Work Rules_A Breaking the Rules Novel

by Jacki James

  We drove through a massive front gate that had a huge wrought iron archway with a beautiful RRR in the middle. As we approached a massive single-story sprawling ranch style home with a full front porch, I took in the view. There was a huge barn with an attached covered riding arena as well as a large fenced area with horses grazing. I had no idea how large the ranch was, but it was huge. That was when it occurred to me that maybe they left out some pertinent information, like the fact they were loaded.

  “How big is this place?” I asked as I tried to make the mental adjustment from what I expected to what was right in front of me.

  “Around 1500 acres,” Lincoln said as casually as he might say pass me the salt.

  “Wow! Okay, um, so what exactly do they do with 1500 acres?”

  “Raise quarter horses mostly. My mom was a champion barrel racer. Meg too. We breed and train quarter horses for rodeo and for ranch work.”

  I let all that sink in as we got out of the car and headed up to the house. I was about to ask more questions when a feisty, blonde blur came running around the edge of the house and launched itself at Lincoln.

  “Lincoln! Oh my god! I’m so glad you’re here! It seems like ages since you were home,” someone I assumed was Kayla said.

  “Good to see you too, baby girl,” he answered gruffly.

  “Nay, get over here,” she ordered.

  He chuckled and walked over to where the two stood. She unwrapped her arms from around Linc and wrapped them around Nathan.

  “I miss you guys so much.”

  “Good lord, Kayla get off them so the rest of us can get a hug.” I looked up to find the source of the voice and wow. Talk about a knockout. A beautiful willowy blonde stood on the porch with her hands on her hips.

  “Oh fine,” Kayla grumbled dropping to the ground. But almost immediately she was smiling again as she turned her attention to me.

  “You must be the boyfriend. Mom is so excited. She can’t wait to meet you. We’ve been cautioned to be on our best behavior, so we don’t scare you off.”

  “And by we, she means she was warned. Hello, Alex. Nice to meet you, I’m Meg and the hyperactive pixie there is Kayla.” She pulled Nathan into a tight hug.

  “It’s nice to meet you. Nathan’s told me a lot about you two.” I took in the sisters and thought they couldn’t have been more different. Kayla was bouncing on her feet and trying really hard to contain her excitement. She was adorable and her energy was contagious. Meg was composed and calm but exuded warmth.

  I was happy that this was the family that chose Nathan. I had wondered how he survived what his parents did to him without being more damaged, but the answer was right here in front of me. Lincoln, the overprotective brother and the sisters who loved him. I couldn’t wait to meet Patty and Mike. I looked over at Nathan and our eyes met. My sunshine was a very special man with a very special family. He walked toward me and extended his hand.

  “Come on, let’s go meet Patty. I’m sure she’s watching out the window.”

  Taking his hand in mine, I twined our fingers together. I needed that connection with him. I was overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude for these people. I thought back to the day when he’d told me and that was the day the Reynolds’ family became my family, and I knew if there was ever anything I could do for these people, I would do it. I owed them a lot.

  Nathan

  We headed in to meet Patty, but Alex looked a little off. I guess we could have done a better job of preparing him for the Triple R. But I’d been coming here since I was a kid, and then lived here for years. I forgot sometimes that it was huge.

  “Lexi, you okay?”

  “I’m just fine, Sunshine. I was thinking how special your family is. Kayla kinda reminds me of you, actually.”

  “You aren’t the first person to say that. I guess I rubbed off on her.” I grinned. “She’s pretty awesome, huh?”

  We made it up the front porch steps and were about to open the door when it swung open and Patty rushed out and pulled me into a hug. Then she turned and hugged Lincoln. “I’m so glad you're here, boys,” she said as she turned her attention to Alex. “You must be Alex. Welcome to the Triple R. We’re glad you’re here, too. I was starting to think I would die of old age before one of my boys brought a man home to meet us.”

  “It’s a pleasure to be here, ma’am,” Alex said.

  “Oh, none of that ma’am stuff. You just call me Patty.”

  “I really do mean it, Patty. I'm pleased to be here. Nathan’s told me all about you, and I've been looking forward to meeting you.”

  I was beaming at Alex when Lincoln shoulder bumped me so hard I almost fell down the steps. “Momma’s boy,” he accused.

  “Yep,” I smiled. “I am and that’s why she loves me best.”

  “I love you best because you call me, baby boy. That one right there never even bothers to call his momma.” She pointed an accusing finger at Linc.

  “There’s no reason for me to. Baby boy,” he mimicked, “over here calls enough for both of us and keeps me informed.”

  Patty just rolled her eyes and smiled. “It’s good to have you boys home. Now let’s get you settled, and then we can figure out what we’re doing first. Nathan, I put you and Alex in the garage apartment. That should give you some privacy. Why don’t you grab your bags and get settled? By the time you get done, Mike should be finished in the barn.”

  “I can get my bags later,” Linc said. “I’m gonna go see if dad needs a hand.” He kissed Patty on the cheek and headed toward the barn, Meg in tow. I wasn’t sure where Kayla got off to.

  “I’ll see you boys inside once you get settled. I was in the kitchen getting stuff ready for tomorrow, so you come find me when you’re done.”

  We got our bags and walked around to the side of the house to the entrance of the apartment and put our bags in the bedroom.

  “Why do they have an apartment?” Alex asked.

  “It’s for people to stay in when they come to look at horses. A lot of times they will stay for a few days, and it’s easier for them to stay here than to drive into town to a hotel. I bet the fridge is full if you’re hungry,” I told him as I watched him wander around looking at things.

  “So, I take it Linc’s parents have money?” he asked.

  “Yeah, they do. I guess I should’ve told you, but honestly, I just don’t think about it. They don’t act like it, and they didn’t treat us like we were rich. We worked for everything we got.”

  “Were they disappointed when Lincoln chose emergency medicine instead of taking over the ranch?”

  “Oh no, everyone has known since they were little that Meg was the rancher in the bunch. She has a way with the horses that would blow your mind, but she also has a degree from A&M in Ranch and Land Management. She’s going to do great things with this ranch.”

  “Hey, Nay, I need to talk to you for a minute,” Kayla said sticking her head in the door. She looked a little hesitant which was so not Kayla.

  “Sure, sweetie. Come on in, what’s up.”

  “Okay, so you know I turned eighteen in October, right?”

  “Sure do, Tinkerbell, why else do you think we sent that box full of swag to you?”

  She rolled her eyes but seemed to relax a bit. “And a really nice box of swag that was by the way, and so you know, I know that was all you. Linc would never have picked out such awesome stuff.”

  “Anyway, you remember Cammie’s birthday is a couple weeks after mine, right?”

  “Yeah, I remember.” I closed my eyes as the feeling of loss swept over me. I pictured a sweet little girl in pigtails, carrying a doll. Cammie had thought I hung the moon, and I had adored her. I felt my eyes tear up, and then Alex was there holding me.

  “Cammie is your other sister, right?” he asked gently.

  I nodded but no words would come out.

  “This year she’s going to the public school instead of being home schooled.”

  “Really?” I was shocke
d. After I came out, my parents had freaked out and pulled my brother and sister out of school. They hadn’t been willing to take a chance that I might have spoken to them and turned them gay as well.”

  “Yeah, she told them if they didn’t let her go to school, she would take off the second she turned eighteen. She’s kinda a firecracker, Nay, you’re gonna love her. But anyway, she came up to me one day and asked about you. She wants to see you.”

  “No, she can’t.” I shook my head. “They will lose their shit if they find out she saw me. She has to be careful. It’s so close to time for her to get out of there. They will make her life miserable if they find out she saw me.”

  “They’re out of town this weekend anyway. So I don’t mean now. They went to your aunt’s house for the holiday. She just wanted me to tell you she misses you and can’t wait to see you. We were hoping that once we get moved to Austin, we can come see you. We both got into UT, and we’re going to room together. We just have to keep your parents from finding out who she’s rooming with until she’s out of there.”

  “What about Scott?” I asked “Have you seen him?

  She shook her head sadly. “Cammie says he’s like your father. He’s working at the store and planning on taking over from your father when he retires. But Nay, Cammie is brilliant. She got a full ride to UT. She didn’t apply; she was recruited. She got a 1600 on her SAT! Did you know only like 300 kids a year do that! She wants to be a veterinarian.”

  “Sounds like you two are close.” I couldn’t think of anything better than for Cammie and Kayla to be best friends.

  “We are. Like I said, we just have to play it cool until graduation. But I wanted you to know, and to find out if it was okay for me to tell her you wanted to see her after graduation.”

  “Of course. Give her my number and tell her to text me anytime.”

  “I will, and now I’ll leave so you guys can get settled.” She hugged me and left the apartment.

  I was really glad they had become friends, and I was thrilled that I might have a chance to reconnect with Cammie. But I was also overwhelmed. Of course, my bear knew that, and he knew just what I needed.

  “Come here, Sunshine,” he said gently as he sat down on the couch. Then he pulled me into his lap, wrapped me up tight, and let me fall apart.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Alex

  The rest of the Thanksgiving holiday went fast and was fun. I enjoyed Nathan’s family, and they seemed to like me, so that was good. Patty was an excellent cook, and we all ate enough to be sick. We played games and fed the animals. I loved the city, but I have to admit, being out in the middle of nowhere like that was relaxing.

  We were only staying until Saturday, and on Friday Nathan wanted to show me something. He told me the best way to get there was to go on horseback, and I’d had to admit that I’d never ridden a horse before. After a lot of teasing and laughing, they convinced me I could manage it and we headed out to the barn to pick our horses. All the kids had a horse that was theirs. Nathan’s was a pretty Paint horse named Sugar. When we had fed the horses the day before, it was obvious that she’d missed him, and she was twice as happy to see him today.

  Watching him with her was like watching him with Sassy. He was made to have animals in his life. While he got her saddled up and ready to go, he cooed and petted and promised never to stay gone so long again. Once he had her ready to go, he turned to me and said, “Now big guy, let’s find you a horse to ride.”

  He led me through the barn. We passed all kinds and sizes of horses, but Nathan stopped in front of a huge black horse. “This is dad’s horse, Mercury. He’ll be perfect for you to ride.”

  “Oh, hell no!” I stepped back. “What part of never rode a horse before did you miss?”

  Nathan laughed and said, “What’s wrong, Lexi, are you scared?”

  “No, it’s just that thing is fucking huge. There is no way I’m riding that!”

  “That’s what he said,” I heard from behind me. I spun around, and Meg and Kayla were both there, giggling like a couple of school girls. I turned back around and looked at Nathan who was trying his best not to join them.

  “Honestly, Lexi, he’s gentle as a bear,” he winked.

  “Fine,” I huffed out.

  We got him saddled and the whole time I was trying not to panic. I’d served in the United States Navy; I’d deployed to foreign countries; I was trained to manage natural disasters of epic proportions. I was not afraid to get on a horse. At least, that was what I was telling myself as I stood there, holding the reins until he snorted and jerked his head and I jumped.

  Once again, my little cheering squad was giggling.

  We led the horses out of the stalls, and Nathan instructed me on how to get on. Once I was in the saddle, Meg took over while Nathan mounted up. She instructed me on how to direct Mercury and what not to do. She assured me that Mercury would know what to do as long as I didn’t send him confusing signals.

  Nathan and Sugar walked up beside us and the horses greeted each other. We started out across the field. At first, Nathan was explaining to me what I needed to do, but at some point, I realized I was doing pretty good. It was kinda like riding a motorcycle but different since the thing underneath me was alive. Feeling connected to a living creature like that was pretty fucking amazing, to be honest.

  “So, you can just come up here to ride anytime you want?”

  “Yeah, I don’t come anywhere near often enough though. Sugar misses me, don’t you girl?” She tossed her head and snorted an agreement.

  “Well, we should come more often.”

  “We should,” he said as he graced me with a radiant smile. “Where we're headed is just round these trees. Are you ready?”

  “Sunshine, I was born ready.”

  “Goof,” he said as he nudged Sugar forward and she took off, Mercury right on her heels.

  We came around the bend and holy shit, it was gorgeous. The horses came to a stop at the top of a sharp slope, and as I looked out over the valley, I could see a river winding through. Nathan dismounted and tied Sugar to a branch. Then he held Mercury's reins while I did the same. Once he was secured, Nathan led me over to a flat rock. We sat there looking out over the valley.

  “Wild horses used to run free in this valley. At one point, Texas had more wild mustangs than any other state. Now there are none. But sometimes I swear if you sit here quietly enough you can hear them.” He sighed and leaned against me. “When I got overwhelmed after I first came to live with the Reynolds, I would come up here and sit and just feel the horses.”

  “It’s beautiful. Thanks for sharing this with me.”

  Nathan

  After we got home from the ranch, we fell into a routine. We usually spent my days off at Alex’s place, and he tried to come with us to the hockey games when he could. His dad had even come to a couple of games with us and that was fun. I was a little amazed at how well our lives had meshed together.

  I came home one day mid-December after a really rough shift and had never been so glad to collapse on the couch with my cat. I should’ve got a cat years ago. There was something about her purring that just resonated with my soul. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew Linc was home and talking to me.

  “I guess I’m going to have to get my own cat soon,” he said grinning at me.

  “Why? I’ll share. She’s the best remedy ever for a rough shift.”

  “I assume at some point you’ll move in with Alex, and I’m not thinking you’ll leave Sassy behind.”

  “We haven’t even talked about that. Maybe at some point, but no time soon. I don’t think, anyway.”

  “You’re so cute,” he said as he maneuvered me around, so he was on the couch and my head was in his lap. “I’m betting he has you in his house permanently before your birthday.”

  “What will you do if that does happen? Will you get another roommate? Shit, Linc, I didn’t even think of that.”

  I couldn’t lea
ve him to pay for this apartment on his own. What was I going to do if Alex asked me to move in? I’d love to move in with him. It would be so nice to have him to come home to after a long shift, or to be there all day on my day off doing yard stuff. It would be amazing to have a small vegetable garden. But what would Linc do? I couldn’t choose. Linc started running his fingers through my hair, calming my nerves.

  “Nathan, sweetie.”

  “What?” I managed to croak out.

  “Sweetie, we can’t live together forever. We both want more than that, and you can’t put your life on hold for me to get my shit together.”

  “But…”

  “Nope. No buts. If Alex wants you to move in and you want to go, then that’s what you’ll do. I’ll either pay for this apartment by myself, get a roommate, or a cheaper apartment. But I’m an adult, Nathan. What I do isn’t your problem. I love you, sweetie, but if you make a choice about something like this based on me, I’ll kick your ass.”

  “But I would miss you,” I pouted.

  “I would miss you too, but we’ll still always be there for each other. Nothing will ever change that.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Nathan

  We survived the big holidays. Thanksgiving with my family, Christmas at his, our first gift exchange, and we had passed each test with flying colors. So you would think New Year’s would be a piece of cake. But no, it couldn’t be simple. Alex needed to put in an appearance at the hospital president’s party, and he wanted me to go. I’d never really had any interaction with Mr. Davis, but Alex knew him from his Navy days which was how he came to work at the hospital in the first place.