by Olivia Hayle
I'll surprise her with it on Sunday afternoon.
I grab the first large package and toss it onto the golf cart. The little vehicle had been Sarah’s suggestion. She thought it would make our cleaning and maintenance staff look more professional when they went from cabin to cabin. But it’s a godsend, truthfully, when you have to navigate the gravel pathways around the ranch.
The sun is high in the sky and I tug off my flannel. It’s a warm day, and there’s a lot of work to do to get it in place, but I feel better than I have in a long time. Logan joins me as we methodically transform the spare room in the spa.
Austin watches us as we work, flopped down on all fours nearby. Nora and Lizzie played fetch with him earlier, and the fellow is completely exhausted.
“I know how he feels,” Logan grumbles and reaches for the hammer. “This is a much bigger job than you let on.”
“Hey, don’t complain. I’m paying you double for this.”
He snorts. “Does that mean you’ll buy me two beers instead of one?”
I hand him another box of nails. "We're getting somewhere. All the wood paneling is done."
“Yeah, yeah, just the electrics left, is that what you’re saying?”
“It’s the most important part.”
“Charmer.”
We work past sunset, tossing beers back and exchanging banter. The last thing we do is fit the spotlights into the wood paneled ceiling. Lucy hasn’t texted me all day, which I’m grateful for. Coming up with a lame excuse is not something I’m good at.
Logan and I step back and inspect our work. It’s late and my back is aching, but I’m not tired. If anything, I can’t wait to see Lucy’s reaction.
“This looks great, man.”
I nod. “Just the electric stove left. We’ll do that tomorrow, though.”
“What time is she coming?”
“I haven’t let her know a time yet, so I’ll play it by ear. And you’re crashing here tonight, brother.”
Logan grins. “Will I finally get to experience the famed Morris Ranch hospitality?”
“Yes. My couch.”
He pretends to wince. “Ouch. I hope I’ll at least get a mint on the pillow.”
“I wouldn’t count on that if I were you.”
“I have a Yelp account, you know.”
I shake my head at him, grinning as I shut the spa behind us. “No, you don’t.”
“But I could get one.”
“Idiot.”
We get up early the next day to finish the installation. Lucy still hasn't called or texted me, and while it’s a relief, it’s also a bit odd. I'll give her a call as soon as we're finished… invite her up for lunch or dinner. Maybe we'll even go riding before I show her the changes to the spa.
The day we’ve been apart feels like forever. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d come to rely on her company, on her smiles and her laughter. Lucy is the most incredible person I’ve ever met. She’s strong and she’s vulnerable, and by far the most beautiful soul I’ve ever encountered.
I hang up the new sign outside while Logan installs the electric sauna stove. Lucy’s face will be priceless—I can’t wait to see her smile.
“Do you need some help in there?”
Logan shakes his head, lying on his back with a screwdriver in his hand. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Alright.”
”Although, if you’re insisting… I wouldn’t mind another beer. ”
I snort. “Right. I’ll be back.”
The Ranch is a mess as I walk back towards the main house. Sarah is running from place to place, trying to finish the last details for the wedding in a few days. The ranch really pulls together for events like that, and I know I’m a lucky bastard for finding these people. The place would have been a wreck without them. Worse—it would have been sold.
I don’t know what my father and grandfather would have thought about my decision to turn it into a hotel, but I do know what they’d thought about selling. It would have broken their hearts.
If nothing else, I made sure it stayed in the family, and that it gave both Sarah and myself work for decades to come. I’m not mayor, but the Morris name is still respected.
It’ll have to do.
I’m rummaging through the fridge in the staff kitchen when I hear a familiar voice in reception. It’s too early—we’re not done yet.
“Hi, Mandy.”
"Hey, Luce."
“Is Oliver in?”
“Yes, I think he’s in the staff kitchen, actually.”
The door swings open. Lucy’s wearing her shorts again, her long legs on display, and her hair is loose around her shoulders. She’s so beautiful it hurts. I want to pull her close and kiss her, take the edge off our day apart.
My gorgeous girl.
“Hi there.”
“Hey.” She tugs at the hem of her t-shirt and nods towards the stairs. “Can we go to your office?”
There’s something off in her voice. “What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head and hurries up the steps with me in tow. She shuts the door to my office carefully behind us. It’s not like her, this quiet, careful demeanor. Something’s happened.
“Lucy, tell me what’s wrong.”
She pushes her hair back. “People know about us.”
“I’m sure.”
“No, Oliver, everyone knows about us. Someone saw your truck parked overnight outside the bakery… It’s the talk of the town.”
I lean against my desk and cross my arms. “Okay.”
“That doesn’t bother you? I thought you hated being the talk of the town.”
“It doesn’t bother me. Hey, hey… stop.” I grab her by the shoulders and meet her worried gaze. “It only bothered me when it was negative.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but the talk going around isn’t exactly positive.”
I frown. “It’s not a bad thing that people know about us.”
“Well, it might be.” Lucy shrugs off my touch and begins pacing again. Back and forth, worrying her lower lip, until she stops and faces me. “I don’t know. I just… I’m not sure if we can do this, not this way.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t have people talking, Oliver!”
“They’re just people.”
“They don’t think what I’m doing here is respectable, and they certainly won’t take me seriously if I…”
“If you do what?”
“If I’m sleeping with the boss.”
For a long moment, all I can do is look at her. Sleeping with the boss.
“I need this job, Oliver. I need it, and I'm not sure how to… Oh, God. We were so foolish."
I frown. “This isn’t like Dallas, Lucy. Your job has never been on the line.”
“You’re right.” She takes a deep breath, stopping in the middle of my office. “I know that. I just need some space. Some time to think, you know. Sort this out.”
“That’s fine. You take whatever time you need.” My voice is casual, but I feel like I’ve been punched. Clearly, we were expecting very different things out of this relationship if this was how she reacted to people finding out about us. And here I thought things were going well? That we might have a future together?
She gives me a nod, like we’ve finished this discussion, and heads to the door. She stops and glances back at me over her shoulder. Her eyes are hesitant. “So I’ll talk to you later?”
“You know where to find me.”
“Okay. Well… See you soon, Oliver.”
I nod. My office door swings shut behind her and I’m left in reeling silence. It only takes her a moment or two to disappear down the stairs.
Fucking hell.
What just happened?
It takes me a solid half-hour to get my bearings back enough to return to the spa. Logan is sitting on one of the benches in the sauna, playing around with the settings to the new stove.
He looks up. “Took you long enough.”
“No beers?”
“Shit. No, no beers.”
Logan frowns. “You look like you’ve taken a hit, man.”
I sigh and sit down next to him. “Lucy was just here.”
“Damn! Did she see this?”
“No. She wanted to talk.”
Logan leans back. “Ah.”
“Yeah.”
“And it didn't go well?”
I shake my head. “No, it absolutely did not.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not particularly, no.”
Logan nods. “Then we won't. Let's finish up this, and after we’re done, I'll take you to the Red Flag for dinner and beer.”
“Make that bourbon and we have a deal.”
It takes us a couple of hours to finish. The sauna we’ve built is large, with double-deck benches and a massive electric stove. The glass door is frosted and swings beautifully on newly oiled hinges.
My sister will freak out, I know that much, but I have no idea what Lucy will think. Not anymore.
Logan and I drive in silence down to town. Weariness and tiredness chase one another; I want a burger and fries, I want alcohol, and I want to forget.
I’ve learned the hard way, though, that the last one is never as simple as people think. You can’t drown your demons, just as surely as you can’t outrun them.
The parking lot outside of the Red Flag is nearly empty when Logan and I arrive, but that’s not surprising. It’s a Sunday afternoon, and people don’t go to the Red Flag on Sunday afternoons. This town runs like clockwork.
“Oliver Morris!”
I know even without turning around who it is. The voice is familiar—it would be to anyone in this town. Lord knows I heard it often enough as a child, in church and in school.
“Good evening, Mrs. Masters.”
She stops a few feet away from me, her purse tucked tight under her arm. She shoots Logan a brief glance.
He gets the message. “I’ll be inside, man.”
I nod. Mrs. Masters continues to look at me imploringly, and fuck, it’s probably my turn to make small talk, but I can’t think of a single thing to say. This day has been awful enough already.
“Can I help you with anything?”
“There’s something I think you should know.” Mrs. Masters takes a step closer, her voice dropping. “The Rhodes girl? I saw Gavin Whittaker talk to her yesterday at that silly fountain event. I don’t know what was said, but she ran away in tears.”
Anger flares through my body, making my fist clench. The fucker.
I should have known. I’ve been an idiot, yet again.
“Do you know what he said?”
“It’s not hard to imagine, Mr. Morris. Gavin has been spending a lot of time gossiping this weekend, and none of it complimentary.”
For a moment, all I can do is blink at her. Never in my thirty-three years have I known Mrs. Masters to be helpful, not like this. Where is this coming from? Is she on my side?
She shakes her head at me with a disapproving frown, suddenly transformed back into the woman I remember. “Don’t look so surprised. I’ve never cared much for Whittaker boy.”
“Thank you.”
“Make this right, son. I don’t want her to move away.” She gives me a farewell nod. “She knows my order by heart now.”
And then she’s gone, walking down the sidewalk with her purse still tucked tight against her side to ward off any potential robbers.
Wow.
If Mrs. Master’s intervention is surprising, the information she shared sure isn’t. Of course Gavin swooped in, like a circling vulture, right when the innocent gossip started. Lucy doesn’t deserve his crap. Now I just have to figure out what to do about it.
I push open the door to the Red Flag and head towards Logan. He pushes a pint across the table to me. "I've ordered bacon burgers for both of us."
“Thanks, man.”
“What did she want?”
I tell him everything. It’s more than I would usually share, but in this situation, I want all the help I can get. If I’m going to solve this with Lucy, I’m going to have to be more open and communicative than I’ve ever been before. It hasn’t exactly been my strong suit in the past.
Logan takes a sip of his beer. “So people in town know about you two, and now she’s freaked? That’s essentially it?”
“Yeah.”
He shakes his head. “Look, man. If you have a shot at happiness, you need to take it. Chances like this don’t come around too often.”
“I want to take it, but I don’t think pushing her on this is a good idea. She asked for time and space, whatever that means.”
“Did she really mean that, though? It sounds to me like she was scared. Came to you for reassurance, and you sure as hell didn’t give her any. She asked for time—not to call it off.”
I lean back and look at him. My second-in-command, the brother who pulled me out of more dangerous situations than I care to remember. Logan’s never given me anything but the truth, the way he saw it.
He looks back at me. The circles under his eyes have lessened, I realize. He’s doing better.
“You can glare at me all you want,” he says. “I’m still right.”
I sigh. “I’ll be damned, but you are. I was an ass.”
“Yes.”
“Not for the first time, I might add. Shit.”
Logan smiles. “Not surprised to hear it. Just like I’m not surprised Gavin’s name came up again.”
“The things he said to her… I need to know what it was.”
He pulls a face. “I’m sure you can imagine.”
“Yes, well, I need to know.”
He pushes away the remainder of his food. “Let's find out, then. Where might he be on an evening like this?”
“Usually here.” I drain the last of my beer. “This is where he always is. Just my luck—the one time I actually want to see his smug face.”
Logan nods to a table in the corner. “Aren’t those the same guys he was here with last time?”
“Yeah. They must have come in after us.”
“Well, if they’re here, he shouldn’t be far away.” Logan shifts so that he’s further back in the booth, half-hiding in the dim lighting. I move so that I’m sitting beside him. The bar is loud and familiar, but it feels like new territory as we watch it in silence. It’s nearly empty apart from the booth with Gavin’s friends and a familiar couple swaying to an old country song.
We don’t have to wait long before he shows up. He’s wearing a wide smile and nods to the bartender. His lips are easy to read. The usual. I rise out of my seat to make sure Gavin doesn’t make it to his.
I block him off with an arm on the bar. His eyebrows rise in surprise, but he doesn’t blanch.
“Morris.”
“Evening, Whittaker.” I make my voice low, smooth. “Here to grab a drink?”
“Yes.” Gavin’s eyes narrow slightly, and I’m sure he knows my game. “Care to join?”
I smile—baring my teeth. “Oh, yes. I’d love to hear more about the rumors you’ve spread this weekend.”
“Rumors? I just tell it the way I see it.”
I nod, pretending to play along. “You’re nothing if not a man of truth. What was it you were suspended for back in school? Cheating on your end-of-year exam?”
He shakes his head, a mocking smile on his lips, but I can read the expression in his eyes. He’s furious. “Water under the bridge.”
“I’m sure. As is the time you tried to sabotage the varsity basketball team’s try-outs for the college reps. What was it that time? You tied my shoe-laces together, right?”
Gavin’s face flushes, and I can’t help but grin. “Didn’t think I knew about that? You’ve been snapping at my heels for as long as I can remember. I just haven’t given you the time of the day until now, because quite frankly, you haven’t been worth it.”
He shakes his head, mouth
pursed. “You’re so fucking full of yourself, Morris. You always have been. Did you enjoy being the only thing anyone spoke about for a decade? You must have, since you keep walking around this town like you’re some sort of hero.”
I take a step closer. “And what does that make you? Because from where I’m standing, you’ve only ever been an asshole. What did you say to Lucy yesterday?”
“Why don’t you ask her, if you two are so close?”
“Tell me. I won’t ask you again.”
He rolls his eyes, like this is beneath him, but I can see the beading of sweat on his forehead. My admissions rattled him—as I intended them to. He didn’t like being reminded of his childhood envy.
“I told her the truth. That you were with her because it was easy… and all of us here know that. I told her that if she was with me, she would’ve at least gotten paid.” He shoots me a sideways glance. “That’s more than I can say for you.”
I'm angry—I’m fucking furious—but I'm in full control. I warned him about this the first time, all those weeks ago, and he didn’t listen.
“I think I’ve tolerated you for far too long.”
“Oh?”
“The one hurting from this situation isn’t going to be me, and it sure as hell won’t be Lucy. It’ll be you. How do you think this will go down in the long-run, huh? Will people remember you fondly for talking shit?”
“She’ll be out of this town before the end of the year.”
“We’ll see about that. But you?” I straighten to my full height, grateful for the three inches I have on the sucker. “You forget your place.”
“How dare you—“
I punch him.
It’s a swift, calculated movement. I aim straight for his cheekbone and skim across his nose. It won’t break bone, but it’ll teach him a lesson. And man, does it feel sweet.
Gavin staggers back. “What the fuck! I don’t—“
“I should have done that a long, long time ago,” I say. “Stay far away from Lucy, from my family, my ranch, and if you know what’s good for you, this bar too.”
26
Lucy
What is there to do but keep going?