Chapter 16 Mutuals #2
“Mitch, I don’t care if you build a house on the land and make yourself cozy and never work the ranch again. As far as I’m concerned, you’re family. You’ve been there for me since my dad died, and I remember you checking in on me from time to time when he was checked out, too.”
“If you hadn’t lied to me that everything was fine, I would have kicked his ass seven ways to Sunday, too.
” Mitch’s declaration warmed my heart. “Took a few years off my ticker the day he discovered that letter from you. He came to tell me how badly he screwed up, and I’m not ashamed to say I decked him.
It was after ol’ Tim Davis took a chunk out of his hide, too.
I had a mind to walk away and build my own ranch after that, but I promised your mom I’d look out for you, and part of keeping that promise was to make sure there was something worth you coming back for. ”
“Mitch, I meant what I said. If you want to build your own place here, pick a spot and it’s yours. You’ve more than earned it and I would love to be able to keep you close.”
“The cabin I stay in suits me just fine for now. If things change, I’ll let you know. Just glad you’re willing to keep me around.”
“Always.”
We heard a truck pull down the long drive that split off and went to either the Davis’s place or my house.
When I glanced out, it was headed toward mine, so Mitch and I said our goodbyes and I made my way back up to the house in time to find Tiffany there with a man I didn’t know, but one glance told me he rolled heavy with a gang or maybe even the cartel.
I committed his tats to memory because I had a feeling I’d need to relay the information and his description to someone.
It seemed that I hadn’t gotten security measures up on the land soon enough. Damnit.
“You need to give me water rights so I can sell my piece of land. There’s already a bidding war for it, but we all know it ain’t worth shit without water.”
“If there’s a bidding war, it sounds like it’s worth plenty.”
“It was all supposed to be mine, you greedy little bitch.”
“Funny, how you think that, considering it was my mother’s family land that was supposed to pass down to me. You’re lucky my father left you with anything.”
“You’re not gonna think it’s funny when I knock those pretty teeth of yours down your throat,” she threatened.
“I’d like to see you try,” I shot back. I wasn’t afraid of Tiffany-fucking-Baker. She didn’t get to keep my last name when she didn’t even bother to tell me my dying father wanted to see me to make amends before he passed.
“She won’t have to,” the man by her side said as he stepped forward and flashed the handgun in his waistband.
“Who the hell are you?” I snapped.
“Juan, you don’t have to say shit to her,” Tiffany assured him.
The idiot didn’t know when to stay quiet. “I’m Juan Miguel Ruiz, the man who is going to show you how unpleasant life can be if you don’t cooperate. While we’re at it, I think your step mommy deserved a little more compensation for putting up with your dad as long as she did.”
I narrowed my eyes on him and wished to hell I’d stayed locked and loaded with my own side arm, but I stupidly thought I was safe on my own property for some reason. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone in the world anymore, and my friends came out brandishing their own weapons.
“You were saying?” Greg asked in that deep baritone of his.
“You told me she was always alone,” Juan growled at Tiffany.
“She never had friends before. How was I supposed to know she would have so many people with her at the house?”
“This isn’t over,” he called out as they both backed up and hopped back into their ratty Ford pickup truck that looked like it needed to be retired last century.
As they took off, Greg came down the porch steps and wrapped his arm around me. “You okay?”
“Looks like I needed the security sooner than I thought.”
“I’ll put a call into the guys to get on it and bring the supplies we need to get everything set up. We’ll get it done. You want to call the cops about this?”
I shook my head. “When they show up again, and I had every reason to believe they will, I want to be able to shoot to kill because someone surprised me by attacking my property. If I get the cops involved now, it will appear premeditated.”
Greg threw his head back and laughed. “I guess maybe I had a thing for a woman who’s a little blood thirsty. Do you want to go out to dinner with me tonight? It might help take your mind off things while my guys get everything we need and head this way.”
His business was headquartered in Phoenix, which was about a four and a half to five hour drive depending on traffic near the city.
I imagined it would take a bit for his buddies to get there if they also had to grab supplies first, so I agreed to go to dinner.
The part I missed was that Greg meant for it to just be the two of us, on a date.
As soon as he clarified, I thought about canceling because something felt wrong about accepting a date with him when I’d made out with James - Knuckles only a week or so before.
Then again, last time I saw Knuckles in his element at the clubhouse, he had a woman on his lap.
I wasn’t a fool who would turn down a date with a perfectly handsome, if older, man just to wait for someone who was fucking around with other people still. Unfortunately, all throughout our date, that asshole blew up my phone with texts.
James Davis: We need to talk.
James Davis: Please, Cassidy. I’m sorry. I can explain what you saw. And no, my explanation is not an excuse or me trying to hide anything.
James Davis: Please, Cass. I have to go out of town for the club and I don’t want to leave things in limbo with you.
There were five more texts after that one, but I stopped looking. The only reason I had checked was in case something happened at the house again.
“Do you need to respond to any of that?”
“Nope,” I said as I took a sip of my coke.
When Greg gave me a look, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to explain.
“I have this person in my life who I once considered a friend - a very long time ago. He pulled some heinous shit and chewed me out for the lies his wife told a couple times. Since I’ve been back, he’s tried to make amends and start a friendship up again, and the other day, he made a move that was a bad look.
He’s just trying to get me to talk to him so he can clear the air - again.
I’m tired of bending over backward for people to clear the air they polluted, though. ”
“I see. Is this a romantic interest?”
“No,” I blushed and had to elaborate because Greg didn’t miss a thing.
“I had a major crush on him when we were still teenagers, before he was a complete jerk to me. I think he’s the one with the crush now.
” I left out the part about us making out in the back of my box truck because it really wasn’t relevant and it was my personal business.
“Ah, so the man wants the girl who doesn’t want to forgive him.” He chuckled. “I’d wish him luck, but I’d rather not add competition to what I want.”
“And what do you want?”
“Another date, but I have to go back to see to some business and I have a proposition for you. I feel like maybe you need a chance to get out of town and avoid that situation as well as the bullshit with Tiffany Baker. My guys will be here to back our friends up if she shows again. This gives you a chance to relax and let your guard down a bit. If you don’t want the second date, the option to come to Phoenix for a few days to decompress is still on the table.
I can be friends even if I’d rather be more. ”
“I’m going to take you up on that offer,” I told him as my phone buzzed again.
“Which part?” He asked with a wicked grin on his face.
“The part about the trip to Phoenix. When we get there, you can ask me on a second date and I’ll give you an answer.”
“That’s all I can ask for.”
And a little peace and quiet sounded like heaven.
I didn’t know what kind of game James wanted to play with me, but I wasn’t the same girl whose heart he broke in high school.
I was a woman who knew her worth and I wouldn’t wait around for the excuses he had or for another woman to slip onto his lap while I wasn’t around to see it happen.