She hadn’t. She hadn’t meant to. Please. But the words never left her mouth, she was too caught up in her personal nightmare. Brian screaming at her that she was messed up. Her aunt yelling. Her face twisted with bitterness and hate.
A noise that sounded like a wounded animal filled the room. Her heart pounded. She couldn’t catch her breath. Everything around her disappeared as she drew her legs up against her chest, and buried her face in her knees.
* * *
As soon as he heard the noise he started running. That wasn’t a sound he could ignore. Or one he ever wanted to hear again. It was filled with pain. And terror.
The sight that hit him when he entered the kitchen caught him by surprise. Allan was standing over Charlotte, who was curled up on the floor, a can of peaches in his hand. There was broken glass on the floor around Charlotte.
What the hell was Allan doing? Was he threatening to throw the can at her?
“What the fuck is going on in here?” he asked in a low rumble.
Charlotte whimpered, drawing in on herself and he froze. Fuck. She was terrified. He could see her trembling, noted the way she’d curled herself up into a defensive ball. He turned to Allan, who had a smug look on his face.
“Allan, you want to explain what’s going on here?” He kept his voice low. Tried to remain calm. And still, Charlotte let out a sound that was akin to the noise an abused animal might make.
Fuck. Fuck.
He longed to walk over to her, to wrap her up in his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. That he was here now.
He also knew that right now she wasn’t seeing him as someone safe. Before he tried to fix whatever the hell was going on with her, he needed to know what had been happening.
He heard a noise behind him and glanced up to see Zeke racing inside. He held up his hand to the other man as Charlotte let out a whimper. Her breath was coming in fast pants. If she wasn’t having a panic attack then she was close.
Zeke nodded, staring down at Charlotte with worried eyes.
“She’s been stealing from us. I knew it. Just had to find the proof.” Allan waved around the can of peaches in his hand and Clint noticed Charlotte’s backpack was by his feet. She’d stolen a can of peaches? That was what this was about? What the fuck did he care if she wanted to take some damn peaches back to her cabin to eat later. Far as he was concerned, the more she ate the better. She was so thin; he was worried for her health.
“That’s what this is about? A can of damn peaches?”
Allan blinked at him in surprise. What did he expect? For Clint to turn on Charlotte? For him to congratulate Allan on a job well done? If he’d been the one to terrify her so much that she’d retreated into herself, well, Allan might have lived here a long time but Clint didn’t allow anyone to abuse the women on his ranch. Under his care.
“You terrified her over a stupid can of peaches? She’s welcome to that and anything else she wants. Hell, have you looked at her? She’s so tiny a strong wind could push her over. She’s hardly going to eat us out of food.”
Allan took a step back from him, likely reading the fury on his face even though Clint was trying very hard not to let it bleed into his voice. Charlotte didn’t glance up. Didn’t make a noise. He wasn’t even certain she could hear them.
“It’s not just the peaches. Lots of food has gone missing.”
“She’s been here a week. How much food can possibly have disappeared? Not that I really care. As far as I’m concerned if she needs food, she can take it.”
“Stealing’s stealing,” Allan grumbled.
“It’s my food,” he countered, giving the man a firm look. “So, what happened? You snooped in her bag and found that can of food then what?”
“Then I confronted her. I was within my rights to search her bag,” Allan defended.
He heard a noise come from Zeke but turned and glared at him. He didn’t need anyone else entering this and scaring Charlotte any more than she was.
“Then what happened?”
“I told her I was going to get you. She charged at me, and I pushed her away then she fell.” Allan scowled down at her. “She’s not hurt. She’s just putting this on to get sympathy.”
“Jesus,” Zeke muttered.
“You pushed her? You put her hands on her?” He tried to keep his voice calm but it took all of his control. Fuck! How could he have let this happen?
He’d failed her.