Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“You were raised better than this, Capri,” she said in a haughty tone. “Running off with a man and causing all this alarm. You cost the law enforcement man time and hours, searching for you. Do you not care about your community?”
I hadn’t thought of that, but I hadn’t thought of much when I was with Thatcher other than him.
“The law enforcement has been compensated for their time and effort. Along with a donation so that they may finish the new station,” Stellan said, walking around us.
My mother’s gaze swung to him, and I saw the brief flicker of appreciation. Not for his actions, but because the man was attractive. Just like his sons.
“That’s how it is handled then? You buy the law off? It all goes away?” my father asked angrily.
“The law doesn’t have to be bought off. I left town with a man, as a grown adult, who lives on my own. I came back a few days later with him. We’d wanted to be alone. I didn’t want anyone bothering me or getting in my business. I’d had no idea it would cause such a big mess.”
He threw up his hands and stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “How did you not think we’d be worried? You weren’t answering your phone. Your friends didn’t know where you were. Your car was at home, but you weren’t. That is cause for alarm, Capri!”
Thatcher moved forward, and I was hanging on to him like a damn monkey, trying to stop him.
“DON’T!” he shouted. “You do not get to talk to her like that.”
“Thatcher,” I hissed. “Stop.”
He was breathing heavy and turned to look down at me. The media wasn’t inside yet, but when they were, he had to be calm. Dealing with my parents was only the first step.
“She is my daughter,” my father said, spitting his words. His face was red.
“She is mine,” Thatcher replied in a cold tone.
I couldn’t see his face since I was hanging on him, trying to stop him from moving. But I saw my dad’s face and my mother’s. She looked pale, and my father seemed to be properly terrified.
“Thatcher,” his father said, but he didn’t turn to him.
“Capri, have you been forced?” My father’s question pissed me off.
I stepped in front of Thatcher. “No, Dad. But if someone was forced, you could say it was Thatcher. I chased him. I flirted with him. What we did and what we are doing now is because I wanted Thatcher Shephard. I wanted him bad. Do you want those details?”
Thatcher’s hand gripping my waist didn’t surprise me. He didn’t like what I was saying, but I knew it would shut them down.
My mother’s eyes widened in shock, and I could see the disappointment in my father’s eyes.
Sorry, Dad, but we never wanted the same things.
“Go ahead and send in the media,” my father said to Ronan, who was by the door.
He didn’t look back at me once.
Not when the media came in. Not when I apologized and assured everyone I was with Thatcher of my own free will. Not when he walked out and left.
He hadn’t said goodbye. Neither had my mother.
I felt a small sting, but not one that would have me running after them. What I had chosen might end up destroying me, but if I could be the one to reach Thatcher, show him love, then it was worth it. He would always be worth it.
• Thirty-Seven •
I wondered if I was the only one to see him this way.
Capri
They were all gone. It was over. Sure, the townspeople would talk, but they’d been making up stories about the Shephards for as long as I could remember. At one point today, the way the sheriff had looked at Thatcher, I’d almost thought he was scared of him. They truly believed the gossip.
Thatcher walked me down to the stables. He wasn’t letting me out of his sight. It was odd, returning here. It had been days, but felt much longer. I’d left here one person and returned another. Everything was different. I stood, watching him talk to Miller, who had Zephyr out at the track. With all that had happened, I’d forgotten about him choosing Carmen to ride him. The race was a week away now. I was disappointed, but it didn’t sting like it had before. Carmen had experience that I didn’t.
I was only a few feet away, but Thatcher kept looking in my direction, as if he was afraid I’d disappear. His need to keep me close to him gave me hope that maybe this thing with us had a future. I wanted it, but with him, that was uncertain.
“You feel like riding today?” Thatcher asked me.
I glanced at Miller to him. Did he mean me riding Zephyr? Perhaps he needed exercise. I nodded, fighting the feeling of failure. I wasn’t good enough to race him, but I could handle his workouts. This had been a long day, and I was tired. My emotions were getting the best of me.