me, pulling her close against my body.
“Shh. It’ll be okay.” I caress her face, placing my chin on her head as I watch the flames destroy it all.
Once the fire is put out, the fire fighters walk into the building to make sure there are no embers still lit. They’ll probably go in and see if they figure out a quick cause to the fire before the inspector does his own investigation. My heart is beating out of my chest while I watch all of this go down.
After a little while, Dalton comes over with a grim look on her face. “Can I talk to you for a moment, Sheriff?”
“No, whatever you have to say, you can say in front of everyone here. It’s my family’s store, so they should hear.”
“Okay.” She hesitates, looking back at the store. “Who was the last one to work last night? Who closed up?”
Zoey looks right at Dalton. “That would be me. I closed the store.”