Chapter 11
11
I t wasn’t the loudest or most rambunctious breakfast Petra had ever attended, but there was plenty of food and drink. Jinx looked proud as she placed a platter stacked high with French toast in front of Petra.
Most of the conversation that followed circled around the horses. All three of the brothers had brought their own rides to High Water, but it seemed that Declan was already rounding up extras. Rescues that were still in good enough shape to be ridden both for visitors and for the artists to use as models.
Petra could ride, but she hadn’t ever gone crazy over it like some of her friends, so it was a nice background discussion she didn’t have to take part in.
Instead, she dug into the food and examined her companions.
Jinx’s eyes were tired, but she sat straighter today than yesterday. Dixie rested between Jinx and Petra, but the dog’s gaze was one hundred percent on the younger woman—optimistic dog.
The guys looked mostly rested. Aiden wore a far too satisfied smirk—but it was possible Petra wore that same expression. She’d slept like a rock, which considering the past days was saying something about the potency of a good solid orgasm.
“Petra.” Aiden laid a hand on her arm to get her attention.
Dammit. She’d gotten lost in her thoughts again. “You guys must think I have the attention span of a gnat. What’s up?”
Jake dipped his chin toward Jinx. “Shopping.”
The girl slouched in her chair, breaking eye contact with everyone.
Yeah, shopping was a priority, but something else needed to happen first. “Jinx has enough loaner clothes for now that she and I can take care of that tomorrow. But first, I promised my sister-in-law we’d drop in this morning.”
Four sets of eyes bore into her. The masculine ones displayed concern, and Jinx’s bore outright consternation.
Which was just fine. None of them had to like it, but considering first impressions were important, they were not going out in public in Heart Falls until there would be no reason for anyone to take a second glance at Jinx other than because she was new.
Petra leaned toward Jinx, curling her fingers to motion her closer. Dropping her volume so the guys couldn’t hear, she laid it on the line. “I think I know why you let your hair get to be such a mess. But since we plan on registering you for school, somewhere between tangled knots and dreadlocks is not going to fly. My sister-in-law has dealt with hair disasters, and while neither of us are hairdressers, if you trust us, we can get you looking presentable.”
It hadn’t been said loudly, but Jinx still glanced around the table at Jake, Declan, and Aiden to see if they were reacting before meeting Petra’s gaze. “You’ll stay with me?”
“Absolutely.” Petra raised her volume to normal levels. “I think you’ll like Julia. Sometime this week, I’m also setting up a girls’ night out with my two besties so you can meet them.” Petra leaned back and eyed the boys. “There’s a lot of testosterone in this house, so us girls have got to make sure we get doses of female power on a regular basis.”
Declan’s lips twitched, but he dipped his chin. “Jake will go over the numbers with you, but we have money in the budget for more than bread and water. Don’t be afraid to spend money on necessities.”
“What my brother is inelegantly saying is that you don’t have to use the horse shampoo unless you want to.” Aiden grinned at the scowl Declan tossed him. “Hey, I’m not saying you smell bad, but…”
A snort escaped Jake. “I’ve got a credit card for the ranch that we’ll give you, Petra.” He glanced at Jinx thoughtfully before adding on for her sake. “We’ve had the ranch in the works for a while, but you can see we’re nowhere near ready to open. There’s still building to do, and we’re figuring out our routine, like we talked about last night.”
Jinx stayed quiet, but she nodded.
“If you’ve got a question about something and we don’t have an answer, that’s good. Means you’re helping us figure things out,” Jake said.
The girl was all eyes and cautious hope. “I want to help.”
“You will,” Aiden promised. “This is going to be your home for as long as you need it. Since you’ll be going to school, you’ll have chores, not a full-time job. You get to be a teenager, Jinx. That’s important for us, too. Not just you.”
Moisture was beginning to gather in Jinx’s eyes, which Petra didn’t think the girl would be comfortable with sharing yet.
She squeezed Aiden’s hand gratefully then stood. “Whoever is on cleanup crew with me, let’s get rolling. Then Jinx and I are out. We won’t be home for lunch. Who’s cooking tonight?”
“Neither of you,” Jake said. “Be back by six and we’ll have supper ready.”
“Deal.” Petra met Jinx’s gaze. “Go get washed up and be ready to leave in about twenty minutes.”
Cleanup went quickly with Declan and Jake both helping Petra. She scooted back to the primary bathroom and did her own morning cleanup, stepping into the living room the same time as Jinx and Dixie.
Aiden sat at the kitchen table, catalogs and paper colour samples spread in front of him. He rose to his feet and joined them on the porch, waiting as they switched their house shoes for outdoor ones. “Call me if you need anything,” he said quietly.
“I’m anticipating a very relaxing day,” Petra informed him with a grin as she stood. She shoved their inside shoes into a bag then slung it over her shoulder, ready to head out.
He caught her by the wrist and tugged, hands sliding against her lower back until she rested tight against his firm body. “I hope you and Jinx have a wonderful day.”
His voice was low and sexy, and she blinked hard for a second before his lips met hers.
He kissed her. Sweet and slow, but it was still enough to set off firecrackers in Petra’s brain. The pressure on her lower back held them locked together, and even though Aiden pulled back and released her only a moment later, her heart rate had gone into triple time.
His wide grin washed over her, and his eyes sparkled. “Bye, sweetheart.”
It finally clicked. The engagement—Jinx would have wondered if they never shared any public displays of affection.
God, she was glad one of them had remembered.
“Bye.” Damn, she wished she was quicker on the uptake and had come up with some annoying cutesy name for him.
They were a few steps up the walk when Aiden cleared his throat. “Petra.”
She glanced back.
He held out her purse, amusement in his eyes. “You might need this.”
Petra took it gratefully. “At least I wasn’t already on the road.”
Jinx sat quietly in the passenger seat of the truck, staring out the front window.
She’d seemed more reassured by Petra and Aiden’s kiss than frightened, and that had to be a good thing. Mistakes were going to be made, but as long as they kept trying, they’d have to call it a win.
Petra had more than one thing to accomplish today. “Did Danielle show you around town before she dropped you off at the ranch?” she asked.
Jinx shook her head. “I think she was worried. I mean, she wasn’t supposed to do what she did. Pick me up and take me somewhere.” The girl glanced at Petra. “I’m very grateful. To her and to you guys.”
Petra gave a nod of approval. “It’s good to be grateful, and we know you are. But now you should concentrate on taking advantage of this fresh start you’ve been given. It’s not always going to be easy.” Instead of turning and driving straight out to Red Boot ranch where her sister-in-law was waiting, Petra turned left and headed into Heart Falls proper. “We won’t stop anywhere, but I’m going to drive through town before heading to the ranch.”
Jinx sat up straighter, nose all but pressed to the side window as Petra gave her a tour. She pointed out the different buildings, including Buns and Roses and where the high school was. Jinx asked a few questions, slowly warming up until it was as close to a full-on conversation as they’d had.
Petra pulled the truck to a stop outside of Julia and Zach’s cabin and paused. Time to double check.
“I need to say I’m sorry,” Petra began. When Jinx blinked in confusion, Petra shrugged. “I kind of steamrolled you back there at the house, talking about getting your hair straightened out. Your hair is your business. You need to do what you’re comfortable with, and my job is to support you. That said, I think you’d get less negative attention if we fix it.”
Jinx shook her head. She’d used a big enough scrunchie that the tangled mess was pulled back off her face instead of hiding her features, but it was lopsided and clearly pulling at her scalp in places. “It seemed smart to look as ugly as possible.”
Petra shoved down her anger at the assholes who had traumatized this girl so badly that she’d chosen to hide herself away. “So, good to change it up?”
Determined eyes met her gaze. “Please. It’s itchy,” Jinx confessed. “But it’s bad. I don’t know if we can fix it. And I’m not a fan of the shaved head look.”
“Bald looks good on some people, but yeah. It’s not my style either.” She tipped her head toward the house and smiled. “Let’s see what Julia suggests before breaking out the razor.”
Petra knocked on the door and pushed it open at Julia’s welcoming call. “Hey, Jules, we’re ready for some pampering. I brought Jinx to meet you.”
Her sister-in-law stepped forward. Julia’s reddish tinged hair hung in gorgeous curls past the edge of her shoulders. She wore faded old jeans with holes in a raggedy hemline and an oversized long-sleeved shirt in pale lavender with the arms pushed up to her elbows. “Hey P. Hello, Jinx. Welcome to my salon.” She lifted her gaze to Petra’s. “Your brother is out doing important things somewhere near the borderline of the ranch. Cody, that’s our foreman, insisted Zach was an important part of planning something way the hell out there. Which means we have the place to ourselves for hours and hours.”
Petra took an appreciative sniff. “Did you make cinnamon buns?”
Amusement danced over Julia’s face. “Yes, if picking up the phone and calling Tansy and begging for a home delivery counts as making them.”
Jinx snickered. She accepted the bag Petra handed her, glancing inside to discover the pair of house shoes. The relief in her eyes was huge as she sat to switch them over. “Thank you.”
“No problem, kiddo. Remember, one step at a time, and sometimes that’s easier when you got shoes on.” Petra put on her own slippers—a regular pair this time in case things got wildly messy. She didn’t want to ruin her birthday present dragons. “Julia. What can I do to help and where do you want us?”
Behind her, Jinx was exchanging one pair of shoes for the other. Julia’s gaze danced over then back up to Petra. She nodded in approval. “I guess we need to take a look first to see how bad it is.”
She’d put two chairs side by side at the kitchen table and arranged a freestanding mirror that was big enough to see all of one person directly or two if they squished.
Petra sat next to Jinx.
Julia leaned her hip on the table. “First off, I’m sure Petra and Aiden told you that my husband and I are also your safe people. We don’t know everything, but we know enough that we’ll do whatever we need to help keep you safe. Okay?”
She waited until Jinx nodded.
“Now comes the part that could be easy for you, or really tough, and neither one is wrong.” Julia folded her arms over her chest and leaned back, making a face. “This isn’t common knowledge, but I had a stalker once. When things were at their worst, I got trapped in a tough situation where I didn’t have much control over taking care of myself. Not telling you this so you feel bad for me, but so you know one result of that was my hair got messed up.”
“You’ve kind of been where I’m at?” Jinx asked.
“Only in so far that I know that I can’t help you unless I touch your hair. Plus, working out the knots will cause a fair bunch of tugging and pulling. It will be uncomfortable, but if you’re okay with it, we can get started.”
Petra wiggled her shoulder where it pressed against Jinx’s. “If you need a breather, just say that.”
Jinx stared at her reflection. “I don’t want to look like this anymore.”
Thank God for brave young women. “Then let’s get to work.”
They soaked the mess down and got to work using straight combs and picks and the gentlest touch possible. Julia was amazing through it all, which made sense considering she’d worked in the emergency services area for years. She seemed to have a knack at helping Jinx to relax.
When they came up with a combination of conditioner and coconut oil that loosened the knots, Petra’s hopes rose. They wouldn’t have to cut it all off.
Hours later, after a few breaks to enjoy the cinnamon buns and some hot tea, and to get lunch, they were done.
Looking a little like a wet dog, long strands of untangled deep brown hair hung around Jinx’s face. But this time it was not because she was hiding, but because she was trying to keep the dripping strands from getting in her eyes. “I hope you have a shower,” she said.
“Absolutely,” Julia said. “Plus, like we talked about, I have some more clothes that might fit you. But I think a trip to the store with my niece might be a good idea in the next couple of days.”
Jinx froze with the towel in her hand held to her chest. “Your niece?”
“Sasha,” Julia informed her. “She’s nearly your age, so chances are you’ll end up in the same class at school.”
Part of Petra wanted to protect Jinx and protest that it was too soon. But part of moving forward meant keeping the momentum going.
“If you don’t want to, we won’t. But I can vouch for Sasha,” Petra said. “Other than being a lot more horse-obsessed than you, she’s a great girl with a little sister and brother she mothers like crazy. She’s someone I’d want on my side.”
Jinx nodded, but she still looked unhappy. “That makes sense. Can we meet her before we go shopping? You think?”
Everything was possible. Petra considered. “What about at Buns and Roses?” she suggested to Julia. “Tomorrow is a school day, but I don’t think Sasha would be upset about getting taken to lunch.”
“I’ll talk to her mom.” Julia paused. “Did you guys figure out the story you’re going to tell people in town? About who you are and the rest of it?”
“Some of it,” Jinx told her. “Declan said we’d do the rest of it this afternoon, so we can tell you soon.”
“That works. I’ll wait to hear from you, but chances are high you’ll get to meet Sasha tomorrow. Then, if you’re comfortable, we can go shopping as soon as school is done.” Julia pointed toward the bathroom. “Go wash all that stuff out. Shampoo, then use the conditioner and leave it in for at least five minutes. I put everything you can use on the counter. It’s all brand-new and yours. The clothes are loaners, but you keep them until you have your own stuff.”
Jinx covered her head with the towel and stood awkwardly, glancing between them. “I know I keep saying it, but thanks for helping. And thanks for trying to make it easier. I mean it. Maybe I’m a little scared, but today is so much better than two days ago.”
She vanished, leaving Petra and Julia staring after her.
“Give me thirty minutes with the bastards she was living with before.” Julia said it calmly and coolly as if discussing the weather. “Fifteen, even. I’m feeling motivated.”
“It’s a familiar sentiment, and you’d have to join a line right now,” Petra told her. She stepped closer and wrapped her sister-in-law in a hug, squeezing tightly. Letting go of some of the sadness and focusing on the good parts that had happened that morning. “I’m glad I’ve got you.”
“Ditto. Plus I’m glad that girl’s got you,” Julia returned. She stepped back and looked Petra in the eyes. “I thought maybe you were getting in over your head with the fake engagement thing and the rest of it. But I see why you did it. I’m glad you did it, and you know we’ll go to bat for you, and for Jinx, no matter what.”
“Thanks.”
One more change. One more step, with a whole hell of a lot more to go. But Petra realized her sister-in-law was right. Being at High Water was both necessary and vital. For Jinx and herself.