by Talty, Jen
“That’s good. Because it’s not up for discussion.”
“It is now.” Luke held up his hand. “I won’t pretend to know what it’s like to have gone through what you did, but I was here when it happened. I knew Susanne too. She was a sweet girl, and I know how much the two of you loved each other.”
“Stop talking,” JD said behind gritted teeth.
“Nope. You’re going to hear this whether you like it or not.”
JD turned his back and stared at the front door. Luke might make him listen, but JD didn’t have to look at the man while he chewed him a new asshole.
“You and I, we both know pain,” Luke said.
JD wouldn’t argue that point. Luke had been through some serious shit, and JD saw firsthand how it fucked with the man’s head. JD had to admit, he wouldn’t have wanted to face that kind of evil in his life. Not that he enjoyed his demons, but there was something ultimately disturbing about having a father as a rapist and a murderer.
“We’ve both used that emotional turmoil to keep others at arm’s length, but we’ve also used it to keep ourselves in this weird position between absolute misery to the point we want to put a bullet to our head and the place where we want love and happiness and we believe we are deserving of it. When I first knew Georgia Moon was the girl for me, I—”
“When was that?” JD spun on his heels.
“Looking back, I knew the second I laid eyes on her, but I was too young and stupid to know what that meant.”
“We didn’t even own this ranch when the two of you first met.”
“Nope. I was eighteen and Georgia Moon not much younger.” Luke smiled, shaking his head. “You are so good at redirecting conversations. But if you want to go down this road. We will.” Luke took off his hat and tossed it to the chair. “I never thought I was good enough for Georgia Moon. I had my horrible secret that when I made the connection to Joanie, I knew I could never tell Georgia Moon. And honestly, I never thought the three of you would ever let me near her, so I kept my distance.”
“Yeah. We didn’t like you much.”
“What the hell did you know? You were only fifteen when I first met you,” Luke said.
“JB and I thought it was fucking creepy that you would always catch up with Georgia Moon at Joanie’s gravesite. But as the years went on, we all realized you weren’t a bad guy. That was until Bella.”
“Not my most shining moment,” Luke admitted. “I still get sick to my stomach every time I think about it.” He pointed to the window over JD’s head. “But I did it all for my sister and that amazing little boy of hers.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Luke said.
“If your father had been executed when Mark started blackmailing you and your sister, would you have gone to Robert and done what he asked?”
Luke shrugged. “I wish I could say an absolute no, but I really haven’t a clue what I would have done. You and your family don’t look at us differently, but the few people who knew when we were little, they stared at us and were even afraid of us. Can you imagine what that is like for a twelve-year-old? I don’t want that for my nephew.”
JD nodded. He wouldn’t want that for Tony either. “That’s fair enough.”
“Listen. My sister is a smart woman. She’ll sense the distance, and she’ll poke and prod until she—”
“I told her everything,” JD blurted out. “She knew before anything happened between us. I might be broken, but I’m not that big of an asshole.”
“I see.” Luke removed his hat from the chair and replaced it with his butt. “Wow. I didn’t see that coming. Georgia Moon said she didn’t think you’ve told anyone since some bar fight that happened years ago.”
“That would be about right. I don’t like talking about it, but considering everything, I thought Annette should know, especially since I’m helping out with Tony, and sometimes I just don’t know what to do with that kid.”
Luke laughed. “You’re a natural.”
“He’s an easy kid to like.”
“Yeah, he is.” Luke leaned back in the chair and crossed his leg. “So, let me get this straight. You care about my sister, but you’re not going to continue to be with her after tonight because you still can’t get over the past.”
“I can’t go all in,” JD admitted. “I wish I could, especially with Annette.”
“Because of Tony.”
“That’s not the only reason, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that being with someone who has a child is slightly terrifying for a lot of reasons. All of that said, Annette is a grown woman, and for the record, we’ve had all sorts of conversations, and if it makes you feel any better, I’m not stringing her along, using her, or lying to her about anything.”
“Actually, it does.”
“Okay. Now can we please get to the reason you woke me up so I can go back to bed?” JD asked.
“Oh. Right.” Luke stood. “It’s good and bad news.”
“Lay it on me.”
“The bad news is Ron is still MIA. The good news is the cops can prove it was his gun that killed Coco.”
“The worse news is he’s still missing, and that means Annette is still in a lot of danger, and we don’t really know why Ron went off the rails. This is not like him at all.”
“JB’s coming back early, and he thinks, and I agree, we should have a little chat with Veronica and Bull,” Luke said. “I was thinking that I can take care of that conversation with Bull today because my pickup needs new brakes.”
“JB can’t talk to Veronica. That would be bad,” JD said.
“But I might be able to when I go into town and to the jewelers.”
JD cocked his head. “Why would you go to a jewelry store?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I might be in the mood to buy a diamond or something.” Luke shrugged.
“You’re kidding, right? Does my sister know about this?” JD asked.
“Of course Georgia Moon knows. You really think I’d go buy her a fucking engagement ring without her permission, much less without letting her pick it out? That’s a good way to end up sleeping in the bull pen, and that’s never going to happen. Not in my relationship.” Luke jogged down the steps, waving his hat in the air. “Now, in your relationship with my sister, you are definitely going to end up with the wild horses, or totally alone, if you don’t get your head out of your ass.”
“I like my head up there.”
“Of course you do,” Luke said. “Keep my sister safe. I already called security and asked them to put extra people around this area, but watch your back.”
“Will do. Let me know if you hear anything.”
“And tell my sister that hickeys are so two thousand and ten.”
JD smacked the side of his neck. “She didn’t,” he mumbled.
Luke glanced over his shoulder. “It’s not there.”
“What the?” JD looked down at his stomach at a big red circle not far from his belly button. Two more were strategically placed a little lower. He suspected there were more where others would never see.
“God, embarrassing you is too much fun,” Luke said.
“Just remember payback is a bitch.”
9
“Bye, Mama!” Tony waved wildly while he sat on the front of Luke’s horse.
“Bye, baby.” Annette blew her son a kiss. “You be good for your Uncle Luke and do exactly what he tells you to do.”
“I will.”
Annette lay back on the blanket and stared at the bright-blue sky. In the last few years, her life had taken many ugly twists and turns, but since she and her brother landed back on Whiskey Ranch, things had been looking up.
However, since she got out of bed this morning, she wasn’t so sure about her future anymore. When she woke, JD had already gone downstairs and started breakfast. At first, she’d thought that sweet, but as the morning progressed, she realized how uncomfortable JD had become in her presence. She gave him credit for t
rying to act as if he were emotionally engaged, but she knew he was pulling back and that maybe she was going to just have to let him go.
“He’s so good with Tony,” Georgia Moon said.
“My brother is going to make an awesome dad someday.” Annette did her best to rid her mind of all things JD.
“He sure is,” JD said, twirling the stupid toothpick he almost always sported around in his mouth. He leaned against a big tree with his legs crossed at the ankles. “I haven’t taken a day off like this in years. It feels weird, especially with JB and JW gone.”
“It is Saturday. The office is technically closed,” Annette said.
“He always works Saturdays.” Georgia Moon plopped herself down on the blanket and tossed a grape at her brother. “And Sundays. He hasn’t taken a vacation day in probably ten years.”
“Someone has to keep this place running at a decent profit,” JD said.
“I think that would be me with my mad management skills.”
JD burst out laughing.
Georgia Moon tossed another grape.
Annette was grateful for the reprieve in awkwardness. But she knew as soon as she and JD were left alone, the topic would need to be broached. No need to let this shit hang in the air very long. Besides, she needed to protect her heart, and her son’s. JD would be her protector until this Ron business was taken care of, but then she was back to doing it on her own.
Completely on her own.
Why she thought she’d be okay with letting a man in her bed again didn’t make sense anymore. She’d been a burden to her brother her entire life. On Whiskey Ranch, she had a chance to carve out her own little world for her and her son, and she could do that without relying on anyone. If she didn’t do a good job, JD would fire her; that was for damn sure. The Whiskey family might be a reasonable group, but they demanded excellence, and while they rewarded hard work, they didn’t tolerate anything less than a hundred percent loyalty.
JD’s laugh was cut short. “What the fuck?”
“What’s wrong?” Annette asked as she pushed herself to a sitting position with her good arm. She glanced across the yard and groaned when she saw Ellie’s convertible turn down the long driveway. “Your girlfriend’s back.”
“Seriously? She’s not my girlfriend, and you know it,” JD said with real venom dripping from his words. He tossed his Stetson and yanked his shirt over his head. He stood tall, adjusting his belt buckle. “This might let both of you know where you stand in my life.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Georgia Moon asked.
Annette gasped, staring at her artwork like a doe in headlights.
“Making a point,” JD said, looping his fingers into his belt. “One that I can’t seem to make without getting tongue-tied or putting my fucking foot in my damned mouth.”
“What kind of…oh my.” Georgia Moon glanced between her brother and Annette. “Is that your doing?”
“I plead the fifth.” Annette’s cheeks burned about as hot as JD’s turned red.
“As much as I’d like to watch how this plays out,” Georgia Moon said. “I think I’ll go saddle up and join Luke and Tony on that trail ride.” Georgia Moon jumped to her feet. She patted JD’s shoulder. “For the record, I’ve never liked Ellie.”
“I know. You’ve made that very clear,” JD said. “And for the record, she and I are more than over for good. I’ve seen the error in my ways.” He stared directly at Annette, holding her gaze with a question in his eyes.
Only she wasn’t sure what he was questioning.
“That makes me really happy,” Georgia Moon said.
“Maybe I should go with you.” Annette rolled to her knees, making it easier to get to a standing position.
In a matter of seconds, JD was by her side. “No. I’d rather you stay here with me. If you don’t mind.”
“Not if I’m going to be some kind of prop to make her go away.”
“I think the hickeys on my gut are props enough,” JD said with a chuckle.
“I’m seriously getting the hell out of here.” Georgia Moon pulled her Stetson over her eyes and took off in what could only be described as a trot.
Annette flipped her hair over her shoulders. “I’m serious. I won’t let you use me to hurt her.”
“I’m not trying to hurt her. I thought I made myself clear the other day when I told her she and I were done. I don’t want her showing up here unannounced, thinking it’s acceptable.”
“So, you think showing off hickeys from another woman is the way to do that? Don’t you think that’s immature and stupid?”
“Are you going to make me put my shirt on?”
“I think it would be a good idea,” Annette said.
“All right.” JD found his V-neck and pulled it over his head. It hugged his muscles like a second skin, leaving nothing to the imagination. “But I don’t know how to get it into Ellie’s head that I’m not her booty call anymore without telling her that there’s someone else.”
“Based on the weirdness between us today, I’m thinking there isn’t really someone else in your life.” She raised up on her tiptoes, looking over his shoulder. “She just got out of the car, and we don’t have enough time to have this chat.”
“No. We don’t. But there is definitely someone else in my life. I’m just not sure how to navigate all that I’m feeling and thinking, and to be totally honestly, part of me wants to get a plane headed for the other side of the earth.”
She had to appreciate his honesty, but her response to it would have to wait. “Hello, Ellie,” she said.
“Annette.” Ellie nodded her head. “JD, can I speak to you for a moment?”
“I’m busy right now,” JD said matter-of-factly. “You should have called first.”
“It’s important,” Ellie said.
“All right. Go ahead.” JD plucked the toothpick from his mouth. “What’s so important you had to drive all way out here.”
“I think you’re going to want me to do this privately,” Ellie said.
“Anything you have to say you can say in front of Annette.”
Ellie adjusted her purse strap over her shoulder. “This concerns her.”
“Then I should be here when you tell him.” Tired of the entire situation, Annette wrapped her arm around JD’s waist. She didn’t want him to use her, but she’d use herself. Anything to get this woman gone so she could finish the conversation she and JD had started.
“You’re going after the wrong person,” Ellie said. “Ron hasn’t done anything wrong. But that one has.” Ellie pointed at Annette. “She’s the one who put those shock devices on those horses.”
“I did no such thing,” Annette said. Rage filled her veins.
“I have proof.” Ellie held up her phone. “She found out Bull had some mustangs for sale that had been given to him from Bella when they’d been dating.”
“What?” JD stuck his finger in his ear and wiggled. “Bella and Bull?”
“It was a long time ago, but yes,” Ellie said with sigh. “And not the point. Annette here bought the horses from Bull, put the shock devices on them, and let them out in the wild.”
“Ellie,” JD started. “These are some wild accusations, and I don’t appreciate you coming after a personal friend of mine like this. She’s family to us.”
“Well, you might want to pick a better new bed partner.” Ellie shoved her phone in JD’s face. “There’s Annette with Bull. Keep swiping and you’ll see her with the horses, before they were released back in the wild. I’ve put all these images in an email, and they should be in your inbox by now, along with the proper authorities. I would suspect they will be here by nightfall to arrest her.”
“Let me see those.” Annette tried to grab the phone, but JD turned his back and took three steps away. “You don’t seriously believe this bullshit.”
“Where’d you get these?” JD asked, completely and utterly ignoring Annette.
Oh, she wasn’t going to stand the
re and take that.
“Someone who cares about Ron and his family, who by the way are getting the raw end of the stick,” Ellie said. “To be accused of something so crazy with no proof. It’s not fair. So, they went about to get proof. You should know that no one on this ranch trusts her, or Luke. That’s why they’ve been spying on her.”
“These are all lies.” Annette’s chest heaved up and down as she took in deep breaths. Panic settled into her chest.
“The last set of images is her hiring a local thug to shoot at her.”
“I did what?” Annette lunged forward, grabbing ahold of JD’s arm. “That’s bullshit.”
“And sounds like a page from Bella’s playbook.” JD shrugged her off. “You don’t want to see these.”
“Like hell I don’t.” Annette stepped oddly on her bad foot and groaned.
“Why don’t you sit down and—”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Annette interrupted JD. “This bitch is spewing lies—”
“Hey. I’m not a bitch, and I’m not the one lying here. You are,” Ellie said.
“Fuck you.” Annette turned, but JD looped his arm around her middle and yanked her into his chest. “Who took these pictures?” JD demanded.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that,” Ellie said with a smirk.
She wasn’t a bitch. She was the devil.
“I couldn’t have hired anyone to shoot at me, and the cops know where the bullets came from,” Annette said with a shaky voice. “Right from Ron’s shotgun. We have proof.”
“Ron’s gun was stolen, just so you know.” Ellie flipped her hair.
“I’ll have an expert look at these images for authenticity,” JD said.
Annette caught JD’s gaze. “You don’t seriously believe this, do you?”
“Of course he does.” Ellie grinned. “Photos don’t lie.”
“You, of all people, should know they absolutely lie,” JD said. “Or have you forgotten your little sex tape scandal.”
Ellie frowned. “How dare you bring that up.”
JD handed Ellie the phone back. “Get the fuck off my ranch, and don’t you ever come back.”
