Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Mack should be cutting his losses. But the reasonable part of his brain seemed to be on vacation. He’d never chased after a woman like this. He needed to win Lacey over, and he didn’t know why.
He was drawn to her. There was no doubt about that.
Maybe it was the fact that she had so many layers. She was a single mother. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know she’d had the kid when she was a teenager. And Bridger had mentioned he lived with his grandparents for a while.
It was nice to think that some families were still supportive of their children even after making such a life-altering decision.
While his attraction to Lacey had been founded on her easy smile and the way she could go toe-to-toe with him in conversation, he had to admit that perspective had changed.
Lacey was unique. She was strong and determined. She had every characteristic he could see himself wanting in a future wife—not that he planned on getting married any time soon. But would it be so bad if he ended up winning her over?
He liked the kid. Bridger was a boy after his own heart. He liked sports, and he was smart. All the possibilities the world had to offer were right there for the taking.
“Mack, you listening?”
He jumped and glanced over to his brother.
Caleb frowned at him and jerked his chin toward their cousin.
Mack’s eyes followed the path and landed on Bo.
His oldest cousin sat astride his horse, turning it around so he faced Mack and Caleb, who were still on the ground, ready and waiting for the next cow to come barreling through the shoot for her vaccine.
Next month, breeding season would begin, and they needed all their viable specimens ready.
Mack nodded, bracing himself to secure the animal so the new vet could gift it with the medicine it’d need.
This wasn’t his idea of a good time. Most of the work at Sagebrush was mundane at best. He’d much rather the adrenaline that came with riding a horse that didn’t want him on its back.
The closest he got to that was when he was trying to break in a horse—but Bo didn’t like inexperienced men taking the risk.
Joke was on him. Mack might not have received special training, but he knew how to hold his own. He could stay in a saddle as long as the best of them.
The cow hurried through the shoot, and together with Caleb’s help, they secured the cow. Those who had been born during the spring calving season also needed tags. Today was labor intensive, and it wasn’t helping that his thoughts were elsewhere.
He glanced over to a small corral where some of his cousin’s children were learning how to ride.
Katrina was giving them a lesson, and Mack’s thoughts shifted to Bridger.
He was about as old as Bo’s oldest. They’d gotten along at Caleb’s housewarming party.
Maybe one day he’d like to come play with Bo’s kids.
That brought a smile to his face. It was strange, thinking about Bridger other than just the kid of the girl Mack was attracted to. He’d never thought of himself as someone who would enjoy spending time with children. The concept was new to him.
“Mack, you’re not paying attention.”
He jumped again and turned to find Jack frowning at him from the other side of the fence. Second born of the Reese family, Jack was second in charge. When Mack slid his focus to his brother then Bo, he wasn’t surprised to find irritation in their eyes. He was the weak link. What else was new?
Mack cleared his throat. “Sorry, I’ve got a lot on my mind.” It was a weak excuse, and he knew it. Caleb understood that his heart just wasn’t in this sort of work, but he didn’t appear to be interested in coming to Mack’s aid.
Jack thumbed over his shoulder. “Go check the stables. Make sure they’re cleaned out. Grant said he’d do it, but I haven’t seen him come back from his perimeter check.”
Mack nodded. He couldn’t even get mad that he’d been reassigned for grunt work. That stuff was mind numbing as all get out, but he’d get done with plenty of time to run to town and see if he could bump into Lacey. Then again, he might just show up at her place like he did last time.
A smile stole across his lips as he switched places with Jack and strode toward the barn. Win-win.
Mack pulled his leather gloves from his hands and shoved them into his back pockets. He wiped at his brow with the back of his wrist and glanced over at where Caleb was still working with their cousins. They looked to be finishing up. It wasn’t likely that they’d call him over to help.
Every one of the stalls had needed cleaning, which meant he had to bring the horses to a grazing pasture while he worked. It took longer than he’d expected, but he’d been able to let his thoughts wander.
Now he’d get cleaned up, and he’d track her down. He had a feeling he was getting to her. If the way she’d looked at him when he’d clasped her hand said anything, it was that she was losing the fight. It was only a matter of time before she finally allowed him to take her out again.
He grinned as he hurried up the steps to get showered and changed. His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to see a message from Angela.
Angela : I was thinking about something after dinner the other night.
Mack watched the bubble pop up that indicated she was typing and waited.
He wasn’t about to message her back right away.
Doing so could put him in a precarious position.
Mack hadn’t missed the way Angela had kept touching his arm when she’d spoken to him.
She was giving him all sorts of signals that she was interested in him.
From the flirtatious way she laughed to those light touches, she wanted him to know that she was available.
The problem was, he simply had eyes for someone else.
The bubble disappeared, and she didn’t continue.
He tossed the phone on his bed and headed for the bathroom. If she wasn’t going to continue with what she wanted to say, then he definitely wasn’t going to open the door to ask.
Was something wrong with him? This girl clearly wanted him to ask her out. She had done everything short of asking him out herself.
And yet, all he could think about was Lacey.
Mack couldn’t stop smiling as he exited the bathroom and made his way back to his room. He brought the towel up to his head and rubbed his hair until the strands rested in damp waves atop his head.
The phone remained on his bed, and he glanced at it with curiosity. Had Angela completed her thought? There could be another text from her. If Lacey had been the one to message him, he would have already checked it by now.
As if to test his theory, his phone buzzed again.
He moved toward it, his heart kicking up, only to be let down when he saw another message from Angela.
Angela : Would it be weird if we went on a date? Just the two of us? Maybe this weekend?
He grimaced. That was what he’d been worried about. Until it actually happened, he could pretend that she was just a flirty person. There were women out there who liked to have physical contact with anyone—including friends.
Mack raked a hand through his damp hair and paced his room as he stared at the message.
What if his turning her down stirred more issues with Lacey?
He didn’t think she’d hate him for spurning her sister—but if they were close, then her sister could get offended and make it difficult for him to try to see Lacey.
Mack : Sorry. Can’t. I’m busy.
Her response was immediate and made him realize he’d just responded without waiting. Dang it. He should have given it a day.
Angela : Maybe another time?
This time he didn’t respond. He’d give it a few hours and get back to her when he could come up with a reasonable response. The truth would likely be better than stringing her along. But how close to the truth? Would Angela get in his way if she knew he was interested in her sister?
Mack sighed and tossed his phone on the bed again. Maybe if he could get Lacey to admit to feeling something for him, they could…
Do what, exactly? There was no simple solution to this problem. He sighed as he started to get ready. Angela was a problem he could solve another time. Right now, he needed to solve the issue regarding his inability to stay focused.
Mack headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. He caught himself on the door jamb. “Hey, I’m going to town. Need anything?”
His mother glanced in his direction. A smile touched her lips, and she shook her head. “Nothing I can think of.”
He nodded and was about to step away when she stopped him.
“Are you going to see that lovely girl?”
Mack froze and slowly turned around to face his mother. What had she heard?
Tana gave him a patronizing smile. “Don’t tell me that you two aren’t dating. I saw the way you looked at her during the barbeque, and Jennifer asked me about her—said she heard something about you spending time with her and her little boy.”
Where had Aunt Jennifer heard that?
He didn’t even need to ask. There was one major gossip mill in Rocky Ridge, and most of the women got their information from there.
Salon 406.
His jaw clenched. “No, I’m not going to see her.
” It wasn’t exactly a lie. He wanted to see Lacey, but he wasn’t ready to drag her into a conversation with his mother.
She’d probably push and push until he lost the drive to win Lacey over himself.
“I’m just heading to town so I can get a few things. That’s all.”
His mother shrugged, but that knowing smile said it all. At least she wasn’t looking at him like the disappointment she thought he was.
If Lacey was in town, there was only one place she’d be—the restaurant. Based on what he knew about her, she’d either be heading to work for a shift or leaving. He was counting on her coming or going. Seeing as she was still avoiding his calls and messages, he hoped they’d bump into each other.
His mother’s words weighed on him as he pulled into a spot at the restaurant and waited. If people in town had noticed his attention to her, that might influence her decision to either give him a chance or walk away.
Unfortunately, he was getting the sense that it would be the latter. Ever since that dinner with Angela, he got the distinct sense that she’d grown colder to him. They’d bumped into each other one other time. That was how lucky he’d been in the last couple of days.
She’d been colder, easier to irritate instead of being able to draw a smile to her lips.
Mack sighed. What if she’d already heard the rumors?
A familiar figure strode out of the entrance to the restaurant, and he straightened in his seat. She was leaving. That meant he had more time to get on her good side since she didn’t have to rush to her shift.
Without really considering what he was going to say or do, he pushed his door open and hurried in her direction. She caught sight of him, and he could practically hear the groan from her lips.
He hesitated, his steps faltering. Maybe it was time to get the hint. His heart stumbled even as he continued toward her. He fell into step beside her then pulled ahead and stopped in her path, causing her to nearly bump into him.
Her voice dripped with exasperation. “Mack, I really think?—”
“Why do you hate me?”
Lacey snapped her mouth shut and peered up at him with wide, confused eyes.
“Don’t bother denying it. Doesn’t matter how hard I’ve tried, you keep brushing me off.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she muttered. “I already told you that I don’t date. I have a rule?—”
“Yeah, I get it. You have a rule so you don’t have to risk anything. You don’t have to put your heart on the line. But when there’s someone who might be worth that risk, what then? Are you still going to shut him out?”
She scoffed. “And you think you’re that person?”
“I could be,” he shot back, arms folding. “You won’t give me a chance to show you. I’ve met your kid. I think I’ve proven that he’s not going to scare me off. I even connected with the kid. So there’s only one variable as to why you won’t just let me date you.”
Lacey’s jaw tightened, but her eyes seemed to be filling with fear more than anything else. They darted to the side, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
“So I’ll ask again. Why do you hate me?”
She looked away, turning her head so he couldn’t see into her eyes.
He let out a long breath. “Please look at me. I’m just asking for you to be honest with me.”
She scowled at him, and if he didn’t know any better, he might have thought she was about to cry.
Lacey still wouldn’t look at him. “The problem isn’t that I hate you,” she said. “The problem is that I don’t hate you.” She adjusted the strap of her purse and pushed past him hard enough to knock him off balance as she headed for her car.
Confusion ripped through his chest. Should he go after her? He might still have a chance to catch her before she got into her car. But his legs wouldn’t move. His feet felt as though they’d been plastered to the asphalt beneath him.
What did she mean?