A Wild Ride (Jessica Brodie Diaries #3) (3 page)

I had to warn Adam!

In a stroke of genius, I said, “I am buying Adam’s car off him.”

“I know. He hasn’t given you a price yet.”

“How’d you know that?”

“It came up in conversation. There isn’t much he does with you that I don’t hear about. Except this.”

He had me there. Crap. Trying to fool a smart guy was a challenge.

I was going to have to go for half-truths to get out of this one. I was such a bad liar that if I tried to spin a web he would see right through it.

“Okay, look. I have a week. I am working with him on something. For you. For Christmas. But...it isn’t working out. Yet. But I have a week.”

William’s pained gaze lingered on me, obviously knowing what I was trying to find. The magical mystery candy filled bull, of course. But he was only half buying it. He was too damn smart for his own good. Or...for my sneaky ways, anyway.

“William, you asked for truth. I am giving you truth. I am not cheating on you. I have never cheated in all my life. The last person I would do that on is the only man I’ve ever really loved. Please...
please
, just trust me.”

He sighed, worry still eating away at his face. “In a week will these visits stop? Or at least be better explained?”

“You still don’t trust me.”

“I’m sorry, Jessica. I want to. I’m trying to. It’s just... I know you’re hiding something, which is not the search for a bull that I believe is in Colorado with one of my competitors.”

Huh?

“Add to that singular evening visits before I am off work, with an attractive man similar to myself, plus the silence from a longtime friend that is
also
hiding something, which I get the feeling is pretty important--it's just hard to believe.” He hung his head.

“But, William—“

“But I am going to trust you,” he finished quietly, stopping me. “I have given you the opportunity to be honest in answering my question, and you say you have, so I will trust that. Please Jessica, please...” he was pleading now. This was hurting him deeply. “Please don’t break that trust. It is the root of everything.”

He stood up, pain weeping from his heart like an open wound. I stood with him, reaching up for a hug, to be close, but he evaded. “I have to get my head in order, Jess. I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You don’t want to spend the night?”

“Not tonight.”

I started crying. I nearly just came out and told him. But, deep down, it hurt more that he wasn’t trusting me. That he didn’t believe me.

With a stern face he said good-bye and left. Fred the Doberman came and nudged me with his nose. I bent down and hugged him as the sobs came. I then ran to Gladis’s house, my land lady, but Gladis had gone out. Lady, her helper/maid/assistant, tried to console me by getting me a drink. She had a good heart, but she wasn’t the touchy-feely type.

I called Lump, who was also out. She answered on the third ring. “Hey Jess, what’s up?”

“He thinks I’m cheating.” I sobbed.

“What? Whoa. Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“William thinks I’m cheating!”

“Why? Because you have been going to Adam’s? He found out, then.”

“Not about the bull—he thinks one of his competitors in Colorado has that. Don’t know how he came up with that idea, but he knows I’ve been going over there. To Adam's.”

I could hear Lump exhale. “Okay. Did you already feed and water it for the night?”

“Yeah.”

“When do you go next?”

“Day after tomorrow.”

“No problem. Go as normal. I’ll get off work early and go with. I’ll head to Adam’s now and talk to him. Do you think William is going to go over there?”

“I don’t think so. I think he wanted to sort this out with me first.” I told her what happened and what was said.

“Harsh. This might be a bad week for you. Payoff will hopefully be good, though, if he doesn’t kill Adam before then. Okay, I’ll take care of this. We have a week. Easy. Talk to you later.”

She hung up. It was a testimony to how far she'd come with Adam that she was willing to go to his house alone. It had happened one night when each showed up to happy hour, not realizing the other would be there. Halfway through the night a song had come on that Lump absolutely loved. Adam politely asked if she would like to learn the two-step.

Two songs and a lot of laughing later, the two were talking like old friends, playful and merry. At the end of the song, for a brief moment, they held eye contact. Something unspoken was exchanged, a truce reached, before Lump dropped her eyes and quietly made her way back to her seat. Adam had watched her the whole way back, expression one of contemplation.

Since then we had the old Adam back, around all the time, laughing and carrying on. Lump was the new side kick as well, finding herself a little happier and a little more settled in with each passing day. So now, when I needed my best friend, and William’s, they would easily put their differences aside and help. Thank God!

It didn't help me currently, however. I just sat there, waiting for Gladis to get home, drinking a drink that was supposed to have vodka
and
orange juice.

William came over the next night, but held me like he was losing me. We made love like it might be the last time, his heart raw and bleeding. I very nearly told him the surprise a million times, each time opening my mouth to say it, but then closing it again. He should trust me. He should believe me. It killed me that he didn’t.

I went to Adam’s, as planned, Lump in tow, to feed the bull and look at it. I even told it how much hassle it was causing me. I ended the sermon by shaking my fist at it. It responded with a mean grunt, an evil gaze, and a trot forward. I walked away quickly. Mean little bugger.

With Lump standing guard, Adam hugged me fiercely and said, “Stay the course, Jess. You are doing the right thing. He’ll see it a’fore the end. Just stay the course.”

Each day was excruciating. William heard about each visit, causing his eyes to be mournful and his nightmares vivid. He didn’t say a word, however. Not to me, and not to Adam. He waited patiently for the end.

It broke my heart each time I set eyes on him.

Christmas day. Finally. I couldn’t take any more!

Per Adam’s request, William, Lump and I met at Adam’s ranch early to help with some horse situation or other. It was all made-up, of course, just needing to get William there.

We arrived a quiet bunch. Tension was running so high that not even Lump would try and ease it. I had gifts for everyone in the back except for the punching bag. I wrapped a picture of that, leaving the real one in Gladis’s gigantic garage.

Adam came out of the house and pointedly looked at me. He then looked at William, not bothering to hide his anger. Adam was a victim in this, also. He was the other guilty party, in William’s eyes. Except, Adam hadn’t even gotten a chance to defend himself.

William took a deep breath, pulled his chin up, and walked to meet his friend. They shook hands like strangers, Adam’s eyes on fire, William looking at the ground.

“This way,” Adam barked, shaking his head and leading the way.

We set out for the horse barn, which obscured the view to that nasty little bull. That thing looked at me with evil intent every time I went to feed it. I was keeping the blasted thing alive and it was still a big ol’ bull jerk! I was happy to give it up! More than happy.

It was a long, quiet, tense walk. Adam’s shoulders were tight and his fists clenched. William was despondent. Lump was staying the hell out of it, and my heart was thumping in my chest. I could hear each crunch of foot fall on the dirt as we made our way through farm equipment, animals and fenced in areas.

As we rounded the barn Adam stopped, motioning everyone on. William, now in the lead, gave a miserable glance around, noticed everything was already squared away, and stopped in confusion. He wouldn’t meet Adam’s eyes, so in his uncertainty he glanced around the area, probably waiting for Adam to step up and lead the way.

He looked through the barn at the cleaned out stalls, he noticed the properly hung and put-away equipment, and finally, after eight long heartbeats, his eyes landed on the mean little sucker, currently looking at us all like he was plotting our deaths.

Seriously, I wouldn’t have cried if that mean little bastard was made into hamburger!

William quirked his head into the bull’s angry stare, probably trying to figure out why a mean little bull was in a horse paddock, before he turned his whole body to face it. He dropped his head.

“I’ve been a righteous ass,” he muttered.

“You sure fuckin’ have, man!” Adam seethed. “You got no idea what that woman went through to get that for you! Spending every last cent, dressin’ up like--”

“
Adam
!” I yelled to cut him off.

Adam shook his head. “Sorry Jess, but I will have my say. It can wait, but dad-gum it I will have my say.”

Adam kicked at the ground, turning to stomp away. Two steps into it, he spun back around.

“You know, Jessica, you’re the only one that trusts me. I got that one,” he pointed at Lump, “thinkin’ I’m gunna kill her or some damn thing, when all I really wanna do is to hold her and protect her.” Lump’s eyes got wide. “Then this one,” he turned to William, who still had his head bowed, “thinkin’ I’m off with his girlfriend doin’ the unspeakable, when I would saw off my arm for either of you. Thinkin’ I would fuck up family. Fuck
that!
”

He spat, his face a livid shade of red, before turning on his heel and strutting off.

Lump went the other direction, giving William and I a moment.

“Well,” I said half-heartedly, “I really didn’t mean to bring this much drama with the gift, but Merry Christmas.”

William quietly contemplated the color of dirt. He hadn’t moved.

I thought I would just ramble on until something happened. “Lump and I
did
have to dress like sluts for that old man. So you had the slut part right, though I don’t know where you got the Colorado part. I had to tell that old guy that you were horrible, too. Hope you don’t mind. He was thinking he wasn’t going to sell it and I had to get on his side.”

I paused for a reaction. I got silence.

Please don’t dump me. Please don’t dump me.

“And I did have to come to Adam’s a lot because he made me feed and water it, and check on it. Don’t know why he couldn’t just do it, but he said I needed to take responsibility because it is technically mine—but I’ll get it transferred over when we get back to Adam’s. Lump wouldn’t do it, either—I think they were torturing me for something. Or maybe laughing at me. Actually, probably laughing at me, because that bull is a spiteful little shit and he scared the crap out of me when he stomped and threatened to come after me. I’m probably on candid camera.”

Pause. Still silence.

“You might have to stud him out, or whatever, to Adam a couple times for helping. We had to use his trailer and he said you had a good eye for ani...”

William had turned around to look at me. His eyes were glassy and he was looking like I was water to a man lost in the desert.

“Can you ever forgive me?” he said sorrowfully.

Me, having turned into a mushy girl somewhere along the way, starting crying and ran to hug him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t just tell you! I almost did a million times, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise! I worked hard to get it here and I wanted to give it to you Christmas day.”

He held me fiercely. “I will never distrust you again. I am so sorry, Jessica. I keep doing these stupid things. What a fool I was this past week. I thought you would leave me. I truly did.”

He was breathing deeply, trying to maintain control of himself. He started laughing then and pulled away.

“You are a piece of gold,” he said, stroking my hair. “How did you do this? Wait, let me go have a word with Adam first then we’ll talk about your bull.”

“
Your
bull. The papers are back at the house. It hates me. I don’t want it.”

William smiled, kissed me tenderly, then stalked off toward Adam.

Lump came back over. “Well, it worked out in the end.”

We started walking toward the bull when we heard Adam yelling. We both turned as one to see Adam’s fist connect with William’s face, sending him flying. We both ran toward Adam yelling for him to stop.

Adam stood looking down at William, William’s arms out to the sides in the dirt.

“Are you sure I deserved all that?” William asked through a cut lip. He was grinning, of all things. “You might have knocked a tooth loose.”

“Yeah, you deserved that, you egotistical asshole. If Jessica were smart she’d kick you in the nuts and leave your ass.” Adam's chest was rising and falling in a fast pant.

“She would at that. She had to deal with more than you. Don’t know why she didn’t leave me, just glad she isn’t as sensitive as you.” William chuckled.

“Yeah,” Adam said, bending down to help William up.

Lump just shook her head with a grin. “You did deserve that, Willie. I think Adam gave you one for him
and
Jessica, though.”

“Adam pull a punch? It would be nice, but it ain’t gonna happen,” William said, staggering.

We walked over to the bull.

“He’s a beaut, Willie,” Adam praised after a second. “I tried to talk Jess outta gettin’ it for ya, thinkin’ it was some harebrained idea.”

“I’m glad she’s stubborn then,” William responded, putting his arm around me. “News of me trying to get this little guy reached Donnie in Colorado. I heard he was going to come out and try to get ‘em. That’s why I thought it went to him when I couldn’t find the two sluts with four heifers between them.” He winked at Lump, who rolled her eyes.

“Thank you, love,” William said softly down to me. “This is the best present you could have given me. Too much, way too much, but better than anything. Donnie would have gotten him for sure if you didn’t act. And thanks, Lump, thank you Adam. This is huge.”