Denny had seemed happy to see me and Dawson together. Would that be the case with the rest of the town?
Was I really dating Dawson? He’d been sleeping with me since the first night we’d messed around together, but he only held me.
I want to wait until your cast is off and you can wrap those long legs around me.
Well. When he put it that way, yeah, I couldn’t wait. I’d been having a hard time waiting. I had the worst case of lady blue balls and Dawson had to be suffering. But other than feeling the massive erection pressed behind me when we lay together, I hadn’t gotten my fill of his body.
It was frustrating. And exciting.
I was a cow in heat, pushing at the gate to get in the same pen with the bull. Only the bull wanted to spoon.
For fuck’s sake. Dawson King liked to cuddle.
No wonder women flung themselves at him, hoping to one day land in the same spot I’d been for six weeks. He was a dream. A fantasy. A goddamn unicorn.
And he was with me. That was between us. But our family feud was town history, murmured about among old and young alike. What would they think if the feud was over?
I got into the front seat of his pickup. I had a lot of questions about what my life would be like as I finished recovering from this injury. Dawson had said he and the guys would continue to help. I might be able to modify the rest of the job. I’d only be in this walking boot for a couple of weeks.
Dawson pulled out of the parking lot. “Everything go okay in there?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You got quiet.”
Should I tell him what was bothering me? “If we’re doing this—us—how do you think the rest of the town will react? Do you think Denny’s reaction is going to be one of a kind?” I couldn’t take more hate because I’d corrupted the most eligible bachelor of the county.
Dawson didn’t brush off my question. He read my underlying anxiety. “I don’t know. I only care because you seem to.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know if I care yet or not.” That wasn’t true. I cared. What if this didn’t work out between Dawson and me? We’d go back to curt messages regarding cattle and fences. He’d come out of the relationship looking like a hero no matter what happened and I’d still be sour Bristol Cartwright. They’d feel sorry for him—and they’d probably have a right to.
He was the unicorn. I was me. If this relationship, or whatever we were doing, ended, it’d be my fault. I couldn’t see any other reason why.
“I think we should celebrate,” he said suddenly.
I cocked a brow. “That went so well last time.”
He flashed a grin. “In Billings. We aren’t going to let the good townsfolk of King’s Creek fuck this up.”
“Billings?”
“We could go to Miles City.”
Marshall lived in Miles City. My luck was too poor. He’d be wherever we chose to eat. “Billings is fine. When?”
“You go do your thing, and I’ll talk to the guys, make sure they don’t need me around today.”
The guys. Kiernan and Tucker rarely came into the house. Dawson assured me they didn’t mind helping out with my place, but it was another thing for them to realize I was with Dawson.
“You’ve been feeding me and doing my work for a month and a half.” I was grumbling. It was easier to accept his charity when I had a cast and almost no choice. My cast had been off less than an hour and he was still providing food and shelter.
“It’s only another half day. The ranch could go bust tomorrow and I’d be fine. Like I said when you first came to stay with me—you’re doing me a favor. Sucks being by yourself all the time.”
“If you’re a charming extrovert, maybe.”
His grin was unrepentant. “You think I’m charming?”
“I’ve always thought so. It’s one reason why I hated you so much.”
“What are the others?” he asked, as if my answers wouldn’t bother him.
“Other than how everything came easy to you, how you had all the money, and how the whole town thinks you and your family hung the moon, the stars, and make the earth spin? Hmmm . . .” A smile played over my lips. “Maybe how you won over Daisy so easily. Or how you snuck my horse treats but you knew I wouldn’t get mad because I love the shit out of Bucket.”
“You know what pissed me off about you?”
“My stunning personality?”
There was that grin again. “Actually, yes. You acted like you didn’t care and everyone bought it. Everyone. But you do care, and that’s why I kept telling you about downed fences and lost cows. You were so focused on your work and you didn’t need anybody.”
Until I had. I had needed him. Now, I wanted him. But I also needed him.
He turned down the long drive to his house. “There’s Tucker. I’ll park by the door. Take your time. We’ll go when you’re ready.”
“I’m going to take you out sometime,” I blurted. “I’m going to pay and I’m going to drive.” Hopefully, Pop’s old pickup would start after sitting for so long.
“I’ve never been taken out before.” He parked by the porch and grabbed his cowboy hat from the back seat. “I look forward to it.”
We both got out, but instead of going to the house, I went for the barn.
“I don’t have a tub in the shop,” Dawson said as he caught up with me.
“I gotta say hi to Bucket.” I wouldn’t have to lean over the fence while he ignored me as he munched on the new growth on the ground.
Bucket’s tail swooshed. Breaking my leg had been a giant pain in the ass, but I was glad it had been me and not him. I’d get my business to a place where I didn’t have to take him out when he should stay safe in the corral.
Dawson opened the gate for me. Bucket swung his shaggy head toward me and bumped me on the shoulder. I laughed and wrapped my arms around him. It wasn’t muddy, but I’d have to wipe off this walking boot before I clomped through the house.
Worth it.
Dawson went to the other side. Bucket nuzzled him like he was doing a pat down for treats.
“Not today, big guy. If I keep giving you apples, you’re not going to be able to work cattle in a month.”
My body tensed. The daily operation of the ranch had been on my mind for weeks but I’d purposely kept myself from thinking about working cattle. It was impossible to do alone. Pop hadn’t been much use in the last few years, but he could still update records while I did the work and while the noobs he hired waved their arms to get the cows to go where I wanted.
“He missed you,” Dawson said.
“Right.” I patted Bucket’s neck and swept my hand into his coarse mane. “He’s going to follow me right out and want to go home right now.”
My horse looked healthier than ever. He was getting the best feed, had a nice pasture with a barn, and was enjoying the other horses’ company. Bucket didn’t have to whinny from a half mile away to chat with his buddies.
I petted Bucket along his firm cheek. I could commiserate.
I was getting the best food, I had a sturdy roof over my head with a bathroom no farther than the next room, and I got to talk to Dawson every day. I didn’t want to go home either.
Dawson
“An Irish pub in Billings, huh?” Bristol studied the place as we approached the entrance. A cute line formed between her brows. She was dressed more casually than when we’d gone to Hogan’s. Faded jeans and a lilac long-sleeved shirt that looked like it could’ve doubled as long johns.
Sexy as hell. Add in the exaggerated roll to her hips the walking boot gave her and I was tempted to walk around the block just staring at her ass. If she weren’t recovering, it’d be a nice night for it. A cool, late-April night. Partially cloudy and the sun was still out at dinnertime.
I had tossed on a blue Yellowstone hoodie and picked a place she’d be comfortable in. The pub in downtown Billings was full for a Thursday night.
“Kate told me about this place,” I said. “She takes me
here every time I come to town.”
Inside, I pulled out the chair for her and sat. She ordered nothing but water like usual, and while it was a pub, I didn’t want her to drive back on a freshly freed foot, so I ordered a Coke.
We ordered and talked about Billings and how she’d come here a few times a year but didn’t usually go anywhere but McDonald’s for food. I told her where Dad’s office was, his house, and Aiden’s.
Bristol played with the tab that had secured the napkin around the silverware and her gaze glanced off every table. But her posture tonight was the opposite of how it’d been at Hogan’s. Billings was big enough for anonymity. If we lived here, maybe we’d run across someone we knew once in a while. But Bristol and I weren’t from here and we didn’t know anyone.
The meal arrived. I sampled her burger and she stole a few of my waffle fries. My mind was working over what we could do before we went back to King’s Creek when a familiar voice broke into our conversation.
“Dawson?” Kate broke away from a group of women all dressed in business-casual wear. She shoved a lock of light brown hair behind her ear and smiled at me.
I grinned and rose, wrapping my arms around her. “Kate, my favorite sister, how ya doing?”
She laughed and patted my back. “I’ve heard you say that to Eva and I’d bet my paycheck you’re going to say it to Savvy the next time you see her.”
Of course. They were all my favorite, but I considered Kate my oldest sister since she’d married into the family first.
Kate’s gaze landed on Bristol and I tensed as much as my date. But leave it to Kate and her calm manner and warm heart. “Bristol, so nice to see you. Emilia said you broke your leg. Are you doing okay?”
The corner of Bristol’s mouth lifted. “I had a good nurse.”
Her joking with Kate surprised me as much as Kate’s hearty laugh. “I imagine. Rancher. Chef. Nurse.”
“You wanna join us, or do you have plans?” I’d love to have Kate around anyway, but Bristol had had a whole lot of me and she seemed to be enjoying Kate’s company.
Kate peeked over her shoulder. The group she was with had found a table on the other side of the restaurant. “I’d hate to intrude.” She worried her lip. “But it would be fun if I could peel Aiden away from the office.”
I hadn’t thought of my brother. The guy worked a minimum twelve-hour day. When he was at my place, unless his ass was in a saddle, he was always on his phone or computer. “Call him up. Tell him I said to get his lazy ass over here.”
I’d messaged Dad, given him a quick rundown of what had happened with Bristol and how she was staying with me while she mended and that Grams was on the rampage. His reply had been the quintessential father washing his hands of the whole deal: Do what you think is best.
Kate bit her lip again and glanced between me and Bristol. “Are you sure? You two were probably loving not having everyone all up in your business.”
That was Kate. Quiet. Shy. Sharp as hell. I asked Bristol, “You mind?”
“Actually, I don’t.” Shock resonated in her voice, earning a beaming smile from Kate.
“Let me go talk to them and I’ll call Aiden.” Kate rushed off.
I sat back down and lifted a brow. “She’s awesome, right?”
“She knows I’ve been at your place.”
I dipped my head. “I texted Dad, but all I said was that you’d broken your leg and I’m helping you out and Grams can mind her own business.” I had expected Dad and my brothers to double down and bug me every day. Every week at the minimum. But they hadn’t. I’d been left alone.
Were they phoning each other like nosy church ladies?
Hell, I was surprised the actual nosy church ladies hadn’t phoned me. If I’d broken my leg, I’d have been stocked with more casseroles than one man could eat in a lifetime.
I looked to where Kate had ducked between the two sets of doors that made up the entrance to call my brother. “I wonder if she’ll get Aiden to leave the office.”
“Is he really . . .” Bristol shook her head. “Never mind. None of my business.”
“Is he what? Really working? What else would he be—oh. No, I don’t think he’s like that.” I shouldn’t continue but it was nice to talk to someone honestly about my family. “But if he’s not careful, he’s going to fuck it up anyway.”
“How can he work that much?”
“Grams. She has this rule about who can be in the inner office. She waived it for Kendall obviously, but she doesn’t think Dad and Aiden should have much else going on in their lives. She wants to micromanage everything, and to do that, she won’t approve more positions to lighten the load on Dad and Aiden.”
“Wow. She’ll even burn her own family for money.”
I should defend Grams, but Grams was who she was. “Yeah. Basically. But Kate’s a librarian. She doesn’t work in the oil industry and therefore doesn’t see Aiden all that much from what I hear.”
Kate bounced our way, her smile tight. “He’s going to try to get away.”
“Is this a busy time of year?” Bristol asked.
Kate sat next to her, braver than anyone in King’s Creek would’ve been to sit that close to Bristol. “Every season is busy for the inner office. Even when production is down, there’s just as much or more to do.” She forced a brighter smile. “So, what brings you two to town?”
Kate peppered Bristol with tentative questions about what had happened and got Bristol to talk when she asked if Bucket was okay. Kate even asked about Daisy. And when Bristol talked, Kate rested her elbow on the table with her chin on her palm and listened. Like, really listened.
I tried to interject with details, but the bond between the girls was growing so strong so fast, I just sat back and watched.
“What’d I miss?” Aiden bypassed me to go behind Kate and drop a kiss on her head.
Kate’s expression lit up and she raised her face to his, but he’d already rounded the table to sit by me. He nodded to Bristol as he picked up the menu. “How’s it going?”
“Fine.” The tension was back across her shoulders. She sat straight in her chair instead of being half turned to chat with Kate.
“Bristol was telling me about her injury,” Kate said. “I’m so glad Dawson was around to meet Daisy when she went for help.”
Aiden’s brows rose. “Your dog?”
I told the story of finding Daisy at my door. Aiden didn’t bat an eye at the conditions Bristol had taken Bucket out in.
“That’s a good dog,” Aiden said as he got out of his chair and walked away without explanation.
Typical Aiden. Spared his admiration for animals, not for people. At least it was a sign he wasn’t one hundred percent robot.
Kate didn’t take her eyes off her husband, her hazel eyes liquid. “Want to come over to the house? It’ll be easier to chat.”
“Sure. Let me get the check—”
“Oh, that’s what Aiden’s doing. He just never tells anyone. Hates the back-and-forth.”
“Too much human interaction for him?”
Kate ignored the jab, used to me bitching about how uptight my brother was. She put her hand on Bristol’s arm. “Their mom’s pictures inspired me to fill the house with local photographers’ photos. I love showing them off.”
The sun was sinking by the time we left the pub. I drove Bristol, and Kate and Aiden each had separate vehicles. I parked on the road in front of their secluded property. Bristol stared at the house. An entire trailer court could fit on the acreage Aiden had purchased by the river. The place was big and there was a lot of land, but the place was like Aiden. Straitlaced and not flashy.
The sprawling two-story home was beautiful, but simple, a plain design with clean lines. A modern take on the old farmhouse. Steel siding and rock that carried across to the three-car garage that both Kate and Aiden were pulling into. Timber beams decorated the porch and framed the door, but Aiden left his garage door open for us to enter through.
“This place is nice,” Bristol murmured.
“Yeah.” But when Aiden put in long hours, I bet it was just as empty for Kate as my house was for me.
Kate grinned and beckoned Bristol to follow her. I’d never seen Kate so bubbly, but she probably didn’t come across someone as socially ambivalent as Bristol often.
Aiden hung back and hit the control for the garage door, closing us inside. The door to the house closed and I was alone with my brother.
I shoved my hands in my pockets, sensing big-brother interference. “Go ahead.”
His intense gaze bored into me. “Does she know about the trust?”
I hated that fucking trust. No wonder my brothers had all been pissy as hell six months before they turned twenty-nine. “No.”
“Grams will make sure of it. She’ll see Bristol as nothing but one giant cockblock.”
“Grams can butt out.”
“But she won’t, Dawson.” Aiden scowled toward the door. He either trusted Bristol alone with his wife, or thought Kate could handle herself. At first glance, Kate didn’t look like she could deal with a mouse running through the house. But I’d seen her kneeling in the straw to tame some half-feral kittens. “Look, I’m man enough to admit that I don’t know her. I have an idea of what she went through in life and I could’ve been less of a dick. But if you helped her, and she let you, then I was wrong. About her, not Danny.”
“I think we might’ve been wrong about Danny too,” I said quietly. “No, not wrong. But we could’ve understood him better. Helped him out.”
“Don’t you think Mama tried?”
“Then she died, and Danny refused to let Bristol come to the funeral.”
We both fell quiet. Mama dying had been a turning point for both families. She didn’t have to marry Danny for him to want to be better for her. The fact that she’d given a shit had been enough for him. And then she’d been gone and we had regularly proved we didn’t give a shit about him or Bristol.
“Fuck,” I said.
“Yep. So how do you think Bristol’s going to take it when she finds out that all of us happened to get married before we turned twenty-nine, which coincidentally meant she wouldn’t get a dime of the money Mama seemed to think she had some claim to?”
King's Country (Oil Kings Book 4) Page 9
