One Hundred Choices (An Aspen Cove Novel Book 12)

by Kelly Collins

  “Are you sure? Really, this should be Cade sitting here and not me.” She looked down at the home-cooked meal and sighed. She couldn’t remember the last time a woman had cared for her or fed her a meal. All the ranches she’d worked had men in charge. They were managed by men, with rules made for them. It was always a man who cooked for the bunkhouse. In Dallas, she got her meals from Trigger. They were nothing special, usually a slab of meat and a baked potato.

  Sitting in front of a plate of spaghetti was up there with gold nuggets, unicorns, and babies’ smiles. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she willed them back because Trinity Mosier cried for no one.

  Chapter Four

  Wyatt was a restless soul, which is what made him jump from location to location. He was searching for something he couldn’t define but knew he’d recognize when it appeared. That knowing wasn’t coming from Big D.

  A stomping sound on the porch drew his attention. The door swung open, and in walked Cade.

  “You need something?”

  Cade tossed his jacket on the sofa. “I need a meal and a beer.”

  Wyatt didn’t get visitors. Especially men who ate home-cooked meals made by little beekeepers. “Trouble in paradise? Abby hear you say Baz cooked better than her?”

  “No. It’s not that.” Cade walked to the refrigerator and looked inside. “One beer, man? That’s all you got?” He slammed the door and stomped into the living area. “Grab whatever you need so we can leave for the brewhouse. Beers on me. Ears on you. I’ve got to vent.”

  Wyatt never turned down free booze. He picked up his keys and chased Cade outside. He found him already seated on the passenger side of his truck.

  “I guess I’m driving.” Wyatt climbed into the cab and turned toward town. “You want to start now? I have a feeling this is going to be a long story.”

  Cade leaned back and tilted his face to the ceiling. “Women are too damn hard to figure out.” He threw his hands in the air. “I killed a damn bear for her, and she chose my sister over me.”

  Wyatt snapped his attention toward Cade. “Chose how? Like she’s switching teams?”

  “No.” He pointed to the road. “Watch where you’re going. I want to get drunk, not dead.”

  “Fine. You’re buying; I’m driving. You think Cannon will have some pizza at the brewhouse?”

  “He always does,” Cade grumbled, as he said something about women under his breath. “I should be there, eating spaghetti tonight. Do you know how good Abby’s pasta is?”

  “Not a clue, but if you’re whining, it must be amazing.” The last Italian food he’d had was from a can. Once he’d doctored it with parmesan cheese, it wasn’t half bad. He was certain the tiny meatballs were rabbit poop disguised as meat, but he’d had worse.

  “So, is this about your sister?”

  “You had to ruin a moment, didn’t you?”

  “Just peeling back the onion to get to the center.” He turned onto Main Street and found a parking spot right in front of Bishop’s Brewhouse.

  “I don’t like onions, and I’m not a current fan of my sister.”

  They exited the truck and entered. Monday nights weren’t busy until football season.

  Cannon stood behind the bar. His cat Mike lay across the old-fashioned register swishing his tail over the keys. “Single or a pitcher?” he asked.

  Cade raised two fingers. “I’ll need two … pitchers and Dalton’s pizza if you got it.”

  “No pizza,” Cannon said. “I’ve got bar mix.” He looked at the clock on the wall. “You can probably squeeze an order in at Maisey’s before she closes. How about two burgers and fries?”

  Cade nodded and held up a twenty. Cannon rushed by to grab it. He dropped off the beer and continued straight out the door.

  “I love this town,” Wyatt said. “It’s like a wish factory.”

  Cade laughed. “You want a wish, go to the bakery. The bar is for realists and fatalists.”

  “And antagonists, which is what I’d say you were since you got kicked out of the house.”

  The sound of pool balls broke, and Wyatt turned to face the bikers who’d taken up residence there. If you wanted to know anything about the town you were in, all you needed to do was hang out a few evenings at the local watering hole. It wasn’t odd to find the rough-looking bunch in the brewhouse. They’d been friends of Dalton’s before he did his stint in prison. He learned about Dalton first because, by definition, he was a murderer, and he married a famous pop star who went by the name Indigo. If a murderer could marry a rich pop music artist, then he could reach his goal. All he wanted was a satisfying work experience, an occasional good meal, and a roll in the hay from time to time. Was that too much to hope for?

  “Trinity is trouble tripled.”

  Wyatt poured them a mug of beer. He watched as Cade drank his first without a breath.

  “All right, give me the condensed version before our meal comes.”

  “She’s a pain in the ass.”

  “She’s your sister, so that’s a prerequisite. I’ve got a sister too, but she lives too far away to be my problem.”

  “See, you’ve got it right. When you have a sibling like Trinity, you need a few states in between as a buffer.”

  “That doesn’t tell me about her. Give me five words that describe her.”

  Cade poured himself another beer. “Hurricane. Tornado. Earthquake. Tsunami. Trouble.”

  “She can’t be that bad.”

  “You don’t understand. She nearly got us all kicked off McKinley Ranch.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not dredging that up again. It gives me indigestion.”

  “Okay. If I weigh things out, they’re never as bad as I thought. For example, my experience at the Big D isn’t great. I’ve got no upward mobility, the man trusts no one, I can’t live there, there’s Violet who’s like gum on my shoe, and Lloyd has a shotgun by the door. But … he’s got longhorns, and the range is beautiful. He is generous with his time, the weather shelters are fully stocked, and the pay is decent. Now, tell me five things about Trinity that will even the scales.”

  Cade sucked down a half mug of suds. “She’s great with horses.”

  “That’s one. Keep going.”

  “She keeps to herself.”

  Wyatt frowned. How did someone who kept to herself cause disruption? “What else?”

  “She’s tidy and cleans up after everyone.”

  “Sounds like a damn saint.” Wyatt lifted his mug and took a drink.

  Cade shook his head. “No way. That’s part of the problem. Everyone falls in love with her, and if rumors are true, she loves everyone. I mean everyone, man.”

  “Oh, so she starts fights among the men?”

  “Yep, and I don’t need those problems on my ranch.”

  Cannon opened the door and plopped the two to-go containers on the counter. “You want the change?”

  Cade waved him off. “You keep it.”

  “Thanks, I’ll need it.” Without an invitation to join them, Cannon pulled a chair out, turned it around, and straddled it. “No repeating what I’m about to tell you until Sage breaks the news, but I knocked her up.”

  Wyatt was still too new in town to understand the significance of that. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or something he should offer his condolences for.

  “No way.” Cade slapped him on the back. “When is the critter due?”

  “Thanksgiving time, but say nothing to no one, or I’ll be sleeping on the porch.”

  Wyatt busted out in a laugh. “Is that a thing here? Your women get mad and toss you out on your ass.”

  Cannon stared at Cade. “Abby kick you out?” A laugh rolled through him. “Big bad cowboy gets bested by a beekeeper.”

  Cade popped a fry into his mouth. “Better than getting laid out by a leprechaun. I’d put my money on Sage any day.”

  Cannon’s smile faded. “You know it, but a wise man realizes when he’s outsmarted, and that woman had my
number the minute she met me.”

  “You too?” Wyatt shook his head. “How long did it take for your women to whip you into shape?”

  Cannon stood and tucked the chair back under the table. “I’m still in training. Then again, I like her whip.” He walked to the pool table and picked up the empty mugs.

  “What about you?” Cade asked. “No one to make you feel shitty about yourself or remind you you’re not the god you think you are?”

  “I don’t need a woman to beat me up for my choices,” Wyatt said. “I can do that on my own. Almost wish I could blame it on someone else, but I leaped before I looked this time.”

  “Sometimes, the leap is worth the risk of landing wrong.” Cade picked up his burger and took a bite. After he swallowed, he continued. “I didn’t know what I was getting into when I purchased the land sight unseen. I trusted my brother to not lead me astray. I’d say I ended up in a sweet position. But don’t forget, Abby tried to burn me out before she let me in. She stole my clothes, wouldn’t remove a beehive in the bunkhouse, and tried to get me eaten by a bear. I wouldn’t say what I have has come easy, but it was worth it.”

  “Even though you’ll be bunking with me tonight?”

  “Yep, because tomorrow, I’ll get in her good graces and … make-up sex is amazing.”

  They finished their meals, and Cade drank the second pitcher of beer by himself.

  It was a wobbly walk to the truck. Once Wyatt poured Cade into the passenger seat, he started for home. Funny how the bunkhouse had become his home. Then again, home was where he kicked off his boots and hung his hat.

  “You’re getting a roommate tomorrow,” Cade slurred.

  “Your sister?”

  Cade weaved back and forth in his seat. “No, I’ve got that guy coming from Wyoming.”

  “What’s he like?” It didn’t much matter because they wouldn’t be working together. Wyatt was an outsider. He didn’t work Cade’s ranch, only bedded there.

  “He’s a cowboy, so he’s an asshole.” Cade laughed. “What do you think of calling the ranch the Big C?”

  “I’d rethink that. Putting the Big C next to the Big D is a mistake.”

  “Not usually, but you’re probably right. I should revisit my naming strategy when I’m sober.”

  Wyatt pulled in front of the bunkhouse. He climbed out of the truck while Cade fell out.

  “I’m okay.” He hopped to his feet and headed to the trailer. “I’ll bunk in here.”

  Wyatt watched him stumble toward the door. “That’s why I don’t have a woman. No one’s kicking me out of my house. I mean really, how much trouble can your sister be?”

  “I’ll introduce you to her tomorrow before she’s on her way out of town.” He opened the door and stepped inside the gleaming silver bullet. “I’m telling you, my sister is trouble.”

  He walked toward the bunkhouse. What did Trinity’s kind of trouble look like? Was she mouthy, sassy trouble? Long legged, big busted trouble? A woman he didn’t know was trouble until the morning after?

  Would she be a mug of beer problem or a two-pitcher number like Abby? Wyatt headed straight for the refrigerator and took the last beer out. He went to the porch and leaned over the rail, looking toward Abby’s cabin. The guest room light was on.

  “What are you doing over there, Trinity?” He twisted the cap off the beer and closed his eyes, trying to imagine what a sister of Luke and Cade Mosier was like. Putting a rack on Cade made him want to puke. Putting heels and a dress on Luke brought out the same reaction. He drank his beer and headed for bed. Tomorrow was a new beginning. As intriguing as meeting Trinity sounded, he wasn’t looking for trouble. There was no need to seek it out. Trouble always found its way to him.

  Chapter Five

  Trinity didn’t need an alarm to wake her. She’d been rising with the sun since she was born. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on her jeans and then her boots.

  She needed a plan. If things didn’t work out at Cade’s, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. She stood, peeled back the curtain and peeked outside. The new day rose from the field’s edge. Pressing her cheek against the cold glass, she closed her eyes and said a prayer. “Dear Lord, let today go better than yesterday.”

  The smell of coffee guided her to the kitchen, where Abby was pouring two mugs. “Saw the light on under the door. Thought you’d be joining me.” She passed off one mug and sat at the table. “How did you sleep?”

  “Better than I’ve slept in a while. Must be the cold night air or the altitude.”

  Abby uncovered a basket of muffins. “Or you feel safe. You’re with family now.”

  Trinity choked on her coffee. “That’s an odd word pairing for me.”

  “I have a sister, but she lives far away. I would love it if she moved back to Aspen Cove.”

  “You’re lucky to have a sibling you like.”

  Abby slathered her muffin with butter and drizzled honey on next. “You don’t like Cade?”

  “I do. I think he’s amazing. Watch how a man treats his horse, and you’ll know how he treats his woman. I’m sure he’s wonderful to you. I’m his sister, and it’s different for me.” She shrugged and picked at the muffin. “Did you make these?”

  “No changing the subject.”

  “Fine. I love both my brothers, and I’m sure they love me, but it hasn’t been easy.” She pulled a raisin from the top of the muffin and set it aside. She wasn’t a fan of them. “Our mother abandoned us when I was a baby. Dad, Luke, and Cade raised me. They expect me to be a certain way.” How did she explain that to Abby when she hardly could process it herself? They’d raised her to be one of the guys.

  Abby took a bite and chewed slowly. “I know your brother enough to know he’s a cinderblock with women. Chip at him long enough, and you’ll get inside.”

  Trinity laughed. “Oh, so you do know him.” She bit the muffin, ignoring the foul taste of the raisins. “Did you say you made these?”

  “No, I get them at the bakery. Those are from yesterday. Katie has a muffin schedule. Mondays are carrot cake. They’re my favorite. Now back to your brother.”

  “I don’t want to cause problems. It’s never been my intention, but somehow trouble follows me. I’m a hard worker. I’m not mouthy with anyone, but my brothers. They treat me like one of the guys. That is until someone figures out I’m not.”

  Abby laughed. “That’s the problem.”

  “I know, but I have to be one of the guys to earn my place.”

  Abby rose to get the coffeepot and topped off their mugs. “Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

  “Every day, and every day I hate myself even more.”

  “You’re beautiful. Not to sound creepy or anything, but most girls would have a crush on you. If your brother thinks you can blend in with the guys, then he’s a bigger idiot than I thought.”

  Trinity rarely wore makeup. In fact, her beauty go-to was a tube of Chapstick. She’d considered shaving off her long blonde hair once but didn’t think she could pull off the look, so she opted for a ponytail most days.

  “I don’t want to be the girl who says it’s a curse to be pretty because that makes me sound like an idiot. Being pretty is not all that and a candy bar.”

  “The incident in Wyoming. Do you want to talk about it?”

  Talking to Abby was easy, but what good would it do to pick at the scabs of old wounds?

  “Not really. Let’s just say that everyone there saw it differently than I did. I was fighting for my right to make a choice, and I lost my ability to choose anything at all.” She stood and took her empty coffee mug to the sink. “That’s not exactly true. I chose the direction I drove. It’s how I ended up in Texas.”

  She picked up her purse and walked to the door. “Abby, thank you for letting me stay.”

  “Woah, wait a minute. You can’t leave until your brother gets back. We can work this out.” She rushed forward to stand in front of Trinity. Abby took her phone from her pocket a
nd dialed. “Cade, it’s time for you to come home and talk.”

  “It’s best if I leave.” Trinity leaned against the couch, hoping Abby would step aside. She was a tiny little thing. There was no doubt she could muscle her way past Abby, but for what reason? If she wanted her to stay for a few more minutes, she could. She was in no hurry to get anywhere and had no place to go.

  Five minutes later, Cade walked inside. He looked at her and turned toward Abby, who had taken a seat on the sofa.

  He dropped to his knees in front of Abby. “I missed you.”

  Trinity wanted to roll her eyes and say something snarky, but she didn’t. A girl needed to know when to speak up and when to shut up. That had been her problem in Wyoming. She’d opened her mouth.

  “Do you want me to wait outside while you lovebirds make up?”

  Cade took a seat next to Abby and waved Trinity over.

  Three was a crowd, so she took the chair in the corner. “Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t come here to ruin anything for you.”

  He tucked his chin. “I know. You came here because you were desperate.”

  His wording irked her despite its accuracy.

  “I have no plans to stay. I need a place to regroup and figure out my next step. I couldn’t go to Dad. Luke and I aren’t as close as you and me. I thought I could count on my big brother.” She played with the frayed end of her T-shirt. “I was wrong. I put too much value on us being related.”

  She watched as Abby elbowed him in the side.

  “Trin, I love you. I do, but whether or not you’re looking for it, shit happens when you’re around. You’re too damn pretty and too damn smart for your own good.”

  She stared straight ahead. She’d become a master at hiding her emotions. No one she’d ever been around had the tolerance for tears or tantrums. Both of which she could let loose at any moment.

  “If I didn’t know you so well, I’d find that insulting,” she said. “Since when did being smart become a problem?”