The sign hangingabove the gravel road saidWelcome to Lodestar Ranch.
The three large men standing side-by-side directly underneath, blocking my path to the ranch, saidThe fuck you are.
I probably should have gotten my affairs in order before driving out here like I had a death wish. Finished the project out back, drawn up care and feeding instructions for Stevie and her friends, taught Amy how to actually use that dang car battery charger I got her. Definitely should have fucked Chloe one last time. Give her something to remember me by.
Oh, well. It was too late for all that now. I was here. The Hale brothers were here. Time to get it over with.
No one said a word as I killed the engine and got out. It felt like even the mountains were holding their breath.
I made it a whole two steps before Adam drove his fist straight into my gut. I keeled over and dry heaved.
“I owed you that,” he informed me.
“Fair,” I gasped out, remembering the sucker punch I had landed after he broke my nose.
“Dammit, Adam.” Brax pinched the bridge of his nose. “I told you to let him throw the first punch.”
“You only said that because you knew he wouldn’t,” Adam said. “I’m not waiting around for something that is never going to happen.”
“Me, either,” Zack said and the next thing I knew, his fist connected with my jaw.
The force of it sent me rocking back a couple steps, windmilling my arms for balance like a jackass before I righted myself.
“Jesus, Zack. What did I ever do to you?” I touched my tongue to the corner of my mouth and tasted blood. I spat on the ground and glared at him. “Feel better now?”
“Not particularly.” Zack flexed his hand, frowning. “That’s going to leave a mark. Not sure bruised knuckles are worth hitting a man who won’t fight back. Less fun than I thought it would be, truthfully.”
“Damn shame you couldn’t have had that epiphany before you punched my face,” I muttered. “I thought we were friends. We were on the circuit together.”
“You’re mistaken.” Zack Hale had the reputation of being a happy-go-lucky, always-down-for-a-good-time kind of guy, but the way he looked at me now with no trace of humor in his expression made me take note. “I’m not a friend to any man who hurts women.”
Damn. His words hit harder than his fist. I flinched and rubbed at the sudden tight feeling in my chest. “That’s why I’m here. I didn’t hurt her on purpose, but I do owe her an apology.” I looked to Adam. “If you could tell her I’m here, I’d be obliged.”
Adam snorted. “Not going to happen. So how about you get on back in your truck and get the hell off our property?”
It wasn’t like I had thought this would be easy.
But shit, I really hoped I at least survived it.
“No,” I said.
Three sets of identical blue eyes regarded me with stunned disbelief.
“I could hit him again,” Zack volunteered. “It might be more fun this time.”
Brax scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck.”
Adam stepped forward, the look on his face downright menacing. “You have a lot of fucking nerve, McAllister.”
I put my hands up. “I’m not going to fight you. Chloe would kill me. All I’m asking is that you tell James I’m here to talk. If she wants me gone, I’ll get gone and never bother any of you again. You have my word on that?—”
Adam snorted. “Your word isn’t worth shit.”
My temper went off like a rocket. “Fuck you, Adam,” I spat. “I did something terrible, but that doesn’t meaneverythingI do is terrible. I never broke a promise to you or anyone else.”
“What you did to James was worse,” Brax pointed out mildly.
“Yeah, it was,” I agreed. Frustration rolled through me. “But that still isn’t everything. Are you honestly going to stand here and say you have never done anything terrible? Do you let that one terrible thing define who you are as a person?”
