by A. D. Ryan
“Well, there’s the birthday girl!” Brandon exclaimed, his announcement causing me to turn to see Madison enter the room with Bones at her feet, his tail still wagging as he looked up at her every now and again.
“Good morning. Did you all sleep okay?” They nodded, telling her they slept fine as she crossed over to me. “Do you need a hand?”
I had just scooped the last of the pineapple into the bowl and shook my head. “Nope. You go and relax. Breakfast is in the oven. Should be done in about twenty.”
“How are you feeling?” Lilah asked Madison.
She shrugged before answering Lilah as she grabbed her antibiotics from the counter and took this morning’s dose with her last sip of coffee. “Okay, I guess. My headache’s going away, but I feel a little queasy. I’m hoping breakfast will help.”
“It will,” I assured her.
Madison refilled her coffee mug, this time adding a smidge of cream and sugar to it and sat in her seat at the table. “So, Jensen and I were thinking that after we check on the condition of the backyard, we could all maybe hit the trails?” She brought her foot up onto the seat of her chair and hugged her leg to her chest.
“You know how to ride, Kyle?” I asked, just to be sure.
Nodding, he spoke. “Yeah. It’s been years, though.”
“That’s okay. I’m sure we’ll find a good horse, plus it’s not like we’ll do anything faster than a walk or a trot,” Madison said, her lips twisting up into an excited smile. Her headache must have been getting better, because she was definitely looking and sounding a little livelier.
When the fruit salad was done, I placed it on the table before grabbing plates and cutlery. Just as I finished setting the table, the oven timer went off, indicating that our brunch was finished. I quickly grabbed the two potholders, setting them on the table so I could place the casserole dish on them without fear of ruining the wood.
Out of courtesy, Madison and I waited until everyone else dished up, and I watched her closely to make sure she wasn’t still feeling a little ill. The color seemed to be returning to her face, and thankfully she seemed all right as she scooped some of the breakfast casserole onto her plate. “Thanks for breakfast,” she said before taking her first bite.
Based on the way everyone was devouring their food, it was clear that they must have been feeling a smidge hung-over; they were just masters at hiding it.
Everyone pitched in to clean the kitchen before we all migrated outside to deal with the backyard. Upon stepping through the patio door, I noticed we’d forgot to turn off the lights the girls helped string up yesterday afternoon, and some of the vases of flowers had tipped over on the porch. That was about the worst of it, thankfully. The two empty bottles were tipped on their sides on one of the corner ledges of the hot tub, and all of our wine and shot glasses were scattered in the other three.
Madison had knelt down to pick up some of the toppled vases, saying how she was hoping to save the flowers so she could display them in the kitchen before they wilted, and Kyle offered to tidy up the glasses and bottles while Brandon and I helped the girls take the strings of lights down. Lilah and Willow laughed and joked around like they had known each other for years, and it pleased me to know that my sister and Madison’s best friend were getting along. It made me optimistic that, by befriending Madison and Willow, the void Kaylie left could be filled.
Kyle and Brandon got along just as well as their spouses did. Of course, there was less giggling between them, and more dirty jokes and lewd behavior—typical guy stuff. Our lives continued to fuse in a way I never even realized was possible. It was new to me, and I couldn’t believe I ever thought that what I had with Kaylie was in some way comparable.
I had just unplugged the main power source for the lights when Kyle’s loud voice drew everyone’s attention to him. “Well, well, well,” he said, turning his head toward us and smiling smugly. “Do you two have anything to confess?” His eyes moved back and forth between Madison and me as we exchanged a confused glance, shrugging when we both came up with nothing.
Kyle’s smile grew and he guffawed loudly, bending down to the ground and grabbing something at his feet. Through my periphery, I watched Madison stand slowly as we both inspected what he was picking up. At first, it didn’t seem like anything, but the straighter he stood, the longer the item he held in between his thumb and forefinger got. Then, there was suddenly more to the skinny piece of black string that he was holding. Madison gasped loudly while my jaw fell to the ground, both of us instantly recognizing her bikini top.
Chapter 24. Did We …? Didn’t We …?
What. The. Fuck?
Willow hooted and hollered behind us, congratulating Madison on finally being sexually liberated enough for mild exhibitionism. “The backyard’s always where it starts.” She giggled, soon joined by my sister, and I didn’t need to turn to Madison to know that she was probably the brightest shade of red she’d ever been.
My brain suddenly kicked into high gear, trying to remember how Madison’s top wound up on the ground, only to come up empty again.
“Oh-ho-ho-ho!” Kyle boomed, sounding a little like Santa Claus. He was definitely a little too jolly about whatever he spotted next. “It would appear this skimpy piece of fabric isn’t the only thing you two left behind last night.”
He grabbed one of the empty bottles and dipped the neck into the hot tub, apparently afraid that whatever he was talking about might bite him. As his arm rose, and my swimming trunks came into view, I knew it was more likely about him being afraid of sticking his arm into water he now questioned the cleanliness of.
“What the hell did we do?” Madison whispered. Her voice was so quiet, I was sure she was talking mostly to herself. I had no recollection of anything either, so I didn’t respond—mainly because I had nothing to offer in the way of an explanation.
My trunks hit the side of the hot tub with a loud slosh before he dipped the bottle in again and came back with Madison’s black bikini bottoms. “Holy fuck,” I muttered, raking my fingers through my hair, still trying really fucking hard to remember what the hell happened last night. I had completely blacked the fuck out.
“Did the two of you screw in the hot tub?” Kyle’s dimples deepened as though he had already formed his own conclusion—not that it was a hard deduction to come to considering the evidence presented.
“I-I—” I stammered, still not quite sure how to answer that question. As arousing as the idea of hot-tub sex was, I couldn’t imagine ever being so careless—drunk or not.
“Did we?” Madison was so quiet as she slipped her clammy hand into mine, and I had no answers, so I stayed silent. “Jensen?”
I shook my head and turned to her, being sure to keep my voice down as I responded. “No. We wouldn’t have … Right? I remember having a dream … But, we were in bed. I think.” I paused, suddenly trying to recall the still-foggy dream. Yeah, we were definitely in bed.
Madison let out a quiet, unconvincing laugh and shook her head. “Of course. I mean, if we’d have done anything, we’d remember.” She still didn’t sound so sure; it was almost like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone. “I’d remember.”
It wasn’t until Kyle cleared his throat expectantly that we realized he was still waiting for us to comment on the fact that we had stripped in the hot tub after everyone had retired for the night. While it wasn’t really any of his business, I knew Kyle, and he wasn’t likely to relent.
I had just opened my mouth to say something when Madison surprised me by stalking over to him and snatching her bikini top from his hand. “Since when is skinny-dipping a crime, Kyle?” she challenged, finding a bit of inner strength and narrowing her eyes at him.
He arched his eyebrows, not giving any indication that he was ready to back down any time soon. “Are you sure that’s all that happened, Madikins?”
She didn’t even flinch as she yanked my trunks off the side of the hot tub and her bikini bottoms from where
they still dangled on the neck of the bottle. “I’m pretty sure I’d know if I had sex in a hot tub, Kyle.”
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but she didn’t allow him to as she turned and walked back inside with our still sopping wet swimwear. It wasn’t long before she returned, and everyone was still looking between the two of us, likely wondering if we were only trying to convince ourselves that nothing happened.
“All right,” she said, drawing everyone’s eyes to her. “We’re all adults here. Can we get this place cleaned up and go for a trail ride? Or would you all like to talk this out a little more?” Willow started to raise her hand, a devilish smirk beginning to spread. “It was a rhetorical question, Will.”
Dropping her hand back to her side, she grumbled, clearly picking up on something in Madison’s voice that said the topic was to be dropped—immediately. Soon enough, everyone had gone back to his or her duties, and we had just finished bundling the last of the lights to store in the shed for future use.
“Okay, let’s head out and find horses for everyone,” Madison suggested, opening the gate to the backyard. “I’ll see if Dad will watch Bones while we’re out. Until he’s trained to stay out from underfoot, I don’t want him coming. It’s too dangerous, and he could get trampled.”
“I agree. I’m sure Wayne won’t mind,” I said, kissing her temple as we made our way down the narrow path that led to the gravel road between the houses and the barn.
Just as we stepped into the barn, Wayne was exiting his office and smiled upon seeing us. “Well good morning, kids,” he greeted. “How was the rest of your night?”
Kyle chuckled, earning a very stern look from both Madison and me before he cleared his throat and held himself back.
“It was fun,” Madison told him. “We actually just finished cleaning up the yard and were going to reward ourselves with a little trail ride. Would you mind watching Bones for a bit?”
Wayne smiled, looking down at the puppy as he sniffed every nook and cranny in the barn, probably looking for some kind of trouble to get into. “I’d love to.” Wayne’s eyes suddenly drifted over us, and when I turned I saw Tom coming into the barn. “Oh, Tom’s here so we can head to lunch. You kids have fun and we’ll see you in a bit. C’mon, Bones.” Already recognizing his name, Bones lifted his head, perking his ears forward and running after Wayne as he crossed the barn.
After a quick “hello” from Tom, Madison and I tried to figure out which horses everyone would be riding and grabbed several leads and halters. “Okay, Lilah, you’ll be on Starla again. Brandon, I’ll let you ride Bandit; Dad’s made some real progress with him since you rode him last. Will, I’ll put you on Miracle, and Kyle, I think Oliver would be a good fit for you based on how much experience you have. Jensen will be on Ransom, and I’ll ride Hails,” she instructed.
Miracle and Oliver were two of the ranch’s newer additions from this past spring. From what I was told, Madison and Wayne had gone to an auction just outside of town and bought them to train as lesson horses since a few of their older ones would be retiring soon. In my first couple of weeks, Madison introduced me to each of the horses so I would know what to expect from each of them, and Miracle was troublesome. I was sure she didn’t mean to be; it was just in her nature. She was this feisty little gray Arabian mare who, at eleven years old, acted like a yearling again. I remembered Madison telling me that it had taken a solid month to get her to calm down enough to actually get a smooth ride out of her. From what I could tell, having never ridden her before, she was great for the most part now, but still had quite a bit of get-up-and-go left in her—a perfect match for Willow.
Then there was Oliver; he was a solid horse. He was a nine-year-old Thoroughbred gelding who had actually been used as a racehorse until he blew his knee in a race last season. The vet checks that Madison and Wayne got upon buying him all said that he’d never race again. Not wanting to do anything to cause any horse harm intentionally, Madison told Wayne that Oliver would be strictly for Dressage, Western, and basic lessons. He would never race or jump while living at the ranch.
After catching our mounts, we brought them to the barn and began getting them ready for our trail ride. Once Madison and I checked to ensure that everyone’s cinches were secure, we led the horses outside where we mounted up.
The girls took the lead while the guys and I followed them. Kyle seemed to have a pretty decent handle on things; he needed a bit of guidance in the beginning on reining, but overall, I was impressed.
As we walked the trails, the guys and I talked about planning a camping trip after Madison and I returned from Spruce Meadows, which sounded like a lot of fun. I knew my sister might be hesitant at first. She wasn’t really an outdoorsy person—or she never used to be. It was quite possible that her love of the outdoors was being rekindled the more she hung out on the ranch. Maybe she’d be cool with it.
Brandon and Kyle loved the idea of a couples camping retreat. Thankfully, they didn’t complain for long when I told them we’d have to wait until the week after next due to Wayne’s fishing trip. Then they started asking if I knew of any good spots before they started talking about buying all sorts of camping gear.
We had been riding for almost an hour and a half before Madison suggested we head back. “I still have to head into town and pick up Jillian.”
“Yeah, Brandon and I should head back to the city tonight. We have to go back to work tomorrow,” Willow said. “I always hate leaving here.”
“Well,” Madison said coyly. “There’s a very simple solution to that.”
“And give up city livin’?” Willow quipped. “Nah. As much as I miss you and this place, I couldn’t leave Memphis.”
Madison pouted.
We continued back to the ranch with Brandon and Kyle still talking about this camping trip in a couple weeks. When Willow overheard part of the conversation, she squealed in excitement.
“We should definitely go camping before it gets too cold! Hell, even if it does, I guess that’s why they make those extra cozy, down-filled sleeping bags! Plus, you can buy them big enough for two people now.” Even with my back to her and the girls, I could imagine her winking at Madison.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Madison concurred. “What do you say, Lilah? It would be a lot of fun.”
There was a beat of silence as I assumed Lilah was trying to find a way out of it without knocking the idea entirely. “Well, I’m not really one for camping. I mean, I like toilets and showers, you know?” There was another moment of silence before she spoke again. “But, that was the old me. So, what the hell! Let’s camp.”
“Hey!” Kyle said excitedly. “We should check out that outdoor sporting goods store in town. Uh … Hall’s something-or-other, I think?” If I tensed upon hearing that name, I could only imagine how Madison reacted. Kyle noticed immediately. “What?” he asked.
“That store is owned by Madi’s ex’s parents,” I explained, looking over my shoulder to see Madison scowling. “Maybe we could head into the city—”
“No,” Madison interrupted. “It’s fine. It’s likely he’s not going to be there anyway. Not to mention, Dad’s known the Halls for years and has a standing account with them. They always give him the best deals on stuff. We should go there. Maybe sometime next week after we get back.”
“You’re sure?” I didn’t exactly relish the idea of Madison running into that douche-nozzle again, but it comforted me to know that if she did, I would be with her to put him in his place—again.
“Yeah,” she replied. “I’m sure. Plus, even if he is there, I doubt he’ll come anywhere near me with you around … not after what happened.”
We finally made it back to the barn and groomed the horses down before turning them out and going home. It was already almost four, and Madison had to have Jill at the barn for her six o’ clock lesson.
Soon, everyone was gone, and Madison and I had a few minutes alone. I pulled her into my arms and kissed the t
ip of her nose. “How are you feeling?”
She sighed, wrapping her arms around my waist. “That depends on what you’re talking about?” I looked at her quizzically. “My head and stomach feel much better than they did this morning. However …” She took a deep breath. “I hate that I can’t remember what happened last night. I shouldn’t have let Kyle talk me into a second round of shots.”
I laughed. “Good luck there. He’s relentless.” I glanced at the clock behind her and groaned. “It’s getting late, you should go. I’ll see you back here for dinner?”
Giving me one last kiss, she nodded. “I’ll see you soon.”
I watched from the front porch as she backed out of the drive, and once she pulled out onto the highway, I stepped inside and closed the door. Now alone, the doubts about what may or may not have happened in the hot tub last night started to weigh on me. I still wanted to believe that neither one of us was careless enough to have sex without some kind of protection.
In our room, I searched for any kind of evidence that we’d been safe. The bed was still unmade, so I pulled the blankets up and fixed the pillows overtop of it, smoothing out any wrinkles in the duvet—because let’s face it, I had a touch of OCD when it came to shit like that. With the bed made, I pulled open the nightstand drawer that contained our condoms.
I thought about counting them, but then realized that would be ridiculous because I’d have to have known how many were in there before last night. There was no empty wrapper on either of the nightstands, nor was there one in the bathroom trash can. I was starting to hope beyond fucking hope that the sex dream was just a dream, because if it wasn’t, it was beginning to look like Madison and I would be playing a waiting game for the next couple of weeks, thanks to her recent strep diagnosis.
I had just stepped out of the bathroom, trying to come up with some way to apologize to Madison for being a total asshole and not being careful, when I saw a tiny glimmer of hope. Peeking out from beneath my side of the bed was the corner of a familiar foil package. I rushed over and dropped to my knees to retrieve it, rejoicing when I found it both open and empty.