She’d had no idea danger could strike just like that and turn her pretty little world into one of pain and fear.
She searched around for the key, pulling things from the drawer and dumping them on the floor. Finally, she found the key taped to the bottom drawer. She pulled it out with a triumphant cry. Then stared at it.
What was she doing? She didn’t know how to use a gun. She had no idea how to load it or tell if the safety was on. She’d probably shoot herself in the foot, or worse, shoot one of her men.
She sat back in Max’s chair with a groan. “Savannah, you have got to do better than this.”
It had probably just been kids prank calling. Stanton was in jail awaiting trial. He wouldn’t be calling her just to fuck with her mind.
But maybe she should have taken Logan up on his offer. Maybe if she knew how to shoot, she’d feel safer.
With a sigh, she slipped off the chair onto her hands and knees on the floor and started to tidy up the mess she’d made. With a frown, she stared at the power bill in her hand. Overdue.
She looked at another bill. Overdue. Pay immediately.
Okay, she knew things were tight, but she hadn’t realized they were so far behind in their bills. It was a wonder they hadn’t shut off their utilities.
Savannah rubbed her forehead.
Why hadn’t they told her about this? Why hadn’t they told her things had gotten so bad?
She didn’t really involve herself in the day-to-day stuff on the ranch. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested . . . okay, she wasn’t really interested. Did that make her a terrible person?
She loved living here. She loved the wide-open spaces. The beautiful countryside. The sound of the horses talking to each other in the barn, of her men laughing together after a hard days’ work. But she didn’t help out much. Didn’t get out there and muck out the stalls or do whatever else needed doing.
Maybe that needed to change.
She couldn’t do this on her own. She needed her men. She needed to know that they loved her, wanted her, that they still saw her as their wife.
And not a victim.
***
Logan stormed over to the truck as Max parked and climbed out. “What are you doing here? Where’s Savi?”
“At home,” Max said tiredly.
“You just left her?”
“She said she needed time alone.”
“And you listened to her?”
Logan felt nearly frantic with worry over Savannah. Helplessness filled him every time he looked at her. He wasn’t used to that feeling. If there was a problem, he fixed it. Simple. But he couldn’t fix this problem. And Max, who always knew what to do, was shutting him out.
“What did you expect me to do?” Max snapped. “Tell her no because we don’t want to leave her alone?”
“What’s wrong with saying that?” He didn’t want her to be alone. What if something happened to her? He couldn’t go through that again. And he knew Max felt the same. It was rare that Max ever lost his control, but the night they’d rescued Savi, Duncan and Jake had to pull his brother off Stanton. Not that Logan felt any sorrow about that. Bastard deserved everything he got. But Savi didn’t deserve to suffer any more, and if Max had killed that asshole and gone to jail, that’s what would have happened.
“She’s not strong enough to be on her own.”
Max gave him a sharp look. “I think we’ve been doing this all wrong.”
“Doing what all wrong?” Logan looked at him, bewildered.
“We’ve been treating her like she’s fragile. Like she could break at any time.”
“Have you seen her lately?” Logan shot back. “She is fragile. She’s skin and bone. She’s not sleeping. She startles at the slightest sound. She was kidnapped and attacked, Max. What do you suggest we do? Tell her to toughen the fuck up?”