by Piper Frost
He takes my phone and inspects it, looking at me with a cocked eyebrow. "You're gonna cut them pretty little fingers, Kinlee." He sets the phone down and slides it toward me then looks up while I stare at my fingers. "What's goin' on with Will?"
"I don't have pretty little fingers," I mutter then start to laugh. "Bo, that phone cost a fortune. I'm not about to pay for another one because of a few cracks. I'll throw some clear tape on it and call it a day." I grab it and tuck it back in my purse. "And Will's just any teenage boy that lost his parents way too soon. He's angry at the world, and he takes it out in the worst ways possible. Last week he got caught in the locker room at the high school with a lighter. He likes fire." I shake my head, running my hands down my face and groaning. "You and Brandt never did that dumb, evil shit. I don't know where it's coming from, and I don't know how to fix it."
"The boy needs a positive role model in his life. Not that you're not, but you're his sister and it don't count. Maybe he can come help out on the Kenshaws’ ranch a few days after school."
"I tried that. Brandt found him attempting to set a few hay bales ablaze and that was the end of that. He still goes there, but they don't let him help out." I roll my eyes. "He needs to be scared straight, that's what he needs. And I just don't have the fear of God to put into him anymore."
"Hey." His hand clamps to my shoulder. "Don't give up. You're stronger than that." Grinning at me, he says, "He needs guy time. I happen to have a lot of free time." When he shrugs, I look up at him, almost blurting no. "Maybe me and Will can hang out to keep him busy."
"He's difficult to hang out with, Bo." I want to say no, but I really want to say yes because maybe he can get through to him. But then what if Will does somethin' stupid and Bo decides the twins are too much baggage to be in any type of relationship with me? Lord have mercy, my head's swimming.
"I'm used to difficult." He smirks but for the second time since we sat down, he leans like his back's hurting. "Let me get my schedule at the ranch this week. Then I'll plan something stupid for us to do. Safe," he blurts. "But stupid." His grin is too much sometimes. Instant panty melter.
"Safe, but stupid." I laugh. "I feel like that's your life motto." When the waitress brings us our shakes, I grab his first. "This is just as delicious as the last time we had it. Chase got one and it was way better than mine." I don’t want to but I slide his across the table to him.
He looks up from his shake and wipes his mouth. "What's goin' on with him? He seemed to have some issues with us together tonight. Last thing I need is to have to deal with some bullshit with him like I did in the past."
I don't fully know what that means, and it's in the past so I don't want to bring it back up, but I do know it's partially the reason Chase backed off from everyone.
"He's my best friend, Bo."
"Wow, best friends." His brows are high. "I leave and this town flips upside down." With a chuckle, he sits back. "Well, if he's a best friend, we coulda hung out, Kinlee. We're all friends."
I stare at him and his choice of words throws me. Friends. I thought me and Bo were here right now because we were trying for something more than friends.
"Chase and I dated for a while. It was getting awkward. I haven't had a chance to tell him about us, because I don't even know if there's anything to tell him. And like you said, friends." I grab my straw and try to get some shake, but it's still too dense. Not only is Bo's choice of words frustrating me, but this damn shake can go right to hell with those words.
That classic Bo chuckle sounds. The one he does when he's holding back his annoyance. Join the club, buddy.
"I don't know what you and I have to do with Chase Haring, Kinlee. As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't need to know anything about what I want or don't want. Who I see or don't see. He's your best friend, you can fill him in on what you want him to know about you, but I'll handle the stuff about me."
I blink a few times. "I hear you loud and clear, Bo." Nodding slowly, I let out a puff of air. "I uh... I think I'm gonna be headin' home."
I knew I shouldn't have accepted this date. I knew I shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. I actually let myself want something with Bo. I let myself think this may be the first relationship that I actually pursued. But like he said, we're all just friends.
I'm a fairly docile man. I like excitement, but in the form of fun, not fights, but tonight my blood's boiling. I let the run-in with Chase go, but after dropping Kinlee at her car, I want to set a few things straight. Heading back up to the pull, I make myself a parking spot up front and head for the VIP area where he snaked his way into earlier.
Not seeing him, I decide to head home. Call it a night before I do something stupid, but someone stops me and ropes me into a conversation about steer. Chatting with the old man, I see Chase across the way and I keep my sights on him. He's got some sort of problem that I'm trying to date Kinlee, and as her ex he probably thinks he has a right, but fuck that. As her best friend, he probably thinks he can add two cents about her choices. And fuck that too. I just want to make it mighty clear my intentions with Kinlee, and make sure he understands. And if he don't...he don't have a choice.
When a few other people join the conversation with this old man, I slip away, heading right for Chase who's got his arm wrapped around a woman's waist.
"Chase," I get his attention and he looks over, his smile falling because he knows I'm not here to hang. "You got a minute?" I rub my jaw, my adrenaline starting to spike.
"Anything for the star-boy," he says, walking toward me.
I step away from his group and turn my back to them. "I just want to fill you in that I plan on dating Kinlee. Don't want any confusion like back in the day with your sister." My jaw tenses when I think about the drama Fiona created. She's the reason Chase became less of a friend. "I don't know why Kinlee feels the need to have to mention it to you, but I figured I could do it, man to man, so we can both be on the same page."
"Probably because I'm her best friend, man. I was here for her and I always will be. While you were off getting richer, we were here living humbly. She's a respectful girl, man, and it's just respect to fill in your closest friend when you start seein' someone."
That's motherfuckin' news to me. Goes back to why I got pissed to begin with. He don't need to know my damn business. She's not his property, she's not his mama or sister, she's a friend. Best is just a word you put in front of something to make it seem more important. Chase ain't the best at anything.
"I ain't a stranger, Chase. I'm not just some guy rollin' through town lookin' to mess around with a pretty girl. I'm not sorry I left and followed my dreams. Wasn't my responsibility to stay in this town. Just like it wasn't yours or hers, but I had nothing here askin' me to stay at the time. Now I'm back, and I'm hopin' to change that, and you ain't gonna get in the way of it. She may be your friend, but she doesn't owe you explanation for anything."
"She owes me whatever she wants to give me. Why don't you take your eight hundred dollar pants wearin' ass and head on home, Bo. She don't need a guy like you sniffin' around her, flaunting his money in her face, then breakin' her heart. She's a good woman, you're a snake. She has responsibilities you can't comprehend in that fucked up head of yours. When you wake up in the morning, your only care is if you should wear a two hundred dollar flannel and wipe your ass with cash. That woman has to figure out how to feed two sixteen-year-old kids, man. She don't need you snoopin' around. Go back to a big city, Bo. Knock up one of them whores before you do it to Kinlee and ruin her life even more."
There are about five parts in his rambling where I wanted to punch him, but the last part, the very end, 'ruin her life even more' is what makes me act irrationally. My fist jabs him in the eye and as he stumbles back, I take a few steps back myself. I never turn to violence for anything. I want to protect Kinlee, and if the subject of her comes up, I'm on edge until I learn someone's intentions. I've only had a few short conversations about her lately, but none have gone th
is route. No one has said—to my face—I'm not good enough for her yet. Well that's what Chase is insinuating, and then in the next sentence saying her life's ruined already. Don't speak badly about someone I care this much for. I don't know why I ever thought I was over her. The second I saw her again, I knew she never left my heart. She really was my first love, but I never let it die. I may have buried it, let myself forget about it, but she's always been in my subconscious.
When Chase swings, I let him land a hit on my jaw, but I'll only take one. Luckily for the both of us, people separate us, telling us to get lost. He storms off first, and I follow behind him, feeling guilty as hell I hit him. When he stumbles more than once, I catch up.
"Let me drive you home, Chase," I offer because it's obvious he's drunk.
A string of curse words are snarled at me as he starts to stumble in a different direction. I don't know if he drove, but the last thing I want is for him to try it when he's drunk and possibly concussed.
"Come on, Chase." I grab his shoulder and he twists away from my grasp. "Look, I'm sorry. You said some things about her I didn't like."
He's still cursing at me and he jerks to storm away but slams right into a barrel, flipping himself to the ground. When I help him stand, he doesn't push me away.
"I'm really sorry." I stare at his puffy eye. "She means a lot to me. More than you or anyone have ever understood, and this time I want her to see it."
"What the hell you talkin' about, Hart?"
"Man, I've been in love with Kinlee since the sixth grade. She only saw me as a friend back then. Didn't even realize I had feelings." I chuckle and shake my head, not wanting to think about how oblivious she was to what I felt back then. "I ain't around lookin' to hurt her."
He stares at me a minute, like his drunken brain's absorbing what I'm saying. "You're a stupid son of a bitch for never telling her, but at least it got me a chance with her."
I grit my teeth and shove my hands in my pockets to keep from jabbing him with a punch again. "Maybe I am."
She wouldn't have cared back then. People only liked me when I was younger because I had energy, because I had everything I never asked for, and because my sister was old enough to buy us beer when we were seventeen. And like I said before, I wasn't allowed to have real feelings that didn't revolve around my folks' money so they never came out. They were there, under the surface so I didn't lose friends, but now I don't give a damn. Not only do I look a hell of a lot different, but I'm not hiding my feelings anymore to keep friends. I'll let it be known what my intentions are this time around.
Chase wouldn't take the ride, and it's probably for the best, but I did make sure he wasn't driving. The drive's quiet, leaving me to my thoughts. Right now, all I can think about is how Kinlee and me ended the night. I want to go back to her place and kiss her like I should have, but instead I head home to a quiet house that's extra lonely tonight.
"BOBBY MICHAEL HART!" I hear Kinlee's voice belting through the barn and my eyes go wide.
"I'm outta here." Brandt grunts, tossing his gloves on the bench and heading in the opposite direction of Kinlee's scream. I actually just got finished telling him all about the reason she's probably here right now.
"Bo!" A door slams from somewhere and my brows go higher.
I try not to smile over my shoulder at her, but she's fine as hell and the way she's dressed today is like I remember her. Short jean shorts. Boots. A flannel open but tied in the front with a peak of that tempting flesh. And tits defined in a white tank. The best tits I've ever touched.
"Howdy." I tip my hat as she stomps her way up to me.
"Don't you fuckin' howdy me," she grunts, trying to shove me back. "The hell you doin' roughing up Chase?" With hands on her tempting hips, she glares at me. "He just came over for breakfast with a fuckin' black eye, thanks to you apparently."
"Breakfast, huh?" I move around her and continue to put the milker back together. "Darlin', he had it comin'. He landed his own hit." I rub my tender jaw. "But it ain't my fault his fists don't do much damage, Kinlee." I keep my back to her so she doesn't see my smirk.
"You're so smug, Bo. You can't walk back in town and beat up anyone I talk to. And that's exactly what you did. It ain't right."
"Hey, princess." I turn around and grab her hips, pulling her against me. "I didn't hit him 'cause you're talkin' to him. Don't worry about my reasons. The beef is squashed and we made up." When my thumb starts to rub against her exposed stomach, she shoves my hands down and steps back. Control is hard with Kinlee.
"Bo, you punched him in the face. You can't just brush it off like that's okay to do." She crosses her arms in front of her and her tits perk up for me. "You're gonna apologize to him."
"I only apologize when it's necessary." I did apologize to the asshole, though he didn't deserve it. Heading out of the barn, she follows right on my heels. Stopping short, I turn so she slams into me, her body hitting mine and I grin when her peaked nipples only seem to harden more. I didn't miss the small gasp when our bodies touched, but she recovers and she's staring at me with those baby blues and her mouth set in a firm line. "I already apologized."
"Oh. Well. He didn't tell me that," she whispers. "What made you hit him, Bo?"
Telling her the shit her best friend was spouting about her is the last thing I'm willing to do. I'm not into people getting their feelings hurt if it can be avoided. "He was drunk, rambling. Only way to shut him up."
Stone faced, her hand reaches up and touches my jaw to trace the one spot he actually got a hit in. She can look angry all she wants, but she cares and that's all that matters to me. "I want to be mad at you. Bo, you can't go around punching people."
"I don't normally try to solve problems with fists." This is one of the times my height isn't an advantage. If I were shorter, I wouldn't have to lean down to kiss her and I could just do it, not having to worry she'd pull away in time. "Things escalated. I apologized, Kinlee."
Those fingers stay on my cheek, and when she licks her lips I'm certain I'm finally going to get my kiss. As I begin to lean down, her phone starts singing some country song from her back pocket. The focus she had on my face is lost and with a curse, she steps back, using her hand that was still on my cheek to grab her phone.
"Hello?" While whoever's on the other end rambles, a scowl deepens her frown every few seconds. "I'll be right there." With eyes closed and head dropped back, she takes a deep breath. "I gotta go," she mumbles, shaking her head and trying to push past me.
Whatever's got her stressed, she don't need to be jumping into a car without being able to focus.
"Hey now, slow down. Where's the fire?"
"Literal fire," she grumbles, trying to shake me off. "Will's at it again. Somethin' about a dumpster downtown. I really need to go." Pulling out of my grasp, she jogs toward her car.
I stare after her, wondering how bad that kid can be. Heading for the barn, I glance behind me and see her hands hitting the steering wheel over and over. When I jog over, I expect her to be crying, stressed, at her wits end, but I yank open the door to curse words ladies shouldn't say unless you've got Jo's city mouth.
"You been hanging 'round Jo too much." I chuckle.
"My fuckin' piece of shit car won't start," she growls, letting out a puff of air. "Excuse me, I gotta see if I can use Jo's truck." I let her slide out of the car and watch as she slams the door and the glass rattles a bit.
Before she storms off, I wrap my arm around her stomach. "Now, Kinlee, hold on a minute. Calm down and get in my truck. Stop trying to act like I'm not here." Still holding her waist with her back to me, I manage to walk her to my truck and pull open the passenger door for her. "I'm back in town and I know you ain't used to me being around and being here for you, but I am. I'm here. If you need something, you see me first."
The frown on her face and her arms crossed under her chest is a definite shut-off stance, but when her eyes flash from my truck to the Kenshaw's front door, I sigh.
"Kinlee—"
"You got work to do. I don't want you to get in trouble for my little brother."
"I make my own hours. The Kenshaws are doin' me a favor. They ain't gonna mind if I get out of here and log less hours. Everything I needed to do today was done by ten a.m., I was just kind of hangin' out 'cause there's nothin' else to do."
A puff of air exhales and she climbs into my truck. "Thank you."
She may not be used to asking for help, but I wasn't lying. She'll learn to come to me first; maybe I can take some of the stress away.
I take a back way into town so lights and small town roads don't slow us down. It turns into a bit of an off-roading adventure I didn't mean for, but the terrain isn't smooth. By the time we make it to Old Eighty, she's at least laughing.
"Sorry about that." I smile over at her, wanting to pull off and take my kiss, but we gotta get to the sheriff's station where her brother's waiting for setting a dumpster on fire.
"Been a while since I've done that." Her pretty smile's back at least, but she's wringing her hands in her lap. "I'm really sorry if this is puttin' you out, Bo. I've been needing to get my car fixed."
"You ain't putting me out. I told you, if there's anything you need, you call or see me first. I'm serious. I'll take a look at your car after we handle this." I park and open my door before jogging around to her side. I hold out my hand for her to take and help her down.
"I shouldn't be too long. This is becoming something all too regular," she mumbles, not letting go of my hand as we walk into the station.
"He's in with the sheriff. Has been since I called you, dear. I'll let him know you're here," Betty, the same reception lady that worked the office when we were teens, says to Kinlee.
Kinlee groans and shakes her head. "Thanks, Betty." She turns to me. "I'm sorry. I figured I'd just grab him and we could head back." She falls into one of the waiting chairs.
I dart my eyes to the same closed door I remember from the last time I got in trouble when I was nineteen. It was right before I left; a bottle rocket trick off the back of my pickup gone wrong. I look at Betty and she hasn't gotten too far with telling Sheriff Dunken we're here.