by Jill Sanders
When he got back to his place, he realized that the kitchen cupboards were completely empty, and he grabbed his truck keys to head down to the grocery store.
As he drove through the small town, he realized how much he felt at home here. They had visited often when they were kids. Up until their early teens, they had spent a few weeks here every summer to help out. He and his brother had made their best childhood memories here.
Pulling in front of the Grocery Stop, the only grocery store in town, he wondered how long he would stick around. He walked through the aisles, tossing items into his cart and thinking about breaking horses for a living. He’d always dreamed of being able to do that.
Maybe Fairplay was the place to do it. Why not? He knew a lot of people in town and, more important, they knew him. That was key for running a business like this. If they trusted him to do the job, he’d get more work. And there was bound to be a lot of work in these parts. They were less than an hour from Tyler, and there were plenty of smaller towns around that he could drum up business in.
“Well, well,” he heard someone purr from behind him. “If it isn’t one of the West boys.”
He turned to see a busty blonde swaying down the aisle towards him. The tight shorts she wore barely covered her curves, and she was almost busting out of the shirt buttons. It took a few moments for his eyes to wander higher to see the well-groomed face that matched the perfect body.
He’d known Savannah Douglas most of her life. She’d been one of Lauren’s best friends when they were younger, but after middle school, he’d seen less and less of her around the farm. She’d grown up in the lap of luxury ever since her folks had hit it big with oil money.
Now she wore the best clothes, drove the most expensive car in town, and was always after something she couldn’t get.
He knew that Savannah was the cause of a lot of problems with his cousins over the last few years, but as she walked towards him, everything but the throbbing in his pants left his mind.
“Well, hello. This can’t be little Savannah?” he said as she stopped right next to him.
“Which one are you?” She ran a manicured finger up his arm playfully.
“Reece.” He smiled down at her.
“Oh, I could never tell you and your brother apart.” She leaned closer to him. “I didn’t know you were in town. How long are you here for?”
He could smell her perfume and the feel of her breasts pushed up against his chest was sending all his blood away from his head.
“Not sure. I’m thinking of staying on.”
“For good?” She gasped a little. He could tell it was all an act, and if his mind had been working, he would have realized he shouldn’t be leading her on. But it had been a while since he’d gotten any attention from someone so attractive.
“Maybe.”
“Well, I’ll simply have to bake you one of my famous pies and bring it over to you. Where are you staying?”
“At the ranch house at the end of the road at Lauren’s place.”
“Oh.” She frowned a little.
“Problem?”
“No.” Her smile came back. “Well, I’m sure we’ll bump into each other again,” she said, taking a step back when a young mother and her kids tried to get by them in the aisle. Savannah stared after the woman and kids. “I simply must be going.” She leaned closer and whispered, “I’m looking forward to seeing you.” Her eyes traveled up and down him and then rested on his crotch. If he were a teenager, he would have blushed bright red.
He watched her hips as she swayed back down the aisle and out the front door without buying anything.
“That girl is trouble,” someone said from behind him.
When he turned around, he saw a very petite redheaded woman standing next to his cart, a full basket of groceries in her hands.
“Holly Bridles. We met at Alex and Grant’s wedding and again at Haley and Wes’.” She shifted her basket and held out a hand.
He smiled and took it. “I remember. You own a shop…” He tried to remember.
“Bookstore. It’s just across the street.”
“Right,” he nodded, remembering.
“Savannah will toy with you. Besides, she’s not allowed on Saddleback Ranch property anymore.”
“Oh?” He must have looked surprised because Holly laughed.
“Long story. Ask your cousin one day if you have a few hours to listen to it. So did I hear you right? You’re back to stay?”
“Maybe.” He took her basket and set it inside his cart. The thing looked heavier than she did, and he could see she was struggling with it. “Why didn’t you get a cart?”
“Oh, well, you know how it is. You run inside for one thing and…” She shrugged her shoulders. “You walk out with a cart full.” She smiled.
They walked up to the checkout, and he put her basket up for her. They chatted for a while with the checker and when she had her two full bags in her arms, she turned back around to him. “Remember what I said about staying away from Savannah.”
He nodded. “Thanks. I’ll see you around.”
She nodded and then turned and walked out.
“She’s right, you know,” the woman behind the counter said as she began scanning his items. “Everyone in town knows to steer clear of that girl.”
He chuckled. “I think I’m getting the hint,” he said, handing over his credit card. Until he could get the full story, Savannah Douglas was on his do-not-touch list.
Chapter Two
Reece flew through the air. Most people would be thinking about the pain they were about to feel when they hit the ground, but not him. His mind was completely and wonderfully blank. Of course, when he hit the ground hard, his mind started working again. What could he have done differently? Should he have nudged instead of poked? Should he have waited a few more days to try to mount the horse? So many questions popped into his head after he landed.
He hated it when he questioned himself. He was damn good at what he did, and he had the medals to prove it.
In the last five years, since he’d finally gotten free of his old man, he’d traveled the world and had collected as many medals as he could. Bronc busting had been his dream for as long as he could remember. But shortly after Reece had graduated, his old man had gotten sick. His no-good twin had gone and left him alone. They had always planned to leave together; at least that’s what Reece had always thought.
Ryan had taken off, and Reece had made his own plans to leave. But then his dad had the stroke, and he’d been left caring for the old man until he finally passed away two years later. He’d also been left paying off all the old man’s debts. He’d done everything he could to pay them off. He sold the cattle, the horses, then the land, and the house. Until he’d been left with only an old truck and a bag full of memories.
Then he’d given up his last hundred dollars to enter in the bronc busting competition at the rodeo, which, luckily, he’d won. He’d headed out to the next rodeo and won that one as well. He kept winning and eventually he was approached by a company just outside of New Orleans who wanted to sponsor him.
It had taken him almost a year to pay off his father’s final debts, but by then he was so engrossed in bronc busting, he hadn’t stopped.
It took the nasty fall in Montana to finally slow him down. Laid up in the hospital bed with a broken leg, three busted ribs, and a headache to rival all others, he’d finally thought about what he wanted to do with himself. He’d been injured before—he had pins in his right wrist, his left ankle, and had more stitches than he could count—but no other injury had affected him like this one had.
It took almost two months for him to finally make his way back to Texas. It hadn’t been easy for him to drive up to Saddleback and ask his cousin for help.
Lauren had always been his favorite. She’d been more like a mother to Ryan and him than a cousin. She was only five years older than him but in so many ways, she was more mature. She’d been running Saddleback
, the family ranch, since she was eighteen.
When he’d driven up a few days ago, she’d rushed from the large front porch and hugged him so tight, he’d thought she’d cracked a few more of his ribs.
“What the hell have you done to yourself?” she’d asked as she pulled him into the house.
He’d laughed. “Fell off a damned horse.”
She’d glared at him. “This is more than just falling off; this is getting stepped on a dozen times.
He’d smiled and nodded. “I guess that’s about right.”
“Reece Loyal West, what in the world am I going to do with you?”
“You could give me a place to stay until I’m back on my feet.” She’d smiled and nodded.
“As long as you promise to stick around longer.”
“I guess I can do that.”
The next day, he’d moved into a large ranch-hand house they had along the back of their property.
He’d been at Alex’s and Haley’s weddings a few years back and had gotten to meet all of their husbands, but there were a few new editions that he’d yet to see.
He’d met Lauren and Chase’s son, Rickie, but now they had an almost-one-year-old daughter, Emma, who was the spitting image of her mama.
That first night at dinner, Alex and Haley had brought their families over, and he’d met Alex’s daughter, Laura, and Haley’s twin boys, Conner and Caden. He couldn’t help but stare down at the matching boys’ faces and think about his own twin. Where was Ryan? There was still a large hole in his life that his brother used to fill.
He’d gotten along great with Grant and Wes. He’d met all of them, including Lauren’s husband, Chase, before.
Now here he was a few days later, working in the corral and helping to break one of Chase’s horses. Chase had
warned him about jumping on the mare, but he hadn’t listened. He’d wanted the feeling of excitement he got from riding hard and fast.
When he landed, though, he heard something snap and cussed himself for the fool he was.
“What on earth!” someone shouted. “Johnathan Chase Graham! Why would you let him get on Ralph?”
Ralph? Reece thought. Who the hell was Ralph?
“Now listen, Lauren, I tried my best to talk him out of it,” Chase said, rushing over to him just as Lauren got there and gasped.
“He’s bleeding.”
He looked down at his leg and cussed. Sure enough, he’d busted the skin wide open just above his knee.
“It’s nothing,” he said, but he was quickly hushed by Lauren.
“Go pull the truck around. We’ll have to drive him into the clinic.” She helped him stand up as her husband rushed over to pull the truck closer to the corral.
“Why on heaven and earth would you get on a horse this soon?”
“I thought it was the right thing to do.” He smiled down at her and winced with pain as he tried to use his recently healed leg.
“Did you break it again?” she asked, looking down at his torn jeans.
He tested it out and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“It would serve you right if you had.” She helped him into the truck. “I’ll drive him in; you can stay with the kids.”
“No, I’ll do it. It might take a while.”
“Fine, but call me the second you hear anything,” Lauren said, reaching over and snapping Reece’s seat belt into place. She leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Dummy,” she whispered before shutting the door. It was a nickname she’d always had for him. Ryan’s nickname had been Dumber. He supposed he was lucky that she thought of his brother as dumber than he was.
Chase pulled out for the short ride into town.
“I’d like to start breaking horses. You know…as a business,” Reese told him.
Chase laughed. “In your condition?”
“Well, maybe in a while. It’s something I was always good at.”
“Yeah, you looked real good flying through the air and landing on your face.” Chase laughed.
“I’m just a little distracted, that’s all.”
“Well, when you get all healed, you’re welcome to use the corral out in the east field. I don’t think it’s wise to keep too many new horses near the house.”
He nodded. “Maybe I’ll find a place of my own. I have some money saved up.” He thought about all of his winnings, which he hadn’t touched in three years. He didn’t even know how much he had in the bank. After dealing with his father’s debt, all that mattered to him was that there was a positive in front of the numbers instead of a negative.
“Grant could help you out there. He has some connections in town due to his business.”
“Isn’t he a lawyer?”
Chase laughed. “Yeah, but we don’t hold it against him. He’s the closest thing we have to a closing company in town. He knows all the listings and which people are looking to list their places.”
“Maybe I’ll check with him.” He looked down at his leg and cussed as he watched blood squirting from his knee. “But I think it will have to wait a while.” He could feel his head spinning and tried like crazy to hold onto consciousness.
“Damn it, don’t you go passing out on me like a little girl.” Chase shook his shoulder, but it was too late; everything had gone white.
When he opened his eyes again, he was looking into the biggest bluest eyes he’d ever seen. The woman’s sandy blonde hair had fallen around her face, and she was looking down at him with concern. Without thinking, he reached up and brushed the strand of hair away from her face. He recognized the face instantly and smiled when she frowned down at him.
“Missy,” he whispered.
“What have you done to yourself?” she asked, She looked away as someone else spoke to her, and he instantly wanted her blue eyes back on him.
His mind drifted until he heard the word, “shots.” Then he sat up.
“I don’t need any shots.” When he tried to get off the table, she pushed down on his shoulders until he lay back down.
“You will stay put until I tell you to move. Is that clear?” Her blue eyes turned fierce.
“Yes, ma’am.” He lay back down and closed his eyes. He heard her ask Chase a few questions, and then she asked him to wait outside in the waiting room while she examined Reece, which got his mind thinking in all different kinds of directions.
It had been a while, almost five months, since he’d been with a woman. Who could blame him for the thoughts he was having now?
“Can you remove your pants, or do I need to cut them off of you?”
He looked up at those blue eyes and just smiled until he saw her cheeks flush. “I think I can manage.”
“Good.” She handed him a standard hospital robe. He hated these damn things.
“Can’t you just patch me up while I keep my pants on?”
“No,” she said as she put things onto the silver tray in front of him.
He stood up to yank his pants down, and the room began to spin again. Cussing under his breath, he closed his eyes and tried to steady himself. When he felt her cool hands on his hips, his eyes flew open. She tugged his torn jeans down his legs until they got hung up on his boots, and then she pushed him lightly until he sat back down on the table.
“How’d I get in here? Please don’t tell me Chase carried me like a baby?”
He enjoyed the rich giggle that escaped her lips. “No, we moved you to a gurney.” She nodded to the rolling bed that was sitting against the wall.
She pulled one of his boots off and reached for the other one.
“I’d better do that one. I have a few pins in that ankle that hurt when it’s pulled too much.” She nodded and stood back, watching him.
He bent down and, using his other foot, managed to pry the boot loose.
She set the boots on a chair by the door. When she turned back around, her eyes roamed over his now bare legs. When he handed her his jeans, she hesitated.
“Get injured often?” she
asked, looking at the many scars he had on his legs.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Comes with busting.”
She shook her head. “Sounds like you need a new job,” she said as she started working on his knee.
He tried not to look at the nasty gash and focused on her instead. Her hair was darker than he remembered. He’d met her a few times, most recently at Alex’s wedding where he’d quickly developed a huge crush on her. He had seen her from across the room and had wanted to rush over and ask her out. But she’d had a date, a skinny black-haired guy with glasses, which had reminded him that he had a date as well. His date was blonde and busty, and their relationship lasted only three weeks, one of his longest relationships to date.
“When did you move back?” he asked, wishing he could reach out and touch her silky hair again. When he’d seen her last, she was living in the city attending college.
“Two months ago,” she said as she cleaned his knee. She looked up from his knee for a moment. “When did you get into town?”
“A few days ago. I’m staying with Lauren and Chase until I can find a place of my own.”
He watched her eyebrows go up in a sexy arch.
“I’m over at Alex and Grant’s. You’re here to stay then?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Until I can think of someplace else to be. How about you? Are you here to stay?”
She nodded and got back to work cleaning the dirt from his wound. “Until I can think of someplace else to be.”
He winced when she pulled a large pebble from under his skin.
“Sorry,” she said.
“It’s okay.”
“Do you pass out every time you see blood?” she asked, casually.
He looked up at her and winced. He hated the weakness. “So far.”
“Chase told me that you’d been injured recently.”
“Yeah, a couple of broken ribs, broken leg.” He shrugged. “For the most part I’m healed.”
“Most part?” Her eyebrows did the sexy arch again.
“I’m walking around just fine. Still breathing.”
“Mr. West,” she began.
“Reece,” he corrected.