Holt couldn’t hold back his scoff. His brother always had one sorry excuse after another. He’d chased his dream of becoming a big rodeo star, but that dream hadn’t gone so well. He had yet to qualify for the pro circuit. Somehow, Knox had weaseled his inheritance from their dad, blown through it, gotten the girl, even married her, and now they had a kid together.
And now, Holt was standing in the living room of his family home, keeping everything together, being the go-to person in the family as usual. “I don’t know, Knox,” he said. The late-night call from his brother should have been warning enough. “Mom and Dad would be furious if they found out, and I don’t think I can keep four thousand under the radar.”
Holt had stayed back in Texas—Prosperity Ranch to be exact—and managed the ranch for their dad. His younger siblings were off to college, following their own ambitions. Holt wasn’t one to complain. He loved the ranch. But he hated being everybody’s fall-back guy. Especially Knox’s.
“I’m sending half of it to Macie,” Knox said, “if that makes you feel better.”
At the mention of Macie’s name, Holt physically reacted. He should be over it by now. The gut-punch, the racing thoughts, the slow-burn of his pulse. Macie was… His gaze involuntarily strayed to the family picture taken at Knox and Macie’s wedding. Four years ago.
Holt rubbed his forehead, which did nothing to dispel his growing headache. “Are you ever going to tell me why you divorced her? And don’t tell me what you told Mom.”
Knox laughed.
Sometimes Holt hated his brother. It was complicated. The Macie staring back at him right now was how he remembered her from their first meeting when she’d come to the town of Prosper that was named after his great-grandfather and attended the hometown rodeo. Holt had even talked to her first. She’d been sweet, curious. Beautiful. Full of questions and smiles. He’d been about to ask her to the dance that followed the rodeo when Knox’s name was called as the next bull rider.
Holt had told Macie that Knox was his brother, and the old saying the rest was history turned out to be a real thing. It wasn’t the first time Knox had attracted a girl Holt had been interested in. But it was the first time Holt had cared.
“First of all,” Knox drawled in a tone he usually saved for the ladies, “I didn’t divorce Macie. She divorced me.”
Holt tore his gaze from Macie’s photo, which was mocking him with her dark brown eyes and stunning smile. He pushed out a breath. “And why’s that? I thought you were her dream cowboy.”
Another laugh from Knox sent heat pricking the back of Holt’s neck.
“Tell you what, bro,” Knox said with amusement. “Why don’t you ask her for yourself? She’ll be there tomorrow.”
Holt stilled. It felt as if someone was dragging hot needles along his skin. “What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t Mom tell you?”
If there was one thing about Knox that drove Holt the most crazy it was his inability to answer a question directly. Right now, though, it was imperative that Holt get his shock under control. He couldn’t let his brother know how his thoughts had strayed to Macie more than once, both during her marriage to Knox, and well, now.
“Mom’s been preoccupied,” Holt said. With cancer treatments. And now Macie’s visit might put a strain on his mom’s health. She always went all-out for guests at the ranch.
Knox’s next words were contrite. “Yeah, I know. Mom said she’d pick up Macie and Ruby at the airport. But, you know, if she’s not feeling well, I was thinking…”
Another pet peeve of Holt’s about his brother. Knox never asked things directly. He was a super-human-passive-aggressive type. If there was such a thing. “I’ll pick them up.” His tone might have come out casual, nonchalant even, but inside, all kinds of thoughts and emotions were brewing.
On second thought, maybe his dad could do the airport run.
“Thanks, man,” Knox replied. “About the two-thousand. I really need it by tomorrow, or Friday at the very latest.”
Holt closed his eyes. Exhaled. He had his own savings account that was separate from the ranch funds. He’d been slowly renovating a house in town. Every penny counted. “All right.”
He could hear the grin in his brother’s reply.
“Thanks, Holt,” Knox said. “I’ll make good on it, I swear.”
Holt only grunted and hung up. His twisting gut told him there was little chance of Knox paying back the original two-thousand, let alone this new loan.
He slipped the phone into the back pocket of his well-worn jeans. Then he scrubbed a hand through his hair, which had been confined beneath a cowboy hat most of the day. “Macie,” he said, testing the word out on his tongue.
The last time he’d seen his sister-in-law—now ex-sister-in-law—had been when she’d been pregnant with Ruby. It had been Christmas time, and Knox brought his wife home for the holidays. Macie had spent more time in the bathroom than anywhere else in the house.
Then on Christmas Eve, Knox and their dad had gotten into another argument—about money, it was always about money—and Knox had packed up his and Macie’s things. And that was that.
“So… Macie,” Holt murmured to the picture. “Looks like I’m going to be moving back to my place sooner than I thought.”
No matter how much time had passed, or how much he or Macie had changed, Holt Prosper knew one thing. He’d have to return to his partially-finished house sooner than he thought. He couldn’t be sleeping in the same house as her.
CHAPTER TWO
Macie scrubbed out the orange stain in the middle of her skirt that her daughter had left after squishing a handful of goldfish crackers, stuffing them into her mouth all at once, then wiping her hand on Macie’s skirt. The flight from San Diego to San Antonio had been eventful to say the least.
“I need help, Mommy!” Ruby called, her little voice echoing in the airport bathroom.
“Okay, baby, I’m coming.”
“I’m not a baby,” Ruby pouted.
Macie sighed to herself, tossed the wet paper towel into the garbage, and went to the bathroom stall. “Can you open it, sweetie?”
The door rattled, then opened. Ruby looked up at her, her brown eyes wide, both her sandals off. She’d pulled the red ribbon from her curly brown hair, which was well on its way to becoming dark like Macie’s.
“Remember, you don’t have to take off your shoes when you use the potty.” Macie hid a smile. Ruby was a sensitive kid, and literal about everything, so Macie always had to watch how she said things or Ruby would throw one of her famous fits.
Okay, so they were temper tantrums, and Ruby should have grown out of them by now. Three going on four was way too old to lay down in the middle of a post office and kick and scream because Macie hadn’t let her put a stamp on an envelope.
“The potty’s too big,” Ruby said, looking dubiously at the porcelain bowl.
“You’re a big girl, now,” Macie said. “Plus, Mommy can hold you, okay?”
Ruby bit her lip. “Okay.”
Once they were out of the bathroom, shoes back on, ribbon retied, stain mostly removed on Macie, she felt like she’d crossed some kind of finish line. Now to get to baggage claim, and then out to the curb where her ex-mother-in-law, Heidi Prosper, would be there to meet them.
It was strange to be heading to the town of Prosper again. The last time she’d been to her in-laws’ ranch was when she was pregnant with Ruby. That had ended in a disaster, and her husband had refused to go back home. Amazing the new freedoms that divorce had granted her.
Meeting Knox all those years ago had been a whirlwind. She’d been nearly twenty, he twenty-two, and she’d been swept up by the novelty of the champion bull rider paying attention to her. When Knox had asked her to the dirt dance, Macie had barely gathered her wits about her and answered yes.
She’d said goodbye to the first cowboy she’d met, Holt, then went along with Knox to the dance. Which consisted of… yep, dancing in the dirt.
Macie was a city girl herself, but the small town of Prosper had been charming.
Everyone knew Knox, and as he held her in his arms, swaying to soulful country music, it seemed that half the town stopped by to congratulate him. Finally, Knox had looked at her with those brilliant green eyes of his and said, “Let’s get out of here, sugar. Too many people. What do ya say?”
“Mommy.” Ruby’s voice broke apart Macie’s memories. Her daughter tugged on her hand. “I wanna lollipop.”
Macie blinked and looked to where Ruby was pointing to a young boy with one of those giant lollipops from an amusement park. “I don’t think they sell those at the airport,” she said, digging into her handbag, hoping she still had at least a fruit snack left. But there was nothing. The flight from San Diego had been exhausting since Ruby had missed her nap and wouldn’t fall asleep on the plane.
“Maybe we can stop at the store with Grandma and get you a treat if you’re a good girl,” Macie said.
Ruby wasn’t listening. She tugged away from Macie, who had to tighten her grasp on her hand.
“Look, Ruby!” Macie said, desperate to distract her daughter. “It’s our suitcases. Can you help me get them?”
The diversion was only temporary, though, because after Macie lugged the two suitcases and the tagged booster seat off the conveyer belt, Ruby was in tears.
“It’s no f-f-fair,” she cried. “I was a good girl on the p-p-plane.”
Macie wasn’t too excited for a meltdown in the middle of the airport, so she had to do something quick or it would escalate even more. She crouched in front of Ruby and grasped her arms. “You were a very good girl on the plane,” she said, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice. “And Grandma is going to be so happy to see you that maybe you’ll get two treats.”
Ruby hiccupped. “Two tweets?”
“Yes, two treats,” Macie emphasized. She let out a slow breath. “Come on. Grandma’s waiting, and then we’ll get to see the horses, too.”
Ruby’s watery eyes glimmered. “Can I ride the horsies?”
“Of course,” Macie said, relaxing further. Crisis averted. “Now, hold onto my bag while I bring the suitcases.”
Ruby sniffled and nodded, then grasped the edge of Macie’s bag. It was the best she could do when her hands were otherwise full. Straightening, she balanced the booster seat on top of one of the suitcases, then grasped the handles of both suitcases, grateful they had wheels. She looked toward the exit doors, took two steps, and stopped cold.
Macie recognized him instantly, yet he’d changed, too. Holt Prosper seemed taller than she remembered, his shoulders were broader, and she’d nearly forgotten how his brown hair and blue eyes were so different than his brother’s. Granted, Macie had only seen Holt in person three times—their first meeting at the rodeo, her wedding, and the following Christmas season—but how could she have forgotten his square jaw, and those cheekbones that looked like they’d been carved from granite? His light blue button-down shirt only made the blue of his eyes more vibrant, and his faded jeans followed the length of his legs, leaving no doubt that this man was a cowboy through and through.
Her first thought was that she probably looked like she’d been traveling all day with a toddler, and her second thought was why had he come? Was Heidi in the car? Macie swallowed down the uncomfortable tightness in her throat that she couldn’t quite explain. She knew Holt managed the ranch, so clearly she’d run into him sometime. She just hadn’t expected it to be at the airport after narrowly averting a crisis with Ruby.
And now, knowing that Ruby was still on the verge of a meltdown, and would not forget the promise to get treats, Macie wished she would have opted for a taxi. Or at the very least spent a couple extra minutes in the bathroom freshening her appearance.
Well, it was too late to check her appearance. Holt was looking straight at them, his expression unreadable. Macie supposed he wouldn’t be too happy to have the ranch invaded with guests, but just like Knox always said, Holt was willing to do anything to help his parents out. Even if that meant driving forty minutes to pick up his ex-sister-in-law and her very tired three-year-old.
It had been a sore point for Knox, talking about this family. He had deep resentment against each of his siblings for one reason or another, and Holt seemed to take the brunt of Knox’s vicious comments. He can do no wrong. My parents worship him. They say jump, and he says how high.
Macie had no siblings, so when she and Knox had gotten married, she’d had the faulty vision that she’d become part of a large family. Two sisters would have been amazing. But things hadn’t happened that way. Now, with Macie’s mom’s death, and not remembering her dad, her daughter’s only family ties would be the Prosper family. And as Ruby grew older and asked more and more questions, Macie felt the hollowness that had become their life more acutely.
Every little girl deserved grandparents. And Macie wanted the best for Ruby, even if it came at a great sacrifice on her part.
Like… right now.
Walking toward Holt unearthed memories long since buried. Of that hot summer night at the rodeo. How she’d seen Holt casually leaning against the fence, and when her girlfriends caught her ogling him, they’d challenged her to “talk to a real cowboy.”
So that’s what Macie had done. Then Knox entered the picture and changed her life forever.
Macie blinked away the memory as Holt’s gaze went from her, to Ruby, then back to Macie. She forced a casual smile. There was no such return smile on Holt’s face. It appeared he was here to complete an errand—which was what she and Ruby would be to him.
Okay, then… Macie kept the smile on her face even though her eyes had started to burn. “Hello, Holt,” she said when they reached him. “This is my daughter, Ruby.”
Holt nodded then dragged his gaze from her face and looked down.
“Ruby, honey, this is your Uncle Holt,” Macie said, keeping her tone upbeat.
Ruby’s brows drew together as she looked way, way up at the man in front of her. “What’s an uncle?”
Hmm. Macie hadn’t expected this. “An uncle is a man who is the brother of your dad.”
Ruby’s nose scrunched. She’d began asking where her daddy was a few weeks ago when she started attending a preschool and the other kids talked about their daddies. Macie had explained over and over that Daddy was working at another rodeo and couldn’t come home.
Technically, she and Knox had been separated for over a year, but his family hadn’t been told until recently that the divorce was final. Ruby’s questions were part of what prompted Macie to call Heidi Prosper, that and her zero balance in her savings account. She’d packed two suitcases, sold whatever else she could, and stored the rest of their belongings at her friend Gilly’s place.
“Then where’s Daddy?” Ruby asked.
Oh boy. “He’s at the rodeo, remember?”
“The doreo is dumb.” Ruby’s lower lip jutted out.
This was not how Macie envisioned introducing Ruby to her relatives. Time to change tactics. “Can you tell Uncle Holt how old you are?”
Ruby promptly held up four fingers.
“You’re four?” Holt said, his voice low.
His voice was deeper than Macie remembered, or maybe it wasn’t something that one could recall three years down the road.
Ruby gave a solemn nod. “My birfday’s in Duly.”
“July,” Macie corrected.
Holt kept his blue gaze fixed on Ruby. “So, you’ll be five on your birthday?”
A zap of gratitude flashed through Macie. Maybe Holt could diffuse the situation.
Then Ruby frowned. “Four!”
“That’s right, you’ll be four on your birthday, remember?” Macie said.
Ruby’s little forehead crinkled further, and Macie bit back a sigh. Arguing with a three-year-old never ended well.
“Then you’re the same age as our black pony, Sammy,” Holt said.
This changed Ruby’s expression in an in
stant. “Can I ride him?”
He didn’t hesitate. “If you can learn the rules.”
Ruby was riveted, and Macie was pretty focused as well, wondering what rules Holt could possibly be talking about.
“What rules?” Ruby asked, her eyes going wide.
“Rule number one, listen to your mom,” he said.
Holt wasn’t even looking at her, but Macie’s neck warmed at his reference to her.
Ruby gave an enthusiastic nod.
“Rule number two, learn how to take care of the pony,” Holt continued. “Then you can ride him.”
“Well, I can do that.” Ruby set her hands on her tiny hips.
Macie held back a smile.
“I’ll bet you can, little darlin’,” Holt said. “You’re almost four, after all.”
Macie knew that they were in Texas, and endearments were a way of speech, so there was no reason for her to tear up when Holt called her daughter little darlin’. Just because Ruby had never experienced a father figure in her young memory, didn’t mean that Macie had to go all melty around the first male relative to give her daughter some attention. Right now wasn’t the time to remember that Knox hadn’t seen his daughter in nearly a year.
“We’d better get to the ranch, then,” Holt said. “Sammy’s getting hungry about now, and I can show you how to feed him.”
Ruby looked like a little girl who’d just been told she was a real princess.
Holt lifted the booster from one of the suitcases, then picked up the second suitcase and set off toward the exit, Ruby skipping alongside him.
Macie stared for a few seconds, then realized they were nearly to the exit, and she was still rooted to the ground. She hurried after them, pulling the remaining suitcase with her. Maybe coming to Prosper for the summer had been the right decision after all.
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Not Over You (Prosperity Ranch Book 3) Page 17