Her mother stared at her.“I am so shocked.So disappointed in you, Ayana, to hear you spew such blasphemous words.”
“I’m sorry.”Ayana turned to Telford.She couldn’t resist touching his face as it might be the last time.“I’m sorry.I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my past.But when I was almost fifteen, I was forced to marry.I was a bad wife.It took me some time to plan my escape, and I ran and kept running so I wasn’t free to enter into a marriage with you.Not really.”
She breathed in deeply and stared at the beautiful brown cowboy boots he had purchased for her.She should give them back.
“You’re free, Telford.Free.The contract’s null.I’ll return…” She had to stop speaking because he kissed her.
And her fear and sorrow and exhaustion at being finally run to ground caught up to her, and all she could do was cling to the man she loved that she was about to lose.
*
He, who hadalways abhorred PDA as it seemed such a flex or so revealing-dominating, kissed Ayana as if it was the last time, and he knew that she thought it was.To hell with that.
“You’re not going anywhere with them.And you’re not breaking up our marriage unless you want out.Not because of some pedophile child-trafficking ring dressing themselves up as a religion.”
“What?”She gaped at him.
She heard the Family protesting behind her, but she didn’t pay them any attention because Telford had kissed her like she was drowning.And he held her so close.He looked furious but not at her.His blue eyes snapped, crackled, and skewered the three people now grouped on the bottom stair of the hotel.
“I doubt your marriage was legal,” he scoffed.“And I think the local sheriff will have a high degree of interest that you force children to marry grown men and then keep them prisoner and attempt to kidnap them back on American heartland streets.”
“You misunderstand our religion,” the woman said, wringing her hands.“Ayana never did what she was told.She explained it wrong.”
“No means no,” he said.“In any religion.In any language.She has the right to live how she chooses.If she left your church and herFamily”—his voice gave the word twisted air quotes—“then that’s it.Her choice.You made your case.She said no.Be gone.”
“This country has freedom of religion,” the older man fussed.
“Not when people are unwilling it doesn’t.”
“Let us escort you to your car.”Rohan and Cole stepped forward and flanked the three of them.“And out of town,” Rohan said.
“And this is not optional,” Cole added.
The two former soldiers practically frog-marched the three people to an old Subaru Forester in the Graff parking lot.
Boone ran for his truck so he and his brother and Cole could follow them out of town.
“Well, that is some dramatic end to our bachelor and bachelorette party,” Maddy said.“You’ll be shocked to know I didn’t film a bit of it.”
Cash gathered her close and kissed the top of her head.“Shocked?Yes.You had an opportunity to catch a combo prodigal son and deadbeat dad and a religious cult coming out of the woods all in one night.How will my clicks survive?”
“It would be an epic storyline,” Maddy teased, her eyes shining.
Cash laughed.“You are a menace.”
“But we would have had some great evidence for all of Telford’s future lawsuits.And maybe a reality show.Sue Thy Neighbor—Frontier Version,” Riley said spreading out her hands like she was pitching a story and seeing the title in lights.
“No thank you,” Telford said.“I said I could sue our bio dad.That doesn’t mean I want to, but I will.And now that the drama is over, I have to woo my wife.”
“Woo?”Ayana echoed.“Wife.I don’t even know if we’re married, and I thought you’d be sending the next group of cowboys to escort me out of town in the Jeep with the business end of a rifle.”
“The Jeep is mine.I don’t own a rifle, and the only place I’m escorting you is back to our room.Night, all.See you tomorrow.Apparently, it’s spa day.”
There were extended goodbyes, and they all waited until Boone drove back laughing that the group got a ticket because they’d roared out of the city limits so fast.
Ayana sagged against Telford, not sure she could walk up the stairs to their room.The exhaustion hit hard and fast and the conversation floated around, but she couldn’t focus on any of it.Her head felt like a balloon, and her eyelids felt sealed shut.
And then she was being carried.
