SURGE (Kenshaw Ranch #2)

by Piper Frost

  He shrugs and rolls his eyes. "Nothin'," he mumbles.

  "Bullshit. Ever since Bo came around you've been acting like a scorned, left out child."

  "Let it be, Kin." He adjusts his ball cap and I take in his 'bad boy' look he's worked so hard on perfecting. His full sleeve tattoos aren't finished yet, but even with the ink he's got he looks like he should be menacing. But he's not. He's Chase. He's the guy that made sure I got up every day after my parents died. He's the guy that packed Will and Wendy's lunch those first few weeks afterwards, because I was too busy throwing up from anxiety and depression.

  Chase was there for me. But right now, Chase is acting like he doesn't want me to be happy. He doesn't want me to move on.

  "Well I like him, Chase. I really like him."

  "That's fantastic," he says sarcastically.

  "See!" I bark. "He's a good guy, Chase! He's good for me!"

  "I thought I was good for you!"

  "Me and you?" I laugh harshly. "Is this what this is all about? Are you jealous?"

  "God no." He laughs. "Sorry, Kinlee. I mean, we tried that. And it was awkward as fuck. No offense. I just...I'm used to being the person you go to. Your best friend. Your other half."

  I push my hands through my hair. "Chase, I'm not going to stop being around Bo."

  He nods slowly, letting the room fall silent. I wrap my arms around my front and watch him.

  "You really think the great Bo Hart's gonna be 'round long enough for anything to come out of this, Kinlee? Other than your heart being broken. And me? Being here to pick up your crushed heart. Again?"

  My jaw drops open and I shake my head. "Bo's not leaving," I whisper.

  "For your sake I hope that's true." He walks over to me, his hands move to my shoulders and his eyes hit mine. "But maybe that means I need to stay away. Give y’all the space you need."

  I clench my jaw and nod, letting him pull me into the hug I need right now. He's right. This won't ever be one big happy friendship like I had hoped.

  "You're still my best friend, Chase," I whisper into his chest.

  "Yeah, Kin. I know." He lets go of me and takes a step back. "I'll talk to ya soon."

  I step outside and watch him head out. My eyes glance over at the garage where Bo's leaned against the door with a part in his hands, watching Chase drive away. His gaze falls back to me and I smile softly at him, then turn around and head back inside to wrap my head around this.

  I have very strong feelings for Bo. I also have a very busy life that doesn't give me a lot of time to spend with him and two young siblings that I am the sole caregiver for. I have to figure shit out, and soon. I've told Bo for weeks we're taking it slow and he's been more than respectful of that.

  But it's going pretty damn slow. Much slower than I figured it would.

  Bo and I talk every single day. He's always texting me and I love the nights I fall asleep to his voice over the phone, but I need to figure out what the hell's going on between us. I feel an insane pull to him, and it's not just because he's an old friend. There's a flame there that was lit the first time he kissed me and I can't figure out what to do with it. I want him, that's not a lie. But do I have time for him?

  It's been a week since that night at my place. A week since I've talked to my best friend and a week since I've laid eyes on Bo. We're busy. I get it. I also get that between Bo's barn and the Kenshaw Ranch, my place is last on the totem pole for the boys to work on the car. Especially since the drama with Chase happened at my garage.

  But I miss him.

  I also need to clear the air with him about what Chase and I talked about...but not in front of the twins. Or anyone for that matter.

  "Kinlee, you have a visitor," Mel's voice comes through my phone and I glance at the clock. It's technically my lunch break for the next half hour, but I can't exactly turn parents away.

  "Send them down," I say, clearing my desk of the mess of paperwork.

  The knock on the door comes and I walk over to open it, pasting on that professional smile I use with parents. When I'm met with Bo's handsome, smiling face and a bag of something that smells delicious, my professional smile melts into a bright, real smile.

  "Bo!"

  "Hello, beautiful." He holds up a paper bag. "I brought lunch." Glancing around he chuckles. "This building's so much smaller than I remember."

  "You're a whole lot bigger than you were," I say, letting my eyes fall to his muscles. Not leaving much to the imagination in that t-shirt.

  He smirks and sets the bag down before looking up to the corners. "They got cameras on you?" he asks.

  "Cameras? No."

  His hands grab my waist and he lifts me like I don't weigh more than a chair, making me giggle. His lips hit mine and he groans when my arms wrap around his neck and my legs lock around him. There's no tongue, and he doesn't linger long, but it was just as intense as a make-out session. It took almost three weeks to get a second kiss from Bo and though this was less of a kiss than the first, it still has me feeling weak in the knees and has my cheeks completely flushed.

  "I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks, Kinlee," he says, setting me back on my feet.

  "Yeah," I whisper, my fingers touching my lips before I bring myself out of the haze. My god that man can kiss. "Uh..." I clear my throat. "Please tell me there’s food in that bag."

  "Donna's famous chili." He grins and starts to unload the bag. "I'd probably starve if it weren't for that woman."

  "She's an amazing cook, that's for sure." My stomach growls the minute I smell the chili and I groan. "Sorry," I laugh. "I haven't eaten yet today. It's been busy."

  "Well I'm glad I stopped in. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." He points toward the door he closed. "Is that Melanie Johnson workin' the office?"

  "Yeah. She's amazing." I grab a spoon and blow on a bite of chili before putting it in my mouth. "My god, it's heavenly," I moan. "Who the hell taught that woman to cook like this?"

  "She's got a lot of free time." He smirks at me. "Didn't Melanie date Chase through most of sophomore year?" He cocks his eyebrow but his eyes stay on his food.

  "Probably. But you'll have a hard time finding someone in this small ass town Chase hasn't had his hands on." I don't realize what I just insinuated until Bo's choking on chili.

  "Hot," he claims and rubs his throat. "So, uh." He clears it. "I know you dated, but does that means you're one of the girls he's had his hands on?" His throat clears again.

  "A lot can happen in five years, Bo," I whisper. "Hey so...Fiona?"

  His shoulders slump and his eyes meet mine but he doesn't say anything.

  "I heard you two the other night. And Chase told me the rest...filled it all in. I'd heard about the miscarriage, Bo. But I never heard you were the father." I pause, my spoon halfway to my lips as I watch him stare at me. "You didn't, though..." He couldn't have. Because he was a virgin when we... And he left the very next day...

  "No. I didn't. Fiona wanted attention from Brandt. They hooked up, right around that time Jo started coming around. Remember that?" He stares at me until I nod. "She got bitter he wouldn't keep hookin' up or somethin', I don't know. She told everyone she was pregnant. Wanted to get sympathy, but timing didn't line up for it to be Brandt's so she said we... She lied, Kinlee, I never slept with Chase's sister. Holy hell broke loose when Chase heard the rumors. Started by her. We got into it pretty bad right before I left town. Then suddenly she was miscarrying a few days later." With a shake of his head, he rolls his eyes. "I don't know why she picked me. Maybe 'cause I was an easy target 'cause I was a...virgin." He rubs the back of his neck. "Maybe she thought I'd go along with it to seem cool. I don't know but Chase ain't never forgiving me for that lie."

  I chuckle and shake my head. "I mean, I knew you were a virgin, Bo." I smirk, making him groan.

  "Yeah." He chuckles and reaches across my desk, pushing my chili toward me a little. "Eat your lunch, darlin', I can't stick around long."

  I smile, ha
ppy that's cleared up. I knew the truth in my heart all along, but hearing it from him makes me feel a hundred times better.

  I've got an early morning, but if this is the only time Kinlee has for me, then I'll take it. I kill the truck lights as I pull up to her house, and normally I'd go to the door to get her, but it's almost one in the morning so I shoot her a text telling her I'm here.

  I grin when she quietly slips out the front door, holding the screen so it doesn't slam. With a giggle she jumps into the truck.

  "Kids asleep?" I ask, glancing around each dark window of the house.

  "Passed out." She grins over at me then clicks her seatbelt. "I feel like a teenager again sneaking out like this."

  "Remember me and Brandt would help you out of your bedroom window?" I grin over at her and very slowly head out of her driveway because my truck engine isn't discreet.

  "I do. I never got caught though. Either that, or they trusted me enough and just didn't care because the twins were always such a handful late at night."

  I chuckle and reach over, taking her hand to kiss her knuckles. "I'm happy to see you."

  We've been taking things slow, but only because of her schedule. I rarely see her and I'm not sure what I gotta do to become a priority in her life, but I'll do it, even if that means going slow.

  "I feel kinda bad it's so late," she says, twisting her fingers in mine, making our hands clasp together. "But I'm happy to see you too, Bo." The bright smile I love is making her pretty face glow. "Really happy."

  "Did Wendy give you that bracelet we made for you today?"

  Most of my free time is spent with Will, but I want to be a part of Wendy's life too so when she shows up to the ranch and I'm around, I either make her help me create something for Kinlee, or we try to show off on the horses. But lately, my back's been preventing me from riding.

  "Yeah. It's cute. Thank you." She falls silent and her fingers start tracing where our hands are connected. "I appreciate you trying to help out the kids, Bo. I know you're busy as is, but it means the world that you've taken them under your wing. And I think it's really helping them too."

  "I'm not doing it as a favor, Kinlee." I smile over at her. "I'm back. Remember? That means I'm gonna be around and in your lives." Letting her hand go, I whip the truck around, making her laugh as she almost hits the side window from momentum.

  I grin and back up to the creek. Leaving the radio on, I jump out and jog around to her side of the truck to open the door then grab her hips and pull her out. Stealing a kiss before landing her on her feet, I jog to the bed of the truck and lower the tailgate. I hop into the back, reaching down and pull her up and against me.

  Luke Bryan comes on the radio and she sighs into me. "God, I love this song," she says like she's in heaven right now.

  I slide my hand to her lower back and pull her flush against my chest, slowly rocking my hips to the music until she starts to move with me.

  "I think I'd marry Luke Bryan if he ever asked me." She swoons over this damn song.

  "If I didn't want to lose my chances, I could make that meeting happen." I swipe her hair over her shoulder and her jaw drops.

  "You could?" The shriek in that blurt makes me scrunch my brows. "I mean...you could? You've met him? You...you know Luke Bryan?"

  "We ain't friends or nothin'." I start to laugh. "But I've met him and he even remembered me the second time I came face to face with him. I'm not saying I'm a big deal..." When she starts to laugh, I lean in for a quick kiss.

  "You are a big deal, Bo Hart," she whispers on my lips. "I bet you're a better kisser than him. Those beautiful...pearly whites all gettin' in the way and whatnot." She audibly sighs and when my fingers dig into her sides, she starts to wail in laughter. "Stop!"

  "I got a nice set of teeth too, darlin'. Paid a lot of money for these teeth after I knocked out a handful." I grin down at her before licking my tongue over my front teeth, making her laugh again.

  "I bet you did." She pulls out of my arms before plopping down in the bed of the truck. "It's been forever since I've come out here. We used to be out here every damn weekend. I think the last time I was here was my twenty-first birthday." She starts to laugh. "I don't remember much of that night."

  "You act like you just started drinkin' at twenty-one. You were putting fifths away with me and the boys at eighteen. I can only imagine how wild it got on your twenty-first." I lay back and stare up at the stars, part of me regretting I missed out on that party.

  "It was wild. We pitched tents and everything. I just remember waking up face first in the grass over there." She gestures across the field. "Haven't let loose like that since."

  "Doesn't sound like waking up and eating grass is any fun. I used to look out for ya back when I was around. You were plenty drunk too many times to count, but I made sure you were always taken care of. Not waking in the field." I chuckle and turn my head to look at her as she lay back next to me.

  "Yep, you always did, didn't you? I gotta admit, you leaving screwed with the group's dynamic for sure."

  I close my mouth for a few minutes. "We grew up, Kinlee. Most of the group was goin' on twenty. It was time to start actually livin' our lives. You went off to college soon after." I nudge her.

  "Right. Almost made it too." She shifts to her side and watches me. "Like I said. Lots of shit can happen in five years."

  "Yeah." I slide my arm under her neck and roll toward her. "It can. And a lot can happen in the next five years. And the next." I trail my finger down her jaw before leaning in for a kiss.

  That night was almost perfect, but it ended in a hurry, chasing the rising sun to get her home before the kids woke for school. I haven't seen her in almost a week since we spent all night at the creek making out in the bed of my truck like kids. I headed straight to the ranch that morning, dead tired, but the night was worth it. Even if all we did was heavy petting and kissing.

  When she comes sauntering toward the barn with a basket in her hand, I throw down my gloves and grin, turning my hat forward to block the sun now that I'm in it.

  "Best lookin' thing on this ranch. Besides Donna, but she ain't been around all day." I grin as I walk toward her.

  "Hey, I take offense to that," Brandt grumbles. "But I'll let it slide. You bring lunch for both of us?" He grins and her eyes go wide.

  "Uh...no," she says, scrunching her nose. "Doesn't Jo have something for ya? You know...inside? Somewhere else?"

  I start to laugh. "In other words, get lost so we can be alone, Kenshaw." When I grab Kinlee's hips, he groans.

  "Never gonna get used to the sight of you two together. But I'm happy for ya." He nods at us. "I'm heading inside. Y'all have a half hour. So get out what you need to get out." He winks at me before heading toward the house.

  "I think it's unanimous. The entire Kenshaw family thinks we should be official." I grin, taking the basket from her hands and laugh when her eyes go wide. "But for now, we can stick to lunch partners." I wink at her and head into the tractor barn.

  "It's hot out here today. You guys drinking enough water?"

  "Yes ma'am." I unload her basket. "Better cookin' than Donna's," I lie, but she smiles.

  "It's sandwiches. And chips. And fruit." She giggles. "I'm thankful for the attempt, but not much is better than Donna's cooking. I'll admit to that."

  "I love your sandwiches just the same. So does Will. He said he started taking his lunches to school." I pause, trying not to laugh at the kid. "He's trying to bulk up and the school lunches aren't cutting it. But whatever you're prepping him, he's sure it'll get him jacked by summer."

  "He didn't tell me he's trying to bulk up," she says, laughing. "Why would a sixteen year old be worried about that?"

  Grabbing the bill of my hat, I use it to scratch my head. "It gets hot out here and there are days me or Brandt ain't wearin' a shirt—"

  "Oh...I know." She says with brows high and I chuckle, tossing a grape at her.

  "So Will started askin' questions about
building muscle. Told him hard work and a healthy diet. He actually baled the hay a few days ago and didn't take out his lighter once." I chuckle with a shake of my head.

  "Didn't set anything on fire, huh? He's really working when he's here then? Not just screwin' around? You'd tell me if he were getting in the way, right?"

  "He ain't getting in the way, Kinlee. He's a huge help. And he's been working hard on that car. It's a slow go, but he's got a year." I shove the rest of my sandwich in my mouth and watch her pick at her bread, no doubt worrying about her brother. "Hey, what're you doing this weekend?" I jump to my feet when a pain jolts through my back. She gasps and I don't know what to do to cover that up so I grab my thermos that's on the bench. "Thirsty," I claim, drinking down cold coffee, trying to fight through the resonating pain.

  "You sure workin' on a ranch is really the best for your back, Bo?" She's watching me carefully, like she's afraid to even bring the topic up.

  "My back?" I question like she's acting strange. "Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?" I squat next to her and grab some grapes. It was the position I was sitting in that brought the pain.

  "Nothing. Never mind," she says, taking another bite of her sandwich. "But uh...I'm not that busy this weekend. I think I have a shift at the diner but only one and I don't think it’s a long one."

  "Can I steal you Saturday morning, say around six until maybe three or four?"

  "So early!" She laughs. "I gotta get up at five to get ready for that, Bo!"

  "There's no getting ready. We're heading to Franklin Lake, it's about two hours south, and meeting up with a few friends. Spending a few hours on the lake. You need a bathing suit and some sunscreen. I'd take the kids but Wendy said her and Will are staying at Ryan's Friday night?"

  "An entire day on the lake with you?" She bites her lip and grins. "I think I can swap shifts with someone."

  "I said I'd get you back around four. But if you can swap shifts, I'll keep you all day." I slide my fingers through her hair before standing, trying to limber up my back discreetly.