Chapter 12 #2
Was it possible?
I swiped my finger on the phone, my stomach suddenly in knots. Then I typed out six letters.
K-E-N-Z-I-E
I was allowed in.
“You’re kidding me.” I glanced at his screen saver and sighed, a cold shiver trickling through me. The picture was of all three brothers in their smokejumper uniforms. The ache in my heart was worse than before when hearing about what happened.
With another groan, I quickly dialed Charmaine’s number.
“Hello?”
“Char. It’s me and don’t ask why I’m using a different phone. That’s a very long, twisted story. Are you up for company and a little shopping tomorrow afternoon?”
“Absolutely, girl. We could do it tonight. I can’t wait to see you.”
What I wouldn’t give to be able to avoid my father altogether. “I better face my dad and find out why he summoned me. I have a very bad feeling whatever he wants will require me to drink heavily afterward.”
“Don’t be too hard on him. All the ranchers have had a bad time as of late. And shopping?” Char asked, laughing. “You bet we can. Why do I feel a story coming on?”
“Because you’re clairvoyant and guess who it involves?”
She hesitated before answering. “No way! That man you’ve been pining away for more than half your life?”
“Don’t remind me.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the plane, already worried about him. What if something terrible happened? What if I’d had one chance to tell him how I felt? One chance and I’d blown it.
“Spill it, girl.”
“Not yet. We’ll talk over drinks. Lots of drinks.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow and I’m dying to hear what happened. And the story had better be juicy enough to wait for.”
“Trust me. It is.” I slipped the phone into the pocket of the sweatpants. At least I had an out with my dad.
Forcing myself to turn, only when I started heading toward his waiting vehicle did Wade rise from his perched position on the hood of his gleaming brand-new truck.
I don’t what I expected after not seeing him for almost two years, but when he took long strides toward the driver’s side, jumping in without uttering a single word, I did my best to curtail the nasty words forming in my brain as I approached.
He glanced at what I was holding, half laughing as he scanned what I was wearing. To hell with him and his usual judgment of me.
While my brother started the engine, I took my time heading for the passenger door, not bothering to look at him when I climbed inside.
But I caught his tense presence out of the corner of my eye.
I’d seen that look before, the one screaming his disgruntlement about whatever topic was troubling him.
And usually involving me.
I’d wanted to think our differences were based on our age gap, but now that we were older, almost five years shouldn’t matter. Not enough for his spiteful expression at least.
He was a carbon copy of my father where I’d taken after my mom, freer spirited and hopeful. There were some who wondered what in the world my parents had seen in each other. The old opposites attract rule had seemed laughable.
Until yesterday.
Thinking about Axe, by the time I closed the truck door, my cheeks felt as if they were flaming. We sat quietly for a full three minutes while watching several smokejumpers load up into the bay of a cargo aircraft. I experienced a moment of angst, worrying about Axe’s safety.
Especially since the jumpers were all wearing parachutes.
After craning my neck and being unable to see any evidence of the fire, I pressed the button for the window, sticking my head out. In the distance, I could see smoke. Or maybe continued fog from the storm the day before. Either way, the sight was unnerving.
“What’s wrong? Worried about your lover?”
Hearing my brother’s gruff voice shocked the hell out of me. Stiffening, I took my time closing the window so I could try to collect my thoughts. If this was the way it was going to go, I would turn right around and head back to Billings.
Or I could stay with Charmaine. Maybe that was the best thing to do. Obviously, I wasn’t wanted in Missoula. “If that’s your way of greeting chicks you go on a date with, you’re going to become a very lonely old man. No hot action for you.”
“Do you eat with that mouth?”
“Do you ever look yourself in the mirror, Wade? What the hell is wrong with you? What do you have to be angry about?”
“You’re sleeping with Stephen Beckett. That’s what’s wrong with me.”
While I’d certainly caught wind of a rift between him and Axe, his angry words surprised me. “Even if I were, that would be my business. His name is Axe and I’ll ask you one last time. What the hell is wrong with you? You are friends. At least you were.”
“Are you sleeping with him?” He threw the gear into reverse, screeching the tires when he pumped on the gas.
What the hell was going on between them? “Maybe I wasn’t clear enough to you. I’m not sixteen any longer and you don’t need to protect me from the boys. In other words, that’s none of your goddamn business. I thought the two of you were friends.”
“My business? You’re my damn sister. You’re in his clothes, for God’s sake.” He peered down at me as if what I was wearing was abhorrent.
Meanwhile, I could still gather a whiff of Axe, the scent so masculine, the sweet tinge of the deep woods and citrus an irresistible combination.
I held my arms, still wishing I’d said a few other things, although I also wondered what good doing so would have done.
We weren’t destined to be a couple. There was no doubt about that.
“Plus, he’s a womanizer.”
Ah, now we finally managed to get to the meat of the issue.
“What happened? Did he steal your girl?” When his entire face managed to shift into something positively demonic, I sat back in my seat.
“Is that what you’re suggesting happened?
” I found that very difficult to believe given I had the distinct feeling Wade was the original reason Axe had kept me at arm’s length while tormenting every boy who even dared look at me.
Then there was the threat by my father.
“Just fucking let it go, Kenzie. Just stay away from him. Nothing has changed with that man. He fucks everyone in a short skirt then tosses them aside. Women are just numbers to him, nothing more. Obviously, no loyalty whatsoever.” His look was even more biting than before.
Now I glanced at what I was wearing while hating myself for feeling a teensy bit jealous. “I have no clue what you’re talking about, but Axe is a good guy. You’re also not my keeper, Wade. You and I aren’t even close and right now, that’s fine with me.”
“You’re missing the damn point. You’re vulnerable and na?ve. He’ll take advantage of that.”
“You do realize that I was a straight-A student my entire life, including in college. Including in law school. I graduated first in my class while working two jobs since our father refused to help with my education. I passed the bar on the first attempt after only studying for three weeks instead of the usual two months. Now, I’m not merely patting myself on the back.
I’m trying to tell you that not only have I worked very hard for what I’ve achieved, but I’m also no dummy.
Including with men. I’m also not some vulnerable waif.
That is what you called me when I was a kid. Right?”
At least my brother surprised me by turning red. I knew that would be short lived. “You believed in the best of people, which was why they took advantage of you.”
“Which is why you told Axe to stay away from me? He was your friend. Or were you just appeasing Daddy dearest so you could continue being friends with him?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Our father threatened Axe, forcing him to stay away from me.”
He huffed. “Not true.”
“My guess is that’s it’s very true. I’m going to find out one way or the other.” As if it mattered after all these years.
“Then what the hell happened?” he finally muttered after my silence continued.
“Yeah, I’m in Axe’s clothes because mine are still damp. Would you like to feel them? Let me be very clear so there is no wiggle room. I’m an adult. You know what? Maybe I need to find another ride.” Just when he stomped on the brakes, ready to shift the gear into drive, I threw open the door.
“Suit yourself. It’s a long walk from the airport to the ranch.”
He honestly thought I would be deterred by the distance? “Then I’ll catch an Uber.” And find another place to stay. I had one foot on the pavement when he snapped at me.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You called me to come get you.”
“Technically, I called our father. You just showed up.” I’d happily find another way to the ranch except for one problem.
Reaching into my pocket, I took comfort in having a workable phone.
His phone. Stephen. Maybe his nickname was growing on me.
Axe was rugged, alluding to someone being fearless.
I held the door open while watching the plane’s cargo door shutting.
Why hadn’t I expressed all my thoughts to Axe when I’d had the chance?
I slammed the door and yanked on the seatbelt.
He waited a few seconds, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “Dad was busy.”
“As usual. I don’t know why I bothered coming.”
I could tell out of the corner of my eye he was shaking his head. He only made it through the gates of the airport before launching into me again. “What in the hell were you doing hooking up with Stephen the night you arrived in town?”
“I didn’t hook up with him.” Just saying the words made me cringe since that’s exactly what I’d done. Did I feel the least bit guilty? Honestly, no. I didn’t. Maybe I should, but I was a big girl and deserved to spend time with anyone I wanted to.
“Stephen is not good enough for you.”
Now, I laughed. “Who made you judge of what’s good for me and what isn’t? I’m sorry you two had a falling out, but that has nothing to do with me.”