by Kate Pearce
“Because I have this strange memory of you getting mad because Mom only made one cake or something.”
“Yeah? I don’t think I remember that,” Billy said way too carefully for Ry’s liking.
“I’m right, aren’t I? She made a cake for HW.”
“Maybe she only had the ingredients to make one.” Billy paused. “Is it important?”
“You tell me. The next thing I knew she was gone, and you were covered in blood.”
Billy winced. “I’m sorry, son.”
“Why? She was the one trying to gut you with a kitchen knife.”
“I’m sorry you saw that. It was late. I thought you younger boys were asleep and Chase was the only one who knew what was going on.”
“We weren’t asleep. I was—” Ry frowned. “I was cleaning up the bathroom.”
“You two were always getting water everywhere.”
“Yeah, but—” Ry shook his head as whatever elusive memory he’d just rediscovered disappeared again. “Anyway, it wasn’t your fault.”
“It was, because I didn’t understand how bad she was feeling until it was almost too late.”
Ry had nothing to say to that, and wanted to cheer when Chase pulled up in his enormous blue truck and got out.
“Hey, Dad, you got a moment?”
Billy stayed put and so did Ry as Chase came toward them, his laptop under one arm and his Stetson in his hand.
“Did Ry tell you about what happened in Humboldt?”
Billy looked at them both. “Nope.”
“Then can I ask if you and Mom ever got officially divorced?”
Billy sighed. “Yeah. I think we did. I got some paperwork after I got out of jail, telling me what she’d done. It was too late to do much about it at that point.”
“But you didn’t go after her?”
“I wasn’t in any state to go after her. I was barely hanging in there myself, clinging to sobriety, and trying to make a living as an ex-con and a dishwasher.”
“You knew all along she wasn’t dead?”
“I wasn’t certain until that point. I hoped she was okay, but that confirmed it. I was . . . relieved that she’d found a new life.”
Chase didn’t look happy. “You could’ve told us.”
“I wasn’t here, son.” Billy’s gaze was clear. “It wasn’t my place to stir everything up again when I had no way of fixing things.”
“Did Ruth know?” Ry asked.
“I wrote to her. She’s never mentioned it to me, so it’s possible the letter went astray.” Billy patted Ry’s arm. “There’s no point getting mad at your grandma about this. She was too busy bringing you all up and running this ranch to have time to worry about much else.”
Chase started walking toward the house. “He’s right, Ry. Ruth probably didn’t want to make things more complicated than they already were.”
Billy winced as Chase slammed the screen door behind him. “He’s still mad at me.”
“He’s getting over it.” This time it was Ry who slapped his father on the back. “If he wasn’t we’d all be homeless right now instead of working on a new improved future for the ranch. I’m kind of glad that you did know about the divorce—otherwise Mom would have added bigamist to her résumé.”
“She married again?”
Ry searched his father’s lined face. “You okay with that?”
To his amazement Billy smiled. “Yeah. I’d like to think she got her happy ending after putting up with me.”
“You were a good husband and father.”
“Before I threw everything away.” Billy’s smile faded. “I’m just glad she found her place.”
“And what about you?”
Billy looked him right in the eye. “I’m back here, on the ranch, and all my sons are talking to me again. I reckon I hit the jackpot, don’t you?” He touched the brim of his hat and started walking down toward the barn, leaving Ry staring after him.
He wasn’t sure if he would be so forgiving in the same situation. At least his dad was honest enough to admit he’d made a shitload of mistakes of his own. Which led Ry back to thinking about Avery, and how she’d tried to persuade him to get hypnotized or something equally stupid.
But she’d done it because she cared about him—at least he thought she did. And she had a point. He was deeply conflicted about his mother, and he wasn’t handling it well.
He took out his phone and stared down at the screen. Should he text her an apology? Nah. This was one time when he had to cowboy up and say the words in person. After dinner he would go into town and find out if she was willing to talk to him.
* * *
Avery smiled at the last guest who trooped past her out of the dining room.
“I hope you enjoyed your dinner, sir. The bar’s still open. It’s across the lobby and down on the right.”
She closed the door and surveyed the candlelit space. The tables were almost cleared and one of the cleaning staff was working the vacuum over the carpet. They were an efficient bunch, and she had no concerns that they wouldn’t have the place all nice and sparkly in time for the breakfast rush in the morning.
It was technically her night off. She’d planned to spend it with Ry up at the ranch, but an evening alone watching crummy movies and eating ice cream suddenly seemed incredibly appealing. She checked her cell. Nothing from Ry. Not that she was expecting to hear from him. Beneath his sweetness he was as stubborn as all the Morgan brothers. Nancy had told her to stand firm, and not contact Ry. She hadn’t, but she wished she knew if he was okay.
She couldn’t forget how he looked when he woke up from one of his nightmares. Something had gone terribly wrong between him and his mother. He didn’t seem to know exactly what had happened, and she could hardly go around asking other members of his family.
Was it possible to bury something so deep you couldn’t remember it at all?
With a last wave at Marta, who was overseeing the cleaning, Avery left the dining room and walked toward the lobby. Standing right by the registration desk was hot Dr. Mendez and his grandmother, whom he always took out for dinner once a week.
“Hey, Avery,” he called out to her. He whispered something in Portuguese to his grandmother, who answered him. “My avo says to tell you the fish was excellent.”
“Hi Tio, Mrs. Mendez. Good to know.” Avery’s Spanish wasn’t bad, but her Portuguese had been picked up during her days in the rodeo, and was hardly suitable for a respectable lady like Mrs. Mendez. She dredged up something polite. “Obrigado.”
The old lady disappeared toward the restrooms and Avery lingered to keep the doctor company.
“How are you doing these days? I never see you anymore,” Tio complained.
“As much as I like you, I’m glad I’m nowhere near your surgery.” Avery grinned at him. “I’m feeling really well. I’ve been working up at Morgan Ranch around all those horses.”
“Good for you.” Tio’s answering smile was warm. “The next thing I know you’ll be riding again.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
He touched her arm and they moved slightly away from the front desk. “Now that you’re no longer a patient of mine, would you like to go out for a drink sometime?”
Avery blinked. “That’s really sweet of you, but I’m kind of seeing someone right now.” Which might be a big fat lie, but she could always hope.
“No harm done. Just thought I’d ask. I’ve always admired your courage.”
“Thanks for that.” She smiled back at him and caught a sudden movement over his shoulder. Redirecting her gaze, she locked eyes with Ry, who had just come in the front door. He’d stopped walking and everyone had to go around him like he was a rock in the river.
Mrs. Mendez returned and went off with her grandson, her hand tucked into the crook of his elbow, leaving Avery with two choices. Go and see what Ry wanted or run like hell. Despite her bad hip she was favoring the second option when he came over to her.
“Was
that Dr. Mendez?”
She nodded.
“Were you talking to him about me?”
“Do you really think I’m that underhanded?” She poked him in the chest with the tip of her finger. “I didn’t even mention you.”
He took off his hat and scrubbed his fingers through his corn-blond hair. “I’m sorry.”
“For which particular part? That you think I’d go around telling other people your business, or that the last time I saw you, you behaved like a complete ass?”
“All of it.”
She wasn’t ready to concede quite yet. “And for your information, Ry Morgan, the reason Dr. Mendez was talking to me was to ask me out.”
She just about stopped herself from adding the “so there,” sticking out her tongue, and stamping her foot, but she hoped she conveyed the same feelings with her patent glare.
“I hope you told him you were already taken.”
“Like an empty chair?”
“No, like the most important woman in my life, period.”
She frowned at him. “Don’t say things like that. You make me want to like you again.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “So, there’s hope?”
“It depends. Do you want to come up to my room and talk about it?”
“Here?” He glanced back at the desk, where her brother Tucker was chatting away to one of the guests. “Where are your parents?”
“They’re out at some local business thing.”
“You sure they won’t mind me being here?”
“Trust me—they’ll never even know. Come on.” She waved at Tucker and made her way through the door into the staff area, bypassed the kitchens, and went up the back stairs, Ry following along behind.
She let him into her bedroom and locked the door, watching as he checked out her big bed, her pink flowered chaise longue, and her ancient posters.
She sat on the chaise and gestured for him to sit opposite her on the bed.
“So?”
He placed his hat on the quilt and sat forward, his head down, staring at his boots, his hands loosely linked together between his knees.
“I never used to get mad about anything.”
“I know.”
He sighed. “But since I found out about Mom? I’ve been losing it big-time.”
Avery couldn’t resist pointing out, “You’re not telling me anything I haven’t already told you.”
“I hate it when people lose their tempers.” He risked a quick glance at her. “I guess that’s because of what happened between my parents. They fought all the time that last year. HW and I were so scared, sometimes we’d pack up our clothes and make plans to take two of the horses and run away.”
“You were five.”
“We were scared shitless.” He hesitated. “After she had Rachel, my mom . . . changed. We tried to keep out of her way as much as possible, but as you said, we were only five, and we needed stuff like regular meals, clean clothes. My dad did his best, and Ruth tried to help, but Mom got so offended that they tried not to upset her.”
“I’m so sorry, Ry. I never realized things had gotten that bad.”
“No one did.” He grimaced. “We weren’t going to tell anyone, in case things got worse. But the thing is? When she left? I remember feeling relieved. I didn’t tell anyone that—not even HW—because you aren’t supposed to be happy your mom has disappeared.”
Avery held his gaze. “One thing I’ve learned since my accident, Ry, is that even if you know you’re being irrational, you can’t help how you feel.” She took an unsteady breath. “I hated what had happened to me, and I hated everyone who was trying to help me. I wanted to be left alone to die.” She caught the flash of concern in his eyes. “Yes, even that crossed my mind. I was nineteen, and as far as I was concerned, my life was over.”
He didn’t say anything, but he reached out and took her hand in a hard grasp.
“So I can kind of understand that your mom might have just . . . given up.”
“Yeah, as an adult? I get that she was ill, but as a kid . . . it was terrifying.” He cleared his throat. “HW remembers more about what happened than I do. I’ve been avoiding talking to him—using my decision to come back and work on the ranch as a reason for that, rather than the true one, which is I don’t want to have that conversation. So I’m going to do it. When he comes back for the wedding, I’ll ask him.”
Avery grinned at him like an idiot. “That’s really brave of you.”
“Hell, it’s about time, right?” He shrugged. “Can’t have my woman thinking I’m a big old coward.”
“I’d never think that, Ry. I was just worried about you.” She hesitated. “Maybe I pushed too hard.”
His smile faded. “I’m glad you did. But I’m the one who came here to apologize. I should never have said that about you.”
“About me being scared of horses? I am scared.”
“But you’re trying to fix that. I know how much courage it takes. I’ve watched you force yourself to stick around me and Dolittle, seen every twitch and deep, steadying breath, and I’m so damned proud of you.”
“Really?” She smiled at him for real this time. “So why exactly are we fighting again?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Neither am I, seeing as we’re both trying so hard to deal with our own crap.” She rose from her seat and walked over to the bed. He looped his arm around her waist, drawing her down onto his knee and buried his face in the crook of her neck.
“I’m sorry, Avery.”
“I’m sorry, too,” she whispered, and hugged him hard. Not holding him—even if it had only been for one day—had been horrible. She never wanted to let him go. He smelled like horse, and leather, and good honest sweat. He smelled like he belonged just to her.
He kissed his way up her throat and she shivered as his mouth met hers.
“You sure your parents are out?” he murmured into her ear.
“Absolutely sure, and I’ve locked the door.”
“Good thinking.” He moved so fast she was suddenly on her back with him straddling her hips. “I used to dream about this.”
“About having sex?”
His smile was crooked and so hot she wanted to give him everything.
“About you—in this room. I came up here once just before I left town. I was doing some kind of project with Tucker, and we had to finish it after school. While he was rounding up supplies in the kitchen I waited in the hallway and your door was open so I peeked inside.”
She kissed his cheek. “I always knew you were a pervert.”
“I always knew I liked you way more than you liked me.” He grinned. “All you wanted to talk to me about back then was the rodeo, and your horse.”
“That was Mellie. She had to be put down after my accident. Another thing I felt guilty about.” She swallowed hard. “It was raining and she slipped on one of the turns and fell, taking me with her. I don’t remember much about it.”
“At that speed I’m not surprised.” Ry kissed her shoulder and slid his work-callused fingers under the hem of her T-shirt. “You ready for some make-up sex?”
“We were only apart for one day.”
“Still.” He kissed her exposed belly. “It feels like forever to me.”
She grabbed a handful of his hair. “Ry, do you want me to argue with you about stuff, or would you prefer me to keep my opinions to myself?”
He studied her, his golden eyes sleepy with lust and warm amusement. “Is that really a serious question?”
“I suppose not. If you told me I had to keep my mouth shut, I’d probably kill you.”
He knelt up over her and undid the top button of his jeans. “I can think of far better things for you to do with your mouth.”
Avery rolled her eyes. “Wow, you are so smooth.”
He winked at her. “Am I? Maybe you’d better find out.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Come on, Ry,” Ruth yelled from the front
parlor, loud enough to wake the dead. “Chase has set up a big screen, and I’ve made popcorn and brownies.”
He glanced at Avery, who’d come upstairs to keep him company while he got changed.
“I suppose we’d better go and watch HW’s movie debut.”
“It’s exciting!”
She bounced up and down on his bed, which gave him other ideas completely—especially as her bosom was bouncing close to his face. He was trying to be discreet about how many times they got together, but three days apart was about the longest he could manage without breaking down and calling her.
“Unless you want to hang out up here for a while?” he suggested with a wink.
“You are insatiable.”
“Only with you.” Which was the God’s honest truth. She made him horny just sitting next to him. “We could get the reviews from the family first, and then decide if we want to watch it.”
“No. Let’s go down.” She stood and stretched, smiling down at him. “Come on. You’re in the damn thing, aren’t you?”
“I told HW to cut me out. Did you hear the questions that reporter asked me?” He took her hand as they walked along the hallway to the stairs. “She was trying to make me out to be some kind of bitter loser.”
“That’s what the media do these days. They love a scandal, and the idea that you and HW are fighting? She must have eaten that up.”
“HW shouldn’t have said anything.”
“I thought he said he didn’t?”
“So he claims.” Ry followed Avery down. “I suppose it could’ve been his ex-girlfriend Lally, or one of the other guys he regularly hangs out with. They all knew how things stood between us, and I can’t say I tried to hide how much I disliked that whole bunch of losers.”
“Then someone probably told on you both.” Avery paused at the bottom of the stairs to look up at him. “I don’t think HW’s dealing very well with the split either.”
“On what basis?”
“I talked to him a bit when he was here. He sounded downright miserable.”
“Mainly because he wasn’t getting everything his own way.” Ry forced a smile. “Come on, let’s go in before BB eats all the brownies.”
“I heard that,” his brother called out from the couch, where he was sitting with Jenna and Maria. “Ruth made enough for everyone, even me.”