Kitabı oku: «The By Request Collection», sayfa 24
Locking the cabin door with the key his dad had given him, he headed toward the stables to explore. What he knew about horses and ranching could fit in his right hand, and it was about time to change that. Brooks didn’t want to admit to his father he’d seen the saddle side of a horse only once or twice. What did a city kid from Chicago know about riding?
Not much.
Huddled in a windbreaker jacket fit for a crisp December day in Texas, his boots kicking up dust, he came upon a set of corrals first. Beautiful animals frolicked, their groomed manes gently bouncing off their shoulders as they played a game of equine tag. They nipped at each other, teased and snorted and then stormed off, only to return to play again. They were beauties. His father’s horses.
The land behind the corrals was rich with tall grazing grass, strong oaks and mesquite trees dotting the squat hills. It was unfamiliar territory and remote, uniquely different from what Brooks had ever known.
He ducked into one of the stables. Shadows split the sunshine inside, and a long row of stalls on either side led to a tack room. The stable was empty but for a dozen or so horses. Beau had told him to check out Misty, an eight-year-old mare with a sweet nature. He spotted her quickly, a golden palomino with blond locks, not too different in color from his own.
“Hey, girl, are you and I going to get along?” The horse’s ears perked up, and she sauntered over to hang her head over the split door. “That’s a girl.” He stroked the horse’s nose and looked into her big brown eyes. “Hang on a sec,” he said and walked over to the tack area. The place smelled of leather and dust, but it was about as clean and tidy as a five-star hotel.
That told him something about his father.
“Can I help you?” A man walked out of the tack room and eyed him cautiously. “I’m Sam Braddox, the foreman.”
Brooks put out his hand. “I’m Brooks Newport. Nice to meet you.”
The man’s expression changed to a quick smile. “You’re one of Beau’s boys.”
“Yes, I am. I just got here a little while ago.”
“Well, welcome. I see the resemblance. You have your daddy’s eyes. And Beau only just this morning filled the crew in on the news you’d be arriving.”
“Thanks. I’m... I’m just trying to get acquainted with the place. Learn a little about horses.” He scratched his head and then shrugged. “I’m no horseman, but Beau wants to take me out riding one day.”
Sam studied him. “How about a quick lesson?”
“Sure.”
“C’mon. I’ll show you how to saddle up.” He led Misty out of her stall and into an open area.
“Misty’s a fine girl. She’s sweet, but she can get testy if you don’t show her who’s boss from the get-go.”
“Okay.”
The foreman grabbed a worked-in saddle and horse blanket and walked over to Brooks. “Here we go.”
Sam tossed the blanket over the horse just as one of the crew dashed in. “Hey, Boss. Looks like Candy is ready to foal. She’s having a struggle. Brian sent me to get you.”
“Okay.” Sam sighed. “I’ll be right there.” He gave Brooks a glance and set the saddle on the ground. “Sorry about this. Candy has had a hard pregnancy. I’d better get right to it.”
“No problem at all. I’ll see you later, Sam.”
“You okay here?”
“I’m gonna try my hand at it. I’ll Google how to saddle a horse.”
Sam gave him a queer look. “All right.” Then he strode out like his pants were on fire.
“How hard can this be?” Brooks said to himself.
He fixed the blanket over the horse’s shoulders, sheepskin side down, and then lifted the saddle. The darn thing weighed at least fifty pounds. He set it onto the horse and grabbed the cinch from underneath the horse’s belly.
“You’re doing it all wrong.” The female voice stopped him short. What in hell? He whipped around, uneasy about where his thoughts were heading. Sure enough, there was Ruby of his fantasies coming forward. His mouth could’ve dropped open, but he kept his teeth clamped as he tried to make sense of it. He’d just left Ruby a few hours ago, and now here she was in the flesh, appearing unfazed at seeing him again. He, for sure, wasn’t unaffected.
“Ruby?”
“Hello, Brooks.”
She practically ignored him as she went about removing the saddle like a pro—a saddle that weighed probably half her body weight—and shoving it into his arms. “The blanket has to be even on both sides. You put it on closer to Misty’s shoulders and then slide it into the natural channel of her body. Make sure it’s not too far down on her hips, either. It’s the best protection the horse has for—”
“Ruby?” He took hold of her arm gently.
She didn’t budge, didn’t face him. “I work here. I’m Look Away Ranch’s head wrangler and horse trainer.”
As if that explained it all. “Did you know who I was last night?”
Her eyes snapped up. “God, no.” She shook her head, and the sheet of beautiful raven hair shimmered. “Beau told us about you only this morning. He wanted to make sure you were really coming before he shared his news. Welcome to the family, Brooks.”
His heart just about stopped. “The family?”
She nodded. “Beau’s like a father to me.”
Brooks released the breath he’d been holding. She’d had him scared for a second that they could be related in some way. “Like a father? What does that mean?”
“My father worked for Beau all of his life, until he died ten years ago. I was sixteen at the time. It was hard on me. I, uh...it almost broke me. My dad was special to me. We both loved horses, the land and everything about Look Away, so when he passed, I couldn’t imagine my life without him. But Beau and his boys were right by my side the entire time. Beau never let a day go by without letting me know I was welcome and wanted here. He took me in and I worked at Look Away, making my way up to head wrangler.”
“You live here?”
“I have an apartment in town, but often I stay in the old groundskeeper’s cottage, especially during the holidays. It’s where my dad lived out the last years of his life. It’s home to me, too, and Beau’s family is now my family.”
Brooks nodded at this new wrinkle in his life. “What about your mother?”
“Mom died when I was very young. I don’t remember too much about her.”
“I’m sorry.” He put his hands on his hips. “So, what do we do now?”
“Now?” Her brows knit together. “What do you mean?”
“About us?”
Her olive skin turned bright pink, and her embarrassment surprised him. The Ruby he’d met yesterday had been fearless and uninhibited. “Oh, that. Well, it’d be best if we didn’t discuss what happened between us last night. Beau wouldn’t approve. It was really nice, Brooks. But not to be repeated.”
“I see.”
“Glad you do,” she said, dismissing the subject with a flip of her hair. “You want to learn how to saddle this horse correctly?”
Dumbfounded, he began nodding, not so much because he gave a damn about saddling, but because Ruby living on his father’s ranch blew his mind. “Uh, sure.”
“Okay, so the blanket has to be even and protecting the horse from the saddle.” Next this petite five-foot-something of a woman positioned the heavy saddle on her knee. “Put the stirrups and straps over the saddle seat so you don’t hit the horse or yourself by accident when you’re saddling up. Now use your leg for support and then knee it up in a whipping motion like this.” With the grace of a ballerina, she heaved the weighty saddle onto the horse’s back. “You want the saddle up a little high on the shoulders first, then slowly go with the grain of the horse’s hair to slide it into place. This way you won’t cause any ruffle to the hair that might irritate the horse later on. Proper saddling should cause your mount no harm at all. Doing it wrong can cause all kinds of sores and injuries.”
“Got it.”
Ruby gave Misty several loving pats on the shoulder. She spoke kindly to the animal, as one would to a friend, and the horse stood stock-still while she continued with a ritual she probably did every day.
Ruby adjusted the front cinch strap. “Make sure it’s not too loose or too tight. Just keep tucking until you run out of latigo. Take a look at how I did this one and you do the back one.”
“Okay, will do.” He made a good attempt at fastening the cinch, Ruby standing next to him. His concentration scattered as she brushed up against him to fix the cinch and buckle it.
“Not bad, Brooks. For your first try.”
Her praise flattered him. And her sweet scent filtering up to his nose blocked out the stable smells.
“Now that Misty is saddled, you want to make sure all buckles are locked in and all your gear is in good shape. Here’s a trick. Slide your hand under the saddle up front.” She placed her small hand under the blanket and saddle. “If your hand goes under with no forcing, you’re good to go and you know your horse isn’t being pinched tight. Isn’t that right, Misty?”
As she stroked Misty’s nose, the horse responded with a turn of her head. The two were old pals, it seemed. Ruby’s big brown eyes lifted to him. “If you want some pointers on riding, I’ve got some time.”
Mentally he winced. He had trouble focusing. He kept thinking about Ruby in his bed. Ruby naked. Ruby making love to him. Feisty, fierce Ruby. He should back away and make an excuse. Gain some perspective. But she was offering him something he needed.
Just like last night.
“Yeah, show me what you’ve got.”
She stared at him for a beat of a second, her face coloring again. They were locked into the memory of last night, when she’d shown him what she had. And it was not to be equaled. “Stop saying stuff like that, Brooks. And we’ll do just fine.”
It was good to know that she wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted him to believe.
“Right. All I can promise is I’ll try.”
* * *
Once Brooks was away from the stable and on horseback, Ruby could breathe again. She’d never expected her one-time, one-night fling to end up being Beau Preston’s long-lost son. The irony in that was killing her.
“You’re not a bad rider, Brooks,” she said to him.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He tipped the hat she’d given him to wear. He didn’t look half bad in a Stetson.
“Actually, you learn fast. You saddled up my horse pretty darn well.”
“If you’re trying to butter me up, it’s working, honey.”
“Just speaking the truth. And can you quit the endearments?”
He smiled. “You don’t like me calling you honey?”
“I’m not your honey, Brooks. Ruby Lopez never has been anyone’s honey.” Except for Trace’s at one time, but the sweetness of the term had soured along with the relationship.
They rode side by side along a path that wound around the property. She wanted out of this conversation. Brooks didn’t need to know about her lack of a love life. But for some reason, when he was around, she did and said things she normally wouldn’t.
“Ruby?”
“Hmm.”
“I find that hard to believe. There’s been no one in your life?”
“No one I care to talk about.”
“Ah, I thought so. You’ve been burned before. The guy must be a loser.”
“He isn’t.” Why on earth was she defending Trace?
“Must be, if he hurt you.”
“Remember what I told you? When you want the horse to stop, pull back on one rein. Not two. Two can toss you forward, and that’s a fight you can’t win.”
“Yeah, I remember, but why—”
“See you later, Brooks!” Ruby gave Storm Cloud a nudge, and the horse fell into a gallop. The ground rumbled underneath her stallion’s hooves, and she leaned back and enjoyed the ride, grinning.
She thought she’d left Misty and her rider in the dust, but one quick look back showed her she was wrong. Brooks wasn’t far behind, encouraging Misty to catch up. Ruby had five lengths on them, at best. But it wasn’t a race. She couldn’t put Brooks in danger. For all his courage and eagerness to learn, he was still a novice. “Whoa, slow up, Cloud.” A slight tug on the rein was all that was needed. Cloud was a gem at voice commands. Beau had given her Storm Cloud on her eighteenth birthday, and she’d trained him herself. They were simpatico.
Brooks caught up to her by a copse of trees and came to a halt. “Is that your way of changing the subject?” His mouth was in a twist.
She shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Cute, Ruby.”
“Hey, I’m impressed you caught up.”
“Because you let me.”
“Okay, I let you. But I couldn’t endanger Beau’s long-lost son.”
“One of his sons. I’ve got a twin brother.”
“Oh, no. There are two of you?” She smiled at him. This morning Beau had briefed her on all the sad events of his early life. He’d lost the woman he loved and his twins when she ran away from her abusive father. It was something Ruby had heard rumored, but it was never really spoken about in the Preston household.
“Yeah, I’m afraid so.”
She tilted her head. “Can the world handle it?”
“The world likes the Newport brothers for the most part. But the question is, can you handle it?”
“I already told you, I’m good with you being here.”
“I might be staying quite a while.”
It was time to set him straight, and she hoped to heaven she could heed her own warning. “You’re a city guy who’s out of place in the country. You run a big company, and I’m at home in a barn. You’re also the son of my best friend and mentor. The man is almost a father to me. You’d better believe I can handle it. There’s no other option, Brooks.”
He gave her a nod, his mouth turning down. “You’re right. But when I look at you and remember...”
“Don’t look at me.”
“You’re hard to miss, honey.”
Honey again? “It’s time to head back.” She didn’t wait for his reply. She turned Storm Cloud around. “Let’s go, Cloud.” With a slight nudge of the stirrup, the horse took off in a canter.
“I didn’t peg you for a runner,” Brooks called out.
But that’s exactly what she was.
This time.
With this man.
She wasn’t lying. She had no other choice.
Four
“You’re cooking?” Brooks asked Ruby as he walked into his father’s kitchen later that day.
Ruby glanced at him from her spot at the stove. She wore a black dress that landed just above her knees, fitting every curve on her body like a glove. A pink polka-dotted apron tied at the neck and waist didn’t detract from the look. Brooks was beginning to think Ruby looked sexy in everything she wore.
“I’m cooking. Beau wanted me to make you a special dinner for your first night here.”
“Do you cook every night?”
“No, that’s Lupe’s job. She’s the best cook in the county, but this recipe comes from my father’s family, and it’s something Beau likes me to cook on occasion.”
Brooks walked over to the stove. “I’m the occasion?”
She smiled. “You’re the occasion.”
He lifted the top off the enamel pot. Steam drifted up, and the scents of Mexico filled the room.
“Be careful. It’s hot,” she said, shoving a pot holder into his hand.
“What is it?”
“It’s called receta de costillas de res en salsa verde. It’s braised short ribs in tomatillo sauce.”
“Smells delicious.”
“It’s not too spicy for a gringo.” Her mouth twisted.
“You’re all the spice I can manage in his house.”
Ruby whipped her head around to the kitchen door. “Dios! Don’t say things like that,” she whispered. “I don’t like lying to Beau.”
“How did you lie?”
“It was a lie of omission. I didn’t tell him I’ve already met you.”
She’d met him and slept with him. And Brooks was having a hard time forgetting it. “He won’t hear it from me, Ruby.” He wasn’t a kiss-and-tell kind of man. “I’m starving. Can I have a taste?” he asked.
“I suppose.”
She grabbed a fork and dipped it into the stew. The meat she pierced fell easily away, and she lifted the steamy forkful up to his mouth. “Here. Tell me if it needs anything.”
Brooks looked into her dark brown eyes as she fed him a morsel. The heat on the stove didn’t compare to how he was heating up just being close to Ruby again. And then he began to chew. The seasoned meat blasted his palate with savory goodness. “Mmm. The lady can toss a man over her shoulder, ride a horse like nobody’s business and cook.”
“So, you like it?”
He nodded and stepped inches closer to her. “Is there anything you don’t do well?” She didn’t back away, and he didn’t bother pretending he wasn’t talking about her prowess in the bedroom.
She nibbled on her lower lip. “Brooks.”
He ignored her warning tone, sensing she was as caught up as he was. He leaned forward and focused on her tempting mouth.
“Well, I see you’ve met Ruby already, Brooks.”
The booming voice startled him, and he quickly stepped away. Ruby turned back to the stove, and Brooks answered his father. “Yes, I’ve met Ruby. She was kind enough to give me a taste of her stew.”
Beau nodded. “It’s a favorite of mine. I figured you might like it, too.”
He bypassed Brooks to give Ruby a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Ruby’s like a daughter to me.” He gazed warmly into her eyes, and Ruby gave him a sweet, affectionate smile. “She’s been with us since she was a tot. Her daddy was foreman around here, and Ruby grew up at the Look Away for all intents and purposes. I don’t think there’s a better horse wrangler in all of Texas, and everybody knows it.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Actually, Ruby and I went for a ride this afternoon,” Brooks said, to add something to the conversation.
“Good, good.” Beau beamed with pride. “I want you to feel comfortable on Look Away. Did Ruby teach you a few things?”
Brooks met her eyes. “More than a few things.”
The feisty Latina with the killer body blushed and put her head down to stir the stew, avoiding eye contact with him altogether now. It was clear this meal was going to be awkward, to say the least.
“My boys—your half brothers—will join us another night,” Beau commented. “They’re giving us time to get better acquainted. I hope you don’t mind it’ll just be you and me. And Ruby, of course.”
“I can give you two time alone, too, Beau,” Ruby jumped in, obviously trying to remove herself from the situation.
“I won’t hear of it,” Beau said. “Not after you cooked all afternoon for us. You’re gonna sit right down and enjoy the meal along with us, Ruby. You work too hard as it is. Tonight we’re gonna relax and get to know Brooks.”
Ruby’s gaze dimmed, and Brooks hid his amusement, but somehow Ruby knew he was laughing at her. From behind Beau’s back, she gave him the stink eye.
Now that she was at the ranch, he couldn’t imagine keeping away from her. Not touching her again was messing with his mind. He had bigger problems, but the idea of delicate, petite Ruby Lopez sitting by his side at dinner had him tied up in knots.
She was about as off-limits as a woman could get.
Brooks had never run from a challenge in his life, as old man Sutton Winchester could testify.
But Brooks was used to getting what he wanted in life.
And he was beginning to think Ruby was all that and more.
Once they were seated at the table and diving into the food, Beau asked, “So, what do you think about the ranch so far? Seeing it on horseback is a good way to gain perspective on the property, son.”
Son? Would there ever come a day when Brooks would tire of hearing his father call him that? For so many years, Brooks had wondered what it would be like to know his true father, to sit down with him and have a meal. Now he was living the reality, and it all seemed surreal. “It’s...it’s a great spread, pretty impressive.”
“And I bet Ruby picked out a good horse for you to ride.”
“He rode Misty,” she said.
“Ah, good,” Beau said, nodding. It was the horse Beau had suggested.
“You know, Brooks, Ruby learned from the best. Her daddy, Joaquin, was my foreman and head wrangler for many years.” Beau’s eyes once again touched on Ruby with affection. “It’d make me real proud and happy if you’d think of Ruby as family, son. I mean, once you two get better acquainted.”
Ruby’s olive skin flushed with color. She immediately scraped her chair back, rose from her seat and went over to open the refrigerator. “I forgot the iced tea,” she mumbled.
Beau ran a hand down his face and gave his head a shake. “Uh, sorry, honey. I forget how independent you are. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t,” she said, pouring tea into three glasses, her back to them. “I’m fine, Beau.”
Brooks’s gaze dipped to her rear end in that tight-fitting dress, her long hair falling down her back like a sheet of black silk. He wasn’t about to touch upon this subject, so he stayed silent. His father’s request only cemented his need to keep far away from Ruby, which wasn’t going to be easy since they’d be living on the ranch together now. Every time he laid eyes on the woman, something clicked inside his head. And way farther south.
Shelve those thoughts, man.
She came back to the table, delivered the drinks and scooted back into her chair.
“Thanks,” Brooks said.
“You’re welcome,” she said, giving him a quick smile.
“Yeah, thanks honey. Meal’s real delicious.”
“Yes,” Brooks added. “You’re a talented cook, Ruby.”
Among other things.
* * *
Ruby escaped the dinner early, claiming a case of fatigue and a desire for Beau to get to know Brooks on a one-on-one basis. Beau was ecstatic to have his son finally home. She saw it in his eyes, heard it in his tone. And she was truly happy for him. He’d told her he’d been haunted for years, had searched for and lamented the loss of the children he knew were out there somewhere. Now he’d been given a second chance to father them and bring them into the family.
Twins, no less.
Dios, it was weird having Brooks here. He made her nervous, and she couldn’t say that about too many things. She was a woman who usually didn’t go in for one-night flings, yet the one time she’d indulged, fate pulled a fast one on her by bringing Brooks right to her doorstep. Weren’t one-night stands supposed to be just that—secret liaisons that both parties could walk away from?
She needed to purge thoughts of Brooks Newport Preston. He’d taken up too much space in her mind today. She made a detour and walked the path to the stables. Checking in on her horses always made her feel better.
One peek inside the dimly lit stable told her all was right in the horse world at Look Away. Beau bred dozens of horses to sell, and it was her job to make sure they were healthy and happy and well-trained. She knew enough not to form an emotional attachment to most of them. She knew not to love them, because that bond was sure to be broken as soon as the sale became final. Her papa had warned her enough times when she was a young girl, and after a few pretty brutal heartbreaks, she’d learned that lesson the hard way. Now Ruby knew when to love and when not to love.
Unfortunately she hadn’t been that astute when it came to men.
But the horses in this stable weren’t in danger of being sold off. They all belonged to the Preston family, except for Storm Cloud. He was all hers.
“Hey, Cloud,” she whispered, tiptoeing to his stall. “You still up?”
Cloud wandered over to her, his head coming over the split door to say hello with a gentle nudge. “Yes, you are.” Ruby stroked the side of his face, pressing a kiss above his nose. The horse gave a little snort, and Ruby chuckled. “You want a treat, don’t you?”
She grabbed her secret stash from a bag hooked on the wall and came up with a handful of sugar cubes. “Only a few,” she said. “And let’s be quiet about it. Or the others will wake up.”
Cloud gobbled them within seconds, and Ruby spent a few more minutes with him before she said good-night. Feeling better, she walked toward the cottage she called home while she was staying on the Look Away. Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” banged out of her phone, and she glanced at the screen.
Trace?
Her heart sped up. Why was he calling now, of all times? He hadn’t had the balls to call her for six months. She’d invested almost two years in him, mainly during the off-season of the rodeo. They’d dated and had an amazing time together. But it wasn’t all fun and games on her part. She’d fallen hard for the bull rider, giving him something she’d always protected and kept safe—her heart. Yet when the rodeo started up again this year, he’d left her high and dry. He hadn’t called. He hadn’t written. A few texts in the beginning, and that had been it, for heaven’s sake. She’d spent the first months making excuses for him because the rodeo was an important part of his life. He was busy. He was focused on making a name for himself. But in the end, Ruby came to the conclusion that Trace had not only tried to make a name for himself but also made a damn fool out of her.
Carrie Underwood was about to carve her name in her guy’s leather seats, and Ruby had a mind to do that very thing to Trace’s truck if she ever saw him again. But her curiosity got the better of her. Before her cell went to voice mail, she answered the call.
“Hello.”
“Ruby? Baby, is that you? It’s Trace.”
“I know who it is, Trace. Are you bleeding or on your last breath or something?”
Silence for a few seconds, and then, “No, baby. I’m not. What I am is missing you.”
“You’re not dying and trying to ease your conscience?”
“Ruby, listen to me. I know it’s been a while.”
“A while? Is that what you call six months of deafening silence? Why are you calling me now, Trace?”
“I told you, babe. I miss you like crazy. It’s been hell on the circuit and I couldn’t think straight, so I had to close off my mind to everything but what I was trying to accomplish. I needed the space to keep my head in the game. You can ask anybody around here. They all know about you, baby. They’re sick of me pining for you. They all know I’m crazy about you.”
Ruby’s heart dipped a little. Trace was saying all the right things. He had charm and dark dastardly good looks. His voice, that deep Southern drawl, could melt an iceberg. But her wounds were deep, and she wasn’t through being mad at him. “Not good enough, Trace. I’m sorry. I’ve got to go.”
“Ruby, baby...wait.”
“I have, Trace. For too long. Good night.”
She pushed End and then squeezed her eyes shut. Pain burned through her belly, and those old feelings she’d managed to bury threatened to bust their way back up and slash her again and again.
He’s like the horse I wasn’t supposed to love.
Dios, why did he have to call her tonight?
She didn’t want to think about him anymore.
Carrie’s voice carried the same tune again, Ruby’s cell phone drowning out the night sounds and coyote calls. No, damn it. She wasn’t going to answer her phone again. No matter how many times Trace called. Her finger was ready to push the end button again. Until she saw the name flashing on the screen.
Serena.
Oh, thank goodness. She picked up quickly.
“Serena, hi,” Ruby said anxiously. “I’m glad you called. You must’ve been reading my mind.”
“Ruby, wow. Is everything all right? You sound stressed.”
“I just got a call from Trace. And yeah, I’m a little stressed. I need to talk to you.”
“Tell me. I’m listening.”
“Oh boy, it’s almost too much to explain over the phone. Can we meet for lunch tomorrow?”
“Of course, sure. That’s the reason I was calling anyway. I wanted to catch up with you. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen you. I miss my friend.”
“I miss you, too. And there’s a whole lot to catch up on. I’m buying. Root beer floats and sliders at the diner sound okay?”
“I won’t pass up that offer. I’ll see you there at noon.”
Ruby sighed. Her bestie from high school was the only one she could confide in. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Ruby didn’t have a mom or an aunt or anyone female in her family she could talk to. Without Serena, she’d have been lost. Ever since they were kids, they’d shared their secrets with each other. Ruby ended the call, feeling a little better about things. Just knowing Serena would listen and not judge her made all the difference in the world. Though they didn’t share bloodlines, they were sisters in all other respects. She’d relied on Serena’s friendship to see her through some of the really tough times in her life.
* * *
“I’m eager to show you around Look Away, Brooks. Mind if we saddle up after breakfast and take us a ride?” Beau asked on Brooks’s second morning on the ranch. “I’d love for you to see our operation.”
“Uh, sure. I’d like that,” he said, setting aside his coffee cup and patting his belly. “If I won’t break poor Misty’s back after the giant meal I just consumed. It was delicious, Lupe. I ate up everything in sight.” Breakfast had included maple-smoked bacon, ham, eggs, chile-fried potatoes and homemade biscuits with gravy. “If I keep eating like this, I’ll be as big as this house, but smiling all the way.”
Lupe gave him a nod. “Gracias, Brooks. I’m happy to cook for Beau’s son.”
“Lupe is a triple threat to all of us. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. We have to work out hard around here to avoid putting the pounds on.”
Beau’s eyes were on him—the blue in them the exact same hue as his own—and he was beaming. Having his father look at him that way humbled him and made him feel as if he belonged. Even though ranch living was foreign to Brooks, it felt damn good knowing he was welcomed and—yes—loved by this obviously decent, successful and well-respected man.
A sudden case of guilt spilled into his good mood. Would Beau approve of the tactics he’d used to bring Sutton Winchester down? Brooks hadn’t taken any prisoners on that score, too eager to exact his revenge on the man he believed had immeasurably hurt his mother and his family. Brooks had looked upon Sutton as his enemy and hadn’t held back, using all the tools at his disposal to get back at the dying man.
Ücretsiz ön izlemeyi tamamladınız.
