Wild as the Wind_A Bad Boy Rancher Love Story

by Ali Parker

  She giggled through her goodbye, and once the line went dead, I hurried to the bathroom for round two in the shower.

  Chapter 26

  Lauralee

  Ted had picked me up early for work and seeing how wet things still were, I was glad he had. Walking over would have been a pain for sure and hard on my best work boots. He teased me about our previous night’s call, and I deserved the embarrassing blush that stained my cheeks. He blushed too, which was something rarely seen, and I thanked the stars again that we’d found friendship.

  Things were going good, and with any luck, they’d someday strengthen. In the meantime, we could make new memories and heal old wounds.

  My emotions were still tender over the Stutt farmhouse being destroyed, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. I wasn’t sure the place would ever be the same, and I didn’t know if I wanted to buy the land and build another house. I stewed on it all morning after Ted left me alone in the office with my thoughts and workload.

  It was right before lunch when he showed up carrying a turtle. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.” He placed the little creature in my hand, and I smiled at his cold feet tickling my palm.

  “Where’d you get him?” I stroked his little shell and peered at his tiny turtle eyes.

  “At the creek. Don’t get too attached. I’m going to take him back.” He flashed me a devilish grin. “Right after I take him in for some lunch.”

  “You better not bring him in to your mama’s table. She’ll tan your hide.” I pursed my lips and met his eyes with a scolding glance.

  “How else is he going to meet the family?” He shrugged and turned his head to the window. “You expecting anyone?”

  I glanced out the window to see Katie getting out of her Daddy’s truck. She dodged a mud hole on her way to the office and Ted hurried to hold the door open for her. “Thank you, sir.” Katie flashed a wide smile and did her stupid hair flip.

  I stood up, holding the turtle in one hand and welcoming her with the other. “What are you doing here?”

  She slipped off her scarf and leaned against the desk. “I wanted to thank you for the doors again. They were the talk of the party and worked brilliantly. Bailey told me where you were, so I thought I’d swing by instead of calling.” She cut a glance to Ted and then toward me. “What are you two up to?”

  “Ted brought me a gift from the creek.” I showed her my newest reptilian friend.

  “That’s our love child,” Ted said over my shoulder. “Isn’t he cute?”

  “He’s like his father.” Katie winked then rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I thought I’d stop by. I can’t stay.”

  “Well, thanks and anytime.” I almost clarified the anytime part was for the doors and not Ted, but I couldn’t help feeling ridiculous for being jealous.

  “I was going up to the house. I’ll walk you out.” Ted swept his arm for Katie to lead and she gave me a little wave and headed out.

  Ted stopped at the door and turned to face me. “I’ll see you in a few. Don’t be late for lunch. We’ve got a guest.” I shook my head knowing his mama was going to tan him good. He might be an adult, but if she was anything like my Granny, he didn’t stand a chance. Something in me thought he knew it too. He’d always liked to torment his mama with pranks, and they’d always managed to involve some poor, helpless critter.

  “I’ll only be a few more.” I waved him away and once they were both gone, I turned to the computer, noticing Katie’s scarf she’d left behind. “Dammit!” I grabbed the silk and peeked out the window, noticing her car was still there. I’d catch her no problem. I headed out and rounded the corner, noticing her and Ted chatting it up in the distance.

  I slowed down and noticed she had his phone. He was leaned in close, watching whatever she was doing to his phone. Was she giving him her number? I walked up, clearing my throat as she passed the phone back to him. I stayed alert as he stuffed it in his pocket without a word.

  “You forgot this. I figured you’d be gone by now.” My tone was clipped though I tried to sound natural.

  She glanced at him nervously and then shrugged. “I wanted to make sure I thanked him again for his help. It was good talking to you both.” She dropped her smile as she turned around and walked across the mucky ground.

  Ted turned and hurried into the house, taking the tiny turtle with him. Both were acting strange, and I contemplated asking Ted flat out if he got her number. I didn’t see the use. I couldn’t do anything about him seeing someone else. It was his prerogative and with our new friendship status in play, I supposed I should buckle up for a bumpy ride of him dating other girls again. Misery set in deep and I went back to the office to shut things off for lunch.

  ***

  “Theodore Ezra Dawson, you get that thing off my table!” Mama Dawson had turned a scary shade of magenta, but the rest of the family belted out in laughter, the sound filling the room until my ears ached.

  “She’s back to her old self,” said Mr. Dawson.

  Ted put the turtle into his shirt pocket and then went into the kitchen where I heard the water running. No doubt he was in there washing his hands, but he returned before the laughter died down. “I thought you’d like him, Mama.”

  “He’s beautiful, and he’d be much happier down at the creek than on my table.” His mother’s color was fading to normal which, since the cancer, had turned a much paler shade.

  Mason straightened up in his seat. “It’s good to see you’ve still got it, Mama.”

  “It will take more than cancer to kill this old bird or to take my spirit.” She flashed Mason a wink and stuffed a piece of roll into her mouth.

  Ted returned to the table beside me but didn’t pay me much mind. When dinner was over, he hurried from his place and headed out to the field to help Mason. I guess I shouldn’t feel bad. I was an employee after all, and he had better things to do than dote over me all day.

  On my way back out to the office, I noticed a car was parked where Katie’s had been and there was a woman standing by the barn entrance that led to the office. Her hair was blond, and she held herself with a certain confidence that made me suspicious. Ella spun around and smiled as I approached.

  “Hello,” she said giving me the up and down with her eyes. “I suppose you work here? Would you be a darling and ring Ted to the barn.”

  “He’s gone out to the field, is there something I can help you with?” I clenched my jaw as well as my fists at my side.

  “Did you hear me? I asked for you to call him up here. I need to speak with him about some business. I would have called, but there’s been service issues since the storm.”

  The tower on our land had been glitching and affected every phone in a hundred-mile radius.

  “Can I tell him what it’s about?” I wanted to know what the whore wanted with him and just what kind of business she and Ted still shared. I walked into the office, and she lingered by the door.

  “Tell him I’m late. That’ll get him here.” The syrupy laugh that followed gave me a sick feeling in my gut. What if Ted had gotten her pregnant? “Why you look positively green, dear. Are you feeling well?”

  “What are you doing here?”

  She spun around to face Mason, who had walked up behind her.

  “I’ve come to see your brother. It’s business and personal.” She glanced over her shoulder toward me, and Mason gave me an apologetic look.

  “He’s busy,” Mason practically snarled at the woman.

  “He’ll want to see me. I know he missed me.” She stepped up and stroked his cheek causing him to flinch away. “You miss me, don’t you, lover?”

  Mason met my eyes at about the time my jaw popped open. He’d slept with her too. The guilt averted his gaze to the floor, and he stepped back. I noticed his fists were clenched and the muscle tightened in his jaw. I’d never seen him so pissed off. “You need to leave. I’ll tell Ted you came by.”

  “No. I’ve come here on business and I’m not leavi
ng until I speak with him.” She was more insistent, and I’d listened to about enough of her demands.

  “He said leave.” I stood up straight and glared down my nose at her as her mouth popped open.

  “And who the hell are you?” She extended a sharp purple-nailed finger in my direction and turned to Mason. “Who the hell is she?”

  “That’s Ted’s wife,” said Mason, deadpan. The smirk slowly spread across his face as the anguish flared to hers.

  I stepped forward, nose to nose with her. “That’s right, and if you don’t get your bitchy blond ass back to your car, I’m going to drag you out of here by your skull.” I pushed a hard finger against her breastbone as anger burned in her eyes. The look she gave me could have sharpened daggers as she turned and pushed past Mason at the door.

  She paused on her way out. “You better hope I bleed, baby brother. I’ll own your ass.”

  Mason’s grin faded, and she glanced back at me and then turned her nose to the air and left. I watched out the window as she stumbled through the yard, avoiding puddles and disappeared into her car.

  “Don’t say a word to Ted,” said Mason, still shaken.

  “Do you think she’s bluffing? She joked about being late before you showed up. I thought she meant Ted.” I fell back into my chair.

  “Ted hasn’t had anything to do with anyone since you came back into the picture.” That made me happy, but then again, he’d asked for Katie’s number. I was certain he had. What else would she be doing with his phone?

  “Regardless of what the two of them are, I doubt he’ll like you telling her we’re married.” I only hoped Ted didn’t think I had said it and wondered if she’d try to say I did. I had played along. If word spread that he was off the market, that could work in my favor, or it could make him angry. I imagined him whoring around town trying to prove to people that he was still available.

  “He won’t care. You two can try to avoid it all you want, but it’s a given. Like the sky is blue and the grass is green. You and Ted are meant to be together.” Mason seemed so sure, but before I could ask him why he nudged me. “You should come out to Kinsey’s later with me and Ted. There’s this girl I’m after. She’s gorgeous. I want to ask her over to the table, and it would really help to have a girl around who isn’t hanging on me.”

  “What’s her name? I might know her.” I tilted my head and raised my eyebrows, but he was already shaking his head.

  “She’s new in town. I didn’t get a name, but damn. She’s fine.” He sucked air through his teeth, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

  The smile faded fast when I realized what had happened. “Mason, Ted’s going to find out. I don’t want to keep it a secret from him. Besides, she’s going to tell him. Especially if she sees us at Kinsey’s.” My nerves still shook with adrenaline. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten in her face. I’d never been so confrontational in my life, but knowing she’d had her claws in Ted had made it feel good.

  He put his hands on my arms and slid them down to take my hands. “It’s okay. Relax. I’ll get a few beers in him and explain. He’ll be okay.”

  “He’s a mean drunk.” I had a feeling his plan wasn’t as solid as he thought it was.

  “You have a point. Maybe I’ll tell him on the way.” He pulled me into a hug. “Don’t worry, okay.” He held me there a moment, but then footsteps had him pushing me away.

  As Ted walked in, I tried to act natural, but instead, he focused on his brother. “What the hell’s up with you?”

  “Nothing at all.” He glanced over toward me, and his eyes widened with panic and what seemed like an apology. Then he spun around and faced his brother. “Ella was here, and Lauralee almost whipped her ass.”

  You could have heard a pin drop, and Ted’s jaw went slack. “Why didn’t you call me?” He turned to face me with wide eyes. His hands rested on my shoulders, and I was suddenly smaller in his grip. “Did you threaten her, Lolly?” I wanted to think that anytime he used my special name that everything was right in the world, but I think he was only reminding himself not to kill me.

  He dropped his hands and then raked one through his hair. “You’ve no idea what you’ve done.”

  “She came in here talking shit to the both of us. Lauralee was only putting her in her place.” Mason stepped up to defend me, but it was a little late in my opinion, especially after that initial push in front of the bus. I glared across the room at him.

  “I’m sorry, Ted.” My shoulders slumped, and he shook his head.

  “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t know, and I should have warned you she might come around. I shouldn’t have trusted her to call me back. I should have known she’d show up here to make a scene.” He’d called her. He’d wanted her to call him back. That fact burned in my gut like hot coals.

  “I didn’t realize you had business with her, man, or I would have. She was being a real bitch, talking shit to us as well as making threats and insinuations.” Mason was speaking ninety to nothing until his brother held up his hand.

  “I said it’s okay.” He turned back to me. “I called her about Mr. Stutt’s farm. She’s his niece. I thought I told you that.”

  I searched his eyes for any sign that he was kidding and could taste the bile in the back of my throat. I wanted to puke. “I didn’t know.” Part of me wanted to be angry that he didn’t tell me, and part of me was elated that he cared so much. Even though I’d pretty much given up on the farm, now I’d obliterated any hope that was left.

  “I’m sorry. I should have told you or at least minded my own business, but when you sounded so upset on the phone last night, I wanted to see if there was a way to get a better deal now that there’s so much damage.”

  “I guess I blew it.” I’d never considered Ella wasn’t lying about having business with him that didn’t involve sex. I noticed that Mason hadn’t told him about the possibility of Ella being late with his baby but decided that I’d let it go. Besides, there was that whole “wife” thing, and maybe that one was better coming from me with a few drinks.

  Chapter 27

  Ted

  Kinsey’s was lit up like someone threw Christmas lights in a blender. The green and red illumination between the neon beer ads and the fact that someone had changed most of their overheads to green bulbs gave the place the most unflattering glow. But that wasn’t half as bad as the sound filling the room. Whoever the new girl singer was, her voice had a shrill tone that sneaked out now and then and tap danced on your spine. It was like the sound Dozer used to make when he’d chase a rabbit into a briar patch.

  Aside from the tacky ambiance there was quite a crowd. Mason, Luke, and I found our seat and waited for Lauralee to show. She’d insisted on driving herself, and I hoped it wasn’t so she could bail early. I had no intention of going home with anyone else, and if things went well enough, we’d need a room at the Dew Drop to welcome the morning sun.

  Mason kicked me under the table and motioned for the bar. “That’s her. The goddess.” His face lit up, and he plastered on a stupid grin that I’d only seen after a trip to the dentist before the anesthesia wore off. It was something between elation, pain, and wanting to puke.

  If he stared at her any harder, he’d have to marry her and then he leaned in to close the distance across our table. “Do you think Lauralee can drive you home if I score?”

  Instinct turned my head toward the entrance, or maybe it was the stupid bells, but Lauralee entered looking like an angel. Not even the shitty lighting could kill her glow or ruin her beauty. “If we’re lucky, we’ll both score.”

  “That’s why I insisted on following you two over,” said Luke, waving over the waitress. “I figured one of us should be alert tomorrow when that truck arrives.”

  Mason hiked up his shoulders and shook his head. “I do all right, and the cows don’t mind my hangovers.”

  I stood as Lauralee approached and pulled out a chair next to me. Gentleman move or not, I didn’t want her sitting next to Mason o
r Luke across the table.

  “Thank you.”

  The waitress finally showed up in Lauralee’s wake, and after we’d called out our preferences, Mason pulled her aside and interrogated her on every shred of info she had about the goddess.

  As those two chatted I turned to Lauralee, who glanced upward at the ceiling as if wondering where the strange green glow came from. “Have you seen Bailey?” She glanced my way, her shoulders slumping as she deflated. I hoped that we wouldn’t have any problems with him tonight, and I had a feeling she was worried for the same reason.

  “No, I haven’t seen him. Maybe he’s gone somewhere else tonight. Did you tell him you were coming?” He might have decided he didn’t want to hang out with his sister, but I figured that might be better left unspoken.

  “Maybe. I mean, I hope so.” She grabbed her beer off the tray as the waitress handed me mine. She made her way around the table again whispering in Mason’s ear.

  His face lit and he sat up in his seat, his back ramrod straight. The waitress patted his shoulder, clearly amused by his reaction and walked away shaking her head. Mason leaned in across the table. “I have a name.”

  “Yeah, it’s Mason Buford Dawson.” Luke covered his mouth with his beer and chuckled before taking a drink.

  Mason’s eyes widened, and he glanced across the table at Lauralee and then punched our brother in the arm. “Not my name, you ass. Hers. The goddess.”

  Lauralee placed her hand across the table toward Mason and gave him a sympathetic look. “Fear not, Buford, I’ve known your middle name since we were kids.” More laughter filled our small corner of the bar and Mason mocked us while rolling his eyes.

  “So, what is it? Aphrodite? Venus? Athena?” I stopped listing when I expended all the names of goddesses I could remember.

  “Abigail. Her name is Abigail.” He glanced across the room where his female interest of the week sat with Kinsey.

  “I hate to break it to you, but from that smile she’s wearing, I think she’s into old men.” And as soon as the words left my mouth, she jumped up, her ample breasts bouncing behind her shirt as she threw her arms around Kinsey’s neck. I glanced to Mason who narrowed his eyes and stood like he wanted to walk right over and mark his territory.