Chapter 31
BEAU
“Hand me the bigger pliers.”
Rhett places them in my palm. I use them to tie in the new wire, then pull it taut. I yank off my cowboy hat to wipe the sweat out of my eyes and off my forehead, then study the fence. “This should hold up better.”
We spend the next few hours inspecting the fencing where the cow-calf pairs graze. It helps take my mind off Honey and the look in her eyes when she drove away from the firehouse yesterday. She was pissed. I don’t blame her. If I saw a guy clinging to her the way Melissa did, I’d be livid too.
When I asked Mel why she was acting so territorial, she feigned ignorance. I told her to cut that shit out. That we’re not together so she shouldn’t act like we are. Not sure what’s gotten into her lately. She’s moodier than usual. Meaner. It’s not a good look.
As soon as I could, I called Honey to apologize, but she said she understood. She’s hanging out with her friend this weekend, which means I’m spending today and tomorrow helping my brother before my next shift.
Rhett’s voice cuts into my thoughts. “I feel like we spend half of our lives fixin’ fences.”
“Remember when we were little, and Isaiah said he could jump the fence and bet I couldn’t do it too? ’Course, I had to try it and got tangled up on my way down.”
“You bled everywhere.”
“Good times.” I hold up my hand where you can still see the scar. “Can I ask you something?” This has always bothered me.
“Sure.” He takes a swig of water from his thermos.
“Why did Isaiah leave? I know he and Gus argued”—Isaiah and our father butted heads constantly—“but what’s kept him away after Gus died?”
“Not sure. Wish I knew.”
I gather our tools and toss them in my bag. “Is it because Liberty got engaged?” I always thought my older brother was crazy about her, but then they broke up and he left for South America. She recently got engaged to some lawyer she’s been dating for a while.
“We’ll have to ask him, if he makes it home for Maverick’s wedding,” Rhett says. I think we’ve all gotten to the point of accepting the idea that he might not ever return. “Hey, where are you at with repairs at your place? I thought you wanted to get the roof done before winter?”
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but Rhett won’t hold it against me. “It’s more expensive than I thought. I probably have to hold off until next summer.”
He frowns. “Mav and I could pitch in to get it done sooner. I’d hate for your roof to leak again and ruin your floors.”
Yeah, that would suck. “I hate asking for money around the holidays. I know things can get a little tight financially.”
“I told you we’re doing better.” He wipes the back of his neck. “Maybe I need to show you our financials. And you know we have that failsafe. We could always let that company dig up the quartz if we got really desperate.”
None of us want to go that route. “It’s not that I don’t have money, but re-roofing my house will wipe out my savings, and it makes me anxious to be so broke.
” Especially now that I’m with Honey. I’d like to have a little cash to spend on her.
To take her to dinner or buy her flowers.
To make her feel special. She’s used to the best.
Fucking Ian took her to the Pearl Steakhouse, the nicest place in town. Dinner and dancing at some grill house out of town doesn’t quite compare.
“If you change your mind, let me know. I’d like to help. This ranch is yours too.”
I have a hard time accepting that, but I guess it’s true. “Thanks, bro. Let me think it over. I don’t want to overextend myself.”
“Makes sense. Just don’t want you to struggle.”
I feel like I’ve struggled financially my whole life. But maybe Rhett’s right, and I need to let my family help me more, which is tough to do for some reason.
My brother and I ride back to the ranch in companionable silence. When we crest the ridge that overlooks his house, we pause. In the valley below, his kids run around the backyard while Paige pets one of her fluffy chickens.
“You’re a lucky man, brother,” I say.
“I fucking know it. Not sure what I’d do without Paige. She and my children are my whole world.”
Deep in my bones, I want this with Honey. It might seem fast, but it feels right. I can’t explain the connection I have with her. She’s on my mind all the time.
I pull out my phone and snap a photo of the sunset and send it to her. I’m not sure when we can hang out again, but it can’t come soon enough.
When I get home, I let out a sigh of relief. As much as I love my family, I enjoy being alone too. Maybe it’s because I spend so much time at the firehouse where I’m surrounded by my colleagues for three days straight.
I pick up a handful of kittens. “Did y’all get in any trouble today?”
“Meow!” Fireball scales my t-shirt and curls up against my neck.
Her sisters get squirrelly, so I set them down.
As I pet Fireball, I look around my house, and I wonder how Honey sees it.
I head to the back bedroom, which still has wallpaper from the eighties and jacked-up flooring.
The second bathroom needs a ton of work.
The third bedroom is worse, so I skip it and head for the small laundry room.
I stare up at the water-stained ceiling and wonder if we’ll get a lot of rain this winter. Maybe I should redo the roof.
I could handle it myself if I took some time off work. As I mull over what to do, Honey texts.
Honey: Cynthia had to leave early.
Funny how that urge to be alone instantly vanishes.
Me: Are you free? Wanna come over? I was thinking about grilling some dinner.
Honey: Count me in!
I scan the living room, hating that I don’t have nicer furniture. At least it’s clean. Just old.
Once I tidy up and take a quick shower, I get to work on those steaks. About half an hour later, Honey knocks, and Fireball tries to scale my jeans. I pick her up and open the door. Honey gives me a beautiful smile.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hi.” She kisses me, then pets my kitten.
“Take her so I can grill.”
“Can I help with anything?” she asks as she kisses Fireball, who purrs in her arms. Huh. My kitten finally found someone she likes besides me.
“Nope. I got it. You okay with steak, baked potatoes, and salad?”
“Sounds great. I’m famished.”
“Wanna watch TV while I finish everything?”
She puts Fireball down and sits on the couch. “I have some reading I can do for one of my classes. Is that okay?”
“Whatever you need. I’m just happy to see you.” Leaning over, I kiss her again. “If you want to work, go for it. I started the potatoes in the oven, so dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes.”
After I get our steaks done on my grill out back, I head into the kitchen to grab us some beer. “It’s nice outside. Want me to build a fire, and we can have dinner out there?”
“I’d love that.”
I get the fire pit going and brush off my old Adirondack chairs. When we head outside with our dinner, I wrap a small knitted blanket around her shoulders and settle in my chair. “Cold front is supposed to come in later this week.”
“I love an excuse to wear a sweater. Winter is my favorite season.” She snuggles into her blanket. “How did you know I was chilly?”
“Just a hunch. I prefer summer, but I don’t mind the winter.” Cutting into my steak, I pause to watch her take her first bite.
“This is great. What seasonings did you use?”
“Rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pan-seared with clarified butter.”
She takes another bite. “I love that you cook. I could eat this every day.”
“We take turns cooking at the fire station. I’ll be honest. I’m only good at breakfast, steaks, and pasta.”
“What else is there?”
I chuckle in complete agreement. I’m smiling until I remember how Melissa behaved when Honey dropped off that tray of food. “Listen, I want to apologize again for how Mel acted yesterday. She was out of line. I just want to assure you that I avoid her when possible.”
Honey stops eating. “You know she still wants you, right?”
Sighing, I nod. “But I’ve never wanted more with her. We were never serious.”
Using her fork, she pushes her salad around her plate. “But you’re serious about me?”
“As a heart attack.”
Her lips tug into a grin. “Okay. I won’t replace her lotion with hemorrhoid cream.”
Laughing, I nod. “That’s my girl.” I cut into my baked potato.
“I’m not gonna be a firefighter forever.
As much as I love it, I can’t do it all.
Something’s gotta give. Once I finish renovating my house, I’ll go part-time or maybe retire.
I can’t get a pension until I’m fifty, but that’s okay.
In the meanwhile, it’ll give me the extra income I need. ”
“Can I just say that as much as I love what you do, I know it’s really dangerous? Ranching can be dangerous too if you’re not careful, but firefighting somehow feels more unpredictable. So I’m glad you don’t want to do it forever. I’d be sick if anything happened to you on the job.”
“Thanks, babe. I do my best to stay safe, but it can be tough.” As we finish up dinner, I set my plate on the rickety wrought-iron coffee table in front of us. “Have you had any trouble from Cash this week?”
“He’s been great, actually. I took him some donuts as thanks for not ratting me out to Dad and Trig.” She looks out into the night sky. “My dad’s still out of town. It’s weird, but I feel like something’s going on.”
“Like what?”
She shrugs. “I’m not sure. It’s just a feeling I get. My mom usually goes with him, but this time, she stayed home.”
“Maybe she just needs some space. My mother was like that. She’d go off on a walk and be gone for hours.”
When Honey turns to me, her eyes grow sympathetic. “Do you ever hear from her?”
“No.” I don’t like talking about how our mother ditched us, but it bothers me less than it used to. “We got a letter from her once. Said she loved us, but she couldn’t come back. My brothers and I assumed Gus had hit her, since he roughed us up sometimes.”
Reaching over, she takes my hand in hers. “I’m so sorry.”
“I try to look on the bright side. It’s one of the reasons why I became a firefighter.”
“What do you mean?”
I take a pull of my beer. “Even though he treated her like shit, my father fell apart once she took off and became a worse drunk. He left me and my brothers to fend for ourselves pretty often. I spent the better part of my teen years making sure Mav and Jace stayed out of trouble. Making sure they were fed and clothed. Scrounging for food and preventing disasters. One time, my younger brothers climbed up the water tower and couldn’t get down.
Rhett wouldn’t let me go up there, so we called the fire department.
When I saw them come to the rescue, I thought maybe I could do that since I like helping people. ”
She swallows. “I’m glad you’re able to get something positive from what happened. But still, that had to be tough.”
“I think it was harder on Mav and Jace. They were little. They still needed their mother. At least I could lean on Rhett and Isaiah. Well, until Zey took off too.”
She sets down her plate and curls her legs under her. “Some people don’t like to settle down. I don’t get it, because I love it here and I never want to leave, but my friend Cynthia gets that itch and travels constantly. I’d get tired of living out of a suitcase. I love routine and being home.”
I bring the back of her hand to my mouth and kiss it.
“I know what you mean. I love it here too. I’m kind of a homebody.
” The fire crackles as I stare at her. Honey McAllister is everything I want in a woman.
She’s beautiful, smart, sweet, and fierce.
I take a mental photo of the incredible woman next to me.
“Think you could be happy hanging out with another homebody all the time?”
Smiling, she gets out of her chair, puts my beer on the coffee table, and crawls into my lap. “Yes.” She grazes her lips against mine. “Think you could be happy with a schoolteacher?”
I wrap my arms around her. “Pretty sure I’m crazy about that schoolteacher.”
She grabs my face and kisses me. “I’m crazy about you too, Beau.” She snuggles against my chest, and I hold her to me. “This is fast, right? Are we nuts?”
I kiss her temple. “Who cares if it is? You and I are the only ones who can judge. Maybe it is, but all I know is this feels right. You feel right. I’ve never felt a connection with a woman the way I do with you.”
Grinning, she turns to me. “I feel the same.” She fiddles with the buttons on my shirt. “What do you want down the road? Are you hoping to get married and have kids? Not with me necessarily, but I’m just curious what your goals are.”
I nod slowly. “All the above. I love kids and adore my niece and nephews. I see how happy Rhett is with his brood, and I hope to be that happy someday. I wanna work on our ranch and be financially secure. Give my wife and kids a good life.” I tug a strand of her hair. “What about you?”
Her smile turns shy. “I’d love to get married and have kids.
My family isn’t perfect, but I like having brothers.
I guess I want a chance to do it better, you know?
Support my kids the way I wish my dad would support me.
I want to build the Harvester Club and help kids see that there are important jobs in this town that they can do, working with animals.
And of course, I want to work on the ranch. ”
I kiss her slowly. “That’s a good dream.”
Hopefully, Honey and I will get a chance to see those things come true.