by T. J. Kline
Gage hadn’t really expected anything different from her after the way she’d acted on the highway and the ride to the ranch. Except, as much as he wanted to believe she was as self-involved as what she appeared to be, he didn’t. His bullshit meter was working overtime every time she came near, and he wondered what she was trying to hide. Because he was sure she was hiding something.
He wasn’t even sure why it mattered to him. He was hiding plenty of his own secrets. He certainly wasn’t about to push someone else to tell theirs.
Gage made his way to the cabin he’d be staying in and opened the cupboard. He let out a quick sigh. Of course, there was no food; his trip to the store had been derailed this morning. He headed back to his car.
Driving past the barn, his eyes slid to the doorway where he saw Leah grooming one of the horses while Jessie instructed her. He tried to tell himself it was because he was just being cautious, making sure no one came out in front of the car. It absolutely was not because he wanted to see her again. Jessie raised a hand, waving as he drove past, but Leah simply followed him with her eyes. Gage clenched his teeth, willing himself to turn away. He didn’t care that she didn’t seem to like him.
At least that’s what he was going to keep telling himself. Eventually, he might believe it. Because it did bother him, a lot.
LEAH FLOPPED ONTO the couch in the living room of the three bedroom house Jessie and Nathan had provided for her. After a lifetime of nothing but hard times, she was finding it difficult to believe that something this good was actually happening to her. A job that had been a great opportunity this morning was, with each passing moment, becoming a dream come true.
She looked around the room at the boxes stacked on the kitchen counter and the island. There weren’t too many, considering her entire life was packed into them. Then again, when most of childhood was something you’d rather forget, there wasn’t much time to collect too many objects. She pressed her hands against her knees, forcing herself off the couch, and carried the first box into the master bedroom.
Jessie must have been the one to decorate this house. Everything seemed like her style, maintaining the western ranch theme with dark woods, neutral browns, and tans, and plenty of leather. Instead of feeling imposing, Leah found it comforting. A picture of a silhouetted cabin hung on the wall over the bed, catching Leah’s attention. It took a moment for her to realize it was the main house, with the sun a bright ball of fire in the background, whose oranges, pinks, and reds lent the only spot of color to the room. It was gorgeous, and she couldn’t help but feel a gaping sense of yearning. She wondered what it must have felt like growing up here, with parents and siblings, a home.
Leah ran a hand over the foot board of the bed, her fingers trailing over the smooth log furniture. She opened the box and pulled her clothes out, folding them and placing them into the dresser. As she finished, she ran her hand over the top of the dresser, void of any knickknacks to personalize it.
She had never kept pictures of her family. She’d never known most of them, and the ones she knew, she wished she didn’t. Growing up, Leah pretended she had a family somewhere who would someday come and rescue her. When that didn’t happen, she convinced herself that if she loved her mother enough, it would change things.
Tucking a loose strand of her hair back into the knot at the back of her head, she took a deep breath and went to the window, pulling back the sheer curtains. From her bedroom window, she could see the cabin where Gage would be staying. Jessie had offered his background freely, making Leah feel harsh and judgmental for assuming he was nothing more than a good-looking meathead. The man ran an IT company specializing in security software. He was a prodigy and a genius, if she was to believe Jessie, who sounded like a proud mother telling her about Gage’s accomplishments. It was easy to see her boss held him in pretty high regard.
And you insulted him as soon as you met him.
It wasn’t her finest moment, to be sure, but it was hardly the worst thing she’d ever done. However, that didn’t excuse her actions. Leah could see his car parked in front of the cabin again, assuming he’d returned at some point while she’d been riding with Jessie. She battled with the urge to go over and apologize to him, yet again.
When he’d left earlier, she’d seen him watching her in the barn, and she hadn’t missed the look of disgust on his face when he turned away. Leah wasn’t stupid. She knew it was because he didn’t want to be around her. When Jessie had invited him to dinner, he hadn’t even hesitated before refusing. But she couldn’t exactly blame him. She’d been pretty awful today.
She glanced at the old watch on her wrist. Other than her car, it was the only memento she’d kept from Nicole, the foster mother who’d turned her life around. She felt a twinge of melancholy each time she saw it, missing the vibrant woman she’d shared too little time with. But this wasn’t the time to get sentimental. She needed to head over to the main house. Jessie was expecting her in less than thirty minutes, and she hadn’t even changed yet, not that she had anything but jeans to change into.
She pulled open several boxes still in the kitchen until she found the box with her black jeans. Tugging them from below two other pair, she located a black button-up shirt that didn’t look too wrinkled from being packed and her knee-high black boots. Hurrying to the guest bathroom, Leah tugged the hair tie from her head, trying to finger-comb her caramel waves back into some semblance of a style before giving up and pulling it back with a barrette. It was a far cry from the professional doctor image she’d wanted to project, but it was going to have to do. Her sweaty tank top and broken-down car had already destroyed that facade.
Trotting down the steps, Leah hurried to the back gate and let herself into Jessie’s yard. A handsome dark-haired man, who was standing at the barbecue on the patio by the pool, looked back over his shoulder at her.
“You must be Leah. I’m Nathan. Jessie should be out in just a minute, and I’m sure the rest of the clan is already on their way.” His gaze, sparkling with impish humor, shot to the back door of the house conspiratorially. “Did she warn you yet?”
Leah felt oddly at ease with Jessie’s husband. She tended to keep her distance with men, but his open, genuine smile made her feel more at home. “About what?”
“The rest of the family.” He closed the barbecue, letting it heat up while he flipped off the pool skimmer, tugged the machine from the water, and set it aside. “You’ll like them, everyone does, but they can be a lot to handle if you’re not expecting the wild, rambunctious crowd that will be here.”
Great, this sounds like a blast, she thought, barely keeping herself from rolling her eyes.
“Justin’s the oldest. His wife, Alyssa, used to be a pretty big deal in Hollywood. They have a little boy, Sam, who’s about six months old. Then there’s Julia and Dylan, Gage’s brother. She trains service dogs and he’s a paramedic in town. They have a little girl, Emily, who’s only about a month old now. I think Bailey’s coming with Chase, too, unless he has to work tonight. She helps Justin at the clinic, and he’s a deputy sheriff in town.”
“Jessie mentioned him earlier.”
“Yeah, he refers a lot of kids here. Matter of fact, I think he’s sending over a few this week.”
“Already?” Leah felt her stomach clench. It wasn’t a shock—this was her job, after all—but she’d been hoping for a little more time to prepare and make some plans.
He shrugged, a grin spreading over his face. “Jess isn’t big on taking things slow.”
“Are you talking about our wedding again?” Jessie came out onto the patio with a bowl of salad big enough to feed a small army, which, from Nathan’s description, was exactly how many people might be showing up.
“No.” Nathan chuckled as she moved closer, slipping his arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “But I’d be happy to if you want me to tell Leah the story.”
Jessie rolled her eyes but smiled broadly at Leah. “He took advantage of me, ran a
way, and came back ten years later to beg me to marry him. There, that’s it in a nutshell, right?”
Nathan shook his head. “Not exactly the way I remember it.”
“Trust me,” she whispered loudly to Leah with a laugh. “That’s exactly the way it happened.”
“We finally made it!” A woman’s voice announced her arrival, just before the largest dog Leah had ever seen ran through the gate and straight for her.
“Tango, sit!” Immediately, the dog skidded to a halt and sat. A petite blonde scowled at him, and the dog hung his massive head apologetically. “Sorry about that, he’s been cooped up with me and the baby for the last week. He wants to play, badly. I’m Julia.”
“Leah.”
“And that’s my husband, Dylan, and his dog, Roscoe.” She held her hand out as a golden retriever ran into the backyard, followed closely by a man who looked uncannily like an older version of Gage. Not exactly, he was even bigger, which she hadn’t realized was possible since Gage was already built like a Mack truck. This must be the brother Nathan mentioned. As he met her gaze and shook her hand, she recognized the grave solemnity in his eyes even as he smiled in welcome. This man had been through hell and back. She’d seen the same look in several of the clients at the medical clinic she’d worked at over the past two years.
Who was she kidding?
She saw the same look in her reflection every morning.
GAGE SAT ON the front porch of the cabin, trying to ignore the laughter coming from Jessie’s backyard. Three dogs barked and yipped happily as voices rose and a cheer went up just before he heard a loud splash. He couldn’t make out the conversations, but it wasn’t hard to tell everyone was having a good time. He tipped back the bottle of beer in his hand as a loud rumble sounded from an engine coming up the driveway.
Bailey didn’t bother to park at the front of Jessie’s house like everyone else had. She drove her motorcycle right to the front of his cabin and parked. Sliding her helmet off, she shook her hair loose and swung her leg over the seat before climbing the porch steps.
“Just the guy I wanted to see.” She smiled brightly at Gage. “What the hell are you doing over here when the party is over there?” She jerked her thumb at the house.
“I’m not exactly in a celebration kind of mood,” he said with a shrug. He doubted that she’d believe it, since she’d gotten to know him pretty well over the last year, but it was the first and easiest excuse that came to mind.
She arched a dubious brow and tipped her chin down. “Sure you’re not. You’re always in a party mood. What gives?” Bailey waved off the chilled bottle he offered her.
Gage had met Bailey when he’d stayed at Julia’s for a short time while his brother was paired with a therapy dog. They’d immediately hit it off, but as much as they’d enjoyed one another’s company, after one date, they’d both realized they didn’t have a spark. They did, however, share an easy friendship, and she’d quickly become the little sister he’d never had.
“I’ve had my head bit off enough times for one day.”
“By Jessie?”
He shook his head and took another sip. “Nope, her new therapist.”
“Leah? Jessie said she’s great. She loves her already.” She dropped into one of the chairs Jessie had commissioned to grace the front of each cabin and kicked her feet up onto the table, clasping her hands over her flat stomach.
“That’s exactly how she should feel, since she’s hiring her. I, however, am not her biggest fan.”
“What’s wrong, Gage? Is she ugly?” Bailey mockingly stuck out her lower lip in a sad face.
Gage clenched his jaw and scowled at Bailey. Usually he would have just told her what happened, but he wondered if he shouldn’t just bullshit his way through this conversation. If Bailey was concerned with his love life, she wouldn’t pry into the real reason for his visit this time around. If she started asking questions, he knew her suspicions would only get stronger. Then again, he wasn’t sure he wanted any of the Hart women trying to play matchmaker for him, the way they were all prone to do, and Bailey would likely read far more into his distaste for Leah than she should.
“I’m not that shallow. Besides, you know I only have eyes for you,” he teased, hoping she’d drop the subject altogether.
“Ah-ah-ah!” she scolded playfully, holding up her hand and wiggling the diamond engagement ring his friend Chase had only recently placed there. “I’m off the market. You missed your chance.”
“Darn it.” Gage winked at her. “Just when I was going to make my move, too.”
“So, what has this terrible woman done to offend your delicate sensibilities? You get along with everyone.”
Gage took a deep breath, but instead of answering, he simply shrugged. Now that he thought about how he’d explain his reasons why, they sounded petty and ridiculous. The circumstances of their meeting hadn’t exactly been primed for pleasantries. And, while it was a misunderstanding, he could see where his comment could be misconstrued. He was basing his opinion on what would have been a pretty bad day for anyone. Maybe he was being too harsh in his estimation of her. If nothing else, he should at least apologize for calling her bitchy in the midst of a rough day.
Bailey grinned at him and stood up, slapping her hands on her thighs. “Good, then you can walk over to the main house with me. Chase has to work late tonight, and that means I’m flying solo.” She held her hand out to him. “Come on, stud muffin, I’ll protect you from the big, bad therapist.”
Gage rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile at Bailey’s antics. He tossed back the last sip of beer in his bottle and stood up. “Lead the way, hot stuff.”
When they reached the house, Bailey opened the back gate, dragging him through it into the party already in full swing. “Look who I found!”
Seven sets of eyes turned toward them, every pair welcoming except one. Leah’s gaze fell on him, and it didn’t take a genius to read the only emotion in her face: irritation.
Gage realized too late that he hadn’t misjudged anything.
THE PARTY WAS loud, far louder than Leah imagined nine people and two infants could ever be. But with three big dogs added to the mix, it was barely controlled chaos, and although everyone was having a good time, she needed a breather. She eyed the back gate and wondered if she could sneak out for just a moment of silence. With everyone concentrating on getting the fire going in the pit in the center of the lawn or moving chairs closer, Leah edged closer to the exit, sneaking out without being noticed.
She took a deep breath and tucked her hands into the pockets of her jeans, the gravel of the path between the main house and hers crunching quietly under her boots. Turning right, she made her way past the other cabins toward the corral where two horses munched on hay. The sun had dipped below the horizon and pinks and oranges streaked through the sky before deepening into dark blues, looking much like the picture hanging on her wall. The first stars were just beginning to twinkle high in the sky, and Leah marveled at the sharp turn her life had taken.
She’d never been anywhere like this before. Her fingers wound around the railing of the corral and one of the horses glanced up at her before turning back to its dinner. Growing up in the central valley of California, she’d seen plenty of farms along the outskirts of town, but it had always seemed like a different world. When you grew up in the slums of the inner city, even the outskirts seemed foreign. Her world more closely resembled the war zones she saw on television, with everyone struggling and fighting for every scrap they managed to hold onto. Between the rival gangs, drug deals, and poverty, peace was something she’d never experienced as a child, let alone hoped to have on a consistent basis.
Hope.
It was a futile emotion in her world, only leading to pain and disappointment. She’d learned that lesson the hard way. Yet, here she was, living in a place she couldn’t have even dreamed about, working with kids she might actually be able to help, with people who shared her vision. For someone
with nothing but bad luck, good luck had seemed to finally smile down on her.
Until it all comes crashing down.
Leah wanted to ignore the needling pessimism, but based on her past history, she couldn’t help but feel like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop or to find out this was all some sick joke. There had to be some sort of down side. Good things like this didn’t happen to her.
“Are you trying to escape, too?”
She jumped at the sound of Gage’s husky voice, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. She wasn’t sure what it was about him that immediately set her on edge, making her pulse race and her stomach churn at the same time.
There’s the down side.
She kept her gaze focused on the pair of horses in front of her, even as they continued to ignore her presence completely. “I just needed to catch my breath for a second.”
“I see.” He didn’t sound convinced, and Leah swung her eyes toward him, waiting for him to say more. She wasn’t in the mood for his sarcasm. “It’s been a pretty hectic day for you all the way around today, hasn’t it?”
It wasn’t what she expected him to say, and it took her by surprise. “I guess so.”
She turned, leaning an elbow over the corral railing, and eyed him. For someone who was supposed to be able to read people well, she was having a difficult time with him. She could see the sympathy in his expression, but she could also read distrust there. His tone was friendly, but it also held a note of cynicism. The man was so many contradictions wrapped up in one package.
Although, it was a mighty fine package. Even she had to admit it, but she knew better than most how overrated lust was.
“Thanks for—”
“Look, I wanted to—” Gage paused as they spoke simultaneously and let a small grin lift the corner of his mouth. “Go ahead.”
“I was just going to thank you for your help with the car today. I shouldn’t have been so grouchy. Well, I guess after everything it might be understandable, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
