Chapter Two
CHAPTER TWO
GARRETT
Carson ’s is surprisingly busy this evening. Usually, on a weekday, there might be a handful of people spread out throughout the bar, relaxing after a long day of work or drowning their sorrows. Tonight, a small crowd gathers at the far end of the bar. I don’t recognize any of the men or women standing together, drinking cocktails and chatting. They’re all dressed in business wear—dresses, pencil skirts, shirts, ties, and slacks. They don’t look like the typical Blue Ridge Falls blue-collar crowd.
“Need another, Garrett?” the bartender, Carl, asks, pulling my attention away from the crowd of pencil pushers. He’s pointing at my empty beer bottle and gazing at me with a cocked brow.
“Yeah,” I tell him. “One more.”
He goes to grab me a fresh beer, and just as he brings it over to me, the bar’s front door opens. A tall figure in a gray suit with styled brown hair comes strolling inside. He looks around, and when his familiar blue eyes land on me, he grins and makes his way over to me.
“I see you started without me,” he says, settling onto the stool next to mine.
“Wanted to get your tab warmed up for you,” I tease, lifting my new beer to my lips before taking a swig. “What’s the point of being best friends with Christian Tallow if I can’t get a few free beers now and then?”
Christian chuckles and waves a hand at Carl.
“I’ll have the same as him,” Christian says, pointing to my beer. Carl goes off to grab another and Christian looks back at me. “I suppose I can’t blame you then. Glad to hear that my label as best friend supersedes brother-in-law, though.”
“I knew you first. You were my friend before Haven’s husband, so I take precedence.”
Christian raises his bottle and clinks it against mine. “If you say so.”
“How is Haven?” I ask, as we both take a drink. “You guys had a doctor’s appointment today, didn’t you?”
“We did.” Christian nods, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “It went well. Everything with the baby is good. It’s healthy and growing and everything is right on track. Haven’s feeling great and the doctor says she’s in perfect shape.”
I smile softly. “That’s good. I’m glad it’s all going well.”
As excited as I am for my sister’s pregnancy, I’m also nervous, but I’d never say so out loud. Since Mom died, we don’t have any family left except for each other and our stepfather, Peter. Pregnancy comes with risks, and the thought of losing her terrifies me. Though, I’d never tell her or Christian this. They’ve got enough to worry about getting ready for the baby on top of taking care of Oliver, Christian’s son from a previous relationship.
“I’m sure that’s got to put your mind at ease,” I say.
“Yeah, it does. When Theresa was pregnant with Oliver, I was nervous for her, of course, but my focus was entirely on the baby. With Haven, it’s different. I just love her so fucking much. She keeps telling me I’m hovering, but I don’t want to let her out of my sight. I tried to convince her to hire full-time house staff so she’s never by herself when I’m gone, but she refuses, still insisting that having other people take care of her home all the time stresses her out.”
I let out a snort of laughter, imagining Christian as a cartoon chicken, wearing an apron and running around bawking.
“I’m sure you’re annoying the shit out of her,” I reply with a chuckle, knowing exactly how my sister is.
“Sure am,” Christian declares, tilting his chin. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“Thankfully, we have you and Marie.”
At the mention of Marie Green, every muscle in my body tenses. I’ve known her since we were kids, and she’s as close to Haven as if the two were sisters. For a long time, I thought of her similarly, even though she’s made it clear over the years that she carries a torch for me. Lately, I’ve been thinking of her completely differently. Especially after the night out she and Haven had before the wedding.
Carrying her around that dance floor was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. And then when I walked her home, it took everything in me to not cross the line between us. It’s hard not to notice how beautiful she is. She’s not a little girl anymore but a gorgeous woman with dark brown hair that falls in waves down her back, dark brown eyes always filled with mischief. Her lightly tanned skin is smooth, and she has a spattering of freckles across her nose.
And her body… she’s lean and fit, but she has soft curves around her hips, and her breasts look like they’d fit perfectly in my hands.
More than her looks is her personality. She’s smart, funny, sometimes blunt, but can be a goofy tomboy who’s protective of the people she cares about most, including my sister.
“Yeah,” I reply in a rough voice. I clear my throat before continuing. “Yeah, Marie’s great.”
“She is,” Christian agrees, narrowing his eyes at me. “In fact, she’s staying with Haven and Oliver tonight so I can go out to the oil fields.”
I frown. “What? Why are you going out there? You’re not supposed to go out there for another few weeks for the semi-monthly inspection.”
Christian releases a long breath and takes another drink. “There’s a problem with some machinery, and I have to go out there to see how to fix it. We don’t have an engineer onsite at present because Joseph had an accident with the same piece of hardware and had to be taken into the hospital. I’ve got another engineer coming in from Dallas, but he won’t be here for a few days, and in the meantime, the broken machine still needs fixing. Which leaves it up to me to head out there.”
There’s an uncomfortable heaviness in my gut at the thought of Christian away from Haven, working in the oil fields in a possibly risky situation. I know how much Haven will worry about him, and the thought of her stressed and anxious fills me with dread.
“Why don’t I go for you instead?”
Both of Christian’s brows shoot up. “What?”
“As a foreman, I know how to work the machinery almost as well as you do,” I explain, with a smirk. “I can go out there and fix it, and you don’t have to worry about it.”
Christian blinks, seemingly caught off guard by my offer.
“Garrett, I appreciate the offer, but you don’t have to do that. You just got back from the fields a few days ago, and it’s your time off. I can handle it…”
“It’s not a big deal,” I reply, slapping Christian’s shoulder. “It’s just a quick out and back, right?” With a chuckle, I add, “If it makes you feel better, you can just lend me your private jet, so the trip’s even faster.”
Despite my light tone, Christian appears hesitant.
“I don’t want to put you out…”
I give his shoulder a squeeze.
“Christian, dude, you wouldn’t be putting me out. I want to help, and I don’t want my sister awake all night and stressed out about her husband’s safety. You don’t want that either.”
He gazes at me in silent hesitation, but I can see the longing. It’s clear he wants to say yes to my offer. He doesn’t want to leave Haven behind when she might need him.
“Just say yes,” I urge him. “We both know you want to, and we both know I’m more than capable of handling this.”
The moment he gives in, relief floods his features, though he quickly tries to hide it. His shoulders relax and a soft smile twitches his lips as he nods.
“All right… if you’re sure.”
“I am. Trust me, it’s going to be all right. You go home to your wife and Oliver, and I’ll take care of everything else.”
* * *
The sky is pitch black by the time I make it to the oil fields. Even in the dark, the silhouettes of the heavy machinery tower over the rig. I barely caught a wink of sleep on the flight, but as soon as I step out of the truck that brings me from the private airfield Christian has for his jet, I’m in work mode.
"Garrett!" Mike, one of the night shift supervisors, calls out as he waves me over. "Glad you made it. We got a situation over by Drill Site Four."
He gives me a quick rundown as we walk toward the rig. The drill's been giving them problems, overheating, and acting up. They’re trying to get through a tricky stretch, and it’s been pushing the equipment harder than usual. It's not my first time handling a hiccup like this, but something about the way Mike’s jaw clenches tells me it might be worse than he's letting on. I remember what Christian said about Joseph and his accident and a small ball of dread forms in my stomach.
When we reach the drill, the machinery looks like it’s seen better days. There’s a faint stench of burnt oil, and I can see spots where something's been leaking, a dark sheen against the dirt.
I pull my gloves tighter and nod to the other guys already on site. "Alright, let’s get this beast back in line. Mike, kill the main power. Let’s do this safely."
We all set to work, our flashlights casting sharp beams across metal and mud. I get down on my knees, checking the pipes and joints along the base. Pressure’s building up in one of the hoses—it’s hotter than it should be, and the last thing we need is for it to burst. I call for a wrench and get to loosening a few bolts to release the excess pressure.
But something doesn’t feel right.
Rumbling, like the sound of thunder rolling just beneath my feet, vibrates under foot. I glance at Mike, who's looking around too, his face tense. He mutters under his breath and motions for us to step back.
The rumbling grows louder, and suddenly, chaos. The drill lets out a high-pitched whine. Before I can move, there’s a sharp hiss—then an explosion. It’s not huge, but it’s powerful enough to throw me backward, and I land… hard.
My head slams against something solid—a wall, maybe. The pain is instant, bright white behind my eyes, and then everything blurs. The edges of my vision go dark as I try to get my bearings, my hand pressing against my head where it throbs like a hammer.
Voices are shouting, but the sounds are muffled, like I’m underwater. I blink, trying to focus, but my head feels as though it’s filled with sand, weighing me down, dragging me into darkness.
I open my eyes one last time, glimpsing someone rushing toward me, yelling my name. Then the pain fades to numbness, and everything goes black.