In the Ranger's Arms (The Men of At Ease Ranch)

by Michaels, Donna

  His buddy death-glared him. “Answer me, dammit.”

  Now all eyes were on Stone. But there was no way he was going to make his friend feel guilty, even if Leo was part of the reason he was letting Jovy go.

  “Fuck… It is because of me.” Leo thrust a hand through his hair.

  Vince motioned toward the empty couch. “Why don’t we sit down?”

  With a resolute expression, Brick retook his seat. Alarm raced through Stone. His brother wasn’t going to let the subject drop just because Leo was in the room. He eyed the door. Cord remained there, no doubt to keep him in the room.

  Too antsy to sit, Stone leaned against the front of his desk instead.

  “You’re blowing this thing with Jovy because of me,” Leo stated, eyes and tone as deflated as Stone felt. “I’m sorry, man. Look, I swear I have no intention or desire to kill myself.”

  Stone wanted to believe him. He really did, but what happened last year was real. The guy almost died. It had been touch and go for days.

  Leo glanced at each of them, then sighed as he leaned back against the couch. “You don’t believe me.”

  “We want to,” Vince proclaimed, lifting a shoulder.

  “I don’t know what happened last year.” Leo stared right at him, gaze open, and troubled, and honest. “It’s all muddled. I was hurting, both physically and emotionally. Maybe I did consciously take those pills while I was drunk out of my skull.” His gaze cleared, turned determined and firm. “But I do know I’m no longer at the bottom of that dark pit. I’m slowly climbing my way out.”

  Stone’s heart rocked. “What’s changed?”

  “Me,” Leo answered. “I don’t want to live like that. I haven’t for some time, but I thought I could handle it on my own. I can’t. I need help.”

  God, it was so good to hear his friend admit that.

  “There’s this therapist that volunteers at the rec center where my grandmother plays bingo,” Leo said. “And I’ve been thinking. Would you mind if he came here?”

  Stone straightened, hope easing some of the tightness from his chest for the first time in a year. “No, by all means, call and ask him to come. Does he do group sessions?”

  “Yes.” Leo nodded. “I sat in on one.”

  “There’s several people at At-Ease who’d benefit.” Stone pointed to himself. “Including me.”

  Vince lifted a hand. “And me.”

  “Me, too,” Cord said, finally leaving his perch by the door to sit on the arm of the couch.

  “Ah, hell.” Brick shrugged. “We might as well make it unanimous. But I’m warning you now, if he makes us hug, I’m out of there faster than a roadrunner fleeing a coyote.”

  Chuckles went around the room, lifting the heaviness from the atmosphere. It had been years since the five of them had talked openly. It felt good. Damn good. And for several more minutes, they discussed the past and how they missed Drew before the conversation turned to the ranch and the future.

  Leo pinned him with a look. “Fix things with Jovy. Don’t use me as a fucking excuse, man. I have no problem moving away if that’s what it’s going to take to get you to stop putting your life on hold to be my babysitter. That’s ending right now.”

  A million emotions shot through him at once. Leo was giving him an out. Taking a step toward healing. Hell, his buddy had already taken that step by sitting in on that therapy session. The last thing Stone wanted was to hold the guy back. But letting go wasn’t easy. What if his friend relapsed? Therapy wasn’t a guaranteed cure.

  “You really going to make me move away?” Leo asked, gaze dead serious.

  Shit. He’d do it, too. Stone shook his head. “No. Your place is here with us.”

  “Good. So, about Jovy?”

  He blew out a breath and slumped back against the desk. “I think I kind of fucked that up.”

  “Then un-fuck it up,” Brick stated, as if it were that easy.

  The image of her shattered expression stopped Stone’s heart. Could he really fix that?

  “That woman is in love with you, bro. Trust me. You can fix it.”

  God, he hoped Brick was right.

  He pulled out his phone to check the time. Damn. It was too late to see her or to call. A plan sparked in his head. “I think we should invite her grandfather and cousin here for brunch.” He had a few things to discuss with the man and needed to see Jovy so he could apologize and beg for forgiveness.

  He just hoped she’d listen.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jovy was up most of the night packing, shedding more tears, getting angry over shedding the tears. Eating the last of the death-by-chocolate ice cream in the freezer. No sense in it going to waste.

  She didn’t want to leave Joyful. Didn’t want to leave Stone. She wanted to stay and work things out with him. He was the best damn thing to ever happen to her. The past few weeks with him had been amazing. The man was addicting, and she knew his feelings for her were just as crazy strong as what she felt for him. The only reason he’d pushed her away the other night was because of his sense of duty to his friend and his men. It’d hurt like hell. It still did, but she understood, and there was no way she would ever do anything to come between them. So she’d stayed away. Kept her distance.

  And was slowly dying inside.

  Brick had told her not to give up on his brother. She didn’t want to. God, she didn’t want to, but what choice did she have? Stone was responsible for a whole ranch full of veterans. He took that responsibility seriously. There wasn’t any room for her.

  With a deep sigh, she pushed aside her pity party and stood, glancing at her tiny office. Bittersweetness rippled through her in a swift wave. She’d done better than expected. Enjoyed herself more than she’d expected. But it was time to leave.

  The only thing she was taking was her laptop. Everything else was staying with the café for Cece and Blanche. They just needed to sign the papers she’d had legal fax over for her to relinquish ownership of V-Spot. And the new lease Stone had emailed during the night. She’d woken up to find it in her in-box that morning. She’d wanted to call him to thank him, even picked up the phone, but knew if she heard his voice, she’d break down. So she’d settled for a quick thank-you email instead.

  Now the lease sat on the desk next to the contract, waiting for the women’s signatures. She called them into the office. It was time to sign everything over. To move on.

  “Hey, Jovy.” Cece breezed in.

  Followed by Blanche. “What’s up?”

  “Just need you both to look these over and sign,” she said, doing her best not to tear up. Not that she was sad about the café. No, she was thrilled the women had decided to keep the business going. She was sad to leave her new friends.

  Blanche signed without reading. No surprise there. “You’d never steer us wrong,” she claimed, pulling Jovy in for a hug. “Thanks for everything, Jovy. I’m going to miss you.”

  “So am I,” Cece said, waiting for her friend to move so she could hug Jovy. “And thank you so much for this opportunity.”

  “You two deserve it.” She pulled out of the embrace and smiled. “You’re the reason it was so successful.”

  Blanche scoffed. “Bullshit.”

  She laughed as she unplugged her laptop. She was going to miss the woman’s bluntness.

  “Do you think you’ll win?” Cece asked.

  Jovy’s heart squeezed. Her chances probably died with that bank withdrawal last week. But they didn’t need to know their hard work was for nothing. Although she didn’t consider investing in At-Ease and the veterans nothing. To her, they were everything. At least, they had been. “I don’t know. Guess I’ll find out today.” She shoved her laptop in her bag and tried to feign interest.

  “When is your granddad due in?”

  Cece leaned against the desk and nodded. “Wasn’t he supposed to meet your cousin at Dallas/Fort Worth and drive here together?”

  Jovy glanced at her phone and frowned. “Yes,
he called two hours ago when he met up with Ross at the airport. They should be here any minute.” Actually, they should’ve been there by now.

  What was taking so long?

  Cece leaned closer. “Are you going to say good-bye to Stone?”

  The mere mention of his name caused a sharp, piercing pain in Jovy’s heart. She shook her head and suddenly became fascinated with wrapping up her laptop cord and stuffing it in the bag. “We said our good-byes a few days ago.”

  Well, he’d said good-bye. She’d crumpled. It wasn’t pretty.

  Cece covered her hand. “Is there no chance of fixing things?”

  “Yeah.” Blanche jammed her hands on her hips. “I don’t know what he did, but that man is crazy about you, Jovy.”

  She choked back a laugh and blinked away stupid tears. “He has a funny way of showing it.”

  Blanche snorted. “That’s because men are stupid. It’s not his fault. He was born with a penis. For some reason, that means they lack common sense when it comes to relationships.”

  “Amen,” Cece agreed with a grin. “We have to wave the olive branch in front of their faces.”

  “Wave?” Blanche’s bark of laughter echoed off the walls in the tiny office. “Hell, some of them need to be hit over the head with the damn thing.”

  Jovy laughed. She was really going to miss the two women.

  The phone in her pocket started to ring. She fished it out, relieved to see her grandfather’s number. “Hi, where are you? Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, we’re fine. We’re over at the At-Ease Ranch. Your landlords invited us for brunch. Come on over so we can take care of business, then dig into whatever smells so delicious.”

  Jovy’s jaw dropped open while her heart raced out of control. No. No-no-no! She didn’t want to go there. Couldn’t go there. What in the world possessed the guys to do that?

  Dammit. Now she didn’t have a choice. She was going to have to see Stone again.

  As if in a daze, she said good-bye to the ladies, climbed into her packed-up rental, and drove out to the ranch. There was no way she was going to be able to eat. Not surrounded by all those memories. Or worse, being in the same room with Stone and suffering under his disinterested gaze.

  God, she couldn’t do it.

  The urge to turn around was so strong her hands shook. But it was too late. She was already at the end of the drive, and Brick and Cord were waving to her. Setting her shoulders, she parked the car and got out, praying her legs would hold her.

  This was such a bad idea.

  “Hey, Jovy.” Brick pulled her in for a quick hug, and she pretended it was the best thing in the world and that she wasn’t dying inside.

  Then Cord took over. “Great to see you.”

  “Great to see you, too,” she replied, really wanting to bolt.

  But she’d lost her opportunity, because her grandfather and cousin came out of the house with Leo and Vince, followed by Stone. Her heart literally ceased beating in her chest for a full two seconds when their gazes met.

  God, he looked as miserable as she felt. Great. The burning in her throat and eyes returned.

  “Jovy.” Her grandfather grinned and pulled her close. “I’ve missed you, girl. How are you doing? Surviving the heat?”

  Burying her sorrow, she drew back and smiled. “Yes, it’s really not much different from Philadelphia summers, except it starts earlier here.”

  “Well, I didn’t miss the humidity,” her cousin said, moving close to take over the hug. “Sorry I got to go to paradise while you were stuck here melting, coz.”

  She patted his back. “Paradise is what you make of it.” She’d found it in Stone’s arms. Melted there, too.

  Her cousin released her. “I still feel kind of bad.”

  “So do I.” Leo stepped forward, concern etched in his face, but he appeared a little more at ease than the last time she saw him. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault Stone was holding back, but we’ve come to an understanding.”

  How in the world was she supposed to respond to that? And now everyone was looking at her, waiting for a response. Shoot.

  She heard Cece’s voice in her head…hit him over the head with an olive branch.

  A tree probably wouldn’t be enough at this point. Besides, she was standing in the freaking middle of the driveway and swore every last person at the ranch had come out. Talk about putting the poor guy on the spot. It was going to take some quick thinking on her part. She glanced at Stone, intending to let him off the hook, but the breath caught in her throat. He was staring at her with anything but indifference in his eyes.

  Then he was walking toward her, gaze as determined as his steps. “Jovy, I’m sorry I was such an ass. You deserve much better,” he professed, stopping in front of her, looking as if he wanted to touch her, but he refrained. “I shouldn’t have left like I did Wednesday. I just didn’t want you to play second fiddle. These men are my brothers. I’ve been through hell with them. I’ll always have their backs.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him she understood, but he placed a finger on her lips and shook his head.

  “Please let me finish. You deserve to hear everything.” When she nodded, he removed his touch. Dammit. “I have their backs, but they have mine, too. Late last night, they sat me down and made me realize I can’t put my life on hold. Not for them. Not for anyone. Made me realize it’s okay to let others take over. Share some of the burden. To help. Pretty much implied they’d kick my ass if I didn’t.”

  A smile twitched her lips. Kicking his ass would not be easy. But she was really, really liking where this was going. Hope now pushed some of the heaviness from her chest, and she waited, barely daring to breathe as he continued.

  “I’ve also got your back, Jovy. If you’ll let me,” he said. “You came to Joyful and did the impossible. And no, I’m not talking about the fact that you made a bunch of meat lovers enjoy vegan food. I’m talking about how you breathed life into my world. You’ve brightened this place. This town. My life. I no longer just exist. You’ve made me a better man.”

  Not possible. Nor could she stop the burning in her eyes.

  “I know we can make a long-distance thing work. I like being with you. Who I am with you.” He lifted a hand to lightly brush a tear from her cheek. “I want to build gazebos for you.”

  It was important for him to finish what he wanted to say. She knew this, but damn, the guy was making it so hard to keep quiet. So hard not to fall in a pile of mush at his feet. Her legs were seriously beginning to shake right now.

  “Please give me a chance to make it up to you.” His gaze was so earnest it hurt. “What do you say?”

  With everyone and their brother watching, she held his hopeful, anxious gaze and told him what she’d wanted since he started. “You had me at ‘Jovy.’”

  A huge smile crossed his face, and as laughter surrounded them, he crushed her close. “God, I love you.”

  She sucked in a breath and clung to him as every last ounce of sadness left her body with that admission. “I love you, too.”

  His hold tightened as he kissed her temple. “I don’t deserve it, but damn, I’m so glad you still feel that way.” When he drew back, he cupped her face and stared into her eyes; all the emotion and openness he’d shown her over the past few weeks had returned to his gaze. “Thank you for understanding, and giving me a second chance.”

  Then he was kissing her, softly, slowly, deeply, and as the hoots and hollers and whistles echoed around them, Jovy knew, really knew things were going to be fine. The love he’d professed, the emotions she’d seen in his gaze, all funneled into that sweet, powerful kiss full of so much promise for the future it shook her to her core.

  Drawing back, he set his forehead to hers. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too. So much.” Elation sent another tear down her face he caught with his thumb.

  “Well, I’m guessing Jovy has some things to fill me in on,” her grandfather procl
aimed. “But right now, I’d like to announce my successor so we can all go inside and enjoy that wonderful brunch I smell.”

  Murmurs of agreement filled the air.

  “Jovy, Ross, this has been a very tough decision.” His serious blue gaze bounced between them. “You both deserve the position. You both have claim, but only one person can hold the CEO title, so this contest seemed the best way to determine my successor.”

  Despite having already resigned herself to the fact that she’d lost, Jovy’s anticipation rose anyway.

  Slipping his arm around her waist, Stone pulled her into his side and leaned to whisper in her ear. “No matter what happens, I love you. We’ll work it out.”

  That in itself made her a winner.

  “So, after going over the portfolios you sent last night,” her grandfather continued, “Ross had the best bottom line.”

  “Yes!” Her cousin fist-pumped the air.

  “But Jovy.” Her grandfather turned back to her and raised a brow. “Seems you left information about your investment into At-Ease and Foxtrot Construction out of your calculations. You only recorded the withdrawal from your account.”

  “Wait.” Now her cousin frowned. “You mean we could’ve done that?”

  Her grandfather nodded. “Yes.”

  “But there wasn’t anything in the guidelines saying we could invest,” Ross remarked.

  “There wasn’t anything in there stating you couldn’t, either.” Her grandfather smiled, delivering another of his lessons.

  Jovy glanced at Stone. “You told him about the investment?”

  “Damn right,” he stated. “And it’s a good thing, too, because you never let on how damn important V-Spot was.”

  She squeezed his hip and turned her attention back to her grandfather.

  “So in light of Jovy’s initiative, plus her bottom line, and the collateral of her investment into Foxtrot, I proclaim Jovy as the winner and new CEO of Larson Industries.”

  I won? Her heart shot into her throat. This is what she’d worked for since her father had lain dying in bed. Her dream.

  Stone kissed her temple. “I’m so proud of you.”