“Shit, do you hear sirens? I think I do.”
Jensen is finally close enough for me to let the boys go, and he’ll be able to get them. I slowly set the boys down.
They bolt toward their parents, but Jensen jumps in the way. At the same time, Matt drops Dallas.
I lunge toward him, expecting him to go for the boys or even me.
But he doesn’t. Instead, he uses them as human shields to jump into his truck, start the engine, and peel out of the parking lot. He narrowly misses running over Dutton and Dawson, who are trying to get to Dallas.
I watch him head toward Oklahoma, turning back to Jensen.
“You want me to follow him, boss?”
“Nope. Just track my phone that’s in his back seat.”
34
DALLAS
Iwas still shaking when we got back to Redford Ranch.
The boys had fallen asleep on me in the back seat. They were filthy, hungry, and still wearing the clothes they’d had on when I dropped them off at Matt’s two days ago.
Duke stopped to get them some car seats for his truck, thankfully, so the long car ride would be safer for them.
When we went through a drive-through for tacos, they gobbled them up like they hadn’t eaten in days.
I’m barely holding myself together when I get them out of the bathtub. Duke comes into the bathroom and sets down some fresh clothes for them that he got from the bunkhouse. He takes one look at my face and frowns.
“Why don’t I put a movie on for the boys and sit with them while you shower?”
I nearly collapse in a heap of gratitude before feeling myself nod. I finish helping the twins get dressed andbrush their teeth before taking them into the living area. Duke is on the sofa, scrolling through the movies on the huge TV screen. He has a bowl of popcorn and two apple juice boxes on the coffee table. I wonder where he got them. I know I didn’t have any left at the bunkhouse.
He has two comfy blankets on either side of him.
“Have you boys seenSpirit?”
Dawson and Dutton nod vigorously. They each hop up onto the couch on either side of him, clearly drawn in by the scent of the buttery popcorn.
“Mommy, sit.” Dutton pats the space next to him.
I give him my best happy smile. “I will, baby. Mommy needs to take a quick shower first, okay?”
I half expect him to start crying and beg me to stay, but he simply pops a piece of popcorn into his mouth. The boys are surprisingly comfortable around Duke. He’s the fun, roping cowboy to them.
I turn away and go into Duke’s bathroom, finally letting the tears fall. I collapse onto the bathroom floor, sobs wrecking my body. I don’t know how much time passes before strong arms lift me up and place me inside the walk-in shower. I gasp when the cool water hits me, but it quickly turns warm.
My sobs turn to hiccups before I turn my face up to study Duke’s. His brows are pinched together with worry and fear. He brushes my hair back from my face.
“I’m going to help you shower off, okay? Then you’re gonna come watch a movie with us and have a nice glass of wine.”
I search his eyes, desperate to know what he’s thinking.Is he just waiting for a way to get out of this mess?
“Why are you helping us? You don’t have to do this.”
He reaches for the hem of my shirt and pulls it off over my head. I’m not wearing a bra, so my shorts go next. He grabs the showerhead and uses it to wet my hair. He’s still wearing his jeans, but he must’ve taken his shirt off before getting in.
“I’m not sure why this is so hard for you to understand, darlin’, but I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to be my girlfriend anymore if the information you’ve learned about me is too much for you, but I’m not leaving you alone to deal with this shit on your own.”
