Betting the Farm (16 page)

“No. I had a big lunch with Grace today. I can whip up an
omelet for you, though.”

“Later.” His hand slid around her waist, yanking her closer.
“Right now I’d rather make a meal of you.”

He divested her of the top before reaching for the button on
her shorts. A breathy sigh gusted over his shoulder when he eased his fingers
inside her panties and found her warm and wet.

“Empty calories.” Kai’s neck arched in pleasure and he
barely heard the words.

“Those always taste the best.”

The following Friday, Kai got a text from her mother
requesting they meet for lunch at Cottonwood Diner. Surprise over the
invitation warred with apprehension inside her belly.

Over the past week, everything surrounding the co-op project
came together without a hitch. The sign she’d ordered for above the front door
had been delivered that morning after having it tweaked a bit to suit their
location. Somehow Kai managed to keep the name she’d settled on a secret, even
from Fritz. There’d been some back and forth on the logo image before getting it
perfect, but Kai was thrilled with the end result, and she knew Ruby and the
rest of the family would love it too.

The building passed inspection and Ruby hired her neighbors
to clean it up because they needed the extra money. They did such a good job, the
place didn’t look the same. Every surface gleamed, the windows sparkled and you
could eat off the floors. They’d even scrubbed the awning out front so well it
would suffice for a while without needing to be replaced. That meant funds Kai
had budgeted for a new one could be spent on something else, thank goodness.

With the way everything had been going so smoothly over the
past month with the co-op project and her relationship with Fritz, she
should’ve known it couldn’t all be sunshine and roses forever. An occasional
storm cloud had to be weathered.

But perhaps she was dreading the talk with her mother for no
reason. Maybe Elizabeth missed her and just wanted to catch up. Put their
differences behind them and move on. She loved her mom. If only she would back
off the financially motivated matchmaking and society nonsense. Kai would even
be up for a marathon day of shopping—her mother knew no other kind—if it meant
reconciliation.

So by the time her lunch hour rolled around, she found
herself buoyed by hope. The Cottonwood was an odd choice for her mother, given
the fact that there were no linen napkins on the tables and the menus were
covered in plastic. But what it lacked in fancy amenities it made up for in
food quality and service. They served the best chicken-fried steak Kai had ever
put in her mouth, and that was saying a lot, having eaten both Ruby’s and
Lita’s fantastic Southern cooking. Even if the conversation with her mom was
tense, at least the meal would make it worth the discomfort.

The diner was crowded but then again it was Friday and
payday for most people. A lot of folks treated themselves to lunch outside the
office—wherever that may be—on the last workday of the week. She hovered near
the doorway, exchanging smiles and waves with casual friends, until Elizabeth
stood and motioned to her from the other side of a wood partitioned half-wall.

As soon as Kai rounded the corner and saw who sat at her
mother’s table, she froze in her tracks.

Phillip Rutherford.

Her face heated then went as cold as the water flowing in
Turner Creek.

Her mother hadn’t invited her to lunch to make amends. She’d
lured her into a trap where her ex-fiancé was flung at her like a grenade.

Was Elizabeth Donnelly really this conniving? Kai was having
a hard time wrapping her mind around her mother sinking to this level of
underhandedness.

While Kai stood there in a state of shock, Phillip slid out
of the booth and reached for her hand, a blinding smile on his handsome,
all-American face. His jaw was clean-shaven and there wasn’t a blond hair on
his head out of place. An odd thought struck her.
He’s wearing a goddamn
suit!
One that probably cost what all the patrons in the restaurant
collectively made in a month, and it was twelve-hundred degrees outside.

Before Kai had the good sense to resist or object, Phillip
kissed her square on the mouth then pulled her into a tight embrace. Her arms
hung limply at her sides while she tried to gather her wits about her and
overcome the shock. The smirk on her mother’s face made Kai want to growl and
throw something. At her head. Preferably a ketchup bottle or an entire pitcher
of sweet tea.

How could she do this?

And there were people watching the whole awkward thing. Of
course there were—it was the sole reason Elizabeth chose the Cottonwood Diner.
The strange choice of venue for their meeting now made perfect sense. Over in a
corner booth sat Tucker Lindley and Richie Moore, two of Fritz’s closest
friends. And they were just the ones she could make out through the red haze of
anger clouding her vision. Surely there were others. The place was packed to
the gills, with folks standing at the front door waiting for a table to clear.

Kai blinked, imagining tendrils of kudzu climbing the walls.

She snapped out of her rage-induced sluggishness and gave
Phillip a light push with her hands to put distance between them.

His grin was still a mile wide. “It’s great to see you,
Kai.”

Kai didn’t smile back because she couldn’t for fear her face
would crack and a river of tears would come gushing out. It was rude of her,
yes, but there was no reason to encourage him or make him think this was more
than what it was—a landmine. “Phillip, what are you doing here?”

His perfect façade slipped. His mouth flattened and a tiny
vertical line formed between his brows. “Why don’t you have a seat so we can
talk?”

“I don’t want to talk.” Kai leveled a glare at her mother.
“You did this on purpose?”

Elizabeth lifted her chin defiantly, the expression she wore
smug. One perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. “It’s not fun to be surprised in a
bad way, is it, Kai?”

“Wait,” Phillip started. “Kai didn’t—”

“This isn’t a surprise, it’s an ambush!”

“Well, now you know how it feels,” her mother said coldly.

Kai felt her soul wither. The anger inside her morphed into
a hurt so profound it felt as if she’d swallowed a handful of razor blades.
Tears burned the corners of her eyes. “Mom, I thought you asked me to lunch so
we could talk, maybe reconnect. I was going to
apologize
for the way you
found out about Fritz. Instead you go and pull this nasty revenge stunt against
your own daughter?”

“Who’s Fritz?” Phillip asked.

Kai ignored him. Didn’t even spare him a glance. She just
continued to stare at Elizabeth, dumbstruck, her vision blurring.

Her mother squirmed on the vinyl seat of the booth, suddenly
noticing the nosy onlookers. Kai was making a scene and Elizabeth hated being
made a spectacle of—something she likely hadn’t figured into her little scheme
of devastation.

Inside her head, Kai started a countdown. It rang in time to
the vicious pounding of her heart. In about five seconds, Elizabeth would
snatch up her ridiculously expensive purse and storm out of the diner.
Five,
four, three—

And there she went, almost knocking over a server with a
tray of drinks. When she pushed through the front door, she didn’t bother to
look back. She slid a pair of sunglasses over her eyes, her posture regal even
in a huff, and disappeared around the corner of the building.

In Kai’s periphery, Phillip shifted on his feet. Then he
brushed his hand across her back and pulled her close to his side, an intimate
gesture of comfort that only made her wince. This looked so bad, fertilizer for
that rampant gossip vine.

“Honestly, Kai. I had no idea my showing up would cause such
turmoil between you and your mother.”

Ever-diplomatic Phillip. He would make a good politician
someday. Kai sighed and glanced up at him, extracting herself from his embrace.
He’d been brought here under false pretenses too, so it was unfair of her to
blame him for what just happened. He was as blindsided as she was.

“It’s okay, Phillip. The turmoil was there before you ever
showed up. And you couldn’t have known you were being set up any more than I
did. Sorry you drove all this way for nothing.”

Kai walked away but Phillip followed after hastily tossing
money on the table. Outside on the sidewalk, he reached for her again. “Kai,
wait,
please
.”

She flinched when his fingers closed around her forearm, but
still stopped and faced him. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, finally
getting the message that he should stop touching her, and squinted in the glare
of the sun. “Can’t we at least sit down for an hour and catch up? I’ve missed
you.”

What could she say to that? The truth?
I haven’t missed
you.
I haven’t even thought about you.
No, because he didn’t deserve
to be the recipient of her bad mood. Things had ended between them rather
amicably. Phillip never raised his voice, never quarreled. Oh, he still made
sure to stress his points or objections but he hated conflict. Or at least he had
when it came to their relationship. Sometimes she wondered why he ever decided
to become a lawyer. Familial pressure most likely. One thing they
did
have in common.

“Phillip…” Kai licked her lips. “We were over two years ago,
long before I ever gave you back the ring. We don’t want the same things. We
never did, and you know that as well as I do. Aside from a few…issues with my
family, I’m happy here.”

He rocked back on his heels, nodding once. “I’m guessing
this Fritz person might have something to do with your happiness.”

Kai drew a deep breath. “He has everything to do with it.
That could change soon, once the news of what just happened reaches him.”

“Ah, so the jokes about small-town gossips are true,” he
said. “For what it’s worth, I swear I didn’t know you had a boyfriend. Your
mother said…” He paused, rubbed his smooth jaw. “Well, let’s not throw more gas
on that fire. Suffice it to say, I’m here under false pretenses and leave it at
that.”

“Again, I’m sorry you drove all this way for nothing.”

He shrugged. “At least the scenery was nice.”

It wasn’t hard to see how someone could fall hard for
Phillip. He was handsome, charming, patient almost to a fault and kind.
Standing on the sidewalk in downtown Serenity dressed in his immaculate Brooks
Brothers suit, he stood out like a pine tree in a cotton patch. But put him
back in Athens or Atlanta, amongst his professional peers or social equals, and
he blended in with the forest.

He didn’t fit Kai, though. Phillip had no apparent flaws,
other than being as bland as plain white rice. There were women who liked
bland. She didn’t. Kai needed rough edges, demanding hands and knee-weakening
kisses. She needed someone who wouldn’t think twice about having sex in the cab
of a tractor in broad daylight.

What she needed, she feared she was about to lose.

Behind Phillip, the door of the diner swung open and Richie
and Tucker stepped out onto the sidewalk. Richie looked their way and bumped
Tucker with his elbow. Kai watched their lips move as they murmured to each
other, disapproving frowns on their faces, before they strode off across the
street to their respective trucks. Chances were good one of them—if not
both—had his phone out, dialing Fritz at that very moment.

Kai sighed.

“Would it help if I talked to him?” Phillip asked, jarring
her out of her mental misery.

“Who?”

“Your boyfriend. I could explain how—”

Kai was already shaking her head. “God, no. Bad idea. I
appreciate the thought, but I’ll handle this shit storm on my own.”
Somehow.
She still had to figure that out.

Phillip gave her a weak smile. “Guess I’ll head home then.
It was good to see you, even it didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped.”

She nodded, forcing herself not to apologize for the third
time. “Drive safe.”

* * * * *

Three hours later, she found herself warming a barstool at
Sam’s, an untouched Jack and Coke sweating against her palms. Her phone sat
silent in front of her. No missed calls. No incoming texts. Did that mean by
some small miracle Fritz hadn’t been informed that she’d met a strange man in a
snazzy suit for lunch and he’d kissed and touched her as if they knew each
other more than casually? Or did it mean he was lying in wait for her back at
the barn? Could be neither. Maybe he’d brushed off the news, trusting that
she’d done nothing wrong. She hoped that would be his natural reaction, that he
would wait for a calm explanation and take it at face value.

But Fritz was owed much more than just a token explanation.
Especially given the way things had ended between them before. He was due
something more than words. He deserved a grand gesture that had real meaning
behind it.

Kai had a plan but she needed help to pull it off. So she
picked up her phone and sent a text, then curled her hands around the cool
glass and waited for a response.

“I’m tellin’ you, buddy, he kissed and touched her like they
was more’n friends.”

Fritz paced the barn, wanting to plow his fist through
something. At the moment, Richie’s jaw was a tempting target because it
wouldn’t stop flapping long enough for him to form a coherent thought.

Normally he took about ninety percent of the shit that came
out of Richie’s mouth with a grain of salt. It was no secret he liked to gossip
as much as the old women who sat around the beauty shop clucking like hens. But
this time Tucker was backing him up…mostly.

“Richie, you make it sound like he mauled her right there in
the middle of the damn diner.” Tucker glanced over at Fritz. “Dude, honestly?
Kai seemed surprised and upset. Her face went as white as a napkin, then it
looked like she had words with her mother before Mrs. Donnelly bolted outta
there like her ass was on fire.”

Eli was propped against the wheel of a tractor, his arms
crossed over his chest while he listened without comment. Fritz wanted him to
comment, but not in front of Richie and Tucker. He knew whatever his brother
had to say would help calm him down, make him see reason through the cloud of
uncertainty.

“The fancy suit followed Kai out of the diner though,
lookin’ like a lost puppy,” Richie said.

“That true, Tuck?” Fritz asked.

Tucker nodded reluctantly. “Yeah.”

“And then what?”

“He touched her again, that’s what,” Richie said.

“Goddammit, Rich, would you shut the fuck up about the
touching?”

Richie’s face flushed, but he kept quiet.

“They were talking when I drove off,” Tucker supplied.

Fritz rubbed his forehead. What did this mean? And who was
the guy? Judging by the way Richie and Tucker described him, plus he obviously
knew Kai’s mother, Fritz would hazard a guess it was the ex. But why was he
here and what did he want?

Hotshot lawyer wants her back, dumbass. Otherwise why
would he drive two hours from Athens to visit the Donnellys?

Fritz was terrified of where his thoughts were going—he was
about to lose Kai again, just when he’d grown accustomed to the fact that he
wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Just when he’d laid out his
heart.

Now he carried her around with him all day, every day. In
the cab of the tractor, in his truck, on a combine, in his dreams. Kai was
always there—a ray of sunshine and sweetness, taking care of him, giving him
every part of her, thawing the places that had iced over when she left.

He could feel the coldness trying to seep back into his
heart. The desire to fight it off was as strong as the urge to lash out at
Richie, the bigmouth messenger. All the confusion and worry swirling around
inside his brain was giving him a headache.

When he glanced over at Eli, his brother’s eyes were intent,
but all he got was a small headshake.
Don’t believe it, brother
, he
seemed to be saying
.

Christ, he didn’t want to believe she would do this to him
again. Inflict new wounds when the old ones were healed. Phantom pain stabbed
at his chest, a bitter reminder. There was an explanation. There had to be. And
he wanted to hear it, but he wasn’t going to beg for it. She would have to come
to him this time.

A series of shrill beeps broke the weighty silence inside
the barn. Eli unsnapped his phone from the plastic clip on his belt and checked
the display. He frowned, then typed out a message. Fritz wandered over to the
ancient fridge in the corner, Richie’s and Tucker’s pitying looks following him
like a swarm of bees, and grabbed a beer from inside, wishing it were something
stronger.

A memory flashed through his mind—Kai on the seat of his
truck, tipping back that bottle of whiskey, her hair a windblown tangle around
her flushed cheeks. Long bare legs swinging back and forth and her toes painted
the color of sin. Of her soft giggles and drunken confessions he didn’t expect
to hear but was glad he’d gotten anyway.

That night he had a feeling everything was about to change,
even though he didn’t want to accept the truth. Fritz had no willpower when it
came to Kai. No armor. No resistance.

He’d worked hard at building fences around his heart in the
wake of her departure, with steel posts and multiple rows of sharp barbed wire.
The night she’d stomped into Sam’s, those fences crumbled as if they were made
of toothpicks and dental floss. She’d owned his heart since eighth-grade, maybe
sooner. There was no one else like her and no way to deny the chemistry between
them.

He’d never been ashamed of being a farmer, but he’d never
been overly proud of it either. The work was hard, hot, cold, dirty and
exhausting. Not many people aspired to do this for a living, despite not having
to answer to higher ups and wear a stuffy suit, sit in a cramped office all day
and stare at a computer screen ’til his eyes burned. It was all he’d ever
known, though. All he’d ever wanted to do.

Except Kai
made
Fritz proud of what he did. She
believed in him just as strongly as she would a doctor trying to find a cure
for cancer. The day he bought the new tractor there’d been as much pride in her
expression as he’d felt rushing through his veins. Never once had she turned
her nose up at his sweaty hugs and kisses, or even hinted that he might like to
try a different profession. Good thing too, because he wasn’t suited for
anything else. And it wasn’t just him, it was his entire family. She embraced
them as though they were her own blood. Better than her own in some respects.

Fritz had watched her bloom since she’d returned to
Serenity, as surely as if he’d planted her himself. She’d been half the girl
she once was, then she began to grow, gain confidence in herself, in who she
was meant to be. Now she was this bright, bold flower, a sight to behold, and
he’d like to think he had a part in getting her there.

Eli straightened from his perch against the tractor tire,
snapping his phone back on his belt clip before jabbing a finger in Fritz’s
direction. “You stay put. Take a deep breath, drink your beer and calm the fuck
down. I’ll be back in an hour and your ass better be here waiting.”

Fritz nodded, hating himself for feeling so goddamn
vulnerable but grateful for the close brotherly bond he shared with Eli.

Richie and Tucker followed Eli out, since Fritz was in no
mood to talk.

Thank goodness Sage wasn’t around this afternoon. The last
thing Fritz needed right now was to hear his baby brother’s smug “I told you
so.” With the string on his temper fraying, it would break, and the two of them
would scrap like they’d done as teenagers. Burning off excess testosterone and
the energy of youth. There would be nobody brave or bold enough to force them
apart this time, not even Eli. No dire parental consequences for fighting.
Blood would spill, bones might snap and that particular bond could be broken
forever. Their relationship was strained enough as it was.

Which brought him back to what Tucker said about Kai’s
mother, Elizabeth. They’d had words in the middle of the diner. Was it possible
Kai was a victim of a twisted plan her mother cooked up to get her back with
her ex? He certainly wouldn’t put it past Mrs. Donnelly to try anything to get
what she wanted.

Guilt stabbed him in the gut over his wavering confidence in
their relationship. Hadn’t Kai earned his faith? Fritz rolled his shoulders and
polished off the rest of his beer. This could all be one giant
misunderstanding, cleared up by a simple phone call or conversation.

So why hadn’t it happened yet?

* * * * *

The door to Sam’s Tavern swung open, spilling sunlight
across the dusty, scuffed floorboards. Eli entered and strolled over to where
Kai sat, still nursing a watered down Jack and Coke.

He swung a long leg over a barstool and sat down, tipping
his dark head toward her drink. “That works better if you swallow it.”

Poor choice of words, considering the sexual events that had
transpired between them last Sunday. Her face flushed at the unintentional
reminder, but she managed a huff of laughter.

Eli flagged down Sam’s afternoon bartender and ordered a
beer.

“Sure you want to sit so close to me?” she asked, unable to
keep the bitter edge from her voice. “With the way talk travels in this town,
we’ll be engaged by sunset.”

“Eh, fuck it. Let ’em talk. Besides, I’m sure they’ve said
much worse things about me.” He exchanged money for his beer, then held out the
bottle for a mock toast. “Here’s to our honeymoon, darlin’. Damn shame I’m
gonna miss out on the real thing.”

The smile on her face felt good. Kai shook her head as she
touched her glass to the bottle before sipping her diluted drink.

Eli was so similar to Fritz it was disconcerting. So
familiar
.
Good looks, speech patterns, devil-may-care attitude, sex appeal oozing from his
pores like sweat. Women fell over themselves to be near him, yet somehow he
remained single. Guess the right girl hadn’t come along to steal his
bachelorhood. If and when it happened, she’d be lucky to land such a great
catch.

“So how bad is it?” she asked. No need to explain what she
meant.

He sighed. “I think he’s more confused than anything else.
It’s sorta hard to read Fritz. He does a good job of hiding his emotions around
his family and friends.”

But not with me.
Kai bit her bottom lip to stop its
trembling, drew a deep breath.

“It was Richie and Tucker, right?”

“Yup. Mainly Richie, though. Boy sure likes his gossip.”

“I figured. My mom knew what she was doing, I’ll give her
that.”

“Kai, I can’t tell you how to handle the situation with your
mother, but you have to talk to Fritz. Explain what happened. Tucker told him
the exchange with your mom in the diner looked heated.”

“
Heated
? Ha! You could’ve lit candles off my face.”

“I’m sorry.”

Her head swung his direction. “Why?”

“Because of you having to deal with that sort of shit from a
parent. It’s not supposed to be that way. I guess I take the relationship I
have with my folks for granted.”

“It shouldn’t be this hard to make them happy,” she
murmured, her throat tight.

“No, it shouldn’t. But I still say a simple talk with Fritz
will clear everything up.”

“Perhaps. But he deserves so much more than words, Eli. He’s
always deserved more. I treated him like crap when I left. I need to make this
right on all fronts, once and for all.”

He frowned. “What does that mean—all fronts?”

“Leave that part to me. I do need your help with one thing,
though.”

“Name it.” His eager willingness warmed her heart.

“Can you see that Fritz is at the new business at seven
tonight?”

A broad grin. “If I have to hogtie and drag him behind my
truck, he’ll be there.”

She slid off her barstool, the nervousness over the next
phase of her plan churning her stomach. “Thank you,” she said, then dropped a
quick kiss on his cheek.

He caught her hand and squeezed. “I want this to work as
much as you do, sugar.”