Page 67 of Live Love Lasso

True to his sweetheart nature, Bebop, the pittie, sits very still, waiting for Roger to get settled. He tucks both legs under himself and lies down between the pit hell’s black ears, watching me.

I wave the hammer at him. “You’re a menace, you little asshole. You’re lucky Bebop is so understanding.”

His answering cluck pulls a laugh from my throat. But when Lemon’s name flashes over my comm watch, I can’t help the smile that fully overtakes me.

It falls the moment I answer her, and all I hear is sobbing.

I’m out of my chair and out the door, the pit hells crowding around me, hollering and yapping at my sudden movement. Chickens flutter and squawk as I rush to the truck.

“Lemon, baby, what’s wrong?”

“I—” Hiccup. Sob. Another hiccup. “I…I’m at the Keeper’s place sitting on the porch. Can you just come here?”

I dive into the truck and slam my key in. The tires throw gravel as I peel away from the cottage, barely missing Roger, who leaps up into the air and shouts at me. Half the pit hells run alongside the truck until I get down the road a ways.

“What happened, baby?” I keep my tone calm.

But she’s already hung up. Her absence hits me like a ton of bricks to the face. Got to get to her. In my chest, an ache starts up and overtakes me until it feels like I’m having either a heart or panic attack. Maybe both.

I don’t slow as I speed down red dirt roads to her.

When the Keeper’s house comes into view, I drive up over the sidewalk and throw the car in park. Leaping over the hood, I yank the wrought iron gate open and rush through it. Lemon’s seated on the front steps, legs tucked tightly together and cheek resting on her forearm. Her eyes are red-rimmed, tears streaming down her round cheeks.

The moment I’m close, I slide onto my knees, ignoring angry-sounding creaks and groans from the house. “Baby.” I tip Lemon’s chin up so I can check her out. “What happened? Are you hurt?” I scan her quickly, but I don’t see blood or any sort of wound. Just a lot of tears.

She shifts into my arms, throwing hers around my neck as a fresh wave of sobbing overtakes her. I hold her for a long time, until the tears begin to subside. I pour every bit of love I have for her into my embrace, hoping she can feel it, that my brand of steady will bring her a little bit of peace to get through whatever this is.

“Talk to me, baby.” I scratch softly at her back. “What’s got you like this?”

“Not what.” She shifts back onto the top step, wiping at her red eyes. “My father and brother came into town and surprised me at work. They…” She trails off, threatening to break into a fresh round of tears. She manages to keep them at bay, although her lip quivers.

“They’re the worst. They demanded I go to dinner and grilled me about seeing us on the cover of The Gulch Gossip. Father told me he was disappointed in me and that my mo—mother would be too, if she were alive.”

More tears do come then. I join her on the top step and pull her into my lap, tucking her head beneath my chin as I cradle her. I hum to her as I wait for her pain to ease.

But while my woman cries in my arms, I plot death to those other two. They hurt her. They made tears fall from those pretty crimson eyes, and I cannot stand by and let that happen. We’re gonna change a few things as soon as I make sure she’s good.

“Why’d they come here?” I stroke her thigh, sliding my fingers underneath the ruffled edges of her skirt.

Lemon sighs and glances up, her expression exhausted and overwrought. “They sent me here because I fucked up a potion, and it made our client sick. Well, Hunter fucked up the prep, and I was an idiot and didn’t double-check it. He’s supposed to be a pro, but he’s careless. I knew better, but…”

She blows out an irritated-sounding breath. “Lesson learned that I most definitely can’t trust my brother. But it made things difficult for our family. Father sent me here to get me out of the public eye and to learn something.”

She air quotes the last few words, and I suspect it’s because she’s been so frustrated with Letitia so far.

She’s here in hiding. I’m not surprised from what she’s shared in the last few weeks. But knowing they sent her here as some sort of punishment infuriates me on a few fronts—primarily her emotional state.

I stroke tear-wet hair away from her cheeks. “Will you come somewhere with me, Lemon? We can talk on the way, baby.”

She nods and strokes the top step, looking up at the Keeper’s house. “Sweet girl, I’ll be back tomorrow, okay? We’ll talk more then.”

I don’t have time to marvel at the fact that Lemon’s the first monster who’s been able to get past the house’s gates in decades. We’re gonna revisit that later though, because it’s meaningful. I just don’t know how quite yet.

I stand with my woman in my arms, stalking back to the car where I slip her onto the middle of the bench seat. Rounding the bed, I get into the driver’s side and wrap my hand around her thick thigh, squeezing her close to me.

She sniffles. “Where are we going?”

I smile down at her as I kiss the top of her head. “I have a tattoo appointment with Cairn, and given the night you’ve had, I actually think it would be good for you to come with me.”