One Crazy Ride (4 page)

CHAPTER TEN

Much like the last time they’d been here, the sky was darkening with the possibility of a storm. The air seemed to crackle with electricity. He’d gotten one of the guys to drop him off at the entrance to the pond. This was her favorite place to go when she needed to think.

His leg was really hurting by the time he walked the hundred feet to where she was sitting on the picnic table where they’d had their first encounter. She was crying so hard that her body shook. She never even heard him coming up behind her.

She didn’t react when he put his hand on her back and pulled her against his chest. “Hey, pretty girl.”

Sandy just cried harder. How could he be here, trying to comfort her when her Daddy had nearly killed him with his hatred? It didn’t make sense. It was partially her fault. She’d known how her Daddy had felt, yet she’d gone against his wishes and started something with Christian that she shouldn’t have. Something that nearly cost him his life.

“You think I don’t know what’s going through that pretty little head of yours?” Christian shifted her over and sat down, pulling her back against his chest immediately. “You’re blaming yourself for what happened. Thinking that if you’d never been with me that Atticus would never have done what he did.”

She nodded. “I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to see my face again.”

“And yet, here I am, sitting on this crappy picnic bench, trying to find a way to make you stop crying because seeing you cry is killing me.” What he had to say was probably going to make it worse, but he wasn’t about to start lying to her now. “He turned himself in to Detective Mann. He wants to make this right. For you. For Mariah. He loves you both very much.”

Sandy sighed and dried her eyes with the backs of her hands. “I know he loves us. I just don’t know if I’ll ever be able to trust him again.”

“Do you believe people can change?” He took her hand in his and held on.

“Yeah, I do.” She leaned against his shoulder, looking out over the water. Lightning streaked across the sky and they could feel it on their skin. “Storm’s coming.”

Christian lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “We’ll get through it. Together.”