Chapter 5
Damn, those eyes. Blythe finished washing her face and dried it with a hand towel. She leaned over the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. That morning, when she’d turned around to see him without his hat, he’d taken her breath away—a single piece of chocolate brown hair hung loose across his forehead, and he had the deepest blue irises on earth. He was undoubtedly the most delicious looking man she’d ever seen. Though, that was before she found out he was one of the cowboys who ran around on the ranch when she was a kid—and the one who saved her from that stupid steer. What had its name been? Satan, maybe? Whatever, it didn’t matter.
Get it together, Blythe. The guy practically assaulted you!
Not really, but she could still be pissed about it…and completely enamored by his stupid, gorgeous face at the same time.
At one point in their day, Addie and Evie had begged to hunt lizards out back, and Blythe had been all too happy to oblige. While they’d been outside, they could see the cowboys bringing in the calves.
“Awww…” they’d all cooed in unison.
“Hey, look!” the girls shouted. “Hi, Justin!” Addie had yelled out to the group of men.
Blythe remembered seeing the blush that came to the ten year old’s cheeks as he waved back at her. Did she have a crush on him?
“Princess!” he’d called from his horse and blew a kiss in their direction. Blythe had known the kiss wasn’t meant for her, though she couldn’t help but wonder—w hat if it was? As if Justin had heard her thoughts from clear across the field, he’d swiped the ball cap off his head and looked directly at her as he flipped it around and placed it backwards, making sure it was secure. Her tummy flopped at the memory.
Oh, my gosh, stop it. Just because he’s hot doesn’t mean we like him. He’s too old, anyway.
She crawled into her bed, skincare applied, and took the bottle of lavender cream from her nightstand to lotion her hands. She nestled down and relaxed, the memory of the day still replaying in her mind. She would try to be nice to him next time, try not to catch an attitude. She’d been fooled by a handsome face and a pretty smile before. Now that she was aware, she could keep her hormonal feelings in check. Maybe he really was just being nice.
It was early as she stood outside, staring toward the treeline in front of her.
One week since she’d come home. One week since she took her life back.
Taking a deep breath, she felt the morning air fill her lungs as a soft breeze blew against her skin. She lifted her arms from her sides to stretch wide as she tilted her head back and resisted the urge to start running toward the wide open space.
She stood by an absolutely ancient clothesline that had been there, solid as a rock, behind the house that raised her each summer during her youth. She lowered her arms and started banging the year's worth of dust out of the braided rug from inside the house—which was a beast to hoist onto the line and drape evenly.
“Darn rug!” she gritted through her teeth as she smacked it with her aunt’s old rug beater.
Why can’t these things be dry cleaned, again?
Addie and Evie were zero help, and why should they be? They were behind her, flying high on their swings, and she let them. They were kids, and it was summer. As she beat the enormous living room rug, her annoyance derailed her thoughts, and she began to think of Max.
What a jerk. What a lying, manipulative son of a…
Her thoughts trailed again, and she envisioned him standing there, his smug mug looking at her the same way he had in their kitchen. His voice came to her as she remembered that night, and she gritted her teeth even harder.
“Did you honestly think that was the plan?”
She swung again, over and over. She was so caught up in her anger toward Max that she didn’t even hear Chris walk up behind her.
“Whatcha doin there, Lythie?”
She yelped and threw the weapon she was wielding at the poor rug.
“Damnit! I didn’t even hear you walk up behind me!”
“Well, I heard you’ve been struggling with that lately. Do we need to have your ears checked?”
“Who told you I need my ears checked?” She scowled at him. Was he trying to rub salt in her wound?
Chris chuckled. “Someone might’ve mentioned he snuck up on you and helped dust your pants off after you fell in the dirt last week.”
“Not just my pants…” She made finger quotations. “My butt!” She turned and pointed where Justin had used his hat on her. “It was totally embarrassing, and we didn’t even know each other.”
Chris chuckled. “Guess what? He’s the kindest, most honest and trustworthy man around here. I'm not worried one bit about him being inappropriate with you. Your butt was dirty, he fixed it.” He was grinning from ear to ear.
How long had he known Justin, again?
“ Like I said, he’s a good guy. Be nice to him.” He gave her a nod as he walked by the clothesline and into the house. Blythe stood there, arms limp. Was he seriously taking sides here? And why wasn't he on hers?
The ranch house kitchen was gigantic. When they’d moved in, Chris and Claire restored the home to its former 1920’s glory and left the kitchen exactly how it was. Blythe looked around and noticed how nothing had changed since her auntie passed away. It was just how she remembered it. The place still felt like Claire. She must’ve been an interior designer in a past life, because her home showed it. Adelaide floated to Blythe’s side and slipped a hand in hers.
“I love having you here. My heart doesn’t feel all better, but it feels better than it did before you got here.”
She looked down at her ten-year-old friend and saw the mist in her eyes. This moment warranted a hug, and she opened her arms wide as Addie embraced her.
“My heart feels better since I got here, too, sweetie. I never had sisters, you know? You girls are the closest thing I’ve got, and I am so glad I ditched the city and came home.”
The moment was tender, and Blythe felt her chest warm. The feeling ran all the way through her body and out her limbs.
The girls had been eight and six years, respectively, when their mother had gone to heaven. They knew a few things, but really learning to make their way around a kitchen was one of the big things Blythe wanted them to learn from her. Oh, and how to tie a solid ponytail.
They’d decided on lasagna with a side of toasted garlic bread. They all went to Jensen's grocery store in town after lunch and got everything they needed for the spread. Blythe heard a swing and a smack as the screen door opened and shut.
“Dinner is just about ready,” she called over her shoulder. “If you come over and wash your hands, the girls and I will finish setting the table.”
“I'll need to wash up to my elbows. Which soap would you like me to use?” She turned to see Justin swaggering straight toward her.
Be nice, be nice…
“Oh! I didn’t know you were going to be joining us. I, uh, I’ll have Addie set another place for you. Use the Ajax. It's good on grease.”
She turned around to start the faucet for him, but before she could scoot away, the man covered in dirt was right up behind her with his arms on either side—grabbing the soap and lathering it up his arms.
“Excuse me?” She was flabbergasted. “What on earth are you doing?” She was beginning to believe that Justin Forge had zero chill.
“Washing my hands, just like you told me to.”
He was grinning. She felt it. The hair tightened on her head, and she tried to hide the shiver that ran through her entire body. How did he do that? He felt massive wrapped around her, and she wondered, for a split second, what it would feel like to be completely held by him.
Earth to Blythe! You just left your fiancé. We are not using this giant, sexy man as a rebound!
“If you’d kindly move your rock hard chest from behind my head, thank you, I would feel a lot less like a hostage and a lot more like a guest in this house, and the one who just cooked the delicious meal you’re about to eat.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Justin brought his right arm over her body and she swiftly scooted away from him as he finished rinsing off the soap.
Rock hard chest? Thank you? Let’s be a little less complimentary next time, okay?
Next time? What was she thinking? She gave him no indication that she was interested in him…right?
Blythe suddenly remembered her mouth hanging open like a cod fish when she’d seen his eyes for the first time. Gosh, they were mesmerizing…
His eyes are blue, so what? There are millions of blue eyes on this planet.
How long did she stare at him that day? Hell, she couldn’t remember…but surely that didn’t convey interest. Simply shocked that a stranger would be so straight forward. Her thoughts were interrupted as Chris came whistling through the doorway.
“Hello, family!” he sang, “I brought a friend to supper.”
No shit, Sherlock.
“Yay!” Both girls rushed to hug their dad and then ran to Justin. They’d been playing upstairs before they heard the commotion.
“Come give your big brother a hug.” He reached out to pick them up with a squeeze.
Big brother? What the hell? How?
Blythe motioned for everyone to take a seat. Once each person was settled and tucked in, Chris asked Evie to say the prayer.
“Dear Father in Heaven…please bless our food. Please tell Mama we miss her. Bless Lythie for helping us make the food. Bless all our cows, chickens and all the horses and…”
Chris cleared his throat, and Evolette quickly closed the prayer with an “amen.”
Blythe looked up from her reverence and saw the grin on both men’s faces. She was so darn cute, how could they not love her for such an innocent and heartfelt ask.
Justin smiled and winked at Evie.
Blythe turned to Justin. “So, uh, big brother? What did I miss?”
She saw how much the girls adored him. She’d seen how Addie blushed when he called her princess . No way he was biologically related to the girls. He looked nothing like them, and he was too old. She needed to ask how old he was, exactly. She couldn’t remember Claire having any nephews on her side of the family.
“I’m technically their foster brother. Though, like I told you before, I lived at the bunkhouse with the boys, mostly. By the time little Addie was born, I was a man living my own life. But that doesn't mean I don’t love on these girls and come for dinner and a visit now and then.” A giant smile covered his face when he said it.
“Oh, I see. Well, that’s nice. How old are you? When I was here for the summers, no one ever mentioned there was a foster kid living here.”
Chris sat up in his chair and looked straight through her. “We didn’t mention it because it wasn’t like that for us.”
Justin cleared his throat. “Well I asked to be with the ranch hands. It wasn’t like I was living, eating, and sleeping here. I was sixteen then, and you were only six. I wanted to make my own way, and your uncle gave me that, man to man.”
Chris nodded. “It’s true. He asked to live out there, and I respected what he wanted. But, make no mistake, he was our son. He still is, and his story is his own to tell.”
She watched as her uncle put his hand on Justin’s shoulder and they shared a knowing, invisible conversation with each other. Okay, that was vague and only made everything more confusing than it already was. Did Addie and Evie know his story? Why was she the only one in the dark? Maybe she just wasn’t important enough for them to tell. Apparently, when she’d been younger, and even still right now.
“Oh, well, forgive me for stepping on sacred ground. So, you’re thirty-ish now?”
The room went silent and Justin nodded as he chewed a bite of his lasagna. Chris broke the tension by asking everyone what they’d done that day. As she sat there trying to figure out who the heck Justin was, everyone else ate their lasagna—like the giant bomb they just dropped on her wasn’t a big deal. They laughed and told stories about how each of their days transpired.
Justin had gone ranch to ranch, client to client. He’d worked on five horses that day between shoes and trimming. Chris had done his regular chores, assigned each ranch hand theirs, and had gone about his business until supper. The girls continued to be silly, cracking jokes while their faces were covered in the red sauce.
Blythe reminded them more than once to use their napkins and not forget their manners. She smiled to herself each time. As a girl, she wouldn’t have cared what was on her face, either. She guessed it made sense why she hadn’t noticed Justin. She was still a daydreamer as an adult.
When the dishes were done and the kitchen nearly cleaned, she watched Justin hug each family member goodbye and prepare to leave. Blythe wasn’t expecting a hug. She barely knew him. But as he finished squeezing the girls for a third time, he walked over to her and paused.
“I want to apologize for what happened last week. I shouldn’t have acted like I knew you so well. We’d only just met, and I did scare the living shit out of you.” He looked at his feet, hands in his pockets.
“It’s just, you were um…well, I acted on impulse, and I just want you to know I’m sorry for it.” He looked up at her, his ocean eyes bleeding into her soul.
Blythe let out a small sarcastic laugh. “Well, cowboy, I appreciate your honesty and your apology. But I’m not really in a man trusting mood lately.” With that, she turned back to hang the dish towel on the door of the fridge and headed up the stairs to help the girls get ready for bed.
She wondered how much he knew about her situation and why she was there. She never told her uncle that he couldn’t say anything, and apparently Justin was part of the family…kind of. She finished brushing her teeth, put in her retainer, and started unmaking her bed.
Who the hell was he?
She was one-hundred percent bugged, and actually hurt, that she didn’t know he existed before this. She was going to find out the reason, come hell or high water.