Chapter 6
“I didn’t know you had a sister.” I bring the subject up with Wade when I’m trotting around the corral. I’m getting quite good at this riding thing. Well, that’s what he tells me anyway.
“Yeah, we had a sister,” his lips raise into a sad smile.
I’ve been thinking about what might have happened to her, all night. Garrett opening up enough to tell me about her yesterday, felt like a step in the right direction. I just don’t know what that direction leads to.
“What happened to her?” I keep my eyes focused ahead of me and continue to move with the horse, like I’ve been taught. I’m not good at handling awkward conversations, but I figure Wade is the easiest person to get information from.
“She died about two years ago, and it broke all our hearts.” I can tell from his tone, and the stone-cold look on his face, that he doesn’t want to talk about it.
“Was she sick?” I push for more. No one ever got anything from giving up easily, and I can’t spend another sleepless night wondering. If I'm supposed to be part of this family, I should at least know it’s history.
“No, at least I don’t think she was… You’re holding yourself too rigid, slacken your hips,” he makes an attempt to distract me.
“Then how did she die?” I’m even more curious now. Something tells me I haven’t even scratched the surface with these people.
I tug on my reins to bring Gem to a halt, and wait for his answer.
“She just fucking died, okay? She’s gone.
” Wade snaps, and when he nears me and takes the horse's bridle in his hand, I manage to slide myself off the saddle and back onto the ground. Standing beside him, I stroke Gem’s nose and curse myself for being insensitive.
Seems my need for answers holds no boundaries.
“Sorry. I was insensitive. But anytime you want to talk about her…I’ll always listen.” I surprise myself when I realize how genuine my words are. Wade’s always so upbeat, and he’s been friendly and kind to me since I arrived. I hate seeing him sad.
“Around here, we like to solve problems. I guess Breanna was just another one we couldn’t.” He storms off, leading Gem toward the stable, and leaves me standing in the center of the corral feeling pretty fucking awful.
* * *
The house seems so big when there’s no one around.
Bill and Mom left this morning for their honeymoon, and I figure Wade and Garrett must be busy working on the ranch.
Eating dinner at the huge table by myself was no fun, and I’ve just got myself settled with a book, preparing myself for an equally, lonely night when Wade comes in.
He joins me in the living room, lying out on the couch opposite me and kicking up his feet.
I figure the mood I put him in earlier has lifted when he smiles.
“You look bored as shit,” he points out.
“That’s because I am bored as shit.” I close the book I’m reading and sigh.
“You wanna go drinking?” I like the mischievous grin on his face, it’s impossible not to be tempted by it.
“I think you're forgetting that I’m only eighteen,” I remind him.
“Trust me darlin’, where we’re going, no one’s gonna care.”
“Then give me ten minutes.” With a sudden burst of excitement, I toss my book to one side and rush upstairs to get ready.
It takes me more like twenty minutes, than ten, to make myself look semi-presentable and when I come back down the stairs, I’m surprised to find Garrett standing beside his brother with an unimpressed look on his face. I have no idea how he manages to make angry look hot.
“Took ya time,” Wade laughs, pulling his hat off the hook by the door and placing it on his head.
Garrett’s already wearing his, and his dark eyes peer into mine from beneath the rim.
“This is a bad fucking idea,” he growls, shaking his head with disapproval, before heading out the door.
Wade shrugs his shoulders, trying to bite the awkward smile off his lips as he follows after him.
Once I’m outside, Wade makes an overly theatrical deal of opening the passenger door for me, and when I hop in and climb across the bench seat Garrett is already in the driver’s seat.
I spend the whole journey into Fork River wedged between the pair of them, trying not to stare at the way Garrett drives. How is it possible that the grumpy asshole can make something as simple as driving look sexy?
Fork Rivier is an odd town. It’s surrounded by miles and miles of barren, open fields and a good forty-minute drive from Copper Ridge, yet, when we arrive at the quaint little town, the bar called Cahoots that Garrett parks up in front of is full of life.
Garrett marches straight inside, and as we follow him in, I notice the Carson’s brand is burned into the beam above the door and make a mental note to ask Wade why, when we’re alone.
It’s a neon light, country music, dead things on the wall kind of joint, and the barroom seems to freeze when we step inside.
All eyes in the room fall upon us, and Garrett seems oblivious to it all as he makes his way toward the bar.
Wade takes the opposite approach. He pushes up the front of his hat and greets everyone who’s looking. I can’t figure out if he’s being friendly or sarcastic.
“Why is everyone staring?” I talk under my breath, as he guides me toward the bar to join Garrett.
“Small town shit, darlin’,” is the cryptic response he gives me.
I spot three guys sitting in a booth over the corner of the room, who look around Wade’s age, maybe a little younger, but they seem out of place here.
There ain’t a cowboy hat or spur between them, and they don’t look like they came here to have a good time.
All three of them have serious looks on their faces and reek of danger.
Garrett nods his head at the one sitting in the middle, who blows the cigarette smoke out of his lips, before subtly tipping his chin back in response.
“Since when was it ok to smoke in bars? And who are those guys?” I give in to curiosity, and ask Wade.
“Trouble.” Garrett surprises me when he intercepts his brother to answer my question.
“Well, that’s not technically true. They’re only trouble if you get on the wrong side of ‘em,” Wade explains, nodding a greeting of his own over toward them.
“In this town, you’re on the wrong side of everybody,” Garrett points out, ignoring the no-smoking sign on the pillar right behind him when he places a cigarette between his lips and lights it up. Before I can ask him what he means by that, Wade speaks up.
“You wanna play pool?” He takes the drink Garrett just ordered him and downs it in one swallow, then slamming it on the bar, he starts making his way over toward the pool table.
“Pool sounds like fun.” I pick up the full shot glass beside it, figuring it must be for me and make sure I stare Garrett right in the eyes, as I knock it back.
I try my best not to choke on the afterburn, before heading over to join Wade, and I can’t help finding satisfaction in the fact that Garrett’s still watching when I throw him a slightly seductive look over my shoulder.
Turns out I’m surprisingly good at pool. Me and Wade play doubles and kick the ass out of two guys who work at a ranch on the other side of town. While Garrett sits at the bar by himself, staring into his drink.
When me and Wade win for the second time, the redhead who’s spent over an hour eye-fucking him from over by the jukebox finally makes her way over, and blocks him from going to the bar to get us another drink.
They seem familiar with each other, and watching the way he wraps his arm around her so confidently makes me wonder what it would feel like to have Garrett touch me like that.
It’s a hard vision to make. I can’t imagine Garrett being all that free with his affection.
“You wanna go one on one?” One of the wranglers we’ve been playing with interrupts me from my thoughts, and when I notice his buddy has left him to go to the bar, I figure another game would be more entertaining than trying to make conversation with Garrett.
The cowboy’s handsome, if you like a pretty boy. But I’ve learned just lately that I much prefer the mature, solitary type, and when my eyes flick back toward the bar to Garrett, I catch him watching me from under the rim of his hat again.
“Rack ’em up,” I turn back around and face my opponent.
I’ve potted a few balls before the guy starts to get handsy.
At first, it’s subtle and could easily be passed off as accidental, but when I lean across the table to try and take an awkward shot, and he cups my ass, I decide it’s time to give him a warning.
I turn around, ready to confront him, but the words get stuck in my mouth, and my eyes stretch open when I see Garrett storming across the barroom floor, looking murderous.
The guy has no idea he’s coming, and Garrett grabs him by his collar, spins him around and offers no warning before he slams his fist hard into his face.
I gasp at the blood that sprays from his mouth as he falls to the floor, and when Garrett reaches down to drag the guy back onto his feet, I realize this isn’t over.
Wade stands and watches with an amused look on his face and when one of the three guys, I noticed sitting in the corner earlier, goes to step in, Wade holds up his arm and shakes his head.
Garrett forces the guy, face-first, into one of the beams and I’m surprised that none of his buddies are stepping in to help him.
“I’m sorry… sorry,” I hear him mumble, but Garrett doesn’t let up, just holds him firm, with that furious scowl still on his face.
“Apologize to her,” grabbing a fist full of the guy’s hair, he pulls him away from the beam and turns him to face me. I cover my mouth with my hand when I see the state of his face.
“I’m sorry…” he somehow manages to speak, then drops his eyes to the floor like a disgraced child.
“Touch her again, and I’ll fuck up more than your face,” Garrett speaks a warning directly in the guy’s ear before throwing him forward at the floor.
“I told you it was a bad idea,” he utters under his breath to Wade on his way out the door, and when Wade blows out a breath and raises his eyebrows at me, we both follow him out.