Mike shook his head and squinted his eyes. “It’s early.”
Juliana touched Mike’s arm. “His friend needs help.” Juliana looked at him. “I like Chase. He’s intense. And so gorgeous.”
Mike gave her a disgruntled look.
Juliana ignored it. “How long is he staying?”
“A few days, maybe more. I’m not sure what’s going on. He was supposed to go home to Wyoming yesterday.” Drake pulled out his wallet and dropped his credit card on the bill for the waitress.
Mike didn’t blink an eye or offer to help with the bill. Mike clamped his hand on Juliana’s arm. “Stay with me. We’ll keep this party going.”
Juliana put her hand over Mike’s and patted it. “We’ll head back to Almost Homemade with Drake and Adria. I’ll drive you home in Adria’s car and she can go home with Drake after they let Chase into the apartment.” Juliana looked to Adria to be sure that plan worked.
Adria nodded, because none of them wanted Mike driving in his condition.
Drake filled out the tip amount on the check the waitress brought back, signed it, then dropped the pen on top and stood with Adria.
Mike reluctantly got up and draped his arm over Juliana’s shoulder and they walked ahead.
Adria leaned in close. “I think I need to reevaluate Mike’s employment. I had no idea he was like this. He works hard, but he loses focus when Juliana is around. I knew he liked her and thought it was nothing, but he seems to think it’s more than it is.”
“Juliana seems okay with the attention.”
“She’s been around a lot of guys like Mike. But that’s not what she needs now. She needs someone who supports her recovery.”
“I’m not impressed with him. Talk to her. See what she thinks. Maybe tonight showed her he’s not the kind of guy she wants in her life anymore and that will be the end of it.”
Adria looked skeptical, but kept her thoughts to herself as she climbed into the truck and he closed the door for her.
The short drive back to the shop made it easier to ignore Mike’s ongoing campaign to get Juliana to stay out later.
“We could go to this pub down on Park Street. They sometimes have live music.”
“I’m taking you home.” Juliana tried to hide her exasperation, but even she couldn’t say the same thing over and over again without letting her irritation show. “We both have to be at work early.”
“Stay with me. We can drive in together.”
Drake wondered if Mike even remembered he and Adria were in the truck with them.
He stepped in because he couldn’t leave Juliana to fend for herself against Mike’s relentless requests. “It’s Juliana’s turn to feed the horses in the morning so Tate can make breakfast.”
Juliana’s eyes met his in the rearview mirror. He read the “Thank you” in them.
“She works for her sister. She works for you. Give her a break.”
Juliana spoke up for herself. “I help out at the ranch because I’m staying in the cabin for free. And Adria pays me to work at the shop. It’s fair.” Juliana didn’t give Mike a chance to reply. The second the truck stopped in front of the shop, she jumped out and met Adria on the sidewalk and took the keys to Adria’s car. She turned and walked to the Jeep. “Come on. Let’s go. I need to get some sleep.”
Mike narrowed his gaze at her clipped tone.
Drake stood beside Adria and watched Mike weave his way to the passenger side and get in. He slammed the car door.
They watched it drive away, then Drake had to know . . . “What did she say to you after she got out of the truck?”
“‘I’ll trade you Chase for Mike and a million dollars.’”
Drake busted up laughing. “I like your sister.”
“I’m glad.” She put her hand on his chest. “Thank you for tonight. It means a lot that you wanted to spend time with her.”
“I finally figured out that our sisters spend more time with you than I do. I want to change that.” He leaned down and kissed her.
Headlights swept over them as Chase drove into the lot and parked next to Drake’s truck. He climbed out and pulled a duffel bag up on his shoulder. “Thanks for doing this.”
Drake waved him over. “Not a problem. You remember Adria, right?”
Chase shook Adria’s hand. “I appreciate the hospitality.”
“Any friend of Drake’s . . .” Adria unlocked the door and led them into the shop, through the kitchen, and up the stairs to the apartment.
At the top of the stairs, Drake glanced over his shoulder. “Why didn’t you go home?”
“Long story. I’m not exactly welcome there right now.”
Drake followed Adria into the apartment and stopped short when he saw the changes. “Wow. I didn’t know you’d cleaned this place up this much.”
Adria looked around. “I’ve spent several of my lunch breaks buying furniture and other stuff for up here and fixing it up.”
Chase glanced at the queen mattresses. “All I need is a bed.” He ran his hand over his head. “And some peace and quiet.”
“You’ve got it tonight, but I’m not sure how quiet it will be tomorrow while the shop is open.”
“In exchange for the bed, I’m happy to help out.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary. The shop is covered, but I could use both your help with a few things up here, if you don’t mind.”
Chase dropped his bag on the floor. “What do you need done?”
She pointed to the rolled-up rugs leaning against the wall. “Juliana and I got those up here, but they’re really heavy and I’d like to roll them out. One in the living area, the other under the bed.”
Drake and Chase did what she asked, shifting and moving the chair, sofa, and table she’d bought out of the way, rolling out the cream rug, and repositioning the furniture. Drake held the end of the white metal bed frame up so Chase could unroll the rug under it. He lifted the stained wood nightstand and set it back down on top of the navy-blue rug.
Adria stood back and looked around the open space. “It looks great.” She ran into the bathroom and came back with a set of sheets for the bed. “There are towels in the linen cupboard in the bathroom. It’s been completely gutted and redone. I think you’ll find everything you need in there.”
Drake helped her make the bed. “I can’t believe you did all this on your lunch breaks.”
“A little here. A little there. I’m only sorry I haven’t gotten a TV yet.”
“I’ve got my laptop and phone.”
Adria beamed. “The Wi-Fi is all set up. The password is adriaandjules, all one word, no caps. There are sodas and iced teas in the fridge up here. Feel free to raid the kitchen and take whatever you want. There’s a microwave to heat it up, dishes in the cupboard, utensils in the drawer.”
“I’m good. I don’t want to put you out any more than I already have.”
“If I tell you there are brownies downstairs, would that change your mind?” Adria tried to tempt Chase.
“Maybe.” Chase gave her a halfhearted smile.
“It’s my business to feed people. Food makes everything better. Please help yourself. I really mean it.”
“Don’t hurt my girl’s feelings by turning down her amazing food. Believe me, you won’t regret it.”
“I’ll grab something to eat before I get some sleep.”
Adria smiled and touched Chase’s arm. “Make yourself at home.” She handed Chase a spare set of keys and headed for the door. “I’ll be downstairs. Take your time.”
Drake appreciated that she gave him a moment alone with Chase. “Are you okay?”
Chase’s eyes went from the door to him. “Yeah. I’m good. She’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. Listen, if you’re not adjusting to being out of rehab . . .”
Chase held up his hand. “It’s nothing like that. My family is complicated. I planned to head straight home, but some shit went down, and I just need time to regroup and get my hea
d straight before I face them again.”
Drake wanted to believe him, but his gaze fell on the duffel bag and what could be in it.
“You can search it and me if it makes you feel better, but I’m not using. I’ve put that behind me. I swear it, Drake. I need you to believe me.”
Drake looked his friend in the eyes, saw the pain and the need to have someone understand. “I believe you. You’ve got my number. Use it. Anytime.” Drake gave Chase a hug and a slap on the back, then stepped back. “Take care of yourself.”
“I’ll start with the brownie. I don’t want to hurt your girl’s feelings.”
“You will if you don’t do what she says.”
Chase’s mouth tilted in a lopsided grin. “She’s down there making me something right now, isn’t she?”
Drake chuckled under his breath, because he knew she couldn’t help herself. “Yes.”
Chase slapped him on the shoulder. “You got lucky.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Don’t let go of someone like that. I did. And I can tell you it sucks.”
“You’re not alone, Chase.”
Chase planted his hands on his hips and hung his head. “I know, but sometimes it feels that way.”
Drake tapped the back of his hand to Chase’s chest to get his full attention. “That’s when you call me. I’ve got your back. Always.”
Chase nodded, and Drake figured that was as much as he was going to get out of Chase right now. Chase wasn’t ready to talk about what was going on. The guy had a lot to deal with between rehab, the war, and whatever was going on back home.
Drake hoped he found the kind of peace Drake had, now that he’d turned a corner in his own recovery and had Adria in his life and a future that he never thought would be his because he should be dead.
After all they’d been through, he’d bet Chase felt the same way, too.
It wasn’t easy to think of the rest of your life when you didn’t plan to be here. Drake and Chase both should have died—more than once—and were living on borrowed time.
Drake found his way. Chase would, too, if he allowed himself to believe anything was possible.
Not so easy to do when you’re living in the past. But Drake had a new future mapped out and it included the beautiful woman waiting for him downstairs.
Mike wasn’t getting lucky tonight, but Drake planned to love Adria tonight and every night.
He thought about warning Chase that Juliana worked in the shop, but let it go. Juliana showed tonight that she wasn’t the party girl she used to be. And although she showed an interest in Chase, she had her mind set on going to art school. And Chase needed to go home and face his demons. Drake didn’t need to worry about them slipping up and getting into trouble.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Adria woke up warm and happy in Drake’s arms with her head on his chest. His fingers brushed up and down her arm, tracing the outline of her rose vine tattoo. “Juliana is the one who drew the original design. She and I have matching ones on our arms. Roxy’s goes from her shoulder, across her back, to her hip. Sonya’s twines around her hip and thigh.”
“What made you guys get them?”
“Juliana wanted us all to have something the same. Something that tied us together. We grew up at the Wild Rose Ranch and lived with the stigma of that place. It is a part of us. In a way, that place saved us. We certainly saved each other. When we were teens, fed up with how people looked at us, Roxy decided we needed to make the name our own. So we got the tattoos and kicked ass at rodeos.”
“You’re a great rider.”
“Roxy taught us all to barrel race. I loved the speed and danger. Roxy was the best, but the rest of us came in right behind her.”
“And did people look at you differently?”
She laughed. “No. Most of those cowboys thought we were prostitutes. It didn’t bother us. Much. We won. We showed them we could be something else.”
“You proved it to yourselves.”
“It helped. Roxy really needed to prove she wasn’t her mother and was more like her father. Jules and I never wanted to be anything like our mom. Sonya is close to her mom. We all came from different circumstances but shared something most people can’t understand, not unless you’ve lived it.”
“Since you’ve been here, you haven’t said anything about calling your mom.”
“She likes to text. Avoids arguments and lectures. From me to her.”
Drake’s chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Do you have any plans to go back for a visit?”
She cocked up an eyebrow. “Why? Interested in visiting the Ranch?”
“No.”
She didn’t think so, but it made her smile to tease him.
“I wondered about your plans.” He didn’t drop the serious tone.
“For what?” She really didn’t know where this was going.
“The rest of your life.” The deadpan tone got her attention and made her stomach flutter with nerves.
She raised her head and set her chin on the back of her hand on his chest and looked up at him. “What are you talking about?”
He met her gaze, dead-on. “Me and you.”
“And the rest of our lives.”
He brushed his fingers through her hair. “I hope so.”
“Me, too.” Her happiness and excitement spread a smile across her face. “But where is this coming from all of a sudden? Is something wrong?” She searched his gaze for the answer.
“No. Sorry. I’m not saying this right.” Normally direct, Drake actually evaded saying what he really meant.
She didn’t like it. “Spill it, Drake.”
“I’m thinking about buying a security business instead of working full-time on the ranch.”
That unexpected revelation surprised her. “I think that’s a great idea. You’re better. You’ll keep getting better, but the constant physical labor on the ranch will probably do more harm than good for your healing process. It might even set you back. Or make it so you don’t heal as well as you should.”
He stretched his leg. “I’m tired of being tired and sore all the time. I liked planning and setting up your security system.”
He’d done an amazing job. It turned out better than she thought, even though she hadn’t really put any consideration into what she needed in the first place. “I hope we never have to use it, but I’m glad we have it.”
“I think I can take over the business and expand it with my knowledge and know-how from the military. I think customers will respect my military service and know they’re working with someone they can trust to protect their property and safety.”
“You don’t need to sell me on the idea, Drake. I think you’d be great at it. You can use the shop as a reference for new business.”
“Thanks. It’s an established business, so I’m hoping customers won’t mind the new ownership. But it’s more than just getting your recommendation. I want you to know that I have plans for the future. A job. Security. Hopefully more money, so we can renovate the cabin or buy our own place in town if that’s what you want.”
Another surprise she didn’t see coming. Not now anyway. “Really?”
“I’m tired of feeling like we’re still sneaking into each other’s beds. I want us to have our own place where we come home every night to each other.”
She wanted that more than anything. “That sounds really good.”
“Which one? The cabin or another place?”
“The cabin if you want to be close to your family and they don’t need it, or maybe somewhere between here and town. A house with a few acres so we can still ride.”
“I’ll talk to the family about the cabin and their plans. Maybe Tate or Trinity wants it. I never really asked them. Declan should have the house since he runs the ranch.”
“Maybe Tate will take the cabin. That way he and Declan have their own space but still work together.”
Drake glanced at the clock. “We’ll talk about it mo
re later. Right now, you need to get to work and I need to head over to Rambling Range for my ride with Jamie.”
She cocked up one eyebrow. “Should I be worried about your weekly dates with Jamie?”
“It’s therapy. Of sorts. Besides, she’s engaged and head over heels for her cowboy.”
“Good, because you’re mine.”
He reached under her arms and dragged her up his body and kissed her. “I love it when you say things like that.”
“I mean it.” In all this time, they’d never said “I love you” to each other. Everyone saw it between them. They both knew it. They dived into their relationship but remained reserved when it came to declaring that to each other.
Some things were worth waiting for and taking your time.
She frowned at the clock. “I have to go. Trinity will be home early tonight. I’m closing with Juliana.”
“Do you think she stayed with Mike last night?”
“She texted me when she got home ten minutes before us and said that Mike lives in a two-bedroom apartment with his mother.” At nearly thirty. Not exactly the independent, I’ve-got-my-act-together guy Juliana needed in her life. “I don’t think she’ll be seeing him again outside of work.”
“Thank God. I don’t know if I can handle another double date all about cars.”
Adria kissed his chin. “You were very sweet to invite my sister out to dinner. I appreciate the gesture and that you want to get to know her better.”
Drake’s gaze sharpened. “I do not want to know Mike better.”
She brushed her fingers over the thinner scar lines that ran down his cheek and across his jaw. Maybe now they wouldn’t remind Drake so much of what happened. Thinking about his service made her think of the others he served with. “I hope Chase had a good night.”
“You left him with meat loaf, mac and cheese, and a brownie the size of Rhode Island and a brand-new bed. I think he had everything he needed. I’m pretty sure that first bite of meat loaf made him want to keep you.”
Tough Talking Cowboy Page 23