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“You don’t have to go through this alone,” George said, taking a step toward us. “You’ll be safe up there.” He turned to me. “I could drive her. Her mother knows what your truck looks like. She’d follow you if she’s still in town.”
“I know,” I breathed, hating every second of this. I laid my hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed. “I’m going to go upstairs and pack a bag. Is there anything you want me to grab beside some clothes? What about your books?”
She nodded, an absent look in her eyes as she slumped into the chair and laid her head in her hands again. Grant walked inside my office, running his hand over his face.
“Moira’s setting up a room. We should get going.”
“I’m going to go get her packed. Give me like ten minutes, okay?” My unspoken plea to stay with her echoed through the room as I left my office and went upstairs.
I packed her bag—everything she’d need for the night, at least. I couldn’t stay more than a night at the ranch, not with the bar to run and her family sneaking around. I needed to stay here to throw them off her trail if her mom came back, or worse, Jonah showed up to town.
By the time I headed back downstairs, Grant was helping Sierra into George’s truck. Rain was pounding the street, and both Wes and Grant had blocked the alley where the staircase and door to my apartment was visible, so if Sierra’s mother was in view of the place, she wouldn’t be able to see which vehicle she got into.
“I’ll drive you back down in a few hours,” George murmured as I climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. I glanced back at Sierra. She had her head resting on the window in the backseat, her eyes closed.
Tears still stained her cheeks.
I was ready to rip the world to shreds.
“That’s fine,” I replied to George as we sped off into the night, the lights of Hot Springs fading in the distance.
It was dinnertime now, but no one could have guessed the time of day with the sky so darkened with rain clouds. Thunder burst, and lightning lit up the sky a vibrant blue.
“Everything’s going to be all right,” I said, not sure if I was saying to myself, or Sierra.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sierra
Before we’d left, I’d sat in Pete’s office in silence with George. George stood there, stoic and unmoving, listening for footsteps in the tight hallway that led to the bar.
He moved out of the way to let Wes inside, who was carrying a plastic bag full of to-go boxes.
“Burgers, fries, the works. Even threw in a few boxes of ribs and cornbread. Figured none of y’all will have much time for cooking tonight.”
“I appreciate it,” George had answered softly, nodding his head in thanks. Wes turned to me, eyes shifting to an expression of solemn understanding shared by George.
I tried not to bristle under their stares.
“I’m sorry I brought this drama to the bar, Wes,” I said shakily.
“You’ve nothing to apologize for. Worse things have happened. I half expected your man to pick that devil of a woman up and haul her over his shoulder to carry out to the curb.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the thought, but the smile faded as quickly as Wes’s words had.
Now I sat in the back of George’s truck while Pete and his friends carted me away and into hiding.
I felt awful. I’d brought this on to them and there was nothing I could do now but let everyone fuss over me. I was sure the confrontation with my mother at the grocery store had been witnessed by plenty of people. I was sure that even over the thrumming music in the bar that everyone had heard her screaming at all of us, calling me used up.
I’d known what she meant and it hurt, even though I should’ve just ignored her. She’d basically called me a whore.
Maybe I was. I was pregnant from a one-night stand, after all.
Pete glanced back at me as we went over the top of the hill leading to the Hallston Ranch. I tried to give him a smile to let him know that I was okay, but I wasn’t.
Why would he want to be stuck in this mess with me? I wouldn’t want to.
I couldn’t say much to him in the company of George anyway.
