by Cat Johnson
“Flipping it over. They say you’re supposed to do it every couple of months.”
“Even when there’s no one sleeping on it?” He sighed and stood anyway. “I’ll be right back.”
Colton smiled. “Oh, I’m sure she’ll find something else for you to do.”
Rohn leveled a stare at Colton. “Most like. And in that case, you can work on clearing the snow from the driveway and all the paths.”
“See? You had to make a smart-ass comment and now we’re shoveling paths.” Tyler scowled at Colton.
“We would have been shoveling anyway and you know it.” Colton’s eyes moved from Tyler to Justin. “But let’s talk about what’s really important here.”
“What’s that?” Tyler asked.
“Rohn and Bonnie’s daughter coming for a visit.” Colton’s focus stayed pinned on Justin.
“And?” Justin asked, feeling the weight of Colton’s stare.
“You tell us.” Tyler raised a brow. “You two been talking?”
“No.” For better or worse, Justin spoke the absolute truth.
“So does that mean I’m free to take a shot at her?” Colton asked.
Justin frowned at Colton. “No.”
He grinned and glanced at Tyler. “Yup, you were right. He still likes her.”
Tyler grinned. “Yup. He sure does.”
These two had been talking about him and Phoenix behind his back? They both needed to get a life and leave his alone.
“Aw, jeez.” Justin stood and carried his mug to the sink. “I’ll be outside making up the feed buckets.”
A man couldn’t even enjoy his coffee in peace. Unfortunately, Justin had a feeling there’d be no more peace for him until after Phoenix flew back to California.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Your flight leaves in two hours. Are you at the airport yet?” Phoenix’s mother asked.
“I’m on the way. Kim’s driving me.”
“Are you close? There could be traffic.”
“We’re close. Don’t worry.”
Kim cocked a brow and shot Phoenix a glance over that fib.
The reality was they weren’t all that close because she hadn’t been ready when Kim had arrived to pick her up. Consequently, Kim was driving like a bat out of hell to get her there in time, none of which Phoenix was going to tell her mother.
“Your father is reminding me that you have to be there at least an hour in advance if you’re checking a bag.”
“I’m carrying on only so we’ll be okay.” Phoenix rolled her eyes as she saw Kim smirking in the driver’s seat.
“All right. Did you put all your travel-size carry-on liquids in a clear plastic bag so you can get through security?”
Phoenix cringed and stifled a curse. She rarely flew anywhere, so she’d forgotten all about that TSA rule. “Yes, Mom. I got it.” She’d have to figure something out when she got there.
“All right. It sounds like you’re all set. Call us when you get there.”
“I will.”
“Oh, wait. Did you remember the photo album I made for Bonnie and Rohn?”
Phoenix smiled. “I did.”
That very important item she had remembered. That her adoptive parents had so readily accepted her birth parents into all of their lives—after the initial shock had worn off of course—was amazing and wonderful and made this odd situation so much easier.
Her mother had taken the best pictures they had from her childhood and had them reproduced in an album as a gift for Rohn and Bonnie. The first time she’d seen the album, custom printed and bound, Phoenix had broken into tears. Hell, even thinking about it now had her getting misty.
“Okay, well then I’ll let you go. Text when you’re through security.”
She cringed one more time. Because they weren’t near the airport yet, that would be a while. “I will. ’Bye. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Phoenix disconnected the phone as Kim shot her a glance. “If you miss this plane, I’m not taking the heat from your parents. You’re going to have to confess you weren’t packed yet.”
She scowled at the friend who was supposed to be on her side. “I was packed. I just hadn’t quite finished yet. And we’re going to make it in plenty of time. We’re fine. There’s no need to be there two hours ahead of time for a domestic flight, no matter what my father says.”
“Fine. Let’s move on to more pertinent topics, such as are you going to see your hot cowboy while you’re there?”
Phoenix had a feeling there was no avoiding that as long as Justin still worked for Rohn and she was staying at the ranch. Unless she hid in her room and was completely antisocial, they were bound to run into each other at least once or twice, even if she hadn’t heard from him in months.
She sighed. “I suppose so.”
“You guys could rekindle things while you’re there. Who knows what could happen.”
His last text had been the unforgettable K in response to her telling him she’d made it home safely.
For whatever reason, he’d ended things. Maybe it had been something she’d done. She couldn’t forget the look on his face as his friends teased him after she’d slipped and let out the fact that they’d been together the night before she left. But if she didn’t mean more to him than a little teasing, if he wasn’t man enough to stand up for them with his friends, then he wasn’t worth her time.
The problem was, that didn’t seem like the Justin she knew, and her instincts were rarely so off about a person.
“Can we please not talk about Justin?” It was too depressing to think about. She just wanted to be excited about seeing Rohn and Bonnie again.
“All right. Whatever you say. What would you like to talk about?”
Phoenix remembered her other problem. “You don’t happen to have a quart-size clear plastic bag in the car, do you?”
The expression on Kim’s face at the random ridiculousness of the question was so priceless, Phoenix couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“They’re back from the airport.” Tyler glanced toward the driveway and then back to Justin. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
Yeah, he knew exactly what that meant. It was only a matter of time before he ran into the woman he’d slept with but hadn’t contacted in four months. And she happened to be his boss’s daughter.
Justin kept all that to himself. Looking down and focusing on his task, he shook his head. “Nope.”
“It means Phoenix is here.”
“And?” Justin struck the ice in the water tub with the metal edge of the shovel.
“Don’t you want to go say hello?” Tyler’s question was definitely not as innocent as it sounded. That was made obvious by his smart-ass grin and the way he waggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively.
Justin took another stab at the ice before he turned to Tyler. “No. I want to get this ice broken up so Rohn doesn’t get pissed that the bull ain’t got no water to drink. If you’re not gonna help, you can at least stop bothering me while I do it.”
“Jeez. I seriously hope you get some this week while she’s here. Maybe you’ll be in a better mood.”
Justin closed his eyes and counted to ten, trying his best to control his temper before he took a poke at Tyler instead of the ice. Ty should know better than to provoke a man wielding a shovel.
The ice was as broken up as it was going to get. Justin shot Tyler a look that he hoped expressed his feelings before he turned to head back down the hill.
There was no way to avoid seeing the truck parked by the house, or the happy family piling out of it. Bonnie and Tammy were on either side of Phoenix, leading her into the house, while Rohn pulled some pieces of luggage out of the back.
A happy homecoming.
With the wreaths still decorating the doors and windows of the house and the snow blanketing the ground, it was like a scene playing out in some Christmas commercial.
He ran his gloved
hand beneath his nose. It was running from the cold. So were his eyes, watering from the brisk, biting breeze. If he was going to run into Phoenix while she was visiting, he sure as hell didn’t want it to be now, while he looked like this.
Pulling the brim of his hat lower, he angled his head against the wind and headed for the barn.
That should be one place he could warm up without any risk of running into Rohn’s guest from sunny California. He was pretty sure Bonnie wouldn’t be taking her daughter to visit the barn, especially because it was empty. They had the horses turned out for the day while they cleaned the stalls.
In this weather, and after not seeing her for months, Bonnie and Phoenix should have plenty of catching up to do inside the nice warm house.
Visions of the kitchen, toasty warm and smelling of fresh-brewed coffee, nearly had him saying screw it. He was almost willing to risk seeing her again just so he could head inside to defrost. Though after the way he’d left things with Phoenix, it was very possible his reception from her would be as frosty as the December air.
He had to stay firm. He’d had to do what he’d done to cut things off with her.
His sacrifice had been totally worth it, in his opinion.
Sure, he did nothing but go from work to home, with the occasional quick stop off at the store to pick up food or supplies. No, he hadn’t gone out or done anything else fun for months. But the results were visible.
His mother hadn’t had a bad day in at least two months. They’d even gotten through the holidays unscathed, and that had always been a tricky time in past years. He had nothing else to attribute it to besides his being present and focused on her.
If he wasn’t at work, he was with his mother, mentally and physically. His one concession to maintaining his own sanity was the nightly hour of solitude he allowed himself to lift weights. Even then, it was only one hour, and he was right there in the garage, just steps from his mother should she need him.
Seeing her living a normal life, eating and sleeping and even smiling more often, had been well worth it. Even if he did have to endure watching her favorite television shows.
Things weren’t completely back to normal. She hadn’t gone back to work yet. They were still living off his earnings and the money in the savings account from his father’s life insurance. But her going back to work would come with time. And if that time never came and he never had the freedom to move out, then he’d just have to figure out a way to deal with the situation.
Justin was working on mucking out the first stall when the barn door opened and Colton burst in.
“Hey. Rohn says to take a break and come on in and warm up. He’s got a fresh pot of coffee on and Bonnie made cake.”
Damn, warming up and having homemade cake and a nice scalding hot cup of fresh coffee sounded good. Almost good enough to make him forget about his plan to avoid Phoenix.
Almost, but not quite. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”
Colton shrugged. “So then don’t eat. Just come in and warm up for a bit.”
“Nah. Thanks, but I think I’m just gonna stay here and get this done. You go on.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Colton frowned.
“What do you care what I do?”
“I don’t except that you’re acting weird. Is it Phoenix? You two have a fight?”
“Colton, I swear—” He gritted the words out through a clenched jaw.
“Fine. Stay out here and freeze. See if I care.” Scowling, Colton turned and went out through the door he’d come in through.
He’d hear more about it later, he was sure. These guys didn’t have enough to occupy their minds to keep them out of his life, but for now at least he’d have a few minutes’ peace.
He’d just gotten the first stall stripped of soiled wood shavings when the door opened again. He blew out a breath. He’d been hoping for a longer reprieve, but apparently, he wasn’t going to get it.
He walked out of the stall and into the aisle and found Rohn standing there, watching him.
“You wanna take a break and come in?”
“Nah. I’m good.”
Rohn pursed his lips together and nodded slowly. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the wall and waited.
Justin wondered what the hell was going on. Not quite sure what to do, he stood, torn between going to work on the next stall and asking Rohn what the hell was up with him.
While he decided, he pulled off his gloves and blew on his frozen fingers to warm them, then pulled the gloves back on.
Rohn watched, his brow cocked. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on between you and my daughter?”
Now that he knew what was on Rohn’s mind, he kind of wished he didn’t. Luckily, he could tell Rohn the truth on that. “Nothing’s going on with Phoenix. I haven’t spoken to her since she went back to California.”
He nodded. “A’ight. Then I guess whatever’s keeping you out here in the cold and away from Bonnie’s cake just to avoid Phoenix must have happened before she went back to California. Am I right?”
Justin drew in a breath. “I didn’t know who she was when we first met. Then, once I knew she was your daughter, it was too late. We’d already . . . become involved.”
“Boy, she’s twenty-five years old. She can make her own decisions, and I’m under no illusions that she’s still a virgin at that age. Damn, even thinking that word in relation to my own daughter creeps me out, but anyway . . . Whatever happened between you two happened. That isn’t the issue. The issue is what happened afterward. So you’re telling me you were with her and then just never talked to her again?”
It sounded worse when Rohn said it, but it was the truth, so Justin nodded. “Yeah.”
“You think that was the proper thing to do?” Rohn asked.
“No.”
“Then why’d you do it?”
“I figured I had no choice.” Justin shrugged.
Realization dawned on Rohn’s features. His eyes widened. “Because she’s mine? Is that why you dumped her? You didn’t think I’d approve of you being with my daughter?”
“Well, the thought had crossed my mind.” It hadn’t been the main reason, but Justin would be lying if he didn’t admit to being a little afraid of what Rohn would think about him screwing around with his daughter.
“Son, of all the guys I’ve had working for me over the years, you’re probably the only one I’d approve of dating my daughter. You work hard. You got your head on straight when it comes to money and family. I’ve never known you to be a partier or a player. Tyler, back in the day, before Janie, or Colton—if either of them were with Phoenix, I’d worry. But not you.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me actually.” Justin had to tell him the truth. Rohn was the closest thing he had to a father figure in his life since his dad had died. Besides, he’d already come this far with his confession. “It’s more than that.”
“Then talk to me. What else is bothering you?”
“It’s Momma. She needs me. I can’t be distracted with a relationship. Not one with a girl nearby, and not with a girl halfway across the country. Momma needs one hundred percent from me right now. I’ve tried dividing my attention. It didn’t work out well.” Justin shook his head as he remembered coming home from being with Phoenix and finding his mother in such a horrible state. “I know it’s not fair to Phoenix, but I think it’s best if I just avoid seeing her.”
“Does she know the situation with your ma?”
Justin shook his head.
“Maybe you should tell her.”
Justin lifted one shoulder. “What good would it do? It doesn’t change anything. I can’t be with Phoenix the way I’d want to if things were different.”
“But you would want to be with her if things were different?”
“It’s useless to even think about—”
“Just answer the question, son.”
They’d been in a truck together for two straight days and hadn’t wanted to kil
l each other. They’d talked. They’d laughed. In bed, they’d fit together like hand and glove.
He pushed that thought aside and answered Rohn’s question. “Yeah, I’d want to be with her. Who wouldn’t? I mean, she’s great.”
“Then tell her everything you told me.”
“Why? I made the break months ago. I’m sure she’s moved on.”
“I don’t know. All I know is, the second we drove onto the property and she spotted your truck, she started asking roundabout questions about the ranch that always seemed to lead back to the subject of you. She hasn’t stopped looking at the kitchen door since we got home. If you really think you two can’t be together, she at least deserves to know why.”
“You’re right.” He wouldn’t let himself hope they could be together because they couldn’t, but she did deserve an explanation. It was only fair to her.
“So, you ready to come inside?” Rohn waited, but Justin hesitated.
Trying to act friendly and social and pretend it wasn’t ripping him apart to see her was too much for him to handle.
He’d talk to Phoenix alone. He’d confess everything about his messed-up family life, but not in front of everyone. His coworkers and her family.
His decision made, Justin shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll come in right now. If Tyler or Colt make any smart-ass comments, I can’t promise I won’t slug them.”
“Just don’t let me see you doing it and that’s fine with me.” Rohn shrugged.
He laughed. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind, but I’d rather stay out here and work.”
“Should I send Phoenix out with a cup of coffee for you?”
“Nah. I’m good. Thanks.”
He didn’t need any cake and coffee. Seeing Phoenix, whenever that happened, was going to be bittersweet enough.
And if they were alone in the barn, she’d expect them to have a serious talk. He wasn’t sure he was ready to have that talk with her yet. He needed a little time to wrap his head around what he was going to say.
Justin continued, “Besides, she’s not used to this weather. Keep her inside where it’s warm.”
Rohn eyed him for a moment, then finally nodded. “A’ight.”