“Bravo!” Paige said. “It’s about time you stood up for something, Renie. I’ll enjoy finding out how you feel about things.”
Then she turned to her own daughter. “Don’t pout, Blythe, it isn’t becoming,” What? Now her mother was on her case, too? She hadn’t been here twenty-four hours, but it felt like time to go home.
“Maybe I should leave. Would that make everyone happy?”
Renie’s mother walked over and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Blythe,” she said. “We’re encouraging Renie to be less of a doormat, but it shouldn’t be at your expense.”
Liv turned to Renie. “You two make up. I don’t want the holiday ruined before it even starts.”
Renie extended the olive branch by asking Blythe to go for a ride. She agreed, mainly so she could get out of the house, and away from everyone else for a while. Maybe by the time they got back, “pick-on-Blythe day,” would be forgotten.
Renie let Blythe ride the horse she’d had since she was ten, a mare named Pooh. Pooh was gentle, and an easy ride. Blythe wasn’t as comfortable around horses as Renie. In fact, they scared her.
Renie’s mom barrel raced. Blythe couldn’t imagine being on the back of a horse going that fast, and getting as close to the barrels as they did.
A year ago, Liv had an accident while racing and was in a coma. A few months later, she started racing again. Blythe thought she was crazy, but her mother explained that it was something Liv had wanted to do her whole life. Liv would have been miserable if she hadn’t pursued her dream.
Blythe understood what that meant on a philosophical level, but there wasn’t anything she’d personally felt strong enough about to call a dream.
She’d been in nursing school, but quit. She hadn’t liked it as much as she expected. Truthfully, she hated it.
Right around the same time Blythe quit, Renie transferred from Dartmouth, where she was studying biomedicine, to the Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She’d planned to become a large animal vet, but dropped out of that program last year. She was talking about going back again after she and Billy got married.
Renie and Billy were getting married. It would take some time for that to sink in. Especially since Billy, eleven years older than they were, discovered he had a daughter he hadn’t known about, and the baby’s mother had passed away.
Renie broke up with Billy over it, and for a long while, Blythe didn’t think they’d ever speak again. Not that Blythe heard any of this first hand. It all happened during the time Renie refused to talk to her.
Her mother had been the one to tell her they were back together and getting married.
Tucker drove, he almost always did. Born thirteen minutes before Jace, he was the oldest. Being so, he believed he was entitled to decide who would drive, where they would eat, and what they would do. Most of the time, Jace didn’t care. But when he did, he never hesitated to tell Tucker what he could do with his demanding self.
Today was one of those days Jace definitely didn’t care. He hadn’t wanted to drive. He had too much on his mind. The last time he saw Irene he told her that their relationship needed to change. He wanted to be her friend. His head agreed, his heart did not.
“Come on Blythe, let’s stop arguing and start riding,” Renie motioned toward the barn. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and maybe, if she got lucky, she’d meet a cowboy when they rode out. There were plenty who worked the Flying R Ranch.
They were almost to the barn when someone pulled up in a truck and honked the horn. Blythe turned to see two of the hottest-looking men she’d ever seen, climbing out of it. And not only were they hot, they were twins. Oh my God, she’d died and gone to heaven.
She watched as one of them picked Renie up and swung her around in a circle. The other stood back.
“Who’s this?” the sullen one asked.
“This is Irene,” Jace introduced her. “Irene, meet Tucker. And this is…I don’t know who this is.”
“This is Blythe Cochran,” answered Renie. “Her mom and my mom are best friends. We are, too. Have been since we were five years old.”
Blythe shook each man’s hand, hoping her palms weren’t as sweaty as they felt to her.
The one named Jace hung on a little longer than necessary, and looked into her eyes. “Nice to meet you,” he said softly.
Blythe didn’t know what to make of the situation playing out in front of her. Jace knew Renie, well enough to pick her up and hug her. Tucker, the brother, didn’t appear to know her at all. And by the look on his face, he didn’t want to.
“We were headed out for a ride,” Renie told them.
“We’ll let you be on your way,” Tucker answered.
Jace scowled at his brother, and then smiled at the girls. “We aren’t goin’ anywhere though, at least not for a few hours. We’ll be here when you get back.”
“How ’bout you? You goin’ anywhere after your ride?” Jace asked Blythe, his eyes boring into hers.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she answered. “Why?”
He laughed. “Because I’d like to get to know you better, that’s why.”
“We’ll see about that,” she smirked.
Renie was shooting daggers at her. What had she done wrong now? This was getting old. Once they got out on the trail, Blythe intended to give Renie a piece of her mind. Just because she’d decided to alter her personality, did not give her carte blanche to suggest Blythe do the same. If she wanted Renie’s opinion about how she led her life, she would ask. And she hadn’t asked.
Once she confirmed they were far enough away from the house for anyone to overhear their conversation, she started in on Renie. “What the hell is your problem?”
Renie didn’t answer.
“Seriously? You won’t answer me? What happened to the Renie who promised to tell me how’s she’s feeling?”
“That’s Jace,” Renie answered.
“Yes, I know. You introduced me to him, remember?”
“I spent the summer with Jace, while Billy and I were apart.”
Oh, shit. Why did she have to pick the brother that Renie had been involved with? Or why did that brother pick her?
The answer was obvious. He still had a thing for Renie, and Blythe served as the backup plan. This was not turning out to be a very good weekend for her. Maybe she could entice Tucker to talk to her instead. No, he was too grouchy. Both twins were out of the running. It looked as though she’d have to get back on the quest for a cowboy. She hoped she’d be lucky enough to find one who never had any interest in Renie Fairchild.
“Well all-righty then. Scratch another one off the eligible bachelor list. How about Tucker? You haven’t had a fling with him too, have you?”
“No, Blythe. I haven’t.”
“There isn’t any reason for you to sound annoyed with me. If it would be easier for you to give me a list of men I have free rein to be interested in, if there are any, I’d be happy to play along.”
“It isn’t like that.”
“Billy is hands off, now Jace is too.”
“That’s it. Those two make up my entire list of male conquests.”
Renie smiled. Blythe was relieved. For a while, she wasn’t sure if Renie still possessed a sense of humor. It looked like it was back.
“So, tell me,” said Blythe, making an effort to change the subject. “How is it being the wicked stepmother?”
Renie smiled again. She might have even laughed. She may say she wanted Blythe to curtail speaking before thinking, but the truth was, Blythe made Renie laugh.
“I know that look.”
“What look?”
“Are you interested in her, or is it a show to get back at the ex-girlfriend?”
“Her name is Irene. And yes, I’m interested in her friend.”
“You’re sure?”
“Did you see her? She’s magnificent.”
Tucker agreed, the girl was magnificent. She had long, dark hair, and the most b
eautiful eyes. In the sunlight, they looked violet.
He recognized the look on Jace’s face when he met the girl. Blythe, that was her name. His brother’s eyes lit up, and when he shook her hand, he held on longer than he should have. He watched, and the slow burn of envy crept up his spine.
Tucker was rarely envious of his brother. Today was different. He wished he had been the one to hold Blythe’s hand longer than appropriate, gaze into her eyes, and ask if he could see her later. He would’ve handled it differently, of course, but no less effectively.
What was most surprising was how unaware Jace was of his feelings, or maybe he was blocking them. Sometimes he wondered if he could feel Jace more than Jace could feel him. Even if they were a thousand miles apart, Tucker could predict Jace’s mood, whether he spoke with him or not.
Tucker hadn’t wanted to spend Thanksgiving in Crested Butte, but his parents insisted. His dad was looking forward to reconnecting with his cousin, who was Ben’s dad. Ben had extended the invitation when he and Jace reconnected a few weeks ago through Renie.
“We were close once,” their dad said. “Nothing specific happened that resulted in our drifting apart, it happened naturally.
“My parents always spent Thanksgiving in Crested Butte. A few years after my dad died, we decided to spend the holidays in Aspen. You two were a handful, and it was easier on your mom if we stayed home. We weren’t kids when you and your brother were born.”
Jace told Tucker he felt as though his father was winding down his life. It seemed important to him to reconnect with people he’d lost touch with. That was the only reason Tucker agreed to come along on a day he normally kept to himself.
Up until last week, Tucker was in Spain. He spent as much of his time there as he could. Since he’d gotten back to the States, he’d been adrift. At first he thought it was jet lag, but even after a week, he wasn’t feeling any better. He was moody and sullen. He was an artist, anxious to get back to work. He hadn’t decided what his next project would be. Perhaps when he did, his angst would dissipate.
The most recent work he’d done was in bronze. He’d completed several sculptures, and sold them all, even the one he intended to keep for himself. He considered block prints as the next medium he’d explore, but painting was beckoning him.
It had been three years since he painted. Watercolor was his favorite medium in two-dimensional work. He could paint quickly—a sense of accomplishment came immediately. There were days he could do three or four full-sheet paintings before noon. He longed for that kind of release.
There was more to his bad mood than lack of a project. He was beginning to feel as though his life was aimless. In Spain he was all about creating art, having fun—and having sex. That was the extent of it.
There had been a time in his life he thought he’d have love, a family, everything his parents had, but that dream vanished.
There was something about the dark-haired beauty that beckoned him, though. It was strong enough that he couldn’t ignore it. Even if he started something with her, he knew it wouldn’t last. It never did, he always lost interest quickly. There’d been one woman in his life who’d been able to hold his attention. And he’d lost her, in more ways than one.
“I like her,” he stated.
“What’s that?” Jace asked.
“I said I like her.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The friend. I like her.”
“Yeah, I do, too.”
“No, Jace, that isn’t what I mean. I’m attracted to her.”
“I know you are.”
“Ah…so you’re coming clean. You felt it, too.”
“I was ignoring you.”
“What should we do?”
“Let her choose.”
“This could get ugly.”
“Maybe she won’t choose either of us,” Jace ventured.
Tucker shook his head and laughed. “Right.”
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Keep reading for a short excerpt from
The Promise,
the first book in
the Butler Ranch series.
The Promise
She closed the car door, and zipped her jacket. The blue sky and bright sun were misleading. This close to the ocean, the wind could be fierce, even on the sunniest days.
From where she stood in the gravel parking lot across the street, she saw a man walking toward her small town’s only supermarket. There was something familiar in the way he held himself. His worn barn jacket was taught across his shoulders, but hung loose over his narrow hips. Although his jeans were more metro than ranch, his boots were all cowboy, and so was his black, felt Stetson.
Peyton took a deep breath. It wasn’t the first time her mind played this particular trick. She looked left and right once she got inside, but didn’t see the man who’d probably been a figment of her imagination anyway.
Growing boys needed milk and orange juice, so before she’d even left the first aisle, her cart was half full. She was reading over her shopping list, on her way to the produce section, when her eyes met a pair of hauntingly familiar deep, blue eyes—eyes of a man she thought she’d never see again. Her disappointment was palpable as she scanned his face. The eyes were familiar, and maybe even the way he held himself that had her heart skipping a beat. But the man standing in front of her, whose eyes took in every inch of her in the same way her gaze traveled from his face to his hands, was not who she thought he was.
He raised and lowered his chin, “Hey.”
Peyton nearly closed her eyes. She knew the deep timbre of that voice intimately. “Sorry, you look so much like someone—” What could she say? Someone she used to know?
“Yes,” he murmured.
“Get that a lot?” She tried to laugh, but the pain she felt whenever she allowed herself to think about Kade Butler brought her closer to tears than laughter.
“No, I don’t.”
“I’m sorry, you don’t what?”
“Get that a lot.”
“Oh…uh…well.” Her hands gripped the shopping cart handle, but before she could move it forward, he grasped the wire basket.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Name’s Brodie. Brodie Butler.”
Peyton closed her eyes just long enough that the tears she thought she held at bay flooded over her lids, and down onto her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, Peyton. I didn’t mean for it to happen this way.”
“But you meant for it to happen?”
“As I said, I’ve been looking for you.”
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The Promise
Dance with Me (Cowboys of Crested Butte Book 2) Page 25