Chapter 5
HONEY
“So you didn’t get in a fight because of me?” I ask Trig over speakerphone when I get home from work. I smell like a bonfire.
“Nope. Didn’t involve you at all. Why? Did that fuckface say it did?” He curses under his breath. “Is he botherin’ you again?”
“He hasn’t ever bothered me. And I don’t want you going around beating people up. I’m an English teacher. Think about how that looks for me.” That’s not the reason I called him, but I can’t tell Trig I feel bad I might be responsible for Beau’s black eye.
He grumbles something I can’t make out. “Just lookin’ out for you.”
“Thank you, brother, but I’m old enough to look out for myself.”
“You’ll always be that little squirt trying to climb every tree, ride every horse, and lasso every cow. Remember when you fell off Big Blue? You hollered something terrible.”
I chuckle. “And you gave me a piggyback ride home.”
“That right there should get me favorite brother status for life.”
“We won’t tell Cash.”
When we get off the phone, I have to admit I love my hotheaded brother. He’s not perfect, but he means well.
Except I’m not totally convinced about why he fought Beau. I’ll have to ask Cash.
The next morning, I’m reviewing my lesson plans for first period, grateful it’s Friday, when one of my Harvester kids runs up to me.
“Hi, Nora Jean.”
“Miss Honey, if we get that property next year, do you think I could raise chickens? I’ve always wanted chickens, but my mother says they make a mess, and our backyard is too small.”
“They can definitely be messy, but with the right setup, it’s not too bad. Plus, their ‘mess’ makes for great garden fertilizer. And yes, if we get that lot, you’re first on my list to raise chickens.”
She jumps up and down. “Thank you! I keep seeing people raise them on social media, and I’d love to harvest my own eggs.”
“If we have enough supply, we might even want to sell them in a little roadside stand. Our neighbors might want some fresh eggs, and you could use that money to offset your expenses or even save for college.”
Her eyes widen. “Really? That would be so cool! Could we bake too? Maybe sell cookies or bread?”
“Why not?” I’ll have to check local ordinances about that, but it could be really fun for my students. That’s the benefit of the Harvester Club. Hands-on experience.
The grin on her face as she runs off to class makes my heart happy. Students like Nora Jean are why I’m willing to suck up my pride and beg my father to help us purchase Mr. Turner’s property.
Adrian pauses in front of my desk as he passes out the Wild Heart High Ledger. “It’s hot off the press, people. Let’s get our literacy rates up. If my freshmen’s reading scores get any lower, I’m going to fling myself off a tall bridge.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “Don’t do that. If we didn’t have you, who would do the newspaper?” I’m pretty sure the man sleeps here sometimes to make his deadlines.
He buffs his nails on his shirt. “Not going to lie. I am pretty good at this.”
“Can I get a few extra copies for my classroom?” I hold out my hand.
His eyes twinkle. “I thought you’d never ask.”
My smile dims because I don’t want to give him the wrong idea. Adrian is great. He’s two years older than I am and a handsome guy. I love his dedication to his job. But I have a strict rule about not dating anyone I work with. I need this job too much to risk any entanglements.
Trish rushes over. “I need thirty.” She gives him her crazy eyes, and I leave her to flirt with our co-worker.
As I unlock my room, two girls are looking at the front page of the newspaper and sighing. “He’s so dreamy. If only he wasn’t so much older.”
“Who’s dreamy?” I ask, figuring they’re going to tell me about a celebrity.
“Beau Walker,” they both chime.
Just then, those two newspaper students, Keith and Sabrina, walk by, and Sabrina must overhear my kids because she nods at them. “That firefighter is so hot. And oh my God, he’s such a sweetheart.”
As the girls giggle, Keith rolls his eyes. “It’s just a stupid uniform, Sabrina.”
I finally look at the front page, which features several photos of Beau.
And damn, the girls are right. He is dreamy, that bastard.
In one pic, he’s holding up the rattler with one hand while we’re all crowded on top of the table behind him like a bunch of dodo birds.
In another, he’s sitting on the couch in his fireman’s t-shirt and those pants, surrounded by four rescue kittens.
In the last image, a profile photo of him, he’s standing with his arms crossed in front of the fire truck.
I realize he positioned himself to minimize that black eye my brother gave him. Either that, or Paige gave him a little concealer touch-up.
The headline reads, “Local Firefighter Saves the Day.”
When a rattlesnake recently made its way into the English department, the fire department was quick to respond, and local rancher Beau Walker, a Wild Heart alum, came to the rescue.
I figure he’s going to sound like a schmuck, like a narcissist who makes everything about himself. But he doesn’t.
“I might have been the one who caught the snake that day, but every firefighter on staff is trained to do that job. You might call me a hero, and I’m honored, but I’m just one of many. All of my brothers and sisters on staff deserve that title.”
And yes, he apparently rescued several kittens from an elderly local who needed medical attention. He even checked on her at the hospital to make sure she was recovering.
As the five-minute bell rings, warning that first period is about to start, I frown. How can this be the same man who jumped Trig? How could Beau, who saved me from that handsy guy at that masquerade party, sucker-punch my brother out of nowhere, totally unprovoked?
My stomach twists as I consider that someone’s lying.
And it might be my brothers.
By the end of the day, my feet ache, my shoulders hurt, and there’s a steady throb in my temple.
I usually stay late, but today I’m going to cut myself a little slack.
I have every intention of heading home, pouring a glass of wine, and taking a long, hot bath.
Because after I take a nap, I need to grade sixty papers.
I tuck the newspaper into my desk. If I check out Beau’s pics later, will that really hurt anyone? Besides, I should have some photos handy for the next time he pisses me off so I can throw darts at his annoyingly handsome face.
I’m daydreaming about my bubble bath, but as I’m packing up my stuff, my phone buzzes with a text.
It’s my mother.
Honey, please come over tonight at six for dinner. We need to discuss something.
Son of a freaking mountain goat. Not today.
While my mom might say “please,” what she means is that my father is demanding to see me, and what my father wants, my father gets.
After I drop off my school stuff at home, I change into some jeans, a t-shirt, and boots before I head over. As I drive my old SUV along the road to my family’s ranch, I take in the acres of rolling hills dotted with cattle and sheep, and my heart aches.
As much as I enjoy teaching, I miss life on the ranch. But my father will never view me as an equal like he does my brothers, and I’d rather not be relegated to planning dinners and functions. My dad’s old-school and thinks women are fragile little flowers.
A wave of remorse hits me for feeling snarky toward my dad. I should be grateful his health has improved. He had dangerously high cholesterol for years despite not being overweight, and my mom struggled to find the right foods and medicines that would help him.
Despite how much he frustrates me with his outdated opinions about how I should live my life, I don’t want to argue with him.
Before I head for the house, I sneak into the barn to pet Sunshine. She’s the sweet Palomino I got as a teenager. When my horse sees me, she stamps her foot.
“I know. I’m sorry it’s been so long.” I hug her neck, and she rests her head on my back. I run my hand through her white mane and down her golden coat.
“She misses you.”
I smile when I hear Cash’s voice. “I miss her. She has my whole heart.” Because a horse will never break it the way a man will.
I let go of Sunshine to hug my oldest brother.
“You always say you’re going to stop by my apartment, but you never do.
” When I let go, I poke him in the shoulder. “That’s rude. Where are your manners?”
“I’m sorry. You know how crazy things get around here. Between the ranch and juggling time with Summer, I’ve been swamped.”
“How is my favorite niece?”
His eyes light up. “She’s so fucking funny and smart. Wish I had her brains.”
Cash can seem like a jerk on a bad day, but he has a huge soft spot for his daughter. “When can I see her? I’d love to take her to lunch.”
His face falls. “I’m supposed to get her Saturday, but her mother’s been giving me the runaround. I switched one weekend because we had some sick cattle, and now Natalie tries to change every handoff at the last minute.”
I wince. “Does that mean you’re going back to court again?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I fucking hope not. Things are bad enough with Nat now. I don’t wanna go that route if I can help it.”
“Sorry, bro. I know this has been hard.”
“I’m trying to be a good person and share custody with Summer’s mother, but she’s making it impossible to co-parent.” He pulls off his baseball cap to wipe his forehead. “She’d be easier to deal with if Dad wasn’t on a rampage lately.”
“What’s going on with him? Any idea why he wanted me to come home tonight?”
“He’s been bitchin’ about everything lately. My guess is he probably wants you to move back.”
“If I live here, Dad will want to know my every move, and I hate being managed.” Remembering my interaction with Beau, I frown.
“Are you going to tell me why Trig and Beau Walker fought? Trig’s black and blue.
He said he got into it with Beau but didn’t say why.
” I leave out the part where he denied fighting about me.