She nodded. “I’ll be fine. Take as long as you need.”
Tuck gave Kennedy a chin jerk and headed for the door. I grabbed my purse and coat and followed. Tuck headed down the street towards where I could see his truck parked, his long strides dwarfing my own.
“Hey, behemoth, would you slow down?” I called.
Tuck paused, waiting for me to catch up. “Sorry, Wilder.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I forget you’re such a shrimp.”
I pinched his side. “I am not a shrimp, you’re just a freaking giant.”
Tuck chuckled and guided me towards his truck, opening the door and helping me in. I watched as he rounded the hood of the vehicle, his strides purposeful and jaw still clenched.What the hell is he about to tell me?My insides seemed to twist themselves into a knot. I took a deep breath, trying to relax.
Tuck jumped in and started the rig. “Anywhere specific you want to go?”
I took a minute to study his face. “My horses.”
Tuck nodded and headed out of town.
Our drive was silent. The urge I had to pepper him with questions on the walk to the vehicle vanished as soon as we started driving. Partly out of fear of what was to come. Partly because I just wanted to be with Tuck without bad news clouding the moment.
Tuck reached over and took my hand, twining his fingers with mine. His skin was rough, and I loved the feel of it against mine. His hands told the story of his life. Finely sandpapered from his work on the ranch and in the forest. A scar on his palm from when he and Walker had both gotten pocket knives for their tenth birthdays and decided that they needed to be blood brothers. Another on his finger from when a horse had kicked him and split it open.
I knew every story his hands told. And wasn’t that the most precious gift? To know someone so deeply, so thoroughly that every detail of their skin was familiar. I loved this man. It would probably terrify him if I said the words aloud. But that didn’t change a damn thing. I just hoped he could get used to it over time.
Tuck punched in the gate code and followed the gravel lane through the ranch to my pastures. The mustangs dotted the hillside, and something in me eased. He looked over at me. “Boulder?”
“Boulder.” I slid out of the truck and took a moment to inhale the peace that flowed through the air up here. I could handle whatever he had to say.
Lips brushed against my temple, and my eyes flew open. Tuck was right there. Eyes blazing with a war of emotions, they flitted from one to the next so quickly I couldn’t track them. I took his hand and squeezed, sending everything I felt through that one point of contact, hoping he would feel it even if he wasn’t ready to hear it.
Tuck tugged me forward. “Come on.”
We moved through the rails in the fence and headed for the boulder that was my favorite spot to sit. “You ready to tell me what’s going on?”
Tuck grunted.
I hoisted myself up onto the rock. “Is that a no? Or is that an ‘I’ve suddenly forgotten the English language that I’ve been speaking for over three decades?’”
“Stop being such a smartass.”
I grinned over at him. “Now why would I want to do that?”
Tuck was silent for a moment. “Cody’s gone.”
The grin fell from my face. “Gone as in he took a trip? Gone like he went home? Or gone meaning you and Walker chopped him up into little bits and fed him to the pigs?”
Tuck chuckled and wrapped an arm around me. “Only you could make me laugh when talking about something that makes me fucking murderous.”
I tipped my head back to study his face. “So, it was option three then. How do I keep you and Walker out of the clink?” I was trying to make light of it all, but in reality, my heart was hammering against my ribs, and my stomach roiled.
Tuck stared out at the horses below as they ran in formation across the pasture, Phoenix leading the way. “Cody was into some shit. It was bad. The people he is involved with are even worse.”
I did my best to keep my breathing even. “How’d you find all this out?”
“Cain.”
Of course. If my brother or Tuck needed dirt on anyone, that’s who they called.
Tuck studied the forest surrounding the fields, seeing things that my eyes didn’t pick up. “He got us enough information to force Cody’s hand. He’s gone. And it’s for good.”
