by Em Petrova
She shook her head. “Beau, there’s no way. We don’t have that much family to help. Do you think Aunt Kathy can help put siding on a barn? Or roof one?”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ve got a few old friends I know will work for beer and barbecue. Think you can get the pit cleaned out and some coals going to roast a pig?”
Now Beau wasn’t stupid, but he was a man. And men rarely had any inkling of the planning and execution it took to feed a group of people.
“I thought more along the lines of picking it up at the barbecue joint and bringing it back here.”
“Yeah, probably faster, huh?”
“It’s going to cost a few hundred bucks. You know this, right?”
“I guess we call it labor costs,” he drawled out.
She stepped out of the building and shielded her eyes to look at the place where the barn would go. So much work ahead of them.
“You’re sure this is a good idea to rush through the barn building? We had a solid plan and a timeline when you bought this place.”
“I don’t see any other option. The horses need a place to shelter, and the owners will pull their contract with us if we don’t have a barn for their prized horses.”
“What about boarding them somewhere else for a while?” Her mind shot to the biggest horse ranch in the area, the Bellamy Ranch. Owned by her ex-boyfriend Kaoz’s uncle and cousin.
Beau stepped up next to her. He nudged her with his shoulder. “We’ll get it done, l’il sister. With—”
“I know, I know. Hard work.” She found it difficult to keep the grumble out of her tone. Hard work she didn’t mind, but this seemed like the impossible. Such short time to erect a barn and ready it for half a dozen horses?
“I’ll make some calls to my buddies this evening.”
“Okay, you do that. I’m going to feed the pigs next.”
“Always so serious, Brielle.” Beau knocked her hat off her head as his way of teasing. When she aimed a kick at his shin, he shuffled away out of her range, laughing. She couldn’t stay irritated with him when she’d signed up for this. She figured one of them should fulfill their dream, and since hers now swirled in the toilet…
Her heart seemed to sag heavy in her chest. At one point, she wanted this same thing with Kaoz. They discussed their mutual hope of raising horses so often that she felt there was no way it wouldn’t happen.
Yet, it hadn’t.
He went West to ‘learn the ropes,’ he claimed. And she had been left here, wondering if he really cared all that much. Few phone calls and texts from him followed, which sent her mind to a dark place. Suddenly, she remembered every instance he ignored her about the wedding plans she’d painstakingly thought up and made her question how serious he really could be about marrying her.
Meanwhile, she lived in the house they shared, alone with her worries, fears and a stack of wedding magazines.
With a sigh, she crossed the yard to the pigpen. The corner of the land had been partitioned off first thing, the fence repaired and a small lean-to fixed up for the pigs. So far, it worked for the weather, but come fall, they needed something more substantial for the pigs too.
Her mind circled to Kaoz and the texts they’d shared that morning. She barely had a moment to ingest their exchange let alone feel the pain of the breakup. Knowing he sat alone in that house she’d spent four months in by herself only amplified the ache inside her.
We grew apart. Our relationship started out hot and the flame fizzled.
Trouble with knowing Kaoz had returned was also knowing that sooner or later he’d seek her out. Admittedly, she took the coward’s way out by not ending things face-to-face. Deep down, she feared he would try to drag her back into something that would only end in disaster.
No, this was best.
As soon as the pigs saw her approach, they rushed to the feed trough. She dumped the few scraps from dinner in as well as some feed, cabbages she’d quartered and a few other goodies for the fat things.
“You’re looking plump today, aren’t you, dears? Eat up, so you you’re nice and fat for the freezer.” She bit her lip and giggled at her own words.
After she finished with the pigs, she assessed her next chore to work with the horse. Beau sank a lot of money into the pureblood to use it for breeding, but the mare proved to be a feisty one with a stubborn streak. So far, Brielle only managed to teach her the most basic of commands. She had a long way to go.
When she led the mare out of the pasture and into the training ring, she focused all her attention on the horse. Everything else seemed to fade away—her own problems, Kaoz and the feeling that she clung to a few badly-nailed down boards of a sinking ship of a ranch.
Next time she looked up, she saw her brother standing at the fence, watching her progress. He caught her eye and nodded.
“Lookin’ real good. You got her taking those commands.”
She smiled and patted the horse’s neck. “She’s doing great. Just a bit slow because she’s so stubborn.”
He chuckled. “She’ll make some pretty babies too.”
“When can we breed her?”
“Six months maybe. At least that’s what I remember from Grandpa.”
She nodded and caught the lead rope. She led the horse out of the training pen and turned her loose in the pasture again. The beauty trotted straight to the corner and the new hay bale waiting for her there.
“You’ve been working with her for hours today,” Beau said.
She squinted at the sky. She never excelled at reading the hour from the sun’s position. “What time is it?”
“About four.”
“Oh. I guess I lost track.”
He eyed her but didn’t speak.
Turning to him, she arched a brow. “Out with it. I know you’re holding something back.”
Her brother compressed his lips. “I saw Kaoz.”
Her heart shouldn’t skip a beat let alone roll completely over in a wild flop like it did. Then it took off again, pounding hard behind her ribs. “You saw him in town?”
“Yeah, and he’s lookin’ for you, Brielle.”
Panic filtered through any barriers she might have managed to throw up. “You didn’t tell him where I’m at, did you?”
“No.”
“Tell him I ran off and joined the rodeo. Tell him I’m the town drunk and there’s no point in searching under rocks.”
Beau shook his head.
She seized her brother by the arm. “I’m serious, Beau. You can’t let him find me.” Because I don’t know if I can stick to my course if I see sadness in those blue eyes of his…
“Crossroads is a small town. Sooner or later, Kaoz’s going to find out where you are.”
She chewed her lip. “Did he ask?”
“What do you think? Of course he asked. I’m not happy about the way he treated you.”
“Tell him I don’t love him anymore.” The words sounded so horrible and final to her own ears that she struggled against the sting behind her eyes.
“I wish I’d thought of that, but I was struggling to keep from punching him in the face.” Her brother had rallied on her behalf since the moment she made the choice to walk away from Kaoz. He and Beau never got along anyway, and Beau wouldn’t be sad not to have a brother-in-law he didn’t like.
“I’m serious, Beau. If you see him again, tell him I don’t love him anymore.” She still tried to convince herself with her tone. She really had fallen out of love with the cowboy wannabe. Kaoz stopped caring about her months ago, and she stopped right back.
Beau studied her a moment and then heaved a sigh. “You can tell him yourself, sis. But we both know you’re lyin’.”
Chapter Two
Seven people. Kaoz talked to seven people before he learned Brielle’s whereabouts.
Apparently her brother Beau recently purchased the old Nicholls’ ranch and Brielle had moved in with him to run it.
Running a ranch was their dream.
Together. He and Brielle.
Kaoz’s chest felt too tight and hot as he bumped down the pitted driveway. He only wanted a few minutes of her time. If he looked into her eyes and saw it truly was over…then he’d turn around and climb into his truck.
But one small glimmer between them, a single spark, and he wouldn’t back down. A love like theirs didn’t fizzle. He might have neglected it badly—he took all the blame—but he knew deep down that she still loved him. What they had would never die.
The ranch Beau purchased could barely be called a ranch, not in the terms Kaoz understood. The Bellamy and the huge outfit in New Mexico had taught him exactly what to expect out of a profitable ranch, and one glance around showed him a losing battle.
Besides the grounds needing a lot of care, he couldn’t even see a barn against the backdrop of evening sky. A lone horse grazed in a fenced area that seemed to have some drainage problems. Another few days in that muck and the horse would be battling a nasty case of thrush.
When he stopped in front of the small ranch house Mr. Nicholls and his wife had managed to raise five children in years ago, Kaoz found it hard to believe. Compared to the massive stone and log home of the New Mexico ranch, this place looked like an outhouse.
Drawing a deep breath, he dug in his fortitude and jumped out of the truck. He no sooner hit the dirt that someone grabbed onto his shoulder and whipped him around.
A face blurred past his vision, which splintered when a fist slammed into his jaw, rocking his head. His hat tumbled to the ground and pain rocketed through his skull.
He might have that comin’ for what he did to Brielle, but he’d be damned if he stood there and took another hit like the first.
Cocking his fist, he took aim at Beau’s face. His knuckles glanced off his cheek as he turned his head aside to avoid the blow.
“Get off my land. You’re not stirrin’ up trouble, ya hear?” Beau ground out.
Kaoz squared off, bracing his legs like he and Cort had practiced when they were kids who thought all seventh graders would be bullied by senior-high kids. He eyed his opponent. Beau’s sour expression hung with determination too. Kaoz wouldn’t be getting off lightly.
He threw up his hands to ward Brielle’s brother off. “Look, we never did see eye to eye—”
“No, because I was right that you’d treat my sister like crap, and you didn’t let any of us down about that, did you?” He looked into eyes that were so much like Brielle’s that Kaoz’s chest burned even more.
“That’s why I’m here—to apologize. Make things right.”
“Only right thing left is you gettin’ in your truck and leavin’. I won’t see her hurt anymore, Bellamy.”
He shook his head. His jaw felt as if the punch had shifted it to the right, and he tested it a bit. “I know she’s here.”
“Not right this minute, she isn’t. If she were, she’d be out here to give you a black eye.”
“I don’t doubt that. I did her wrong. But I want to remedy that, Beau. Where is she?”
“I told you, she ain’t here.”
Desperation weighted him. He couldn’t leave without Brielle, or at least without fighting for her the way she deserved.
“I went West to—”
Beau glared at him. “You think I care?”
“I’m tryin’ to explain.”
“Save it. Leave. It’s over, Kaoz.”
He’d been telling himself over and over all day long that it was over. Then that it wasn’t over—not until he proved himself.
“I want to hear it from Brielle’s lips.” He narrowed his gaze on Beau.
“You must have lost your hearing out West, because I told you she isn’t here.” He exaggerated his words as if Kaoz was deaf, dumb and stupid.
Six months ago, he wouldn’t have taken Beau’s crap. But to get to Brielle, he had to get through her brother first.
“Nice place ya got here,” he took another tack.
“What are you playing at now?”
“Nothing—just saying congratulations on your new ranch.” He looked around, while keeping half an eye on Beau in case he aimed another swing at him. “Got some cattle?”
“Forty head and some horses coming soon.”
“Ah. Only have the one right now?” He pointed in the direction of the pasture.
“That’s right.”
“If you’re getting horses soon, where are you housing them? Surely not in that three-sided shed there.” He pointed.
Beau followed his gesture. “We’ve got pigs in there.”
Kaoz’s stomach hollowed at the we part of the sentence. Brielle had been lumped into that. She ran this ranch with her brother, pitiful place that it appeared to be.
He tightened his lips and stared at Beau. “Looks like you need a hand around here.”
He narrowed his eyes at Kaoz. “Not from you.”
He arched a brow. “No? You know I’ve got experience. Knowledge. I can help you.”
“I don’t trust you as far as I could toss your ass, and believe me, I want to. You left my sister in the middle of planning a wedding.”
Fires of guilt burned in his gut. “I know. I’m here to make it up to her.” Squaring up with Beau, he met the man’s gaze. “Look, all I’m asking for is a chance to talk to her. In trade, I’ll work for you.”
Now that snagged the guy’s interest. A flicker of a question lit his eyes. “What exactly are you proposing?”
“I’ll work on the ranch, all my knowledge will be your knowledge. I bet you haven’t turned a profit in the months you’ve owned it, and you’re still far from doing so. Am I right?”
Beau’s silence proved enough of an answer, and Kaoz moved in for the kill.
“I’ll wager that within two months, I’ll turn a profit for you. Give me two months and then you can send me on my way. But you have to take my advice.”
A low laugh escaped Beau. “Our business plan expects a profit in six months, so I’d like to see you try.”
Of course the business plan must be Brielle’s doing. She already loosely mapped out what their own ranch would look like once they purchased some land. And she’d planned most of the wedding before he left.
He hadn’t even given her the consideration to look at the details she pored over. Now, his failure ripped his heart out and might keep on doing so until she stepped into his arms or he got over her.
He shook his head. I’ll never get over her.
“Two months,” Kaoz repeated.
He shook his head. “Brielle won’t like it.”
“She’ll be fine, once she knows I’m only here to help.”
Beau threw him a skeptical look. “Let’s say I do take you up on your offer of help. We’ve got a barn to raise in a little over a week—”
“A week?” Kaoz burst out.
“Yes. We can use a hand around here. But I can’t pay you. What would you ask for in return?”
Kaoz thought of Brielle in his arms, but the woman wasn’t something to be wagered. She would be wooed or nothing at all. But that meant he had to remain close to her.
“Room and vittles.”
Beau cocked a brow. “That’s all? You get a bed and three squares a day?”
He gave a single nod.
The man didn’t even glance around at the state of his ranch to think longer on the proposal—he thrust out a hand to Kaoz.
Excitement soared inside him as he gripped Beau’s hand and shook on a solid deal. In trade for work on the ranch, he got to spend his days near Brielle.
“You start today. Evening chores.”
“You got it.”
“You can sleep in the outbuilding there.” He motioned to the structure that he wouldn’t stable that lone horse in. He also had no plans of bunking with the horse.
“I got my stuff in the truck. Haven’t unpacked yet.” He started toward his vehicle.
“Dammit. Kaoz, wait.”
He swung to him again.
“I wasn’t thinki
ng just now when I shook on the deal. Brielle won’t—”
One thing about Brielle’s family—they were all poor decision-makers. Her aunt cancelled two weddings before finally giving up. Her mom and dad owned several businesses during their lifetime together, all of which they jumped ship on before they really gave it a real effort. Clearly, Beau second-guessed his decision to bring Kaoz on board now.
Kaoz had to convince him.
“Of course, I’d like to talk to Brielle, but I’m here to work. I’m here to help you both, and she can’t argue that this place could use another pair of hands,” he told Beau.
Before Brielle’s brother came up with a reason to back out of the deal, Kaoz walked off, mentally shaking his head. Dealing with Brielle’s family would likely drive him to drink—then again, he didn’t have his custom beer tap, did he?
As he strode to his truck to grab his bag, he couldn’t help but take in the problems he faced in fixing this ranch and turning a profit in the timeframe he proclaimed he could. Right off the bat, the animals needed better shelter. In Georgia, the animals required shelter from the sun. In colder seasons, they’d need shelter from the wind. Besides that, the pigs needed safety from predators. They had a barn to build within days, and as far as he saw, lumber hadn’t yet been delivered.
His mind worked over a few more issues such as solar-powered water delivery to the cattle and what exactly they planned to do with that field. But deep down, his heart worked over the situation with the woman he loved.
He reached his truck and pulled out his bag. Instead of taking it to the outbuilding as Beau suggested, he walked straight to the house. With all the confidence in the world, he stepped inside like he owned the place. The house could use some work too—outdated flooring and kitchen.
Seeing the feminine touches Brielle had ripped out of their home and placed here hurt. The cute little llama planter with a cactus in it. A framed image from a local artist.
With more determination than ever, he searched the rest of the house until he came upon her bedroom.
Hell, he was getting soft. His eyes blurred with emotion as he spotted her favorite jean jacket slung over the bedpost and caught a whiff of her perfume still floating in the air.