Fox, Morgan - Discovering Temptation [Texas Stallions 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) (7 page)

Startling her from her thoughts, Sophia said, “Here, put this on after you shower.” She tossed a white, sheer nightgown onto the foot of the bed. “It’s comfortable, and you’ll feel better.”

Abby frowned. “I don’t wear those. I prefer shorts and a T-shirt when I sleep.” She always had, even when she was a kid.

Sophia grimaced. “Right, well, that’s your choice.” She stepped toward the bedroom door, cocking her head in Abby’s direction before exiting. “Did you want anything to eat? I can bring you something if you’d like.”

Shaking her head, she replied, “No, I’m fine.”
Liar.
She was hungry, but she wanted to be alone more. Decompressing from the last forty-eight hours was all she needed right now. Later, she’d sneak into the kitchen and get herself something to munch on.

“All right then, I’ll leave you to it. Should you need anything, just holler. I’ll be in the room next door.”

Abby nodded and turned to head into her bathroom and closed the door. Pressing her back against it, she slid down until her rear hit the floor. Pulling her legs up, she wrapped her arms around her knees. She decided that tomorrow would be the day for fresh starts and clear heads, but tonight, she’d allow the last of her panicked tears to fall away.

* * * *

Cooper leaned over the back of the chair in the breakfast nook and demanded, “Tyler, tell us what the hell is going on.” He had to know what they were up against. He knew Abby had been attacked, had seen the bruising around her eyes and mouth, and saw the slaughtered horses for himself. Not to mention the wounded ranch hand, who had been beaten bloody and left for dead. “I really think you owe us a damn explanation. What have we gotten ourselves into?”

“You’re right,” Tyler snapped, pacing the floor in the kitchen, jabbing his hand through his dark hair. “I should’ve shared what was going on. I just don’t know where to begin.”

Hunter kicked out a chair at the end of the table and sat down, his hazel eyes narrowing as he locked gazes with Tyler. “How about you start at the beginning?”

Tyler blew out a harsh breath. “Last night after I dropped Mom off at the diner, Abby was attacked in the parking lot at the market. I fought the guy and stopped him from hurting her, but I didn’t chase after him, which I probably should’ve done.”

“The hell you should’ve,” Sophia snapped angrily, rounding the corner into the kitchen, her hands darting to her hips. “You have no idea what that monster could’ve been up to. We’re all lucky neither you nor Abby got seriously hurt.”

Damn, she sounded just like their mother. Cooper eyed Sophia. His voice naturally softened as he asked, “Is Abby all right?” He couldn’t explain his concern for the beautiful, vibrant blonde he’d just met. There was something about Abby Blake that caused more thudding inside his chest than just the beating of his heart. His mind seemed just as frazzled as Tyler’s, but he fought a hell of a lot harder than his older brother to conceal it.

Sophia nodded. “Yes, the young girl’s got spirit. She’s a little shaken, but she’ll be fine. She’s built tough like her father was.”

Relief flooded his system even as a strange urge to charge into her room to see for himself consumed him. With a slight head nod, he said, “Good.” Immediately, he turned his gaze back to Tyler. “Then what happened after the man took off?”

“Nothing,” Tyler said. “I collected a few things that Abby had dropped in her struggles, and Sophia took her home. That’s it.”

Cooper grimaced. “I see.” He scratched the two-day growth of dark whiskers on his chin. “You didn’t call the sheriff last night to report the incident. Why not?”

“Shit, I don’t know,” Tyler said with a heightened level of annoyance in his voice, his face deepening with color. “I guess in my mind, I handled it. Her attacker was gone, Abby was safe, and I chalked it up to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Well, apparently, there’s more to this story than we once believed,” Sophia pointed out. “I haven’t asked Abby directly, but I get the feeling this monster has it out for our girl, and she may know exactly who it is.”

Tyler’s eyes flashed red. “Sophia.” He spoke her name with a harsh sound that made Cooper’s head whip to the side to see why his brother’s tone had grown so serious and defensive.

She arched a dark brow. “Well, I’m sorry, Tyler, if that bothers you that sweet Abby might have a dark past chasing her, but after what happened last night, I would assume you’d be thinking the same thing.”

Tyler’s lips pressed tight, and Cooper knew that look. He’d seen it a hundred times before whenever Tyler knew something that nobody else did.

Cooper, paused a moment. “Tyler, what do you know about this man who attacked Abby?”

A nasty glare shot his way as Tyler began pacing the floor again. His long strides ate up the hardwoods beneath his booted heels. He licked his lips before finally coming to a stop with his arms folded over his chest in a defiant stance. “Abby thinks it could be her ex-boyfriend, Jackson Cole.”

Hunter scoffed. “How long have you known? She never said a word to me when we got back. In fact, she swore up and down she didn’t know who would do this to her.”

“I know,” Tyler muttered. “I don’t think she’s ready to believe that he could be responsible. She’s been denying it to me since last night. She hadn’t admitted a thing until just before Sophia returned from Doc’s place. She seemed very rattled that her ex could be the one doing all this.”

“What a sick bastard,” Hunter murmured.

“Besides her ex, what else do we know about this guy?” Cooper asked.

“Nothing,” Tyler said quickly. “I didn’t get the chance to ask.”

Cooper rounded the table to stand directly in front of Tyler. His chest swelled with urgency and the fierce need to guard the woman that was turning his mind to mush. “Well, we should find out. The sheriff’s on his way. He was on the other side of the county when I called.”

As if by sheer force of will, the sheriff’s headlights lit up the front porch. Tyler turned to face them. “Cooper, I’d appreciate it if you would stay inside with Sophia and Abby. Hunter and I are going to give our statements to the sheriff. Sophia, if he needs to talk with you, too, I’ll find you.”

She nodded.

“Sounds good,” Cooper said, “when you get back, you both should try and get some rest. I’ll take first watch tonight, and around 2:00 a.m. one of you can relieve me so I can get a few hours of sleep before morning.”

Tyler agreed, and slapped a firm hand on his youngest brothers back. “Hunter will be your relief tonight. I’ll take tomorrow.”

Hunter released a throaty chuckle. “How did I know you were going to say that?” Bumping his oldest brother out of the way, he stepped around him and onto the porch. Tyler was close on his heels.

The front door closed and Cooper glanced over to Sophia, who was making her way to the refrigerator. She grabbed a bottle of beer, popped the top, and took a big gulp. He arched a brow, watching her. His mother never touched alcohol, and seeing Sophia chug back on a beer like one of the guys seemed strange.

As she pulled the bottle from her lips, she made a gasping sound, and propped her rear against the countertop. Immediately, she locked gazes with him.

“What?” she questioned.

He pushed his bottom lip over his top and shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, but really his thoughts were crazed with curiosity about the older woman, and he felt compelled to know everything about her. “How well do you know Abby?”

She inclined her head and shrugged her shoulders. “I just met her last night, but I knew her father for years.”

Let the interrogation begin.
“Did you work for him?”

Sophia held his gaze for a long moment before she answered. “Yes and no. I was engaged to Duke Blake, but he died before we could marry.”

He swallowed hard. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

She shrugged her shoulders once more. “It doesn’t matter now, but what does matter to me is making sure his daughter is safe. I’m counting on the three of you Boyd brothers to help me make sure she remains unharmed by that monstrous pig. You’d all be up shits creek if it wasn’t for that girl, and I hope you remember that.” Sophia finished her beer, tossed it into the trash, and headed back down the hallway toward the bedrooms. Once she reached her room, she closed and locked the door behind her, leaving Cooper staring after her.

Cooper felt like a kid who had just been scolded and punished, but he understood what Sophia was saying. He and his brothers hadn’t had a steady job in months, and money was tight. If Abby hadn’t offered to give them lodging and a chance to work on the ranch, by the end of the week, they would’ve been sleeping in their truck.

He pushed back the sheer curtains in the den and glanced out the window to watch his brothers talking with the sheriff. The house was eerily quiet. While his brothers remained outside, he’d walked the house a dozen times, checking all the windows, doors, and closets. He was determined to keep Abby as safe as he could. Tomorrow, he’d get his father’s gun and keep it close by. He wasn’t about to end up like poor Jared.

A short time later, both Tyler and Hunter marched through the door, and the sheriff drove off. The brothers looked as if all the blood had been drained from their faces. Neither one made any remarks as they locked the front door behind them and headed for their bedrooms.

Cooper would’ve been annoyed if not for the fact that he knew how tired they were. He still had a few hours left before he could close his eyes. So he grabbed a few magazines out of his duffle bag, helped himself to a hot cup of coffee, and sat down at the kitchen table, slowly thumbing through the pages.

He froze as he heard the sounds of creaking wood. Cooper slowly rose to his feet, grabbed the butcher knife from the kitchen block, and hid in the dark corner. A quick glance down at his watch told him it was well past midnight, and everyone should be asleep. The rasping breathes that moved from his lungs in quick succession dried his lips and mouth. He felt like he’d eaten a wad of cotton.

His heart dropped into his stomach as a gorgeous, long-haired blonde tiptoed her way into the kitchen. Her shorter-than-short shorts crept high up on her thighs and a skintight tank top cupped perfectly unbound breasts. He licked his dry mouth and wondered how long he could stand there admiring Abby without appearing to be a pervert. His cock tingled and pulsed with delight. Damn, the things just looking at her did to him.

He decided that he’d ogled her long enough, cleared his throat and stepped free of the shadows. On a startled gasp, she turned, gripping the countertop, pulling the fabric of her shirt tighter over her breasts. Instantly, his eyes gazed down to see the hardening peaks of her nipples through the thin material. He shifted his stance as his erection grew more prominent. He let out a soft groan as he stared at the sexy woman.

His eyes darted to lock gazes with her. “Abby, it’s just me, Cooper.” He slowly placed the knife back into the butcher block. “I’m sorry if I scared you, but I wasn’t expecting anyone to be up.”

Her hand pressed firmly over her chest as if to keep her heart from bursting through her rib cage. “What are you doing walking around with a knife?” she hurriedly asked.

“My brothers and I will be taking shifts until the sheriff can find whoever it is that keeps harassing you. I took first watch.”

“Oh,” she breathed.

“Why are you up? I figured you’d be hibernating in your room until morning.”

Her brow furrowed. “Why would you say that? Do you think that I’m just a sniveling little girl who can’t handle what’s going on? Do you think I need rescuing from you and your brothers? Do you think that I couldn’t survive without you?”

Damn, how had he managed to turn an innocent comment into a full-out brawl with her? That was not his intention, but still, watching her get fired up only made her look wildly hotter. Shit, he hadn’t noticed exactly how beautiful she was until now.

He placed his palms up in surrender. “Whoa, that’s not what I meant at all. I just figured you would want some peace and quiet this evening. You’ve been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours.”