Freed Read online

  “It’s charming,” I muse, as we pass through the clean, well-maintained businesses. I barely finish my statement before we’ve moved beyond the city limits. “You were right about blinking. How far do you live outside of town?”

  “About ten miles or so. My mom still lives on her former boss’s ranch. She tried to move on when she couldn’t work anymore, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He’s a good man. Shit,” he says quietly.

  Ransom whips over to the side of the road, catching me by surprise. His gaze is intense. “You’re starting to make a habit of urgently needing to talk to me while we’re driving, Ransom,” I joke.

  “I don’t know why this didn’t occur to me before now. I guess because it’s not a big deal to me, but it may be for you, even though I can promise you there’s nothing to worry about.” His tone has me instantly worried.

  “Just tell me.”

  “I told you how I grew up on the ranch, and Mr. Edwin, the owner, took me under his wing, teaching me about farming and raising cattle.” I nod. That’s harmless enough. “I’ve told you about Victoria, my ex.”

  “Yep,” I manage, without a trace of the bitterness I harbor. He may not be prone to jealousy, but I sure as hell I am.

  “Well, Victoria is Edwin’s daughter, and I’m sure we’re bound to run into her while we’re here.”

  I can’t help but groan. I was really hoping to avoid the whole awkward running-into-your-ex business this week. We run into Greer a lot, and it’s always uncomfortable. “Umm … OK. Well, what’s she like? I mean, should I watch my back, or can she be civil?”

  He gives a low laugh. “She’s civil. She’s working on her master’s right now in applied meteorology and climatology. Anyway, that keeps her busy, but I’m sure she’ll be around at some point.”

  Oh my God. I bet she’s beautiful, and now she’s fucking smart too. Really smart from the sound of it. I hope she’s not sweet ‘cause I may have to scratch her eyes out if she directs all that at my man. I have no illusions about her not wanting him back. I heard enough to know that breaking up was definitely not in her plan.

  “Yeah, she’s really a sweet girl.” I turn my head and roll my eyes. Yep, sweet. Called it! “I’m sure you won’t have to worry about her playing any games or anything like that. We’re just friends now. We’ve been broken up for years. I mean, I wasn’t even out of high school.”

  I take a deep breath and turn back to him, pasting on a dazzling smile. I imagine a little ding sound at how bright it is, and almost make myself laugh. “It’ll be fine, Ransom. I promise to be on my best behavior.” I consider that for a second, and under my breath add, “As long as she is.”

  He grins at me for a second before his gaze darts down to my mouth. He gives me an appreciative onceover, focusing on the braid that hangs over my shoulder. His fingertips feather over it before I feel a tug on the rubber band. “You know how I feel about your braided hair. You look entirely too sexy to meet my mom. I won’t be able to behave myself.” Oh God! My insides clench as he flashes that lopsided grin. He weaves his hand through my hair, guiding the waves to spill out over my shoulders. My head falls back on the seat, and I groan. I love it when he plays with my hair. His thumb comes to rest on my lower lip before he pulls my lip from between my teeth.

  “Fuck. That didn’t work,” he rasps, just before his mouth collides against mine. Sucking my bottom lip between his teeth, he bites gently before licking it. When his tongue teases mine, I open to the onslaught of his kiss. I swallow his moan, and my body bucks toward his. Two clicks, and our seatbelts are off in a flash, with me on my back and him pressed against me even faster than that. His hands slide down my sides, shifting me so that we’re flush against one another. One hand grasps the back of my knee, and he pulls my leg up around his hip, forcing us even closer together.

  “Ransom,” I gasp, as his lips tease my neck. “Your mom’s expecting us.”

  He pulls back slightly to murmur, “We got an early start. We’re good.” His mouth is back on mine, and his hand squeezes the back of my thigh before moving up to my ass to do the same. And with that, I’m gone. I lose myself in this moment, knowing we probably won’t have much time alone for a while. When he tries to right himself, I pull him back down for a few more minutes. Groaning, he thrusts his hips against mine, and his hard length rubs me in just the right way.

  “Yeah, I’m afraid we better move now before it’s too late,” he grumbles. He rests his forehead on mine while we take a few calming breaths.

  Once we’ve made it back to planet Earth, we sit up and adjust ourselves. Ransom mumbles about cold air doing him good and hops out of the truck to walk around back for a minute. I almost giggle at the affect I have him until I pull the rearview mirror down and see the state of my own arousal.

  “Ransom!” I shout.

  “What?” He reappears with a look of shock at my outburst.

  “Look at me!” I glance back to the mirror. My lips are swollen and red. My hair is wild. My pupils are dilated and wide. “Your mom is not stupid. She’s gonna take one look at me and know we were up to no good.”

  “It wasn’t good for you, baby?”

  “Shut up. Seriously,” I complain, running my hands through my hair.

  “You look beautiful,” he states, climbing back into the truck and pulling back onto the road.

  “I look like I just got jumped by a horny cowboy and liked it.”

  “Well, there is that.” I just roll my eyes and continue fussing over my appearance. I really like to make a good impression on his mom. It would be nice, for once, not to be seen as a girl with loose morals. Maybe she’ll just think I have naturally full lips or something. I finally give up and focus on the scenery as we pull into a driveway.

  Rolling hills give way to grassy meadows as we make our way down the long, gravel road. When the land levels out, a beautiful, rustic house appears against a densely populated forest. “Oh, wow,” I breathe.

  “Yeah, it’s gorgeous, huh? My mom getting that housekeeping job was a miracle, and it completely changed my life.”

  Once we’re closer to the house, I can tell it’s massive, even though it’s completely understated. “Are you still close with Edwin even though things didn’t work out with his daughter?”

  “Oh, yeah. He’s fair-minded, and uh, I’m pretty sure she explained things to him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Ransom tosses me a grin and then proceeds to blow my mind. “She cheated on me when she went away to college. Broke my heart at the time, but once I got some distance, I realized it was for the best. It wouldn’t have worked out with us.”

  My mouth falls open. What the hell? What kind of idiot would cheat on this guy? “Well, I stand corrected.”

  “About?”

  “I was sitting here thinking she was fucking smart. Now, not so much.” I plant a kiss on his neck. I move in to do it again, but he turns his head and catches my mouth with his for a second.

  Passing the main house, we reach a second clearing with a small, wooden cabin. It’s homey, and the way that the glowing, oranges and pinks of the setting suns spills out around it, makes it look like a little slice of heaven.

  “I know it’s not what you’re used to, but it’s home.” Ransom says.

  “I may have a big, impressive house, but it’s empty, Ransom,” I sigh. My eyes flash toward his. “I’m excited about spending time with people who genuinely like and love each other. It’ll be an all-new experience for me.”

  “You know I like turning you on to new things,” he flirts. “Come on,” he says, hopping from the truck, dragging me behind him.

  He grabs a couple of our bags from the truck bed, and I follow behind him to the back deck. “It’s cold, Mom. What do you think you’re doing out here?” Ransom’s voice is gentle, but terse.

  “Oh, honey. It’s not that cold out, and look—I’m all covered up.” We reach the top of the stairs, and I can now see around Ransom to the frail, but obviously ha
ppy, woman before us. Ransom sets our suitcases down and puts his hands on his hips, sizing her up.

  Her eyes dart to mine, and a smile overtakes her gentle features. Even sick, she’s beautiful. “You must be Denver. Can you believe my son? Ordering me about?” she jokes. I have to bite down on my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

  “Yeah, I can, actually. He’s quite bossy,” I quip. Understatement of the year.

  She doesn’t hold back her laugh. Even though it’s heartfelt, it’s still delicate. “I like her already, Johnny.”

  Oh my God! That’s the cutest thing ever. Ransom gives me a knowing look. “Don’t even think about it,” he drawls.

  “I wouldn’t dare,” I protest. His look says he knows better. I’m distracted from teasing him when I get a whiff of something pungent—something unmistakably illegal. My eyes widen as I look back to Ms. Ransom with a joint poised at her lips.

  Ransom’s gaze follows mine. He just laughs. “Finally getting to smoke it legally, I see.”

  “The lengths I’d go to, huh?” she wheezes out the words with a puff of smoke. “Totally not worth it,” she says to me with a wink.

  Ransom moves to sit beside her on the lounger, and I notice she really is all bundled up. Her head is wrapped in a long scarf and covered with a beanie. Her fuzzy lounge pants peek out from under an equally fuzzy robe. Even her slippers are furry. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was a woman of leisure.

  Leaning in, Ransom kisses her on the forehead. “You look beautiful. You’ve got some color in your cheeks.”

  She runs her free hand over his head. “It was looking forward to seeing you and meeting your girl that did it. I’ve been on top of the world.”

  Ransom just hums.

  “You know you can let your hair grow back out, son. Look,” she preens and pulls back her head coverings to show us the downy, new growth on her head. “It’s growing back in. It’s going to be dark brown now. Just like yours. Now we’ll have something in common looks-wise.”

  For a woman on the cusp of losing her life, she has a remarkable outlook. I admire her immediately.

  “I’ve let it grow a little since I last saw you.” He flips a hand toward me. “Anyway, Mom, this is Denver Dempsey,” he says formally.

  Her hazel eyes float back to mine. “Denver, it seems I jumped the gun a bit. But it is a pleasure to meet you,” she says, stubbing out the blunt. “I feel like I already know you, as much as Ransom has told me, and of course, after watching all those videos of you ride.”

  “You watched me?” I ask in surprise.

  “Oh, sure. Ransom has you all queued up on his laptop, don’t you honey?” she asks oh-so-innocently.

  Shaking his head, he grins at her. “Is that what this visit is going to be like? A personal challenge to see exactly how badly you can embarrass me in front of my girlfriend?”

  She shakes her head vehemently. “Now, Johnny, what kind of mother would I be if I didn’t break out the baby pictures and tell the embarrassing story or two?” She winks at me.

  “Well, I’m all for it, Ms. Ransom. Your son gives me very little ammunition in that department.”

  “Ah, we’ll fix that for sure, and call me Karen, please.”

  After we make small talk about school and the goings-on around town, we make our way inside to get settled. When Ransom leads me to his bedroom, I ask where I’ll be sleeping.

  “With me, of course,” he states.

  “Ransom, I’m not sleeping with you.”

  “And why not?”

  “This is your mother’s home. That would be disrespectful.”

  “My mom knows I wouldn’t mess around in her home. She trusts me.”

  “Do I trust myself? That’s the question.”

  “Well, even if I would let you sleep away from me, there are only two bedrooms. So, you’re stuck with me, baby.”

  That doesn’t sound bad. Not at all. Which is why this is a bad idea. “Ransom—” I begin to protest.

  He silences me with a kiss until I’m writhing against him, begging for mercy. “Shh … it’ll be fine. I’m going to get some dinner started. You get comfortable.”

  Emerging from the bathroom, I hear Ransom and his mom talking quietly about her meds and prognosis. Ransom seems to be well educated on the topic, speaking to her as an equal would, and not necessarily how a son would. I wonder if it’s always been that way between them, or if Karen’s illness forced her son into growing up too soon. I can’t imagine Ransom ever being anything other than the strong-willed, mature man that he is, so it’s probably the former.

  When I enter the kitchen, Karen directs her beaming smile from him to me. It’s such a foreign feeling, and tears threaten immediately. I swallow hard, return her smile, and focus my attention on Ransom’s back. “Whatcha making?” I ask playfully.

  “Just heating up some lasagna that one of mom’s friend’s sent over.”

  “Yes,” Karen interjects, “just get sick, and you never have to cook again. I have enough casseroles to last us a lifetime.”

  Ransom looks over his shoulder at her, and his smile is vulnerable. “I’m just happy you’re gonna be around a lifetime.”

  “Me too, son. Me too,” Karen sighs. “So, tell me all about yourself, Denver.” My eyes widen, and I squirm in my chair. “Oh, now, none of that. Ransom’s already warned me you don’t like talking about yourself.” So says the person who knows all my darkest, deepest secrets. “Don’t make me play the cancer card,” Karen cajoles.

  I laugh and immediately launch into the shortest retelling of my life possible, not giving any more than I would give someone on the street. But, like mother like son, she digs and asks all the pertinent questions. It’s not long before I’m leaning back in my chair, dinner having long been over, and me having done most of the talking.

  “How about we give her a break for the night, Mom?” Ransom finally interjects. “She’ll be here all week.” He winks at me.

  “All right. All right. I can take a hint, but I can’t help it if I want to know everything about the girl who’s captured my son’s attention.”

  Ransom rolls his eyes playfully and moves to clear the table. “You cooked … or heated. I’ll clean,” I volunteer, nodding my head toward his mom.

  He lifts his chin knowingly and helps his mom from the table. “Well, it looks like I have an escort,” Karen grins. “Good night, Denver.”

  “Night, Karen,” I call.

  I have a few dishes piled in the sink to rinse when Ransom returns, and he slides next to me to take care of them. We work in silence for a while, and a foreign feeling steals over me. Having never really known it personally, I still recognize it. Peace. Having dinner with two people who’ve come to care about me in such a short time; quietly doing chores with someone who accepts me flaws and all; and seeing someone appreciate all that life has to offer, even though she’s not had an easy go of it, is a exhilarating combination. I just wish it didn’t feel temporary, like—one wrong move, and it all ends.

  Turning toward Ransom, I rest my hip on the counter and swallow my nerves. He mirrors my stance, an all-knowing look on his face. Reaching out, I run my fingertips over his cheekbone for a moment before Ransom angles his mouth to press a tender kiss on my palm. “I’ve never known this. Not without waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’ve had brief moments, but if this is what your life was like growing up, I hope you know how fortunate you were. Even with the cancer scare and absentee father—which I know was not easy—I’m completely in awe of how peaceful your home is, how loving your mom is, and how full of life you both are.” I hesitate for a moment, knowing how vulnerable this will make me to him, but my trust of him overrides that fear. “Just a few hours with you and your mom … it’s been amazing, and I’m so grateful.”

  Ransom gives me a small smile, kissing me on the forehead and murmuring about making me feel happy. When he pulls back, his look is pensive. “I’ll tell you about what went down with my father soon. I don�
�t want to ruin our night, but it wasn’t pretty. The thing about Karen is, even though she’s had hardships and trials, she always put me first. She struggled with the role that my father had put her in, but when push came to shove and things got unhealthy for her and then for me, she ended that. I could see that it hurt her, not being able to be with him on his terms, but she made the right decision for me. Eventually, though, she was happier. It opened her up to a new relationship—a more loving one. If she hadn’t done that for me, she would’ve been stuck.”

  Ransom fingers a lock of my hair before tucking it behind my ear and running his fingertips down my neck. His gentle touch makes me shiver. “I think that’s what you do for people you love. You put them first, and when they see that, they return the favor.” He shrugs. “You both end up on top.”

  I have a fleeting pang of guilt, since I’d had someone do that for me once upon a time. Unfortunately, I didn’t return the favor, and we all know how disastrously that had ended. Trying to focus on something positive, I ask, “Your mom’s in a relationship now?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I just know she fell in love after my dad, but then she broke things off when she got sick. I could tell from little things she said that the guy wasn’t happy, but he respected her decision. She’s needed full-time help since then, which my aunt has given her. I guess she didn’t want that kind of pressure on a new relationship. Even though it didn’t work out, it gives me hope that my father didn’t mess up her forever.”

  He turns back and finishes drying a few dishes while I let the water out and wipe down the counters.

  Once we’re through, he slides close to me and wraps his arms around my waist. I lay my head on his chest, pulling him tight against me. Letting my eyes close, I relax against him, and his cool scent and strong presence envelope me. His slow, steady heartbeat becomes my soundtrack to the peace we’ve found.