Destined for Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 2) Contemporary Romance

by Melissa Foster

  She wiggled out of his grasp and snuggled into his chest. “I think you’ll figure it out.”

  They sat in the grass, side by side, beneath the moonlight.

  “I had dinner with my brothers and Savannah tonight, and all I could think about was how much I wanted you there,” he said.

  “I came by.”

  “I know. I saw you riding away on Flame. How’s his leg?”

  She loved that he remembered to ask about Flame, but she loved even more that he’d wanted her there with him when he was with his family.

  “He’s good. Better, actually.”

  “I told Josh and Savannah about us. Dane and Hugh weren’t there, but I would have told them too, if they’d been there. I just haven’t figured out how to tell my father.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “You told them? I thought you told me not to tell anyone. You said—”

  “I know what I said, but Treat already knew, and they’re always there for me. I figured they’d ride me about not being loyal to the family a bit, but instead they supported me. They supported us.”

  Jade blinked away tears. She laced her hand into his and wondered what his family had said to him, if they thought he was crazy, falling for a Johnson.

  “So, what now?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I need to figure out a way to get through to my father about the feud, but I still don’t really understand what happened. He’s pretty tight-lipped about it all, so it’s hard to decipher what really went on.”

  Rex leaned his arms on his knees, and she put her head against his side.

  “All I know is that there was some kind of a deal that went bad, but I got the feeling that it didn’t have to do with the land at all, that the land was just a product of whatever the other thing was. I can ask my mom, but I’m not sure my dad is being honest with her about things. He says he’s downsizing so that if anything happens to him, she won’t have as much land to look after, but she thinks they’re doing it for financial reasons. I don’t know what to believe.”

  He kissed the side of her forehead. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out, and if we don’t, then we have some decisions to make.”

  She pulled back from him. “What do you mean?”

  “The way I see it, if we can’t get past this with them, then we have to decide if we stay here in Weston and build a life together and hope they come around, or move out of town to escape their scrutiny.” He shrugged.

  Jade was at that point—hell, if she’d been more in tune with her heart and less dedicated to her studies, she would have realized it long ago about herself—but she hadn’t been sure that Rex was thinking that far into their future.

  “You’re thinking about our future.” She wasn’t asking, just stating a fact.

  “Shouldn’t I be?”

  “I don’t want you to do anything to drive a wedge between yourself and your family, but selfishly, I don’t want to live without you, either.” She gathered her courage and told him the truth of what she’d been debating. “Before tonight, I was playing with the idea that maybe I should move away so you can live your life with your family without the weight of me around your neck. I have to find a place to live any—”

  Rex shot to his feet. “You were going to leave? Just like that? Jade…”

  The hurt in his voice was palpable.

  She rose to her feet. “No, I wasn’t going to leave just like that. I was just thinking through what was the smartest thing to do. I know how close you and your family are, and I don’t want to be the one to ruin that for you.”

  He pulled her closer, searching her eyes with his. “The only way my life could be ruined would be if you weren’t in it. But if you would be happier without me, I’m a big boy. I can understand not wanting to battle your family for a man.”

  “No,” she said quickly. “That’s not what I want at all. I want to be with you. I just hate the hiding, the lying, the inability to pick up the freaking phone and call you.”

  “I’ll get a cell phone,” he said. “Easy. I’ll do it tomorrow before the horse show.”

  “You hate cell phones.”

  “So what? I’d hate losing you more. Now that I know what it feels like to love you, it would be like ripping my heart out and shredding it apart to lose you.”

  God, she loved how dramatic he was. Most guys hid their emotions so well, and from what she’d witnessed of Rex, he was good at presenting himself as a tough cowboy. But when he was with her, all those facades went down, and he became transparent, revealing his soft edges and tender undersides.

  “You said the other day that maybe we’re victims of circumstance. Do you really believe that?” she asked.

  “Of course not. But I wasn’t going to run home and profess our undying love after one night together.”

  “But you will after three?” she challenged him.

  “I want a few days to figure out how to do this tactfully, and hopefully, to work toward our families selling that plot of land so your family doesn’t lose theirs.”

  She shook her head. “You’ve been thinking about that?”

  “Of course. It’s your family.” He looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

  “But our fathers hate each other. It’s one thing to want to be with me, but another to want to help save my father’s land—after he’s been so atrocious to your father all these years.” Rex was really too good to be true. His loyalty ran deeper than she’d imagined. She felt the same way about his family, and she knew she’d do the same for him.

  “You and I both were brought up to believe that family knows no boundaries. He’s your father. That’s all that matters.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  FRIDAY MORNING BEFORE the show, Rex headed into town to buy a cell phone. He’d made it thirty-four years without one, and he couldn’t imagine what he’d do with it besides talk with Jade, but if that’s what she needed, then he’d go along with it. Hell, he’d wear it around his neck if she needed him to.

  The Sprint store was empty, as he’d expected. The horse show brought the entire community into town. The young guy behind the counter asked what he was looking for, and Rex was so technologically unaware that he told him that he had no clue.

  “So, you’ve never had a cell phone before, I take it?” the short, lanky boy asked. He looked like he was in eighth grade, all pimples and uncomfortable in his own skin.

  “Nope, sure haven’t.”

  “Do you want an Android or an iPhone?”

  “You’re speaking Greek to me, kid. I really have no clue. I want a phone so my girlfriend can call me.” He shrugged. How difficult could this be?

  “Okay, do you have a budget?”

  Rex laughed. “How much can a phone cost?”

  The boy walked him over to a display of phones. “Let’s see. I take it you don’t have a phone plan yet, so you can get a good deal on a phone with a plan.”

  Phone plan? Rex was beginning to feel like he’d been living in a cave. The boy explained how phone plans worked, and he attempted to show him the difference between an Android phone and an iPhone. Rex tried to be patient, but when he began talking about windows and social media, things that Rex didn’t give one hoot about, he gave up.

  “Listen, all I want is a phone to make calls or send a message from. I’m a rancher. I can get onto a computer and order what I need to, but other than that, I have no interest. Can you find me the best phone for that?”

  “O-kay.” The boy looked at him like he was a caveman.

  An hour and a half later, he walked out with a cell phone, a case to hook to his belt, Jade’s and his family members’ numbers programmed in, and a modicum of understanding about texting. He was a happy man. He strode to his truck and had just opened his door when he felt a tap on his shoulder and heard a woman’s voice behind him.

  “Rex Braden?”

  Jade’s mother, Jane Johnson, stood behind Rex with a serious, nervous look on her face.

  Shi
t. He smiled and extended his hand. “Mrs. Johnson, it’s nice to see you.”

  “I’m sure it’s nerve-racking to see me, Rex.”

  “Yes, okay. That’s fair.” Rex’s pulse sped up.

  For a minute she just looked at him. She was an attractive woman with the same dark hair as Jade. The fire in her brown eyes had his nerves twitching.

  “I’d like to talk to you.”

  He nodded, ready to take whatever she might want to give him. He wasn’t going to hide how he felt about Jade. “That’d be nice,” he said.

  “Given our families’ history, I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk here in the parking lot. Perhaps we can cross the street to the park?”

  The park. Of course. It was open, safe. No one would think they were having an unpleasant discussion. This was Weston after all. The last thing that either of them needed was to start the grapevine ringing.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He closed his truck door. “Is Jade all right?”

  “I think you’d know better than I,” she said.

  He swallowed the shock of surprise that ran through him. If she knew, what did her husband know? And if her husband knew, what was Jade being put through right then?

  They went into the park and sat on a bench that looked over a small pond. He noticed that she sat a good distance from him. To a bystander, they might look like they’d just happened to share the bench.

  “What are your intentions with Jade?” she asked.

  He needed to know what she knew before he gave away their entire relationship. Maybe she was just fishing for information. “Ma’am? I’m sorry, my intentions?”

  She pursed her lips. “Rex, come now. Jade doesn’t stay out all night with girlfriends. She doesn’t come home at two a.m. after swimming in the creek alone, and she sure as heck doesn’t make those kind of noises behind the barn without a man involved.”

  He kept his voice calm despite his thundering heart. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Johnson. Our intent was never to hurt anyone, and we surely didn’t know…Well…to answer your question, I love her. I love your daughter.” He felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He turned to face her then, and the pain he saw in her eyes tore at his heart.

  She nodded, rolling her lips into her mouth. He could see she was holding back tears.

  “I’m really not a bad guy. I would never treat Jade badly or hurt her in any way.” His explanation did nothing to ease her pain. A tear dripped from the corner of her eye.

  “I’m not sure what else you want to know. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you right away, but given the situation between our families, we just didn’t see how we could. We’re trying to figure out the best approach, but I guess that doesn’t matter now.”

  She put her delicate hand on top of his, and with a trembling voice, she said, “My husband doesn’t know, and I don’t advise you to tell him right now.”

  “Ma’am?”

  “Jade doesn’t know that I know either.”

  “I don’t understand. Why did you come to me instead of Jade?”

  A half smile graced her lips. “I’m her mother. I had to know if you loved her, or if you were just, you know, having fun.”

  “Ma’am, I’m not a having-fun type of guy.”

  She nodded. “I know, Rex. I’ve known you since you were an infant, and I’ve watched you grow into a fine, strong gentleman. All of you Braden boys have kept your noses clean. And Savannah, what a doll she’s grown up to be.”

  “I thought—”

  “The feud has always been between your father and my husband. Your mother and I never let on that we remained friends. Rex, your mother and I had always hoped our families would remain close. When that fight first started between them, we thought it would just blow over. But when you put two stubborn, competitive men in a cage, someone has to win.” She drew in a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. “It might not be good timing, but I couldn’t have asked for a nicer man for Jade.”

  He took her hand in his. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” He released her hand and thought about what she’d said. “How did you and my mother remain connected? I’m not sure what your husband is like, but my father wouldn’t allow the Johnson name in our home. No offense, of course, and if it helps to know, my siblings are very accepting of Jade.”

  “I had no doubt they would be. Your parents raised you right, even Hal. He’s a good man. Earl’s a good man, too. They just got a little lost and they’ve never found their way out of the woods.” She folded her hands in her lap and let out a slow breath. “Your mom and I used to meet for picnics on the property between yours and ours, sometimes down at the ravine, when the men were out, of course. Oh, we were master schedule manipulators. Somehow Earl would have a dental appointment when Hal was picking up feed, or your mom would conveniently be too tired to run an errand at the same time that my kids needed to go to an event somewhere. We found ways.” She wiped her eyes. “As you kids got older, it became more difficult, of course, so mainly we talked on the phone and occasionally met while you kids were at school. Even that became difficult. There were so many of you, and babies eventually learned to talk.” She smiled. “I miss her, more than you can know.”

  “And you’ve had to mourn her in silence.” Now he understood where Jade got her strength and courage. The woman before him risked everything for a friendship with his mother, and today she risked it all for her daughter.

  “Mrs. Johnson, can you tell me anything that might help us bring this feud to an end? I want nothing more than to be with Jade out in the open. I want to build a life with her, and I want to make her proud. And I’m very sorry about being close to your daughter behind the barn. We got a little carried away.”

  “I’d say,” she said with a grin. “You’ll have to speak with your father about what went on between him and Earl. I believe your father was fighting for your mother’s honor, but that’s all I can say about that. Just know, Rex, when all this comes out, I’ll be standing behind you and Jade, and so will your mother.”

  Chapter Thirty

  JADE DIDN’T CONSIDER herself a jealous person, but watching every woman between the ages of eighteen and forty-five ogle her boyfriend was starting to rouse the green-eyed monster. He was so damned nice to them all, too. He smiled that killer smile of his, and when he ran his hand through his hair—just one of his habits Jade had come to love—it made her warm all over. Surely it had the same effect on other women.

  The horse show was in full swing. The loudspeaker chimed, announcing the children’s halter classes. Smells of barbeque, popcorn, and hay flittered through the air. Children wearing their cutest Western shirts, boots, and show pants giggled as they ran toward the small petting area, while mothers trailed behind with shouts to stay out of the dirt. Jade loved the feel of community horse shows. Somehow, the dress pants and hats amped up the women’s sexiness, prompting them to swing their hips a little wider and throw their shoulders back, all dolled up and feeling special. The men looked so handsome in their best Western wear. She especially loved the vests that many of the men wore, and the string ties and bandannas were an added flair. But the sexiest thing Jade had seen, and what she couldn’t help but envision Rex in, were leather chaps. She looked at him now, handing a ticket to a heavyset man in a gray Chevy truck, and she imagined his bare chest easing down to that dip below his hips that she loved to touch—the one that drew an instant shiver from him—and soft, worn leather covering his—

  A honk pulled her from her fantasy.

  “Sorry,” she said quickly, taking the woman’s money and waving her on to Rex.

  Twenty minutes later, there was a lull in the incoming traffic. Rex looked over and blew her a kiss. She snagged it from the air and slapped it on her cheek with a grin. They sauntered toward each other. She could tell he was taunting her as much as she was him.

  “How’s the prettiest girl in all of Weston?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, there were some pretty ho
t women strolling by you.” She hated herself for saying it aloud, but she was powerless to stop it.

  “Really? Huh, I didn’t notice. I’ll pay better attention next time.”

  She punched his arm, and he started to pull her into a kiss. Her heart roared to life. Then he looked around, and with a disappointing frown, he released her and took a step back, leaving her wanting him even more.

  “I have eyes for only one woman. You’re pretty well stuck with me, so get used to it. Women can look all they want, just like the men who have been eyeing you all day. None of it matters. It just makes me proud to be with you.”

  “There you go again, Mr. Smooth.”

  “I’ll show you Mr. Smooth.” He stepped closer, narrowing his dark eyes and looking as if he might take her right there and then.

  She could feel the heat of him; every breath ratcheted up her pulse a little more.

  “I need to check on Hope when things slow down more,” he said. “She wasn’t herself this morning.”

  She wasn’t sure if he was saying he had to check on Hope to dissipate the rising sexual tension, or because something was really going on with Hope. She erred on the side of caution. “Is there something I can do? Maybe I should check her out?” Jade knew she couldn’t check on Hope. Rex’s father would never allow it. He’d have to call Dr. Baker. Her mind switched to veterinarian mode, and instead of thinking of the pulse of Rex’s heart, her mind was wrapped around Hope’s health.

  “Dad thinks she was just a little out of sorts. I’ll check her out and let you know if she’s doing any better.” His face grew serious and he reached for her hand, then drew back again. “Everything okay at home?”

  “Yeah, no one said anything, if that’s what you mean.” She hated their inability to touch in public. Rex was a salacious person, comfortable and demonstrative in his love. It was one of the things she loved most about him. Every time he pulled back from her, her anger at their families multiplied.