She’d never seen him like that. His actions and expression seemed almost feral in their ferocity. Apparently, the man she’d known as her farmhand was not the real man. This crazed-looking lunatic with the strung-out eyes and bad breath had been hiding beneath that other façade. Maybe it had been an act just to get closer to her…and what he called his house.
His hostility stunned her, but only for a moment. The hatred in his eyes sparked terror inside her, so much so that when she tried to scream, only a breathy wheeze came out as she pushed at his chest, trying to escape.
He laughed, a frighteningly manic sound. “Go ahead and scream. No one’s going to hear you. Your boyfriend’s gone. I saw him in town, and heard him say he was leaving. So, I figured now was the right time to have us a little conversation.” He licked his lower lip as he eyed the creamy flesh her torn shirt had exposed. “And maybe a little fun, too. I was just gonna kill ya, but now… Hmm, nice undies.” He traced a finger along the lacey edge of her bra and she slapped his hand away.
“Keep your hands off me!”
He chuckled again, still staring at her breasts. “You know, I always wondered what these big tits of yours would look like without your clothes. I think we got time for me to find out…” he said as if she hadn’t said a word.
She had managed to put some distance between them, but he still had a hold of her torn shirt. Understanding how much danger she was in, she clawed at his hand and jerked against his hold. Her shirt ripped a little more, but she didn’t care; she wasn’t free yet. She tried to spin away and out of his grasp, but he twisted his wrist and yanked her back around by the ragged edge of her shirt. It slipped over her shoulder, imprisoning her arm, but she wasn’t giving up yet. Drawing on her defense training, she flattened her free hand and jabbed the heel of it into his face. She heard the crunch of bone as blood poured from his nose. His grip loosened slightly and she jerked away, but only gained a few more precious inches before his fingers tightened again.
JR brushed at his nose and then stared at the blood on his fingers. His gaze, when it crashed into hers once more, was darker than before and more menacing. A shiver of all-encompassing terror bubbled out of her chest, culminating in a long, piercing scream.
“You should’ve left when you had the chance,” he growled right before his fist collided with her face and the whole world went black.
Chapter 31
By the time Cade reached the gas station in town, Cord had already texted to meet him at Sisters Café. Apparently, Cade had taken too long talking with Addie and his brother had decided an early morning snack and more coffee would be a great way to pass the time.
Pulling the fuel nozzle from his truck, Cade hung it back on the pump with a little more force than necessary. Why couldn’t he just wait? They’d already had breakfast and Addie had filled their thermoses as well, but still, Cord had headed to the coffee shop. He could’ve just headed out of town—it wasn’t as if Cade didn’t know how to get back home.
Shaking his head, he sauntered inside the station to get his change and then returned to his truck.
He had no idea why Cord’s modification of their plans annoyed him so much. His brother wasn’t his problem. It was the ache in his chest that wouldn’t go away that had him feeling like a grizzly with a thorn in his paw. Why did it seem like he was making a monumental mistake?
Because you don’t want to leave her. You want to stay…
Cade shook his head again at that thought. Addie had broken his heart when she’d told him to go. She was done with him, but it still hurt, even if it was for the best. She’d dismissed him like the farmhand he’d been, told him to go home and get his life back. And that’s exactly what he intended to do.
But the doubt still stuck in his mind as he climbed into his truck’s cab. He started the engine and then sat without moving. That familiar tug around his heart was as strong as ever—pulling at him, demanding that he return to Addie. He’d been arguing with himself about leaving for the last two days and, staring at his hands as they gripped the steering wheel now, the things he should’ve done and said tumbled over each other in his head yet again. Maybe I should’ve tried harder to stay. I could’ve fought harder to convince her to come with me or to let me stay. I should’ve shown her how much I want her, how much I want to be with her. I should’ve told her I’d take care of her, love her, that she’d never be alone again…
Then her words from that morning sliced through the noise in his brain and pierced his heart. “My place is here and you need to go home and get your life back. You should go.”
She didn’t care about him, didn’t want him, wouldn’t even bother to consider it. She’d refused him without a second thought and then treated him with so much indifference, he’d had no choice but to go. He’d let one woman tear his heart apart, he refused to let it happen again. Besides, if running into a burning building to save her life didn’t convince Addie of his feelings for her, nothing
