Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Gideon
The sun had set, but its fading rays still gilded the structure I drove up to. I never thought I’d willingly be on Bailey property again. The Copper Summit visit had been enough for a lifetime.
From the front, Mae Bailey’s house was a magnificent, sprawling log cabin. The main floor had large windows that overlooked the road and the rambling countryside dotted with trees. The picture from the windows would be breathtaking, framing the mountains in the distance and the rolling land in between. The front of the house was the only way to see how massive the place was.
The ground swooped up toward the back, where Autumn parked. From the zero-entry door in the back, it was steps to the garage doors that everyone parked behind. The shops and barns were closer to the house than how my family had situated their property. The view out back wasn’t as stunning as the front. It was simpler. It showcased the hard work that backed the Baileys’ life. Yet there was undeniable life in that view. A thriving ranch. A place that didn’t crumble when the patriarch died.
Darin Bailey had been older than my mom when he’d passed, and from what I’d seen when I first checked up on the Baileys, there’d been some warning. What had Autumn gone through while her dad was sick?
“We can just go in,” Autumn said. She’d been quiet since her family had left, growing more silent on the drive out. How worried was she about upsetting her mom?
I’d rather we did this another day. I liked the quiet of Autumn’s house. There was a warmth my penthouse didn’t have. But we had to get all the family informed. It didn’t matter that this day stretched on until it felt three days long.
For the first time, I considered that maybe my idea had been shit. I hadn’t liked Autumn because of her relation to the Baileys. The actual person was considerate, though a little devious, and she clearly loved her mom. If there was anything I could respect, it was that.
I got out of the car. Autumn was out before I could get to her side. So much for being chivalrous. She didn’t wait on me like... It took a minute to think of any woman I’d been on an official date with. I didn’t bother to come up with names. The point was, I didn’t date.
Autumn twined her cool hand in mine.
“Are your hands always cold?” I asked as I curled my fingers around hers to cover as much skin as possible. She’d warm up faster that way.
“You know what they say about cold hands? ”
“Wear gloves?”
She broke into a smile and the tinkling laugh that left her was like harp music. After this afternoon, I liked hearing her laugh.
“Let’s go, warmhearted girl.” Some tension drained from me. Time to meet Mae Bailey as an adult this time.
When I was a kid, I hadn’t given the Baileys much thought. Mama had talked about the sisters. Dad had mentioned Darin here and there. I couldn’t even blame them for being the drink of choice for my dad. Bottles with other company names had floated through the house. Copper Summit products were quality, and Dad couldn’t waste money on good booze.
I’d talked to Mae Bailey once in my life. At my mom’s funeral. Everyone had looked at me with such pity, tears in their eyes, dabbing at their nose and cutting off words when they tried to talk to me. Or they looked through me and saved their condolences for my dad.
Not Mae. She’d pulled out a chair next to me and asked when I had eaten last. I’d told her I wasn’t hungry and she’d patted my shoulder. I know. What do you normally like to eat? I’ll fix you a plate. It’ll taste like dust, mind you, but I’d love for you to have a few bites. We’ll both feel better.
I’d had a fleeting thought that I didn’t care if she felt better, but a larger part of me had hung on the way she doted on me. I’d been an afterthought for a short week, and I hadn’t liked that feeling. Without Mom, I was invisible. I’d had no idea it was the beginning of many long years of not being seen, my only use dulled down to my work ethic or my genetics.
Autumn opened the back door and pulled me in behind her. The outside air had a chill to it I had barely noticed until the warmth of the house enveloped me, welcoming me in.
A lump formed in my throat. This was so damn familiar. The scent of coffee underneath a mouthwatering, savory smell. Mae was at the stove stirring something in a pot. My stomach threatened to rumble, but I clenched my abs. I would not salivate in this house.
She glanced over her shoulder. Her hair had thick streaks of gray and she’d pinned the sides back. Her dark eyes held mild curiosity, her aura pleasant.
Autumn hung her coat up and crossed to give her a hug. “Hi, Mama.”
“Hello, hon.” Mae’s smile widened, deepening the grooves around her eyes as she returned the one-armed embrace. I detected a hint of sadness that was achingly familiar. That wouldn’t go away. Not when you lost someone so close to you. Mae’s kind gaze captured mine. “Gideon, nice to see you again.”
She almost sounded like she meant it. I dipped my head. “Mrs. Bailey.”
She scoffed. “I might feel the oldest in the morning and at night, but there’s no need to throw around the Mrs. Baileys. Mae, please.”
“Tate told you we were coming.” Autumn didn’t pose a question.
“Yes.” Mae flicked the burner off. “He didn’t tell me why. Just said you’d be stopping by with a guest. Of course, it was the way he said it that made me curious.”
Autumn went to a cabinet. “Can I set the table?”
“We’re eating?” Weren’t we going to break the news to her and leave? I wasn’t ready to hunker down with... with... someone I didn’t want to dislike.
“Everyone gets fed when they come to my place, dear.” Mae gestured to the cupboard. “I gather you two haven’t eaten yet?”
“We haven’t had time for a bite since breakfast. The flight was quick.”
In my head, I finished the rest for her. The flight was quick, but nothing else has been .
“Autumn will show you around,” Mae continued, “but you’ll find the plates and cups over there. Peek in the fridge and see what you’d like. Autumn can show you where the spirits are if you’re so inclined.”
Autumn took after her mom. Unassuming. Sweet. With a spine of steel that caught one off guard.
I did something I hadn’t done in a long time. I set a table for more than just me. I didn’t have dinner company at my home. Anyone who walked through the door of my penthouse wasn’t invited to stay long.
Autumn handed me three plates, each with a different design.
She got the glasses and filled all three with water. “You don’t strike me as a milk guy.”
“I haven’t had milk in years.”
She set the water on the table. “Then I have a surprise for you.”
I dug through the drawers to find forks. What else went on a fucking table?
My mom’s voice drifted through my head. Forks and butter knives, Giddy. Napkins—I don’t want to catch you using your shirt. We’re not cavemen.
With a lump in my throat, I located everything else. When I looked at the place settings, the items were different than anything I’d eaten on recently. Mae’s water glasses were plain and sturdy, not sleek and delicate like mine. The plates were older, with faint pictures of flowers. Mine were square and plain white. Also sleek and delicate. But even though I’d cooked only for myself all my adult years, I always set the same items on the table, unaware my mom had created such a habit.
I remained standing. Autumn slid into a spot next to mine. She patted the chair beside her. “You can have a seat.”
“Doesn’t your mom need a hand?”
“She had us set the table to stay out of her way. But don’t worry, once she finds out we’re married, she’ll give you more work, like mashing the potatoes.”
The short spike of excitement was unexpected. I could mash potatoes for Mae.
Goddammit. I’d been around the Baileys for less than a day, and already I was willing to bow to their every wish.
I yanked the chair out and sat.
Mae bustled in and out three times, depositing fried chicken that smelled divine, a pot of the fluffiest mashed potatoes I’d ever seen, and a gravy boat.
I frowned at all her hard work. We were closer to clubbing hours than dinnertime. “Was she planning to cook like this before she heard we were coming over?”
“No, but she has it down to an art. A meal like this is as easy for her as making a sandwich.”
When Mae was settled across from us, she smiled at me. “Dish up, Gideon. We don’t wait on ceremony.”
I dutifully obeyed her. It’d only been a few minutes since I’d chastised myself for doing just that, but Mae wasn’t the one buying my family’s property.
Once our plates were loaded, Mae sucked her lips against her teeth. She had a knife in one hand and a fork in the other. “Now. Care to share what’s going on? I’m wondering if it has to do with that rock on Autumn’s finger.”
Autumn
I flexed my left hand. The rock in question glinted under the country chandelier. I hadn’t hidden it, but I hadn’t expected Mama to pay attention to my hands that much before we spilled the news. “We’re married.”
Honesty was the best policy with Mama. She’d raised too many kids, fostered too many others to be able to get one over on her.
Mama’s brows lifted, and her back hit her chair. Her knife and fork were still sticking up. “Indeed.”
“Yes,” Gideon confirmed, even though Mama hadn’t asked a question. I appreciated his steady presence at my side.
“The guys are upset,” I said.
Mama inhaled. “Indeed.” Her gaze went to Gideon. Then back to me. She took another breath in and cut into her chicken breast. “Seems to be a mighty coincidence with the sale and all.”
“Well...” I could try a little fibbing. “My friends wanted to stay at Silver since there’s been news of Gideon in town.”
She gave me a knowing look. “I didn’t realize it was such big news.”
“They’re single, Mama. And he looks like that.” My cheeks warmed.
Gideon’s fork paused over his potatoes. He had to know how good he looked. Women probably told him all the time. Gushing about it to my mother right in front of him seemed juvenile, and I’d seen firsthand that he preferred sophisticated women.
My stomach growled. I was starving and Mama’s fried chicken was one of my favorites. “So, anyway,” I said, stabbing my fork into a thigh. “They went into a club and I was hanging out outside...” I swallowed as the heat in my face bloomed. Thanks a lot, embarrassment . “Gideon happened to walk by.”
“You go to the club?” Mama asked Gideon like she was getting to know my husband, but I could tell the question for what it was. A subtle interrogation. Do you go to the club and party? Do you go often? Are you a party boy?
“I was meeting an associate.” He took a bite of chicken after neatly sawing a chunk off.
The image of Taya walking in when I was denied entry flashed through my head. I blinked at him. “Taya.”
He slid his gaze toward mine, his jaw flexing with each chew. A small dip of his head was my answer.
I had cockblocked him.
Then she’d shown up the next morning. With a key to his place.
Acid churned in my gut, and the back of my neck heated to nuclear levels. He’d been planning a booty call that night with a gorgeous woman, and then he’d been waylaid by my dejected ass and opportunity.
Gideon set his fork down and swallowed. He rubbed my back. “Autumn saved me from another mundane night. Talking with her was refreshing.”
Some of my humiliation evaporated. He almost sounded believable. I didn’t want to miss out on Mama’s food, so I’d take it. I’d let myself believe he was telling the truth just this once. I smiled at him, startled to see a pinch of concern at the corners of his eyes like he was asking if I was okay.
“The club has good bourbon,” I said. “He got me Pappy.”
Mama chuckled. “That’s one point in your corner.” She set her silverware down. A small furrow formed between her brows. “You’ll have to excuse me. You married my daughter after knowing her for one day, and Bailey Beef just so happens to be buying your family land? The deal with which you’ve openly made your displeasure known? I’m an old country girl. I was born and raised in Bourbon Canyon, but I’m not naive.”
Gideon didn’t pick up his fork. “I didn’t think you were, Mrs.—Mae.”
“Autumn’s special,” Mama said, her tone hard. “She’s also not a naive country girl.”
“Believe me, I’ve been made aware,” he said wryly.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.
“I don’t like sharing my personal life with anyone,” Gideon said. “Autumn is officially part of my personal life. I can promise you that I’ll do my best to make sure I live up to what she expects of me, and I’ll treat her with the same respect and honesty she’s shown me.”
I stared at him. He wasn’t looking at me. Was he uncomfortable with what he’d said? Was he lying?
No, he’d been careful about how he worded his statement. Gideon didn’t seem like a guy who made promises he didn’t expect to be able to keep.
“I’m glad to hear,” Mama said after a moment. “We’re a large family, Gideon. It’s going to be hard to keep others from wanting to intrude, but I’ll respect it as much as possible. I can’t speak for my kids. But I want you to know—you’re part of this family now.”
Gideon stiffened next to me.
Mama picked her utensils back up. “Let’s eat before this chicken gets cold. It’ll be easier for you two to do dishes before everything hardens on the pans.”