The Unwanted Runaway

Unwanted Visitors

Jason’s POV

As I was finishing up going through the rubble of the fire damage of the barn, I heard a loud noise and looked up to see a red Corvette tearing down the dirt road. It screeched to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust that nearly choked me. Through my teary eyes, I could make out the figure of none other than Sam Thorne, Sarah's ex-husband. And who was that flashy dude next to him? Oh, just some guy drowning in sparkly Ed Hardy. Talk about a fashion disaster.

As they both stepped out of the car, I couldn't help but squint in disbelief. Sam looked like a miniature Danny DeVito, while his sidekick resembled a rejected Matt Damon. Seriously, did they raid a costume shop before coming here?

I couldn't hold back the hysterical laughter bubbling up inside me. These two were a walking comedy show. And that wannabe cowboy fashion? It was so early 2000s Las Vegas attire, it should have stayed there. What a pair of tools, I thought to myself, shaking my head in amusement.

I grabbed Denton. He’s a couple feet away from me with his back turn the other way.

What the hell what do you want Jason?

Dude, look, I said.

Sam notices Denton and exclaims, "Hey Denton, do you have a moment? I really need to talk to you about something important."

Denton responds, "I'm in the middle of something, can't you see?" He gestures towards the damaged ranch.

But Sam persists, ignoring Denton's response and says, "Well, this is Joey Friedman. He's Anna Deekson's ex-fiancé. He claims she stole some items from him and he's desperate to get them back. That's all the information I can legally share with you right now. Have you seen her? We were told she's been staying on this ranch."

Denton's tone is now agitated as he responds, "No, I haven't seen anyone matching that description. Now if you'll excuse me, I have ranch repairs to attend to."

Joey glares at Denton and says, "You know what, Denton? You're a liar. The whole town knows you've been sleeping with his ex-wife." He points a finger motioning towards Sam Thorne and adds, "And Sarah told us that you dumped her because that fat b***h Anna somehow convinced you to."

Denton's face turns red with anger and I can see his hands clench into fists. I consider stepping in, but I don't want to make Denton any angrier.

"Don't even try to deny it, Denton," Joey continues, undeterred. "You know it's true."

Denton looks at me and tosses a shovel in my direction. "Jason, take care of this while I deal with this dumbass," he says, his voice seething with rage.

I nod and reply, "Sure thing, Cuz. I'll just stay out of it over here."

But Joey doesn't back down. He turns to Denton and says, "f**k you, man. You wanna go? Let's go." He tries to bump chests with Denton, but he's no match for Denton's 6'9" frame. Joey falls back on his ass and hits the ground hard. He quickly gets up and tries again, but Denton just looks down at him with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"Okay, you guys can leave," Denton says, his voice dripping with irritation. "You're not welcome on my property. Now get the f**k out of here."

Joey doesn't back down. "I know you're harboring that w***e," he says, his voice rising in anger. "She's a f*****g thief and I want my s**t back now."

Sam Thorne steps in and says, "Okay, let’s go Joey. He has every right to beat the living s**t out of us and you're just giving him more reason to do it. Let's go, Joey. We'll come back later."

Just as Denton was about to respond, his niece Lily and nephew EJ came bounding up, with Evan trailing closely behind. Lily looked at her uncle and exclaimed, "Uncle Denton, that guy is so sparkly!" EJ chimed in, "Yeah, he looks like he could be in one of those old boy bands that Mom listens to sometimes." The kids burst into a fit of giggles.

EJ then noticed Sam and asked Denton, "Why is Seth's dad, Sam, here?" Evan cut in, saying, "Don't worry about it, kids." He stepped up beside Denton and sternly said, "If Uncle Denton says you guys gotta go, then you gotta go."

EJ, not one to back down, looked straight at Joey and Sam .

“Shut the f**k up, you stupid little brat. This doesn't involve any of you now. Tell me where Anna is or you're in deep shit."

EJ responded, "Little? I'm 10 years old and almost as tall as you. And you're the one who looks like a freaking sparkly hobbit."

This only made Lily and EJ laugh even harder, while Denton tried to hold back his own chuckles.

"Enough!" Evan finally spoke up, "You've got three seconds to get off my property." He placed his hand on his hip, flashing his hip holster. "Sam, I have no problem with you. But you're aware of what your son did to mine over a month ago. I can make you lose your license. Now get the f**k out of here."

Sam, replied, "And I thought Sarah was crazy. This Anna chick must be even crazier if she has you guys defending her."

Before anyone could respond, Joey interjected, "f**k you guys, f**k this!" Denton snapped and picked Joey up by the throat with one hand, squeezing his fingers tightly around his neck. "All I have to do is snap your f*****g neck. Don't push me." He then turned to Sam and added, "And as for Anna, she left a week ago. Good luck finding her."

With that, Denton dropped Joey to the ground, who scrambled backwards coughing for air. Sam, realizing it was a lost cause, hopped back into the Corvette and sped away. "That's fine," he yelled, "I know Carter's on your side. I'll get the law involved and go over his head to find Anna."

As Denton watched the car disappear into the distance, he couldn't help but mutter, "And I thought Sarah was crazy. Apparently this Anna chick must be even crazier."

I turned to Evan and joked, "You know, that guy is like a Matt Damon reject in the wish/Timu/Etsy version. Basically, a cheap dollar store knockoff."

Evan chuckled and replied, "Enough drama for one day. Let's go grab a drink." And with that, they all walked off, leaving the tense and agitated discussion behind.

As we were walking back to Evan’s house. Dan look like he wanted to ask me something.

"Hey Jason, I have a task that requires your assistance," Denton's voice was serious as he addressed me.

"What is it?" I responded, curious about the urgency in his tone.

"My Ma” has asked that I check all the trail cameras with aerial views around the barn. She has some suspicions about Sarah," Denton explained, his expression grave.

"I'll take care of it," I assured him, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"By the way, have you spoken to Brooke and Mia recently?"I asked.

"No, “ he simply replied,

they're still giving you the cold shoulder?" I inquired.

Denton nodded, a look of resignation on his face. "But honestly, I have bigger things to worry about right now. They just don't understand, that I'm hurting too. I had to make a difficult decision, and I'm not sure if it was the right one. I moved on too quickly after breaking up with Sarah."his voice tinged with sadness.

I could see the weight of Denton's words in his eyes, and I knew that this was a serious matter. We were in for an in-depth, epic discussion about the complexities of relationships, and I was ready to listen.

As we made it through the front door of Evans’s house, Evan tells both EJ and Lily to go to the grandparents house so he can talk Denton and I

Evan returns from the kitchen to the living room and passes me and Denton a couple of beers. We sit down on the sofa and finish our conversation.

"I am well aware of the drama surrounding Anna and myself, but in that moment, it was of little importance to me. However, seeing that Joey character now truly infuriates me," Denton stated with a serious tone.

Mia and Brooke, are unable to fully comprehend the pain I am experiencing, .

Evan then chimes in taking a sip of his beer The Girls continue to plead for you Denton to forgive Anna and give her another chance.

But what is there to believe? She was found unconscious in the barn, the same barn that she recklessly set on fire, destroying our grandfather's cherished heirloom. I reply, sympathetically, shake head.

Not to mention, her arrogance led to the death of two innocent horses. And to top it off, a pack of cigarettes was found on the scene right where her body laid unconscious. I care deeply about Anna and my feelings are definitely stronger than they were for Sarah but I just can’t do this.

“That pack of cigarettes, looks similar to the ones Ben smokes the marble Reds I believe. Evan informed us.

Wasn’t he supposed to be helping Adam check all the areas of the barn to ensure the horses were safe during the windstorm?" I inquired.

"Perhaps, but honestly, I don't pay attention to what all the guys here smoke or eat," Ben didn’t work that day due to some hangover he got the night before. Denton replied nonchalantly. "Besides, Ben mentioned seeing Anna with a cigarette in her mouth, lounging in her usual spot and chatting with the horses."After dinner, she was supposed to meet me at my house Jason, so I have no clue why she went there to the barn in the first place.

Denton turns shifting his body in the couch with his hands resting on his knees he puts his one beer on the coffee table looks down on the ground. Mumbles to himself. It’s for the best.

Denton then gets up from the sofa and says well guys it’s been fun but I want to get all this stuff done so I can get my head back on straight. And Jason please look at those cameras when you get a chance

with that gets up, finish the last sip of his beer, set it on the counter and walk out the front door of Evan‘s house.

Evan's gaze meets mine, his expression serious and contemplative. "Jason, I'm at a loss here. Mia is refusing to be intimate with me until this whole situation is resolved."

"I understand completely, Evan. Brooke is doing the same thing. They're both convinced that Sarah is behind all of this, and I can't blame them for feeling that way. But to withhold s*x because of Denton and Anna's breakup? Come on now."

"Joshua informed me that Uncle Luke doesn't want Anna on the property. He sees her as a liability. And for some strange reason, Denton loses his composure whenever someone threatens her. It's concerning," I inform Evan.

"He's just in denial, Jason. We both know he loves her," Evan replies.

"But he barely knows her," I counter.

"That may be true, but they were happy together. I haven't seen my brother that happy even before Sarah came into the picture. Anna was good for him," Evan says with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"It's undeniable that Anna has a kind and helpful nature. She always puts others before herself, and that's a commendable quality in my opinion."

Evan reaches for the remote and turns off the TV with a determined click. He leans back on the couch and addresses me with a serious tone, "Since the kids are dining at Ma’s tonight and Mia is putting in extra hours at the boutique, I thought we could take advantage of the free evening and catch some football. What do you say?"

I shake my head, a sense of responsibility weighing on my mind. "Actually, I was planning on checking the cameras. I want to get a head start on it so we don't have to worry about it later."

Well, all right, Jason”

Hey”, at least we got a couple more days until New Year’s right I say to Evan

Evan nods in understanding, "Ah, that's true. Alright, I'll let you handle cameras . Good night then." I bid him farewell and make my way out the door.