Brothers of Miller Ranch Box Set

by Natalie Dean

  “I think you’re gonna like this,” he said, heading towards where he was pretty sure it was. He wasn’t usually one for the box seats, preferring to be closer to the stage, but Ma sometimes got a little overcrowded during intermission and final exits, so he would get the more closed off area whenever she came with him.

  “Oh man, this is awesome!” she said once he gave their tickets to the attendant at the hall leading to the box seats. “I feel so fancy.”

  “Glad that you’re enjoying yourself,” he said, settling into their comfier seats. “I really hope you enjoy this.”

  She gave him a happy smile. “I can’t imagine I won’t.”

  “Oh. My. Goodness gracious on a cracker!” Sophia said, clapping her hands together as they got into the truck. “That. Was. Amazing!”

  Bradley grinned to himself, feeling quite accomplished. “I’m glad you liked it.”

  “Liked it!” she cried, clapping some more. “That was, well, that was possibly the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! That big number where all of the extras came out and they were singing that one mean part of the song, and then the other part was all hopeful and looking towards the future, and then there was the part where the wife found out he was cheating on her. Oh man! And the affair! It didn’t want it to happen, but at the same time, how could it not happen. I was like, powerless as I watched, but I didn’t want to look away. I just… I can’t believe that I’ve never seen a real production before!”

  Bradley glanced over to her as much as he could, considering he was starting to drive through the city and back home. “So, you wouldn’t mind going to another one of those with me? They usually have several different shows per year, sometimes with some special holiday events.”

  “Would I?”

  She flailed a bit, and if that wasn’t just the most adorable thing that he had ever seen in his entire life.

  “Yeah. Please! And you don’t have to go and buy me a dress every time.”

  “Aw, well that’s a shame then, because I certainly liked buying a dress for you.”

  “Even though I dragged you into four different stores.”

  He shrugged, more of a habit at this point than anything else. “Variety is the spice of life.”

  She reached over and rested her hand on top of where his was resting on the stick shift. “You’re too good to me, you know that?”

  Like every time she touched him, Bradley was suddenly acutely aware of everything about her. The soft puffs of her breath, the gentle waft of her perfume, how soft the skin of her fingers felt atop his rougher hand, her nails only lightly grazing him.

  “I would definitely disagree on that. I feel like I haven’t done nearly enough.”

  “Well, you’re wrong.”

  “Oh, so that’s how it is now?”

  “That’s how it is.” She tilted her head back and let out a long, loud laugh. It was boundless and fearless and perfect in every way, and soon Bradley joined in.

  He wished he could bottle the feeling she filled him with, because everyone deserved to feel that great. Well, everyone except for her ex and all of his family. They could all go jump in the lake if anyone asked him.

  Eventually, however, their mirth settled and the conversation lulled. Although that normally meant it was time to sit in the quiet, Sophia started humming one of the songs from the musical. The more she went on, the louder she grew, until it was clear to hear the melody over the hum of his engine.

  “I didn’t know you can sing.”

  “Huh? Oh, I can’t sing.”

  “Sounds like you’re carrying a tune fine enough to me.”

  “Humming is not the same as singing.”

  “No, but they are related. You should sing for me.”

  “What?” She barked out another laugh, this one sharper and dryer. “Never in a million years.”

  He fake pouted. “Fine, if not for me, then how about for the entire cast?”

  One of her thick eyebrows raised. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean,” reaching behind the seat, he felt around for the caddy he kept back in the extended cab. When he felt it, he hauled it over and placed a full CD caddy into her lap. “I have the entire soundtrack, both with the original cast and the touring one.”

  “Wow, you really do love musicals,” she said.

  “Why wouldn’t I? I was in drama club, you know.”

  “Ha, it’s because you’re totally a nerd.”

  “Oh, am I now?”

  “Yeah.” She grinned at him as she found the CD and brandished it with a flourish. “But it’s okay. I like it.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Alright. Well that’s good to know.”

  “Is it?”

  He recognized it as a callback to their conversation earlier. Something about that pleased him, like they had a special link together. An inside joke. “Yeah. It’s very good to know.”

  She seemed to like his answer, and her grin grew wider. Taking the CD from her, he slid it in. Soon, the music filled his cab, and she did start singing along. Sure, she wasn’t the next prima donna, but she was just as good if not better than Bradley was back in his heyday.

  They spent the rest of the hour ride singing and enjoying themselves, not a care in the world. Their own little bubble that no one else could touch.

  But that was the thing about bubbles; they always had to burst, and eventually, they were pulling right back into the garage.

  “Well, I guess this is good night,” he said, wishing that it absolutely wasn’t.

  But Sophia looked at him demurely. “I dunno. Nobody’s opened my door for me yet.”

  “Ah, you’re right. How could I forget?” Turning off the truck, he slid out and crossed over to her side.

  “Thank you, Bradley,” Sophia murmured as she got out of the truck.

  Her body brushed against when she got out. But Bradley hadn’t been anticipating that, and the movement brought them right up against each other, her soft form barely brushing against his.

  Once more he froze, shocked by the sudden deluge of details all about her. It would be so easy to tilt his head down and kiss her, to have their mouths move together like they had in his truck, to taste her, memorize every detail of her.

  But the only reason they had kissed at all was because she was terrified that he was going to kick her out. He couldn’t use that fear to take advantage of her. And as much as he wanted to kiss her and never stop, he wanted her safety, health, and happiness even more.

  Pulling away, he walked over to the door leading to the house and opened it for her. But as she walked past, he knew that he was going to dream of her for the rest of the week.

  Oh boy, he was in such a mess. But perhaps the craziest thing was that not a single ounce of himself wanted to get out of it.

  19

  Sophia

  “What do you mean you don’t have a dressed picked out yet?”

  “Or an idea of wedding colors?”

  “Don’t you at least have a season to shoot for?”

  Sophia stared with wide eyes at Dani, Missy, and Keiko. Finally, after a solid month since the diner incident and two more meetings with her new therapist, she felt comfortable enough to go back into town. So, the girls had decided to all have a nice lunch at the diner and make another try at her idea of making dinner for the whole family.

  Unfortunately, Chastity couldn’t make it. She was up in the Big Apple doing some sort of internet award show thing and wouldn’t be back until Saturday morning. But even without the oldest and most experienced of the group, they were still having a good time.

  Or at least, Sophia was until someone asked if she was going to have any bridesmaids. When Sophia replied that she hadn’t given the wedding any thought yet, the shocked ladies in the group had a million questions.

  Sophia tried to explain. “Like I said, it’s not really on my mind given everything going on.”

  “But don’t you have even an idea
?” Dani furrowed her brow as if to think. “Look, I’m not much of one for fancy shindigs either, but here’s something you could try. I didn’t want all that hanging over my head for a year, so I did everything as fast as I could and handed off the rest to Benji. He really loved a lot of that whole stuff. Have you checked in with Bradley? Maybe wedding planning would be something he’d enjoy doing?”

  No. She hadn’t checked with Bradley. Because they were never going to get married. The thought crept bitterly along the back of her tongue, and for once she wished that he hadn’t come up with the whole ruse. She felt like they were stuck in this weird place—pretending to be what they weren’t and never being able to grow into something more because their foundation was all lies. Maybe… maybe if they weren’t fake engaged, if they had just told Ma right off the bat that it was fake, there would be a chance for something to happen between them.

  But then again, that was only a maybe. Even if they didn’t have the fake engagement, even if there wasn’t a shiny ring on her finger, there was no guarantee that Bradley would ever go for someone like her.

  Yeah, she was making an effort. And yeah, she was healing, but she was still just so… damaged. And she hated it. She hated that her ex still had such an influence on her even when she hadn’t seen him since the grocery store. She hated that she sometimes woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, sure that he was right by her bed, ready to drag her away from the peace that she had found.

  “We haven’t talked about it much. Maybe if we can go three months without my ex popping up again, we’ll have time to care about things like DJs and colors and dresses.”

  Dani nodded like that made all the sense in the world. “Sounds like a plan to me. Practical, I like it.”

  “I’m not sure,” Keiko said softly, calmly cutting her burger up with a knife and fork. Because of course she would. Although her new friend wasn’t prissy or stuck up, Sophia had learned that she was very particular about messes, food, and getting wet. “It sounds like avoidance to me.”

  “Big words from someone who can’t eat a burger without a napkin tucked into their neck and on their lap.”

  The corner of her lip turned up at that. “I think you, of all people, know that we cope with our mental illnesses in different ways.”

  “Wait, mental illness, what?”

  “Keiko, you don’t have to—” Dani started.

  But the slender woman just raised her hand. “I have OCD. Mild, but when I was younger, I fell into an eating disorder. It allowed me to have some control because my illness left me feeling powerless and overwhelmed.”

  Sophia just stared at Keiko, astounded. Perfect, poised Keiko was screwy in the head like her?

  Keiko continued, “Long story short, it’s been a pretty fraught journey to get where I am now, with a whole lot of work and mishaps, but I have my coping mechanisms. And one of them is making sure food touches nowhere but the inside of my mouth. My therapist and I worked out a whole list of strategies and backup plans for if I relapse or have an especially bad flare-up.”

  “Wait, you see a therapist?”

  “Of course. My parents do too. I am incredibly fortunate that they’ve always had great insurance.”

  Sophia couldn’t believe it. Keiko was always so put together—and charming. And she was so smart. It made her feel so much less broken, gave her so much hope. Maybe… if she really applied herself, she could be the kind of woman that Bradley would go for. The kind who fit in at fancy musicals or galas and his high-class world.

  Wouldn’t that be something?

  “Why are you smiling?” Keiko asked, looking like she might have an idea of exactly why.

  “Nothing. Just appreciating your perspective. Almost makes me brave enough to actually think about the future.”

  “Well, thank you. That’s certainly a compliment.” She finished cutting a piece of her burger, lifted it to her mouth, and thoughtfully chewed it before swallowing. Her actions were very deliberate, but no one talked. Keiko had just that sort of weight to her words. “But even with that said, it’s still avoidance.”

  Sophia groaned. “Come on, we’re not on that again, are we?”

  “We never left it, actually,” Keiko said almost smugly. “You only tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. Tried, but didn’t succeed.”

  “Right, well I’m gonna keep right on with that avoidance until we talk about something else.”

  “What about a compromise here, ladies?” Missy asked, leaning forward. “We won’t talk about the wedding, but what about some peripherals? Have you thought about a dress for your rehearsal dinner? The reception? Clothes for your honeymoon? Maybe a bathing suit or two? Or what about,” she lowered her voice and wiggled her eyebrows. “Maybe something for your wedding night?”

  Sophia felt herself flush brightly. Sure, she was really attracted to Bradley, and sure, she had been ready to throw her body at him, but once he made it clear that that would never be a condition of her stay, she realized that she wasn’t ready for anything like that.

  Missy had the gall to look a bit sheepish. “Sorry, was that too far? I know you and Bradley are private.”

  Yeah, that was one way to put it.

  “It’s okay. It’s just easier if I don’t think about it.”

  Dani let out a quiet laugh, nearly done devouring her buffalo chicken fingers. “Girl, tell me about it. Sometimes I feel like I’ve got to carry a bottle of ice water around when I’m alone with Benji. It’s easy to get carried away.”

  She wished that Bradley had an issue with getting carried away. No, he was composed and in control all the time. Much better than her. Sometimes, when they were especially close to each other, it took all of her control not to throw her arms around him and kiss him like she had in the truck.

  She’d been desperate and maybe a little drugged at the time, so the memory was blurry in her head. She wished that she had been clear-headed, so she could go over every detail of it, but if she was clear-headed, it probably never would have happened.

  But still, she could recall the feel of the stubble on his face, rasping against her chin. How strong and big his hands were as they held her firmly, binding her to him. She could feel the power in his broad fingers, and yet she knew he would never use them to hurt her. And that thought was uncanny. The closeness had been like a warm, soothing liquid poured right into her soul, and it’d been so easy to slip into the heat of it all.

  “Whoa, you’re bright red there. You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she answered quickly before grabbing her water and quickly chugging it down.

  “Oh, I have an idea,” Missy said, clapping her hands. “How about this weekend we all go to the mall and do a little shopping for the peripherals? You know, ease your toes into the water so maybe thinking about the wedding isn’t quite so scary. I’ll text Chastity so she’ll be there too, and it’ll be like the girl squad is back together! We haven’t done that since before…”

  “Before the grocery,” Sophia finished for her.

  “Yeah. Since before that.”

  Sophia debated a moment, thinking hard. They didn’t understand why she was so reticent to talk about the future with Bradley because they didn’t understand there was no future. They meant well, but shopping around for things that would never happen might be a trigger for the dark thoughts and feelings inside of her.

  But then again, pretending had gotten her this far. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. And maybe… maybe if she got a few things, she could treasure them for whenever things inevitably went south and she and Bradley had to begin their fake breakup.

  Except that breakup wasn’t going to feel fake at all. Because her feelings were very real.

  “I think… I think that would be fun.”

  “Alright!” Missy held up her hand, and Dani rolled her eyes before high fiving it.

  “You know, I did have plans, but I guess I can cancel them.”

  Keiko chuckled, setting her knife and fork do
wn. “Your only plan was watching your brothers like a hawk while they work around your ranch. I’m sure they’ll be glad to be free for a single afternoon.”

  Dani let out an exasperated sigh. “Keiko, you don’t always have to know everything all the time. Besides, my brothers are still healing. You can’t blame me for being protective.”

  “No, but I could blame you for being overprotective,” Keiko said.

  “Hey, let’s go back to Sophia’s thing. That was much more fun than this,” Dani said.

  Sophia shook her head firmly. “Nah, I’m good. I’d much rather the Keiko-scope be on you.”

  “Ladies, ladies, I’ll take the hit.” Missy leaned forward so she was almost across the table with her long, muscled frame. Reaching out, she laid a hand over Keiko’s and smiled with those perfect red lips of her. “Honey, has anyone ever told you that you like to point out the issues of others around you because it gives you comfort that you aren’t the only person with demons to wrestle?”

  Keiko sputtered a moment, actually looking caught off guard, then laughed.

  Dani howled. “My Lord! Keiko just got Keiko’d, I never thought I’d see the day!”

  The group all laughed, and Sophia realized how good it was to share struggles with other women who could help put them in perspective. Soon the conversation shifted to the new pet store in the mall and how much Missy hated puppy mills. It was a much easier topic for everyone, listening to her proselytize about something she was passionate about, and Sophia sat back.

  Shopping on the weekend. She could do that. Maybe if she talked to Bradley about it beforehand, he’d get the idea in his head that maybe, just maybe, there could be a real future to them. As real as the things that she purchased.

  Yeah, like that would ever happen. She couldn’t help but scoff to herself.

  But still, it was nice to dream. Even if it was impossible.

  20

  Sophia

  “Okay, you have an olive tint to your skin, so purple, certain shades of pink, maroon, burgundy, and burnt oranges will look great on you,” Chasity said as they walked into the large doors of the mall. “But honestly, almost all colors will look good on you except for some pastels and anything green.”