by Kaci Rose
We make our way over to fix our plates of food.
“What’s good?” Colt asks.
“I brought the taco salad. Mom brings her biscuits and some jam, Miss Dorothy makes the pizza rolls, and everything else is pretty good.” Then I think again. “Avoid the Jello… just trust me.”
We sit at a table with Mom and Dad. People come over to talk a bit while we eat. When we’re done, we mingle a bit more, and that’s when Miss Dorthey Carrey herself comes over. Dorthey is a leader of the church’s widow club, also known as the best gossips in town. I’m sure they elected Dorothy to come over and get the juicy details.
“Well, Heavens to Betsy, how did you manage to drag Colt here today, Sage?” she asks me.
Yup, she’s the one who was nominated to speak for the group. I see her group of friends whispering and watching our every move.
Before I can even come up with a response, I feel Colt place his hand on my waist.
“I told her I wanted to come. She’s giving me a chance, and I know the church is important to her, so that makes it important to me.”
Then Dorothy looks right at me like Colt isn’t even standing right next to me and whispers loudly enough for him to still hear, “You do know about his reputation, right?”
I instantly straighten my back. It looks like we’re going to battle right here and now.
Colt starts to say something, but I place my hand on his chest and say, “I know this town likes to gossip, but you have to go straight to the source. That’s what I did. As much as I love this town, I’m ashamed of how the gossips turned the good deeds into something horrible and twisted.”
I hadn’t realized I had raised my voice until I see Dorothy’s jaw drop, and the room goes quiet. I’m proud to say I keep my voice steady even when I feel anything but.
Colt leans over to whisper in my ear, “Love, it’s okay. We don’t have to explain ourselves to anyone. You want to get out of here and get some ice cream?”
I take a deep breath and nod. Just like Colt, he takes over the situation and guides me outside to his truck. Once inside, I shoot off a text and apologize to Mom and Dad for leaving them to handle the fallout. All I get back are a bunch of laughing emojis, so I can’t help but laugh too.
We head toward the Dairy Queen just outside of town. Colt backs into a space at the far end of the parking lot, and we head inside to order. This is the place the farmers like to meet to talk ranch business. Blaze comes up to join them and get the news once a week or so.
It’s also a popular spot on Sundays like this for the guys to hang out while the wives are at church. We get a few looks when we walk in but for the most part, the guys are friendly and smile or wave before returning to their conversations.
We step up to order, and Colt doesn’t even flinch. He orders himself a Mint Chocolate Chip Blizzard and me a Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard. This has been our order for as long as I can remember. We would get these two, then share.
It started one night when we came out for ice cream, and I couldn’t pick, so Colt ordered both. One for me and one for him so I didn’t have to choose. It’s just been our tradition ever since.
After we order, we head back to the truck and put the tailgate down to sit and eat our ice cream, overlooking the pasture behind the Dairy Queen with our backs to the building.
“You know, we did this for so long, even after you left, I found myself ordering Mint Chocolate Chip. It became my favorite because it was yours.”
I smile at him. “I would buy a carton of both at the store and have a bowl with a scoop of each.”
He laughed. We eat in silence for a few more minutes before he breaks the quiet.
“Thank you for standing up for me back there. Having you stand up for me…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I have no words.”
I sigh. “One step at a time, Colt. Thank you for coming with me today. It means a lot.”
“Well, I’ll be by your side every week that you let me.”
I look over at him and can’t believe he’s willing to go back after today. Why he would want to, is beyond me.
Like he can read my mind, he answers, “Dad does it for Mom, and I’ll do it for you. They’ll get used to me eventually, or they won’t.” He shrugs his shoulder. “Either way, I’ll be there every Sunday with you.” He leans over and gives me a chaste kiss and steals some of my ice cream.
We sit on the tailgate long after we finish our ice cream, just talking. We talk about the online schooling we did, the ranch, and funny memories growing up.
It may be Sunday, but that doesn’t mean ranch work stops. Once we get home from Dairy Queen, I head to check on the horses, although I know Riley is already out there with them, and Colt heads to see if Blaze needs anything. I find Riley in the pen, working over a horse I bought a few months back. She was abused, and the owner was more than happy to trade her for money. She has been skittish but seems to have taken to Riley. Another month, and I think she’ll be ready to ride.
Riley sees me and smiles. “Hey, how was church?”
“Fine until the potluck. Dorothy made a scene about Colt’s reputation.” I make air quotes with my fingers.
“She didn’t!”
I nod. “She did, and I put her in her place. Colt dragged me out and took me for ice cream.”
Riley laughed. “That man knows how to handle you.” She pauses. “You’re both happier now, ya know? We can all see it.”
“Crap. I need to talk to everyone. I don’t want to hide this anymore, and they don’t know the story of what happened all those years ago,” I say then shoot off a text to Colt.
Colt agrees we can talk to everyone tonight, so I shoot off a mass text to tell everyone to meet for dinner at the house. Mandatory attendance.
CHAPTER 10
Sage
Everyone is meeting at the house tonight, so I’m making fried chicken, biscuits, corn casserole, and a hot chocolate icebox cake for dessert. Yes, I’m buttering them up.
The cake has a dual purpose. If they are nice, they get cake. If they aren’t, I withhold cake, and there’s more for Colt and me to eat as we binge watch TV tonight.
Everyone is seated at the table and eating. When I say everyone, I mean everyone. Mom and Dad, Blaze and his fiancée Riley, Megan and her best friend (and why aren’t why dating?), Hunter, Jason, Mac, and at my side Colt.
I look over at Colt, and he gives me an encouraging nod.
“Hey guys, I need to talk to you,” I start.
All nine heads turn my way to hear what I have to say, and the room is eerily quiet.
“So, Colt and I have kept something from you guys, and I want you to let me talk. Then you can ask questions or get mad.”
Everyone nods, but no one says a thing. I take a deep breath and look at Blaze.
“Remember when you asked me who my first kiss was, and I wouldn’t tell you?”
He nods.
“It was Colt.” I watch as Blaze’s eyes flick to Colt then back to me. I don’t get a read on him, but he stays quiet, so I keep going.
“The reason he always took me to all the school dances? It’s because we were dating.”
This time Blaze’s eyes stay on Colt, and I see his jaw clench. He sits up straighter, glaring at Colt the whole time. Then he looks back at me.
“Colt and I knew from about the time he moved in with Mom and Dad that we were in love. We just didn’t get what that meant. By our senior year of high school, we did. The night before graduation, we stayed up and talked.”
I must pause and take a deep breath before continuing.
Colt steps in, giving me a few minutes to collect myself.
“I knew then she was it for me. When I saw my future, it was all her. I had told her I loved her before, but I told her that night too.” He looks over at me and takes my hand. “I told her she was my soulmate, and I couldn’t live without her.”
I pick up then. “My sperm donor used to say that to my egg donor, and I fr
eaked out. That’s why I left. I was scared, young, and stupid.”
“Why didn’t you tell us what was going on?” Blaze asks. His voice is soft and curious and not filled with the anger I had expected.
“The short answer is we were scared. I needed him. He helped with my nightmares when you couldn’t. We feared what Mom and Dad would do if they found out. We feared what people in town would think. We were young, Blaze, and you know our history as much as we do. That stuff leaves scars, and it affects us.”
No one says anything, so I continue. “I was planning to only be gone a few weeks. And what I’m about to say, I want you to know I in no way blame you. When you called and told me the rumors going around town of Colt without checking with him, those rumors kept me away.”
I watch guilt cross his face. Then Colt speaks up.
“I would go to the bar with Jason and help him where I could. Cooking and cleaning, that sort of thing. A few months after Sage left, Dorothy’s niece came in. She had just turned twenty-one, and she got drunk. Beyond wasted kind of drunk. Some trucker I had never seen before was pawing at her, and it didn’t sit right with me. So, I took her home, laid her in her bed, fully clothed. I didn’t even take off her shoes. I locked the door and came home. I didn’t touch her, but the story got around that we left together. That’s when the rumor mill started.”
He pauses, and I squeeze his hand.
“A few weeks later, Sheila was home from college. Remember her? She was a few grades ahead of us in school?”
Blaze gives a short nod, and Colt continues.
“Again, she got drunk, and I took her home. Again, I didn’t touch her, and I left. I kept praying if I did enough good, karma would protect Sage. I was worried and scared for her, and I needed her to be okay. Only once again, it backfired. The rumor mill kicked up and ran with it. Since both girls were no longer in town, I had no way to correct the stories. I didn’t care, but I never for a minute thought you,” He locks eyes with Blaze “would believe them without asking me.”
Blaze looks like someone slapped him. Pure guilt on his face, but he keeps quiet.
“When I called to get the details of Megan’s graduation, you told me Colt had been drinking and sleeping with a new girl every week.”
I watch shame cross his face, and he looks down at the table. “I did say that.” He nods. “I saw him leave with a girl. I heard the rumors, so I thought…” He hangs his head then.
Riley takes his hand but doesn’t utter a word.
Colt picks the story back up. “A few weeks before Megan’s graduation, I helped Kelli home. She had been drugged and was out of it bad. Nothing happened, but I stayed to make sure she was okay. I sat in a chair in the doorway all night. When she woke up, she thanked me, and I stayed for breakfast while the sheriff came over to file a report.”
Jason chimes in, “I remember that. He talked to me and my staff on what we saw that night—who was there, who she was talking to.”
“Well, after that, Kelli and I started hanging out at the bar. She would flirt, and I’d turn her down. Then the night Blaze told me Sage was coming back for Megan’s graduation, I snuck some drinks at the bar.” Colt cringes. “Sorry, Jason.”
Jason just shakes his head, so Colt continues, “That night after a few drinks, I admitted to Kelli I was in love with Sage, and it would always be her.”
Now, it was my turn to continue, “Well, I came home, and the day before the graduation, I ran into Kelli. She told me she and Colt were sleeping together, and they were in love.”
“Which was a lie,” Colt interrupts.
“Well, I couldn’t stand it, so I left again,” I say.
“When Sage left again, I was crushed. I was hurt, but Kelli was in my ear and within a few days, I was just pissed. So, Kelli and I did start sleeping together. I had no idea until recently what Kelli had said to Sage before that. I put an end to it when Sage moved back. Then Sage and I both avoided each other. We were both hurt and mad at the other. But a few months before Riley showed up, I made the decision to fight for us. I just didn’t have a plan. Then Riley showed up, and I put it on the back burner.”
His grip on my hand tightens some. I give him a squeeze back, trying to give him my strength.
“All the emotions flared back up when Sage dates Brice. Then, there was the thing with Jed… I was so scared. I can’t lose her. That night in the hospital after you all left, we talked. When we came home, I asked her to give me one month to date and to let us work all this out. So, that’s what we’re doing. We’ve been out on a few amazing dates.”
He looks over at me and smiles. My heart flutters. I smile back so proud of him, admitting all this to them.
“And we’ve talked a lot,” he continues. “There’s a lot of hurt and misunderstandings to overcome, but we’re talking.”
“And part of that process is coming clean to all of you,” I finish.
Everyone is silent and looking at Blaze, but it’s Jason who speaks up first.
“I watched ya’ll at the bar the other night. The way Colt looks at Sage… it’s how Dad looks at Mom, and how Blaze looks at Riley. It’s hot and intense. They both looked so happy. They danced after dinner and that kiss?” He laughs then looks at me “You had every woman in that room pissed because it wasn’t them.”
He pauses, and his eyes swing to Colt. “You two work this out, and Colt, you keep her happy. I’m okay with this.”
I smile at him. “Thank you, Jason.”
Mom and Dad look at each other, and Dad speaks next, “We always saw something there while you kids were growing up. We suspected it, but you’re right. Things would have been different while you were living under our roof. I can’t say what our reaction would have been then, but I can tell you what I said last night. If you’re happy, we’re happy.”
Mom adds in, “I see Colt looking at you the way your father looks at me and vice versa. You treat each other well and work this shit out.” My jaw drops. Mom never curses! “But if it doesn’t work out, we aren’t picking sides. You’re both my kids, and I love you both. You will be at the dinner table every week together, regardless of what happens between you two. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mom,” Colt and I say at the same time, making her smile.
Mac speaks up next, “Sage, you know you have a special place in my heart after saving my life. I want nothing more than for you to be happy. You deserve it. If he doesn’t treat you right, you let me know. I’ll take care of him.” He eyes Colt up.
I honestly don’t know who would win that one. Mac may be younger than us by a few years, but he’s all muscle.
I laugh though. “Thanks, Mac.”
“I was always the odd man out,” Megan says “And I get why. What you, Colt, and Mac went though as kids wasn’t pretty. I thank you guys for shielding me. But because I was the out man out, I got a different view of you guys. I saw the spark between you two back in high school, and I see it now. Work it out and don’t be afraid to talk to us either. We’re here for you both. But I agree with Mom. If this goes south, we aren’t picking sides.”
Hunter smiles at Megan then looks at me. “What she said.” I laugh. Hunter will always have Megan’s back.
That leaves Riley and Blaze, and I can tell Colt is just as nervous as I am because he squeezes my hand again. I see Riley looking at Blaze, and I can tell his mind is running, I guess Riley can too, because she’s next to speak.
“I know I’m the newest member of the family and what I say might not mean much, but I have talked to both of you. I’m happy you’re working through this. You’re both happier since you started talking again, so I’m happy for you.”
My eyes tear up. “Riley, your opinion matters, and I’ll kick anyone’s ass who tells you it doesn’t. That includes my brothers,” I say and look at Blaze. The side of his mouth quirks up just a bit. He can act all tough, but he’s told me before. He’s happy I’m just as protective of Riley as he is.
Then the room is silen
t again as we all wait for Blaze to speak. My heart races. I don’t know what I will do if Blaze isn’t okay with this. Besides Colt, he has always been there for me, and he has been my best friend even longer.
Blaze looks at me and finally speaks, “Why didn’t you talk to me? We talk about everything.”
“At first, I was just scared. Then I was scared you would get mad we didn’t talk to you first. The longer it went on, the more scared I was. Then there was Mom and Dad and what they would think. So, it was easier to hide it. It wasn’t right, and I’m so sorry.”
He nods, lost in thought. “You happy?”
“Yeah, I’m happy we’re talking and hopeful for where it could go.”
He nods again and then his gaze turns to Colt, and it goes ice cold.
“You’re one of my best friends. You should have talked to me before it started.” His tone is ice cold, one I’ve only heard very few times in my life.
Colt takes it in stride. “You’re right, but it never really started. Yeah, we shared our first kiss, but there was never a starting point. It just happened. It was lunches out and alone time that turned into dates, and we never realized it. Our first makeout session led us to promising each other there was no one else. By that point, we were in deep.”
I look over at Colt, and I can feel the blush creeping up my cheeks. That never happens. Then I look at Blaze, and I see him looking between Colt and me.
“These guys may not pick sides,” Blaze says, waving his arm around the table. “But I will. You hurt her? I will kick your ass, break a few bones, and send your ass to the hospital.”
Colt squeezes my hand again. “If I screw this up, you can all take a turn kicking my ass.”
That seems to satisfy Blaze. He nods and starts talking about the ranch. Everyone glances at me for a second and smiles. Then it’s like it never happened. I take a deep breath, and my eyes lock with Colt’s. He winks at me, and then we finish our dinner.
CHAPTER 11
