Chapter 29
Stay - Sugarland
Kinsley
W ith no guilt, I lazily sipped my coffee in the early morning sun, by the fire, contentedly watching the guys work. After enduring their chorus of snoring all night, I felt I more than deserved this moment of peace.
They were busy fixing the corral fence nearest to the barn, preparing to let the horses out to graze on the long grass—a well-deserved treat after weeks confined in rodeo barns.
Wyatt’s smile was free and easy. He was truly at home here, and although I wanted to be completely happy for him, a part of me ached at the thought. We had started to make plans, and now they were flying off track and I didn’t know where we were headed.
A rumble from the road caught my attention, and I lifted my hand to shield my eyes from the sun. A truck had turned onto the drive and was heading in our direction. I quickly pulled on my boots and stood up to get a better look.
As the truck approached and stopped near us, I saw two women inside. The driver, an older woman, sported grey hair neatly pulled back into a bun, a few loose tendrils framing her face. The passenger, a girl around my age, was strikingly pretty, with chestnut hair hanging loose around her shoulders, topped by a cowboy hat.
They stepped out of the truck, and I glanced back at Wyatt, who had noticed their arrival and was walking over with a big grin. He immediately enveloped the older woman in a big hug, lifting her clean off the ground.
“Well, just look at you!” she exclaimed warmly. “Little Wyatt Collins. Not so little anymore.”
“Alice, I was not little the last time I saw you. Definitely fully grown.” Wyatt grinned, setting her back down.
“Maybe so, but I’ll always think of you as little, just like my Gracie and Noah.”
He then opened his arms wide as the younger woman approached. She stepped right into his embrace, hugging him tightly.
My fingers clenched around the coffee mug as I watched Wyatt’s muscular arms envelope her slender frame in an intimate gesture.
When they finally parted, Wyatt reached over and playfully tapped the brim of her cowboy hat with his fingers, a warm crinkle forming at the corners of his eyes. “Long time, no see, Gracie.”
She tilted her head back to maintain his gaze, a dimpled grin spreading across her lips. “It’s about time you came home. We missed you.”
“Me too.”
My stomach twisted into a knot as they shared a look. I knew Wyatt had had a long-term girlfriend in the past. I could only assume it was her. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but it wasn’t that.
Grace was beautiful. Not that I’d thought she wouldn’t be. Of course Wyatt would have had a pretty girlfriend, but she was beyond pretty.
“Thought I’d have to come check that you weren’t getting into too much trouble,” Gracie continued, her tone light and teasing.
Wyatt threw his head back with a rich laugh. “Me? Trouble? Now, when have I ever done that?”
“Let’s see… There was riding Mr. Henderson’s bulls, tractor stealing—”
“Okay, okay! That’s enough!” Wyatt held up his hand, laughing.
Their back-and-forth banter rolled off the tongue so naturally, their body language and chemistry undeniable.
I shifted my weight, feeling suddenly like an outsider.
Gracie must have sensed my staring because she slowly turned her head, sweeping an assessing gaze over me from head to toe. Her lips pursed almost imperceptibly, but her eyes remained coolly guarded as they met mine.
The weight of her scrutiny made heat creep into my cheeks. I fought the instinct to look away, keeping my chin lifted as I met that stare head-on.
“Gracie said she saw a truck come up this way. Thought we better check who might be snooping around,” Alice said. “Is that Finn? My, you grew up to be a lot better-looking than I expected.”
“Thank you?” Finn scratched at the beard on his chin while Grady chuckled beside him.
“And I don’t think I know the pretty one,” Alice continued, her gaze now on Grady.
Grady clamped his mouth shut, trying to maintain his composure, as Finn let out a bark of laughter.
“This is Grady Martin, a bull rider on the circuit,” Wyatt introduced him.
“You’re a bull rider?” Alice appraised Grady with a frown, causing him to deflate.
“Yes, ma’am,” he muttered.
“And this is my girlfriend, Kinsley Jackson.”
The title “girlfriend” shouldn’t have filled me with such gratification, but it made me stand a little taller. I irrationally wanted to make my claim clear.
Gracie’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows rose the tiniest fraction, but she otherwise remained inscrutably cool. Alice, thankfully, was much warmer as she welcomed us both with a broad smile.
“Nice to meet you both,” Alice said. “So, what are you doing back here? I thought we’d seen the last of you.”
“I’m looking for my dad. Has he been around?”
“Haven’t seen him. He left in a hurry. What was it? A few months ago? As far as I know, he hasn’t been back. After he had been gone for a while, I came in and cleaned up the place a bit, and I check in every so often,” Alice explained.
“Thank you so much.” Wyatt said.
Suddenly, the mystery of the tidy house was solved.
“What’s going on with the place? I thought Jake was selling, but no one ever showed up to claim it,” Alice prodded further.
“I’m trying to figure that out too.” Wyatt shared the gist of his conversation with the bank.
“Well, I’m happy for you. I know how much this place means to you,” Alice offered sincerely.
“I’m glad you’re back,” Gracie added quietly.
Wyatt gave her a small smile. But was he back? I’d thought we were here looking for his dad. Wyatt wasn’t moving back home.
“Well…” Alice clapped her hands together, breaking the momentary silence. “Now that I know squatters haven’t moved in, I best get home. You all look like you need a good meal, so I’ll expect you for dinner at five.”
“That’s really unnecessary,” Wyatt protested.
Alice cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Nonsense. I won’t take no for an answer. Come on, Gracie, let’s get cooking,” Alice declared, her tone leaving no room for argument.
I stole another glance at Gracie. I could sense her curiosity simmering just below the surface, like the nagging discomfort in the pit of my stomach.
Alice’s home, though modest and dated, exuded a warmth and welcoming air that was comforting as soon as you walked in the door. It was on a small farm that ran next to Wyatt’s property, leading me to believe that Wyatt must have spent a considerable amount of time here during his childhood.
A picture hanging on the wall inside the door confirmed my suspicions. It featured a much younger Wyatt, still tall but lacking the fullness he had now. His face bore a more youthful look, yet he was unmistakably handsome. His arm was around a little Gracie, who wore an ear-to-ear smile.
“It was a long time ago,” Wyatt murmured beside me, catching me off guard.
I hadn’t realised he was standing there.
“Old girlfriend I presume?”
“Umm, yeah,” he admitted.
“Great, a little warning would’ve been nice,” I grumbled under my breath as I moved further into the house, growing more annoyed with each step.
“Make yourselves at home!” Alice’s voice rang from the kitchen, cutting through the awkward tension.
The four of us settled in the living room. Wyatt took my hand and led me over to a love seat covered with a blue and yellow afghan, adding to the room’s cozy, outdated charm. The rest of the furniture was adorned with more knitted blankets, and a large basket of yarn sat on the floor, hinting at Alice’s knitting hobby because, of course, she knitted. The house was like a portal to an earlier time, right down to the ancient-looking TV.
Finn and Grady took the couch while Gracie perched on an armchair.
“So, Gracie,” Finn began, trying to break the ice. “How have you been? What have you been up to?”
“I just go by Grace,” she corrected him.
“Ah, yes, all grown up. Good job on that, by the way.” Finn earned a swift kick in the shin from Wyatt. “You still barrel racing?”
Grace’s eyes flicked over to me. “No, I’m not. Too much to do around here. Mom and Dad need the help.”
“Right. Speaking of which, where’s Noah?” Finn inquired.
“He and Dad are out with the cattle. They’ll be in for supper,” Grace informed us.
“Noah is her brother,” Wyatt leaned over to whisper to me.
I had secretly hoped she might mention a boyfriend, something to divert her attention away from Wyatt. No such luck.
“Do you still have Drifter?” Grace asked Wyatt. “I didn’t see him when we were at your place.”
“Oh, yeah, of course, but I retired him this year. He’s staying at Kinsley’s place,” Wyatt explained.
“Oh. That’s good,” Grace responded flatly.
“Well, this is awkward,” Grady remarked.
His observation was met with four sets of glaring eyes.