Page 13 of When It Reins (Three Rivers Trevors Ranch #5)

juniper

The ranch is going to need to expand if they keep adding members to their family. I walk in the front door, David in tow, and smile at each person who passes by. Many stop and talk with me, ignoring David completely.

I act like I can’t tell or don’t notice anything is wrong.

It is all part of my plan.

When I told David I was heading to the ranch for their normal Sunday lunch, he asked if he could come along. I couldn’t think up an excuse to say no, so I, of course, said yes with a bright, fake smile on my face.

He has no idea that I know everything—or nearly everything—and that is part of my payback.

We’re standing, talking with Dani, who has a rambunctious little one-year-old on her hip who’s fighting to break free, when I feel the energy shift inside the room. I’m not sure if it’s just me, or if everyone feels it.

But I know before I turn that Mitch Cash will be standing somewhere behind me, likely looking right at me.

I ignore the urge to turn, feeling off-kilter since the last time we spoke in close quarters. I thought he was finally, finally going to kiss me, but then he had to go and remind me I technically have a boyfriend.

Though I was going to need my plan to be speedy because, sooner or later, David would realize I wasn’t acting the same.

You could only be on your cycle for so long.

The energy moves again, and I glance behind me, not seeing anything, and turn my attention to Dani again.

“Sorry, guys. I need to go feed this one before she starts yelling.” Dani smiles, flushed from the energy her little one requires, but happy, and takes her daughter out of the room.

David turns to me and frowns. “Is anyone acting weird to you?”

I feign confusion and shrug. “Not really. I think Dani just has a lot on her plate.”

He looks at me for a moment, and I stare back, thinking what a shame his beauty is wasted on someone with a heart of stone. Shame.

“Okay. Let’s get a drink.” He grabs my hand, and I have to put on my best acting face, letting him lead us into the kitchen for drinks.

It’s there I find Shelly and Annmarie, and I breathe a sigh of relief. As my sisters, they’re obligated to be nice to my boyfriend, whether I like him or not. It’s not fair, just the truth.

“Shelly!” I exclaim, using the opportunity to hug her to let go of David’s hand. She widens her eyes in surprise, probably wondering what the big deal is considering I saw her last night.

“Hey, girl.” She returns the hug and pulls back, giving me a confused smile. “Long time no see.”

“Yeah, I know it’s crazy,” I say in a false voice, and I realize as I look at her and my sister, I need to tell someone the truth. And I certainly can’t tell a certain Cash brother, or I’ll get locked up.

I am actually sure that would happen.

“Can I chat with you two for a minute?” I turn to David, who’s smiling kindly but obviously confused. “Sorry, babe. Girl stuff.”

“Oh.” Like most men, he turns away, his face flushed, and I just don’t care. So I usher my sister and her girlfriend into a room that’s unoccupied down the hall.

On further inspection, I’m guessing this was one of the Trevors boys’ rooms.

“What’s going on? You’re acting crazy,” Annmarie says, jumping to the root of the problem like she normally does.

“I’m not dating David anymore,” I say quickly, keeping my voice low.

My sister and Shelly look at each other, confusion etched on their faces. “Um, honey,” Shelly starts, the soft to my sister’s hard, and reaches out for one of my hands. “If you’re not—Does he know that?”

“Not yet,” I reply, trying to think of what to say to make this make sense. Crap. Even my thoughts are jumbled.

“Okay, here’s what I know.” I launch into an explanation of what Rosemary told me, keeping her name out of it. Then I combine that information with the information Mitch won’t tell me, but I throw him under the bus, throwing his name out there without a care.

I explain that the entire time David has been here for work, it is to try to talk people out of their houses, or figure out who is delinquent on their taxes and steal the home out from under them.

“What the fuck?” Shelly says, her expression horrified. I look at my sister, who’s rolling up her sleeves.

“Yeah, it’s horrible, and I don’t really know what to do, but I kind of have an—Hey, what are you doing?” I grasp Annmarie’s arm as she tries to march past me, and Shelly grabs her other side, pulling her back.

“I’m gonna go beat the shit out of him.”

“No! No, no, no.” I push back against her, and Shelly holds her back. This is the reason I wasn’t going to tell them, but I need someone who knows what’s going on, who doesn’t have their own agenda when it comes to this, and who will be on my side, no matter what.

Mitch isn’t that person.

As good of a guy as I thought he was, he would bring this to his club, and they would take over the situation. I don’t want it to escalate and then hurt Rosemary.

“We have to wait,” I say, giving Annmarie a stern look.

“Why? We beat the shit out of him now, and then he leaves us alone, and we do the fundraising.”

“I don’t want to make this some big final battle like some movie, Annmarie.

I want this to go away quietly. If I dump him, he’ll know why, and then I don’t know what he’ll do.

But I’m worried he’ll try to do something to move up the timeline.

” I take a breath and let go of her when it looks like she’s calm.

“As much as I don’t want to, him being with me, thinking that this is real, it slows down his timeline. ”

“She’s right,” Shelly says, nodding at me. “If he has nothing keeping him here, he won’t draw things out like he has been.”

“Exactly.” I nod at her, thanking her silently, and she smiles back.

Annmarie looks between the two of us and sighs, letting her shoulders drop. “Fine. But if he so much as steps a toe out of line, I get the first punch.”

I laugh at her, but she doesn’t smile back. I calm my laughter, giving her a swift nod. “Thank you. I needed to tell someone.”

“We’ve got your back,” Shelly says, pulling me into a hug. “Just promise you’ll be safe.”

“Oh, I plan to cry cramps for a while.”

“I’m worried about you being alone with him at all. What if he figures it out?” Annmarie demands, and I see what she’s thinking. We’ve been through a hell of a lot the last few years. Our sister’s story is probably running through her mind. I get it because I think of it frequently myself.

I give her a tight hug. “I swear I’ll be careful.

I’m going to be needed at work a lot, saving me from having to be with him.

Not to mention I’m supposed to go with Felicity to the studio next week.

” I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage to do that with everything else going on, but I would make it work. I promised.

“Good. Stay down there. Say you have to work forever,” Annmarie says, a bit of a grumble to her voice.

“We’ll see,” I say as we step out into the hall. They go ahead of me, and I’m right behind them when a hand grasps my arm and yanks me into another room.

A bathroom.

“What—” A hand clamps over my mouth before the light is turned on, though it’s dim and doesn’t do much for being able to see well.

But I can smell him.

Mitch.

Then he growls. “What the hell are you thinking?”