Ace High (Lost Creek Rodeo #6) - Heather B. Moore Page 0,9

said in a quiet voice, not sure how loud he should speak. “It’s Lars.”

The crying quieted. It didn’t stop, but it didn’t sound as heartbreaking, either.

He took a deep breath as his pulse jacked up and down. “Can I open the door?” It seemed like a ridiculous request. But there it was.

“O-okay.” Her voice was weak, worn out, shaky.

Lars turned the knob, unsure what he would see. The interior was dim, of course, and two women sat on the floor in front of the shelves, their knees pulled up, facing each other.

Mallory’s eyes were swollen with crying, and what was left of her eye makeup had smeared down her cheeks. She wore some sort of pink jogging suit, and she was clutching at Kellie’s hand as if it were a life preserver. But Mallory’s gaze was all on him.

“Hey.” Lars crouched to meet her at eye level. “You sick, or something, darlin’?”

Mallory’s mouth trembled, and more tears tracked down her face. “I’m sick in the head.”

Lars had no response to this. “Kellie here is the most brilliant therapist in Texas. If anyone can help you get better, it’s her.”

Mallory nodded, then whispered, “I know.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t know if I can take this anymore. It hurts so much.”

Lars didn’t exactly know what she was referring to, but pain was pain. He’d felt plenty of pain in his life, and this woman was in the throes of it. And that’s when he noticed. Her wrists were bandaged. They hadn’t been earlier today.

Two things hit him square in the gut. She’d hurt herself tonight, and her pain was out of his reach.

“I just …” She exhaled. “I just want to go home.”

Lars’s brow furrowed, and he looked at Kellie, who replied, “We can arrange that, if you’re sure, but we need to get you to the medical clinic and have your wrists looked at.”

“I don’t want to go to the medical clinic,” Mallory said, her voice trembling again. “I don’t want anyone to see.” She cast a furtive look at Lars.

“I understand, honey,” Kellie said in a soft voice. “But I’ll come with you, and I’ll stay the whole time. Okay? You won’t have to be alone.”

Mallory took a shuddering breath, then asked, “Do I have to?”

“I’m afraid so,” Kellie said. “It’s required that if anyone is hurt at the ranch, we need to do a medical evaluation.”

Mallory looked down at her bandaged wrists, then in a small voice, she said, “Can Lars come?”

Shock reverberated through Lars. Was this good, or bad? What was he supposed to say or do here?

“I don’t think Lars can come, honey,” Kellie said.

Mallory’s shoulders sagged, and maybe it was because Lars’s heart was breaking alongside of hers that he said, “I can come.”

Kellie’s eyes widened, and he was pretty sure she was about to argue with him, but Lars continued, “I’m well acquainted with the doc here in Lost Creek, and I’ll make sure he takes care of you right.”

Mallory looked up, and even though there were still tears on her cheeks, a glimmer of hope had stolen across her face.

“Lars—” Kellie began.

“It’s no problem,” he cut in. He met her gaze. “Really. It’s fine.”

She nodded, gratitude in her blue eyes.

“I shouldn’t have come here,” Mallory said in a whisper.

Kellie’s brows furrowed. “What are you saying? I’m so glad you’ve come. Everyone here loves you, and you’ve helped so many already.”

Mallory shook her head. “My sister didn’t want me coming here, either. Said I was running away from my problems. But I did this to make the judge happy.”

“Judge?” Kellie said, disbelief in her voice.

It was clear that Kellie was getting information she hadn’t had before.

Mallory started crying again. “I’m sorry, but I lied at the intake interview. I’m on probation for stalking my ex-boyfriend.”

Kellie blinked, but didn’t say anything, just let Mallory spill everything out.

Even Lars knew that women who had pending criminal convictions weren’t cleared to come to the ranch. There were other facilities that had better resources to help women through those types of situations. So how had Mallory slipped through the background check?

In the next sentence, she answered his question.

“The judge agreed to seal the record if I got help right away. When my ex-boyfriend dumped me, I went on a spending binge,” she said. “That was only a Band-Aid, of course, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him, obsessing over every part of our relationship. So I checked his social media. Every hour. That led to more