But that didn’t stop him from getting absurdly tense anytime the other man stopped by, bearing all sorts of gifts. Flowers, takeout, some books. Mostly it was the way he looked at Kat: like she were too beautiful to exist on planet earth. How Kat didn’t see it, Gavin had no idea.
Working at River’s Bend that afternoon, Gavin told himself he was being an idiot. He couldn’t stop thinking about his encounter with Kat, though, and all he could see in his mind’s eye was the way she’d looked, bare to the waist as he’d kissed her. How her breasts had been the perfect size for his palms, how the dark brown nipples had strained for his attention, and how she’d moaned and undulated underneath him…
He swore as he stood, currently finishing up helping with the harvest. It was a cool day, but Gavin was wearing a thin short-sleeved t-shirt, mostly because he’d felt overheated for days now. Maybe some manual labor would kick some sense into him, he thought morosely.
The worst part of it all was that he knew he couldn’t have Kat. She deserved better than a man who was too broken, too emotionally fucked up, to give her the kind of relationship she wanted. They could get along fairly well for a while, he admitted, but inevitably, she would need more. She’d want commitment, family, the whole nine yards. And Gavin knew he couldn’t give her those things. He’d done it once before, and it had fallen apart despite all his attempts to keep things together.
Given his foul mood, everyone at the vineyard gave him a wide berth. Even Adam didn’t try to talk him out of his mood, for which he was perversely grateful. He wasn’t particularly interested in his older brother telling him he was screwing up. Besides, Adam was too busy with Joy and their upcoming wedding to really understand what was going on with Gavin.
By midafternoon, Gavin was walking toward the barn with his basket of ripe grapes when he felt his phone vibrate in his hip pocket. After Emma’s episodes, and now the threats against Kat, he’d made sure to carry his phone everywhere with him. His heart pounded each time he got a call, although more often than not, it was some spam call. He set down the basket and pulled out his phone, and when he saw it was Kat herself, fear congealed his blood.
“Kat, are you okay?” He probably shouldn’t have assumed something was wrong, but dammit, he was worried about her—and for good reason, too.
He heard an intake of breath on the end of the line before she responded. “I’m okay…I mean, I’m not, but I am.” She laughed, but it sounded more like a sob. “I stopped by the house today to get some things, and they’ve broken in a window and written something on the side of the house.”
He stopped in his tracks. Now all he could feel was pure, crystallized anger. “They did what? I’ll be right there. Have you called the police?”
“That was my next call. See you soon.”
Gavin said goodbye, and after retrieving his things and telling Adam what had happened, he sped off to Kat’s house, his heart in his throat. He knew Kat well enough now to know that her supposed calm was just a mask. She was so good at holding it all together, but she had to be terrified. How long could she last before breaking down?
By the time he arrived, the cops were there, flashing red lights surrounding the property. Kat stood off to the side, Officer Haldon once again questioning her. Gavin stepped out of the truck and headed toward her, but not before he was arrested by the sight of the words DIE WHORE written in red paint on the side of the house.
“Son of a bitch,” he breathed. His vision awash in a red fury, he had to restrain himself from yelling in sheer rage. But when he turned to see Kat hugging herself, looking tired and small, he knew he couldn’t give in to his anger. Not yet. She needed him.
“Kat, are you all right?”
Before she even replied, he hauled her into his arms. Officer Haldon paused with whatever he’d been saying and then murmured something about giving them a moment. Gavin didn’t particularly care what the other man did; he just wanted to make sure Kat was okay. He ran his hands down her body, checking for injuries, even though he knew she didn’t look injured. She said as much, but he had to know for sure.
“I’m okay, Gavin,” she said. “I just got here, and whoever did this had already run off.”
He looked into her face, and she was as dry-eyed as always. So calm, so put-together. But he saw the way a muscle twitched in her cheek, how big the dark circles had gotten underneath her eyes, how she was hunching in on herself. He rubbed her arms.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he vowed in a low voice. “I promise you that much. We’ll find who did this.”
She nodded and laid her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her back.
He wondered how long she’d stay together, how long she could be strong for herself and everyone else around her. You’re always the one taking care of everyone else, he thought. But who’s taking care of you, darling Kat?
Everything became a whirlwind of questions and photos
