Under the Midnight Stars (16 page)

He got out of the car and went to the passenger side of Jack’s car. He tried to open Brielle’s door, but it was locked.

Brielle sat quietly, staring straight ahead as if Colt were nonexistent.

Jack shook his head and pressed the button to unlock her door.

As soon as he heard the click, Colt opened her door and stepped forward, inserting himself between her seat and the door, ensuring she couldn’t slam it shut. He tipped his hat back and knelt down to look into her pain-stricken eyes. They were red and swollen from her tears.

“You don’t need to give me an explanation,” she said rather calmly, though her eyes remained averted. “Jack already tried. I don’t care. I don’t wanna hear it.”

Colt sighed heavily. He’d misled her, and because of it her heart was wounded. But he’d be damned if he didn’t at least attempt to mend it. He didn’t even care about his own broken heart at the moment. All he cared about was her hurt.

“Brielle, baby,” he said softly, reaching his hand out to caress her cheek.

“Don’t call me baby!” she retorted and smacked his hand away.

Colt sighed again. “Please, just hear me out. Then you can go on being angry with me. But just hear me out first.”

“Colt, I was almost raped for a
second
time,” she replied painfully.

“What do you mean, raped
for a
second
time?” Jack cut in.

She rolled her eyes.“I’ll explain on the way. Now can we just go?” She finally turned to Colt with tears in her eyes. “Colt, I can’t do this now. You lied to me. You hid things from me about who you are that I had a right to know. I would never have fallen in love with you if I had known all this from the beginning. I never want to see you again.” She sucked in a ragged breath as tears uncontrollably fell.

Colt’s heart was torn in two. She was right. He should’ve been honest with her from the start. He’d almost gotten her killed over his foolishness.

He nodded. “You’re right … I’m sorry.”

He stood, shut her door, and walked back to the car. Within seconds they were on the road to home.

Doing the speed limit made the drive home drag by. It was midafternoon by the time they finally reached the ranch.

Colt tried to talk to Brielle again, but she got out of the car and walked right past him as if he weren’t even there. Heavy-hearted, Colt watched helplessly as Brielle went inside and shut the door.

“Just give her some time,” Jack suggested.

“Looks like I don’t have a choice,” Colt replied glumly.

“Come on — I’ll give you a ride home.” Jack headed back to his car.

Colt shook his head. “Naw. I need to stretch my legs after all that driving. I’ll just cut across the properties, if you don’t mind. It’ll be quicker that way.”

Jack stopped and studied Colt for a moment. Then he hung his head and rubbed his chin, before he snapped his head up again. “Do you still need a ride into town to get your truck part?”

Colt rubbed his neck. The day’s events had exhausted him. The last thing he wanted to do was run into town. But he also didn’t want to be stranded without a vehicle.

“Give me a few minutes to go home and recharge.”

“Sounds good. I need a bite to eat too. And I have to piss like a racehorse.” Jack smirked, raising only one corner of his mouth.

Colt was glad that Jack was trying to keep it amicable between them, despite all the trouble in Dallas. He prayed that Brielle would eventually do the same.

“I hear ya, Jack. I’m about to find a tree myself. See ya in a bit.”

It only took Colt ten minutes to make the trek home. But feeling as blue as he did, it seemed much longer. All he could think of was Brielle and how he had hurt her. If he could only get her to listen long enough, he was sure this would all blow over. But how could he ever fix what Roy had done to her? It didn’t matter what reason he gave her — if he couldn’t even forgive himself for putting her in such danger, then why in the hell did he think she should forgive him?

Colt took a few minutes to rest and eat a sandwich before Jack showed up. Then, with the windows rolled down and the radio up, they drove into town to Zeke’s garage to pick up Colt’s part. On the way back home they spotted Billy in the parking lot of The Watering Spot.

“Son of a bitch,” Jack murmured hotly under his breath. He slowed and pulled into the parking lot.

“What are you doing?” Colt asked suspiciously.

“You’ll see.” Jack pulled up next to Billy’s truck and jumped out of his car.

Colt watched as Jack stalked around the front of the car, toward Billy’s truck on the other side.

Billy climbed out of his truck, not noticing Jack until he shut his door and turned around.

Colt leaned toward the open window. He didn’t know what Jack had up his sleeve, but he had a good guess that it wouldn’t end well. He rested his hand on the door latch, ready to help Jack if needed.

“Jack?” Billy asked incredulously. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Jack stared down at Billy icily. He carefully eyed Billy’s two black eyes and bandaged nose. “This.” Smirking smugly, he kicked Billy in the crotch.

“Ughhh!” Billy groaned and fell to his knees.

“Oh shit!” Colt exclaimed under his breath, wide-eyed.

Jack leaned down with fury in his eyes. “Next time you lay a hand on my sister, or even look her way, I’ll cut the fuckers off!” Then he lifted his boot to the middle of Billy’s chest and kicked him to the ground.

Billy rolled back and forth, groaning in pain.

Colt snickered in disbelief and shook his head.

“Cowardly piece of shit!” Jack spat at him before he got back into his car and sped out of the parking lot.

Brielle lay in the hammock under the stars, a firm hand over her heart, trying to keep it from breaking any further. “Mom,” she cried, “I wish you were here. I need to talk to you about something.”

Jack showed up next to the hammock holding a box of pink tissues. He handed them to her. “Don’t be sad, Brielle.”

“I can’t help it.” She sucked in a ragged breath and buried her nose in the tissue. “I miss Mom.” She continued to stare at the dark twinkling sky.

“And Colt. I know you miss him too. How many times are you gonna make me turn the poor guy away?”

“Until he stops coming over, I suppose.” She sniffled.

Jack carefully lay next to her on the hammock. He crossed one boot over the other and tucked his arms behind his head. “I never took the time to wonder what drew you and Mom out here … It’s beautiful, Brielle.”

Tears fell uncontrollably. “Yeah, it is beautiful.”

Jack let out a heavy breath. “You need to talk to Colt.”

“No!” she snapped stubbornly. “It doesn’t matter what he has to say. What’s done is done. He bought drugs. He went to jail. He’s not the kind of man I’d
ever
marry.”

“You wanted to marry him?” Jack asked, surprised.

“If he would’ve asked me.” She began to cry harder as she released her pain. “I love him, Jack. Mom said my heart and body and soul would react senselessly when I found the right man. It’s how I feel when he kisses me. I get this sensation that fills my entire being … just like she said. I even feel different when he holds my hand … or even when I just look at him. I even feel it when I just think about him. Why Jack? Why did he have to be a bad guy?
Why?
” She sucked in a ragged breath.

He pulled her to his chest and held her close. “This’ll all work itself out. You’ll see…” he replied soothingly.

It had been six days since the incident in Dallas, and Colt still hadn’t heard a word from Brielle. It seemed the harder he tried, the harder she hid herself from him. He felt as if he were living in a nightmare. Particularly the one he kept having of Brielle — the one where he’d kept trying to call her on a payphone but could never get through. He was always either dialing the wrong number or running out of change.

He trudged down the stairs, hoping a pot of coffee would give him the energy he needed to get through the day. Glancing out of the living room window at the pink hues of the sunrise, he noticed Jack’s car parked out front.

He opened the front door right as Jack was about to knock. “Good morning, Jack. What brings you by so early?”

“Thought maybe you could use some help? I was supposed to work at the lumber yard, but things are slow, I guess.” Jack tipped his hat back.

Colt grinned. “I sure could, Jack.” He stepped aside and let him in. “So how’s Brielle doing?” He tried to sound casual.

“She’s pretty torn up. I keep trying to get her to see you. But you know how stubborn she is.” He stopped and smiled a half-smile as though a thought occurred to him. “You know, she lies in the middle of the backyard in a hammock every night ’til after midnight. She likes looking up at the stars. And my dad wouldn’t even notice you were there. He’s passed out drunk as a skunk by then.”

Colt smiled appreciatively. “I’ll keep that in mind. Come on.” He swatted Jack’s back. “You can help me carry in the slabs of granite. Damn things are heavy as hell. But how’s about some coffee first?”

“Sounds good.” Jack followed him into the kitchen.

Still in bed, Brielle stared at the pink hues in the horizon, irritated that Jack woke her up early to tell her that he was going to help Colt for the day. And he didn’t even give her a chance to protest before he shut her bedroom door and rushed out of the house. She wondered how Jack could so easily forgive such a conniving, deceiving man. He’d almost gotten her raped and killed. It didn’t matter what he had to say for himself, she’d be a fool to forgive him.

She went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, appalled at the woman staring back at her. Dark circles underlined her lifeless green eyes. Her skin appeared paler than ever now, and her hair was a tangled mess. She couldn’t even remember if she’d showered within the last twenty-four hours. Heck, she couldn’t even remember brushing her teeth, for that matter.

Her pathetic reflection was just the boot in the rear she needed to snap out of her self-inflicted pity. Holding her chin high, she reached in and turned on the shower.

After Brielle showered and readied for the day, she decided to pass the time by giving the house a good scrubbing. When the house finally sparkled with cleanliness, she spent the afternoon preparing homemade beef stew and biscuits for dinner — her father’s favorite. Pleasantly surprised, her father stayed home and ate dinner with her before he left for the bar — a rare treat since her mother’s passing.

“This is just how your mother used to make it,” Roger said after he took a bite of stew.

Brielle joined him at the small breakfast table next to the kitchen window. “Thanks, Dad. I made it because I know it’s your favorite.” She smiled and dug into her meal.

He took a long swig of his beer and set the bottle back on the table. After a short silence, he let out a weary sigh. “You remind me so much of your mother.”

Brielle smiled slightly and continued to eat.

Roger cleared his throat. “You know … I’ve been thinking … I’m gonna quit drinking tomorrow.”

Brielle drew her brows together at the unexpected disclosure. She’d heard him say it before, but not in almost a year, and never with such sincerity. “Really?”

He pursed his lips and looked into his stew, as if hiding his guilt. “Really, sweetheart … I have to quit wallowing and start being a real father to you and Jack. You both deserve better. I know that you two are grown, but you still need me — so I’d like to think.”

Brielle’s heart filled with awe. She never expected this from her father. Not at this point in time. But she had secretly wished for it while lying under the stars.

She nodded. “We do still need you, Dad.”

“I’m glad. I was afraid I had lost my chance after my behavior these last two years.”

“Never,” she replied softly.

“And sitting here with you, eating as a family again … I realize that I still need you too. You and Jack both … I also want to get the ranch up and running again. I don’t think I’ll get back into the cattle business though. Maybe horses instead. I know how much your brother loves horses. Of course, I know he wants to be a firefighter — I couldn’t be more proud. But I’m hoping maybe he’d wanna help out part-time around here.”