by Jen Talty
“She’s so pretty, and her eyes are so green.” Cheyenne kissed Cheye’s forehead, inhaling the fresh scent of baby smell. Nothing sweeter than a newborn. It was a mixture of sunshine and a warm breeze rolling across a grassy meadow. “JB tells me your family is coming out next week. I bet you’re excited to see them.”
“We can’t wait for my parents to meet their first grandchild.” Kitty set a fresh pitcher of iced tea on the table and poured two glasses before leaning over and patting her little girl who lay peacefully asleep in her bassinet on the front porch of the main house at Whiskey Ranch. Her dogs, King and Kong, lay beside the crib. “Especially JW. He’s being ridiculous about me doing anything other than breastfeeding. As if I’m going to break or something. I even cook him dinner, and he freaks out on me.”
“I’m sure he’ll get over that soon enough.”
“He’s not going to have a choice,” Kitty said. “I have an entire educational system here on the ranch to run, and I’m not going to stop. I took the standard six weeks off, but really, he’s just going to have to get over himself.”
Cheyenne laughed. JW had certainly changed a bit since the last time she’d seen him, and for the better. Though he’d always been a stand-up guy. “How is she sleeping?”
“She’s up every couple of hours, but so far, no complaints.” Kitty took a sip of her beverage. “Here comes Georgia Moon.”
Cheyenne’s heart dropped to her stomach. Of all the Whiskey siblings, it was the sister who liked her the least, and Georgia Moon had made that clear five years ago.
And thus far, she had been pretty standoffish. Even though her press release to the media had made Cheyenne seem like she’s done nothing wrong under the circumstances, she didn’t think Georgia Moon cared for her too much.
Both dogs popped their heads up.
“Stay,” Kitty commanded.
They whined but went back to resting and licking their paws.
“Are we having a party without me?” Georgia Moon leaned over the bassinet and kissed Cheye before taking a seat across from Cheyenne. “All we need now is Annette. Where is she?”
“Last I saw her she was in the main corral with JD, JB, Tony, and Jimmy,” Cheyenne said. “They were practicing roping skills.”
“That sounds like fun.” Georgia Moon rocked back and forth, rubbing her belly. “I hear Jimmy is quite the little horse whisperer.”
“He takes after his father in more ways than one,” Cheyenne said with a little more pride than even she expected. “Last night he watched the video of his Uncle JW breaking the world record for bull riding, and he’s torn between which record he wants to tackle. JB told him he didn’t have to choose, and now Jimmy has it in his head that he’s going to beat both his mommy and his uncle.”
“Sounds like a Whiskey to me.” Georgia Moon raised her glass. “How are things going with you and my baby brother?”
Cheyenne gagged on her drink.
The dogs yelped.
And Kitty let out a small chuckle.
“He’s a great dad.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Georgia Moon said. “And don’t tell me you’re not sharing a bed.”
“Leave her alone.” Kitty leaned over and patted Cheye’s back as she stirred. “You don’t need to come on so strong.”
“Oh, yes, I do. You weren’t here five years ago. What Cheyenne did messed JB up, and my baby brother hasn’t been the same since. It was a whole lot worse than when Veronica broke his heart.”
“I’m not Veronica, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about me as if I weren’t sitting right in front of you.” Cheyenne clenched her fists. “Now, explain to me who this Veronica chick is so I can make sure I can back that statement up.”
“Veronica cheated on JB. He was madly in love with her, and she destroyed him.” Georgia Moon tipped her hat back.
“Well, then that settles it. JB has never loved me. And, to set the record straight, I didn’t cheat on him. I cheated on my fiancé with JB. I tried to explain to JB before I left, but he wouldn’t take my calls. I also—forget it.” Cheyenne stood. “Thanks for the iced tea, Kitty.”
“If you think my brother has never loved you and doesn’t love you now, you don’t know him at all,” Georgia Moon said.
“She’s right,” Kitty added.
Cheyenne inhaled a sharp breath. Her hands trembled. Her vision blurred as she tried to process all the crazy thoughts racing through her mind. But she couldn’t even comprehend half of them.
Nor did she want to.
“Sit down. Please,” Georgia Moon said in a kind, but commanding voice. “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have come on so strong right now. Just understand that when you turn around and leave at the end of the summer, and you take Jimmy with you, it’s going to kill JB, and I can’t sit here and watch you break his heart. Again. Without speaking my mind.”
“No offense, Georgia Moon, but this is between me and JB.” Cheyenne didn’t feel as though she really owed anyone an explanation, but out of respect, she took her seat and sipped more tea, wishing it had a splash of Jim Beam. “And we’ve had this discussion. I plan on bringing Jimmy back as often as possible, including every holiday and long weekend I can. And JB is free to come visit whenever he wants. He’s Jimmy’s dad, and I’m not taking that away from him. I don’t know how else to make that clear. I’m not the enemy here.”
“No one said you were, and we’re all happy to support you and JB through this time.” Georgia Moon took off her hat and set it aside, shifting in her seat. “And to be honest, I never thought you’d do anything but be fair when it comes to Jimmy, but I want you to look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love JB.”
“Whether I love him or not doesn’t matter. He doesn’t love me.” Cheyenne choked on a sob. She did her best to keep it from surfacing again. The last thing she needed was to lose it in front of these ladies.
“Oh boy,” Kitty said. “You need to tell him because he’s never going to utter those words first. He’s not capable.”
“Last time he did that, Veronica, the bitch, took his heart and did the two-step on it,” Georgia Moon said. “He was absolutely in love with you five years ago, and both he and JD would kill me for telling you this, but JD told me he was going to tell you the night you ended up leaving with Scott. His only concern had been the rodeo, and he didn’t want you to leave that on his account. But he absolutely loved you then, and he loves you now.”
Cheyenne opened her mouth, but all that came out was a noise that sounded more like a dying cow than a gasp. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. A wave of nausea made it difficult to focus. She blinked. “You can’t be serious.”
Georgia Moon rubbed her stomach. “Do you love him?”
“I always have,” Cheyenne admitted. “When he wouldn’t take my calls and he changed his number, what was I supposed to think?”
“That he’s a childish idiot when it comes to women. Just like his brothers.” Georgia Moon shook her head. “Listen. You have to be the one to say it first. Of all of us, he’s the most stubborn, and he can dig his heels into the dirt harder than anyone I know. Not to mention he’s a macho man who acts all tough.”
“But deep down he’s a big teddy bear,” Kitty said.
“I do know that. He’s so good with Jimmy it brings tears to my eyes sometimes.”
“He’s just scared to be hurt again.” Georgia Moon leaned forward and took Cheyenne’s hands. “I wouldn’t have written that speech the way I did if I didn’t like you and didn’t think you were the best woman for my baby brother. I know I can be tough as nails, and I’m sorry about how I went about this. But you’re a lot like JB. Sometimes the only way to get him to admit things is to come at him with both barrels loaded.”
Cheyenne left out a soft chuckle. “But I still have one problem.”
“Texas,” Georgia Moon said softly. “Are you really that tied to that place? Or is it an excuse to protect your own heart because you th
ink JB will reject you?”
“I think I liked you better when you avoided me,” Cheyenne mumbled. “But I’d still have to go back. I mean, I do have responsibilities.”
“JW and I did long distance for a year because I wanted to finish my bachelor’s degree. We made it work,” Kitty said. “I’m sure you and JB can do the same while you wrap up whatever you need to in Texas. I’d bet he’d be more than happy to help, and his brothers and Georgia Moon and Luke will cover things here so he can be there with you. Trust me, if you two love each other as much as we all think you do, it will all be okay in the end.”
“Wow. You’ve all got my life planned out for me.” Cheyenne knew it all made sense, but it was a lot to take in, and she’d barely begun to accept the idea that they might be right about JB.
Kitty took her hand. “I know you’re scared. I was too.”
“It’s not just that. It’s everything. I’m sorry. My head is spinning. It’s too much too fast. Too soon.”
“Well, you don’t have to go racing home this second and declare your love. You can pick the right time, but I wouldn’t wait too long. He needs to hear it,” Georgia Moon said. “He’s hurting. And frightened he’s going to lose the two people who matter more to him than the rest of us.”
6
“Where are you taking me?” Cheyenne had never been big on surprises, and she sure as hell didn’t like to be blindfolded. Especially when her nerves were already frazzled after her conversation with Kitty and Georgia Moon earlier.
She knew without a doubt they were right; she just didn’t know how to go about telling JB how she felt, or how to navigate the future.
If they even had one because she still wasn’t sold on the idea that he loved her and not the idea of being a family.
The two were not the same thing.
“If I told you that, it would ruin my fun,” JB said. He had his arm wrapped around her middle while the powerful legs of his big American quarter horse named Monty carried them across Whiskey Ranch.
Riding double also annoyed her. She held a world record. It wasn’t like she couldn’t handle a mild-mannered giant.
“How about you give me a hint.” She suspected they were traveling due east, so maybe out toward Luke and Georgia Moon’s place, but she couldn’t be entirely sure.
He kissed her cheek. “We’re almost there.”
She estimated they had been gone for about twenty-five minutes. Just enough time to make it from JB’s place to Georgia Moon’s on horseback. But they could also end up on the other side of the ranch as well. Or maybe even by the smaller barn. She’d drive herself nuts trying to figure it out.
“Okay. Ready?” he asked.
“Oh hell, yes,” she said, pulling the bandana off her face. She stared at the gazebo behind Luke and Georgia Moon’s house with the pretty white lights that looked like stars that had fallen right out of the sky dangling from the sides. “Oh my.” Her pulse picked up. She couldn’t say JB had been the most romantic man she’d ever met. Five years ago, his idea of romance had been whispering how sexy she looked naked in the light of the moon. Or maybe drizzling a little vino over her body and licking it off. Once he brought her wildflowers that he’d pick in the meadow, but only because she’d mentioned how bare his table looked and it would be nice to have something in the center during dinner.
For JB, it always came back to sex and never love. And she’d been okay with that in the beginning because she’d been living a lie. A reality she struggled to swallow.
But hearing about Veronica and what she’d done, Cheyenne had a better understanding of why JB kept his emotions close to his cuff and could never tell a woman he loved her, even if he did.
“This is beautiful.” She slid from the massive horse, letting JB help her to the ground. “Why, Jim Beam Whiskey, have you turned into a romantic softy on me?”
He laughed. “You are the only person who ever uses my given name. It sounds weird coming from anyone but you.”
“It is an odd name.” She took his hand as he led her toward the gazebo where he’d set up a table and chairs. A single rose was displayed in the center. “You went all out.”
“We have an entire night where we won’t be interrupted. Not that I ever mind being called ‘Daddy,’ but it will be nice to be able to get up and use the bathroom without having to put my underwear on and to sleep with you, naked, in my arms all night.”
“That part will be nice,” she agreed, taking her seat. She stared at the place setting, wondering what was under the covering. She leaned forward, taking a good whiff. The smell of pepper mixed with fresh meat, grilled corn, and sour cream mashed potatoes with chives assaulted her nostrils. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She yanked the top off and stared at the delectable treat.
“Might as well dig in while it’s hot.” JB raised his glass of red wine.
“Who set this up?”
“Georgia Moon and Luke.”
Cheyenne clinked her glass and swallowed her pounding heart. She took a hearty sip, hoping it would be enough to get the conversation started. “I saw her earlier today.”
He cocked his head. “When?”
“At Kitty’s.”
“She didn’t tell me.” JB dug into his steak. There were four things JB loved in this world. His family. His ranch. Sex. And food.
And in that order.
“This is perfect.” He plopped a piece of pink meat into his mouth. “Luke really knows how to grill a steak,” he said. “So, what did you, Kitty, and Georgia Moon talk about?” he asked so casually that it made her head spin.
She had no idea how to respond. She didn’t think she should blurt out over dinner that she loved him. She’d never been the first one to say the words and looking back on her life, until JB, she wasn’t sure she’d ever really meant them. “Pregnancy, babies, birthing babies, that kind of stuff.”
“There was a time we all thought she and Luke would never get together, especially after what happened with Luke and Bella.”
Her fork slipped from her fingers, crashing to the floor.
JB glanced at her and then bent over and picked up her utensil, cleaning it with his napkin before handing it back to her. “That was not meant as a dig, and really that was the least of Luke’s transgressions that Georgia Moon needed to forgive him for.”
She turned her focus to the food, pushing it around on her plate. She brought some of the potatoes to her mouth, wishing she could enjoy them, but everything tasted bitter. “And there is total forgiveness between them? And with Luke and JW?”
“Yes,” JB said. “People can move beyond the past.”
“Can you?” Cheyenne knew Georgia Moon meant well in her conversation earlier, but she got one thing wrong.
If JB was truly going to be able to completely open his heart, he was going to have to let her in, and that meant he needed to tell her he loved her first. Seemed silly and childish, but it was all part of the healing process.
“Why are you asking me this?” He narrowed his stare. “I thought we already had.”
“What do you see happening if I stay on Whiskey Ranch?”
He set his fork and knife on the plate, then picked up his wine and took a sip. “Well, for starters, we’d love to have you working here, full time, in just about any capacity you want with the acceptation of Annette’s job. I know you’re more qualified, but it’s hers.”
“I wouldn’t take that from Annette,” Cheyenne said. “I’d rather give lessons and train riders, not horses.” She placed her trembling hands in her lap. That wasn’t the answer she needed to hear. Well, it wasn’t the first response that should have come out of his mouth. It wasn’t about her position on the ranch.
But her place in his heart.
JB nodded. “I’d have to put on an addition to the house. It’s just not built for a family, but that would be pretty easy.”
“Anything else?” She shouldn’t have to pry to be included in his life.
“Well, Jimmy
could do some of his education on the ranch and our summer programs are the best in the state. He’d be around all his cousins. We’d be a family.”
“We would.” She forced a smile.
“Are you saying you’re going to stay?”
“No. I still need time. It’s a lot to consider, and I need some things from you.”
“Like what?”
“Honesty,” she said. “Something you seem to be incapable of.”
“I don’t know what the fuck that means, Cheyenne. I’ve been nothing but truthful with you from the second I saw you at the rodeo. You’re the one who was full of secrets.”
“That’s not fair. And I don’t want to fight. I only want you to be open about your feelings, and you haven’t done that.”
“Excuse me? Isn’t that what I just did when I told you what would happen if you stayed? What more do you want from me?”
She stared at him for a long moment, pleading with her eyes, hoping he’d be able to see inside her heart and soul. The only way he’d be able to heal his wounded heart would be if he was able to say the words, and it had to come from him, she knew that with all that she was. It would be the only way he could trust that it was real. “That’s all fine, but it’s not enough. It’s not what I was asking.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” He pushed back his chair. “I don’t know why I thought this would be a good idea. I’m done trying.” He stood, pulling his phone from his back pocket. He tapped the screen. “This is JB. You can have the service come out and clean up at the gazebo. Make sure they receive a nice bonus. Thanks.” He stuffed the cell back where he’d found it. “You can take the horse back to the barn. The staff will take care of him. I really wanted this to work, and I thought we were heading in the right direction. Obviously, you’re welcome in my home. It’s what is best for Jimmy. But come the end of the summer, I’m not going to let you take him off this ranch without a fight.”
“JB, this is not an all-or-nothing situation.” Fuck. This totally backfired. She bolted from her chair and closed the gap. “Don’t close up because this just got difficult for you.” She reached out and pressed her hand on his heart. “You’re totally missing my point.”