by Mia Carson
Johanna would experience the romantic weekend her mom mentioned, just with a Marquette instead of some smug asshole her brothers set her up with.
Since the narrow escape getting home, Johanna had spent a few nights wondering if what they risked was worth it, but she remembered what it felt like to be in his arms, his strength and warmth surrounding her. True security. Maybe even true love? She laughed at the notion, but it lingered long after she flipped off her light and tried to fall asleep. An explosive relationship indeed. The fire coursing through her body as she lay in the dark was unlike any heat she could hope to describe.
For the first time in her life, Johanna was filled with an insane hope that her future would turn out better than she imagined, and if she were lucky, maybe she could take Izzy with her. Making it work with Reider was a long-shot, but she was more than ready to jump in headfirst with him. Their last names held no meaning, not anymore.
If she were going to take this chance, she was not going to hold anything back. When sleep claimed her, the dreams of Reider turned from simple kissing to his hands all over her body as he took her in the field by the creek. The dream was so intense, she woke drenched in sweat, a throbbing between her legs.
“No holding back,” she whispered to the darkness and smirked. “Not with him.”
Reider feared the days until he could treat Johanna to an actual date would drag by, but instead, they disappeared one after the other and his heart lightened with each one. Even Micah’s dour mood couldn’t keep a grin off his face, and his parents had noticed him laughing more easily. His mom asked about a girl, but Reider shrugged it off and said life was good.
Micah, however, was not satisfied with that answer. As the days drew closer to his date with Johanna, his cousin’s sudden pestering threatened to destroy his good mood. Reider pulled in the drive after another meeting with Johanna that started at the coffee house and ended at ‘their spot,’ as he called it now. The barn was the perfect hangout for them to relax and forget about the dangerous territory they wandered into by indulging in this relationship.
The date with Johanna loomed closer, and suddenly, he was a nervous teen again. They had kissed and held hands, cuddling on the couch in the barn nearly every time they were together, but this would be different. An official date meant they were serious about having each other in their lives. Meant she was as crazy about him as he was about her to keep risking so much for each other.
“Where were you?” Micah snapped as Reider grabbed his bag from the backseat.
“Studying with friends. What’s it to you?” he asked and pushed past for the front door.
“I’ve been alone a lot lately, that’s all,” Micah whined and trailed behind Reider like a lost puppy. “I was wondering if next time, I can go with you.”
“No, absolutely not,” Reider said, shooting Micah a stern look. “You’ve been at college long enough to have made some friends. Hang out with them.”
“I… uh, don’t talk to anyone, not really,” he said and hung his head, his eyes downcast as they walked through the foyer. “No one wants to talk to me because I’m a Marquette.”
“No,” Reider argued, kicking off his boots. “No one wants to talk to you because you’re depressed all the time. Micah, you need to move on.” He laid a heavy hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “Work at smiling once in a while, and maybe people will treat you differently. You need friends. You can’t always rely on me to be there for you.”
Frowning, Micah watched Reider closely. “But we’re family. We’ll always have each other. Isn’t that what you told me when my parents died?”
Reider nodded slowly and moved towards the stairs, wishing more than ever he lived full-time on campus. His dorm room was still empty and ready to be used as an escape from Micah’s constant hounding. “Listen, do what I told you. Things change, and if I’m not there when you need me, you need someone who can be.”
“Are you dating a girl? Is that what this is about?”
“What? No, of course not,” he said, laughing nervously. “Nothing to do with a girl. You’ll be bored if you come with me.”
He turned and told Micah he’d be down later for dinner. He had some reports to type, which was technically true, but he wanted to finish his plans for the date and text Johanna. He couldn’t stand being away from her on the days when she couldn’t manage an alibi with her sister or friend, both of whom still had no real idea what she and Reider were up to. They still assumed it was all for the class and nothing more.
“Reider!”
His hand was on the doorknob when he groaned and called back downstairs, “What?”
“Forgot to ask you something,” Micah said and ran up the steps. “I need a favor and can’t ask your parents because… well, I already tried, and they think I should see a shrink.”
“What are you talking about?” You should see a damn shrink anyway, was what he wanted to add, but the words remained in his mind.
“I… uh, I hired a PI to investigate the accident with Mom and Dad, but I’m running out of funds.”
Reider expected to hear almost anything but that and simply stared at his cousin as his mouth slackened and his brow furrowed. “Micah, it was a car accident,” he finally said quietly. “Even the police said so. What are you investigating?”
“No, it wasn’t an accident,” he whispered harshly and leaned closer. His hands twisted together and his eyes were wild as he spoke. “I already have some proof, but I need more. Please, I need a few thousand to finish everything and then I can prove it was them.”
“Them? No, this isn’t healthy,” he said and shook his head. “You need to talk to someone about this. Who do you think caused your parents’ accident?”
Micah straightened, and his body stilled as he glared at his cousin with an open hostility Reider had never seen in him before. He refused to back down, but it unnerved him.
“Who else but the Chadwicks? Your family has most of the control over the cattle, but mine dealt with the railways, the one industry controlled over fifty percent by the Marquettes until the accident,” he said, each word straining against the onslaught of rage and bitterness rushing through his eyes. His hands fisted, and he took a step closer to Reider. “Please, let me prove it. Lend me the money. That’s what family does.”
Reider hoped if his parents heard the same insane theory from Micah, they would have given him a heads up that his cousin had taken a turn towards crazy town… unless he lied to them about what he needed the money for.
“Micah, I can’t,” he said quietly. “Please go talk to someone. You’re grieving and looking to place blame, that’s all.”
“Why would you say that?” he raged and paced down the hall before whipping back around. “Why would you defend the Chadwick name?”
Reider cursed, wishing his family was home, and reached out to Micah, but he flinched away. “I’m not, but you can’t really think they’d go so far as to murder your parents.”
Micah’s face went scarily blank for a long minute before his lip lifted in a snarl. “Whatever, forget I said anything. I’ll get the money another way.”
He stormed down the hall to his room and slammed the door behind him. Reider heard the lock click and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew Micah was having a hard time adjusting to life without his parents, but accusing the Chadwicks of murder? Even if he wasn’t with Johanna, that was crossing the line. The families might hate each other, but neither had gone so far as to kill anyone, nor even attempt it.
They might now if they knew what you and Johanna were doing, he thought, picturing Johanna’s brothers leering at him as they came after him. He wasn’t scared of them, nor what they might to do him. He was worried about them taking it out on Jo.
On top of worrying about them finding out, he had to keep an eye on Micah with his crazy ideas about his parents being murdered. He considered warning Jo about it, but the last thing he wanted was to add any more weight to her shoulders. As much as she said sh
e loved their time together, he knew every time they met there was another chance of them being caught, and the strain showed on her face until he managed to soothe it away.
When he locked his bedroom door, he pulled out his cell to see a message from Jo asking what she should wear Friday night. Reider grinned and told her to dress nice for the occasion, knowing how good she looked in a dress. He wanted to take her to a fancy dinner and a night out on the town, but someone would see, and ruining this crazy heated passion growing between them was not what he wanted to do, so he was going to bring the night out to her in a place no one would look for them. She messaged back saying she would see him in class Friday and then for the whole weekend.
They had two whole days together. His parents weren’t going out of town, but he had made plans to be at one of the other ranches this weekend, bribing Benny to cover for him. He trusted the guy, thought of him as an uncle, and knew they were safe. Unless Micah decided to be a pain and follow. Reider would have to make sure that did not happen. If his cousin caught on to who Reider was dating, it would spell the end of Reider and Jo’s time together, and the devastation he worried about causing would happen before he could stop it.
He texted Benny and asked if the man would mind switching vehicles for the weekend, lending Reider the beat up old truck instead of his recognizable, bright orange Wrangler. Nothing was going to ruin this weekend.
8
Another dress flew across Johanna’s bed with a frustrated mutter coming from her closet as she pushed aside the rest of her clothes and searched for the perfect thing to wear. She glared at her clothes and hated that she hadn’t been shopping in ages. Tonight, she wanted something she’d never worn before, something Reider might not have seen her in, but there was nothing in her closet that felt right.
“Jo? What are you doing?” Izzy asked with a laugh as she stepped into the bedroom.
Johanna heard her steps and poked her head out of her closet. “Cleaning out some stuff.”
“Right, cleaning out only dresses,” Izzy said, picking up one by the strap. “Are you going on a date tonight?”
“No, hanging out with Melody,” she said quickly and ducked back into the closet.
“Seriously? Come on, I might be your baby sister, but I’m not blind. I see how you’ve been acting lately, and all those meetings at the coffee house? Who is he?”
Johanna hoped she would leave if she gave no answer, but Izzy sighed and hopped onto her bed, making herself comfortable amongst the pile of clothing. Tapping her nails loudly on the door frame, Johanna nibbled her tongue before she sighed and gave in. “Yes, I’m seeing someone, but no one can know, alright? I mean it.”
Izzy nodded and fiddled with one of the dresses on the bed. “You know, I don’t think Reider saw you in this one. It’s probably safe to wear.”
“No, I wore that last ti—What did you say?” Johanna gasped.
“I said I don’t think Reider has seen this one. You should wear it.”
The room spun, and Johanna staggered forward until Izzy reached out and helped steady her. “How… how did you know?” she gasped, eyeing her sister closely.
“I spotted you hopping out of his Wrangler,” she said with a shrug. “He kissed your hand, and you smiled in a way I haven’t seen in a long time.” She straightened with Johanna and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you both!”
Johanna, at a loss, hugged her sister back. “Izzy, you can’t tell anyone about this.”
“I’m not stupid,” she said and stepped back. “I wasn’t going to say anything at all, but with everyone out of town, and you said you were busy all weekend, I had a feeling you two had planned something special.”
Johanna nodded once, reeling that her sister knew the truth. She trusted her sister, but if Izzy had seen them, someone else might have as well. The thought terrified her until she took a deep breath, let it out, and realized that there was no reason for her to care who did. She was going to spend the weekend with Reider, which meant she was going to fully enjoy whatever time they had together. She wanted more than a simple kiss and he did, too; she knew by the way his hands had caressed her the few times they had touched.
She picked up the dress her sister suggested, a short, black number with draping straps going around the shoulders and a low back. The date needed to go perfectly because tonight Johanna wanted to do something she never had before, had never felt the urge to do with another guy. She ducked back into her closet, and Izzy followed. When Johanna pulled out matching, black and red lace panties and bra set, Izzy whistled.
“So it’s going to be that kind of weekend,” she mused and grinned until Johanna shifted nervously on her feet. “Wait, have you never… You’re still a virgin?”
“What made you think I wasn’t?” Johanna asked.
Izzy shook her head. “Don’t know. Thought with the few guys you did date, you might’ve done it with one of them.”
“Nope, but Reider… There’s something about him, and neither one of us can figure it out,” she told her sister quietly, and a weight lifted off her. Keeping the secret, not having anyone to confide in was hard, but now that Izzy knew, at least Johanna had one person with whom she could share her worries. “I want this to work out so much it’s driving me crazy.”
“You think Frank and Fredrick will find out?”
“I think we’re playing with fire, and if this goes wrong, it’s going to cause a rift we’d never be able to come back from,” she said, remembering how Reider described it. All her worries flooded her mind again, and she groaned, eyeing her sister. “Am I crazy for doing this?”
Izzy sighed and hugged Johanna. “No, you’re not. You’re brave, both of you, and this is a good thing. I feel it—not to mention that it’s horribly romantic.”
Johanna laughed as her sister backed away, her eyes shining. “You think so?”
“Yeah. Now get your ass dressed and text me later. I’m assuming from the lace in your hands you’re not coming home tonight.” She winked and waved over her shoulder as she left the closet. “Finish getting ready before you’re late!”
Hoping this weekend would go perfectly, her hands shook with nerves as she pulled on the sexy undergarments and dress. Johanna finished getting ready, leaving her curls hanging loose over her shoulders. She applied a little makeup, put some simple silver studs in her ears and a silver chain necklace around her neck.
When she glanced at herself in the mirror, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out, smiling as she pictured Reider. “You can do this.” She picked up her clutch and the small overnight bag she had packed just in case and darted out the front door.
Reider tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for Johanna’s red Coupe to pull up. He glanced at his watch before checking his cell again, worried that something had gone wrong. Maybe her brothers had found out and were holding her at the house. For all he knew, they could be on their way to kick his ass for trying to date their sister. He was ready to call her when a text came in from her, saying she was parked outside the coffee house. Breathing a sigh of relief, he told her which vehicle he was in and asked if she were alright following. She asked where they were going, but he chuckled quietly to himself and told her it was a surprise. He set his cell down and pulled away from the curb.
A little while later, they left the town behind and pulled up the gravel drive leading to the barn, which was all lit up inside. He had been there earlier to ready the place, and as he directed her to park her Coupe under the overhang around back, he worked at controlling his nerves.
He was doing fine until she opened her door and one long, bare leg appeared, followed by the other, and she stood up, tugging on the black sheath wrapped snugly around her curves. Her curls hung loose across her shoulders, and her smile caused his heart to pound. The rest of his body perked up as well. Running a hand down his face, he cursed quietly under his breath before striding over.
“So the date is here?” she asked. At first, he thought she
didn’t like the idea, but her eyes lit up. “I approve.”
“I figured we’d avoid all chance of us being caught together so we can actually enjoy the night.” He walked around the front of the car and grabbed a heavy, canvas tarp to drag over the red Coupe. Once it was covered, he offered her his arm and a sly smile. “Shall we?”
Johanna slipped her hand through the crook of his arm, and Reider led her out of the overhang and towards the field. The sun wouldn’t set for another two hours, so they had plenty of time to enjoy the dinner he had prepared by the creek under the old cottonwood tree. The walk there was enjoyable and filled with easy talk of their classes and what Johanna wanted to do if she wasn’t tied to her family. Mostly, she wanted a chance to choose her life and not be dictated to. She told him about Izzy and her art, and when she asked what Reider was hoping to do with his life, his feet paused. He stepped back from her towards the open field and held out his arms wide.
“This. I want all of this to be my world, my office,” he said proudly, glancing around. “I’m not a businessman. That’s my dad. I’m the rancher, the cattle driver, the guy who works the land.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that,” Johanna said and reached for one of his hands. She ran her fingers over the callouses and smirked. “You wouldn’t have rough hands like these without actually doing some hard work with them.”
“Yeah, well,” he said quietly and had to clear his throat before he said the next words. The way she touched his hand sent fire scorching through his veins. “Dad will never allow it, so I’m stuck, for a while, anyway.” He closed his hand around hers and brought it to his lips, kissing the back. “Ready for dinner?”
She nodded, and they continued their walk towards the creek. When he came to a stop at the edge of the plaid blanket laid out on the ground, the bottle of wine chilling in a bucket, and the covered plates of food, Johanna leaned against his shoulder, laughing in delight.