The Cowboy Billionaire's Neighbor Next-Door: A Johnson Brothers Novel (Chestnut Ranch Romance Book 1)

by Emmy Eugene

  “Sure,” he said, shattering his fantasy.

  Griffin grinned at Seth. “I’ll let him know.” He lifted his phone to his ear, and Seth went to help Travis and Russ lift the old posts into the back of the other truck. The unloading of all of this debris could happen tomorrow, and Seth’s spirits started to lift about going to dinner.

  It would be good for him to get out of the homestead, somewhere he’d only left for the reading at the school. He’d told Ruth he’d order the plants, shrubs, and trees for the Edible Neighborhood, and he had. But he hadn’t been able to go over to Victory Street and watch them be put in the earth.

  He’d done everything by phone or email, and the people at Serendipity Seeds had been amazing in the way they’d loaded everything up, taken it to Victory Street, and helped the residents plant what they wanted in front of their homes.

  Ruth had spearheaded the project in Seth’s absence, and he felt guilty for dropping it on her. But he hadn’t been able to face doing it. Not without Jenna. He’d gone to his parents’ house last week and the week before, but not last night.

  With the Edible Neighborhood going in last Saturday, he hadn’t seen it yet. Shame moved through him that he’d let his personal problems interfere with his responsibilities. But even he had limits, and there were some things he simply couldn’t do.

  When everything was finally loaded, he climbed behind the wheel of the truck and drove him and Griffin back to the storage barn, where they parked the trucks.

  “Are you going to call her ever?” Griffin asked along the way.

  “Who?” Seth asked.

  “Duh,” Griffin said. “Jenna.”

  “Nope.” Seth’s grip tightened on the wheel. “She didn’t leave room for me to call her.” In fact, he’d told her to call him if she changed her mind. She hadn’t. He wasn’t going to badger her and try to get her to do something she obviously didn’t want to do.

  “Maybe—”

  “No,” Seth said louder. He looked at Griffin, so many things moving through him. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to yell.”

  “It’s just…I don’t like seeing you like this.”

  “Trust me,” Seth said. “I don’t like being like this.” How had he allowed himself to fall in love again? He’d been through this awful torment before, and he’d vowed once to never do it again. And then he had.

  He struggled to breathe, because the panic struck suddenly, the way rattlesnakes did. A hiss, a warning. Then a strike, and there was nothing he could do now. He hadn’t paid attention to the warning signs. In fact, he’d welcomed them into his life, opened his heart for it to get filleted and spat back out.

  He’d spent a few days blaming Jenna, but that had shifted pretty quickly to him. He was the one who’d kissed her in the hospital. He was the one who asked her out, who brought her into his life, his house, his very soul.

  “I’ll be okay,” he finally said, the barn coming into sight. “I just need time.” He hadn’t been able to pinpoint the moment he’d been able to move past the disaster that had been his first marriage. But it had taken a while after he’d returned to the ranch full-time, he knew that.

  “Rex might be right,” Griffin said. “Maybe you get right back on the horse and find someone else.”

  “Yeah?” Seth asked, trying to turn the conversation away from him. “Like you have?”

  “Hey, I went out with Karla.”

  “Once.” Seth smiled at his brother and put the truck in park.

  “We didn’t connect,” Griffin said. He got out of the truck, and Seth joined him as they started unloading the tools.

  “And you haven’t called anyone else you met at the speed dating.”

  “Rex is vetting them,” Griffin said. “I’m showering first.” With that, he left the barn in favor of walking toward the homestead. Seth chuckled and watched him go, wondering what had held Griffin back from finding the love of his life all this time.

  An hour later, the Johnson brothers walked into the best steakhouse in Chestnut Springs, the scent of brisket and barbecue sauce mingling with the saltier tang of French fries. Seth’s stomach growled, and he looked at all the people waiting for a table.

  “Guys,” he said. “I don’t know.”

  “I called ahead,” Rex said, nodding toward the sign on the wall that detailed their call-ahead waitlist. He stepped over to the hostess station and came back a minute later. “She said five minutes.”

  Seth disliked the noise at Shadow Mountain, but he adored the steak. So he’d tolerate it. Tonight, it might be just what he needed, as he had to face a dog adoption tomorrow by himself. He’d always done them by himself, out at the ranch. But the one he’d done at the end of September with Jenna had been so amazing. Now that he’d experienced that, he didn’t want to go back to the way he’d been doing things.

  So he’d rented the pavilion at the park again. He’d posted on social media again, with pictures. All of the puppies were spoken for, and their new owners would come get them tomorrow.

  He had four more dogs from his Canine Encounters program ready for homes, and he’d decided to include Cloud Nine in the adoptions tomorrow. Maybe if he scrubbed Jenna’s presence from his life, everything inside him wouldn’t hurt so much.

  Because Jenna hadn’t shared his post, he hadn’t gotten nearly as many comments, and he wondered if people would come adopt the other dogs. Everyone loved a puppy, but Seth wanted every one of his dogs to go to a good home.

  “Johnsons,” a woman said, and Seth got up with the rest of his brothers. She led them to a huge booth in the corner, and the noise level went down, thankfully. They ordered drinks and appetizers, and by the time the waiter came back with the sodas and sweet teas, the brothers were ready to order.

  Seth didn’t even have to look at the menu to know what he wanted. “Ribeye,” he said. “Medium-rare. Mashed potatoes with country gravy.”

  His phone made a strange chiming noise he’d never heard before, and he pulled it from his pocket while Russ ordered his ribs and shrimp platter.

  Seth frowned at his phone when he saw the missed call icon. He hadn’t even heard his phone ring. It was loud in here, but he’d heard the chime that indicated he had a new voicemail. He tapped on the missed call icon first, wanting to know who’d called.

  Jenna’s name came up on the screen, and Seth sucked in a breath and fumbled his phone.

  “What?” Travis asked, leaning over, already looking at Seth’s screen. “Holy white wolves.” He took the phone from Seth and stared at it. “She called you.” He lifted his eyes and looked right into Seth’s. “What are you going to do?”

  Seth felt like the ground had just vanished beneath him. His head swam somewhere above him, and everything intensified around him. The noise. The smells. The air conditioning blowing down the back of his neck.

  “Seth,” Russ said, waving his hand in front of Seth’s face. “Call her back.”

  Things normalized somewhat, and Seth took his phone back from Travis. “Should I?”

  “Should you?” Griffin asked. “Seth, come on. You’ve been waiting for three weeks for her to call.”

  “Has it only been three weeks?” Russ asked. “Feels like he’s been moping around forever.”

  “Hey,” Seth said, but he couldn’t argue much more than that.

  “He hasn’t been moping,” Travis said. “He’s depressed and angry, and man, you have to call her back right now. I can’t live with you for much longer the way you are.”

  “What does that mean?” Seth asked.

  “It means you’re miserable,” Rex said. “And you’re not fun to be around anymore. And we miss our brother.”

  In that moment, Seth loved each of his brothers fiercely. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled to them. “I don’t know why this has tripped me up so much.”

  “Uh, yes, you do,” Griffin said. “So you call that woman back right now.”

  He handed the phone back to Travis. “Listen to the voicemail fir
st.”

  Travis looked dubious and like he might argue, but he tapped and lifted the phone to his ear. “It’s Jenna…she saw your post about the dog adoptions…she doesn’t want you to give Cloudy to someone else.” He tapped again and gave the phone back to Seth. “She asked you to call her.”

  “You’ve been waiting for this,” Russ said. “Griffin’s right. You told her to call you when she was ready, and she did.”

  “No,” Seth said, shaking his head. “She called because she saw I was adopting out Cloudy.”

  “So what, bro?” Rex asked. “Does it really matter? Call her.” He knocked on the table. “Call her. Call her. Call her.”

  The other brothers joined in, creating a ruckus and drawing attention to their table. Seth didn’t need that in his life, and he held up his hand.

  “Fine,” he said. “Can I get out for a minute? I can’t hear myself think in here.”

  Travis slid to the edge of the booth and let Seth out. “You’ve got this, bro,” he said. “Tell her you love her and ask her what she needs from you so you can get back together.”

  Seth stared at his brother. “Do you really think I should do that? She called about a dog.”

  “Tell her,” Travis said. He sat back down and looked across the table at the other three brothers. “Man, I hope he gets back together with her.”

  “I’ll be better,” Seth said, looking down at everyone.

  “It’s not that, bro,” Rex said. “You’re perfect for her, and she’s perfect for you.”

  “We want you to be happy,” Russ said. “But Rex is right. Wendy was all wrong for you. None of us miss her. But Jenna…” He shrugged. “The only thing I’m surprised about is how long it took for the two of you to get together.”

  Seth nodded and headed through the tables toward the exit. Outside, he drew in a deep breath of the humid air, feeling rain in the air. Then he called Jenna back.

  She answered on the second ring, and she sounded somewhat surprised he’d actually returned her call.

  “Hey,” he said. “I got your message. You can have Cloudy.” The word vomit about how he loved her and would do anything to have her back pressed against his tongue.

  She said nothing, and Seth’s frustration kept his declaration of love dormant. Thankfully. He didn’t need that confession out there if she couldn’t even say thank you for agreeing to keep Cloudy back from the adoptions.

  “Jenna?” he asked. “Are you there?” He looked at his phone and saw the call was still connected. “I can even bring her by tonight if you want. I’m out with my brothers right now, but anyway. Maybe tomorrow would be better.”

  He waited, his heartbeat sending hope through his whole body. And still she said nothing.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jenna knew she needed to say something. But her emotions had choked her the very moment she’d heard Seth say “Hey,” in that sexy Texas drawl she loved so much. So, so much.

  “I’ll take the picture down,” he said next. “You don’t need to share my post. It’s fine, Jenna.”

  She pressed her eyes closed, about to lose her composure completely. How could he say her name with so much tenderness when she’d cut him from her life so completely?

  How could she have done that when she was in love with him?

  Her eyes shot open, and she let out a shaky breath he had to hear. “Thank you,” she said, her voice too high and too tight. She plowed on anyway. “You don’t have to bring her to me. I’ll come get her at the adoption event tomorrow.”

  “Jenna,” he started, but she didn’t want to do this over the phone. Her emotions stormed again, but she couldn’t tell him she loved him over the phone. That would be lame, and there was a ton of apologizing to do too.

  So she said, “Thank you, Seth. I’ll see you tomorrow,” and hung up as quickly as she could. The screen stayed on for several seconds, and when it darkened, Jenna leaned into the couch and cried.

  She wasn’t sure if the tears were happy or sad, but she thought probably a little bit of both. Sad, because she knew she had some hard work to do to make up for the damage she’d done to a good man. Fearful, because she really wanted him back, but that would take forgiveness on his part. And happy, because he’d called back, and he’d sounded like maybe, just maybe, if she did and said the right things, he would take her back.

  The front door opened, and Isaac stepped inside. “Jenn?” he called.

  “Right here,” she said, wiping her eyes. She launched herself off the couch and embraced her brother, crying all over again.

  “Hey, hey,” he said, taking her into his arms. “What’s wrong?” Her brother was made of safety for Jenna. He’d always been there for her, through the long years of fertility testing. Through the divorce. He’d given up his prestigious career in Dallas to return to their hometown so Jenna wouldn’t have to deal with their mother’s Alzheimer’s alone. And then he’d stayed after her death.

  “I called Seth,” she said through her tears. “He was going to adopt Cloudy, and I saw it on social media, and he just called back, and the moment I heard his voice, I knew exactly what I had to do.”

  Isaac asked, “And what’s that?”

  “I’m in love with him.” She bolted out of her brother’s calming embrace, her pulse shooting through her body. “And I’m terrified. What if he doesn’t love me back? And what if I get married again, only to have to be divorced again? I can’t go through that again. I can’t.” She felt wild, out of control. She needed her car keys and to flee. She’d just drive for a while, until she figured things out.

  Isaac smiled at her, of all things. “Jenn,” he said. “Of course you’re in love with him. I’ve known that for weeks.”

  “You have?”

  “Of course,” Isaac said. “And Seth is miserable too. I’ve spoken to him a few times, and wow. He’s in love with you too.”

  Hope started thrumming through her. Faint at first, but it pushed through some of the fear filling her whole body. “You think so?”

  “I know so,” Isaac said, shedding his jacket and putting down his briefcase. “So what do you have to do?”

  “Get him back.”

  “What’s your plan for that?” he asked, nodding toward the kitchen. “I think I smell something amazing happening in there?” He started for the doorway that led into the kitchen, dining room, and more casual family room.

  “Oh, yeah.” She darted after her brother. “I made Mom’s sausage and cabbage soup.”

  “That’s because you’re amazing,” Isaac said, lifting the lid on the pot. “Oh, my stars. I’m starving.”

  Jenna got down two bowls while Isaac stirred the soup. “I’m going to Seth’s dog adoption event in the park tomorrow to pick up Cloudy.”

  “All right,” Isaac said. “And?”

  “And I don’t know. What else do I need to do?” She pulled out spoons and cut a glance at Isaac. “Besides apologize and talk to him.”

  “Those are both great,” Isaac said. “They’d be enough for Seth.”

  “I sense a but.” Jenna handed her brother a bowl, and he started ladling.

  “I’m just saying the man likes something.”

  “Yeah, hot coffee and anything with sugar.”

  “Ice cream sandwiches,” Isaac said. “I seem to remember that.”

  “Caramel popcorn,” she added, her mind blitzing through ideas now. “So you’re saying take him something to sweeten him up.”

  “I’m saying it can’t hurt,” Isaac said. “Plus, it’ll show that you care about him and have been thinking about him. He probably won’t care about the popcorn, because he just wants you.” Isaac shrugged. “But it can’t hurt.”

  They sat down at the counter together, after Isaac made toast to go with his soup. Jenna continued to sift through ideas for the perfect thing she could take to the park.

  “Supposed to rain tomorrow,” Isaac said. “And I’m going out with Luisa in the evening.”

  “I remember,
” Jenna said. With any luck, she’d be with Seth tomorrow night too. And in that moment, she knew exactly what to take him in the morning. A smile filled her face, and she set an alarm on her phone to get up early in the morning so she could execute her plan to exactness.

  The next morning, Jenna stood at the bakery counter in the diner. “Two cinnamon rolls, please,” she said to Beatrice behind the counter. “To go.”

  “Comin’ right up, sugar,” the older woman said, her accent so heavy Jenna could barely understand her. She left the bakery with the exact treat Seth had said he liked, and she had one more stop before she went to the park. The dog adoptions were still an hour and a half away, but she knew Seth would be there early to set up. And she didn’t want to cry in front of strangers coming to pick up their puppies.

  She drove over to Brew Time and ordered two large coffees, one with cream and sugar, and the other with just sugar. Seth liked his coffee black, but sweet, and armed with the two items she thought would show him that she knew him, loved him, wanted him, Jenna drove over to the park.

  The rain drizzled intermittently, and she checked his social media to make sure he hadn’t changed the location of the adoptions. Finding nothing on his post, she sat in her car and waited, her nerves growing in intensity with every minute that passed.

  Only ten minutes later, the rumble of a truck broke into her thoughts, and she looked over to see Seth’s brand-new truck pulling in beside her sedan.

  Gathering her courage, the coffee, and the cinnamon rolls, she got out of the car. Her throat felt so tight, and her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. She moved toward the front of his truck, and Seth got out and went that way too.

  She paused at the corner of his truck, her eyes meeting his as he rounded the hood too. He paused, and she lifted the coffee and pastries. “I brought breakfast, and I was hoping you’d have a minute to talk.” Tears sprang to her eyes, because he was so handsome, and so kind, and so amazing.

  She could feel his goodness from a few paces away, and her chin wobbled. “I love you, Seth Johnson.” She exhaled, a whimper going with the air. “I’m so sorry I pushed you away when I got scared.”