Love All Out - The Complete Series (A Stepbrother Romance) (7 page)

Sweetheart and now dear… why can’t she just call me by my name?

I knew that my resentment towards Renee was unjustified, but I hadn’t figured out how to keep it in check. Since the rodeo, I hadn’t seen any signs that she and Daddy were dating. But I still had my suspicions.

“Thank you, Renee. I’m going to get a glass of iced tea, would you like one?”

“Actually, I brought a bottle of wine. Why don’t we have a glass before the boys get here?”

“Okay.”
Bring the alcohol on.

Renee followed me in to the kitchen, which was full of the mouthwatering aroma of Mary’s pot roast. I found a corkscrew and set two empty wine glasses on the counter. Renee opened the bottle and poured us each a generous portion.

“I hope you like red,” she said, passing me a glass. “I thought it would go well with the roast.”

“Red is fine, thank you.”

Renee raised her glass. “To new friends and a successful business.”

I clinked my glass against hers and drank half of my wine in one gulp. Renee stared at me with a concerned look on her face.

“I guess I was thirstier than I realized,” I explained, trying hard not to blush. “I think I will have that tea, would you like some?”

“No thank you, sweetheart.”

I opened the refrigerator and retrieved the tea pitcher. Renee continued talking as I moved around the kitchen.

“Willow, you have no idea what a great help your father has been with James. I’d like to return the favor. I know it must have been difficult, growing up without a mother. I want you to know that if you ever need anything, I’m here for you.”

I bristled, but forced myself to relax. “Thanks, but I have Mary. She’s been like a second mom to me,” I said as I poured my tea. That wasn’t completely true. Mary had been there to show me the basics. She taught me how to fix my hair and put on makeup. And she explained feminine hygiene products when Daddy called her in a panic the first time I got my period. But I didn’t go to her for advice.

Renee’s face turned pink and I could tell that she was embarrassed. “Oh yes, of course. It’s so nice that she’s been there for you.” She looked down at her wine glass and I felt bad for hurting her feelings.

“I’m sorry, Renee. I appreciate your offer. And I’ll remember it, if I ever need advice.”

Renee’s face brightened and a wide smile broke out on her face. “I hope you do. I always wanted a little girl. But I had a difficult pregnancy with James and the doctor said it would be best if I didn’t have any more children.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

But you better not try to act like my mother, even if I’m right and you are dating my dad.

“It’s alright, everything worked out for the best,” she replied with a dismissive wave.

We heard the front door open and my heart leapt into my chest. Renee went to greet James and Daddy. I tossed back the rest of my wine and refilled my glass. Instead of meeting everyone in the living room, I crossed the kitchen and took a seat at the table.

“There you are, sweetheart,” Daddy said as everyone walked into the room. He bent over and kissed the top of my head.

“Is everything ready for tomorrow?” I asked, smiling brightly, like I didn’t have a care in the world.

Daddy nodded. “Yes, James and I actually finished setting up the first campsite early this morning. We rode farther up the main trail and scouted a few places for the two and three day rides.”

Renee took a seat beside me while James leaned awkwardly against the door frame.

“Have a seat,” I told him. “Your mom brought wine, if you want a glass.”

James shook his head, but slid in to the chair across from me. “Cole and I have an early morning and a long day ahead of us. I don’t like to drink on the job.”

Unless you’re trying to get into someone’s pants.

Daddy pulled the roasting pan from the oven and I realized that no one had set the table.

“I’ll get us some plates and silverware,” I offered. I pushed my chair away from the table, but Renee put a hand on my knee to stop me.

“Let me get them, dear. You just relax. I’ll bring the wine in too. If the boys aren’t drinking, that means there’s more for us.”

Renee joined Daddy near the stove. Their whispers and giggles were more irritating than the scowl on James’ face.

“I haven’t seen you since we got back from the campsite,” he said in a lowered voice. “I’m not sure if you know, but I’m crashing here tonight. I’d like to talk to you, if we can get a moment alone.”

“We don’t have anything to talk about,” I whispered back. I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye.

Daddy and Renee set the table and carried in the food. I wasn’t hungry, but I knew I had to pretend for the sake of appearance. I put a small piece of roast and a spoonful of potatoes and carrots on my plate and covered it all with the juice from the roasting pan. I pushed the food around my plate as everyone carried on a conversation around me.

Daddy and James told Renee about their plans for the trail riders and she told them how she expected Glory to foal any day. Daddy and Renee made comments I didn’t understand and laughed at their inside jokes. Twenty minutes in to dinner, Renee put her hand on top of Daddy’s and I dropped my fork onto my plate.

“Willow, sweetheart. Are you okay?” Daddy asked.

“I’m not feeling very well… I think I have a migraine coming on,” I lied.

“Oh honey, why didn’t you say something?” Renee asked, her voice filled with concern. “I’m sure the wine isn’t helping. I know some great holistic remedies for migraines. You don’t happen to have any peppermint oil, do you?”

“No,” I replied, staring down at my plate.

“Well, I bet you have cinnamon.” Renee rose from her seat and rifled through the pantry. “Cinnamon and honey… that should help a little.” She took a coffee cup from the cabinet, filled it half full with hot water from the tap, and spooned in the cinnamon and honey. It struck me that she was already familiar with where everything was kept in our kitchen.

How many times has she been here? And how have I missed it?

She carried the mug to me and I drank obediently. “You should probably drink something caffeinated too,” she suggested. “Would you like me to bring you a soda?”

“Actually, I think I’ll take it to my room… if nobody minds.”

“Of course we don’t mind,” she insisted. “The dark and quiet will help you too. Why don’t you just plan on taking the day off tomorrow? Matt and I can handle the horses in the morning. And I think one of us will spend the night in the barn tomorrow. Glory’s still eating, but she’s getting awfully restless. I promise we’ll come get you if she starts to foal.”

“Thank you, Renee,” I replied, for the first time feeling sincerely grateful. “If I’m feeling better in the morning, I’ll join you and Matt at the barn.” I rose from my seat, kissed Daddy on the cheek, and told everyone goodnight.

“I’ll check in on you before I turn in,” Daddy promised.

“Thanks, Daddy. Be careful tomorrow… both of you.”

James gave me a skeptical but amused look and I knew he didn’t buy my story about my headache. I gave him a weak smile and left the kitchen.

The moment after Daddy checks on me, I’m locking my bedroom door. If James wants to talk, he can talk to himself.

Glory gave birth to a shiny red colt early the next morning. Matt called to let me know she was close and I raced down to the barn, arriving just in time to watch Renee help her deliver. I assured Renee that my head was much better and insisted that she and Matt get started on the daily chores while I saw to Glory and her baby. I spent the day in Glory’s stall, watching with wonder as the tiny colt took his first steps and acclimated to the world around him. I’d seen plenty of horses foal, but the process never ceased to amaze me. Matt volunteered to spend the night with them, but I insisted I could handle it. I went back to the house for food and supplies, and then spent the night on a cot I kept in the barn.

The next morning, Matt woke me and insisted that I go up to the house for a few hours to get some sleep in an actual bed. My back was stiff from sleeping on the cot, so I didn’t put up a fight. Renee was off for the day, but I knew Matt could handle the horses on his own for a little while.

I walked back to the house, collapsed on the couch, and turned on the television. My favorite John Wayne movie was on and I decided to rest there instead of moving on to my bedroom. Sometime during the third commercial break, I drifted back to sleep. I woke up a few hours later, took a shower, and ate a quick lunch before calling Matt.

“Hey, I’m awake if you need any help,” I offered when he answered his phone.

“You’re going to sleep down here again tonight, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you today.”

“Let’s split it,” he suggested. “You relax for a few more hours and whatever I don’t get to, you can finish up this evening.”

“Okay… call me when you’re ready to go home.”

“Will do,” he agreed.

I hung up the phone and walked aimlessly around the house for a while. It had been a long time since I had so much free time, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself. I decided to look up the stats on the rest of the Derby horses so I could gage the chances of one of mine placing in the race.

From what I read, Mondo’s chances looked better than Denver’s Pride’s. I closed the window of the racing stats, logged on to my email account, and returned messages from people who were interested in buying stud services. Before I knew it, it was late afternoon. Matt hadn’t called yet, but I decided to go down to the barn anyway. I stopped at the stables and fed Mayhem a handful of sugar cubes before moving on to the thoroughbreds.

“Hey, I was just about to call you,” Matt said as I walked into the barn. “I’m going to head home. I hope you brought a book or something, I got all the chores done already.”

“All by yourself?” I asked with wide eyes.

“Don’t look so impressed. Things have been running smoothly since Renee started working here. I did all the daily stuff, but there was nothing that needed to be caught up on.”

“Okay… I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

I hugged Matt goodbye, grabbed a paperback from my office, and pulled a folding chair into Glory’s stall.

“Let’s find a name for you little guy, shall we?” I asked the colt.

“What about Blaze? He could be Blaze of Glory.”

I was startled by James’s voice and nearly fell out of my chair. I looked up and saw him grinning down at me from the other side of the stall door.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be back so soon,” I told him.

“The guys we took riding were real city slickers. A copperhead slithered into camp last night. I killed it with a shovel, but I think that freaked them out even more. They weren’t interested in hanging out around camp this morning. When your dad and I woke up, they were already packed and ready to go,” he explained with a laugh.

“Your mom is off today, if that’s why you’re here,” I told him. I turned my attention back to my book, hoping he’d realize he was being dismissed.

“I know she’s off… that’s why I’m here.” He opened the stall door and stepped inside. “I just spent the last two days with a bunch of overweight, sweaty men. I needed to see something beautiful.”

I glanced down at the colt. “He
is
beautiful, isn’t he?” I asked innocently.

“He’s a good looking horse, but I wasn’t talking about him. And I think you know that,” James answered, his naturally deep voice growing more sultry.

“Look, James. I appreciate the compliment, but I have work to do. You should go home. I’m sure your mom is waiting to hear all about the first overnight ride.”

I thought he’d get the point that I didn’t want him there, but James was undeterred.

“Mom’s not expecting me home until after dark,” he told me. “And that cot over there looks much more comfortable than the forest floor. What do you say we test it out… see how much action it can handle before the legs collapse?” He stared at me and I knew he was picturing me naked.

“I say that’s a waste of a perfectly good cot,” I replied. I wanted him so badly, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

“Come on, Willow. You know you want to.” He stepped closer to me and crouched down next to my chair. He pushed my hair back from my face and then lifted my chin, turning my face until I was looking at him. “I felt those spasms that rocked through your body when we were together. It’s all I could think about when I was sitting in front of the fire last night. Let me see if I can make you feel even better than last time.”

I dropped the book and studied James with narrowed eyes. “I don’t know if you’ve picked up on this, but something’s going on between our parents. The last thing we need to do is sleep together again. With the way things are going, we may be related soon.”

“Nothing’s going on with my mom and Cole,” James said with a snort. “My dad will always be the love of her life. She’d never get involved with someone else, especially your father.”

“And just what the hell is wrong with my father?” I snapped.

“Nothing,” he replied with a shrug. “But he’s the complete opposite of my dad. He’s not her type.”

“Well I don’t think she’s his type either, but that doesn’t change the fact that something’s going on between them,” I insisted. “Didn’t you see the way they were laughing together Friday night… and all of the touching?”

“Mom’s an affectionate person, that’s all. And even if you’re right, things will never get serious between them. There’s no reason you and I can’t have a little more fun.”

“I’m not interested in any more of your kind of fun,” I told him. I was about to add that Renee could do a lot worse than my dad, but James’s phone rang and interrupted me.

He pulled the phone out of his pocket. “It’s Mom… she must know we’re back already.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she was the first call Daddy made when he got to the house. I told you they’re involved. You should go. She’s going to worry now that you’ve ignored her call.”

He inhaled deeply and the muscle in his jaw jumped. I could tell he wanted to argue. Instead, he said, “Okay, Willow. I’ll leave… for now. But if you change your mind about going for round two, you know how to find me.” James gave me a cocky grin and sauntered out of the barn.

***

“Hey, sweetheart. How’s the little colt doing?” Daddy asked as he came through the front door. It was Wednesday evening and I was stretched out on the couch, reading the weekly newspaper.

“He’s good,” I replied. “I still haven’t decided on a name for him.” I folded the paper and sat up. “I put a chicken in the oven about an hour ago. It should be ready soon.”

Daddy pulled off his boots and sat down in his recliner. “That sounds good. We had eleven new calves today. That puts the count at forty-seven so far. And Patches had a filly this morning. We’ve got babies all over the place.”

“Should I stay in the Mustang barn tonight?” I asked, excited as usual about new foals.

Daddy shook his head. “Dallas is going to stay with them. You need to get some rest…”

I was about to argue, but Daddy’s phone rang. He pulled it from his shirt pocket and smiled when he looked down at the screen. I suspected that the call was from Renee.

“Hello?” he answered. His smile immediately disappeared. “Slow down, Renee. Tell me what happened… oh God, where did it happen?” Daddy jumped up from his chair and started pulling his boots back on with one hand while holding the phone to his ear with the other. “Okay, just calm down. Are they taking him to the hospital in Durango or flying him to Grand Junction?”

Hospital? What’s going on? Oh God, has something happened to James?

Whatever had happened, it was clear that Daddy was in a rush to get out of the house. I leapt up from the couch, grabbed my purse, and pulled the keys to Daddy’s truck off the wall hook.

“Okay Renee, we’re on our way. Can I bring you anything?” There was a pause while he listened. “If you change your mind or there’s any news before we get there, call me back.”

“What’s going on?” I asked as he ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket. I tossed him the keys, desperate to know what had happened.

“James has been in an accident. He was at the Houser’s place. Their son, Paul, wanted to learn how to ride bulls. James was giving him a demonstration and he was hung up and then trampled.”

Horror filled my body as we raced out of the house. “He got on a field bull? Without any spotters or safety precautions?”

“Renee said he wasn’t even wearing his vest. Phil Houser didn’t want to wait for an ambulance, so he loaded him in his car and drove him to the hospital in Durango. Renee’s on her way there now. Phil told her that the doctors are working on him, but they haven’t come out with any news yet.”

Daddy fired up the truck and sped down our dirt driveway. “It’ll be a good sign if they keep him in Durango. Renee’s supposed to call us if she learns anything before we get there.”

“Yeah, I heard that part. What the hell was James thinking? Bull riding is dangerous enough in an arena, where there are wranglers on the ground and medics nearby.”

“I know sweetheart. But James is young, and I’m sure he thinks he’s invincible. Let’s just hope he survives this to learn his lesson.”

As we raced to town, I thought about the last time I saw James. I’d been so hateful, when all I’d really wanted to do was give in to my desire for him. I prayed that I’d have another chance to hold him, to feel his lips against mine. Life is too short for stupid games.

Daddy ignored the speed limit and we made the half hour drive in less than fifteen minutes. He let me out at the emergency room entrance and I raced into the hospital while Daddy parked the truck. Renee was the only person in the waiting room.

“Do you know anything yet?” I asked her. “Is he okay? Are you okay?”

Renee looked like she’d aged twenty years in the three hours since I’d last saw her. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and her entire body shook. I sat down next to her on the padded bench and she collapsed into my arms.

“Oh, Willow, they haven’t told me anything yet. The nurse promised that someone would be out to talk to me as soon as they’d evaluated all of his injuries. The longer I wait, the worse I feel. I’m so glad you’re here. I can’t do this alone.”

I rubbed her back as I held her. “I’m sure they just want to be thorough,” I assured her. “Let’s try not to worry until we know what we’re dealing with.” I knew it was a futile suggestion, but I didn’t know what else to say. I was relieved when Daddy walked through the door. His frantic demeanor during the car ride had been replaced by a comforting calmness.

“Renee,” he said softly. “Has there been any news?”

Renee released me and turned to Daddy. She wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke. “Cole, they haven’t told me anything,” she sobbed. She stood and Daddy wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Shh… it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay,” he assured her. “Sit down and let me see what I can find out.” Daddy gently guided Renee back to her seat and approached the nurse’s station. A chunky, middle aged woman with a bored look on her face greeted him with an impatient glare.

“Sir, I’ve already told your lady friend that the doctors will be out as soon as they’ve evaluated her son,” she said.

“Yes, I understand that,” he answered. He kept his tone even and gave the nurse a kind smile. “But I’m sure you can understand how worried we are. Is there any way you could check on him for us? I know we’d all feel much better if we had some idea of how much longer the doctors will need to be with him… unless you have more pressing matters to attend to, of course.” Daddy glanced around the empty waiting room and gave the nurse a pointed look.

She pressed her lips together, but her eyes softened. “I guess there’s no harm in me running back for an update… I’ll see what I can find out.” She rolled her chair away from the desk and disappeared through the double doors leading to the exam rooms.

“We’ll know something soon,” Daddy said as he rejoined us. He took a seat next to Renee and covered her hand with his.

“I don’t know what he was thinking,” she said anxiously. She was still shaking, but her tears had subsided. “I swear, if he makes it through this I’m never letting him on a bull again. I don’t care how old he is, he obviously can’t be trusted to make reasonable decisions.”

The double doors swung open and the nurse returned to the waiting room. “They’re finishing up his bandages now, and then sending him for a CT scan. The doctor will be out in just a few minutes to talk to you.”