by Vivian Wood
“At least let me drive you home!” he called.
She didn’t slow or even acknowledge him, disappearing from sight in a moment’s time.
Sawyer stared down at the rumpled picnic blanket, thinking over her words.
You think it’s all in the past, but it’s not.
What in the hell could that possibly mean?
14
The next morning, Remy sat in a daze and listened to Sawyer go through the property agreements. In her desire to avoid Sawyer’s gaze, she’d tried to force her attention away from the meeting entirely. Stared around the chillingly impersonal kitchen in Colonel Roman’s new house in town, counted the seconds until she could flee.
She kept glancing up to find her father watching her with a foreboding expression… which was funny, since she hadn’t done anything. And when it wasn’t her father, it was one of the Roman men giving her a meaningful look.
What made it all a thousand times worse was that Colonel Roman was in attendance, staring at Remy like a hawk eyeing a church mouse. Remy didn’t understand how The Colonel and Sawyer could look so much alike and yet have such different personalities.
He also kept making snide comments to Remy and her father. Mentioning how much they had at stake, how much the Roman family had done for the Rivers over the years, stuff like that.
It made Remy’s skin crawl, especially because she was pretty sure he was reminding her not to let the truth about Shiloh slip.
If Sawyer’s father didn’t stop staring at her with that accusing expression, Remy was either going to sink under the table and hide, or throw her water glass at his head.
Same went for Sawyer, actually… his heated hazel gaze made her squirm in a way that wasn’t exactly family-friendly.
“So just take these home and look over them,” Sawyer said to Remy’s father. “Have a lawyer look at them, if you want. It covers exactly what we’ve discussed, though. No tricky stuff.”
“I appreciate that,” her father said, standing. “Seems like you’re turning out all right, after all.”
Sawyer’s brows rose, but he was too polite to ask what that meant. “Thank you, sir.”
Sawyer offered his hand, and Remy’s father shook it after a moment’s hesitation. When her father turned to shake hands with Colonel Roman though, The Colonel just gave him a cold stare and turned away.
Nice, she thought, rolling her eyes.
“Hey,” Sawyer said, catching her wrist as she stood up.
She glared at his fingers until he released her. “What do you want?”
“Can we talk for a second?” he asked.
She glanced around, feeling The Colonel’s gaze burning into her shoulder blades. “No.”
“Remy…”
“I have to go,” she said, shaking her head.
“Will you be at the bar Wednesday?” he asked.
She gave him an impatient look, then turned to follow her father through the parlor and outside. The house was right on the main drag, across from the Piggly Wiggly grocery store.
As soon as the door closed behind them, her father gave her a stern glance.
“Remy River, you are playing with fire,” he warned.
“I’m not doing anything!” she protested.
“Come on,” he said, pointing across the street. “Your mother’s waiting.”
As they crossed, Remy found she couldn’t let it lie.
“I didn’t do anything, Daddy. I can’t keep him from pursuing me.”
“You encourage that boy every time you look at him, and you know it.”
“There’s nothing going on!” she said.
“Remy…” her father sighed.
He stopped her before they got to the old truck, shaking his finger at her.
“You were right when you said that this is our last chance.”
“I know.”
“And you also know that Sawyer’s father could blow this whole deal up if he feels like it.”
Remy frowned and crossed her arms. “He won’t.”
“To protect his family legacy, he might.”
Remy blew out a breath. “Okay.”
“I know you loved him, kiddo. I know he’s Shiloh’s daddy. But you made a decision four years ago, and now you’re going to have to carry that out. You understand?”
Remy winced.
“Yes, Daddy.”
Behind her father, she saw the door of the rusted pickup open.
“Mama!” Shiloh cried, spotting her.
Her father muttered a curse. “Move. Sawyer’s on his way over here.”
Heart leaping into her throat, Remy practically threw herself into the car, pulling Shiloh into the backseat cab.
“What’s happening?” her mother asked, looking confused.
“The Romans are coming,” her father joked, climbing into the car and starting the engine.
Remy felt guilty as she buckled Shiloh into his car seat, like she was hiding him rather than protecting him. Her father backed the truck out and Remy glanced back.
Sawyer had stopped, watching them closely, but she was pretty sure he hadn’t seen Shiloh.
“Mama! Truck!” Shiloh said, grinning.
The same shining eyes and wide smile as Sawyer. Looking at one and the other made her heart want to burst with emotions, too many to name.
Murmuring a soft prayer for her sanity, Remy leaned her head back on the seat and squeezed Shiloh’s fingers.
Keeping her secret was getting more and more impossible by the day.
15
“All right, everyone!” Walker called, startling Sawyer a little, just enough that he spilled his coffee.
Sawyer hadn’t exactly gotten a lot of sleep the night before, and the reason was the hot little blonde hiding behind her sisters, pretending he didn’t exist.
The Roman and River families milled around the front porch of the main house at Roman Ranch, the parents ready to sign legal documents, and the siblings ready to get to work.
“If you’re over 30, the lawyers need you in the kitchen!” Walker announced. “If you’re under 30, pair up for work detail!”
Sawyer saw Remy link arms with her sister Shelby. Scowling, he strode over to the lookalike sisters.
“You’re with me,” he told Remy, giving her a stern look.
“Oh…” she said, shaking her head. “Nah, I’m going to be with Shel.”
“Shelby?” Sawyer said, crossing his arms.
Shelby straightened. “Yeah?”
“Do me a favor and go pair up with Walker before he has a complete meltdown.”
Shelby glanced over at Walker, who chose that moment to turn and look at them. Shelby’s lips twitched; Walker was stoic, to say the least. A meltdown was unlikely.
“You know you want to,” Sawyer said.
Shelby grinned at him, then nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, Rem. I can’t pass up the chance to spend the whole day torturing Walker. I’m going to see how long I can talk to him about the intricacies of dressmaking before steam starts coming out his ears.”
Remy’s eyes went wide as Shelby abandoned her.
“Seriously?” she called.
“Looks like you’re stuck with me today,” Sawyer said, giving her a smug smile.
Remy wrinkled her nose but didn’t respond.
“Okay! Today we just need to survey and make a list of everything that needs doing!” Colt called to the group. “Take a notebook, take one of these slips of paper with the boundaries of your assigned area, and get a move on!”
Remy shot Sawyer a look, walking over to accept a notebook and assignment from Colt. She looked at the paper, then handed it over to Sawyer.
“We’ve got the length of the riverbed and the area on both sides. So… the kennels, the pump house, and a few storage sheds,” Remy said, thoughtful.
“And fences. We’ve repaired a lot of the fences on our side, but if yours look anything like ours, there will be a lot of work to do there.”
She pulled a fa
ce, but shrugged. “Probably.”
“We’re going to have to ride,” he said, nodding toward the stables.
Remy’s chin came up, some strange moment of defiancé on her part.
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
Muttering a curse under his breath, Sawyer stalked toward the stables, not waiting for Remy. He had his horse brushed and saddled in a matter of minutes, then stepped out of the stall to help Remy.
Only, he didn’t need to help her. She’d befriended and saddled one of the sweeter mares, and was already leading the horse from the stall when Sawyer came looking for her.
“I just need somewhere to mount,” she said, looking around. “This pretty lady is still a lot taller than any of ours over at the farm.”
“Allow me,” Sawyer said, unable to suppress a smile.
Remy opened her mouth, but Sawyer had already moved forward to pick her up by the waist, making sure to fondle her luscious ass as much as possible. He handed her up and then led his own mount out, swinging his leg over with ease.
The last few weeks, it seemed that old habits were coming back with something of a vengeance.
Reins in hand, he cocked a brow at Remy. “Ready?”
“Always,” she said, a note of challenge in her voice.
Sawyer grinned, guiding his mount into a trot. He headed for the far west corner of the Roman lands, figuring they could move back and forth across Cur Creek for a rousing day of adventure.
“Well hey there,” Remy said, greeting a few curs that followed them from the stables. “Are y’all going to accompany us? Protect my virtue and whatnot?”
Sawyer shot her an amused look, which made her go red.
“Don’t be coarse,” she told him.
“I didn’t say a word,” Sawyer reminded her. “Now are you ready to ride hard?”
Remy looked a little scandalized, but she laughed when Sawyer kicked his horse into a full canter and took off. She only fell behind for a moment; they’d both been on horses their entire lives, and by now it came as natural as breathing.
For a few minutes, they were wild and free, just like when they were kids. No cares in the world except racing across the dark soil, grins on their faces as their horses flew true as arrows.
Once they reached the property line, they crossed over to the River farm side, slowing to examine the fence.
“Yeah,” Remy said, pointing to a couple of spots. “We’d have to pull up some of these anyway to let the cows cross back and forth. Still, it’s been way too long since these fences were fixed up.”
“Well, hopefully our parents actually sign the paperwork to make this happen,” Sawyer said, shading his eyes and looking downriver. “Is that a shed?”
They took their time, riding slow and making notes, stopping at each little shed. When they reached the old kennels, out of use since Sawyer’s mother’s death, it took them almost a full hour to sort through all the repairs.
“Watch out,” Sawyer said as they walked around inside the dim structure. “I stepped on a nail in here as a kid and had to get a tetanus shot. I can only imagine that nail’s even more rusty now.”
“The roof isn’t looking so good,” Remy said, scribbling notes.
“I honestly think it would be cheaper to tear it down and start over.”
“You would think that,” Remy said, giving him a disapproving frown.
“What does that mean?”
She sucked in a breath and shook her head, as if unwilling to elaborate.
“Remy. What are you talking about?”
“Nothing, Sawyer,” she said, her tone heavy with sarcasm. “Aside from the fact that you and your brothers are just a little privileged.”
“You didn’t seem to mind that when we were kids and you were over here every damned day after school.”
Remy’s expression flashed to anger.
“I was here to see you, Sawyer.”
“Well, I’m just saying.”
“Well, don’t.”
“What happened to you, Remy?” he asked, turning to her suddenly.
“What? Nothing,” she said, backing up a step.
He moved forward another step, all but trapping her against the wall.
“Something happened while I was gone,” he said.
She took another step back, running out of room to run. Sawyer didn’t give her an inch of quarter, moving closer until he pressed her curves into the crumbling wall.
“Sawyer, back off,” she said, a warning in her voice and gaze.
“Tell me.”
“There’s nothing. Nothing to tell.”
“Liar,” he whispered, cupping her cheek.
“We can’t do this,” she said, staring up at him with those sapphire eyes.
“We can do anything we want.”
“That’s just it,” she said, giving her head a soft shake. “You never did understand, there are rules and responsibilities for everyone else.”
“Sometimes you just have to say fuck it,” he said, his gaze dropping to her lips. “Take what you want.”
“And where will that get us?”
Slowly, deliberately, he pressed his hardened cock against her belly. She bit her lip and blushed, making him want her all the more.
“Somewhere good,” he said.
“No,” she said, blowing out a breath. “I’ve let my guard down with you before, Sawyer. It never leads anywhere good.”
He smirked, leaning down to kiss her. She accepted him for the barest second, then pushed him back a step.
“We can’t do this. Let’s go.”
She hurried out of the building, and by the time he’d adjusted his erection and made it outside, she was already waiting on her horse.
This is going well, he thought to himself, rolling his eyes.
They rode on, with Remy barely speaking to him for a good hour or more, only a yes or a no at best. At last Sawyer spotted the huge, rickety pump house.
“Let’s break for lunch after this,” he suggested.
Remy shrugged, breaking into a trot for the last minute of the ride. The pump house was two stories high, made of dark, rough timber. Sitting next to the river, the ancient pump tapped into Cur Creek’s water table. It fed not only Remy’s house but all the crops as well, the same outdated watering system used on their land since time immemorial.
Once the horses were tied up, and Remy and Sawyer were actually eye level with the pump house, it was actually even more junky than he’d first thought. Just a tall jumble of boards slapped around the well and pump inside, the whole thing ready to come down at any moment.
“It’s leaning worse than the Tower of Pisa,” Sawyer said, cocking his head to meet the shanty’s leftward lean.
“It’s not in such bad shape,” Remy said, walking over and patting one of the rough boards.
“So you can spare affection for the pump house, but not for me?” he asked.
Remy glared at him. “Let’s just make our list.”
“No way. You’re not even going in there. We should just rebuild.”
She whirled, her hands landing on her hips.
“This pump house was built by my great-great-grandfather!” she said.
“Yes, and it’s lived a very good life. It’s one good storm from falling over flat, though.”
“I think you underestimate the sturdiness of it,” Remy said. “It can be salvaged.”
“Sure, if we want to prop it up every time the wind blows. Are you volunteering for that duty?”
Remy scowled. “You are making this so difficult.”
“Me? You’re the one who refuses to change anything,” Sawyer said, growing tense.
“Some of us aren’t just willing to forgive and forget the past.”
“No kidding! You’ve made that pretty fucking clear, Remy.”
“It’s not my fault that you can’t appreciate the history of things!” she snapped.
“I’ve been trying since I got here, but you won’t giv
e me a straight answer about anything,” Sawyer protested.
“You know what? How about you take all your changes, and your money, and shove it up your ass?” Remy shouted.
“Oh, you’d like that! You’d love to be able to avoid me, wouldn’t you?”
“I really, really would, Sawyer. You are out of your depth here, and you don’t even know it. My life is none of your damned business.”
“Since when are you not my business?”
“Since you walked out on me four years ago without a word!” she cried, throwing her arms up.
“I knew it!” he growled. “I knew you were still upset about it.”
“Yeah, well. You win,” Remy said, looking furious. “I’m angry at you. I hope it’s what you wanted.”
“I wanted you to be honest with me,” he challenged.
“How would I even start?” Remy asked. He could hear the hint of tears in her voice.
“Remy…” he said, moving to comfort her.
“No! You can’t just fix everything with an apology, Sawyer! Life doesn’t work that way.”
She thrust the notebook at him, untied her horse, and moved to mount.
“You’re leaving,” he surmised, feeling disappointed.
“Yeah. I don’t know how many ways to tell you that I don’t want to talk about this.”
“How are we supposed to move past this if you won’t talk to me about it?”
“You know, maybe we’re just better when we’re apart,” she said, clearly out of patience.
“You know that’s not true.”
“And you know nothing.”
She swung her leg up, grabbed the reins, and rode off uphill toward the main house.
“Fuck,” Sawyer said, sweeping his hat off as he watched her go. “Fuck, fuck!”
She didn’t look back, just left him standing there like a fool… yet again.
16
“Quit moping,” Colt said. “Seriously.”
“I’m not moping,” Sawyer insisted, looking out the kitchen window. “I’m just concerned about the weather. The sky outside is just begging for a tornado.”