From Ashes

Gage took one look at my cheeks and smiled wickedly. “Go

“Oh! Don’t forget I need a new phone charger. Did we forget something else?”

“Gotta get stuff for the TV: surround sound, gaming systems . . . stuff like that,” Tyler answered, looking bored, and Gage just stared at me.

All that stuff sounded more like Ty, not Gage, and I was pretty sure Ty wouldn’t be bored with it. But what did I know? “All right, have fun.”

G AGE

“GAMING SYSTEMS, TY? Really? Do you not know me at all?”

“Well, I knew you weren’t going to want to lie to her, so I stepped in for you!”

“True.” I pushed his shoulder and climbed into the truck, waiting for him to get into the passenger side before I continued. “Guess I can thank you for that.”

“Uh, yeah. That’s what I thought.” Ty smirked. “You get that ring-size thing you did?”

Gri

“So are we getting the whole thing done today?”

“Only if they don’t need to resize the ring; if they do, the rest of the surprise has to wait until it’s done too.”

“And you called the people about it?”

“Did it this morning. No matter what, we’re go

“Not go

“Yeah, I hope so. I want her to like it.”

“Hey,” he said, and waited until I glanced at him. “She loves you, she won’t care how you ask her. She just wants to be with you. But this? She’s absolutely going to love it, trust me.”

I couldn’t help but smile. I was pretty sure he was right. I still wanted it perfect though. “Weird, people aren’t usually on this road,” I said as we passed a dark Charger headed the opposite way from us.

“Guy looks familiar.” Tyler said quietly, “He’s not from one of the neighboring ranches?”

I shook my head and looked in the side-view mirror to look at the back of the car until it was out of sight. “No, don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.”

“Huh. Didn’t go to school with us?”

“No.” I drew out the word, trying to put the face to a name. But I was positive I didn’t know that guy.

“Swear he looked familiar,” Ty said, more to himself. “Sweet car.”

I grunted in agreement and turned on the radio. We had a good half hour before we got to the jewelry store, and I honestly couldn’t have cared less whether Tyler thought he knew the guy. All I could think about was the fact that I was going to buy a ring for Cassidy.

“Stop the truck!” Tyler yelled a little over a song later. “Stop the truck, go back!”

“What the hell?”

“Gage, turn the truck around!” He actually leaned over and tried to grab for the steering wheel as I slammed on the brakes.

My truck fishtailed and dirt rose up around it for a few seconds before settling.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Dude! That’s Green! That was Detective Green! Go back to the ranch!”

“Are you shitting me, Ty?” I’d just told him that morning as he helped me move the heavy stuff into the house about what Cassidy had said about Co

“Swear to God, Gage, that was him. Go back now.”

With a curse I flipped the truck the rest of the way around and peeled out. “If you’re messing with me, Ty—”

“I’m not!” he snapped. “I told you I didn’t like that jackass from the second I met him. He challenged me in my house. I didn’t like him then, definitely didn’t like him this morning, hate him right now. Get back to the ranch.”

I grabbed my cell out of my pocket and called Cassidy twice before calling the main house line.

“Hello?”

“Manda!”

“What’d you forget?”

“Nothing, where’s Cass and why isn’t she answering her phone?”

“Well, I don’t know why she isn’t answering her phone but she and Mama went out to the side of the house to pick something that they needed for di

“I’m on my way back, but I need you to get them inside. Someone’s coming by to see Cassidy. I don’t want him near her, you understand?”

Amanda gasped. “Oh God, Gage, is she in danger?”

“No, but if he goes near her I’ll be in a hell of a lot of trouble, Amanda. Get her inside. Mama too.”

“Okay, all right I’ll—oh, Gage . . . is he in a black Dodge?”

I pulled the phone away from my ear and cursed loudly. “Yes, Amanda, he is. I’m flooring it, but get Cassidy away from him. Where are the little girls? I don’t want them around when I come face-to-face with him.”

“They’re taking naps,” she said distractedly.

“Good.”

“Oh, shit,” Amanda mumbled, then yelled Cassidy’s name away from the phone and the line disco

“Shit, I think she’s already talking to him.” I gripped the steering wheel and pressed the gas down farther. “I don’t want her near him, Ty. I didn’t want her to think of him again, and I thought if he never called her again it would be too damn soon. I didn’t think he’d fuckin’ show up here! How did he even know where she was?”

“I don’t know, bro, I’m sorry I didn’t recognize who he was sooner. Just try to keep calm. I don’t think it’d be a good idea to fight someone else in front of Cassi, especially a detective. You don’t need to go to jail, Gage.”

I didn’t respond, I just gritted my teeth and focused on not losing control of my truck on the country road as I raced back to the ranch. As soon as I was in the driveway, I made it a point to pull up next to his car rather than block him in; no need to give him a reason to stay longer than he already had.

Cassidy looked up with wide, scared eyes, Amanda looked sorry, and Mama just looked confused. Detective Green didn’t even turn around as I slammed on the brakes, threw the truck in park, and jumped out.

“Guess you didn’t understand the first time, but I don’t want you talking to her. Which sure as hell means I didn’t want you showing up here either.” I didn’t stop walking until I was in front of Cassidy, facing her with my back to him. “Darlin’, go inside. Please,” I begged softly.

“I’m here to make sure she’s all right—you know, what you should have been doing when she was in California.”

I turned to glare at him and was extremely happy I got to look down at him. Cassidy hadn’t moved, and her wide eyes still looked terrified as she obsessively spun her dad’s ring around on her finger. “Cass, baby, please go inside.”

“You always telling her what to do too? You’re the one who called to tell me to stay away, even after what she told you about us. What about what she wanted? I find it hard to believe that she wanted no contact with me after everything she went through with me. So now, if you’d step aside, I’d rather just talk to her.”

“Man, what the hell aren’t you getting? I don’t want you near my girl! Get the fuck off my property and go back to California!”

“Gage Michael Carson,” Mama mumbled under her breath, and I knew I was go

“Cassidy, are you sure this is what you want? Don’t you see what he’s like?” Co

“What I’m like? What I’m like? I’m a guy who’s trying to keep his girl from the prick who’s trying to take her from him! I have every right to hate you right now, and swear to God if you weren’t carrying that damn badge I would beat the ever-living shit out of you.”