Free Hannah (The Hawthorne Sisters) by Ava Catori

truck.
    “Baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to see that.”
    “It scared me.”
    “I’m sorry. It wasn’t directed at you.”
    “I know. It’s just that I’ve never seen you like that before.”
    “My sister … it’s a long story.”
    “I’ve got time.”
    Bryce lowered his head. “When I went to bail her out, she tried to run my truck off the road with both of us in it. I threw her out of my truck, told her I was cutting her out of my life. This morning I went to check on her, and she was gone. She left town, or at least her apartment. Most of her things were gone, and her closet was empty.”
    Hannah watched him talk, pain dripping from his pores , guilt shadowing him like a puppet. “How’s your hand?”
    “Truthfully, it hurts.” It was a nervous laughter, not one of delight. “Are you afraid of me?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “You don’t have to be. I’d never take anything out on you like that. I went to the barn because it was a safe place to vent. Nobody could get hurt but me.”
    “Look what you did to yourself.” Her voice was quiet.
    “Want to ride over to get x-rays with me?”
    “How about I drive?”
    “That sounds good.” He tossed her his keys. “I’m sorry I scared you. It wasn’t my intention. I didn’t know anybody was around. I was just trying to release some steam.”
    “Let’s get your hand fixed.”
    Luckily nothing was broken, though there was some bad swelling. Ice, a compression wrap, and no using it for a while until the swelling subsided. He’d be sore, but he’d heal. Bryce was grateful for the diagnosis, realizing what a mess he’d have gotten himself into if it was broken. He didn’t have the time to let a broken hand heal. He had work to do with winter coming in hard and fast.
    Driving back home, Hannah pulled up to her house. “Take care of yourself.” Ho pping out of the truck, she started to head inside.
    Bryce got out of the truck , and saw her to the door. “Can I see you tomorrow?”
    She nodded quietly, reflecting on the day , and handed him his keys. “I’ll check in on you.”
    “I’d like that.”
    She turned and went inside. There was no kiss good-bye, no look between them, just a silence that hung in the air. Something had changed. She cared a great deal for the man, but wasn’t sure what to make of what she’d seen. Violence scared her. It’s not that it was even targeted at her, but seeing him like that left her cold.
    The following day , she went to check on him like she said she would. They’d have to talk. Hannah’s feelings confused her. She couldn’t just turn off the love she felt, and yet seeing him that way, she wasn’t sure what else she might see. What if he regularly went off like that when he was upset? He didn’t seem the type, but she truly couldn’t be sure. What did she really know about him other than what she wanted to see?
    Pulling into his driveway, she clutched her steering wheel and took a deep breath. This wouldn’t be easy. She thought he was the one , but now she wasn’t so sure. Hannah looked at the front door. One foot in front of the other, she could do this. Forcing herself out of her truck, she started for the porch. Standing in front of the door, she couldn’t bring herself to knock. Turning around, she started back for her truck. Behind her, the door opened.
    “Hannah.”
    “Oh, hey,” she said, turning around.
    “Where are you going?”
    She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing. Looking at Bryce, she went inside.
    “Something’s wrong.” He sensed it in her body language. She usually came directly into his arms. Instead, her arms were crossed tightly over her chest. You could almost see the tension in her shoulders. Hannah’s jaw stiffened as the stress rolled through her.
    “I’ve just been thinking. What do we really know about each other?”
    “Don’t,” he said. “Please don’t make this about anything other than what it is.”
    “Fine.” Hannah