by Kennedy Fox
I finish chewing, not talking with my mouth open, and tell her as I have before.
“She’s tall. Blonde. Has a cute button nose and a smile that’s so contagious, she could make a whole room smile along with her. She’s kind and passionate, and you can tell she really cares about others’ well-being just by hearing her speak about her job. When she laughs really hard, her eyes light up like emeralds. Mrs. Betty, she’s the most beautiful woman in the world. But don’t let her fool you, she’s as stubborn as a mule too,” I say, chuckling on the surface, but anger is burning through my veins. Angry that I let myself fall for her, something I never do with anyone, and angry that I was so duped into thinking the connection we had was mutual. And mostly, angry that I can’t seem to get over it.
I look up at Mrs. Betty and catch her glancing around, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. “Well, I have a good feeling things are going to change for you, sweetie.” She pats my hand before walking away.
Once I’ve finished, she gives me my pie in a to-go box and the check. I tell her thanks and that I’ll be seeing her soon before putting a twenty down on the counter. As I stand, I grab my coffee cup and finish the rest before placing my cap back on my head. I feel good about my decision. Fuck her for leaving things the way she did. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, but she made that choice for me, so it’s time to let go. I need to move on.
“Bye, Mrs. Betty,” I call out, walking toward the exit.
“Bye, Alex.” She winks.
Pushing the door open, I barely get one foot out before I hear my name being called behind me.
“Alex.” I’d recognize that voice anywhere. My eyes widen, not willing to believe it’s actually her. Not after all this time. Not after I’d just convinced myself to let go.
All the hair on my neck stands up, and when I turn around and see River’s face, mixed feelings from lust to rage surface.
She’s only standing a couple of feet from me, her scent intoxicating my senses as soon as I step back into the diner.
Looking up at me with her bright green eyes and blonde hair pulled into a side braid, she sways on her feet nervously.
Swallowing hard, I pin my eyes to her as my jaw clenches.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” are the first words to spew out of my mouth. They come out harsher than I intended, but considering everything I’ve been through, it’s not entirely unmerited.
In fact, I think it’s more than deserving.
Chapter Fourteen
RIVER
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
His words sting, but I’m not exactly sure what I expected. After not calling him for three months, now here I am in Texas looking directly at a man who seems heartbroken and pained to see me again.
Not that I could blame him entirely. I can only hope he’ll forgive me, but I wouldn’t exactly blame him if he didn’t.
Seeing him after all this time has so many mixed feelings and old memories surfacing. The moment I saw him walk into the diner, I knew it was my chance to approach him. I had planned on calling him once I was settled into my room to ask if we could meet up, but him being here brought us face-to-face much sooner than I’d anticipated.
I’d been sitting here for the last two hours thinking of what I’d say when I finally saw him again, thinking about how I’d explain why I didn’t call or why I was here now. The more I thought about it, the more I lost the courage to reach out to him.
I had needed more time. Guess fate had other plans. It was now or never.
“I came to see you,” I finally respond, my bottom lip trembling at the way he’s looking at me. He’s angry, so angry. I can see it. Hell, I can feel it steaming off his skin.
He pulls his cap off his head and brushes a hand roughly through his hair. The same locks I used to fist my own fingers through not too long ago.
“Can we go somewhere to talk?” I ask once he doesn’t say anything. He’s just standing and staring, and I can tell his mind is running a thousand miles an hour.
Before he can respond, someone walks in through the door, bumping Alex and pushing him forward right into me. The guy mutters a weak, “Sorry,” and keeps walking. Meanwhile, my heart beats faster and harder now that Alex’s arms are wrapped around my waist to steady me.
“Sorry.” His voice is just above a whisper, and as he stands only inches away from me, it feels like we’re the only two people in here.
I watch his throat as he swallows hard. This isn’t how I wanted us to reunite, but regardless, I came here on a mission and am going to tell him what I came all this way for.
“Yeah, let’s talk.” He nudges his head toward the door, and I follow him out, so we’re not in the doorway of the diner anymore. “Where are you staying?” He faces me and asks when we’re several feet away from the entrance.
“Uh, this countryside bed and breakfast. I rented a car and was just about to head over there before I saw this diner and decided to stop and eat first.” I don’t admit that I stopped to grab a snack just twenty minutes before that.
The corner of his lips tilts up in a mock grin. “Of course.” He fidgets with his hat and hair some more. “That’s my family’s B&B,” he tells me, and when I lower my eyes, covering the guilt over my face, he snorts. “I’m betting you knew that though.”
I nod before slowly looking back up at him. “I wasn’t sure if you’d give me a chance to explain, so I figured the closer I was to you, the better chance I had.”
“What?” he growls, whipping his head. He pulls his brows together, looking more pissed off than before. “You honestly thought I’d turn you away? You think that little of me?”
I shrug, feeling worse. “No, I just wasn’t sure what state of mind you were in since—”
“Since you chose to end things without giving me a damn chance to say goodbye?” he interrupts, his voice deep and rough. “Or since you neglected to call me to at least say that you didn’t want to keep in contact? Or since you left things up in the air without giving me any kind of explanation? Do you know what I’ve been through these last three months wonderin’? Is that really what Key West meant to you? Because then I guess I read the entire situation wrong.”
He’s mad, obviously, but this is why I wanted us to meet somewhere private. Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped him and let him walk out so I could mentally prepare better. God, I’m such a fool for coming here. I blow out a breath of frustration, reminding myself I came all this way for a reason and wasn’t leaving until I laid out all my cards on the table.
“Okay, I fucked up!” I shout, taking him by surprise. My hormones have been uncontrollable these past few weeks, but instead of apologizing for my outburst, I continue. “I know I should’ve called to say goodbye the right way, but I was scared. Our time together meant more to me than I wanted to admit at the time, and I was scared I’d get hurt again if I let you in. But then I started to fall for you anyway. The only way to get over you was to try and forget it all happened, but I never could. I’m sorry, but—”
He steps toward me, closing the gap between us, and cups my face with his large hands as he tilts his head to the side and presses his lips over mine. His mouth cuts through my unspoken words, but I welcome it because the moment I feel his body close, electricity radiates from me.
Gripping his shirt in my hands, I pull his chest to mine and inhale his fresh, manly scent. I can tell he just took a shower, yet there’s something so rugged about him. God, he kisses so passionately and with purpose. He holds my face like I’m the most precious thing in the world, and when a moan escapes his lips, I know we’ve lost ourselves in each other. I can’t deny that this is the reaction I’d been hoping for, even if we did have a lot to discuss still.
“Alex…” I sigh against his mouth. Our lips part and he rests his forehead on mine, my heart pounding.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the B&B, and then we can talk.”
I nod as he grabs my hand. “Oh wait. Should I grab
my luggage?”
“Yeah, I can bring you back into town tomorrow to get your rental.”
“Is that safe? What if someone tries breaking into it or steals it?” My question puts a wide small on his face before he bursts into a fit of laughter. “What’s so funny?”
“Darlin’, you’re in small town Texas. No one wants to break into your Prius.”
“Oh,” I mutter, feeling stupid. “You can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl, I guess.” I shrug, lowering my face to hide the blush that’s rising over my cheeks.
He chuckles, holding out a hand as I dig for my keys. Once he pops the trunk and grabs my suitcase, he slams it shut and leads me to his truck. My eyes widen when I see he drives a nice black Ford F-150.
“I’m slightly relieved to see you don’t drive one of those decked out and lifted trucks with orange and yellow flames on the side,” I tease when he opens the door for me.
He gives me a puzzled look.
“What? You Texans are obsessed with your trucks.” I slide into the seat and reach for the buckle.
“Damn right we’re obsessed,” he jokes, adjusting his hat. “This one is even the Texas Edition.” He smiles, proudly.
“Texas Edition?” My brows lift. “I’m definitely not in Wisconsin anymore.”
Grinning, he shuts the door and walks around to the driver’s side. The tension is still thick in the air, yet I’m so relieved even though we have a lot to talk about.
“So, how’d you end up finding me anyway?” he asks once we’re on the road.
“Bishop, ranch, Texas. Not hard to Google.” I shrug. “The property is huge, and I had no idea if you lived on the ranch or not, so I took a chance staying at the B&B, hoping I’d be able to find you.”
He licks his lips as he focuses on the road ahead of us. “Well, guess you didn’t need to look hard. Small town perks.”
“Yeah. Guess so.” I slouch into my seat, my nerves feeling shot already.
He glances over at me before speaking up again. “I looked you up on Facebook but didn’t have the courage to friend request you. Figured I’d look needy or some shit since the ball was in your court and you didn’t take it.” He shrugs, the guilt crawling up my skin. “Saw your profile picture, though. You looked real pretty and happy.”
I blush, both sad and pleased he thought to look me up. “Thank you. Natalie and Adam threw a huge New Year’s Eve party.”
“I figured it was. Natalie looked pretty smashed.” He laughs.
I laugh with him and nod in agreement. “Yeah, after she threw up on my shoes, Adam proposed. Then she drank some more to celebrate.” I don’t tell him I hadn’t been drinking that night at all and had been thinking of him nonstop.
“They got engaged?”
“Yep. Finally. They’ve been together since college.”
“Wow, tell her I said congrats.”
“I will.”
The silence fills the air, and when I look out my window, all I see is country. Miles and miles of rolling hills and crispy brown grass. The sun is setting, painting the sky a pretty yellow and orange canvas. Texas is glowing, and I take a moment to take in the scene of the afterglows on the horizon.
“This is so different from city life,” I murmur as he drives through the winding roads that are starting to make me nauseous. “So weird to me.”
“I’m sure. It’s the only life I know, though. I couldn’t live anywhere else,” he admits, and my heart aches.
After a fifteen-minute drive, we turn down a gravel road until I see a giant house set in the distance with every light on inside. As we slow to a crawl, a large black post with a sign that reads CIRCLE B RANCH BED & BREAKFAST embellished with a bird on top comes into view. It’s surrounded by a bed of wild flowers and adds to the rustic feel of the whole ranch. Once I found this place online, I did as much research as I could and discovered that everything about the ranch life fascinates me. It’s obvious the whole community is very family-oriented, considering a majority of the ranches and land are passed down from generation to generation. You don’t see that much where I’m from.
“It looks even better in person,” I say as he parks right in the front.
“Wait till you see it in the early morning. The sun shines and brightens up everything. Mama’s worked obsessively on all the flowers, and John and Jackson take turns with the horses and trail riding. John manages more of the business aspect of it, too.”
“I can definitely see the appeal.” I smile, taking it all in. Alex jumps out and walks to my side to open the door. “If you’re interested in riding, we could set something up.”
I tuck my lips into my mouth and stop the words that so desperately need to come out.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to rush anything. Just figured while you’re in Texas, might as well enjoy some of it.”
“No, it’s fine.” I shake my head. “I mean, maybe. I’m only here for a few days.”
The smile drops from his face, and I feel bad for disappointing him once again.
After he grabs my suitcase, Alex reaches for my hand and walks us up the large staircase that leads to a gorgeous house with tall colonial columns and a wraparound porch. Planters and rocking chairs line the porch, and I make a mental note to come out here and sit later. It looks so cozy, and I haven’t even stepped inside yet.
“I’ll get you checked in. My brother is probably still here, so just a warning.” His tone hardens, and I wonder if he’s mentioned me to him.
“Okay.”
“John,” Alex says to a tall, brooding man. He’s Alex’s opposite with dark blond hair that’s longer on one side. Scruff covers his chiseled jawline, but his eyes are the same—soft and kind. He’s taller and leaner where Alex is beefy and muscular, probably since he does more laborious work.
“Mama send you again?” he asks with annoyance in his tone. “I already told her—”
“No, she didn’t.” Alex cuts him off before he can rant. “I have a friend checking in.”
His eyes noticeably shift from Alex to me, lowering down my body then back up to my face.
“What’d you do?” he accuses with a strong Southern drawl, crossing his arms over his chest. “Is your house too full of the Delta Gamma Sorority sisters again?”
I arch a brow, pinching my lips together as John gives him shit. I look back and forth between the two and can tell they must do this often.
“Fuck off,” Alex spits back, then clears his throat when he realizes his voice was a tad too loud in a house filled with guests. “Just check her in,” he demands. “River Lancaster.”
Something flashes over John’s face, recognition maybe, but his shoulders relax, and he smiles. “River, yes. We’ve been expecting you.”
“What room is she in? I’ll take her.” Alex’s deep voice is possessive, and I can’t deny how much it turns me on to hear it again. How much I hope to keep hearing it from now on.
“She’s in the Violet room,” John tells him, reaching for the key. “Make sure to show her everything. And how to call down if she needs anything.”
“Yeah, I got this. Thanks.”
Alex takes my hand and leads us to a staircase. I look at everything as we walk down the hall toward my room. It’s all so stunning. Definitely has that country charm with a modern flair.
“The Violet room? Does that mean everything’s going to be purple?” I tease.
Alex unlocks the door and opens it for me to walk through first. “No, Mama named all the rooms after dead family members.”
“Oh, well that’s not morbid at all.”
Alex sets my suitcase down and shuts the door behind him. I look around, appreciating all the little touches of flowers, candles, and décor pillows.
“Okay, so before John murders me, here’s the booklet on the property. They serve breakfast between six and nine and come hungry because you’ll want to try everything. And I mean everything. This is homestyle country eatin’ down here, none of
that city processed pumped-with-steroids food shit.”
I chuckle, grabbing the book out of his hand. “Okay, I will, but I draw the line at grits.” I don’t dare tell him that just about anything can set off my nausea so there’s no guarantee I can keep anything down.
“Oh God. Don’t let anyone hear you say that.” He chuckles. “We’re serious about our grits down here. Sugar grits, cheesy grits, salt and pepper grits; there’s a grit for every meal, trust me.”
“Duly noted.” I flip through the book and browse over the details about the ranch, the horses and trail riding, the side by sides and everything their little town has to offer. It’s perfect for what I need right now.
“I love it,” I say, setting the book down and glancing around the room. “Pretty sure it’s bigger than my entire apartment.”
“No, thanks,” Alex grumbles, shaking his head at the thought.
The silence between us is awkward, but I don’t even know how to begin this conversation.
“Do you need anything right away? John’s your bitch, so just let me know.”
I smile and laugh. “No, I’m okay. Thinking I should shower off the travel smell and change.”
“I can wait if you want,” he says sincerely, appreciating how he’s not rushing me to talk.
“You don’t mind?”
He closes the gap between us and cups my face, making circles with his thumb across my cheek. “I’ve been waiting three months, River. I think I can wait another twenty minutes.”
I lean into his touch, loving the way it makes me feel when he does that. Smiling, I step away to grab my suitcase and head into the bathroom. Even though I’m wearing a sweater and it’s covering my stomach, I’m still feeling overly self-conscious. Nerves are taking over, and the courage I felt earlier is long gone. I know I need to tell Alex the truth, but knowing I’m about to change his entire life has my heart thumping right out of my chest.
As I shower, I think of how I’m going to tell him. I could just rip it off like a Band-Aid and blurt it all out. That sounds the easiest. I’d rather gradually ease into everything I need to say. Then there’s the fear that his reaction is going to burst the bubble I’ve been so content hiding in.
