RaineonMe Read online

  River worked in the world of rodeo. She’d known that and figured the name would be familiar but she hadn’t expected his dramatic reaction. Miserably, she nodded, watching him.

  “Fuck.” He let his hand drop. “They back all the rodeo stars, the pros, and finance most of the big competitions. If he bought your father’s stables, he did it to convert it into a training camp. He has dozens of them for his favorite riders.”

  “I know that now.”

  Dark eyes closed, River’s hand dropped to his side, he took a deep breath and then his eyes opened again. “It’s a good thing I’m not on the circuit anymore.” He frowned. “Your ex-husband would make sure I never competed again.” He paled again. “Damn it, Brit. I work a lot of those shows. They could have me banned as a wrangler.”

  “I have been telling you that I need to leave and that Kyle could make your life hell.”

  “But you didn’t tell me who he was, damn it.” Anger flashed in his gaze but then it faded. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just a bit stunned.” He bent, gripped the chair, and righted it. He stared at her. “It doesn’t change anything.”

  “Have you lost your mind? I just told you who he is. I warned you that he could make your life hell.”

  “I understand that.” River sighed. “I’m still not fixing your car or letting you leave.” He sat again in the chair. “Tell me the rest of it.”

  “There’s not much to tell,” she lied. “He had a lot of money. I filed for divorce, he hired attorneys who blocked the motions, and he did a lot of shitty things to keep us married.”

  His eyes narrowed again. “Brit…”

  “Fine.” She nodded. “It turned ugly, all right? He did everything to try to stop me, including ruining my name after he circulated some awful lies about me. I couldn’t get a job, no one even wanted to rent me an apartment, and he started stalking me. The police wouldn’t arrest him. He had all that money, convinced them I had lied about everything, trying to get more of a divorce settlement from him, and they bought it. I had to live with my dad and Kyle did a smear campaign from hell until my father ended up having a heart attack from the stress that killed him.” Pain sliced through her. “Kyle, in effect, killed my dad with his bullshit and refusal to let me divorce him.”

  “I thought once you filed for divorce, that was it.”

  “So did I until his attorneys filed motion after motion to stall the courts. I would show up only to be told the date had been postponed and told to hire a lawyer. I never had access to a dime of Kyle’s money so I couldn’t afford one. He made sure of that.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He looked it too, Brit acknowledged, staring into his sincere gaze. “I have to leave. He’ll find out I’m here and he’ll do or say horrible things to get back at me. He does that, River. Anyone who helps me, tries to protect me, he goes after too. I had a few friends who put me up after my father’s death. Kyle spread rumors that they dealt drugs until I left their houses. I wasn’t about to let him ruin them the way he did my father and me. I don’t want that happening to your family either.”

  “Is that what he did with your father? Made people think he dealt drugs?”

  Anger burned through her. “No. Worse. I said my father raised me alone. My mother died in a car accident right after I turned five. Kyle spread it around that my father had killed her. You know, put her in the car and drove it off the hill where she’d lost control of her car. My father loved my mother, he never would have hurt her, but it didn’t stop Kyle from making those nasty accusations. It destroyed my father that his neighbors and friends looked at him with suspicion and it broke his heart to even consider the possibility that anyone thought him capable of something that horrific. He never remarried, didn’t date, even when I was in my teens and tried to set him up with some single moms of my friends. He always told me no one could compare to my mother in his heart and it wouldn’t be fair to any woman to live in her shadow.” Tears slipped out. “And Kyle made up those horrible things just to get back at me for refusing to come home to him. He targeted my father for giving me a safe place to live.”

  “Son of a bitch,” River muttered, leaned across the table, and grabbed hold of Brit’s hand. “He must be one hell of an asshole.”

  She used her free hand to wipe away her tears. “Kyle is a bastard, River. He’ll say or do anything to punish anyone who stands in his way of making me pay for leaving him. They have this family history of no divorces and it’s almost as if his entire honor depends on it remaining that way for him. I managed to get away and he won’t ever let it go. He’s spiteful and he’s not right in his head. I need to leave.”

  “It’s not happening. Let him make up anything he wants. We’ve weathered some bad rumors as Raines. Nothing he could say or make up would sway me from being with you.”

  “Then you’ve lost your mind.” She jerked her hand away. “He’s also dangerous when he drinks. He can grow violent in a snap. Trust me on that. I know.”

  “I told you he doesn’t scare me. I’d kick his ass.”

  “What if he shows up with a gun? You can’t fight a bullet. He did that once. He showed up with a shotgun at a friend’s home I stayed in. He threatened to kill me if I didn’t get into his truck. He’s unstable and he’s really angry right now.” She paused, bit her lip, released it, and then locked gazes with River, knowing she had to tell him more to make him understand. “He served four years in prison and I put him there. He just got released. Do you understand? He’s spent that time thinking of ways to get revenge on me. Whatever you think you may be facing, you have no idea how bad it can get, but I do. You don’t want any part of this mess.”

  He paled slightly but then nodded. “So he’s probably really bent out of shape. I got it. What did he go in for?”

  She refused to tell him. It was still too painful to share and she didn’t want him to know what had been done to her. She’d left that part of her life behind and wanted to keep it there.

  “It doesn’t matter and I don’t want to talk about it. The point is that he isn’t the type to take responsibility for the actions that landed him in prison. He blames me and he is going to show up here. I have no idea how bad it will get but I can guess pretty scary. That’s why Dale sent me here. He thought I’d be safe if Kyle couldn’t find me. He will though, now that his friend saw me and heard the name Raine. It’s just a matter of time before he comes.”

  “Then I’ll be waiting and ready.”

  “You’re insane if you don’t let me go.”

  River suddenly grinned. “I guess I am a little nuts.” He winked. “About you.”

  “Damn it, I’m being serious.” Frustration poured through her. “Aren’t you hearing me when I say it’s dangerous?”

  Something turned cold in River’s eyes, the spark in them dimming until she nearly got a chill from the icy look. “I’m not a pussy cat, Brit. I can handle your ex-asshole and you will be safe here. We’ll take a few precautions. If he shows up we’ll be expecting him. I’ll have a talk with a friend of mine in law enforcement and it will get handled.”

  She stared at him, mute, astonished that he refused to understand how dangerous Kyle could be.

  “What about your sister-in-law? If you’re going for macho bullshit, think about her. She’s pregnant.”

  A frown marred River’s mouth. “Trina and Nav have been talking about taking a mini vacation. They wanted to go to Houston to visit my brother. Now would be a great time. I can take over for Nav, do his chores, and I will keep you glued to my side.” He flashed a grin. “Not a bad thing in my book and you can show me what you’ve got with horses.”

  “I need to go so he follows me away from your family.”

  “You need to stop harping on that and give it up, baby. It’s not happening.” He slowly stood. “I’m keeping you real close to me until you’re no longer in danger.” His gaze fixed on her breasts. “Real close.”

  Frustration burned. “Sex with me isn’t worth this much t