Running to You: Small Town Romance

Chapter Eight

**This has not been edited or proofread.**

FARRAH

I ought to kill Grayson for letting me drink so much, but then again, I was an adult. I knew better. This was why I didn't drink.

This pounding hangover was a sore reminder.

"I'm never drinking again," I groaned.

Grayson chuckled from beside me. I slowly rolled over, blearily blinking at him. My mouth felt like I'd been chewing on cotton balls. "Water," I mumbled.

He sat up and grabbed a bottle off the beside table along with two pain pills. I slowly sat up, my stomach turning. After swallowing the two pills and guzzling the entire bottle of water, I dropped my head into my hands with a long groan.

"Get a shower. You'll feel a little better. Coffee is already in the kitchen." Grayson leaned over and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'll be out in the field, but if you need me, call me."

I slowly nodded my head. He pressed a kiss to my cheek and got off the bed, slid his feet into his boots, and walked out of the room. I glanced at the bedside table and quietly moaned.

It was ten in the morning. Once again, Grayson had put his day on hold for me.

I was beginning to feel more like his burden than his girlfriend.

~*~*~

I laughed as Vern snatched a carrot right out of the pocket of my cargo pants. I rubbed his nose, shaking my head. "For such a big beast, you sure are sneaky."

I heard someone laughing, and I turned around to see Chase leaning on the fence, his eyes shaded by the brim of his cowboy hat. He nodded once at me. "Wanna grab a bite to eat?" he asked me. "It's going to be a late night for me."

I shrugged and moved towards him. He helped me over the fence and brushed a kiss to my lips. "Lunch sounds great now," I admitted.

He grinned. "Figured it would since I'm starving. I tried to wait as long as possible to get your stomach time to settle."

I frowned as he walked up the porch. The horse pen wasn't far from his door, which had been nice for me. Since I'd found that article taped to my front door, it made nervous to be too far from the safety and comfort of Grayson's small ranch home.

"Hey, what's the long face for?" Grayson softly asked me as we walked into the kitchen.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I quickly told him, pasting a smile to my face.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Don't play that with me, Farrah. I know you better than I know myself. Drop the fake smile. What's going through your head?"

I sighed. "I feel like I'm burdening you," I whispered. "You've been starting work a lot later than you normally do, some days completely skipping out. You're losing sleep because of my nightmares, and now, you're eating lunch late because of me—"

I squeaked when he suddenly gripped my waist in his massive, calloused hands and lifted me onto the counter, stepping between my thighs. He leaned in close to me, his hands still holding my waist. "Look at me," he ordered. I drew in a deep breath and let me eyes meet his. "You are not a burden to me, Farrah. You never have been, and you never will be. I don't mind starting work late and eating lunch late. I don't mind losing sleep because you had a nightmare. I just want to take care of you. That's all I want," he soothed.

Tears sprang to my eyes. "This is just a lot—"

He brushed his nose with mine. "I know, baby girl. I know this is terrifying. I know you're scared for your life. I know you're worried about every animal and person you've ever come in contact with, but I can assure you that Chase has alerted everyone in town of the dangers, and you know I'll never let anything happen to you."

I swiped under my nose. "It happened to Meredith." And that was another fear of mine. If it happened to her, and her husband – my brother – was a cop, what was to stop it from happening to me?

Grayson growled. "I'm not Chase," he warned me. "I'm not your brother. I'm not bound to my job. I'm not bound to my duty to this town. And I'll tell you right now, what happened to Meredith would have never happened if Chase had been there that night." I knew that as well. "You are with me at all times, Farrah, and when I'm not by your side, you're near this house. You know where every weapon is stored, and you know the ins and outs of my property better than I do. You can escape. You can run. She didn't have the opportunity."

The sound of Chase's truck reached our ears at the same time. Grayson groaned and shook his head, leaning up to press a kiss to my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and slightly deepened the kiss, just enough to show him my appreciation for him and everything he was doing for me.

Grayson slowly parted our lips and turned his head, looking at my brother who was now standing in the doorway, his eyes narrowed at us. "You ever heard of knocking?" Grayson asked him as he backed up from me.

Chase snorted. "I'll knock when you marry my sister. Until then, I'll continue to barge in."

Grayson grunted and set his hat on the counter beside me before turning to wash up and make us lunch. I looked at my brother again. "Any new leads?"

Chase shook his head, a grim frown pulling at his lips. "Not yet, little sis. But we're working on it."

I sighed and looked down at my hands. Suddenly, Grayson's hand was tilting my face up. His eyes locked on mine. "You keep those pretty eyes on me, baby girl. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."