by Taryn Plendl
My assumption that she’d return for breaks never materialized. She was as stubborn as they came. But she couldn’t stay away forever, so I figured I would wait—and wait I did.
“Maybe your moves aren’t working anymore ‘cause you’ve gone and worked through every woman in the county already.” Much needed laughter boiled up. Anytime I could get the chance to rib poor Nate was a good one.
“Not hardly,” Both hands came up, flipping me the bird. “Plus, I’ve never had an issue with them coming back for a second ride.” He winked, satisfaction glinting in his eyes.
Nate wasn’t lying. Women chased him everywhere he went. Strong as fuck, and as hard a worker as anyone on the ranch, Nate was a total package as far as the local women were concerned, and they loved his almost angelic look. Ryke was no stranger to attention from women, but he’d always been much more reserved. Though they were opposite in every way, they were as close as you could get.
“So?” Nate asked.
“What?”
“What the hell is going on between you and Mira? I thought we were going to have to pull you off that asshole last night.” Nate put some of the tools away as he waited for me to answer.
Carrying the last of the supplies to the wagon gave me the time I needed to decide how I wanted this conversation to go. How much was I willing to share with these guys was the real question. In the end, I knew hiding anything from them was impossible. Not with Mirabelle on the ranch. The woman completely unnerved me.
“I’m in love with her.” The need to hold onto my pride slipped away.
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think she likes you very much, my friend. Especially after last night.” Nate chuckled.
“I think you might be right, but before he died, Dalton told me she felt the same about me. He told me to get her back here and take care of her. The problem is that ever since she’s been back, she looks at me like a stranger, only worse. At least strangers get respect.”
“Well, shit. You’re gonna need some help, Si. Your game is non-existent.” Nate shook his head, his face unnaturally grim. His words weren’t said as a joke, which made them even funnier to me.
“You’re not wrong, buddy. Are you offering?” My words dripped with hopefulness. Did guys ask other guys for help like this? Fuck it. I was desperate.
“Okay, how many girls have you dated in the last four years?” Nate clapped his hands together, face serious as if he were taking on a tough job. Was he asking about how many girls I’d slept with, or how many I’d actually considered investing my time in? I went with the latter.
“Two and a half,” I answered.
Nate doubled over, bursting out in fits of laughter.
“What the fuck is with the half?” he gasped, trying to catch his breath and holding his sides as if he were protecting his ribs. Probably a good idea. If he kept fucking laughing at me, I was gonna give him a reason to hold his damn ribs.
“Well, I didn’t really get through the whole date. Her grandma died, and she had to leave.” To be honest, I was pretty sure she’d lied to me. Right before I’d picked up the girl, Dalton had called. He was visiting Mirabelle, and I heard her voice in the background talking about going out to a club. My mind was a writhing mass of jealousy over the possibility of her with another guy, so I’m quite sure I was a shitty date. Even without excuses, my dating game sucked. This was a fact.
“Well, you’re lucky I’m on your side. I’m gonna help you out. We’ll get your girl.” Nate grinned at me and slapped me on the back. Nate would be a great ally to have. I knew damn well I couldn’t compete with his looks and million-dollar smile. He had all the local girls fawning over him, as it was.
“Trust me, I know this.” Rubbing my hands over the stubble on my chin, I release an exasperated breath. “So, what do I do? She’s still pissed at me from something I did four years ago.” A fifteen-year-old boy probably had more of an idea how to get a girl than I did.
“What did you do?” Nate crossed his ankles, regarding me with curiosity. “It must’ve been serious if she’s still pissed.”
“I tried to do the noble thing and protect her virtue.” I picked at the peeling paint on the wagon, needing to keep my hands busy. “All I ended up doing was embarrassing her and making her feel like she needed to run.” When I’d refused to have sex with Mirabelle, it wasn’t because I didn’t want to. Fuck me, that was all I’d thought about for a long time. She had grown from a girl into a woman right before my eyes, and it took so much fucking restraint not to cross lines with her. She was eighteen when she asked me to be with her, and legally, I could’ve, but not like that—not in a barn. She deserved more, and I wanted more with her than a literal roll in the hay.
Pushing off the wagon, I knelt and picked up a rock, rolling it in my palm, before launching it as far as I could. The thought of some random college guy putting his hands on her was enough to make me see red. Nausea rolled through my stomach. If I’d heard of that, I would’ve gotten right on a plane and dragged her ass back here for sure.
Dalton and I had put the fear of God in the local guys in town. Most of them took us seriously, but the few who challenged us figured out the hard way that we weren’t joking around when it came to Mirabelle. She was the total package. She was funny, stubborn, a hard worker, and gorgeous. The best part was that she didn’t know this. She was just herself, and that was the most attractive quality. She seemed so broken right now, and it crushed me. The light in her was gone, and I needed to find a way to get it back.
“Well, fuck.” Nate shook his head, his expression pensive. “This is gonna take some work.”
“Don’t I know it. I have faith in you, Nate. Help me get my girl.” I slapped him hard on the back before swinging my leg over the quad and starting it. With the fences fixed, we headed back to the barn to finish the work with the horses.
As I rode, I let my mind wander. Part of me had often wondered if my feelings for Mirabelle would lessen over the years. I had convinced myself that it was better that she left. Doing anything to screw up my friendship with Dalton had never been an option. He was the only family I had, so when we told all the local guys they weren’t good enough for her, by no means did I think I had special privileges or a free pass. I honestly had no idea Dalton was aware of my feelings for his sister or that he would approve. Things may have been much different if I had. Would I have made her mine? I knew one thing for sure, I would never have let her go.
As the main house came into view, I saw her. Her hair was flying behind her as she gracefully sat upon Snickers, galloping across one of the fields. There was something so natural about the way she rode. She belonged on the back of a horse, not in a city.
Rolling my quad to a stop, my eyes followed her movements. The one thing I noticed right away was that her curls were back. I fucking loved her curls.
“What’s that sappy look for?” Nate joked as he sidled up next to me, his quad idling. “Do you need some alone time?” He waggled his eyebrows, blue eyes shimmering. Was he really insinuating that I needed to rub one out right there in the field? It wouldn’t be the first time, but I had been a teenager then.
“Fuck off.” I clenched my fists to keep from hitting him, and headed for the equipment storage barn. Nate’s laughter exploded as I sped away. He was going to have way too much fun at my expense, but fuck it, I needed his help in a bad way.
M I R A B E L L E
The sun sank lower until the light faded into velvety darkness. The cooler air and the comforting sounds of night soothed me. The wraparound porch was one of my favorite places to relax and think.
And lately, those thoughts were of Silas.
Long and gangly was now tall and solid and filled out in all the right places. Hard work equaled hard muscles, and boy did my hands itch to touch. The young man had certainly grown into a stunning adult. And despite our confrontations and my stubbornness, he was kind and respectful. But the dominating presence was new. And damn, it turn
ed me on and pissed me off, at the same time.
The storm door behind me squeaked.
I didn’t need to look to see who it was. My heart sped, and my breath quickened. The hair on my arms stood. My body recognized his presence. One thing was true: four years hadn’t changed much when it came to how I reacted to Silas Anderson.
His hand came into view, causing me to tense, but I relaxed at the glass of lemonade.
“Thank you,” I said, taking a much-needed sip for the dry mouth he’d caused. Mmm, slightly sour. Just the way I liked it.
“How you holding up, Mirabelle?” Silas sat in the chair next to me, sighing as he stretched his long legs.
“Why do you do that?” Exasperation tinted my voice.
“What?” His face bunched in confusion.
“Call me by my full name.”
“Because, to me, you’ll always be Mirabelle.” His arm slipped around my shoulder. “You may have gone away, tried to change who you are—new name, new hair, new city—but I like the person you were.” He tweaked one of my curls and winked at me. “I’m glad you quit straightening it.”
“And now?” I asked, holding my breath for his answer.
“And now, what?”
“You said you liked the person I was. What about now, Silas? How do you feel about me now?” I had nothing to lose by asking, but damn, my heart raced when he sat there, quiet for what seemed like forever.
“Mirabelle.” His voice was low and soft. “I can honestly say nothing has changed for me.”
He sounded like he was going to continue, but I had heard enough. My feelings had been ripped to pieces by his rejection before, and I wasn’t about to let it happen again. With the loss of Dalton so fresh, I couldn’t deal with this, too.
“Good to know, Silas.” I jumped up to leave, but he caught my wrist, holding me in place.
“Wait,” he demanded. “Dammit, Mirabelle, I wasn’t finished,” he growled, making my stomach clench.
“It’s okay, Silas. You don’t owe me an explanation.” I tried to put a smile on my face, hiding how much his words had hurt.
“I swear, woman, you are the most stubborn person I know!” Silas stood, tightening his hold on me. “I need you to let me explain.”
Heat radiated from his body to mine as his chest rose and fell. His breath smelled of lemonade as it feathered over my face. I wanted to close my eyes and fall into him, to let him hold me, to know if his strong arms felt as good in reality as they always had in my imagination. This man had the ability to completely undo me by doing nothing more than being close to me. I both hated and loved it.
“Mirabelle.” Silas cupped my face with his left hand. My breath caught in my throat as he stared into my eyes with so much emotion. I wanted so badly to hear what he was going to say, even if it scared me. He opened his mouth, but stopped when the door squeaked behind us.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” Caroline said, stepping out of the door. “Mira, you have a phone call. It’s Mr. Blake.”
Bryan Blake was the family lawyer. His call was one more slap of reality. It was time to settle Dalton’s estate.
“Thank you, Caroline,” I said, my voice breathless. Silas loosened his hold, and I backed away, putting much needed space between us. “Excuse me.” I turned and walked through the door Caroline was holding. As I answered the phone, I heard her apologize to Silas.
“Hello, Mr. Blake, this is Mira.”
“Could you come into the office tomorrow morning? Say around ten?” he asked, his voice kind.
“Of course,” I agreed.
“I need Silas to come along also. Do you want to let him know, or should I try his cell phone?”
That Dalton named Silas in his estate was no surprise.
“I’ll let him know. We’ll be there at ten.”
We said our goodbyes.
When I reached the porch, two forgotten glasses of lemonade were the only things remaining from our encounter.
A ranch this size had more than enough chores to keep everyone busy, so I headed to the barn, Rusty following like a loyal dog. I heard laughter when I entered, and smiled at the sound of the guys cutting up after the last few serious days. Dalton would’ve hated us being sad. I knew this, but it hurt just the same knowing I would never see him again.
“Hey, Mira.” Ryke threw up his hand when I rounded the corner into the tack room where he, Nate, and Silas were. Their laughter had stopped after they saw me, and I wondered what they were talking about. It was almost comical the way they were so careful around me.
“Hi, guys.” I forced a lackluster smile at the Davis twins before addressing Silas. “Can I talk to you a minute?” I asked, before walking toward Snickers’ stall. He put his nose over the gate as I approached, causing me to giggle.
“Hey, handsome.” My hands stroked his head and patted his neck.
“Is everything okay?” Silas stopped next to me, his hand landing beside mine.
“Yeah. Mr. Davis needs us to come in to the office tomorrow at ten to talk about Dalton’s estate.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He was struggling to hold back his emotions, too, and I lost it. The flood gates opened, only this time, he wrapped me up in his strong arms and held me as I cried. His lips pressed softly against my temple, mumbling soothing words. The last thing I wanted was to break down in front of Silas, but instead of pulling away, I buried my face into his chest and let him comfort me. It felt good—too damn good.
Snickers’ whinnies made me pull back. Horses were so in tune with human emotions. With one last stroke to his head, I turned to leave.
“Mirabelle.” Silas’s voice was so soft, so full of pain, if I looked back at him, I would start all over again.
“I think I’m going to go to bed. Thank you, Silas,” I said before walking away.
As I tried to fall asleep, I thought about the way everything felt so right in his arms. For once, I allowed thoughts of Silas to lull me to sleep.
S I L A S
“Everything okay?” Ryke asked as I walked into the tack room. Ryke was very sensitive to emotions. I got the feeling he was always trying to stay one step ahead of a potential meltdown.
“Yeah. We’re going to settle the estate tomorrow.”
The guys nodded, their faces full of sadness as we focused on the recent events. I had no idea how things would work out without Dalton here. He was the glue that held this ranch together. His leadership and stubborn tenacity took this operation in the right direction after their dad died. He wouldn’t even fathom the idea of failing, and every time the Andrews family pushed him to sell, he reacted by putting more into it.
Ryke had mentioned he’d seen the same stubbornness in Mirabelle when he’d first met her. He seemed to think she was going to be a good thing for the ranch, but to be honest, I had no idea if she planned to stay in Colorado.
Dalton had told me she’d applied for positions in Maryland. And why would she stay here? Our conversations in the past few days either ended in anger or tears. I was seriously lacking in the communication department, that was for damn sure, and making a mess of everything.
I hung the last of the cleaned tack and went to find the guys. Ryke was feeding one of the last horses on one side of the barn, and Nate was doing the same at the other end.
“Where are you?” I asked to see where I could jump in.
“We’re basically done. Molly needs a rug.” He nodded his head toward the old mare.
I grabbed the cover and placed it over the gentle gal, sneaking her a peppermint from my pocket before leaving. Molly was a sweet quarter horse that had been on the ranch for as long as I could remember. She was so gentle you could put a child on her back, and she wouldn’t move a muscle until instructed.
“So, Nate said he’s helping you get Mira to fall for you.” Ryke flashed a half smile.
“Did he now?” I chuckled.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Si? You know he doesn’t do feelings
well. If you’re looking for lessons on how to grunt, flash a smile, and then drag her to bed, he’ll be great help.” Ryke held back laughter. “But if you really care about her, like I think you do, be careful with his advice,” he said, a little more seriously now.
“I get it.” I smirked. “Mirabelle and I have a lot of unfinished business. I just need to get her through tomorrow, and then I’ll try to figure things out with her.”
“Good idea, Si,” Ryke agreed.
Nate took that moment to approach. “All set. I’m gonna clean up and go into town. Anyone coming?”
Ryke and I shook our heads, and Nate shrugged.
“More for me!” he hollered over his shoulder as he walked to the doors, confirming what Ryke had said.
“Call if you need a ride!” Ryke, always the responsible one, yelled after his brother.
“See you in the morning, Ryke,” I said as I headed to the house, planning a long shower and a good night’s rest instead of a wild night.
The office inside the small brick building was painted in neutral colors with only one large window overlooking the main road. Mirabelle sat next to me in complete silence. Neither of us had said much on the drive. Needless to say, our moods were somber.
The reading of Dalton’s will was not something I’d ever planned on being a part of. Not because I didn’t think he would leave anything to me, but because I never thought I would out live him. I don’t know why, but the thought of him dying had never even crossed my mind. Sitting in this unassuming office made the reality of his death even harsher than the funeral had. This was the final step in laying him to rest.
The door opened and closed behind us as Mr. Davis walked in, stopping briefly to shake our hands, and greet us. Mirabelle sat straight in her chair, hands gripping the arms so tightly, her knuckles turned white. Without thinking, I covered her hand with mine. She tensed for a second before releasing the chair and turning her palm up. My fingers entwined with hers, and she visibly relaxed.
