The Slade Brothers: A Complete Small Town Contemporary Romance Collection

by Alexis Winter

  She gives me a small smile and nods. “Sure.”

  I return her smile and it feels like the first honest moment between us.

  While I sit with Milly, she busies herself with cleaning up the table. When the rag on Milly’s head grows warm, she takes it and rewets it. Milly sleeps soundly on the couch beside me and sips on her water. Slowly, the redness on her cheeks fades away back to their normal ivory color.

  “Looks like her fever has broke,” Brennan says, shutting off the thermometer and setting it on the table. “You can give her ibuprofen in three hours if the fever returns.”

  I pick up my phone and set an alarm in case I fall asleep.

  “You want me to carry her to bed?” she asks, looking down at the both of us.

  I nod and run my hands through my hair. I’ve never in my life been more worried. Milly has never been sick before. Sure, she’s caught a cold here and there, and she’s run a fever when she was teething, but she’s never been sick sick before. Not like this.

  Brennan picks her up and carries her to bed. I move to the kitchen and pour a glass of whiskey. Moments later, Brennan is back. “She’s sound asleep. I just covered her with the sheet. I didn’t want to use the blanket and get her temperature back up.”

  “Thank you,” I breathe out, throwing the whiskey back.

  “No problem. I guess I’ll get going and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Brennan?” Her name leaves my lips without a thought.

  “Yeah?” She turns back around to face me.

  “You want to sit and have a drink with me?” I don’t know where that question came from. I know I shouldn’t, but right now, I don’t care. I’m tired. I’m stressed. I’m worried. I just need someone to sit and talk to, someone to help me to forget for a little while.

  “Uh, sure,” she agrees, seemingly picking up on my need.

  “What’s your poison?” I ask, pouring myself another glass of whiskey.

  “Just water,” she says softly, sitting at the kitchen table.

  I grab a bottle out of the fridge and hand it over as I take the seat across from her. The moment I sit down, a long breath leaves my lips.

  “You seem…tired.”

  I nod my head. “I am. The shop has been busy lately. It just feels like things are piling up on top of me.” I shake my head clear of the sleepiness I’m suddenly feeling. “You’ve been a big help around here, Brennan. I can’t thank you enough. It’s been a major relief knowing that Milly is taken care of and I don’t have to worry about trying to get her cleaned up and fed every night.”

  “I’m happy to help,” she says around a smile. “The sooner I can get out of my parents’ house, the better.” Her green eyes are wide with honesty.

  I laugh. “I remember those days.” I hated being tied down with all my brothers, never getting to do something when I wanted to do it.

  “Yeah, but I bet your ex-boyfriend didn’t show up and steal your parents and your home.” Her brow raises.

  I laugh. “No, my boyfriend didn’t do that,” I joke.

  “Ex.” She points her index finger at me.

  I take a sip of my whiskey. “So, why did this ex do all this?”

  She shakes her head and takes a deep breath as she thinks it over. “Honestly, I have no idea. I broke things off with him two months ago before I left college. I never thought he’d show up here. I just assumed he’d move on. But here he is. My dad hired him to help work the farm, and he’s letting him stay in the loft above our barn until he finds a place he can afford—tormenting me in the process.”

  I grin. “He wants you back.”

  “I know, and I thought about it. I’d been watching him with the horses and working the land. My dad loves him for whatever reason. I thought maybe he really had changed, but he just proved me wrong last night. He comes on a little strong, if you know what I mean.” Her eyes focus on her bottle of water and her lips press into a thin line.

  “He tries taking things further than you want to?” I ask, feeling a little awkward having this conversation with her.

  She nods once. “I don’t know if I’ll give him another shot, but if I do, I want to take things slow this time. I want him to prove to me that he’s actually changed. I want to get to know him, this version of him. Not the popular jock from college that was all about the parties. To be honest, I don’t even know why he’s here. I’m not his usual type. He always went for big boobed blondes before. You know, the kind that wear mini skirts, heels, and cake their face in makeup. Not me at all.” Her eyes widen as she says the last part.

  I chuckle. “Maybe he figured out how fake those blondes are and how naturally beautiful you are, inside and out.” Where the fuck did that come from? Take it back! Take it back! I didn’t say that, please tell me I didn’t say that.

  Based on the way her eyes dash to mine and the way her cheeks turn pink, I did say that. Shit, how am I going to recover? “I mean…” I quickly think and come up with nothing. “I didn’t mean anything by it, just that…you know…”

  She lets out a nervous giggle and I finish off my whiskey before checking the time on my watch.

  “Well, I better get going.” She pushes away from the table. “Feel free to call me.” She turns to leave the kitchen but stops. “I mean, if Milly needs me.”

  I nod and wave goodbye. Moments later, I hear the soft click of the door closing behind her. A deep breath leaves my lips and my head dips forward. What the fuck was that? Did I really just tell her that I thought she was beautiful? I didn’t mean it in any certain way. I just meant that she’s…fuck, I meant it how it sounded. I want to bang my head on the table and forget my stupidity.

  Eight

  Brennan

  HE said I was beautiful. He said I was beautiful. I wonder if he meant it. Colton doesn’t strike me as the kind of person that says things he doesn’t mean, but tonight, things felt a bit off. He was scared and worried about Milly. He had been drinking—a lot. And we were sharing things unlike we’ve ever done before. Maybe he was just trying to be nice and seem like he cares about the things I talk about. Why was I even talking about Nate with him? He doesn’t care. All he cares about is that I’m there to take care of Milly. He couldn’t care less about my love life or lack thereof.

  I wonder if he’s right about Nate. Did Nate change because of me? Did he suddenly see what a real relationship was supposed to be like, unlike what he was getting from the countless blondes he’d dated before?

  I’m lost to my thoughts the whole way home. When I pull into the drive and shut off the car, I notice that the house is dark—Mama and Daddy must already be in bed. I glance at the time on the dash and see that it’s nearing midnight—no wonder.

  I climb out of the car and head toward the back door. As I’m passing the barn, I see the light in the loft is on and shining out into the darkness. I turn and walk inside and up the steps to find Nate laying on the bed in the corner. The wood creaks under my boot and he lifts his head up, surprise written on his face.

  “Hey,” he says, sitting up.

  “Hey,” I reply, walking across the wood floor to take a seat beside him.

  “What brought you here?” he asks, turning to place his feet on the floor.

  “I just got home. Saw the light on. You’ve been texting me, so I figured I’d give you the chance to explain.”

  He lets out a long breath and rubs his hands over his face. “Thank you. I thought you were never going to talk to me again.”

  I laugh. “That would be kind of hard to do since you’re living in my barn.”

  “I guess it would.” He shrugs. He turns his body to face mine, bringing his knee up onto the bed between us. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I really am. I mean, I’ve been trying to show you that I’ve changed. I just missed you so much and I’d been drinking. So when I saw you last night, I just lost my head for a minute. I wanted to kiss you, feel you against me, remember your smell. I just…lost myself for a minute.”
>
  I don’t know what to say. I just sit and listen.

  “Look, I know you won’t believe anything I say. That’s my fault. But let me show you.” His hand comes up and cups my chin, tilting my head back until my eyes meet his. Slowly and carefully, his lips cover mine. They’re soft and slow. He doesn’t push for more like he usually would. He doesn’t even demand entrance to my mouth. He just holds his lips against mine. When he pulls away, his dark eyes are clouded with lust. His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat and he takes a deep, soothing breath. “Please, let me show you.”

  “Okay,” I breathe out.

  He smiles wide, already celebrating.

  I hold up my finger. “That doesn’t mean that we’re back together. It just means I’ll let you take me out to dinner tomorrow. Show me this gentlemanly side of you.”

  “Fine. I’ll take it.” He gives me that flirtatious smile of his.

  “Good night, Nate,” I say, standing and moving toward the steps.

  “Let me walk you out.” He comes up behind me and walks me down the stairs and out of the barn. Before I walk to the house, he catches my hand in his and pulls me back in for one last kiss. Again, it’s soft and slow and perfectly polite, unlike our kiss from yesterday.

  My day is long and boring since Colton called and said that he was staying home today to take Milly to the doctor. Instead of having my hands full with a two-year-old, I help Mama around the house and garden. I see Nate in passing but not long enough to actually talk to him, but every time, he shoots me a smile and tells me he’s excited about our date tonight. I haven’t said anything to my parents about it yet. I don’t want them planning a wedding because I agreed to one date.

  My phone rings around two, and I pick it up to find Colton on the other end.

  “Hello?” I answer.

  “Hey, Brennan. I just wanted to call and let you know that Milly just caught a virus. She’s much better already. I didn’t want you to worry.”

  “Oh good. I’m glad she’s going to be okay. How’s her fever?”

  “Gone. It broke last night and hasn’t returned. The doctor said to just let it run its course and give her plenty of fluids.”

  “So will you be going back to work tomorrow then?”

  “Yes, I’ll need you here at seven as usual.”

  “Perfect, I’ll see you then.” I hang up the phone and head toward the bathroom for a shower to get ready for my date with Nate.

  An hour later, I’m showered, dressed, and ready to go. I’m walking out the back door just as he’s walking out of the barn. He freezes when he sees me, his eyes glued to me and his mouth gaping open.

  I laugh. “What are you staring at?”

  “You,” he replies, looking up and down my white summer dress. “You’re beautiful.” He runs his hand up my bicep, across my collar bone, and to my jaw where he tilts my head back and moves in for a kiss.

  This kiss is a little harder and faster than last night. His tongue dances with mine for a moment, and a spark shoots to my belly, causing a warmth to spread over me. Behind my closed eyes, I picture Colton and that thought alone causes my blood to boil.

  I pull away and he lets me go. “Sorry. There you go getting to my head again,” he says, offering me his elbow.

  I loop my arm through it and he leads me toward his car. He opens the passenger side door and closes it behind me before taking his place behind wheel. “I haven’t seen much of this town yet. Anywhere good to eat?” he asks, starting the car.

  I laugh. “There’s one diner and one bar that serves food. That’s it.”

  He tilts his head to the side. “Seriously?”

  “Yep, and the diner closes early.”

  “Bar it is,” he says, starting down the driveway.

  A few minutes later, we’re pulling into the gravel parking lot of the bar. There are only a few cars in the lot, which tells me it’s not crazy busy in there, which is good. All I want out of this date is dinner and a little conversation. I don’t need endless drinks or a crowded dance floor—or any other reason to give him the idea that we can get close tonight. Tonight, I want to keep my space to myself without any intruders.

  We walk in and sit at a table near the bar. A woman walks over. “What can I get ya?”

  “I’ll take a beer—and you?” Nate gestures at me from across the table.

  “A water is fine.” I wave him off.

  “Okay. Be right back.” The waitress walks away.

  I pick up the menu on the table that’s stuffed behind the napkin holder. I lay it flat and look over it.

  “A water?” Nate asks.

  I nod. “Yep. I’m not really a drinker. You know that.”

  “You know, out of all of those college parties we went to, I never saw you take a single drink. Have you ever had a drink before?” He’s looking at me with amazement.

  “Nope,” I reply, not looking to shine a light on every little thing that makes me different. I’m a twenty-four-year-old virgin that’s never had a drink. Sue me.

  He laughs loud when he realizes this himself. “Why don’t you order a drink? Try it out. I’ll take care of you and make sure you get home safe.”

  I offer up a smile, not sure if he’s trying to be sweet or not. “Nah, I’m fine. What are you going to order?” I ask, hoping to distract him.

  Finally, he seems to let the drink thing slide as he picks up a menu of his own and begins looking over it. The waitress brings us our drinks and looks to take our order.

  “I think I’ll take a burger and fries,” I order.

  “That sounds good. Make it two,” he agrees.

  “Okay, I’ll get it put in for you,” the waitress says, walking away.

  The jukebox kicks on, playing a soft slow song. Nate looks at me. “Want to dance?”

  I wrinkle my nose. “How about we just sit here and talk? What did you do at home for two months?”

  He rests his arms on the table between us. “Well, at first, I just worked the farm and got used to being back home. I went to a few parties with some old friends. Then my dad offered me the land.”

  “The land?” I ask.

  He nods. “Yeah, it’s been passed down from generation to generation. Well, he’s wanting to pass it down to me.”

  “So why are you here? Why aren’t you there, taking your family right?”

  He shrugs. “It’s funny, you know? You grow up thinking you want this one thing out of life. You work your entire life for it too. But then when you get it, it doesn’t feel right. You realize you don’t want it anymore.”

  “You don’t want it? If you don’t want the farm life, then why are you working on my family’s farm?”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t want the farm life. I just don’t want it without you, Brennan. I wasn’t lying when I said I missed you. From the moment I got back home, I felt so lost and empty and lonely. I could only think of one thing: getting you back. I want to share my life with you. I want you to share your life with me.”

  My mouth drops open, and I’m speechless. “So, just throwing this out there…If we get back together and things go right, we’ll get married—and what? Move to Montana to take over your family’s farm?”

  His eyes widen with alarm. It’s like he spilled all his secrets too soon, before he meant to. “Well, yeah, essentially. In the future, the far, far away future.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t want that, Nate. My family has its own future to worry about. We have property, a farm. You know—you’ve seen it. What about my family’s farm?”

  He shrugs again. “I don’t know. We could hire someone else on to run it. Or we could sell it, whatever you want to do with it.”

  “Sell it? What if I want to keep it and live here?”

  It’s like he hasn’t even thought about this. His mouth opens but no words come out. He finally shakes his head. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves. Right now, let’s just focus on us and getting to know one another again.” He picks up his beer bottle and ta
kes a long drink.

  By the time we get our food, he’s finished off three more beers. His face is red and he’s wearing a constant smile. His eyes are bloodshot and glassy. It’s clear that he’s buzzed. When he gets drunk, that guy I don’t like rears his ugly head.

  “Come on. Dance with me,” he says, grabbing my arm and yanking me to the dance floor.

  “Ouch, Nate. You’re hurting me,” I tell him quietly as I head for the dance floor, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention.

  Instead of letting me go, he spins me around and pulls me to his chest. “That’s better,” he says quietly into my neck. His hot breath blows across my skin, sending a chill up my spine. If he’s drunk, how are we going to get home? I know him well enough to know he’s not the kind to hand over the keys.

  “Nate,” I say his name, hoping he gets the hint and backs off.

  His hands squeeze my hips, pulling them against his where I feel his hardness press between us. “Mmmm, this feels good,” he says just before he presses a kiss to my neck. His warm tongue darts across my skin.

  I try putting a little space between us, but he doesn’t back down. I tell myself to dance this song, just one song, and then we can go sit down. Maybe I can call my dad to come pick me up. I take a deep breath to calm myself down.

  His hands roam my body, from my hips to my ass, up my back, and down again. My back is stiff and straight, not liking the public display of affection or the fact that he’s not taking no for an answer.

  The bartender brings over another beer. Did he motion for one behind my back? He lifts the beer to his lips and the smell washes over me. It smells disgusting and causes my stomach to do flips.

  “I’m not feeling so well. I think we should go.”

  Finally, he pulls away and looks over me. “What’s wrong?” Concern shows on his face.

  “I don’t know. That burger just didn’t settle very well. Can we go?”

  “Yeah, of course. Just let me pay the bill.” He lets me go and walks toward the bar.

  Without his hands on me, I feel relieved. The pain in my stomach starts to fade.