11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Phoebe
Our family didn’t do regular, scheduled dinners, but they tended to happen at least once a week anyway. Midafternoon Sunday, I headed out to the ranch. Since moving to my apartment a few years ago, I became intentional about spending time with my parents. I liked being with them, so I always carved out room.
Driving through the gate marking the entrance of my family’s ranch, I sighed like I always did. There was nothing like coming home.
On either side of the road, cattle grazed on patches of grass where lingering snow had melted. A couple ranch hands on horseback rode along the fence line, nodding in greeting. I didn’t recognize them, but that wasn’t unusual. The ranch employed a lot of workers—some long term while others were seasonal.
Long before I was born, part of our property had been turned into a luxury resort. A grand main lodge housed a spa and restaurant, and several private cabins had been built farther out, offering guests a secluded retreat. People visited to get a taste of cowboy life while enjoying every creature comfort they could want.
Our family homes were set well away from the guest areas. My grandparents, parents, and Caleb had built houses on our land, and once Cormac settled down, I figured he would build here too. As for me, I wasn’t sure yet. Though I’d been making good use of the resort’s spa since I was a teenager, living in town felt right for the time being.
I knocked before walking into my parents’ house. As happy as I was they were still crazy about each other; there were some things a daughter should never see.
Fortunately for me, they were fully clothed when I entered the kitchen. My mother was standing at the island, tapping away on her laptop, with my dad behind her, his arms around her middle, his face pressed against the side of hers.
They were a picture. My mother, a gorgeous, silvery blonde who oozed sophistication. My father, equally gorgeous, but rougher, with thick, dark stubble and chestnut hair that always looked like it needed a trim. While she was tall and willowy, he was as solid as a Redwood and even taller. He worked with his hands running the ranch and looked the part in his worn jeans and flannel. My mother was the head of marketing at the resort and didn’t believe in dressing casually. Even now, on a Sunday afternoon, she was wearing a fitted pair of trousers and a cashmere sweater. She’d never owned a pair of sweatpants in her life.
They were opposites in many ways, but Elena and Lachlan Kelly had a love story for the ages. I couldn’t imagine ever settling for anything less than their example of what a strong, respectful, and happy marriage should look like.
Dad broke away from his wife and enveloped me in a hug, tucking me against his massive chest. I’d only seen him a few days ago, but he held me like it had been a year.
“What’s shakin’, kid?”
I pulled back, dropping my bag on the huge, rustic farm table that fit our whole family with room to grow.
“I brought blondies.”
My dad’s mouth hitched. “You know you don’t have to bring anything when you come over.”
“And you know Phoebe would never show up empty-handed.” My mother closed her laptop and rounded the island, kissing the side of my head when she reached me.
She always kissed and hugged with a little more strength than necessary. She’d once told me it was because she hadn’t been taught how to properly do it when she was young. I liked her forceful hugs and kisses. They made me feel loved, and I was happy to be the one to help her make up for lost time.
“You know me so well.” I lifted the storage container out of my bag and passed it to my mom as the back door burst open.
“Aunt Phoebe!” Jesse plowed into me, wrapping me up in his little iron limbs. He’d been hugged plenty, but he shared the same affliction as my mother. Maybe it was a little bit genetic too. “What’d you make?”
“Blondies…and chocolate chip cookies.” The myriad of emotions Jesse’s face broadcasted in the two seconds he thought I hadn’t brought his favorite treat made me laugh. I looked at my dad. “Do you honestly think I could let this kid down?”
He chuckled and ruffled Jesse’s hair. “You’ve Pavloved him. He sees you and thinks dessert.”
My grin split my face. “I have absolutely no problem with that.”
My grandparents were off doing their own thing, but all my siblings and Hannah’s boyfriend, Remi, were gathered around the table, eating dinner.
Hannah had just finished telling us about a horse with chronic laminitis. She and the vet had been trying to help this horse for ages, and she was frustrated as all get-out. My sister was a horse whisperer, so it had to kill her not to be able to fix this problem.
But she had Remi, and Remi adored her. He couldn’t do anything to alleviate the horse’s pain, but he could lessen Hannah’s. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he murmured sweetness into her ear.
I caught my mom’s eye across the table and sighed wistfully. She shot me a satisfied little grin. We were both big fans of Remi with Hannah.
“Phoebe, my love, were you ever going to tell us about your new neighbor?” she asked.
I straightened, surprised at the swift change of subject. “If the topic came up, sure. It isn’t a secret.”
Cormac nudged my arm with his elbow. “You didn’t tell me someone moved in.”
Hannah waved her hand. “A month ago. I completely forgot to ask you about them. Guy or woman? On a scale of one to ten, how much worse are they than me?”
I snorted a laugh. “He’s quiet as a mouse. I don’t know where that fits on your scale.”
So quiet I hadn’t heard a peep in days. Not that I had expected Deacon to come knocking on my door, but I’d thought…well, it didn’t matter. We were both busy people who worked long hours. It wasn’t much of a surprise we hadn’t run into each other.
Caleb turned his attention to me. “A man is living above you? Who is he?”
“I actually know him from school.” I paused in what I knew would be the calm before the storm, taking another second or two of peace. “His name is Deacon Slater.”
Grumbles and hisses came from all sides like surround sound. Hannah was the first to speak, turning to fully face me.
“Richie’s little brother?”
Hannah had dated Richie for a while after she graduated high school. I wouldn’t have said he was a bad influence since Hannah had always had a penchant for getting in trouble, but he’d gleefully brought out the worst in her.
I nodded. “He was a year above me in school. We were…well, not friends, but friendly.”
My father’s brow pinched. “Thought he was in prison.”
My mother’s head whipped in his direction. “Prison? Richie or Phoebe’s neighbor?”
“The neighbor,” Dad gruffed. “Though Richie should most certainly be too.”
My mother whipped back around to me. “Your neighbor was in prison? What did he do?”
Before I could say I didn’t actually know, Caleb interjected, giving us the answer. “His friend, Chris Jacobson, was working on the ranch the summer it all went down. From what I remember, he went in for robbery. Chris ranted to everyone who’d listen about the judge having it out for Deke because he was a Slater and throwing the book at him.”
“He’s been out for a year,” I told them. “He does roadwork and carpentry. And like I said, he’s really quiet and keeps to himself, so I don’t know any of the details.”
My mother clucked her tongue. “What was Joy thinking, renting to a felon—especially when Phoebe’s living below him?”
I bit my tongue so I didn’t leap to defend him. The truth was, I had no idea what Deacon had done to land in prison. The quiet, gentle boy he’d been when we were teens was a memory. He’d lived a lot of life since then. But my instincts told me he wasn’t dangerous—not to me or anyone else.
Fortunately, my father jumped in, taking my mother’s hand in his. “Come on, Ellie. You know better than anyone people can change. The man paid his dues. On top of that, Joy’d never rent the apartment to anyone she didn’t fully vet.”
She sighed, leaning into him. “I suppose that’s true. Well, I liked it better when Hannah was the one sharing the duplex with Phe.”
“Sorry for moving,” Hannah mumbled.
Remi cracked a grin. “Sorry for needing my girl under the same roof as me.”
Dad huffed a laugh. “Never apologize for that, son.”
“He’s Joy’s nephew,” Caleb supplied. “But knowing her, nephew or not, she wouldn’t have rented to him if she didn’t trust him.”
“Joy doesn’t mess around when it comes to her properties,” Cormac added.
“She doesn’t,” I agreed. “Anyway, Deke is a fine neighbor. I’m not worried.”
Hannah raised her eyebrows at me. “I seem to remember you had a huge crush on him back in the day. How is he looking now?”
“Better than ever. And he has tattoos.”
She let out a loud laugh. “I think I’m going to have to stop by to get a good look.”
I aimed a glare at Remi. “Please don’t let her stalk Deke.”
He raised both hands. “You know your sister does what she wants.”
My mother didn’t look very amused. “Be careful, love. He may have paid his dues, but he still has connections to the Slaters. No good can come of that.”
Cormac chuckled. “Look at Hannah. She dated a Slater and got herself a record.”
Hannah snarled at him. “It was a misdemeanor.”
At the height of Hannah’s rebellious phase, she’d been with Richie in a stolen car he’d crashed right in front of a cop. Luckily, she’d been okay. Double luckily, it had ended her relationship with Richie and the path of self-destruction she’d been on.
Jesse’s eyes bugged. “Does that mean you were arrested, Aunt Hannie?”
“I made some bad, bad choices when I was younger.” Hannah wagged her finger at him. “Take it from me, Jess, you don’t want to go to jail. The mattresses are rock hard, and the food is mush.”
He scrunched up his face like she was nuts. “I’m not going to jail. I don’t even like crossing the street unless I’m at a crosswalk.”
Caleb palmed his son’s head. “Good, kid. Keep that attitude, and you’ll do just fine.”
Hannah winked at him. “I don’t know…breaking a few rules is pretty fun—just don’t get caught.”
Caleb groaned. “Don’t listen to your aunt.”
Jesse shook his head vigorously. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to.”
After dinner, Hannah, Remi, Cormac, and Caleb played a card game in the living room while my dad took Jesse outside to look for a constellation. Since I refused to play games with my ultracompetitive siblings, I helped my mom clean up the kitchen.
She waved a wooden spoon over the leftover pasta. “Do you want to take some of this home with you, love?”
I almost said no but hesitated. “Yes, actually. That would be great.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You never take leftovers.”
That made me laugh. “Then why did you offer them?”
“Because I always do, and you always say no. It’s our thing.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Have you not had time to cook for yourself lately? You work far too much, Phe. You should—”
“No, it’s not that. I was going to take them to Deacon. But it’s fine. I don’t have to.”
She considered me for a long beat. “You’re being a good neighbor?”
“That, and I’d like an excuse to talk to him.”
Her pale brow arched. “He’s that cute?”
“The tattoos, Mom.” I fanned my face, making her laugh. “I don’t know, there’s something about him. I want to get to know him better.”
“Hmmm.” She considered me closely. “I haven’t heard you say that in a while. As much as I like that you’re interested in someone, couldn’t it have been anyone else? Really, a Slater?”
“It could have been, but it’s not.”
She knocked my shoulder with her spoon. “Smart-ass.”
“Hannah’s busy. I had to fill the slot.”
“You really didn’t. One Hannah is as much as I can handle.” She pointed toward a cabinet. “Be a love and grab a container and lid.”
I kissed her smooth cheek. “Thanks, Mom. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it a lot.”
“He’d better.” She filled the container to the brim, using a lot of force to get the lid on, then tapped it with her perfectly manicured fingernails, turning to me. “So, tell me about Deacon.”
“I’m not sure there’s anything to tell yet. He’s sort of a closed book. I don’t know if what I’m feeling is nostalgia or something more, but I keep finding reasons to knock on his door.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t have a problem with a woman doing a little of the chasing, but I don’t think I love that this man isn’t jumping for joy at your attention.”
I almost giggled at the idea of Deacon jumping for joy. Something told me that kind of effusiveness was not in his wheelhouse. “I’m not chasing him, Mom.”
She tapped the container of leftovers again. “Really?”
Some people mistook my soft, thoughtful nature as shy, but I wasn’t at all. There were probably even more people who suspected I was self-conscious because of the size of my ass…and other parts, but they were wrong too. If I was interested in a man, I had no trouble pursuing—but I wouldn’t chase. That would mean he was running from me, either because he was playing games or not interested. I’d rather cut my losses than engage in games, and I’d never had a shortage of dance partners when I was in the mood for one, so lukewarm wasn’t my thing.
“Really,” I stated firmly. “I’m attracted to him and definitely intrigued, but we’ll see where it goes from here.”
“Hmmm.” She didn’t appear convinced. “I’d rather him be jumping for joy, Phe. You are stunning and wonderful. You deserve that kind of enthusiasm.”
“I hear you, and I promise I’m not rushing headlong into anything.”
“Of course you’re not.” She patted my cheek. “Even as a toddler, you examined situations from every angle before making a decision. Of all my kids, your judgment is not something I’ve ever worried about.”
“I’m just figuring things out, the same as everyone else.”
That earned me an eye roll. “The way you figure things out is not the same as anyone else.” Then she sighed. “Have fun with your tattooed bad boy. I have one word of warning then I’ll drop it.”
“Mom…”
She leveled me with a sharp gaze. “I can accept he might not be like the rest of them, but if more Slaters start showing up, please forget about him. I don’t want you tangled up with that family.”
That I could promise her.
If Deacon was still involved with the other Slaters, I’d have no trouble walking away.