3. Chapter Three
Chapter Thre e
Blue
Well, that’s a happy Thanksgiving.
Did Clay see me ogling his daughter’s perfect ass?
Hope not.
But that quick flash of smooth skin, supple thighs, and round muscular cheeks is going to stick with me for a while.
Topped by her wet blond hair plastered down her shoulders still dappled with tiny droplets of water makes an image I’m going to ferret away for a long time.
“Maybe I shouldn’t tell her.” Clay’s voice knocks me out of my haze of trying to snapshot Libby’s naked body.
Clearing my throat, I lean forward to try and hide my growing hard-on. “I’d think she deserves to know. She’s an adult and should be able to weigh in on the decisions in the business.”
It’s suddenly uncomfortable knowing she’s Clay’s kid. I’m so fucking conflicted over this fire in my gut.
I shouldn’t have looked, but I can’t unsee her .
“You’re right, damn it.” Clay takes a swallow of his coffee, then stares at it with a sour twist to his mouth. “I hate this shit cold.” He dumps his drink into the sink and rinses out his mug. “I just don’t know how to tell her I need to sell everything to pay for the surgery and radiation.”
Libby’s pink shirt pulls my gaze.
Her open mouth and pained tightening of her opal eyes tells me everything.
“I think you already did,” I say softly.
Clay’s head jerks up and he spots his daughter.
“What’s going on, Dad?” Her words tremble as her lower lip gets pulled between the whites of her teeth.
The blood that had been rushing to my crotch, floods into my belly and twists my stomach.
This is awkward as hell, and I have no idea what to say.
Clay runs his sleeve over his eyes, pushing his hat high onto his head. “I got a lump on my—” He gestures down in a vague motion. “—made it hard to pee.” His nose wrinkles and his chin tilts towards the ceiling. “I have to go for surgery in the morning in Missoula, so will head out tonight.”
Her long golden hair drifts over her shoulders as she shakes her head. “Is that why you pushed us to go out? Were you just going to leave and not say anything?” Her voice climbs with every syllable.
Fuck, I wish I knew what to do.
I want to butt in, make a joke, something.
Instead I sit here like a dumbass, watching my best friend stumble through a life changing confession.
“He asked me to stick around, help out where I can.” I offer something.
Feels a bit inadequate when she turns and glowers at me.
“You knew before me?” Her fists dig into her hips and she turns back to her father. “What the heck, Dad?”
Well, that didn’t go the way I expected.
Clay throws up his palms. “I didn’t want to worry you. Not all cancer is a death sentence.”
“Cancer?” Red swells up her throat and envelopes her cheeks. “You weren’t going to tell me? I’m not a fucking child. This is my home, my livelihood too. Or do you want me to just run off and marry some hillbilly—”
Why did her arm gesture at me?
“Hey now, there’s some reputable rednecks in his area.” I try to offer her a grin.
All I get is a heavy sigh and an eye roll.
Shit. Her petulant flush and pout sends new life to my limp dick.
It’s hard not to picture her fresh out of the shower, even as she stands here breathing so fast and stomping her foot.
I bet her skin was still slick with soap.
“It’s not real bad yet.” Clay leans against the counter, folding his thick arms across his chest. “They’re gonna try and get the worst of it before it gets that way.
” He takes a deep inhale and lets it out slowly.
“But it’s damn expensive, Lib. We’re gonna have to pare down to get things figured out. ”
She slumps onto the arm of the couch, just inches away from me.
It takes everything in me to resist reaching out and patting her thigh.
That’s not my place.
“We’ll make it work, Dad.” She sounds defeated. “Mom held on for years. You can beat it, whatever it takes, ‘kay?”
Clay nods, running his fingers through his rough whiskers, he steps around the counter to pull Libby in for a tight hug.
Her pink shirt rides up in his embrace, and I get an eye-level glimpse of the small of her back.
Years?
It might be torture sticking around when every time I look at her I’ll see her bare body in my mind.
But I know Clay well enough that he’d have to be six feet under before he’d let anything happen to her.
I’ll be fine. If I want my own nuts to stay in place, I can look, but won’t touch.
Like any cattle farm, I’m sure there’s a pile of castration tools sitting in the barn.
I’d rather not get acquainted with them.
With a sniffle, they separate.
That’s my cue.
Slapping my legs, I rise, towering over both of them. “Welp, Lori wants us there at noon, so what do you say?”
“This is why I asked Blue to give you a ride. I didn’t know how I was going to tell you, but I knew it had to come out.” Clay kisses her on the forehead before letting go.
“Will you be here when we get back?” She tugs her sweater down to cover the gap.
He shakes his head. “I’ll be heading down after I drop off Devon. I’ll tell him in the truck.”
“Tell me what?” Devon appears, his dark hair still dripping.
The overpowering scent of a heavy cologne precedes him, filling the crowded living room.
Libby wrinkles her nose. “That you reek and need another shower.”
He matches her expression. “No way, that bottle is expensive.”
Clay moves between them. “I’ll call you later, Lib.” Then he gives me a pointed look.
In two short strides, I cross to the front door and gesture for her to follow. “Turkey’s getting cold.”
She pauses to grab her coat, sliding it over her arms as she passes me.
Did I watch as she zipped it up over her chest?
Yep.
Do I feel guilty ?
Also, yep.
I’m expecting a fairly silent ride to the Black Gulch, but Libby seems to have other plans.
As soon as I’m settled in, she turns towards me, propping her knee up so I can see the seam between her thighs. “Okay, spill.” Her head tilts expectantly.
“What?” I make a point of keeping my eyes on the road.
She makes it hard to concentrate when she leans closer, stretching her seat belt between her breasts.
Fucking hell.
“Tell me what you know. Dad has obviously kept you in the loop.” Her pink lips purse. “How long has he hidden this?”
This is not what I expected. With a groan, I push against the cushions and the steering wheel. “I suppose a few weeks. Shortly after we all got back from Vegas.”
“Char’s wedding?” Her pitch raises. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
That makes me turn to meet her stare. “Clay’s my friend. How do you think it would have looked if I ran to his daughter , who I barely know, to seek her approval?”
Why does she have me second guessing myself?
Her face hovers inches from mine, close enough to feel her exasperated exhale before she relaxes back onto her side of the truck.
Thank goodness for the console. She’d have crawled right into my lap .
And she’s naked under those clothes.
Damn it, dick. Down.
“Well, if you’re friends with him, and Dixon, that makes you by proxy mine, too. Char’s my bestie, so you’re like a buddy squared.” Her wrist flips in a haphazard circle.
Kinda like my noggin trying to keep up with her logic.
“What does that mean?” I snort. “Texts? Long calls? Coffee dates?” I turn to her and grin. “Benefits?”
When her cheeks flush red and her nose wrinkles, it makes me laugh harder. “Thought so.”
It buys me a few miles of quiet.
“Is he going to die?” she finally asks, just before the turn to the ranch.
Shit.
Nosing my pickup into an open parking spot near the main house, I let the engine idle and let myself look at her.
Her lower lip is red and swollen from biting it, and her eyes are rimmed with unshed tears.
“Not anytime soon. He’s going to be in pain. It’s a big deal for a man to lose his, um…” Fuck, this is hard. “He’s choosing to go ahead with the surgery so he can be here for you. He’s crappy at communication, but he cares about you, and your brother.”
Her chin drops. “Yea, he is pretty shit at talking.” She tugs the hem of her sweater out of her coat sleeve and wipes her cheeks.
Working my way around the hood, I open her door and help her down onto the snowy ground.
Before I can stop her, her arms wrap my waist and she presses herself against my chest. “Thank you for being there for him.”
And then she hurries away.
Damn. This girl has a core of steel.
But it’s impossible to ignore how her soft curves felt squeezing me.
I feel that I can’t look away. Even in the bustle of my friends, I watch her as she moves, feigning happiness and laughter.
Until Char and Dixon arrive.
It doesn’t take long before I see the tears again when she takes Char’s arm and leads her away.
Then my own is grabbed roughly as I’m jerked to the hall near the kitchen.
“What the hell did you do to Libby?” Dixon growls.
He’s intimidating as hell, one of the few men bigger than me.
And his dark eyes rip into me as if he’s getting ready to drag me outside.
His lips are so thin, they disappear under his mustache.
“Nothing, Dix. She got some bad news about her dad.” I hold up my palms, waiting for him to let me go.
Why does it rankle me that he’s being protective over her to me ?
Sawyer approaches with a pale look, giving me the opportunity to skirt away from Dix.
“Uncle Dixon? It’s Ford, he says it’s an emergency.”