Rough Terrain (Vista Falls #1)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Sure,” Rush said, winking at Sage. “Just let me know if he gives you a hard time. I’ve got no problem kicking him out on his ass.”

  “Really?” Wes made a point of looking around the expansive room. “You got some three-hundred-pound security guard around here? ‘Cause I know you’re not pretending you could do it.”

  Rush chuckled as he gripped Wes’s shoulder. “With one hand tied behind my back, big man.”

  Rush strolled off whistling, but not before Wes promised to put his theory to the test sometime. Sage was still smiling when Wes rolled his eyes as he leaned in to grab her hand.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked.

  “You and your brother still going at it like teenagers. I guess some things never change, huh?”

  Wes would have liked nothing more than to engage in small talk all morning, but he had to tell Sage about Colt sooner or later. “So, um, have you heard from Gabby yet this morning?”

  “Yeah, she texted me just as I was getting out of the shower. She said she had to leave early, something about a big order at the shop. I told her not to worry, I could catch a ride home with you. I hope that’s okay?”

  “Of course.”

  “Is everything okay?” Sage asked, leaning back as she withdrew her hand from his. “It looks like you’ve got something on your mind. You’re not having second thoughts about last night, are you?”

  “You think if I were, I would have repeated it this morning?” When she blushed, he smiled, thinking how cute it was that she still got embarrassed talking about sex. “No, this isn’t about us. It’s about Colt. He’s decided to leave town, and it looks like I’m going to have to be the one to tell Gabby. I’m not looking forward to that. Especially after…” Wes didn’t like keeping secrets from Sage and he knew she’d hear all about last night from her best friend, but he wasn’t sure he should be the one to tell her.

  “Did they sleep together?” she whispered, wide-eyed. When Wes didn’t confirm or deny her assumption, she said, “Wow. I can’t believe it. Gabby’s not the type to rush into something like that. She hasn’t been with anyone since her divorce. I mean, I know it’s not like she’s never been with Colt, but still.”

  “Still, it sucks. Mainly because he’s leaving town and I’m the one who gets to tell her.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Colt.”

  “You’re right.” Which gave Wes some indication of how much last night had messed with Colt’s mind. He was definitely acting out of character by making an impulsive decision to leave town without talking to Gabby first. “I think he’s scared.”

  “Of what?”

  “The way he feels about her. The way she feels about him. Hurting her. Not being good enough. Making the same mistakes his old man did. Getting tied down. Getting stuck in Vista Falls forever. Making a commitment. Take your pick.”

  “Do you feel stuck here?”

  “I came back willingly, sweetheart. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “You want to grab some breakfast?”

  “In a minute.” She glanced at her phone, which she’d set on the table when she sat down. “I got another text from Gabby. She wants me to pass by her place later.”

  “Maybe I can drop you off there? That would give me a chance to talk to her about Colt leaving town.”

  “Would you mind if I told her about that?”

  Wes didn’t think letting Sage break the news to her was fair. “Baby, you don’t have to do that. I told Colt I’d tell her—”

  “I just think it would be easier coming from me.”

  After thinking about it for a minute, Wes said, “You’re probably right.” The last thing Wes wanted was to make this any more difficult for Gabby than it was bound to be.

  ***

  “So how was your night?” Gabby asked Sage when they’d settled on her back porch, each with a cup of coffee.

  “I was about to ask you that.”

  As happy as Sage was about how well things were going for her and Wes, she wouldn’t rub her friend’s nose in it, especially since she had to be reeling from what happened with Colt. Sage still didn’t have all the details, but if they’d slept together and he’d decided to leave town the very next day, Gabby was bound to be upset.

  “Not much to tell,” Gabby said, shrugging.

  Sage wondered if Gabby was going to keep her in the dark, which hurt since she’d always shared the good, the bad, and the ugly with her best friend. “Are you sure about that?”

  “We slept together.” Gabby sipped her coffee. “Correction—we hooked up. That’s all it was—a hookup. I’m done with it, done with him. I’m glad I got him out of my system finally. It’s obvious that’s not going anywhere, and now I can move on, right?” She faked a smile. “On to bigger and better things, right?” Her smile slipped when she said, “Okay, maybe not bigger. That might be impossible. But hopefully better.”

  Sage smiled at Gabby’s attempt at humor, hating herself for the news she was about to impart. But not half as much as she hated Colt for bailing on a woman who could make his life so much better if only he wasn’t too stubborn to see it. “I want to tell you that you’re better off without him because you know I’d say or do anything to make you feel better.”

  “But you don’t believe that, do you?”

  “I think you and I are a lot alike.” Sage watched a robin land on one of the bird feeders Gabby’s dad had made for her and scattered around the property. “I never really got over Wes, though my pride would never let me admit it. And I don’t think you ever really got over Colt.”

  “Please,” Gabby said, rolling her eyes. “Have you forgotten I was married for five years? If you’re questioning whether I’m over anyone, shouldn’t it be my ex-husband?”

  “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Sage knew she was venturing onto shaky ground. The warning look in Gabby’s eyes almost prompted her to retreat, but she knew Gabby would have had the guts to be honest with her no matter how hard it was, and she had to be willing to do the same. For the sake of their friendship. “But I’m not so sure you ever loved Kyle as much as you loved Colt.”

  Gabby looked shocked before she choked back a sob. She set her cup on the side table between them before leaning over, her hand covering her mouth. “God, why did I let him back into my life? Why did I give him the power to hurt me again? What the hell was I thinking?”

  Sage inched her chair closer, curling her arm around Gabby’s slender shoulders as she thought about all the ways she’d have liked to castrate her lover’s best friend. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry. If I’d thought there was a chance he’d pull a stunt like this and bail—”

  “What are you talking about?” Gabby asked, tears streaking her cheeks as her eyes searched Sage’s. “Where did he go?”

  Then Sage realized she still hadn’t told her friend the worst part—Colt was gone. “Back to Houston.”

  “For good?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t even think Wes knows.”

  Gabby jumped up, looking furious as she curled her arms around her midsection. “That’s just like him, isn’t it? That’s exactly what he did the last time! Things were getting serious, and instead of staying and trying to make it work, he ran like the rat-bastard he is!”

  Sage was glad Gabby lived on a corner and her next-door neighbor, a little old lady, had said good-bye as she left for the market. With the way Gabby’s voice carried, everyone in Vista Falls would know her business by sundown if she kept this up.

  “Honey, calm down.” She put her arm around Gabby and steered her inside the house, making a mental note to come back for the cups later. “I know you’re upset. But if Colt wasn’t in this for the long haul, better you find that out now, right?”

  “It’s not like he said anything to lead me to believe he was.” Gabby sniffled as she sank onto one of the benches flanking her kitchen table. “But I just thought…” She shook her head.
“Never mind. It doesn’t matter what I thought. I had no right to make assumptions. We’re both consenting adults. I could have stopped it at any time, or asked him about where he saw things going, before I jumped into bed with him.”

  Sage sat beside Gabby, propping her head in her hand as she faced her friend. “So why didn’t you? It’s not like you to sleep with someone without thinking it through.”

  “I know, right?” She sighed. “I’ve been asking myself that very question all day.”

  “And?”

  “The only thing I can come up with? It was Colt. How could I not?”

  “Oh, sweetie.”

  At the sight of Gabby’s watery smile, Sage could have cried herself. She had been there to hold Gabby’s hand through her miscarriage and divorce, when she’d been lost and devastated. She’d even been there for her, as best she could given the challenges she was facing at the time, the last time Colt left her. But this time, Sage didn’t know how to help. She couldn’t tell Gabby what she’d told her back then—that she and Colt were just kids and she had her whole life to find the right guy. Gabby had lived life, thought she’d found the right guy, and ended up circling back to Colt. What did that say about the hold he had on her? That it wasn’t likely to vanish no matter how many thousands of miles separated them.

  “Maybe you should call him? Call him out on leaving. I’m sure that’s the last thing he’d expect you to do.”

  “Like hell I will. I have my pride.”

  Sage reached for a paper napkin to blot her friend’s mascara-streaked eyes. “I had my pride too when Wes left. Maybe if I’d called him back then, I never would have gone through with the adoption. Maybe we could have been the ones to raise our son.” Releasing a shaky breath as she wrestled with her own doubts and regrets, Sage whispered, “Sometimes pride isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes it can ruin our lives.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, I do. But he left because he doesn’t want me. How can I call him up and ask him why? It would be humiliating.” She dropped her forehead in her upturned palm. “He wouldn’t want to hurt me, so he’d stutter and stammer and make excuses. It would be awful for both of us.”

  “Maybe,” Sage conceded. “Or maybe Colt would realize he finally has someone in his life other than Wes who’s strong enough to stick around even when he makes bonehead mistakes.”

  Gabby half laughed, half cried as she bumped shoulders with Sage. “That’s why I love you, you know. ‘Cause even when I feel like crap, you can make me feel better.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Wes was feeling better than ever about his relationship with Sage. They’d spent every night together, either at her house or his, since their overnight date at the inn, but since they were on their way to pick up their son for his first overnight with Wes, they would be sleeping separately tonight.

  “You sure you don’t mind that Nick’s spending the night with me?” Wes kissed Sage’s hand as they sat in the parking lot, waiting for the players to trickle out after their post-game showers. Nick’s team had lost, so Wes knew he may not be in the best mood. He didn’t care. He just couldn’t wait to see Nick again.

  “No, I’m fine with it.” She curled her free hand around his knee. “The most important thing is that he wants to spend time with us, right? It doesn’t matter who he’s staying with.”

  Though she claimed it didn’t bother her, Wes feared Sage saw him developing a bond with their son and was afraid of being left out. “I’m sure it’s just because I have all the cool toys. Come on, you’ve seen my bunker. With all those fishing rods and lures, any teenage boy would be salivating.”

  Sage bit her lip. “Your guns are all locked up, aren’t they? I know you keep them in a cabinet, but it is locked, right?”

  Wes dropped his head to keep from laughing. Based on everything Nick had told him, he’d been shooting things up for years. “Careful now, you’re starting to sound just like an overprotective mama.”

  She paled. “Oh God, I better not say anything like that in front of Nick. I wouldn’t want him to think that I’m trying to take his mother’s place.”

  “Relax,” Wes said, curling his hand around her face. He pulled her in for a kiss. “I was just teasing you. I think it’s sweet that you’re looking out for him. And you can relax. The guns are all locked up, safe and sound. And I’ll make sure he knows how to use ‘em before I take him on any hunting trips.”

  Before she could respond, Nick knocked on the window. He hopped in the backseat, tossing his backpack down beside him. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

  They’d had a few phone conversations that week, and Wes felt as though he was getting to know him better every day. They’d even exchanged texts, and Nick had sent him links to a couple of fishing and hunting videos he thought Wes might like.

  “Good game, buddy,” Wes said, starting the truck. “Sorry about the loss. I really thought you guys were gonna pull it out of the fire in those last few minutes.”

  “Ah, you win some, you lose some, right?” Nick buckled his seat belt. “I’m kinda hungry. You mind if we pass by a drive-thru on our way out of town?”

  Wes didn’t think there was a single chain restaurant in the county, so Nick must have known something he didn’t. “Sure, just tell me where to go.”

  “Head back toward Vista Falls,” Nick said. “You’ll see a sign for Hedley’s on the right. They have a drive-thru window.”

  “Cool,” Wes said, putting the truck into gear.

  “Did you have a good week at school?” Sage asked, shifting in her seat so she was partially facing Nick.

  “It was okay, I guess,” he said, shrugging. Nick looked out the window instead of facing Sage.

  Wes frowned at him in the rearview mirror, though he suspected the boy was paying him little mind.

  Looking slightly uneasy, Sage said, “So, um, your parents weren’t able to make it to tonight’s game?”

  “No, why would they come?” he asked. “They knew you guys were gonna be here to pick me up.”

  “We’d like to meet them,” Sage said. “Wouldn’t we, Wes?”

  “Yeah.” Wes looked in the rearview again, this time catching Nick’s eye. “Maybe we can come to Brock and we can all go out for dinner.”

  “Sure. Whatever.”

  Wes sensed Nick was a little uneasy, and he wanted to ask why but not in front of Sage. He didn’t want to give her reason to worry or make the kid uncomfortable.

  “My brother owns the inn in town,” Wes said. “He invited us for brunch tomorrow with my mother. I hope that’s okay?”

  “Sure, why not?” Nick looked at Sage. “Your parents aren’t going to be there?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “They can’t be too happy about you spending all this time with me.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I read your book. I know they pressured you into putting me up for adoption.”

  Sage and Wes exchanged a look, wondering how they should respond. They didn’t want to lie to him, but they did want to protect him if they could.

  “I don’t need my parents’ approval anymore, Nick,” Sage said finally. “So how they feel about us spending time together is irrelevant.”

  “Then you admit they’re not happy about it?” he asked, narrowing his blue eyes. “They still don’t want an illegitimate bastard for a grandson, huh?”

  Sage gasped as Wes glared at Nick in the mirror as he pulled up to a stop sign.

  “Watch your mouth.” Wes knew warning him about bad language at his age was lame, but it was not okay for him to disrespect Sage.

  “Sorry, but it’s the truth and we all know it.” Nick crossed his arms and sank further down in his seat, closing his eyes.

  Wes gripped Sage’s hand when tears sprang to her eyes as she faced forward.

  “Ignore him,” Wes mouthed. “Teenagers are moody.”

  After a brisk nod, she bit her lip and looked out the window. Rain started to f
all, pelting their windshield.

  “Hey,” Wes said to Nick as he pulled into the parking lot of the greasy spoon. “We’re here. What do you want to eat?”

  “I’m not that hungry anymore. I think I’ll pass.”

  Wes clenched his teeth as he pulled back onto the main road. If they’d been alone, he’d have had plenty to say to the boy, but he didn’t want to argue in front of Sage. She had high expectations for this weekend, and Wes didn’t want to disappoint her. They drove the rest of the way to Sage’s house, a little over half an hour, in silence.

  “Let me walk you to the door,” Wes said, hopping out to get her door before she could argue.

  Wes heard Sage say good-bye to Nick before she got out of the truck, but Nick merely grunted, his eyes still closed. Wes and Sage sprinted to her front door.

  “You didn’t have to walk with me,” she said. “You’ll get soaked.”

  Wes gripped her shoulders. “You okay?”

  She tried to smile, but it fell flat. “That didn’t go too well, did it? I shouldn’t be surprised. He has every right to be bitter and resentful, especially toward my parents. I just thought after how well things went last weekend…” She shrugged before Wes pulled her into his arms. “I guess I was expecting too much.”

  “We just have to let him get it all out. Let him yell and scream at us. Take his rage if we have to. Then slowly try to build his trust.”

  “You’re right.” She sighed against his chest. “Building a solid relationship with him won’t happen overnight, and we can’t expect it to. We just have to take it one day at a time.”

  “Right.”

  He framed her face with his hands before kissing her forehead. He wanted to kiss her on the lips, but Nick was probably watching them. Wes didn’t want to get into a discussion about his relationship with Sage tonight. That could wait for another day, after they’d hashed out everything else.

  “So you sure you’re okay?”

  She offered him a shaky smile. “I will be. I think I’m just going to have a glass of wine and a bubble bath then head off to bed with a good book.”