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Lake is fighting a grin. “Didn’t think Barry would try to pick a fight. He usually likes girls.”
I stare in horror at him. “I’m not entirely sure if you’re putting me in the same category as a female cow, or if you’re being serious, but either way, no. I’m done here.”
“We’re not done,” Lake tells me, his voice calm as he carries on like nothing happened.
“Oh, we’re done.”
“Let that gate go,” he tells me, waving a hand at one of the guys, “and I’ll send you right back to the cell you came from.”
I gape at him. “What sort of place are you running here? You know nothing about me, so you better watch yourself.”
He grins. “Or what?”
I grind my teeth, but dammit, I keep my hand on the gate.
“Just as I thought.”
I glare at him the entire time we finish up moving the cows. When we’re done, I say nothing as he walks me back to my cabin, muddy and filthy. What a first day this has been. If this is what I’m in for, I’m not interested. This isn’t the kind of retreat that brings peace to your soul. Well, at least not to my soul. What I need is a drink, a bar, and some random man to tell me I’m pretty.
I haven’t had any of those things since I got locked up.
“Waylen will take over now,” Lake tells me as I stomp up the front steps, “but I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”
I ignore him.
We’ll see about that.
I don’t plan to be here first thing in the morning.
No.
I’m done.
I STOMP MY FEET AS I try not to get my shoes muddy. It started raining, of course it did, but that’s not going to stop me getting the hell out of here. I need to get away from this damned retreat and find a place where I fit in, a place where nobody is judging me. A bar. What? Bars are very non-judgmental places—it’s where everyone goes when they’re feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders, and nobody even asks why.
They just pass you drinks and let you get on with your life.
I’ve spent a good portion of my young adult life behind bars and now I’m being forced to play nice with a bunch of hot ranchers and other lady criminals, all while pretending I like it. I don’t like it. I also really don’t like him – Lake. He purposefully set me up to fail with those stupid damned cows earlier, and I’m not going to sit around for the next six weeks and let him continue.
He is messing with the wrong girl when it comes to me.
I bet he wasn’t expecting me to up and leave as soon as the lights went out tonight. We had dinner, I glared at him the entire time and tried very hard not to interact with anyone. The two girls who live on the ranch, Lei and June, who are too damned nice for their own good, made the effort to welcome me. I wasn’t rude to them, but I made it clear I had no interest in participating in their little adventures.
I made the decision in that paddock earlier that I was going to get the hell out of this ranch, for a little while, just a moment, I thought about staying gone, doing a runner, escaping for good, but that’ll only put me back behind bars, and that’s not somewhere I plan on going. So, I’m just going to go into town, have a few drinks, relax, and return. Everyone is asleep, they’ll never even know I’m gone.
I have zero idea how long it’ll actually take me to get into town. I’m hoping someone will drive past and offer me a lift. There is a good chance I’ll get murdered doing that, but I’m taking the risk to be able to sit down with a cold beer and pretend the world doesn’t exist for just a second.
I can taste it now.
“I’ll give it to you, I didn’t think you’d make it this far.”
I squeal in surprise and leap backward.
I can’t see much in the darkness, but the voice is familiar. I flash my light toward it and see Lake standing against the front fence posts, his arms crossed, his biceps bulging as he lets his eyes scan over my less than appropriate outfit. I’m wearing a tight pair of denim jeans, a short crop that makes my boobs look fantastic, a pair of knee-high boots, and my hair is down around my shoulders, ready for action.
Did I mention I was hoping to get laid, too? What? I’m trying to move on with my life. Maybe there is a nice man out there who will steal me from this retreat and bring me to his home where he’ll ravish me and—
