Chapter 14
14
AURORA
Eliza chats with me the entire drive from the house. Brody is one of her favourite subjects, and I nod and hum along with every little tidbit of information she drops about him. It’s obvious she loves him a lot. More than I think even he knows.
Wade too. I’m sure he’d grunt and scowl if he knew she told me about the time he got kicked in the ribs by a bull and was left with a crater in his chest or when they drove out to a cabin in the middle of winter and blew a tire only to not have a spare.
Every memory spilled from her lips is a reminder that all of these people I’ve met are a family. Regardless of someone’s last name, everyone in Cherry Peak is family. A chosen one.
“I’ve got a million stories about Johnny too, but I’m sure his mommas would like to be the ones to share them with you,” she drawls.
I roll my lips together, staring out my window at the endless green grass and wire fences. “Right, he mentioned he has two moms.”
“Yep. Boy was raised by two of the best women in this town. Smart as hell and sweet as honey pie.”
I shelve that important information away for later, curious enough to ask him about it. I’m sure he’d love to tell me all about his family if given the chance.
“I’ve never heard of honey pie. Are you sure you didn’t make that up?”
Eliza laughs softly, tipping her chin. “Oh, my dear, honey pie is a delicacy. I’ll make you one of your own to try.”
Under normal circumstances, I’d tell her that unlike the story my coffee preference tells, I’m not usually a fan of overly sweet things. But apparently, if my sudden—albeit reluctant —interest in Johnny means anything, it would seem that maybe that isn’t so true anymore.
“Thank you,” I say instead.
She taps her palm to the steering wheel of the truck she insisted we use for our drive. I expected it to be filthy inside due to the age of it but was pleasantly surprised to find it well-kept. The hula girl dancing on the dash is a nice touch, as are the fluffy seat belt covers.
“You know, I haven’t learned much about your family yet, and I’ve been here yappin’ about mine.”
“You know a bit about my family,” I argue lightly, using the half-truth as a way to avoid having to talk more about it.
Eliza doesn’t care about my reluctance. “Your real family, Rory. Not Lee. What’s your momma like now? She happy?”
“Yeah,” I mutter, resting my elbow beneath the window and propping my chin on my palm. “She got married a few years ago to a nice man who treats her well. It’s been good for her to have that.”
She didn’t for a long time. For the majority of my early years, it was just us. I loved the one-on-one time, but she was vulnerable on her own in a town full of judgmental piranhas. They always looked down on her for getting pregnant out of wedlock and raising me without a husband at her side.
A bunch of pigheaded assholes stuck in the fifties. I haven’t missed while being here is a single one of them while I’ve been here .
“Good. So, you approve of him, then?”
“I love him. He’s the only dad I’ve ever had, and I don’t plan on replacing him.”
Not like Lee Rose is going to want to try and fill his shoes, anyway.
I keep my eyes trained on the fields we pass, noting the obscure number of brown cows that fill each one. We pass several men on horseback and one on an ATV who blows a kiss at Eliza before turning off the gravel road in front of a tall steel shop. I’ve never been surrounded by so many cowboys, and it’s exactly as intimidating as one would think.
Tall, muscled, rugged men with dirty jeans and tans that disappear beneath ripped shirt sleeves would intimidate most people, I’m sure. The cigarettes in their mouths and brutal glints in their eyes make them look as if they don’t give a shit about much, but I doubt that’s the truth. Their gentle pats to their horses’ necks and softly spoken words to Eliza give me a pretty good idea of who they are beneath it all.
I remind myself of that when we pull off the road past a set of horses tied to the fence and park. Johnny’s easy to spot through the two men watching him from our side of the fence. Or maybe that’s because he’s invaded my thoughts like an infectious disease, and I’m apparently now searching for him.
Rolling my eyes at myself, I ignore the weight of Eliza’s stare on my face and hop out of the truck. The humid air sticks to my throat when I inhale and flatten my frizzy hair with my palm.
“Why are you boys out here and not in there with Johnny?” Eliza scolds, squinting out at the field, where Johnny stands in front of a single cow with a neon orange paddle in his hand.
“He told us to leave. That damn stubborn red heifer he’s got there won’t get in the trailer.”
I look at the man who spoke, trying to remember a name before coming up blank and letting it go. He’s the typical rough-and-tough rancher with a face full of scowl lines and a collection of scars on his hands that I catch when he scratches at his jaw .
It’s like everyone here has a dress code they have to follow or something. Wrangler jeans, shirts that have seen better days, and boots. At least they switch it up from cowboy hats to baseball caps from time to time.
Eliza huffs and heads for the gate without giving him an answer. The two men look to me now, as if realizing for the first time that she didn’t arrive alone. I stare back, keeping my expression blank so they can’t tell that their presence intimidates me. It’s not like I can help that fact either. They’re huge, unfamiliar men who are more than likely strong enough to snap a metal rod with their bare hands.
“You must be Aurora, right?” the second one asks me, his smile infectious and kind. The soft expression should look out of place on his sharp features, buzzed head of blond hair, and dark eyes but doesn’t at all. He’s familiar, barely so. Almost as if I’ve only maybe passed by him a couple of times.
“Rory,” I say, correcting him.
His grin grows, revealing the two rows of teeth and the small gap between his front two. “Rory, right. I’m Thomas, or Tommy if you’re feeling like using a nickname. And this is Loren.”
“Loren? You don’t get a nickname too?” I ask, flicking my eyes to the other guy.
He blinks down at me from his staggering height, his short black lashes fluttering over leap-pad-coloured eyes. They’re heartbreaker eyes. Too bad I’m already more than covered in that department.
“Lo is a terrible fucking nickname” is his reply.
“So, no nickname or accent, then. Interesting.”
Thomas laughs and squeezes Loren’s bicep. “Loren’s from Manitoba. Hard to believe with the way he looks that he’s the least hillbilly one around here. The most boring, though.”
“Ah, fuck off, Tommy,” he grunts back.
“Leave the woman alone, you behemoths,” Eliza says, the jingle of the gate sounding soon after. “We’re goin’ to see if Johnny needs any help. Make yourselves useful and go give Wade a hand with the sprinklers before he ends up damaging the system even worse.”
“Got it,” Thomas says, giving her a two-finger salute before glancing back at me. “I’m sure I’ll see you around soon, yeah?”
“I work here now, so I’d assume so.”
He barks a laugh. “You’ll warm up to us sooner or later. I’m sure of it. But until then, it’s been lovely, Aurora.”
Loren keeps his eyes on me after Thomas leaves us. The corners of them crinkle as he inspects me like I’m a criminal on a courthouse stand and he’s the lead prosecutor. I lift my brows in question and let him look.
“Get on your way now, Loren. Don’t be lookin’ at Rory like that, you damn grump!” Eliza calls.
Finally, he blinks and takes a step back. “It was a pleasure, Aurora.”
Really? Was it?
“Likewise,” I reply.
Thomas makes a loud clicking noise from behind me, and then Loren is heading his way. I swallow at the sight of two large horses coming around the front of the truck. Thomas is on the back of a dark brown one, and Loren doesn’t hesitate to swing himself onto the other one. In a flash, they’re taking off on horseback, leaving clouds of dust behind them.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Eliza urges. I do as she says. “Sometimes they need tough love. They’re good boys, but they’re protective of one another. You know?”
“I know. That’s a good thing.”
“It is. As long as they aren’t rude about it. If they ever are, you just let me know, and I’ll beat some sense into them.”
I attempt to smile. “Does everyone know that Johnny is . . .”
“Interested in you? No. I don’t think they care as much about his interests as they do teasin’ him from time to time. Nobody is going to force you to give him anything. That’s not how we work around here. You make that boy work for your attention if you so choose to, or tell him to get lost. Either way, you’ve got my support.”
“Thank you,” I say, and I mean it.
I’m bullheaded enough not to give in to anything simply because someone wanted me to, but it’s nice knowing it wouldn’t upset her if I stayed true to my original decision and didn’t let myself get swooped up in all that Johnny is. I quite enjoy spending time with Eliza, and I don’t want to lose that before my time is over here. Even if that’s a choice that could hurt me later on.
“You got it, honeybee. Now, are you ready to meet your first cow? Fair warning, this one . . . she’s a stubborn thing. She’s liked to do things her own way since she was a calf, and it drives Wade downright bonkers. I’m certain that’s why Johnny insisted the other boys leave. He’s got the patience to get her followin’ the right lead,” she explains.
I listen with rapt attention and follow her into the pasture. Looking down at where I step, I pay close attention to the thick patches of green grass and areas where it’s a bit more mown down. There’s a significant lack of weeds around, and I wish I knew more about ranch life to know if that’s due to the cows eating them all or if they make sure none grow at all instead.
“Come on, sunshine, you’ve gotta work with me here, yeah? One hoof in front of the other. The ramp isn’t gonna hurt you,” Johnny coos. “Go. Get going.”
My eyes jump in the direction of his voice. He’s standing tall beside the open end of a long silver trailer. The ramp is down, and I focus on every calm movement of the paddle in his hand as he moves it toward the trailer and back to his side before glancing at the cow across from him.
I stay still at Eliza’s side, unsure what type of movements will spook the cow. Eliza waits as well, but she’s much more at ease, like she knows exactly what to do. I follow her lead.
“You two can come closer. She’s just stubborn, not scared,” Johnny says to us. He clicks his tongue and takes a step closer to the cow. “You’re goin’ to embarrass us both if you don’t get up this ramp, missy.”
Eliza extends a hand to me, and I take it before letting her lead us to Johnny’s side. Standing beside him now, I hold my breath on instinct. Our arms are so close that a breeze would have trouble sliding between them. I keep my eyes trained on the red cow in front of us and force myself to take a breath.
“How long have you been out here alone with her?” Eliza asks him.
“Not a damn clue. The guys led the rest of the herd back a while ago.”
The cow remains still, her dark eyes watching and observing us in a way that makes me think she knows exactly what she’s doing by refusing to get in the trailer. Maybe she gets a kick out of driving people mad with her stubbornness.
Johnny shifts, and the space between our arms disappears. They glide together, the dark hair on his tickling my skin. I swallow and look up at him at the same time he glances down at me. A swipe of his thumb over my wristbone electrifies my blood.
“If you’re here, I’m assuming I missed lunch. I’m sorry, darlin’. Real fucking sorry.”
“You’re busy. This is more important.”
His eyes dart between mine as he strokes my wrist again. “What about you let me make it up to you?”
“I’m available for lunch every day.” The words escape me quickly, racing out like they knew I would have tried to keep them in.
Eliza moves from my opposite side, but I can’t tear my attention from Johnny to find out why. It’s like this every damn time. No matter how hard I try to avoid falling into this trap with him, I wind up there anyway. I flounder under the weight of his gaze and, instead of fighting back, allow myself to drift there as if there’s nowhere else I’d rather be .
“I was thinking we do something else. Something away from this place,” he says, his first real proposition dropped at my feet.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I’ve been itching to fix that front porch of yours since I walked you home the other night. What about I come over this weekend with beer and takeout, and you keep me company while I fix it up?”
A tiny laugh of disbelief escapes me as I wait for him to tell me he’s just kidding and offer some elaborate dinner plans instead. I wait and wait, and wait some more for it to come, but it doesn’t. He doesn’t so much as blink as we stare at each other, and the sincerity in his eyes grows more obvious.
“You want to come spend an evening fixing my porch with beer and soggy, lukewarm food?” I ask.
He dips his chin. “Yeah, Rory. That’s exactly what I want. As long as you’ll be there.”
“Oh,” I mutter.
“Oh . . . yes?”
I smile, just a tiny curl of my lips. “Yeah. Okay, fine.”
His grin puts my smile to shame. Fuck, it’s brighter than the sun. Could light up the world better than it too.
“Sounds like a plan, darlin’. Can’t wait.”
I roll my eyes and distance myself from him a step. “Just don’t be late, or I’ll lock the front door, and you can drink and eat alone.”
If anything, I think my threat excites him. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“So, if you two are done, there’s a cow here that needs to get loaded up and then back to her pasture,” Eliza says, a teasing tone obvious in her voice.
Johnny lets his eyes linger on mine for a beat longer before placing them on the cow again. The immediate loss of his attention makes me feel cold. Alarmingly so.
“Just one time, big girl. One time up the ramp, and I’ll let you go back to eatin’,” he murmurs to the cow, once again using the paddle in his hand to encourage her forward. “Go on. Get going.”
She doesn’t move. Not in one minute or five. She just looks around the field and moves in small circles, as if doing everything in her power to annoy us all. It’s working for me, but not Johnny. I watch him for longer than maybe I should, paying attention to every moment of calmness on his face where I can feel mine growing tense. He doesn’t seem to mind the waiting, and that’s . . . curious.
Eliza meets my gaze once we’ve been standing here for a while. She glances past me at the truck as if asking if I want to leave. I shake my head, content with watching how this will play out, even if I’m out here until the soles of my feet ache.
“Alright, let’s try something else. Please just don’t kick me in the face,” Johnny says.
He moves from the spot he chose minutes ago to the cow’s side and taps the paddle twice to the side of her butt. She takes a single step forward as he reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out a green cube made of some sort of wheat before offering it to her.
Clicking his tongue, he says, “Let’s go. Get moving.”
Her tongue leaves her mouth and wraps around the green cube before she’s chewing on it and taking another couple of steps forward. Johnny taps her again, so gently I bet she hardly feels it, and offers her another cube when she continues moving.
Finally giving up her stubborn act, she steps right up onto the ramp and strolls into the trailer with a dozen treats in her belly. Johnny gives her a pat on the head when she turns to face us from inside the trailer as we watch at the bottom of the ramp.
“Good job, Johnny. She’s a greedy one. Let everyone else know that she needs treats for motivation, and it should be easier next time,” Eliza says.
“Will do. She’s a sweet one, though. All the stubborn ones are deep down,” Johnny replies, staring right at me with a smirk that I want to give a hard flick.
He’s got one thing right. I am stubborn. But I need a lot more than a handful of treats to obey anyone’s orders.