“Better?” he asked after a few moments, his thumb brushing the back of her hand in a soothing motion.
She nodded, the knot of panic in her stomach loosening ever so slightly. “Yes, better,” she affirmed, her voice still a whisper but steadier now. “Thank you.”
Eli’s gaze held hers, unwavering. “Can you tell me what happened in there?”
The concern etched in the lines of his face, the steadiness in his eyes, all spoke of protection. Willow felt the connection between them pull taut, a thread laced with something more than just shared experiences.
“It was a text,” she started, the words spilling out. She unlocked her phone and lifted it to him.
Eli’s jaw set into a hard line. Until he met her eyes again and his expression softened. “Do not believe what this person is saying.” His voice was a low rumble, filled with unwavering conviction. “And they sure as hell don’t get to threaten you and hide behind a damn screen.”
The bar’s raucous laughter and Gunner’s voice filtered out into the night, but here in their quiet corner, she could only stare into the warmth of Eli’s eyes.
“I’m trying not to let this affect me,” she whispered, the coldness of fear slowly melting away under his warmth. “I’ve been trying to forget my past, to start over here, but these messages...they’re dragging me back to a place I thought I’d escaped, and I hate that.” She drew in a sharp breath, shaking her head. “I’m not that scared person anymore.”
“That text would rattle me,” he said firmly. “Every word in that message was meant to break you, but they don’t know you.” His eyes blazed with an intensity that burned away the panic. “You’re stronger than they’ll ever be, and we’ll find out who’s doing this.”
“How?” she asked.
“Leave it with me, all right?” he implored. “I’m going to help you and we’ll stop them.”
She blinked up at him, andsomehow...she believed him.
His thumb brushed over the back of her hand in a soothing gesture, and it occurred to her in that moment that he’d come there tonight to see how she was doing. Here was a man who knew pain, who carried his own scars, offering her a safe shelter, after she’d totally and outright pushed him away.
“Okay,” she breathed out.
“Let’s head back inside,” he suggested, releasing her hand but not the invisible thread that had woven itself between them. “Do not let them ruin your night.”
He said it so adamantly that it brooked no argument, and she lifted her chin and reminded herself, “I won’t ever let anyone ruin my night again.”
“Atta girl.” He grinned.
Then went to open the door. “Wait,” she called. When he turned back to her, she added, “Thank you for talking to Sally today for me. For writing the story about the group.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” he said.
She closed the distance, hoping her gratitude showed on her expression. “I do. It really meant a lot. Thank you.”
Softness reached his typically hard eyes. “You’re welcome, Willow.” He whisked the door open.
And as she headed back inside, she focused on that gratitude and not on the way her body flushed at his tender, low voice.
Five
Early the next morning, Eli’s boots carved a relentless path across the worn floorboards of his living room. The quaint log house on Timber Falls Ranch, usually his sanctuary, now felt uncomfortable with his spiraling thoughts.
Each time he turned on his heel, the image of Willow—those striking green eyes clouded with fear—haunted him. Willow, with her strength etched into every curve of her body, didn’t deserve to be looking over her shoulder. Not in Timber Falls, not anywhere. And yet some coward had made it so, hiding behind malicious words cast out into the digital world, targeting her like she was nothing more than prey.
His hands flexed by his sides, turning into tight fists. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath. He thought about Willow’s past, the way she’d fought tooth and nail to rise above it, to run The Naked Moose without so much as flinching at shadows of old fears. She was trying to build something for herself and other women to crawl out from their painful memories. And Eli? He couldn’t stand to see that light flicker out because of some spineless prick.
He stopped pacing, standing stock-still as a statue, his jaw set in a hard line. He’d done his best to keep a careful distance. She wasn’t ready for a relationship and he wouldn’t pressure her. But he couldn’t take it anymore.
Hecouldprotect her. In more ways than one. And he would protect Willow, come hell or high water.
“Enough is enough,” Eli resolved, seizing the truck keys on his way out the door. He didn’t bother to lock the door behind him.
The truck roared to life as his hands gripped the steering wheel, leather worn smooth from years of working the ranch. Through the windshield, Timber Falls Ranch lay before him.
