Page 14 of When It Reins (Three Rivers Trevors Ranch #5)

mitch

I was pissed. I was so beyond pissed, actually, that I think I felt real steam seeping out of my ears.

She can’t be this stupid.

“What are you talking about?”

Juniper screws up her face in confusion, but I can see right through her. I grab her wrists and push her back against the vanity. “Don’t play dumb, Starling. This isn’t a game.”

She furrows her brows. “I’m not playing any game, Mitch. I was having a private conversation with my sister.”

“Not that private.” Do I admit that I had seen her walking down the hall with her sister and Shelly, and I followed them? No. “I was coming to go to the bathroom and overheard you telling your sister everything you conveniently decided to not tell me.”

She arches a brow, getting close enough that our breath becomes one. “And why would I tell you anything? You don’t tell me stuff.”

“For your own good.”

Juniper huffs and rolls her eyes, shifting enough that I remember I’m holding her wrists still. But I don’t let go. “Right. Well, then, this is for your own good.” She bats her eyelashes and adds in a fake voice. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

I growl, leaning closer until there’s no space between our bodies. I inhale her scent and watch her eyes drop to my lips more than once. “Little Starling, this is not the kind of game you need to be playing.”

Her eyes finally snatch up to mine. Anger burns in them as she says, “This is my life, Mitch. I’m not sitting it out to appease your male ego.”

I scoff, and I shake my head, looking back at her. “This has nothing to do with my ego, and everything to do with?—”

“What?” she challenges, and I see we’re about to tip into dangerous territory. “Protecting your sister-in-law’s sister? Well, don’t worry about me. I’m not your problem.”

“That’s not what you are,” I say before I can stop the words. At least I held back the “to me” part.

For a moment, or maybe a few, we stare at each other, and I try to process what’s going on, why my chest is hammering so hard, why my palms suddenly start itching, and why I don’t think I can hold myself back any longer.

Just as I’m about to lean forward, saying fuck it to everything I’ve held back, she twists her wrists out of my hold and pushes me back gently, but still enough to make a point.

She doesn’t say anything else as she marches out of the bathroom. I take a second to breathe and then follow her out.

We aren’t done.

Not even close.

Stomping out after her, I try to paste a reasonable look on my face so I don’t scare the little kids running around. I can’t help that this woman is making me cranky enough to storm around like I am pissed at the world.

I am frustrated. Irritated. I want to throw her over my shoulder, take her home, and never let her leave my side.

That…is probably the wrong answer.

I spot her heading out the door and follow, wanting to get one more word in before she disappears with the douche lord. She looks like she’s searching for someone, and it makes my blood boil to realize who it is. Of course she is searching for him. He is her boyfriend.

At least, to the outside world.

Now that I know what she’s doing—even if I think it’s stupid—I feel this pull to do something about it.

“Juniper,” I call out, knowing that if I use that nickname that’s so casually slipped from my lips in recent days, someone around here was bound to hear it and make it into something it wasn’t.

“Not now, Mitch.” She throws over her shoulder, bounding down the steps and onto the newly green grass. Spring is working its way out and summer is right around the corner, making it possible to abandon jackets and run out of the house to get away from me quicker.

“Juniper, we need to talk.” Finally, I get close enough to grab her hand just as we come around the house and spot David.

He looks over, casually tucking his phone into his pocket and pasting on what I know is—because I can see right through his bullshit—a fake smile. But that smile morphs as his eyes trail down, and he catches sight of my hand wrapped around hers.

“Of course.” His head shakes, and he starts a performance. One I’m not falling for, so I don’t let go of her hand. I have a visceral feeling to keep hold of her, to not let her go anywhere near this piece of shit.

“David…” Juniper starts, but even her voice is halfhearted. She’s too good, too sweet, and too innocent to do all that acting she was saying she was going to do. Twisting her hand, I see when she decides to try to salvage this moment. “What are you doing?”

He lifts a mocking brow at her, his eyes shifting between the two of us in wonder. I really don’t like this guy.

“Juniper.” His tone is condescending, and he looks at her with almost pity. “I know something is going on between you two. You need to tell me now.”

Her hand pulls from mine. “No. There’s not anything going on between us.” Though I know she is trying to keep up a facade, the monotone way she spoke the words sends a creepy chill down my spine.

I hate how they sound coming out of her mouth. They shouldn’t be the words spoken at all.

“Right. I just happen to go looking for you after your sister comes back alone and you come outside. Holding his hand.” He gestures to me, but his eyes don’t leave Juniper’s. This little fucker was playing mind games.

“I’m sorry, David. He was just telling me something.” Her feet carry her toward him, and I see him change his expression, his sad shifting into acceptance.

He is…manipulating her. Making her feel bad for something she didn’t even do when he is the bad guy here.

“Juniper.” My voice is low and hard, and I want to march over to them and beat the shit out of him. How can she not see it? How can she fall for his words so easily?

“Thanks, Mitch. I think we’ll head out.” Juniper’s tone sounds off, and when I look at her face, I see her first flicker of fear before she’s able to mask it.

David takes her hand, and they start walking by me. I’m coiled so tight that I’m ready to pounce, and…Well, I’m not proud of it, but there is no fucking way she’s leaving like this.

My hand reaches out just as they go to pass us, and I grab his arm. He turns to face me, and his true emotions show on his face. Fear.

Good.

I yank him toward me, the effort I have to exert being next to none, and he trips over to me, letting go of her hand in the process.

Good again.

I cock back my right arm, and knowing this is not really warranted or prompted, I let it fly into the fucker’s nose, hearing and sadistically loving the sound of the bones crunching under my hand.

“Mitch!” I ignore Juniper’s plea, feeling her standing somewhere behind me where she moved and watching David crumple to the ground with little to no effort on my part.

What a little bitch.

“Hey!” I turn and see my cousin through marriage and old good friend CT emerge from the house, followed by his brother and my own. They look at the scene in front of them, and I look away, ready for whatever kind of scolding I am going to get.

I look down, taking a step backward, and nearly run Juniper over.

I turn, unconcerned with the man who’s crying on the ground and calling foul play, and look at Juniper.

Her eyes are glossy, and she grabs my hand, feeling the bloody knuckles, and holds it between her own.

I can see her relief and fear, and she shakes her head before laying it against my chest.

“Thank you.” The words are quiet enough that I don’t know if she means for me to hear them, but I do.

I wrap an arm around her, pulling her in tight, and this tension that’s been coiled tight around my heart releases with the feel of this woman against me.

She is picking my side. It’s been a long time since someone chose me, and I am feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and relief that it is she who does.

“Hey, buddy.” CT approaches David, who’s been yelling nonsense since I hit him. “I think it’s time to go.”

My brothers come closer and insert themselves between Juniper and me and David, acting as a barrier.

“What? He hit me!” I don’t turn to look, and Juniper keeps her head buried in my chest.

I hold her tighter, because there is no fucking way I am letting her go again.

“Is that what you boys saw? Cause I saw this guy approaching Mitch first.” Logan says, surprising me. I look over and catch his eye as Stetson chimes in.

“Yup, that’s what I saw too. Mitch was just defending himself and little Junie there.” I feel Juniper let out a laugh at the name, and I smile, tilting my head down toward her and resting my forehead against the top of her head.

“Well, looks like we all saw the same thing then,” CT continues, and I hear David sputtering. “Guess you better go. Never know if Mitch will want to press charges or something.”

“This is bullshit!” David yells, his words not penetrating the little bubble I’ve created in my arms. “Juniper, let’s go.”

She pushes into me harder at his words. Yeah, no way in fuck am I letting her go with him.

“Juniper,” he demands, and I lift my head, putting on my best you better not fucking say another word glare. Stepping back, he scoffs as he looks at all of us. “Fine. Whatever. She’s all yours then.”

Without another word, thankfully, he stomps off to his car, throwing rocks and gravel around as he peels out of the driveway.

Good fucking riddance.

“Let me get you an ice pack for that hand,” Logan says, patting me on the back as the boys disperse from the lawn.

A few minutes later, we’re sitting on the stairs to the front porch, no longer holding hands technically, but Juniper is holding an ice pack on my hand.

I let her, knowing that this little thing she is doing might make her feel better. She hasn’t spoken since we held each other on the lawn, but she hasn’t left my side either.

“Are you okay?” I finally ask after long moments of silence. I can tell there’s a little bit of shock working its way through her system, but Juniper normally tries to act like everything is fine.

Right now, she isn’t. And that tells me she is comfortable enough with me to not do that.

“I’ll be fine. Sorry you got hurt on my account.” Her eyes don’t leave my hand, but I’m looking right at her. Her brown hair falls forward, trying to block her from my sight, and I clumsily reach over with my left hand, tucking the hair behind her ear.

“I’m not sorry,” I say, knowing that even that small amount of reassurance would work on her.

“I know.” A grin cracks her lips, and she finally looks at me. “You’ve been dying to do that, haven’t you?”

I try and fail to hide a smile at the accusation. “Not at all.”

She levels me with a look, and I shrug.

Another moment of silence passes before she speaks.

“I don’t know what happened just now.” Her words are soft, and I stay quiet to let her get it all out.

“I just…froze. I was scared he’d figure me out and didn’t want to have some weird, bad breakup or anything.

I also thought if I stayed with him, he’d slow the movement on the property. ”

I keep my head bent toward her, and she lets out a sigh, the weight on her shoulders big.

“I don’t know why I thought that.” She shakes her head. “Obviously he’s going to do whatever his job is, and I’m not a factor in that, or he wouldn’t have done it in the first place.”

“You don’t know that he wasn’t serious about you.” I say the words, even though they make me sick to even think them. I don’t want or need Juniper feeling like this because of that asshole.

“I don’t know anything right now.” She sighs again, just as the door to the house opens.

“Hey.” Annmarie and Shelly come over, stepping down the steps. “We’re heading out. Thought you could use a ride.”

“I can take her,” I answer quickly, not wanting to show my hand but on the verge of just saying fuck it.

“That’s okay, Mitch,” Juniper says, smiling softly at me. At least I know she’s not pissed. Fuck. I am already whipped, and I don’t even give a shit.

She reaches over, placing a sweet hand on my cheek and kissing my other one. “Thank you. So much.”

I stand with her, walking her down the steps. Shelly takes over, hooking her arm through Juniper’s, and Annmarie gives me a peculiar look.

“What?” I ask, my voice gruff before I find myself looking at Juniper again.

“Nothing.” Annmarie shrugs and smiles. “Just, you know, wondering when you’re finally going to take action.”

With that, she turns, and I watch the three of them walk down the gravel drive until they reach the car and load in. I stand there for long minutes until the brake lights fully fade and think about Annmarie’s comment.

Maybe she is right.

Maybe the time for action when it comes to Juniper is here, because watching her walk away feels like watching a piece of my heart walk away.

I just hope I can put my own shit aside long enough to make it happen.