Crazy Little Thing Called Love (12 page)

“I’m not trying to take anything from you.
You never wanted any of this. You never wanted the land and the
cattle and the responsibility. If Dad hadn’t died you’d have gone
to college and got a job doing something else.”

“Yeah well, Dad did die. He died and he left
me to take care of you and Riley and mom, to take care of the
ranch. I gave up everything so there would still be a ranch to run
when you and Riley were old enough so don’t stand in my fucking
kitchen and tell me you want me to give you what’s mine.”

“I thought you’d want this.” Devin
sighed.

“Want to hand over everything I’ve worked my
ass off to create?” He picked up the beer bottle, rethought it and
slammed it back down.

“You never wanted this place. You hate the
sunup to sundown schedule. You wouldn’t even talk about buying that
land back from the Montgomery plot. It’s a good investment, a good
offer and you won’t even look at the paperwork because it’d be more
acreage you’d have to deal with.”

“That’s what this is about isn’t it? The
Montgomery land? You’re mad I said no?”

“I’m mad you wouldn’t even look at it. I’m
mad you still treat me and Riley like we’re kids instead of
business partners.”

“Fine. Take the damn land if that’s what you
want but don’t look at me and tell me that you think you’re doing
me a favor by taking the Triple Star away from me.”

“I thought you’d want this. Really, I’m not
trying to force you out Zach.”

“It’s all I have. I gave up everything for
this place. I don’t have anything else.” He snarled.

He hated having to say the words. Devin
should have known. Devin should understand even if nobody else
did.

Riley was too young those first few years to
see how hard it had been but Devin had been fourteen. He’d been old
enough to know that bills weren’t being paid. He’d been old enough
to know how close they’d come to losing everything. He’d been old
enough to see Zach had poured everything he had back into the land
to keep them going.

So how was his brother standing in his
kitchen telling him he thought walking away from it now was even an
option? Sure he’d thought for a minute it might be nice to let his
brothers take over but that was just him living in a dreamland. He
didn’t have anything else. He hadn’t gone to college. He didn’t
have any other skills than being a rancher and Devin wanted to take
that from him with some misguided notion of setting him free.

“Zach?”

“Go away Devin.” He tried to sort through the
tornado of emotions roiling in his gut.

“No.”

He looked up and met the green eyes that
looked just like his. There were photos from when they were kids
that even their mother had a hard time distinguishing which son it
was thanks to their resemblance. As adults it was still obvious
they were brothers though Devin wasn’t as tall and wore his dark
hair long around his shoulders. Looking at him was sort of like
looking at a younger, stockier version of himself. Tonight he
looked like a complete stranger.

“What’d you say?”

“I said no.” Devin crossed his arms over his
chest, “You’re taking this all wrong because you’re in a bad mood.
Calm down and think logically. I’m not trying to take the ranch
away from you. I’m trying to give you an out.”

“An out?”

“Yes. Riley and I aren’t little kids anymore.
We don’t need you to keep making all the decisions on your own.
Don’t sell us your stake in the ranch, fine. But at least let us
take on some of the responsibility; let us help you for once.”

“I don’t need any help.”

“Of course not, you’re not a stubborn son of
a bitch either I suppose.” Devin shook his head, “Just think about
it okay. Nobody’s going to take the ranch away from you. I just
thought you might want the chance to do something else with your
life. If I was wrong, I’m sorry.”

Zach took deep gulping breathes and tried to
calm down. Was he overreacting? Probably. It had been a long night
so far and he wasn’t sure where he stood on much of anything. His
brothers wanted more power in the ranch. He wanted some of the
weight off his shoulders. But that didn’t mean he’d walk away.
Ever.

“I’m not selling you my stake. I might not
have chosen this life if Dad were still around but it’s the only
one I know.”

“Fair enough.”

“But I’ll think about letting you and Riley
take on more responsibility.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

“Good. Now get out of my house, I still want
to punch something and your ugly mug is looking pretty good right
about now.”

Devin chuckled and broke through the tension
that had built up in the small room. Zach could be logical and
reasonable. He still needed to beat the crap out of something
because the frustration had built to an unbearable level but he was
calm enough to be rational and take it out on the tile floor in the
master bath instead of his younger brother.

“You didn’t hit me when I wrecked the white
dodge when I was sixteen so I doubt you’d hit me now.”

Zach snorted.

“You didn’t even hit me when I punched you
that time.” Devin smirked.

That time was a time they didn’t talk about
so Zach came back with a smartass response instead, “Reminding me
of all the times you truly deserved an ass-whipping isn’t exactly
helping.”

Devin just grinned and settled his hip
against the counter, “You mean like the time I got caught buying
beer with that fake id.”

Zach chuckled at the memory, “Or the time you
nearly burned the barn down.”

“Or the time I almost cut my hand off trying
to saw off the shotgun because I saw it on some damn TV show?”

They both laughed then and some of the weight
eased from Zach’s shoulders. Devin had been a wild one even when
their father was around. He’d started to settle down the past few
years but he’d always be “that wild West boy” to most of the people
of Fate.

Zach wouldn’t have it any other way. Devin
was his younger brother. He was allowed to run wild, do what he
wanted. He had that freedom because Zach had made sure he wasn’t
touched by the weight of responsibility too early in life. He’d
never take back any of the decisions that brought them here.

“Thanks for stopping by.” He picked his beer
back up, “I’ll think about what you said. You want an actual
beer?”

“Nah. I’ll leave you to it.” Devin shrugged
out of the doorway and grinned, “You should probably put some ice
on that situation.”

“Kiss my…”

“Yeah yeah I know.” His brother laughed, “I’m
going, just think about what I said.”

Zach watched his brother’s back as he
disappeared out the front door, the screen door slamming behind
him. Only Devin had ever been able to talk him down once his fury
hit the surface. His middle brother was a calming influence… Except
of course when he was the one driving him crazy in the first place.
Zach grabbed his beer and sucked it dry. He thought about grabbing
another but that wouldn’t even put a dent in the pounding behind
his temples so he tossed the empty in the garbage and headed down
the hallway instead.

The master bedroom was the first thing he’d
renovated in the house when his mother moved out. He’d ripped out
the carpet and conditioned the wood that lay below. He’d stripped
out the flowered wallpaper and painted the walls a cool khaki. His
parents’ furniture had been replaced with big, dark wood
pieces.

It was a man’s bedroom, the type of place
that would never be mistaken for a place a woman could inhabit. He
hadn’t set out to make it that way but that’s the way it had turned
out. A woman would never mistake it for a place to nest which was
fine by him, not that he’d ever made it a habit of bringing women
back here.

He glared at his bed and cursed Bluebell
Montgomery Carter one more time. How he could still manage to
wonder what she’d look like tangled in his sheets despite
everything that had happened tonight was beyond him. He summed it
up to the fact she’d run out on him when he’d just barely gotten
started with her and continued into the master bathroom, knowing
sleep wouldn’t come anytime soon.

The sledgehammer was already leaning against
the wall near the light switch. He’d pulled out all the cabinetry
leaving the room mostly bare. Plastic sheeting covered the shower
and tub.

Zach shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it
aside. Normally he’d switch out his nice jeans for his old worn out
work pants and boots but he simply picked up the sledgehammer and
set about creating some destruction. The hammer connected and the
tiles splintered beneath his feet.

He told Devin he’d think about the ranch
business. He told him that he would think more about the Montgomery
land and letting his brothers take more responsibility. He’d
promised to think about it but that wasn’t going to happen
tonight.

Tonight he needed to get all of his
aggravation out. He needed a distraction. He needed to forget about
everything for a little bit so he did the only thing he could. He
tore apart his bathroom and let all of the pent up anger and
frustration pour into building something new, something better.

The light pouring through the window signaled
it was morning. Blue groaned and pulled the pillow over her head.
It couldn’t be morning. She felt like she’d just barely fallen
asleep.

She’d tossed and turned with the memory of
what she’d done last night. She’d come really close to letting a
virtual stranger screw her on the hood of her car. As it was she’d
embarrassed herself more than she’d ever thought possible.

She hadn’t meant to fly apart the instant he
touched her. She hadn’t meant to let it even get that far but he’d
kissed her and she’d simply… responded. She hadn’t let herself do
that in a very long time which was why it had probably taken all of
thirty seconds for her to forget where they were.

Her only sense of relief was that nobody had
come out of the rec center and seen them. Odds were good if anyone
had the phone lines would have already heated up with the gossip.
The idea of just how juicy a fact like finding Bluebell Carter with
Zach West’s hand up her skirt in the First Baptist Church parking
lot was enough to make her nauseous.

The only saving grace was that she’d never
have to face Zach again. Just the idea of seeing him had her
thinking about things she couldn’t think about, things like the
feel of his big strong hands and that smooth smile. Odds were good
she’d never see that smile again.

He’d been really angry when she shoved him
away and tore out of that parking lot. She didn’t blame him. If she
was a guy she’d have been none too happy to be left hanging like
that.

Still, she’d been so embarrassed and appalled
by her actions she’d contemplated simply driving straight out of
town last night. She’d have done it too if she hadn’t made a
breakfast date with her father. She’d have done it if she didn’t
have one last thing to deal with.

She needed to talk to her father. She needed
to know just how sick he was since everyone in town seemed to think
it was pretty bad. She was going to have some scrambled eggs and
bacon. She was going to swallow a couple cups of coffee and then
she was going to get the hell out of Texas as fast as humanly
possible.

Texas made her crazy. Being in Fate made her
do insane things as evidenced by her behavior towards a certain
charming cowboy since the moment she hit the city limit sign. Not
seeing him ever again was just an added bonus to getting out of
dodge.

Blue rolled to her feet and ignored the
bedroom surrounding her. Nothing in her childhood bedroom had
changed since the day she waved goodbye and headed off to college.
Still, she’d never felt comfortable sleeping here so she’d sum up
her awful nights rest as much to that as her humiliation.

She pulled a robe on over her tank top and
pajama bottoms and padded down the dark wood staircase. When she
was little she’d once tried to slide down the banister. That had
resulted in a gash to her forehead and a bucket of tears. It had
also resulted in her father’s admonishment of choice.

“Bluebell, cowgirls don’t cry.”

There was the ding of dishes in the kitchen
so she followed the sound. Just as she’d expected Arlene was
hovering over the stove. She was cracking eggs and humming along to
the radio when Blue slid onto a barstool.

“Morning.”

“Good morning Bluebell. How’d you sleep?”
Arlene flipped a knob on the stove and gave her a wide smile.

“Fine.” She lied.

“You want a glass of orange juice?”

“Sure.”

She watched the older woman grab a glass and
open the fridge. Arlene was dressed in a pair of form fitting
leggings and an oversized purple tie-died shirt. Some things were
never going to change.

Just like the fact that her father was
nowhere to be found. She’d half expected to find him sitting at the
kitchen island with a cup of coffee but that would have been a
first. Despite the fact he’d promised to meet her for breakfast she
assumed he was already out in the barn.

“Your daddy told me you’d like a big
breakfast of eggs before you headed out.”

Figured. He’d given the orders but probably
forgotten they were supposed to talk. She took the orange juice
that Arlene offered and sighed.

“How’s he doing Arlene?”

“What? Oh, he’s fine sweetheart. Why do you
ask?”

“Because it seems like everybody in town told
me they hoped he was feeling better yesterday.” She frowned, “So
I’m going to ask again, how is he?”

“Well, sweetie… I…” Arlene turned back to the
pan on the stove, “I think you need to talk to your daddy about
that.”

“So something is wrong.”

She knew it. She’d known it the minute she
set eyes on him but she’d let him put her off when he said they
could talk about it before she left on Sunday. Well now it was
Sunday and he wasn’t at breakfast. She was sick of playing
nice.