CHAPTER TWELVE
Jack
This could work out.
That was the thought I had right before Daisy Cartwright pummeled into me, her slight weight knocking me backwards. My arms landed on the oak bar top, bottles crashing together. I was trying to keep myself upright as her tiny rage-filled fists beat my chest.
“Easy, Feisty Pants,” a man said, tugging her off me.
“Put me down, Duke, I’m warning you!” she snarled, wriggling herself out of his grasp and shoving him off her, huffing her hair out of her face.
“Just trying to help, Buttercup,” the guy said, holding his hands up in surrender.
“We don’t need any more of your help ,” Daisy spat and instead of getting angry, the guy just smirked down at her before pulling at the cufflinks on his suit. He was dressed super fancy for The Lonely Bison, kinda made me wanna spill beer on him just to make him fit in better. He couldn’t be comfortable in that get-up. The Duke guy wandered off and Daisy’s gaze followed him, searing into his back before it lasered onto me again.
“I don’t want any trouble,” I said, holding my hands up and my stare flickered to Kat who appeared next to her sister. She might have been dressed casually in a top that hugged her perky tits and shorts that highlighted the legs that seemed to go on forever, right before they ended with pretty pink cowgirl boots I was not imagining wrapped around me, but she was the most stunning woman in the room tonight.
“I don’t give two cow pats whether you wanted it or not, it’s found you, Drayton!” The redhead sure was feisty and she took a step towards me before Kat placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Daisy, no,” her calming voice soothed. The bar was silent, everyone watching what was going on. This was probably the most exciting thing to happen in a long time, like a soap opera unfolding right in front of their eyes. Daisy’s cheeks flamed red as she glanced around. She shrugged Kat off and stormed through the crowd which parted like the Red Sea to let her through.
“I’m sorry,” Kat said to me, nibbling her lip and I tore my eyes away from it.
“You don’t have to apologize to me, ever,” I said.
“Hi Jack,” August peeked around Kat, waving wildly, and smiling wide.
“Hi August,” I smirked, intrigued as to where the confidence came from. This was not the quiet librarian I met last week.
“I didn’t realize you worked here. I guess all our free drinks this evening make sense now,” Kat said, shooting a glare past my shoulder to Max who offered a chagrined smile.
I groaned. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you, it was a new development since we last spoke.”
“It’s not my business. You don’t owe me anything,” she said before turning away and disappearing into the crowd.
But she was wrong, I owed her everything.
The onlookers eventually went back to their conversations and dancing, slyly watching me out the corners of their eyes. Max had been right; I’d drawn a crowd tonight and it made me nervous. I didn’t know if they wanted to start shit or just ogle my ass like I was a new exhibit at the zoo. I kept my head down and just got on with my job.
I wasn’t behind the bar serving, just cleaning and collecting glasses. Max said he’d show me how to mix drinks on Monday once the weekend rush was done. I didn’t mind, it kept me busy, kept my mind preoccupied and it would put food on the table.
For some reason whenever I was out in the crowd, picking up glasses and making sure the floor was dry, I kept finding myself looking for those cute pink cowgirl boots. I found them at one point and admired the legs tucked into them before hating myself and looking away. I ventured near Kat again but the steam coming out of Daisy’s nostrils when she caught sight of me had me veering off.
I didn’t blame her. But it was nice that August and Maddy didn’t seem to care I was hanging around. Or the youngest one, Tilly who I hadn’t seen since I chased her out of here earlier after she was making goo-goo eyes at Max. I wasn’t surprised that a couple of the girls harbored resentment, but I didn’t know how to make it better, or if I even could.
Finally, the Cartwrights headed home. Leo rounded them up but interestingly he had been talking to other women all night and not Kat. If she were my girl, I’d never let her out of my sight, let alone be looking at another woman. Dude didn’t know how lucky he was to have her.
Eventually it was time to close up, Max flicked the deadbolts on the top and bottom of the doors and let out a low whistle. “Man, what a night.”
I looked up from wiping down the bar. “Is it normally that busy?”
Max grinned. “Nope, that’s all you, baby.”
I chuckled. “Glad I’m good for business.”
“It’ll die down soon,” Max rolled his shoulders. “Once everyone’s got their fill of looking at you.” He began flipping the barstools over and putting them on the bar. “Grab that broom out there, will ya?”
I headed into the back and found it, bringing it back out and began to sweep up but he took it from me. “It’s cool, I’ll do it.”
I quirked a brow. “You sure?”
“Yes, it’s only sweeping,” he said, but he avoided my stare.
“Okay then. What else would you like me to do?”
“You can talk if you like. How’s life going since you got out?”
Ugh, I hated talking about myself. But Max had done me a favor hiring me when no one else had so I guess I owed him.
I started tidying up beer mats so I didn’t have to look at him. “Uh, fine I guess.”
“Fine? That it? Come on man. I’m not just trying to grill you for information. You’re an employee and I wanna make sure you’re okay.”
“You’re cute,” I teased. He flipped me off and I laughed. “Of course shit’s tough. I don’t know where I would be right now if I didn’t have the cabin, starting work on the ranch and this job too.”
“Working on the ranch, eh? That’ll be tough,” Max sighed, banging the broom against the side of the bar to get the remaining dust off it.
“Yeah but I think it’ll be good tough. Plus, I get to pay back a little bit of the huge debt I owe to the Cartwrights. Trying to redeem myself, you know?”
“I get it. Charlie used to talk about you, at the poker games.”
I left the beer mats in the corner of the bar and leant against it, folding my arms over my chest. “Poker games?”
“There’s an afterhours poker game every Sunday, real hardcore stuff. Charlie used to own it each week, he’d swindle everyone out of their money. Men turned up friends and left enemies by the end of it. But they’d shoot the shit while they played. Goddamn he was proud of you,” Max said, lifting his head and looking at me.
A tightness clenched my chest at his words, and I ducked my head. “He was a good man.”
“I think that’s why everyone came here to see you tonight. Some of ‘em were curious why Charlie cared about you so much after, you know, everything.”
I’d just about hit my limit of talking about Charlie without sobbing like a baby when Max changed the subject. “I know things are real tough for you right now and I’m just some random guy you don’t know who’s now your boss. But I’m a good listener and I don’t baby people so if you wanna talk or just have a beer, that’s cool with me. ”
Was I making a friend? I hadn’t done this since I was a kid, I didn’t know how to do it as an adult. Max seemed like a pretty cool guy that I could banter with so I tried and felt like I was gonna shit my pants.
“If you wanna be friends Max, just say you wanna be friends.”
Max laughed, the sound rusty. “Let’s be friends, I know you got room for one.”
“Tell me how you came to own a bar at twenty-six?” I asked, curious about my new friend.
“It was my grandpa’s bar; he went into a home recently and left it to me. My parents are alcoholics, so I had mixed feelings about it but when something like this gets dropped into your lap, you don’t squander it.” Max put the broom back and then together we emptied and restacked the dishwasher.
“Sorry to hear about your pops. Alcoholic parents, huh? I think mine were probably the same. Do you still see yours?”
Max shook his head. “Nah, I try to avoid it. Sometimes they turn up looking for some money and I stupidly give it to them. I can’t say no, you know?”
I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t in a position to give anyone advice on dealing with their parents when I hadn’t seen mine in twelve years. I knew they’d moved out of Reverence but I didn’t know where they’d gone.
Good riddance, I say.
“So now I live upstairs and I spend my life here, all alone.”
“No lady?”
We finished with the glasses and then Max was cashing out the register.
“Nope, ain’t got time for that really. I’m not boyfriend material so I just hook up when I need it. What about you? You didn’t make any female pen pals, like the ones who fall for men in prison?”
I laughed. “Nope, unlucky.”
“Well now you’re out and have fresh pick of the ladies in town. Is there anyone you’ve got your eye on?”
I hesitated as a pair of pink cowgirl boots flitted through my mind. “Nah.”
Max snorted. “Well, that’s a lie.”
“No one I should be thinking about, that’s for sure.”
“Kat then?”
I actually blushed. “What? How did you know?” I spluttered, not smooth at all.
“It was obvious from how much you were staring at her tonight. It won’t be smooth sailing with that one I tell ya, given your history.”
I shook my head vehemently. “I would never make a move. Jesus, could you imagine?”
“I dunno. She’s been single a while, she might be desperate enough,” Max laughed.
I paused. “I thought she was with that Leo guy?”
Max counted out some dollar bills to one side in a little stack. “Leo? Mr. Rodeo?” He waved his hand dismissively. “He’s like a brother to the girls. They’re not a thing.”
Interesting… wait, no that wasn’t interesting. I meant what I said to Max, I would never do that to Kat. To put her in that position would be overstepping beyond belief.
“That’s yours,” Max gestured to the little stack of bills.
“Mine?”
“Yeah, tips for tonight and a little extra to keep you going until your next paycheck is due.”
I didn’t know what to say. “Max, you don’t have to do that.”
“Well, you earned those tips and everyone needs help sometimes. Just take it and don’t make things awkward.”
I hesitated a moment then took the money. “I won’t forget this, thank you.”
“So how do you think you’re gonna avoid Kat when you’re going to work with her?” he asked, closing the register, disappearing into the back to store the money in the safe.
I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. “I have no idea.”
Max appeared again and headed towards the door, flicking the bar lights off. “I guess it’s a good thing you’ve got a new friend to vent to when the working day is done then.”
“I guess it is,” I smirked at him then unbolted the doors. We locked up and said goodbye. I watched as Max disappeared around the side of the bar to the staircase that must lead to the apartment above. I looked up at the sky, the moon and stars bright, shining on me all the way home.
As I got up to the ranch, I glanced up at the windows facing out front and could have sworn I saw Kat’s outline in one of them. I shook my head and trudged around to the cabin, to home.
I opened the door and breathed a big sigh of relief. First shift done. Second shift tomorrow and then a free day, Sunday, before starting ranch work on Monday. I trudged my tired old ass into the bedroom, stopping dead when I saw that mutt laying on the bed, not intimidated by me one bit.
We sized each other up, the dog tilting its head from side to side as it watched me. I ducked my head back out and saw it had eaten the food I’d put out. I glanced back and its tail wagged a little, not much but I saw it.
I sighed. “Well scoot over then, there’s room for both of us,” I grumbled at my new dog, and we settled down for a good night’s sleep.
*
I was up before the sun fully rose on Monday morning, dressed in my jeans, new black t-shirt from the local thrift store and boots. I’d gone over the weekend with the money I’d earned Friday night and grabbed myself a few basic clothing items to tide me over. I’d bought new boxers from an actual store and couldn’t believe how much they cost.
I hadn’t actually spoken to Kat to find out what time she wanted me to start but I assumed it would be early. I hung around on the porch of the main house until it was six and then I knocked on the front door. I waited a beat as silence followed and then the door opened and August popped her head out.
“Oh, hello Jack,” she smiled softly.
“Morning August,” I said, smiling back.
“I think Kat’s just getting out of the shower, then she’ll need coffee before she’s any use.”
I chuckled. “Good to know.”
August peered behind her before she whispered, “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
I thought about it and was about to decline but when I realized I was probably gonna need it just as much as Kat would.
“Sure, that’s very kind of you,” I replied.
“I’ll bring it out to you, Daisy’s in the kitchen,” she hissed. I nodded, agreeing it was best if I stayed out of Daisy’s sight. I sat back down on the porch and a moment later the front door eased open again and a mug of coffee was pushed through the gap. I laughed to myself at the difference between Sober August and Tipsy August.
I sat on the porch step and inhaled the coffee, the strong scent waking me up like nothing else. I nearly groaned as I drank it. About ten minutes later, Kat appeared looking fresh and stunning in a white tank top and jeans with rips in the knees and thighs, just teasing me with a hint of tanned, smooth skin.
“I’m sorry Jack, I should have mentioned a time,” she said, not looking me in the eye.
I stood up. “No need to apologize, I’m ready when you are.”
“Six is fine each day.”
“Great,” I replied. She was busy pulling her damp hair into a knot at the top of her head and still hadn’t looked at me. “What shall I do with…” I trailed off, waving the mug around, not wanting to go inside the house but also not wanting to leave it dumped on the porch.
Kat finally looked my way, her navy stare frowning when she spotted the mug.
“August,” I said by way of explanation. Kat’s lips pulled into a thin line of displeasure before she took it from me and put it back inside the house. When she returned, she jogged past me down the porch steps.
“This way,” she called over her shoulder.
I met Gus at the stables, and Kat shared that he would be around for a couple more weeks until he retired. Chatting to him briefly, I learned he had worked on ranches for thirty years. He was pretty old, had a few teeth missing and more hair on his face than he did on his head but he seemed like a nice guy.
“We gotta clean everyone out today so grab that wheelbarrow and start shovelling,” Gus rasped.
The stable block was large with six individual stalls and a tack room. Five of the stalls were filled with horses that had plaques above them with their names. Marshmallow was a white thoroughbred stallion who was mischievous and playfully head-butted me. Fitzwilliam was all black with white splotches on his ears and seemed pretty standoffish. Pickles was white with gray flecks over her coat and kept whinnying at the horse in the stall next to her, who was called Sunshine and was a beautiful caramel-colored mare. Finally there was Chester, a chestnut stallion who had the biggest stall and huffed anytime someone walked past him.
“Don’t get behind them,” Gus called over to me. “Best way to get yourself kicked and we don’t want that.”
Kat shot me a look that suggested she wouldn’t mind if I did. I got to work, Kat helped me to start with. She was efficient and detail-oriented, and minded the horses, speaking to them every now and then. It was wrong to enjoy the baby voice she used but sue me. After helping with two of them she left me to it.
By the time the fourth one was completed, I was sweating buckets and my whole body ached like a son of a bitch. I hurt but it was kinda nice. I knew I was working hard and putting my body to use in a way I hadn’t been able to in…ever.
August appeared at one point and crooned at Marshmallow who was apparently her horse and a very good boy. “You’re doing a great job,” August whispered as I trudged past her with another wheelbarrow piled with horse shit.
I smiled. “Thanks, August.” It was nice to have someone rooting for me.
Kat glared at me as I walked past, and I wiped the smile from my face. My throat dried as I took in the damp column of her neck, pale blonde strands clinging to the skin.
“When you’re done here, we need some help in the pasture.”
By the time the evening kicked in, my feet were dragging but I was trying not to show any fatigue. Kat still looked amazing, not tired at all, she was glowing.
“We’re finished for the day, Jack,” she said.
God, is it fucked up that I loved how she said my name?
“Sure thing,” I replied, trying to sound casual and not seconds from collapsing. I needed to get fitter and stronger, quickly. She turned and began heading back to the house. I followed behind her, not trying to walk with her, she was too quick for me. Instead I got to watch her round ass bounce along with each furious step she took.
I growled internally and forced my gaze away.
“Have a good evening,” I called when she was on the porch. She turned and nodded her head in acknowledgement but didn’t respond.
I rounded the house and sighed with relief when I saw the cabin. I wished there was a bathtub, but a semi warm shower would do. I stripped the second I got in the door and stood under the shower, letting the warm water wash away the mud, shit, and hay. My muscles ached and I groaned as I dug a hand into the hard knot in my shoulder.
I wrapped a towel around my waist, not bothering to put more clothes on. I was only going to quickly eat something then crash out in bed for the night. I stroked the dog, who I’d now discovered was a boy. His tail thumped wildly from his place on the couch and had me smiling at how at home he’d made himself. It was nice to come home to someone.
I was heating some beef and potato soup on the stove, trying to keep my eyes open when I felt something prickle the back of my neck. I looked around the room but didn’t see anything. Then I cast my gaze out the window and I once again locked onto that navy stare that was driving me crazy.
Kat was watching me from the main house.
She didn’t move, I think she thought I couldn’t see her. I stood up straight, interested in her boldness.
“What game are you playing, sweetheart?” I murmured as I moved closer to the window. She didn’t move, it was like she was in a trance. My dick stirred underneath my towel, begging for some one-on-one time but I ignored him.
Kat continued to stare and I raised my hand and waved. Whatever spell she’d been under snapped and she jolted, then quickly closed the drapes and the light went out. The moment was gone. I continued to stand there, staring out the window after her and it wasn’t until I heard the soup boil over that I started.
“Shit,” I huffed. I pulled the soup off the stove and turned the burner off. I wiped down the spill and didn’t bother with a bowl, just grabbed the wooden spoon and sat on the couch, eating away. It hit the spot like nothing else did. When I couldn’t resist it any longer, I collapsed into bed and was out like a light.