Sophie Oak - Pure Bliss

“Yes. He was supposed to take his place. We haven’t been able to find a local vet since he retired. And now he’s back without Ally. And he seems interested in you. He and Jamie squared off in the driveway.” Holly turned to Caleb with a frown on her face. “I had to ask Trev to take her so I could keep them from fighting.”

Caleb shrugged. “Well, you always said James had a thing for her. Sometimes a little jealousy makes a man move.”

Her lips turned up in a sultry grin. The heat between the doctor and Holly was palpable. “It made you move fast enough.”

“I have to keep up with that damn Russian bear.” But there was a happy smile on his face. Caleb Burke was a changed man. He was still gruff, but he smiled more. He was a man in love and happy to be sharing with his friend. Hope envied them.

There was a knock on the door, and Nate Wright’s big frame filled the doorway. “Hey, you. You look good for a woman who’s been attacked by a sand monster.”

God, she was going to miss Bliss. “Just a little tired, boss.”

“She’s going to be fine, but she needs sleep and rest, and she definitely needs less stress. I’m going to take the blood samples in for tests, but I think I’m right. I think she needs to eat and put her feet up.” Caleb took Holly’s hand and led her out, leaving her alone with her boss.

Nate waited until the door closed. “Talk to me.”

She didn’t want to do this. He was overburdened as it was. He’d just had twins with his wife. He should be perfectly happy, not dealing with her shit. “I’m just tired, Nate. I was stressed because my apartment is unlivable. I went to a meeting, and my car died. I guess I haven’t eaten enough. I’m really fine.”

Nate Wright’s sharp blue eyes stared through her with the intensity of a longtime lawman on the case. “Not according to Caleb. And I don’t buy any of this. Tell me what’s happening.”

“Nate, let it go. You need to be with Callie.”

“The twins are sleeping. They like to do that during the day so they can keep us up all night. Now what’s going on?” He was tenacious when he wanted to be. He wouldn’t let up until she’d been honest with him.

“I thought I saw him the other day.”

Nate’s shoulders straightened, his eyes flaring. “Christian Grady? I thought he was dead. The police report said they found his body. I knew that report was shoddy. Fucker.”

Christian was dead. He’d died in a fire—a fire Hope herself had accidently set. “Nate, don’t overreact. I’m sure he’s dead. I just saw someone who looked like him.”

“Or one of his followers who figured out where you are.” Nate crossed his arms over his chest. “Could that have happened?”

God, she loved this man. Since she’d started wandering ten years before, Nate Wright had been the only man to believe she was anything more than a drunk, idiot kid. Nate had found her at her lowest point. He was the reason she was still alive. “I hope not. I would have thought they would break up after Christian died. Maybe they view him as some sort of martyr.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time. And you were the last one to see him alive. Have you considered that his followers might wonder if you had something to do with the fire?” Nate leaned over, his eyes going soft. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but if you had something to do with that fire, I wouldn’t turn you in, Hope. If I had been there, I would have handed you the match.” Nate was a lawman, but he understood that justice and the law didn’t always go hand in hand.

She nodded, but she couldn’t tell him. She just couldn’t. She knew he had an idea, but she couldn’t verify the fact that she’d killed a man. It didn’t matter that the man had been a monster. She still felt it.

Nate sighed, obviously willing to let it go for now. “I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything.” She would do just about anything for this man. He’d found her one night about a year before. She’d been too drunk to drive. She’d just walked out of the Hell on Wheels and fallen asleep in her car. Nate had talked to her. He’d taken her home with him. Callie and Zane had opened their tiny cabin. Zane had cooked for her. Callie had held her hand.

And they’d found a meeting for her. She’d walked into an AA meeting with Nate Wright at her side. She’d walked out a different human being. He’d given her a job and a new lease on life. He’d been the father she’d never had. Her own had walked out before she’d been born, but Nate Wright understood the meaning of responsibility.

“Don’t run,” Nate said, his voice steady and true.

Damn it . Nate Wright was also a meddling, magnificent bastard who could see straight through her. “It might be for the best.”

“No. It’s not. Unless you’re ready to call your mother. I could handle you going home, but outside of that, this is where you belong.”

She sighed. “It’s not really. I love Bliss. I really do, but I don’t belong the way the others do.”

Nate’s eyes rolled. “I don’t think James is feeling that way right now. He’s finally coming around. I don’t think he’ll let you leave. No one else will, either. Come on. You need to see something. You’ve been here for about an hour now. Come and see how little the people of Bliss think of you.”

She took his outstretched hand and let him help her up. She didn’t bother to put on her shoes. She liked the feel of the carpet beneath her feet. She felt a little better, but her stomach was starting to rumble. She had to admit that she felt safer here on the Circle G than she had all week. Then she remembered her problem. “I don’t want to, Nate. Trev…”

She closed her mouth. What happened at AA stayed at AA. At least it did with her. She couldn’t be sure about Trev. He might tell, but she wasn’t going to out him.

Nate’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, shit. You met Trev at a meeting?”

Oh, no . She’d just managed to out Trev, and he’d been so nice to her. “How did you know? Nate, you can’t tell anyone that.”

Nate snorted. “Trev can’t hide, honey. Everyone who has ever watched ESPN knows Trev’s story. He’s very famous, Hope. And I doubt he’ll mention it to anyone. He’s a solid guy. Come on.”

She followed Nate. She didn’t want to see the look in James Glen’s eyes when he realized she was a drunk, and if he ever learned about the rest of her past…that wasn’t even worth thinking about. She would leave. She wouldn’t be able to handle that no matter what she owed to Nate.

She heard the chatter the minute she walked into the hall. Lots of voices. Lots.

“Who’s here?”

Nate smiled. “Everyone. Well, not everyone, but the ones who aren’t here are being kept up to date.”

She walked into the living room and was shocked to see so many familiar faces. Rachel Harper stood talking to Laura Niles and Nell Flanders. Their men, Max and Rye Harper, Rafe Kincaid and Cameron Briggs, and Henry Flanders stood talking in a group. Alexei and Holly were helping Caleb pack up. No sign of James.

Rachel turned and frowned. “You’re supposed to be in bed, girl. Doc told us you need stress relief. Nate, do you have a plan to give her a break?”

Rachel could be a bit bossy, but she was a sweetheart. “No need. I’m fine.”

“No, she’s not,” Caleb called out. “She needs rest.”

Nate nodded toward Laura. “Laura and I worked something out.”

Laura was a gorgeous blonde. She’d always looked slightly out of place in town, but there was no doubt Bliss was her home. “I’m going to cover for you for a week. I’ve done it before. We all used to take turns giving Callie time off. And we’ve solved the deputy problem, too.”