6. PAIGE
6
PAIGE
“Baylee,” I hiss. “We have to talk. This is an emergency.”
“Why are you whispering?” she asks on the other end of my cell phone.
“Because I’m at Rhett’s.”
Silence. “What? Sorry, this convention is so loud. I almost thought you said you were at Rhett’s, and we both know demon pigs would have to be flapping across the sky for that to happen.”
I glance up at the bright blue sky that’s full of wispy clouds. “There are no demon pigs as far as I can tell, but yes, you heard me right. I’m at Rhett’s.”
“What? Hold on. I need to go somewhere I can talk.” A minute later, she returns. “I just locked myself in a utility closet. Tell me everything.”
As I sit curled up on Rhett’s comfy couch, staring out the window, I fill her in on the last twenty-four hours.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I leave for one week, and this happens? Why didn’t you go to my house? You know my mother loves you.”
“Isn’t your sister staying with you now?”
“Damn, I forgot. Yeah, that would be a problem. I’d offer you my bed while I’m gone, but she’s sleeping in it.” She chuckles. “Did Rhett really get pissed off that you were in your underwear?”
My lips tug up. “So pissed. Like I had personally offended him. You know what we wear when we train. I’m constantly in sports bras and spandex shorts that barely cover my ass. If I wear more, it feels constraining. Anyway, he was acting like a big, growly bear. If I hadn’t been so irritated at him, I would’ve laughed.”
“What are you gonna do? Living with the Walker brothers won’t be easy. They’re messy, loud, and handsome as hell.”
“They’re definitely messy.” There are toys everywhere, mud on the floor, crumbs on the island, and dishes in the sink. But if Rhett pays me to work in the office, I suppose I could help out in the house too. I can’t judge him. Running this ranch is a lot, and between that, raising his kids, and dealing with his father’s passing, I’m sure it’s been overwhelming.
She gets quiet. “Is Maverick home yet?”
Baylee’s always had a thing for the youngest Walker brother, who’s our age. They call each other their best friends—other than me, that is—but they have crazy sexual tension. But Mav’s not ready to settle down, and Baylee won’t put up with him having extracurricular activities. Not that they’ve ever discussed it. They just dance around each other in this weird love-hate relationship.
“No, he’s not back. Mav’s probably still partying at school.”
We both know what that’s code for—hooking up.
“Whatever. I’ve decided to get on dating apps. I’m gonna get over that asshole once and for all.”
“Good for you.”
“Okay, enough about my sad love life. What are you going to do about your Walker brother problem?”
“I’m not sure it would be healthy to stay. I don’t want to get wrapped up in Rhett again.” I glance around the beautiful log house. It’s old and worn down, but the bones are great. I’ve always loved the Walker Ranch. They have acres and acres of rolling hills that sit along the western part of the Eden River where we all used to go rafting on lazy Sunday afternoons.
When I was young, I used to fantasize about living here. Rhett and his brothers always made me feel so safe, and when I’d visit, I could envision a life free from Irma and her toxic ways.
Running through the pasture and riding horses felt like coming home. The memory of Rhett smiling at me when I learned to trot one of the horses was the image I’d conjure when Irma would go off on me in her drunken rants. In my mind, I’d escape to the Walker Ranch where I’d raise chickens or cook one of my mama’s recipes I found hidden under the kitchen sink.
As I got older, that morphed into having a family and life here with Rhett.
Which was pure delusion.
Now it feels like some cruel joke. Do I even want that for myself anymore?
Those can’t be the reasons I do this.
It’s fake, Paige. Not real. You’ll get a job and physical therapy while Rhett saves his ranch. It’s what Danny would’ve wanted.
I rub the steady throb against my temple.
Baylee hums. “So… would this be a platonic situation, or would you fuck Rhett’s brains out?”
“There would be no fucking of any kind. This is a business deal. He even spelled it out for me. Six months, we get his banker Harlan to buy into this, I rehab my ankle, and then we file for divorce.”
“Harlan Calhoun? My mother went to him to get a loan for our salon, but he turned her down. So if he’s willing to give Rhett a loan, he must believe in him.”
I believe in him too. I’m not sure how their financial situation got so bad, but I do know how hard he and his brothers work. Rhett breaks his back every day to keep the ranch running. I knew that even as a child.
The thought of him losing this place chokes me up. What would he do if he didn’t have the ranch? Where would his brothers go? Could that jeopardize Rhett’s custody of his boys?
Do I want to be responsible for letting that happen?
A door slams outside, and I lean up to see a shiny Audi parked next to Rhett’s old truck. A beautiful blonde steps out of it. Amber.
“Hey, the Wicked Witch just got here. I need to go hide.”
She chuckles. “Really? I’d pounce on Rhett, climb him like a koala bear, and give him an open-mouthed kiss that would set her hair on fire.”
I shake my head. My best friend is crazy. “Go back to your convention. I’ll call you later.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too. Be safe.” I hang up and tuck my phone in my bra.
Another car door slams, and two little boys go bounding toward their father, who kneels down to hug them. When he stands, they’re still clinging to him.
The look of pure joy on his face squeezes something in my chest. The front window is cracked open, and I can hear his sons’ laughter.
But the smile on Rhett’s face freezes when Amber sidles up to him. “I need to pick up the boys’ sleeping bags.” She toys with a long strand of hair. “What are you doing this week? Wanna come with us to the lake?”
I thought Rhett hated Amber. Why is she inviting him on her vacation?
“Amber, we talked about this,” he says gruffly as he steps around her.
“Why can’t we spend time together as a family? Why is that so bad?”
There’s a pleading in her voice that surprises me. Why is she begging Rhett to hang out when she’s the one who cheated?
I can hear his frustration when he grunts, “I’m not doing this with you again.”
“You know what? Forget it. You never had time for me when we were married, so I don’t know why I thought you’d have time now.”
Ouch. As much as I dislike this woman, a part of me feels bad for her. Maybe she regrets cheating on Rhett.
They start walking toward the house, and I limp as fast as I can toward the powder room off the kitchen. I don’t want to add kindling to that fire. I leave the light off and lean against the bathroom counter and pray Amber doesn’t have to pee.
“Gabriel, Austin, don’t y’all go anywhere,” Amber calls out. “I’m going to grab those sleeping bags, and we’re leaving. If you two disappear, you’re gonna get it.”
The vitriol in her voice makes the hair on my arms stand on end. I can understand her being angry at Rhett, but why is she such a bitch to her kids? Amber’s heels echo down the hall.
“Dad, can you come with us to the lake? It’s no fun without you,” Gabriel, the older one, says. I’ve never met his boys, but Baylee says they’re cute as hell.
“Daddy, I miss youuuuu,” Austin says.
Rhett clears his throat. “I’m sure your mom has some cool things planned for you.”
“You mean her babysitter,” Gabriel grouses. “She’s not going.”
The click-clack of her heels returns. “Let’s go.”
“Boys, go sit on the stoop,” Rhett says. “I wanna talk to your mother.”
After a minute, the front door closes, and Amber huffs, “Make this quick. I’m late.”
“So you’re going to Canyon Lake?”
“I told you that already.”
“No, I mean, are you going with the boys to the lake, or are you dumping them on someone else to look after?”
She lets out a long sigh. “I’m really tired of getting the third degree from you. Why do you care who looks after them?”
Rhett makes this growly sound that draws me closer to the cracked-open bathroom door. “Because the lake is dangerous, Amber. Do you know how many kids drown there because they don’t have proper supervision?”
“Don’t be so damn dramatic. I have to prep for a car commercial I just won. I can’t look after them twenty-four seven.”
“Then I’ll keep them this week, and you can go do your thing.”
“But I’m supposed to have them for two weeks for vacation!”
“Then spend some fucking time with them instead of handing them off to whatever loser friends you have who don’t give a damn about my children.” Her heels cross the house, and he yells her name. “Amber, wait.” The clicks of her shoes pause. “Just… don’t let them in the water if you’re not with them. If you can promise me that, I’ll stop being a pest. I know you want the best for them. I do too. I’m… I’m sorry I yelled.”
“You’re such an asshole. I don’t know what I ever saw in you. The only thing you care about is this fucking ranch and your fucking cows.”
“Yes, I’m an asshole. Can you promise me they won’t get near the water if you’re not with them?” He pauses. “Please?”
“Fine. Now leave me alone.”
The door slams.
I’m so overwhelmed by what I just heard, my eyes sting and my throat closes up. Suddenly, the bathroom door swings open, and Rhett grunts, “You can come out now.”
I stare at him, and to my horror, my bottom lip wobbles.
When he sees me, he freezes. “What’s wrong?”
I cover my face. “I don’t know.” Then a sob breaks out of me. “I feel bad that you… you and the boys have to go through that.” Hell, I even feel bad for Amber. Because she obviously still has feelings for her ex-husband.
“Oh, shit.” He lets out a huff, and next thing I know, I’m in his arms. “Don’t cry, wildflower. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
I shove my nose against his hard chest and breathe in his woodsy scent. He slowly strokes my back, and I try to calm down. Amber’s rage and cruelty has me reverting back to the bullied little girl I once was when I lived with Irma, even though it wasn’t directed at me. How messed up is that?
After a few minutes, he sets me down on the island counter in the kitchen and places his hands on either side of me. “Paige.”
I can’t bear to look at him. I’ve missed Rhett so much. There are so many things I want to tell him. Things I’ve done, places I’ve gone. Things I wanted to share with him over the last seven years, but I never got the chance.
I cover my face again and shake my head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying.”
He gently takes my wrist, and removes my hand. “Hey. I’m fine. The boys are tough. We’ll get through this. You don’t need to feel bad on our account.”
Sniffling, I nod. “Okay.”
He hands me a paper towel, and I wipe my nose.
His eyes soften. “Why don’t you go take a shower and grab a nap? You can use the bathroom in my room and crash on my bed for a few hours. I need to shovel out the barn. Give me your keys, and Jace and I will drive your car over. Then we’ll grab some lunch and make a plan to talk to Irma.”
I sniffle again. “All… all right.”
Rhett lowers me from the counter. “Guess I should give you a tour. A few things have changed since you were here last.” He points to the hallway to the right of the living room. “Down here are Jace’s room and my office, which used to be my bedroom when I was a kid. Mav bunks with Jace when he’s in town, and Beau sleeps in the trailer out back, since he wanted more privacy.” Then he walks me down the opposite hallway and points to the left. “This is still my father’s old office, but it’s a mess. Haven’t gotten around to clearing it out yet. Hopefully this summer I’ll get a chance. And here’s the boys’ bathroom and their bedroom.”
He opens the door, and it’s a bright room with two twin beds. The bedspreads are blue, and there are constellation stickers on the ceiling, which must glow in the dark. Their bookshelves are brimming with books and dinosaurs and trucks.
“It’s a lovely bedroom.” I clear my throat. “You must miss them when they’re with their mom.”
“I usually get them every other week, but since they just got outta school for the summer, Amber has them for two weeks.”
“If you ever need me to help out with them, I’d be happy to.”
“Thanks. I might take you up on that.” He closes that door and opens the one behind us, which I know is the master bedroom. The moment I enter, I’m hit with the yummy scent of his cologne. It’s a sparse room. Just a king-size bed, a small couch, a dresser, and a TV mounted across from the bed.
Rhett rubs the back of his neck. “This is nothing special, but you’re welcome here. Make yourself at home. You can sleep on my bed or on the couch, though that’s probably not comfortable. Off to the side here is my bathroom. If you’d like a shower, there are towels in the cabinet.”
He looks so adorably awkward, I smile. “Thanks. This is great. Sorry I’m putting you out like this.”
“It’s no trouble at all. After all the times Danny saved my ass when we were growing up, it’s the least I can do.”
My smile withers. Of course he’s only doing this because of my brother.
I’ll definitely be napping on the couch.