by Andi Jaxon
Chapter Five
IAN
The phone on my desk rings for the tenth time today. The only times I get this many calls are when someone’s cows get loose and roam all over town. That’s not what these calls are about today. No, everyone in town is calling to tell me they’ve seen Eva on my family’s ranch. I’m not surprised to know she’s gone to my family. They’re as much her family as mine, but I don’t need the damn reminder every twenty minutes that she’s here and not with me.
The sweat hadn’t even cooled when she kicked me out last night. She wanted me just as badly as I wanted her, but once she got what she wanted, she was done with me. It hurt. It still hurts.
Now I’m irritated, snapping at everyone, and about to throw this damn phone through a window.
The ringing starts up again and I growl at it, stalking out of the office and toward my SUV without so much as a word to Stacey.
Damn woman has been here for less than twenty-four hours and she’s already messing with my routine. I couldn’t sleep after seeing her. I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, hoping she would call, but knowing she wouldn’t.
I burned my bacon and my hash browns were soggy. I’ve been in a piss-poor mood since. Climbing behind the wheel, I let out a deep breath and start her up. It’s damn cold today. The skies are clear, bright blue with big white fluffy clouds, but since it’s December, it’s below freezing.
I set my cell phone in the cupholder and back out of the parking lot. I need to go for a drive and clear my head before I start a fist fight for no damn reason. Maybe Will will be in the mood for a fight today. No one pisses you off like a little brother, though I’m not sure Momma’s wrath will be worth it.
The drive through town is quiet, uneventful, and does nothing to calm my tattered nerves.
Fuck it.
Turning around in the middle of the street, I head toward my family’s ranch. If nothing else, I’m sure they can use an extra hand, and the physical work will tire me out.
Pulling in next to the car I know is Eva’s, I grit my teeth. I grab my phone and slam the door behind me, turning toward the barn. I catch just a glimpse of purple hair before it disappears down the hill where she used to make flower crowns as a child. At the age of ten, we “got married” in that damn field with one of those crowns on her head.
Itching for a fight, I stalk toward the barn, where I’m sure to find Will.
Johnny Curtis is mucking a stall when I walk past, but I don’t pay him any mind. This doesn’t concern him and Rick this time.
He nods. “Hey, Ian.”
I don’t respond. It doesn’t take me long to find my brother. He’s in the tack room conditioning a saddle when I walk in.
He turns around, not really surprised to see me. I’m here a lot.
“Get up,” I growl, my tone deep and dangerous.
He cocks his head, but sets his stuff down to stand up. I don’t give him any warning; I just swing at him. My fist connects with his jaw, snapping his head to the side. My breathing is too fast, and blood pumps through my veins to fuel my body, anger and pain wrapping around me like a vise grip. I hate this feeling.
Will shakes his head and comes after me, ducking down to get his shoulder in my gut, taking me to the ground. He lands a solid hit to my kidney, making me grunt. I split his lip with my elbow. We’re wrestling on the ground, no one paying us any mind as they go about their work.
“Are you kidding me?” Momma hollers.
Will turns toward her voice, leaving him open for another hit to the solar plexus. He doubles over, the wind knocked out of him.
“Ian Rojas!” she yells, stomping toward us. Using the folder in her hand, she smacks me on the back of my head. “What the hell are you doing?”
Will smirks at me for a second before Momma smacks the back of his head too.
His lip is bleeding and we’re both breathing hard. We’re dirty and sweaty with bruises forming. I don’t really feel better, and that just pisses me off even more.
“What the hell is wrong with you two? Acting like a couple of fools.” She points at us, still on the ground. “Kitchen, both of you.”
We grumble, but do as we’re told.
“I’m the sheriff, ya know,” I mumble under my breath.
“You back-talking me?” Momma asks.
“No, ma’am.”
From the corner of my eye, Will smirks.
“Fuck off,” I mutter.
Momma smacks the back of my head again as she marches us into the house and to the bar stools in the kitchen.
She grabs a bag of ice, wraps it in a towel, and hands it to Will for his lip. Crossing her arms, she leans against the counter and looks at me, waiting for an explanation.
My jaw clenches. I don’t have one.
“I’m waiting, Ian.”
“I was itching for a fight. Will’s face was the first to come to mind,” I snap.
“And that’s the behavior our sheriff should be participating in?” She raises her eyebrow at me, cocking her head.
“He’s my little brother. It comes with the territory. Anyone else would have me on assault charges.”
“If you don’t rein in that temper—”
I shove the stool back, and it falls over with a crash on the wood floor.
“I’m a grown man. I don’t need my momma telling me how to act!” I holler, my voice echoing through the house.
“You best watch the way you talk her.” Dad’s threat comes from the sliding back door. “She may be your momma, but she’s my wife, and I won’t tolerate anyone talking to my wife that way.”
Spinning away from my family, my fists clenched, I storm out of the house and back to my car. Everything is spinning out of control. I haven’t felt this crazed since she up and left. What is it about this girl that ties me up in knots, making me crazy?
Driving away from my childhood home, I make another pass through town, checking to make sure everything is okay. When nothing is amiss, I head to Betty’s for lunch. It’s about eleven, and since my breakfast was shit, I’m starving.
The bell dings on the door when I step inside, and coffee and fried food fill my nostrils. The chatter of conversations and the sizzle from the grill fills the air. I take a deep breath and force my shoulders to relax.
As I grab my normal seat at the counter, Betty looks me over from the kitchen, lifting an eyebrow at me.
“You’re awful dirty for so early in the day.”
A brown mug of steaming coffee is set down in front of me. I don’t respond as I sip the scalding liquid. Since school is in, Bianca is in class, leaving her momma to waitress. Diane never says much. The blonde woman with a permanent scowl isn’t friendly and hates working here, but Betty needs the help, and no one else will hire her since her attitude sucks. Her husband died when Bianca was real young, leaving her to raise the girl on her own. She’s had a rough go of it.
She doesn’t ask what I want, just writes my usual on the notepad and adds it to the orders already in the window.
“Have you seen Eva?” Rick sits next to me with his back to the counter.
“Yes,” I grumble, taking another drink of coffee.
“She’s looking good,” he comments. “Think she’s sticking around?”
My lip curls. This dweeb isn’t getting anywhere near her.
“She’s working for Will.”
He drags his thumb over his lip, deep in thought. “Cool.”
Then he’s gone out the door, the bell rattling as the door moves.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I suck in a deep breath and hold it before releasing it. She’s like fresh meat around here. I’m going to have to beat these dumbasses off her with a baseball bat. Horny bastards.
Diane sets my plate down in front of me without a word and walks off. I don’t even have silverware.
“Excuse me, Diane?” I call. “Can I get some silverware, please?”
She looks over at me, rolls her eyes with huff, and slams a roll on
the counter next to me.
“Thanks so much.”
I take a bite of my sandwich when the door opens behind me. “Sheriff. We have a problem.”
Mother. Fucker.
I spin around; Luke is standing at the door looking worried. Luke’s family owns a cattle ranch a few streets over from my family.
“What is it?” I sigh.
“Main Street is full of sheep.”
“God damn it,” I grab one of my sandwich pieces, drop some bills on the counter to cover my lunch, and head out.
“Are those Miller or Ryan sheep?”
We only have two ranches around here that raise them. The boy is right, Main Street is full of sheep. There’s at least two hundred of them. This is going to take a while.
“Looks like both.”
Great.
“Alright, call your folks. See if they can spare a few people and horses to start herding them.” Turning back to the restaurant, I stand in the doorway. “We got loose sheep. Anyone that can help, we would appreciate your time.”
Pulling my own cell phone out, I call the Millers. It rings twice before it’s picked up.
“Miller Sheep Farm,” a woman’s voice fills the line.
“Marcy, this is Sheriff Rojas. Looks like some of your sheep have taken a walk to Main Street.”
“Shit. I’ll get Robbie and the boys out there as soon as I can find him to start herding them.”
“We’ve got some Ryan sheep out here too, so check your fence line over on that side.”
She sighs. “I will. Thank you, Sheriff.”
“You’re welcome.”
We hang up, and I dial the Ryans’ ranch, relaying the same information.
When I hang up, I see we’ve already got a few guys on horseback and dogs pushing the herd back the way they need to go. I nod as they pass, and they wave back. One of the amazing things about small towns is everyone’s willingness to help. At some point, everyone needs a bit of help. Whether it’s a lost animal, a broken fence, or a leaky pipe, we take care of each other. We may fight amongst ourselves sometimes, but when it comes down to it, we help out.
Within the hour, people on horseback have come from all over, checking side streets for sheep that got separated and pushing them back toward the herd. It takes a bit of time, diverting traffic, but the sheep are back where they belong. The Ryans and Millers will have to check them and separate out who belongs to who, but that’s their problem, not mine.
By the end of the day, I’m exhausted and no closer to finding a solution to my Eva problem, but Momma has informed me she’s having dinner at the house to welcome my girl home and I better be there.
Chapter Six
EVA
When I get back to the barn a few hours later, Will is filthy with a fat lip and a bruise on his jaw. I’m not sure what happened, but I’m willing to bet Ian was here. Those boys used to fight all the time. Ian would be upset about something and search out his little brother to work it out with his fists.
Ian has always been bigger, but Will is scrappy.
Bandit doesn’t need much more cool-down time. We walked the entire way back, and it’s cold today. I need to get him stripped of tack and watered and brush him out, then he’ll be good to go back to his stall for the night.
I’m sweaty despite the freezing temperature, tired but centered. I know I need to talk to Ian and Momma, explain what happened and why I left, but being home, being back, is so damn healing.
Stopping at a water trough, I hop down and wince. My thighs are sore from being in the saddle. I give myself time to stretch, petting the soft fur of Bandit’s neck.
“Such a good boy.” I smile at him.
“He give you any trouble?” Johnny asks.
“Nope, he was a perfect gentleman.”
“Good, I would hate for him to misbehave his first time with a new lady.” He flirts, winking at me. Is there something in the water around here? What is with all these men?
When Bandit is done drinking, I lead him inside toward the stall and tie the reins to a hook high on the wall. It’s like riding a bike, untying the straps of the saddle. My muscles remember what they’re doing, even if it’s been years since I’ve done it. When I reach for the saddle to remove it from Bandit’s back, Will grabs it. He winks at me as his arms bulge, carrying it into the tack room and setting it down to air out.
He hands me a brush with a smirk, his fingers brushing against mine.
“You won’t be winning the next beauty pageant with that shiner.”
“I don’t know. The ladies dig a bad boy.” His smirk turns into a smile. “You only saw Ian through the rain, huh?”
My face heats, hearing my lie on his lips. “I said what I said.”
“That’s why he came in here looking for a fight? You blow him off or something?” He’s watching me, reading the lines of my face.
I swallow before answering, last night playing in my head. “Or something.”
He nods, more to himself than to me. “If you’re spoken for, it would be best to not keep it a secret. You know how small towns are. You’ve been gone a long while. All the boys are going to be sniffing around for fresh blood.”
He’s pushing me into a corner, and I hate it. With anger flaring in my veins, my hand holding the brush falls from Bandit’s back. “I am not a damn piece of meat, William Rojas. You will do well to remember that.”
Grabbing the reins from the hook, I turn Bandit around and take him to his stall to finish his brushing. Once inside, with the half door closed, I take his bridle off and hang it outside on the hook. Will comes over and leans on the door.
“I’m just trying to warn you how it’s gonna be,” he mumbles.
“I’m a big girl. I can handle the boys around here.”
He purses his lips and nods. “When you’re finished here, if he’s ready, go ahead and feed him. His grain mixture is on the wall. He gets three flakes.”
I nod but don’t turn to look at him. He knocks on the door and walks away before I take a deep breath. These damn Rojas boys are going to be the death of me.
Bandit turns his head to nudge me with his nose. Tears spring to my eyes as I wrap my arms around his neck, his cheek resting against my back.
I’ve missed this too. This connection to the horses. Growing up with them, you learn how perceptive these creatures are. They feel, have personalities, and love hard.
“You’re the only man I need,” I tell him as I brush him again. “I give you permission to bite them if they bother me.”
He huffs at me, making me smile.
By the time I’m done in the stables, I’m sweaty, tired, sore, and smell like horse. It’s been a good day. A wiry smile is on my lips as I head up to the main house for dinner. I have always loved Mel’s cooking. I’ve been looking forward to dinner since she invited me this morning. It’ll be good to be with my family.
The front door opens before I have a chance, and Ian fills the doorframe. Staring at me with his own set of bruises, he looks dangerous and delicious. My mouth waters for a taste of his anger, his passion. Lust flutters in my gut at the intensity of him. He was always possessive and protective of me, never wanting to share me with the other boys. Looks like that hasn’t changed.
He steps out on the porch and closes the door, forcing me to step back or be pressed against him.
“Why did you leave?”
He’s angry, but under the anger is hurt. I can see it in the set of his shoulders. He has every right to be angry with me, but I’m not ready for this.
My eyes close and my shoulders drop. “I promise I will tell you everything. Just not tonight.”
“Was there someone else?” Uncertainty flashes across his face, making me want to cry.
“No.” I step up to him, resting my hands on his chest. “There was no one.”
Ian’s hand cups my cheek, his calloused thumb dragging over the delicate skin.
“Did I push too fast? Did I make you run?” His voice i
s quiet, breaking my heart.
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. Me leaving is on me.” Lifting onto my toes, I kiss his bruised cheek.
His eyes close on a shuttered breath.
The front door opens again, and I step back. He deserves so much better than me. All I do is hurt him. Even after all these years, I can see it clear as day in his face. He deserves a loving wife and house full of kids. My eyes drop to his left hand, but I don’t see a wedding band. It both makes me feel better and worse. I’m glad I’m not a homewrecker, but he deserves better than me. I’m a damn mess.
Will clears his throat. “Dinner’s ready.”
Ian nods, but doesn’t turn around. Stepping past him, I head inside past Will, ending the intimacy of the moment before. I need to keep my distance from Ian. He’s dangerous to my heart. He needs a sweet little wife who dotes on him and fills their house with babies. That woman isn’t me. It can never be me.
After washing my hands and face, I head to the dining room and take a seat next to Momma, forcing a smile to my lips.
“How was your day?” Momma asks.
“Good. I took Bandit out for a run.” I grab a bread roll from the bowl as they’re passed down the table.
Ian sits directly across from me, not letting me hide from him.
“I doubt I’ll be able to walk tomorrow though,” I continue.
“Been a while since you were in the saddle?” Mel asks as David comes in and sits down.
“Not since I left.”
David’s head snaps toward me, his eyes taking me in a second before a smile splits my face.
“Well, hey there, stranger!” He gets up and walks around the table toward me.
I stand and give him a hug when he reaches me. He gives great big bear hugs, just like Will.
He pats my back, squeezing me one more time before stepping back. “Damn good to see you, kid.”
“Thanks. It’s good to be back.” I smile back at him. He takes his seat at the head of the table and I sit back down. We all fill our plates, passing dishes around as needed.
