Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
“She hadn’t said her name,” Rog said, sounding defensive. “I wasn’t aware it was her. Jesus, you’re really making this a bigger deal than it was.”
“No!” Miller hissed. “You do not understand. When I told you that Capri was off limits to even look at or breathe her air, it wasn’t a joke. It was a warning.”
I frowned, waiting for an explanation.
“Okay, yeah. I got it. But she approached me. I didn’t break any rules.”
“It does not matter!” Miller’s tone sounded almost frantic. “You get paid so damn much for a reason. And if you stay the fuck away from Capri, then you have no worries. But the last full-time exercise rider, we had made a mistake in which she was concerned, and Thatcher shot him for it.”
Blood left my face as I stood there frozen.
“What?” Rog asked, his voice raising an octave.
“You heard me. Christopher took the wrong riding crop by accident. He picked up Capri’s. That caused a chain of events that led to her walking in on Thatcher with another woman. She ran. Thatcher shot Christopher for his mistake. Right out there. He didn’t kill him. But he required surgery, physical therapy, and he can no longer ride race horses safely.”
“Jesus Christ,” Rog replied, sounding as horrified as I was.
“And Les, one of our former stable hands, accidentally touched her. Didn’t mean to. Thatcher sliced off his finger.”
Nausea rolled through me. I covered my mouth with a trembling hand, unable to walk away. I didn’t want to hear more. I prayed that there wasn’t more.
“I won’t tell you what happened to another stable hand. He made the mistake of flirting with her. Took her out on a date. I don’t even know the details, but I do know the kid is messed up for life. So, when I tell you to stay the fuck away from Capri Jewel, I mean it.”
Miller had to be talking about JB. I thought he quit. What had Thatcher done to him? WHY? We weren’t together then. I was going to be sick. There was movement in the tack room where they were, and I forced my legs to move before Miller saw me. My breaths had become shallow. I needed air. I rushed to the nearest exit.
The bright sun beat down on my face, and I sucked in the warmth as if it could ease any of this. I didn’t stop. The need to run began to claw at me. My waves of nausea, however, kept me from breaking into a sprint. Distance, I had to get distance from what all I’d just heard. From the stables. From everything.
I knew Thatcher was prone to have violent reactions to things. But I hadn’t known, I didn’t realize the extent or that it was still happening. I thought about Les and couldn’t even think of a time that he touched me. And Christopher, he’d accidentally taken my crop. That did not deserve getting shot.
A cold sweat broke out over my skin, and I shivered, although the morning chill had faded. I’d been living in blissful ignorance. Seeing nothing but the Thatcher that loved me. It was hard for me to see the same man who couldn’t stand the sight of a mark on my body to be so savage. He sliced off Less’s finger, for god sake.
My stomach rolled again, and I had just enough time to grab my hair before I bent over to vomit. My eyes watering as I heaved three times before it let up. I closed my eyes and put my hands on my knees for a moment, making sure I was done before straightening.
When I opened them, I looked out over the acres and acres of Shephard property. Accepting who and what they were had been one thing. But understanding that I was in love with a man who could be so brutally violent and not feel remorse or guilt… what did that say about me? I was the one who loved him, slept in his bed, in his arms. Opened my legs for him anytime he wanted me, and I craved it.
“Capri,” Sebastian’s voice called out, and I winced. I didn’t want to talk to him or anyone. Not right now. His footsteps drew closer, and I couldn’t mask this. I wasn’t okay. Pretending I was wouldn’t be possible. I had blood on my hands. I hadn’t done the deeds, but I had been the cause of them. A man without a finger, one who had permanent damage in his shoulder, and god… what had he done to JB? Messed him up for life?
“Hey,” Sebastian was behind me now. “You okay?”
No, Sebastian. I was so far from it that I didn’t know what that was anymore.
“Why did Less quit?” I asked, not looking at him. I wanted to see how deep the lies went. How far they would go to cover for him. How much had been kept from me.