Jasper (Cloves County Cowboys Book 2)

by Amelia Shea

  Tripp would just have to wait.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jasper was walking out from the kitchen in mid-swig of his beer when the doorbell rang. He angled his head and stopped. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had rung it, if ever. Usually, people gave a warning knock and walked right in.

  He was expecting Kellie, who had been at Grey’s house for the past few hours going over details for the wedding. But she wouldn’t ring. Jasper set his beer on the sofa table, walked to the door, and opened it.

  Oh fuck.

  “Hi, Jasper.”

  His lips clamped shut into a straight line. What the hell was she doing here? Hadn’t she caused enough trouble a few days ago?

  “Abby.”

  She smiled and waited. What the hell was she waiting on? She couldn’t possibly think he’d invite her in, did she?

  “My dad was dropping off the papers for the sale, and I figured I’d come with him and say hi.” She looked over his shoulder. “Can I come in?”

  “I’m actually in the middle of something,” Jasper said.

  Abby stepped forward, leaving him no choice to back up. “It’ll just take a minute. Please, Jasper.” She was asking, but she walked into his house, and he was dumbfounded. Had she always been this nervy and he never realized it? He gritted his teeth, knowing this was not going to sit well with Kellie. Of course it wouldn’t, it didn’t sit well with him. Abby was making no qualms about wanting to get back with him, and it seemed she was getting more aggressive.

  “You alone?”

  “What do you need, Abby?”

  “I was just hoping I could talk to you?”

  “About what?”

  “Us.”

  “There is no us, Abby, not anymore.”

  “I miss you, Jasper.”

  Jasper snorted. “Kellie’s on her way over, Abby, and after the stunt, you pulled the other night at the bar, I don’t want her getting the wrong idea.” Jasper drew in a breath and shook his head in disgust.

  Abby rocked on her toes and gave him a slight smile. “I think we owe it to ourselves to talk about this.”

  “I don’t owe you anything.”

  She drew in a deep breath and held up her hands. “I know, that came out wrong. I just mean, after the day at my apartment six years ago, we never spoke again.

  “And I’m fine with that.”

  “Are you?”

  “Yeah. I am.”

  “Don’t you miss me even a little?”

  “What?”

  “You moved on, I get it, but isn’t there a part of you that misses what we had?”

  “It was years ago,” he shouted.

  She shrugged, and her eyes welled up. “I still miss you.”

  Jasper had heard enough. Whatever game she was playing, he refused to participate. This was insane. Six fucking years had passed. Did she really think time stood still for him while she went on and lived her life? He was finally in a good place, with a woman he loved and now Abby was missing him. Fuck no.

  “Yeah, okay, when did you start missing me, Abby? When you were cheating on me, you miss me then? Or on your wedding day, was that when you were missing me? Christ, woman, the only reason you’re here is because it didn’t work out with your husband. You don’t miss me, and you sure as hell don’t regret what you put me through.”

  Jasper stalked to her, full of rage and anger. “Took me a long time to get past what you did to me. You ripped my heart out!”

  Abby gasped, and the tears flowed. She reached out for him, but he backed away. “Jasper, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you, and you’re wrong, I regret it. Every day, I regret hurting you.” She wiped her cheeks. “I should have called, said I was sorry. I should have explained. You deserved so much more than I gave you.”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “I know now is not the time, but maybe we can sit down and talk, just hear me out.”

  “There’s nothing to say, Abby.”

  “Yes, there is. Please, Jasper. I’ll never ask you for anything again, just talk to me. I’ll meet up whenever you want, on your terms. I’m begging you, just hear me out, and if you never want to speak to me again, I’ll leave you alone, I promise.”

  Jasper stared back at her. The last thing he wanted was to hear anything she had to say. For him, they ended when he walked in on her with her future husband. But if it meant getting her out of his life for good, then it was worth listening to her. His original plan of ignoring her calls and staying away had backfired. It only fueled her aggressive pursuit. He needed to shut her down completely and end it with her. He needed to make sure he was clear that there would never be anything between them again.

  “Fine, but not now.”

  She perked up and sighed. She was misreading this, but she would see soon enough.

  “Right, Kellie will be here soon. I’ll be at the barbecue tomorrow. How about I come over a little early, and we can talk?”

  “Okay.”

  Abby smiled and walked past him. “See you tomorrow.”

  The door closed behind him, and he stood there quietly. It was hard to see the qualities in Abby he once fell in love with. She was pushy and aggressive and obviously had no respect for his relationship with Kellie. Did she really believe she could win him over? He stalked back to the kitchen, grabbing his beer from the table and finishing it off in one swallow. He tossed the bottle in the trash and grabbed his phone from the counter. He expected to see a message from Kellie, but there was nothing. He called her, but it went straight to voicemail. He texted her.

  You coming over soon? Thought you’d be here by now.

  He watched the message send and immediately read. He leaned back and watched the screen, waiting for a response. He got nothing. He knew she read it, why wasn’t she answering? He tried calling her again, but it went to voicemail.

  Jasper scrolled through his contacts and hit call.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey Britt, can I talk to Kellie?”

  “She’s not here; she left for your place ten minutes ago.”

  “Oh shit!”

  “Well, relax, Jas, it’s not like she could have gotten lost between houses. Maybe she’s down by your mom’s, did you call her?’

  “Yeah, she’s not answering.”

  “That makes no sense.”

  Jasper gripped his face, dragging his hand down. It made perfect sense if Kellie had come by when Abby was there. Jasper clicked off the phone without saying bye and rushed to his door, grabbing his keys from the hook.

  He stormed through the door and slammed into Tripp. The force knocked both brothers back. Jasper turned. “You see Kellie?”

  “Yeah, walking down the drive about ten minutes ago. I called out for her, but either she didn’t hear me, or was pretending not to.” He straightened his hat. “What happened?”

  “Not now, Tripp. Shit!” Jasper pushed past him and raced toward his truck. There was no longer a doubt, Kellie must have seen or heard something she didn’t like. God damn Abby to hell, the woman tried to ruin his life six years ago, and now she was doing it again.

  “Wait, was it ’ cause of Abby? I saw her coming up here earlier. Did something happen?” Tripp followed behind, but Jasper had no time for him. Jasper gripped the handle.

  “Jasper, hold up, what’s going on?”

  Jasper jerked around. “Abby came over wanting to talk. Shit!” Jasper ripped off his hat, slapping it against his leg. “Figuring Kellie must have come by, gotten the wrong idea, and took off. Britt said she left her house a while ago, so I’m betting on her being pissed when she came by.”

  Tripp drew in a deep breath and snorted. “You’re screwed, man.” Tripp laughed, shaking his head. “You done fucked this up.”

  Jasper took two steps and bumped his chest against Tripp’s, sending him back a step. “I didn’t do anything. Hell, I couldn’t wait to be rid of Abby. So, shut your mouth, Tripp, you got no business saying anything to me, you understand?” Jasp
er was fired up, more so than he’d ever been. Abby had done it again, and he’d let it happen. The tension in his body was making it impossible to even his breathing. His molars ground against each other in an aching pain.

  “Okay, let me go after her.”

  Jasper brows furrowed. “What?”

  “Listen, Jas, for her to storm out down the drive and leave, I’m thinking she definitely got the wrong idea. Kellie’s upset, and if I had to guess, I bet your face is the last thing she wants to see right now.” He chuckled and shrugged. “Well, second to last, Abby being first.”

  The idea she would be more willing to talk to Tripp than him was absurd. “No.” Jasper opened his truck and jumped in, but Tripp was relentless, grabbing the door when he tried to close it.

  “Please, let me do this for you guys. You may know all there is to know about ranching, but I know women. Trust me, I fucked over so many. I know what works, and what don’t. And what you’re about to do won’t work.”

  “I didn’t fuck her over,” Jasper shouted and slammed his hand against the steering wheel.

  “Not saying you did, but Kellie might not feel the same. Trust me, Jasper, let me do this.”

  Jasper stared out the windshield. It was crazy he was even considering it. He turned to Tripp. “Fine, go. But bring her back here.”

  Tripp grinned and shuffled back. “I will.”

  He watched his brother run down to the main house and jump into his truck, taking off toward the service driveway. Tripp would come up on her from the front.

  »»•««

  By the time, she made it to the end of the driveway and down the road leaving the Triple R out of sight, her feet were sore and her thighs like Jell-O. The only thing keeping her going was her pure hatred for Abby Cartwright, and her desire to get as far away from Jasper Fords as humanly possible. If she could have gotten service on her phone, she would be calling the airlines and checking availability on the next flight for Uruguay. She turned right at the gate near the road.

  She sucked at math, but if her calculations were even remotely close, she had another twenty-mile hike, which would bring her strolling into town by sunset. She centered herself on the road. Hopefully, she’d have enough time to get out of the way if a truck came rambling down the road.

  She hadn’t walked more than fifteen feet when a truck came barreling down the road. She rushed off to the side but kept her stride. She couldn’t slow down, or she’d lose her momentum. The truck slowed down as it passed, and then the gleam of the brake lights glared. She glanced over her shoulder to see reverse lights.

  There weren’t many people who drove the country roads unless they lived out this way. She could only hope it was someone she didn’t know. The last thing she needed was anybody seeing her this way. The truck halted in front of her with the guy resting his arm on the door and smiling.

  Someone shoot me, please.

  “You need a getaway car, darlin’?” Tripp chuckled and continued to reverse when she turned and walked away.

  “Go away, Tripp.”

  “And leave a damsel in distress on the side of the road? What kind of gentleman would I be if I did something like that?”

  She spun her body around and glared. “Well, you have no worries there, Tripp, because you’re not a gentleman. Now.” She flared her hands out, shooing him away. “Go away and leave me alone.”

  “Why ya being mean to me? Clearly I’m not the Fords brother that pissed you off.” He cackled, which only infuriated her more. She picked up her pace and cursed when her ankle twisted, and she stumbled over the gravel on the side of the road. She stopped, leaning over to rub her ankle.

  “Christ, now you went and got yourself hurt. Come on, Kell, I’ll give you a ride.” She heard the truck door open and the crunching of the gravel. Just go away.

  “I don’t want anything from you, jerk.” She was projecting her anger on Tripp, which wasn’t exactly fair, and she knew it. She straightened up so quickly she fell back and lost her footing, slamming down on the gravel. Her arms shot out taking the brunt of the fall, but the pain shot through her wrists like fire in her veins. She cried out.

  “Ah hell, now you done it. Jasper’s gonna have my ass if you get hurt on my watch.” He gripped her arms, and she flailed away.

  “It’s not your job to watch me, for Christ’s sake.” She pushed him away and righted herself, desperately trying to ignore the pain in her ankle.

  “Get in the truck.”

  “No.”

  Tripp sighed. “Get in the goddamn truck. Does Jas know you’re out here?’

  “No, he’s busy with his guest.”

  “Ahhh, Abby’s still trying, huh?”

  “Like a thorn in my ass,” she muttered, dusting off her jeans.

  “So what, she can try, Jasper’s not gonna give her the time. He’s got you.”

  Tripp reached for her hand, but she swatted at him. He stepped back and smiled, which only pissed her off more. There was no way she’d be able to walk back to town with her sore ankle. She relented and took a wide girth around Tripp, heading to the passenger side of the truck. “Yeah, ’cause I’m such a prize.”

  Kellie climbed in and slammed the door closed. Her eyes trailed over to Tripp. What was he up to? She may never have gone head to head with him, but his reputation for being a jerk rivaled her as being a slut. Why on earth would he go out of his way? For her?

  Kellie narrowed her eyes. “What’s gotten into you?”

  “What do ya mean?”

  “Why are you being so nice? After the shit you pulled with Britt last year, and don’t forget, I know all about you, Tripp… Why ya being so nice to me?”

  He winced and sat back in his seat. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was offended. “Hold up, when have I ever been mean to you a day in my life?”

  It was true, for all the nasty shit Tripp Fords did, all the stunts he pulled in the past and all the snarky harsh words he spewed, never once had any of it been directed toward her. Even in high school when the boys would make comments to her, he never joined in. He never defended her, but he also never uttered a word about her. She turned her head and scowled.

  “Come to think of it, you haven’t. Why is that?”

  Tripp snorted. “Can’t believe you’re throwing me death stares ’cause I wasn’t mean to you. You women are confusing as hell.” He looked away, pulling onto the road.

  “No, seriously, tell me.” Kellie adjusted her seatbelt and angled her body to face Tripp. “I should have been a prime target for you, how come you left me alone, even back in school?”

  “Maybe I’m not the asshole everyone thinks I am.”

  She snickered, shaking her head. No doubt, Tripp Fords was an asshole.

  He sighed and smirked. “Fine, you want the truth?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Remember back in the first grade? I went into the hospital for a while. Mrs. Cambry had the class make cards.” He had spent a lot of times in the hospital when they were in elementary school, a week or two every couple of months.

  “I remember, I made one for you.”

  “Yeah, you did. Well, a few years later when I went back in, my mom brought in another batch. Smaller this time, only five or six. By that time, I’d found my voice, as my mama said. A sharp tongue not appreciated by too many.”

  “Yeah, you were like a little asshole in training at the time.”

  “Yeah, well, your card was in the small batch again. Then two years later, my last run at the hospital. Damn, I hated that place.” He paused. “Anyway, my mom came in. I wasn’t expecting any cards. I was too old and made too many enemies. The kids I was hanging with weren’t exactly the card making type.” He raised an eyebrow. She remembered the group. A few had since left town. Another few were still hanging around Cloves County, following Tripp around like a posse. “My mama came in and put this little pink envelope on the rolling table. I let it sit there until she left for coffee. It ate away at me for an hour
. I was already pissed to be there, but who the hell was making me a card?”

  He glanced over, and she grinned back. When she had heard about Tripp in the hospital, she’d made it and stuck it in their mailbox.

  “I still got it, ya know.”

  “Shut up; you do not.”

  “Damn hell I do. Shoulda thanked you back then, but at that point, I was no longer in training, I had full asshole status.”

  “Why’d you save it?’

  “’Cause at the time, aside from my family, no one really cared. I mean, I made it hard for people to care, but still, reading your card, and knowing you made it, taking the time…” He shrugged. “I don’t know, made me feel like someone who didn’t have to care, did.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned, Tripp Fords, you’re not an asshole in real life, you just play one for the fine folks of Cloves County.” She emphasized her twang and laughed.

  He chuckled. “No, I’m really an asshole.”

  She stared at his profile, seeing him a new light. She of all people knew sometimes appearances were deceiving. She was living proof. Tripp didn’t say another word while driving, but her thoughts ran wild. It must have been really scary as a kid to be sick. From what Jasper said, she knew it had taken a toll on his family. Funny how she never thought about what all those hospital visits and being sick must have been like for him. For as far back as she could remember, Tripp was always a little jerk. But she never gave much thought as to how he became that way.

  She was so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t bothered looking out the windshield. Until now. The Triple R sign came into sight as he turned into the driveway. Son of a bitch. He was taking her back to Jasper’s. She whipped her head at Tripp.

  “Traitor!” she shouted.

  Any sympathy she had seconds ago died when the little prick had the nerve to laugh. She gripped the door handle, fully prepared to jump from the moving truck. It was insane and irrational, but there was no way she was going back to Jasper’s. If he wanted a little talk with Abby, then he could do it, but she wasn’t waiting around. She wasn’t playing second place, not even for Jasper.