Roping A Cowboy (Blazing Eagle Ranch Book 2)

by Peyton Banks

  “I missed out on so much with Tyler. This baby, I’ll be there from day one. I don’t know nothing about babies.” Parker turned to Wade. There was a hint of fear and worry in his gaze. “What if I fuck this up?”

  “You won’t. Maddy won’t let you,” Wade assured him. Maddy was a wonderful mother, and Wade knew she would help calm Parker’s fears. “And neither will Tyler.”

  Parker nodded and finished his beer, throwing his empty bottle into their growing pile. He reached for another one and opened it.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Parker jerked his chin to Wade. “You’ve been acting weird today. I know why I’m stressed. What’s your problem?”

  Wade snickered. It was like his brother to sniff out when something was wrong with him. The three of them were close, and were always able to speak with each other when something was bothering them.

  He took his time trying to get his thoughts together before answering.

  “I normally don’t listen to gossip, but something has been on my mind today,” Wade admitted.

  He caught Parker up on the confrontation with Mike and what he’d shared with Wade and Stan. Parker remained quiet while Wade told him everything.

  “But I don’t know what to do. Joy isn’t like her father, just as I’m not like ours. I don’t think she would purposely try to deceive me to get land back.”

  He leaned back against the fence and stared at the sky. It was clear and picturesque. There were barely any clouds, with a few birds flying by. Even though it was later, they still had a few hours of daylight.

  “Go talk with her. Don’t assume nothing. Doing that will backfire on you,” Parker warned. He looked away and took a gulp of his drink. “Don’t be like me and lose years because of pride and shit other people said.”

  Wade winced.

  The pain was still evident in his brother’s voice. Wade didn’t know what he would have done if he had been in his shoes.

  The roar of an engine and tires eating up the gravel grabbed their attention. Wade turned to find a truck speeding down the road.

  “Who the fuck is that?” he muttered.

  “I don’t know,” Parker said.

  Wade squinted and released a curse.

  Davis Whitaker, Jr.

  The truck drew to a halt, and Junior flew out. Even from where Wade was standing, he could see Junior was in a rage.

  “You son of bitch!” Junior hollered.

  Wade and Parker stood simultaneously, dropping their bottles to the ground.

  “What the hell do you want?” Parker asked. His voice was low, but Wade knew his brother. This was the calm before the storm.

  “Your brother has been fucking my sister.” Junior pointed to Wade. “Y’all Brooks are done taking everything from my family. I’ll be damned if you use my sister.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Wade snapped. He wasn’t going to back down from the man. Junior didn’t know what he was talking about, and he was not going to come on their land accusing them of anything.

  Junior had been a thorn in Wade’s and his brothers’ sides for a long time. The guy just couldn’t leave well enough alone. He’d been badmouthing their family for years.

  “Now, hold on, Junior. No one has forced anything with Joy. She and Wade’s relationship is no one’s business.” Parker tried to be the voice of reason, but Wade could see he was holding back.

  “Ain’t no one talking to you, Parker,” Junior snarled.

  “Junior, I don’t know what you think you know—” Wade’s words were cut short from Junior’s fist landing a solid punch.

  Wade’s temper exploded.

  With a roar, he swung back, his fist landing in Junior’s side. He rushed Junior, not allowing him to regain his bearings.

  The Brooks siblings were accustomed to having to defend each other and themselves. He was certainly not going to back down from Junior.

  “Hold on a damn minute!” Parker hollered.

  Wade wasn’t listening to his brother. If Junior wanted a piece of him, then he was going to get what he wished for.

  Junior landed another one, but Wade countered with his own. His knuckles slammed into the side of Junior’s face.

  “Please, don’t!” Joy screamed.

  Hearing her voice startled Wade. He hadn’t seen her arrive.

  Junior took advantage of the distraction and landed a hook to Wade’s abdomen. The air rushed from his lungs with the force of the blow.

  Joy ran over to Wade’s side.

  “Oh my God, Wade. Are you okay?” she cried out.

  Wade stood up straight. He swayed and dragged in a deep breath. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he saw a small smear of blood.

  “I’m doing fine, baby.” He looked down and saw the worry in her eyes.

  She wrapped her arm around his waist. The feeling of her pressed against him calmed him. He didn’t want her to see him this way, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

  “Get away from him, Joy,” Junior ordered. He paced back and forth like a caged animal, glaring at them. “I can’t believe you’re spreading your legs for the fucking enemy.”

  “Shut up, Junior!” she hollered.

  “Brooks are liars and thieves,” Junior continued.

  Wade tightened his arm around Joy’s shoulders. His rage was growing as he listened to Junior spout his lies.

  “Junior, stop. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Joy sniffed, leaning her head against Wade’s chest.

  He bent down and breathed in the scent of her dark hair. Just holding her was comforting to him. He glared at Junior.

  Did the guy ever shut the fuck up?

  “I don’t? Ask your little boyfriend about last year when Dad approached their father about our land, trying to strike a deal with him. Jonah literally spat in Dad’s face.” Junior paused his pacing and faced them with his hands resting on his hips. His eyes were feral, and his gaze landed on Wade before they switched to his sister. “You are now sleeping with his son. You need to decide which side of the fence you’re going to be on, because you cannot sit on it.”

  Joy stiffened.

  Wade bit back a curse. The son of a bitch was playing the family loyalty card.

  Joy turned to him and took a step back.

  “Is that true?” she asked quietly.

  He could see the walls going up in her eyes.

  “I don’t know nothing about that.” And that was the truth. His father didn’t have to tell him or his brothers of any dealings or encounters. As long as he had breath in his body, he was the sole owner of the ranch.

  In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but hear what Mike had said.

  “I can’t tell you how many times he’d rant and rave about the Brooks family, and how y’all are land thieves who break deals.”

  Doubts crept up inside of Wade.

  If her father had been trying to get the land back, did Mike’s words have some merit?

  Was she playing him?

  No.

  There was no way the chemistry between them could have been faked.

  “He’s lying, Joy.” Junior’s voice broke through Wade’s thoughts.

  He focused on Joy’s brother. Wade’s hands clenched into fists again. He wanted to feel them land straight into Junior’s mouth to shut him up.

  “Watch it, now,” Parker said. “You are not going to come onto our land—”

  Junior pointed his finger at Parker. “You ain’t no good either. We all heard what you did to Maddy. She was way too forgiving for your sorry ass.”

  “Fuck you.” Parker moved toward Junior, but Joy jumped between them.

  “Stop!” she screamed, tears flowing down her face.

  Wade’s heart stuttered at the sight.

  “Please, just stop.”

  Parker glared at Junior.

  “Let’s go, Joy. Now,” Junior demanded.

  She looked to Wade, but he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to
come between her and her family.

  They would have to have a long talk, but now wasn’t the time. They had known eventually they would have to come clean with her family and his father. Wade didn’t know what had led to Junior taking off and coming to their ranch, but he was going to assume her family knew now.

  “Go ahead, Joy. Go home,” he said in the softest tone he could muster.

  Wade was gutted, watching her face fall and her shoulders droop.

  It was as if the fight had left her.

  She appeared defeated.

  He wanted to scream and yell for her to come to him, to take her back to his house, but he couldn’t.

  He refused to make her pick a side.

  That was what her brother was making her do.

  Didn’t Junior see how it was affecting her? It was obvious he didn’t care. All that mattered to Junior was the damn feud and keeping the line drawn between the Whitakers and Brooks.

  Wade and Joy were grown, and what they did with each other shouldn’t matter to anyone else.

  “Let’s go, Joy,” Junior repeated, his expression smug. He grinned, even with his busted lip.

  Wade narrowed his gaze on him, wanting to punch him in the throat and wipe that damn smile from his lips.

  “I’ll call you later.” Wade ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

  She nodded and walked backward, not taking her gaze from his, until finally, she turned around and followed him.

  Wade wanted to run after her, but he stood frozen, watching her leave, taking his heart with her.

  After arriving home from the brawl between Wade and Junior, Joy had locked herself in her bedroom. She couldn’t look at her family.

  They had all betrayed her.

  She rolled over in her bed and held her pillow tight to her chest. She had laid across her mattress, and had apparently fallen asleep.

  She hated when she got angry to the point of crying.

  The drive back home had been torturous. One look at Wade, and she could see he was torn.

  Walking away from him had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. She had wanted to run to him and never leave.

  But she found herself getting back inside her truck and taking the winding road back to the Fox Run.

  Glancing down at her watch, she saw it was close to midnight.

  She couldn’t believe what had happened.

  Her eyes were gritty from crying. She was frustrated with how her family reacted. Even though her father appeared to understand, he didn’t do anything to keep Junior from going to Blazing Eagle.

  Didn’t they know she could make her own decisions? Shouldn’t they trust that she had a good head on her shoulders?

  Maybe she needed to get out of the house and find her own place to stay.

  Shady Springs had a few developments for the younger population. They were trying to attract families to settle there.

  At her age, it was time she moved on. She couldn’t expect to live with her parents forever. She’d save her money. She hadn’t been mentally ready to buy, but maybe she would look for an apartment, or even a condo.

  This wasn’t a rash decision.

  It was something she knew she needed to do, and this would be the push to finally do it.

  Feeling better about herself, she swung her legs to the side of the bed. She paused there and breathed in deeply. In the morning, she would leave and go see what was available in the new part of town where they had been expanding and building a new development.

  Her stomach grumbled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten since lunch.

  Standing, she moved over to the closet. It was then she clocked that someone had come in and placed her bags from her shopping trip inside her room.

  Joy walked over to them and picked them up. She carefully removed her purchases and put them away before changing out of her clothes. Pulling out a pair of sleep shorts and a tank, she slid them on.

  Joy walked over to her door and pressed her ear to it. She didn’t feel like confronting her parents at this time of night.

  Not hearing anything, she opened the door.

  She jumped back at the sight of Lacey, Minnie, and Duke all cuddled outside her door. They all looked up at her.

  They whined and sat up.

  “Shh…” she whispered, holding a finger to her lips. She stepped over them while trying not to fall on her face. She turned and held her hand up. “Stay.”

  She took a step back, and for once, the dogs obeyed.

  They must be tired. They flopped back down on the floor.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Joy walked down the hall and headed downstairs. At this time of night, she was sure her parents would be asleep.

  She entered the kitchen and beelined for the fridge. She riffled through it, and saw a bowl of tuna fish for sandwiches. Her mother’s tuna fish was legendary. She did a little dance and pulled the bowl from the refrigerator.

  Bread.

  Turning to grab it, she yelped, finding her brother standing in the doorway. She stiffened and spun away from him.

  “What are you doing?” Junior asked.

  Joy rolled her eyes. Padding over to the counter, she placed the bowl down so she could gather the rest of the items she needed.

  “Making myself something to eat.” She continued to ignore him as she stood there scooping out tuna and spreading it over two slices of bread. If it wasn’t so late, she’d make a tuna melt. But for now, a regular sandwich would do.

  A pile of chips, and her late-night dinner was complete.

  He didn’t say a word, but she could feel his eyes on her.

  Pissed was an understatement of what she was feeling toward her brother. He had crossed a line. She wasn’t sure why he was still at the house, since he had his own place. Once in a while he stayed over if he planned to get up early to work.

  The sound of his sigh filled the air.

  She tensed when he shifted to stand next to her.

  “You can’t stay mad at me forever,” he said, nudging her with his elbow.

  Joy snorted. Apparently, her brother didn’t know her that well if he thought that.

  She moved to put the items away, but he grabbed her arm.

  She glared at him.

  “Look, I know you don’t understand, but it’s my job to protect you,” he began. “The Brookses can’t be trusted. Wade is using you. Can’t you see it?”

  “For the last time, Davis Whitaker, Jr., he’s not.” She stood close to him so he could see her eyes. She glared up at her older brother. “What’s between Wade and I is none of yours or our parents’ business.”

  “Even after hearing how Jonah basically spat in Dad’s face last year, you’re still taking his side?” He shook his head again and released her. “The town’s nose is stuck so far up the Brookses asses, no one can see them for what they truly are.”

  “And what is that, Junior?” She tossed the bowl of tuna back into the fridge. She spun around and folded her arms.

  “They are manipulators. They’re selfish. Their business sense is shrewd, and they couldn’t give a shit about the little farmers in the area.” Junior stepped close to Joy. His eyes softened, and he reached out and laid his hands on her shoulders. “They use women. You heard what Parker did to Maddy. The poor girl struggled raising their son alone, while Parker got to live the high life. Now he wants to step up? Is that the type of family you want to associate yourself with? Trust them if you want, but those Brookses are no different than their daddy. Don’t be fooled.”

  “Wade isn’t his father, and he certainly isn’t his brother,” she snapped. “If Maddy forgave Parker, who cares? That’s their life. And when did you start listening to gossip?” She brushed past him and picked up her food. She walked over to the table and sat down.

  “I’m just asking for you to trust me as your brother. You know I love you, and would go to the ends of the earth for you and Lexi. They’ve done enough to our family. I know how stubborn you are, but I’m just asking
for you to listen to me. That’s all.” His voice softened.

  She turned to him and looked him in the eye. He was right. She and Lexi had spent their entire lives having him protect them. In the back of her mind, she knew he was just doing the same thing, and it was actually heartwarming to know how much her brother loved her, and was willing to fight for her honor.

  Her heart, on the other hand, believed in Wade and what was between them. She was in love with him, and she knew he had feelings for her too.

  “Okay, I will listen.” That was the only deal she was willing to make at this point. She’d listen, but she would still make her own decisions when it came to her relationship with Wade.

  “The Country Festival is this weekend. Wanna go with us?” Junior sat next to her and stole a chip from her plate.

  She stared at him. It would be nice to go out and just relax with her siblings.

  “Who all is going?” She took a bite of her sandwich, and just as she knew it would be, it was delicious.

  “Mark, Sean, Lexi, me, and you, if you’re interested.” His best friends, along with their sister. It sounded like the normal crew when they went out.

  She needed something to take her mind off all the craziness.

  She was going to have to really think about Wade and her. She loved him, but maybe they’d rushed into everything. It might help if they stepped back and assessed what this thing between them was.

  They could breathe for a moment, and really think about what they wanted. They hadn’t mentioned the L word to each other.

  Her heart hurt, but it was going to be what was best. She was going to have to put that old saying to the test.

  If you love something, set it free. If it returns, it was meant to be…

  She didn’t even want to think of if he didn’t return to her. Joy had a lot to work on with herself, and she needed a clear mind. Her parents weren’t going to like her moving out, but they didn’t have a say on that matter.

  She was going to have to get herself together.

  She smiled. “Sounds fun. I’m in.”

  Junior grinned and took another chip.

  “Hey! If you are hungry, go make your own plate.”

  19