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“I won’t touch your property again. I have what I needed then, with me now.”
Kent’s heart leaped in his chest. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but pretty close.
“You think so? What if I told Kent to get back to my house? Would you be sneaking over then? Trespassing?”
“The point is moot because I won’t go.” He kept his tone level, respectful. He was still Kent’s pa, but he’d pushed Kent around for the last time. “Alice was right. When I tried to be like you, you ignored me. You took my education from me, the only thing that ever mattered. You poked fun at me and got angry with me for loving a Johlman. Then you disowned me for going after my dream. I will not be returning to the Douglas ranch. It’s not my home anymore.”
That hadn’t been how he’d intended to tell Alice that he loved her, but the words had seemed right. Pa needed to know that what he’d done to Kent and to Alice had consequences. Whether or not he could understand them in his current state of mind was unknown, but he had said the words.
“Maybe I did make a man out of you after all.” Louis narrowed his eyes, then turned and glared at Bodey. “I’ll drop these charges . . . if you show me your alfalfa.” He notched his jaw up toward the door.
Alice stepped back and nodded toward her father, silently giving him permission to take Louis out there. Bodey gave her a discreet nod of agreement and both men headed toward the door. “I’ve been watching the women since they planned this. It’s pretty amazing what they can do,” Bodey said, as they headed out the door.
Blake cleared his throat. “We should go into town and get a list of everyone who’s bought feed from the feed and seed and get word to them about the hay. We should let them know not to buy it from the places they were, no matter how hard it is to get.”
“We’ll be along shortly.” Kent took both of Alice’s hands. “I just need a few minutes.”
Blake chuckled as he headed for the door, leaving Kent alone with Alice in the barn. Her eyes darted from him to the door and back again. “I told you I didn’t do it. Thank you for defending me.”
There was no need to thank him. He probably would’ve found a way to defend her, even if she’d done something. Instead of trying to convey the meaning of his words and the thoughts on his heart, he cupped her cheeks and tilted her face up to look at him. “Alice, I meant what I said. I love you. No one is going to trample you ever again. Not the man I once was. Not my pa. Not anyone. If they try, they’ll have me to deal with.”
Her eyes glistened. “I love you, too. I never wanted to hurt you. I only wanted you back because I missed you so much.”
He kissed her lips briefly, only enough to soak in a little of Alice and tempt himself for more. “I missed you more than I could ever tell you. But I’d learned that I wasn’t worth looking at. My mind was the only thing about me that mattered. Well, you aren’t going to wake up every morning looking at my mind.” He tried to laugh, but the leftover feelings hurt too much.
“No. I want to wake up every morning looking at the man who would risk his life for me. Over and over. Whether it’s against his father, his cousin, or even your own mind, you risked it all for me. How can I find that anything but utterly attractive?”
He groaned slightly as he pulled her into his chest, and kissed her, letting her feel just what he felt. He gave her everything: his doubts, his fears, his unease. Laying them all at her feet, he turned them over to her. And yet she didn’t back away. She leaned into him, giving and taking.
She splayed her hands over his chest, learning to kiss him as he explored her mouth. A chuckle behind them had her jumping out of his arms.
“You both coming? We’re burning daylight.” Blake laughed as he left the barn.
Chapter19
Alice waited while Kent saddled two horses for them to follow Blake. While they weren’t required to help Blake inform the owner at the feed and seed, talking to him would allow them to get a list and check on the other ranchers and farmers who had purchased hay. Kent would be able to tell them the risks, and she wanted to be at his side when he did so.
She glanced at him, and warmth spread through her. No more was he hiding behind a bandana. He’d spoken up when his father had tried to pull him down again. He’d acted as if his scar hadn’t come to his mind at all, whereas when she’d seen him weeks before in his father’s pasture, his scar was the only thing on his mind.
Perhaps, like her own thoughts of him, thoughts of her had taken up that space. He held out a hand to her to help her mount, and she was glad he’d chosen an astride saddle since they would be mounting and dismounting so many times that day. While she’d enjoyed his assistance, this would be faster and more efficient. Thank goodness she’d worn her riding skirt that morning, since she’d planned to take Blaze out for a ride in the pasture later. Now, she wouldn’t need to.
Blake waited outside the barn, hanging onto his reins, and glancing off into the distance. “Never thought I’d see that.” He surreptitiously cocked his head toward the alfalfa field.
Pa and Louis stood, not close to one another, but close enough to talk, and were pointing at things out in the field, obviously conversing. And not fighting. Pa’s shoulders were relaxed. Louis was as animated as usual, but not in an aggressive and jerky manner meant to intimidate.
“That’s certainly progress,” Kent said.
“It is. I almost hate to leave. If the wind changes direction, it might set Louis off. Will your father be able to handle himself?” Blake raised a brow at her.
“He will. And my brothers are never far off. They always know everything that happens around here. They learned their sneaky ways from him.” She laughed but loved them for it. Their children would never be able to get away with anything, just like Leo, Gideon, Hannah, and Alice hadn’t.
“Then we should be off.” He mounted and waited for Kent to mount up.
Though the ride was an hour, none of them spoke. Though there was some relief in knowing where the problem came from, they now had the arduous and odious task of telling everyone the news. The hay that they’d thought would save them had hurt them. And, it was no fault of some evil doings, but an accident brought on by need.
“Even though Louis reported this as a crime, I won’t be arresting Marshall. I can’t believe, from what I know of him, that he was doing anything but trying to help folks. There is no way he could’ve met these people face-to-face who’d sold him the hay.”
Kent nodded slowly. “I agree. I think we just need to ask him to contact whoever he purchased the hay from to let them know and we need to tell everyone who purchased it. Trouble is, Pa didn’t buy any until he absolutely had to. I don’t know when the trouble started.”
