CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Justice
The sound of my hammer echoes through the air as I drive another nail into the porch, replacing the board that broke earlier beneath my booted foot. The whole damn thing needs to be replaced but I don’t want to put money into it when I don’t plan for us to be here much longer. A subject I haven’t broached yet with Ryanne.
Things have been good the last few days that I haven’t wanted to ruin it with an argument. Getting to spend all day with my daughter right up until I put her to bed then getting to spend the night in Ryanne’s is all that has mattered. It’s everything I never knew I wanted and could never live without again.
“Look, Daddy. Look how high it’s going,” Hannah yells from across the yard. The sun beams down on her, wind blowing her brown hair wildly as she flies the kite I bought from the hardware store. Ryanne stands behind her, trying to help her control it but they both struggle.
“Give it more slack,” I yell.
They do as I say and the wind catches it at just the right angle, making it hover in the air.
“Yay!” Hannah cheers. “We did it, Mama.”
Ryanne’s eyes meet mine, her smile punching me in the chest. The woman affects me just as strongly as she did all those years ago. I can’t get enough of her, not only her body but also her smile, her laughter, and every moment I watch her with our daughter. It has the bitterness fading a little more from me every day.
My cellphone vibrates in my pocket. When I pull it out, I see it’s Knox.
“Yeah,” I answer.
“We have trouble.”
I tense at the hard edge in his voice. “What’s going on?”
“Someone trespassed onto the farm last night while Dad was gone and did some major damage. Burned half his crop and vandalized most of the property.”
Anger swells in my veins, morphing into vengeance. That land means everything to my father; those crops are his livelihood.
“Who?” I ask, the one word coming out cold and hard.
“We don’t know for sure but apparently he’s been getting threats for the past few months.”
The information has dread curling in my gut. “What kind of threats?”
“Random phone calls in the middle of the night and letters in the mail. But last night they took things to a whole new level. Someone is trying to run him out of here, Justice.”
My mind reels as I wonder who would be stupid enough to threaten my father. Not only because of the three of us but Thatcher is more lethal than us all. Calmer and more levelheaded, but definitely more dangerous.
“Why the hell would he keep this from us?” I ponder out loud.
“Probably because he knew we would flip this fucking town upside down.”
Damn straight we would. No one fucks with our father and gets away with it.
“You need to come home,” he says. “This is serious, Justice. Whoever is doing this isn’t fucking around. Our family shouldn’t be apart right now.”
Running a hand through my hair, I let go of a heavy breath. “I know.”
“Does that mean you’ll come?”
I look across the yard, my eyes connecting with Ryanne’s. She immediately straightens, her smile slipping at my expression.
“Yeah. We’ll leave here in the morning.”
“Good. See you soon.”
I hang up and watch Ryanne cautiously walk toward me, leaving Hannah to continue with the kite on her own.
“Justice, what is it? What’s wrong?” she asks, concern edging her voice.
“That was Knox. Someone destroyed my father’s property last night.”
“What?” she gasps.
“Apparently he’s been getting threats for the past couple of months.”
“Why on earth would someone threaten Thatcher?”
“I don’t know but I plan to find out.”
Her face pales, fear washing over her expression. She knows what’s coming.
“We have to go back, Ryanne.”
She shakes her head. “You go. Hannah and I will wait here for you.”
“I’m not leaving you. We all go.”
Her bottom lip begins to tremble, her entire demeanor setting into panic mode. “Please don’t make me do this.”
I watch her carefully, suspicion rearing its ugly head. “What are you so afraid of?”
Her eyes drop to the ground. “I hate that town. I hate the people there and the power they have, you know that.”
“Come on, Ryanne, a few families do not make up that whole fucking town.”
“They do when you’re related to them,” she argues, her eyes spitting fire as she looks back up at me. “If there is trouble out at the farm the last thing we should do is bring our daughter there.”
“No one is stupid enough to come onto that property when my brothers and I are there. That’s why they waited until Thatcher left.”
She remains silent; chin jutting out stubbornly as she continues to fight the inevitable.
“My father needs us right now. After everything he has done for you, are you really telling me you’d turn your back on him?”
I feel bad using that card but also feel like I have no other choice. There’s no backing out of this, no more avoiding it. We both need to go home with our daughter. It’s time. She knows it, too.
Her eyes close in defeat, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
Stepping closer, I cup the back of her neck, tilting her face up to mine. When those hazel eyes of hers open, the fear in them rips me in half.
“Nothing or no one will ever hurt our family, Ryanne. I would never allow it. Trust me.”
Her resolve slips and she finally gives in. “Okay,” she whispers. “We’ll go back.”