“Grace!” Viper called from behind me.
I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Doing so would cause me to break down and I refused. Not only in front of him, but doing so for the hundredth time wouldn’t bring them back or solve the ugly mystery.
“Come on, Grace. Stop. Please just talk to me.”
“Just leave me alone, Viper. I don’t want to talk.” The pups thought we were playing a game, racing in front of me, their ears flapping as they jumped and sparred like two friends would do.
I rubbed my eyes, making a sharp turn to try to throw Viper off.
“Grace. Please. What’s wrong?”
Everything was a mess. My life. Him. The fact I couldn’t cope with the loss. “Nothing. Just leave me alone.”
He grumbled, his voice sounding closer. When I was finally near the corral and an open space, I took off running. Only I hadn’t realized just how close he’d gotten. His hand slapped around my arm, jerking me backward.
“Let me go!” I insisted, somehow managing to break his hold.
“Oh, no, you don’t. What is this about? Please tell me what’s wrong.”
Deflection. That’s one thing I was damn good at. And I certainly didn’t want to talk to him about my parents. I would end up like some weepy child, weak and snivelly and no one was allowed to see me at my worst.
Even Darlene had only seen the tip of the iceberg.
There were a dozen reasons why I was private, but the last thing I wanted to admit to anyone was how atrocious my fears were. And the stupid fantasies I’d had of someone watching me. Which wasn’t true.
“Just don’t. Okay?” He continued to crowd my space, driving me crazy with his attentiveness and pretending like he cared.
“I’m not leaving you alone until you tell me what’s wrong.”
Huffing, I tried to pick up my pace, but there was no way I could get away from him. That’s when something snapped inside and I stopped on a dime, spinning around to face him and throwing a finger into his face. “Why the hell can’t you leave well enough alone?”
Viper jerked to a stop, the wild expression on his face highlighting his utter confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Where’s your truck, huh? Were you spying on me?”
“I repeat, what are you talking about?”
I slapped my hands on my hips, pacing back and forth. “You just had to invade my privacy by seeing the barn. Didn’t you? When I asked you to stay away you ignored me. That makes you a bastard.”
He reared back, his mouth dropping open. “First of all, I don’t remember you telling me to stay away. Second, I took the backroad, not knowing where it went. When I noticed the river, I climbed out. Sure, I saw the damn barn. The building is half burned. A rafter fell when I was standing by the riverbank. That’s a safety hazard, completely dangerous. Think about the dogs running around inside. They could get hurt.”
“Dogs? You mean dog. As in one dog. My dog. Sailor doesn’t belong to me. Neither do you.” Christ. I didn’t even know what was being shot from my mouth, I was so out of sorts.
Because of seeing the building or because of him?
His eyes darted back and forth, his jaw in a tight clench. “What in the hell is this about? Yes, Sailor is my dog but… I don’t get it, lady. You invited me to stay here. I was exploring the property.”
“Yeah?” I took a step closer.
“Yeah.” He also took a step closer.
“Well, you shouldn’t have. Like you said, the area is dangerous.”
His laugh was harsh. “Exactly. What the hell is going on here?”
“Nothing. Not one damn thing.”
“What happened with the barn? Why was it on fire? What are you hiding about that fire?”
