5. Chapter 5
Chapter five
Maddox
I’m tired.
Pissed.
And now fully erect.
Ivy’s bare perfect ass was inches from my face and now I’m suffering the consequences.
I have my phone in hand, ready to call Coop when his name flashes across the screen.
“Anything you need to tell me?” I bark into the phone.
“Awe shit. You ran into Ivy?” He asks.
Ran into?
“Something like that,” I mutter.
“Sorry I forgot to text you to let you know she was going to stay in the extra bedroom. I don’t have any room in the loft and Ryder…well, he’s not exactly giving her a warm welcome.”
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. I’ve been up all night, staying out with the crew while the fire department did their job. They wanted someone from the ranch present, and seeing as he and Ryder needed to be with Emmett, it was a no brainer.
“It’s fine.” I drop my hand.
Is it though?
“It’s just for a few days as of now.” He goes on. “I know she’s been gone a while, but it’s time she puts whatever bullshit aside with this place long enough to get through this mess.”
I nod, even though I know that he can’t see me as I walk aimlessly around the grounds with no particular destination in mind. I need to walk off this boner for starters.
“How’s Emmett?” I ask.
“No word yet. I just got back. I need to shit, shower, then get out there with Ryder to move pastures.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Pocketing my phone, I take a few minutes to survey the demolished structure of the farmhouse before I turn around and head to the horse barn.
I step inside, and all the progress that I had made on the walk over here flies out the window.
Ivy Mayson stands before me, transporting me back to the years when I would try to pretend that I wasn’t gawking at her while I shoveled horse shit from these very stalls.
Her hand is smoothing over Sugarfoot’s mane as she leans over the stall gate.
“It’s been a while," she whispers. “I’m sorry.”
The pain in her voice makes me uncomfortable, so I clear my throat.
Her head whips in my direction and she straightens abruptly. She’s fully clothed now, so I can appreciate the woman in front of me without feeling like complete shit. I was shocked to see her. Not only shocked to see her naked body, but to be in her presence in general. Her pink lip’s part when she spins around, the ones that have always intrigued me. Her top lip is slightly fuller than the bottom, never seizing to tempt me to snag it beneath my teeth. But because I was born with fucking morals, and my younger brother Brady dated her through the better part of their teenage years, I never crossed the line. I had too much respect for Ivy and even though Brady was a little shit with his own issues, and frankly didn’t deserve her, he was still my brother. Regardless of his tendency to manipulate those around him, I loved him. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt him.
Back then Ivy was young. Too young, and I was just a summer ranch hand, while she had dreams. Goals larger than life. I remember that beautiful smile, with those alluring green eyes that reminded me of the wildflower fields she spent the majority of her time in. She used to be the girl in pigtails with a small gap between her top teeth, then one summer, when she turned sixteen, she…. wasn’t, and as a grown ass man, I had no business noticing. No business wondering what it would be like to kiss the lips of my brother’s girl. It was fucked up, but I couldn’t help it. She was good all the way down to her soul and it took everything I had not to pummel my brother for taking it for granted. But on the outside, you wouldn’t know. I kept my mask in place. Especially when it concerned Ivy Mayson.
But here she stood in the flesh. No longer his girl. All grown up and back. In Texas. I almost forgot how angry I was at her for leaving her entire family in the dust. Including me. Not even a fucking goodbye.
“Maddox," she says cooly.
My eyes casually scan across her frame. She’s still just as beautiful as the last time I saw her. The day she came rolling into the ranch and refused to even speak to me, which had me consecutively drunk off my ass for the following three days. Her smile was still for someone else, and it made me sick.
I try not to but fail miserably when my gaze involuntarily casts down to her wrist and I’d be lying if I said something didn’t hit me square in the chest when I saw this simple wildflower tattoo. What did it mean?
Why the fuck do you care, Sheppard? You practically ripped her heart out and sent her away.
“I see you decided to dress accordingly,” I point out.
Her brows furrow, ignoring my attempt at being an ass. “Why are you here?”
I tilt my head, a little amused at the fact she has no idea. “I work here.”
“You still work the summers here?” She questions.
I lift a brow. “I manage the bulls and the breeding contracts.”
Her hands fall to her sides, and she forces a fake smile. “That’s great.”
I reach down and hook my thumbs in my pockets. Her demeanor is weird, and I don’t like it. “Been about two and a half years now.”
She nods.
“Ryder called you?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Coop.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.”
“Why because he’s the only one that seems to give a shit about me?” There’s an edge to her voice, one that has me wondering what caused it. Ivy was always confident, but never snappy.
“Why you say that?” I press.
“Ryder isn’t happy. He’s been very clear how he feels about my absence. I guess you two share the same opinion of me. Considering you were always so far up his ass if you spit out your Copenhagen it was coming out of his mouth.”
An uncontainable scoff barks from my chest. This is the Ivy I remember. “I have my opinions, and they are mine alone.”
“Yeah, well sorry about earlier.” Her cheeks flush. “You don’t have to worry about it happening again. I won’t be staying there.”
Which is probably for the best. And the fact we are standing in the exact place that everything between us fell apart is not lost on me. On one hand so much has changed, and on the other, nothing has changed.
She’s still untouchable.
She’s still my brother’s ex.
And unfortunately, I still had to be the asshole who broke her heart.