by Imani King
“You fool,” Graeme seethed.
“Bastard! I’m going to make you regret ever sleeping with her,” Hayes growled as he kicked Graeme on his leg.
Graeme stumbled, and Hayes’s fist hit him in the eye. Graeme saw stars. He nearly fell but luckily for him, the car was right behind. It broke his fall. When Hayes rushed at him, he stepped to the side, grabbed the other man’s arms and forced him head down on the trunk of the car. “Now you listen to me good, asshole!” He cast a look behind but the other man was slowly backing away as if realizing that he didn’t want to be a part of this fight anymore. Good! At least one of these idiots appeared to have a bit of commonsense left. “I’m done here. If you insist on fighting me, I’m going to have to hurt you.” He tightened his hold on Hayes’s arm, and felt a measure of satisfaction when the idiot winced in pain. “Trust me, I really would like to hurt you, real good. And as far as Cullen is concerned, do yourself a huge favor by staying away from her.”
“You won’t last long in this town. I’ll make sure of it,” Hayes warned. The man was down but he wasn’t willing to give up.
Graeme ignored his threat. If he wanted, he could pound him to a pulp, but there wasn’t any point in doing so. All he wanted to do was go home and put some ice on his eye that was throbbing like a bitch.
With a swift yank, he pushed Hayes away. For a moment, he stood still, waiting for another attack but Hayes waved a fist and moved away. Graeme shook his head at the arrogant ass and got into his car. He never intended a fight. It wasn’t something he enjoyed but of course, he wouldn’t just sit there like a log and take a beating. If Hayes tried something like this again, he might have to file a complaint against him with the Sheriff.
He drove straight to his the cottage. First, he wanted to deal with his injuries. Hayes hadn’t done much damage, but his eye was already swelling up a little. Nothing that a little ice couldn’t fix. He headed straight for the kitchen, took out a frozen bag of peas out of the refrigerator and put it on his face. Soon, he felt better. His knuckles were a little bruised, but it was nothing he couldn’t take. Hopefully, Hayes learnt his lesson and wouldn’t bother him again.
He’d hated to hear such nonsense about Cullen who didn’t deserve such shit spoken about her. Hayes was an idiot. He not only allowed a beautiful woman with a generous spirit get away, but then he also persisted on making things worse by messing with her life. Why the hell did he want the ranch? Was it just male boasting or did he really want her land?
Had he pursued Cullen for it?
Graeme didn’t relish the idea of having that conversation with Cullen. She would be hurt when she found out what her ex-boyfriend was talking about. Graeme didn’t want to be the one to enlighten her, but there wasn’t any other choice. He didn’t want to keep information like this from her.
After about twenty minutes of icing his face, he went out again. His eye still throbbed and already it was black and shining, but he’d seen worse. Graeme drove the car back. He dropped off the supplies, wrote down the details regarding them in the ledger, and then dragged his feet over to her office.
Cullen wasn’t in.
Damn!
“Hey, Smith, have you seen Cullen?”
The ranch hand glanced at Graeme’s face. “What happened to your eye?”
“I walked into a door.”
Smith’s lips split into a smile as he sauntered forward to take a closer look. “Dude! It must’ve been some door.”
Graeme didn’t want to give any details. It wasn’t anyone’s business but his and Hayes’s…and of course, Cullen’s. “Sure, it was. Now, where’s Cullen?”
“Saw her walking to the farmhouse a few minutes ago. Jackie called her because Max came calling.”
Graeme stood as still as a rock. “Max? As in the next door neighbor.”
“Same, I think.”
Shit! And doubt shit! He had to hand it to the guy. Graeme didn’t anticipate this move. Hayes would probably be telling Cullen some whopping lies by now. Graeme should've gone to her as soon as he came in. Well, never mind, he would go and set the record straight now. He didn’t want another altercation in front of the ladies but if Hayes so much as dared to say anything against Cullen, he would be forced to do so.
Graeme knocked on the back door but no one answered, so he opened it and went inside. He heard voices coming from the living room. He walked through and found Hayes and Cullen in the middle of the room. They both stood opposite each other while Jackie sat on the couch.
“That man’s mad,” said Hayes. “He attacked me out of nowhere.”
Graeme frowned. “Excuse me?” Surely, he heard this wrong. Was Max actually blaming him for the fight? Not only was he aggressive and violent but also a liar. What had Cullen seen in him when she got involved with him in the first place? “What the hell are you talking about?”
Cullen turned to see him. Her eyes widened at the sight of his black, shiny eye. “Graeme…did you get into a fight with Max?”
“Sure, I did. He attacked me first.”
“Liar,” Hayes spat out the word. “I was over at Tom’s supply shop, getting my things, and when I went out, he just grabbed me. The man’s loco. You need to fire him immediately. I’m even thinking about filing a police complaint.”
The string of lies made Graeme’s blood boil. His eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. It was somewhat satisfying to see Hayes actually scuttled back as if he wanted to avoid Graeme. “You bastard! You’re the one who ambushed me.”
“Oh, please!” Hayes snorted. There was a vindictive gleam in his eyes. It was quite obvious the idiot was enjoying himself. “As if I would lower myself to fighting with the likes of you. You’re nothing but a glorified ranch hand whereas I’m the owner of one of the biggest ranches in this county.”
Graeme didn’t want to stoop to insults and name calling. As quickly as possible, he recounted all that he’d heard Hayes say to his friend, and the subsequent events that took place in the parking lot. Cullen’s expression told him she wasn’t sure which man to believe. For some reason, that pissed him off more than Hayes’s lies. Was she so susceptible to the other man’s charm that she wouldn’t trust him?
Did he mean nothing to her?
If he was as important to her as she was to him, she wouldn’t have even given Hayes this much time to spin his web of lies. Even though she hadn’t said a word as yet, Graeme felt hurt and betrayed. She shouldn’t have even thought of believing this asshole. Hayes was a liar, even while they were dating, so she shouldn’t even consider believing him. While Graeme had been spinning castles in the sky, Cullen was probably using him to make this guy jealous, so she could take him back.
“I’ve already said everything there’s to say about this.” He lifted his arm and pointed to Hayes. “This guy has some agenda that I can’t even begin to unravel. You can trust me or not. I don’t give a shit.” He glared at Hayes. “And as far as you’re concerned, dude, if I ever see you again, I won’t hold back. So make sure you stay out of my way.” Without waiting for a reply from Max or Cullen, he marched out. Graeme couldn't believe that the woman he loved didn’t trust him enough to take his words at face value. Maybe he made a mistake not coming straight to her to recount this story, but he wasn’t a tattletale.
Now, he was done.
If Cullen didn’t trust him, he didn’t see the point of staying on as her employee or as her man. If there wasn’t any future in their relationship, then he didn’t want to stick around for her to fire him. It was time to leave this place and make a life elsewhere. He would miss Cullen, and perhaps it might take weeks or even months for him to get over her. Maybe he wouldn’t ever be able to do so. She was the true love of his life, but he needed more than just a romp in bed from her.
He wanted love, trust, and loyalty.
He wanted a long-term relationship.
He wanted forever with her.
If she wasn’t prepared to give him those things, then it was better to call it
quits. This was over. He went to the cottage and began to gather his things. It’d taken him months to make this his home, but it would take only hours to get away.
He would miss this place and the people—but most of all, Cullen’s absence would forever leave a void in his heart. He loved her, and maybe he wouldn’t ever be able to forget it, but it was better to end this now, than to hold on to something that wasn’t working out.
His life as he’d made it here was now over, and it was time to begin anew.
Graeme hated the thought of it, but there wasn’t an option. He’d made his decision, and nothing could make him change his mind.
Chapter Ten
Cullen had a splitting headache but she couldn’t pay much attention to it. There were things that needed to be done, and she was the one who would have to do them. After Max left, she took a moment to calm her nerves.
Jackie wrung her hands. Cullen reasoned the fight between the two men unnerved her mom more than she could admit. “What are you going to do?”
She knew exactly what needed to be done, but she didn’t feel good about it. “I’ll handle it, mom.”
Cullen took a walk to clear her mind. So much happened in the last several months that sometimes, it was hard for her to make sense of it. Graeme came into her life and swept her off her feet. She didn’t have any intention of getting involved with him, but she did. Look where it led her? She’d come to this point where nothing made sense. She would have to talk to him and maybe…
Yes! She would do what needed to be done to set things right.
Maybe she made some mistakes in her past, but Cullen wasn’t one to repeat them. With Graeme, she knew exactly how things would end. Once her mind was more settled and she felt slightly calmer, she strolled over to his cottage. There wasn’t any sign of him, but she felt sure he was in there.
Damn the man! Did he have to make it so difficult? She had such a simple, easy, and peaceful life before he came in, but he’d complicated everything.
Maybe it was time to set things right.
She knocked on the door but he didn’t answer. Cullen rang the bell but there wasn’t any reply. Shit! Where is he? Just as she was about to turn back to see if he was on the farm, he appeared on the other side of the door.
“What do you want?”
She lifted an eyebrow at his curt voice. “We need to talk.”
He appeared reluctant to let her in but then after a brief pause, he opened the door.
She stepped through. Cullen’s gaze took in the bag that stood against the wall. “Going somewhere?”
“Yes. It seems clear to me that you trust that asshole more than me, so it’s better if I leave right now,” he growled.
Cullen ran a hand over her cheek as she stepped into the kitchen behind him. His muscles were bunched and she could see he was vibrating with anger. She’d never seen him like this before, and it was quite a revelation. Rage gave so much more information about a person. She could see he was mad, but he kept a lid on his temper. “So you think I’m being judgmental?”
He whirled to face her. “Yes!”
She might’ve laughed if she hadn’t seen how upset he was. “Maybe you’re the one who’s judging me.”
“What?”
“I never said I didn’t trust you.”
He opened his mouth, and then closed it again.
She could see the wheels click in his brain.
“You—I…”
“Perhaps I should’ve asked Max to shut up and get the hell out…and yes, I did do so. I would’ve done it in front of you, if you hadn’t stormed out by then.”
His stare was incredulous. “I—you what?”
She wiggled her eyebrows at him. Cullen felt quite amused to see he was at a loss for words. A rarity for him. Cullen might’ve been hard-hearted when she started dating him; she might’ve tried her best not to fall in love with him; but once she did so, there was no looking back.
Love?
Yes.
Yes, indeed.
She wouldn’t say it to him. Call her old fashioned, but she expected her man to say it first. “Max is out of our place and I hope to hell he stays away. The man’s a compulsive liar. You think I don’t know that?” She took a deep breath. “And give me some credit. Do you think that I don’t know him well by now, after he cheated on me? I don’t make the same mistakes over and over again.”
His bark of laughter pierced the still room. “You kicked him out?”
She paced a little, feeling restless. “He wasn’t amused. Perhaps he thought I would take everything he said at face value, but I know Max, and he isn’t just a cheat but also a liar. He almost destroyed my life once, and I don’t want him to ruin it again. You and I, we’ve a good thing going, and I don’t see any reason to listen to him and spoil everything.”
“He attacked me first. I was planning to tell it to you but I guess I never expected that he would put such a spin on things and run to you at first chance. He said things about you that I couldn’t tolerate.”
“Max always knows how to make the most of an opportunity.” She wasn’t much worried that her neighbor called her names and wanted to win her back. He didn’t have a chance in hell. What worried her was another thing that he said. “You said that he wanted my ranch. Why did he say that?”
Graeme shrugged. “Maybe he wants to expand.”
She ran a finger over her lips as she pondered over Max’s strange declaration. Maybe Graeme didn’t hear right, but she didn’t think so. Max had started hovering around her at the same time as she’d hired Graeme, and she assumed it was because she was getting involved with another man. But what if his reason was something else?
“He has made some offers of merging.” She glanced out of the window, as she remained lost in thought. Now, things were a little clearer. Max wasn’t pursuing her because he still liked her or was attracted to her, but because he wanted something else from her. “I’ve a feeling his ranch isn’t doing too well, and he wants to buy this place, so he can sell it to some developer.”
“He can’t force you to do so.”
Cullen nodded. “You’re right. He can’t.” She waltzed over and stood in front of him. “Since he can’t force me or convince me, he’s been planning to seduce me, so I would be putty in his hands, give him any-and-everything he wanted.” She shrugged. “It’s all a theory, of course, but it should be easy enough to check by poking around in some bars to know if he’s been hanging out with some developer type people.”
Graeme got her hint. “I’ll take Blade with me and see if we can get some information.”
“Good.” She nodded. “Max has always been a step ahead of us. It might be a good idea for us to catch up to figure out what he’s up to.” She reached out with her hand and caressed his cheek. “And Graeme, next time, it would be nice if you trusted me to show better judgment.”
Much to her amazement, he took her in his arms. She didn’t resist.
He ran a hand through her hair. “I’m an idiot.”
Laughter rolled out from her lips. “I won’t say no to that right now. Thinking that I would side with Max wasn’t the smartest thing you’ve done.”
“It’s just—I’m crazy in love with you and the notion that you didn’t trust me enough, just sent me over the edge. I should’ve trusted you but instead…I got angry and—”
“Wait. Wait, wait.” She raised a hand. “Wow! Slow down. Let’s go back to the part where you told me you loved me.”
He flinched. “I said that?”
Disappointment coursed her heart. “You didn’t mean to?”
Graeme looked a little saddened. “The first time a man says that to a woman it should be done with some finesse.”
She gazed at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. This man was incredible, sweet, sexy, and surprising.
He kissed her slowly, tenderly. Their lips remained locked and while her heart pounded, happiness careened through her veins. So perfect, wonderful.
>
Finally, he raised his head. “I love you, Cullen. God knows, I didn’t plan to fall in love with you, but the best things in life can’t be charted out. So here I am…half crazy about you and desperate to hear the same words back.”
She’d tried to fight the attraction, to not care too much about him, and attempted to rein in her feelings, but nothing worked. It was perhaps better to admit she felt the same way and deal with the consequences of such a confession. It would be difficult and it would certainly change their lives forever, but she was ready for the next step. “I love you too, Graeme.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You do?”
She patted his shoulder, knowing he needed some reassurance. “I think I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, but I’ve been fighting the attraction ever since. You’re the perfect man for me and I think we can be happy together.”
“We’ll be happy.” He nodded. “I’m in it for the long haul.”
Cullen kept her gaze locked on his. What did he mean? Was he referring to marriage? She wasn’t quite sure if she was there yet, but as she thought about it, Cullen liked the idea. Sure, it would take her some time to get used to it, but she would get there eventually. “So am I.”
He gave her a small grin. “It would be nice if you said it without trembling.”
She kissed him, feeling more confident. Although she never expected she would fall in love so fast, the more she thought about it, the greater she liked the idea. “I’m scared of commitment, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it. I love you and we can make this work. I just need you to be patient with me for a little while longer.”
Graeme brushed his lips over hers. Love reflected in his eyes. “I’ll be patient for the rest of my life, as long as you promise to be with me.”
She smiled. Happiness was hers. All she had to do was reach forward to grasp it. Cullen was ready to do it. “It’s a deal.”
Just like that, everything fell into place.
