Love Ever After: Eleven All-New Romances!

by Nina Lane

  On the flip side, he was mad as hell at him for it. Rod had made a complete fool out of him in front of everyone, not to mention that dickhead, Carlton. He recalled those who remembered his days of being a nuisance teen and how disappointed they looked at him now. He hated that the folks of Meeteetse still saw him that way, but he was only trying to do what was right. Surely, they’d agree that no woman should be treated that way. Maybe they hadn’t seen what happened to her. Maybe they thought he was trying to start trouble again.

  “Well?” Rod asked, smacking Brody upside the head.

  Brody withdrew his head and caught Rod’s wrist, throwing his brother’s hand back at him. “I was trying to get the guy to apologize to Liv. He refused. He mouthed off. I got mad.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same old story, Brody. When are you going to learn that you can’t fix everything with your fists?”

  “You saw him, Rod. There’s no talking to guys like him.”

  “And there’s no talking to guys like you either. All you want to do is pound someone in the ground. Over what? A girl you’ve got the hots for but don’t have the guts to tell her?”

  Brody quickly scanned the parking lot and the front porch of the bar for Liv, hoping she wasn’t around to hear their conversation. “Will you shut your mouth, Rod? She can’t know how I feel.”

  “Why? Why won’t you tell her? I don’t get it.”

  “It’s not for you to understand. It’s how I feel. It’s my prerogative. Not yours.”

  Rod removed his cowboy hat and ran his hand through his hair, pacing between the vehicles. “That may be so, Brody, but you’ve got to pull it together. If you don’t have the balls to make a move on Olivia, then you can’t get mad at every dude who does.”

  “The douchebag slapped her on the ass and practically shoved his goddamn hand between her legs, Rod!”

  “Tell me you haven’t thought about doing the same thing. Fuck, every red-blooded male in Meeteetse wants to. Including me.”

  Brody launched himself at Rod, grabbing his brother by the shirt. “Don’t talk like that about Liv.”

  Rod chuckled in Brody’s face. “See? There you go again. Defending her as if she’s yours. Protecting her like you’re her knight in shining armor.” Rod broke away from his brother’s hold and poked his chest. “What are you going to do when she falls in love with someone one day? Hmm? What are you going to do when that someone isn’t you? You going to kick his ass? Bloody his nose? Go to jail—again? ’Cause that’s what’s going to happen. One of these days you’re going to wind up back in jail because of your temper. And this time it’ll be because you messed with the wrong guy.” Rod pointed toward the bar. “Like that guy in there who has connections. Who has weight behind his daddy’s name, who can get charges to stick. Is that what you want?”

  “No. But I’d do it. For her.”

  Rod scoffed. “You’d do time for her?”

  Brody smirked at his brother, knowing he was only trying to get to him. “I’m not afraid, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “You’re not afraid because there’s always been someone to save your ass. Always been someone in Meeteetse who knows and pities Momma for the hell she’s been through since Daddy died. Always been someone who’ll come to your rescue because they’re hoping maybe this time you’ll change.”

  Brody looked out at the distant Absaroka Mountains. The wide, majestic, snow-capped range reminded him of the times he and his father went fishing in the Greybull River. A time when he remembered being happy. A time when there wasn’t such a thing as a huge chasm within his family.

  Since his father’s passing, Rod had stepped in to fill the void and take care of things as the man of the household, including watching out for Brody. He knew Rod made it his responsibility to keep him on the straight and narrow.

  “You don’t have to watch out for me anymore. I’m a grown man.”

  “Well, I’ve got news for you, Brody. One of these days, I’m not going to be around to save your ass. Or maybe one day…I decide you’re not worth saving.”

  Rod could’ve hacked him with a chainsaw and it would’ve hurt less. The wound his hurtful words left behind gaped open. His legs trembled. Weak and shaking, he stood there bleeding. Rod might not have said the words, but Brody knew he meant he would be done being his brother.

  Olivia called Brody’s name, and, until that moment, he’d had no idea she had stepped outside. Her pace quickened once she located him in the gravel lot with Rod. Her face was full of concern and questions that he wasn’t ready to address. He drew in a much-needed breath and cleared his foggy brain. He needed to get away. To be alone with his thoughts. To distance himself from the brother who cast a shadow too large for Brody to be seen.

  Without so much as a good-bye, Brody ducked around his truck and climbed inside. Unable to face her, he turned the key. From his peripheral vision, she laid her palms on his passenger-side window and rapped on it.

  “Where are you going?”

  Without even glancing her way, Brody knew there was panic in her eyes as she looked to his brother for answers.

  “Rod, where’s Brody going?”

  Rod pulled her out of harm’s way as Brody revved the engine. “He’s all right. He just needs some space.”

  Brody’s jaw hurt from grinding his teeth so hard. He threw the shifter into drive and pulled out, leaving a wake of dust behind him.

  * * *

  Olivia stormed back inside the bar, and a wall of curious faces met her, none of which she acknowledged. The only person she did talk to was Jethro, her boss. She watched him sweep up the last of the glass around the corner booth before divulging her plans.

  “I have to leave.”

  Jethro’s eyes widened in surprise. “You can’t leave. You’re still on the clock.”

  “Then I’m taking myself off. Besides, you kicked my ride home out of the bar, remember? Now all I have is Rod.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “You have an hour and a half before closing. Surely, you can fill a few drink orders.”

  On a mission, she turned to collect her purse from the kitchen and almost ran into the three strangers coming out of the restroom. She stopped mid-stride, uncertain what to say. Her moral upbringing reminded her to say Excuse me, while her impulsive resentful side wanted to impart a good old-fashioned F you.

  Carlton had obviously cleaned himself up, save for the bright red bloodstain in the middle of his white shirt. His cowboy hat, once pressed with clean, smooth, symmetrical ridges, had dents and arcs in random places, making it appear lopsided on his head.

  Olivia bit back a smile and circled them without saying a word. When she waltzed back into the dining area, she couldn’t help but notice that the three guys had found a seat at a different booth, with another round of beers, only this time they were in cold, frosty mugs. Probably on the house.

  Liv seethed. She wasn’t sure who she should be angrier with, Jethro for allowing them to stay, or the guys who thought they were welcome to after the ruckus they’d caused.

  Rod stepped inside the bar and must have noticed the same thing. Olivia saw his forehead furrow a bit over the whole scene and wondered if he were going to call attention to it. He had as much muscle as Brody to back up his dissatisfaction and a lot more clout with the folks of this small town. If anyone could get these guys thrown out without much dispute, it was Rod. To her disappointment, he shrugged it off.

  “You ready?” he murmured, crossing his arms.

  She was ready, all right. Ready to make a stand against these pricks. She had no idea where she’d gotten her sudden shot of fearlessness, but it hit her like a bolt of lightning. “One second, Rod.” She slapped her purse against his chest and stomped toward their booth.

  A sweet, bright smile split Olivia’s lips as she regarded their uneasy glances. “You boys need anything else before I leave?”

  Carlton smiled and set down his beer. He cleared his throat and, like the snake he was, slithered into that fak
e charming demeanor he’d used moments before he got his ass handed to him. “I don’t believe we do, darlin’.” He surveyed her up and down as if she were on the menu.

  Olivia kept her cool and charmed him right back. “Wonderful. Then have a great evening.” With that, she reached across the table and grabbed all three mugs by their handles, busing in one fell swoop.

  “Hey, hey, hey there. What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m sorry,” Olivia simpered, glancing at the three full beer mugs in her possession and back at Carlton. “Did you still want these?”

  Carlton smirked at her as if she were an idiot. “Well, yeah…” He had the earmarks of a jackass as he remarked behind the shield of his hand, “They don’t make ’em too bright up here, do they?”

  Olivia flashed the biggest self-satisfied smile and poured all three mugs into Carlton’s lap. Carlton jumped up, his crotch soaking wet. “What the hell, woman? You just poured beer all over me!”

  “Wow, look who the bright one is now,” Olivia jeered. She saw Rod finally making his way toward the booth. “You think this guy’s smart enough to know when he’s outworn his welcome?”

  Carlton backed up, putting some space between him and Rod. He searched the bar, hoping he’d snag just a notion of pity from someone—anyone. But every individual in the Wagon Wheel stared at him with stoic, unsympathetic eyes. Even Jethro seemed reluctant to jump on his bandwagon.

  Mrs. Corinth, with her crochet needle and yarn, slipped off her barstool and stepped forward, aligning herself with Olivia. “Young man, I think it’s time for you and your friends to go home. Rod? Will you kindly finish what your brother started and show these gentlemen to the door?”

  “My pleasure, ma’am.” Rod straightened his hat and angled his body toward the door, extending his hand. “This way, boys.”

  Carlton and his friends wasted no time leaving. Like reprimanded puppies, they scurried out the door and shuffled across the parking lot to their tinted-windowed, white diamond Escalade.

  Olivia watched out the window until the luxury utility vehicle pulled onto the road before hugging Mrs. Corinth. She thanked the seventy-year-old woman for speaking up, wishing the rest of the people in the bar would’ve done the same for Brody. He was the one who deserved the support.

  As she snatched her purse from Rod’s hand, she smacked his arm with it. “You owe your brother an apology. You know that, right?”

  Rod shook his head as he held the door open for her. “I guess I’m going to find out all about why on the way, ain’t I?”

  “And then some.”

  Chapter Four

  Olivia opened the door to Rod’s Chevy pickup and looked at him from the passenger seat. “Are you sure Brody’s here?”

  “I know my brother. Whenever he’s pissed, this is where he comes to blow off a little steam. Trust me.”

  “I know this is where he normally hides out, Rod. This ain’t my first rodeo. But I don’t see his truck.”

  “Check the woodshed first.” He pointed out his window toward the other side of the barn.

  Olivia nodded and thanked him for the lift, hopping out of his vehicle. The sound of gravel crunched under her boots, cutting the quiet stillness of the evening. With the time being close to nine-thirty, she felt uneasy wandering around the McKinley ranch in the dark. She hoped she wouldn’t end up disturbing them.

  Jonas McKinley, a third generation farmer, was a handsome thirty-something-year-old who’d owned the ranch since his father died about ten years ago. His girlfriend, Ava Wallace, lived with him in the single-story log cabin, and they ran the farm together. From the talk of the town, Olivia often heard they made a decent living. Jonas and his friend, Cole Forester, took care of the cattle end of the business, while Ava managed the public trail riding tours. Each had their own set of employees to help with the daily chores. Rod and Brody were Jonas’s workers, but every now and again, Brody would talk about how he’d have to step in as a trail guide for Ava when one of her girls called in sick.

  Brody was the jack-of-all-trades kind of guy, able to do just about anything. Rod, on the other hand, didn’t like to stray from the usual tasks. Olivia assumed it had a lot to do with the fact that Rod was the eldest. His seniority had given him the opportunity to decline the duties he didn’t care for, which forced Brody to take them on instead.

  Not having to fight for control was one thing Oliva liked about being an only child. And Brody’s indifference was probably what had drawn her to him in the first place. He was easier to get along with than his bossy older brother and, though Rod would argue otherwise, Brody was less dramatic. Sometimes Olivia felt that if it weren’t for Rod stepping in, Brody wouldn’t have to prove himself all the time.

  Olivia watched as Rod drove down the long gravel lane and inwardly cursed him for not sticking around to help her find his brother. Though she’d said her piece to him on the way there, Rod didn’t seem to agree with her. He told her he knew his brother better than anyone and that Brody had a lot of growing up to do. He even went so far as to state that her perpetual support of Brody only encouraged his immature behavior and that he’d never learn to be a real man if she continued to coddle him.

  As the red glow of taillights faded into the night, she flipped Rod the bird. Gentleman, my ass. What man would leave a woman in the dark to fend for herself?

  Chill out, Olivia. You’re not in any danger. Jonas McKinley’s house is less than fifty yards from where you’re standing.

  Nevertheless, in her eyes, Brody was the more chivalrous brother.

  She rubbed her arms, feeling the chill of the night. Goose bumps spread like a California wildfire across her bare skin, and she wished she’d worn jeans to work instead of shorts.

  She glanced up. Nearly full, the moon hung high in the sky, a silent watchman over the peaceful valley below. Only he and God knew how she truly felt about Brody, and she reckoned it would stay that way. Brody never gave her the impression he wanted more than her friendship. They’d grown so close through the years that now she figured she was more like a sister to him. He never said as much, but she knew. Call it woman’s intuition.

  Olivia exhaled, blowing out her frustrations, and regarded the many buildings that surrounded her. She’d been to the McKinley ranch before, but never in the dark.

  To the northeast, at the base of a bluff, sat Jonas’s log home with a wraparound porch. Soft, warm light from the front window illuminated the backs of two rocking chairs and a small table. Olivia imagined Jonas and Ava spending quiet evenings on the porch, sipping ice tea and listening to the crickets and frogs. She then contemplated that it might have been the very reason she hardly ever saw them at the Wagon Wheel. If she had a porch like that, she probably wouldn’t venture out much either.

  Across from the house was a dry lot, which then fed into a maze of pastures at the base of the Absaroka Mountains. According to Brody, Jonas McKinley owned some of the most beautiful acreage in the Bighorn Basin, encompassed by miles of blackboard fence.

  Next to the dry lot stood a huge barn, a covered manure pit, a rock smokehouse, and a wood building with tiny fissures of light shining through each of the vertical slats. She assumed it to be the woodshed Rod had indicated, but in the dark, everything looked indistinguishable. The only thing that wasn’t ambiguous was the smell of manure, hay, and dirt.

  Though a little nervous to do so, Olivia proceeded forward. Dark shadows draped every recess and corner. Not a single light illuminated the grounds around the buildings, save for the moon. Taking a shot in the dark, she whispered Brody’s name.

  An outbreak of nickers and snorts erupted from inside the barn. Olivia bit her lip and swiveled her gaze toward the McKinley house, fearing Jonas might wander out with his gun.

  “Is that you, Liv?”

  Olivia yelped, whirling from the voice behind her. From out of the shadows, she saw Brody holding a hatchet. “Sonofabitch, Galven! You nearly gave me a heart attack.” She pressed her hand to her
heart and gasped for breath.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “What the hell are you doing with an ax?”

  “Splitting wood.”

  “At this hour? Are you crazy?”

  “There’s light in the shed. And you still haven’t answered my question.”

  “I came to see you.” She struggled with how to explain herself without making it sound as if she were checking up on him. “To see if you needed any company.”

  He peered beyond her toward the driveway. “I saw Rod pull up and drive away. Did he drop you off?”

  She walked toward him, hoping to see his facial expressions more clearly before she answered. “I asked him to.”

  Brody’s head fell back, and he inhaled deeply. He looked irritated. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

  “I clocked out. And most everyone was fixing to leave anyway.”

  “And Jethro was okay with that?”

  “What’s he going to do? Fire me?” She tried to get Brody to laugh. He didn’t. Instead, he crossed his arms.

  “He very well could fire you.”

  Olivia scoffed. “He’d have to grow a set first.”

  This time Brody harrumphed. At least she was able to pull something from him. Past experience reminded her it wasn’t going to be easy to connect with Brody. Getting him to open up would be like prying a walnut from its shell. Determined to try, she sidled up to him and reached for his hand.

  He stepped away. “Look, I’m not sure why you came here tonight, Liv, but I don’t really feel like talking.”

  Unsure what to do with her outstretched hand, Olivia tucked it under her pit and crossed her arms. “Okay. So, don’t talk.”

  Brody arched one brow. “Then what are you going to do?”

  “Watch you split wood, I guess. Besides,” she said, glancing down the gravel drive, “you’re kind of my ride home now.”

  Brody grimaced. “I can’t promise you a good time, Liv.”

  “If I was here for a good time, don’t you think I would’ve brought some beer?”