Chapter 4
Rory
The Boots
As I walked inside Miller’s Feed and Seed with Allie, I wondered if I was losing my mind.
The woman was a complete stranger. Sure, Rafe liked and trusted her, and she was Calvin’s fiancée.
But I barely knew either of them. All I knew was my boss and her fiancé were keeping me safe from my brother.
A man I also didn’t really know until a little over a week ago.
I tilted my head as I watched Alicia. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
Her warm blue eyes lit up as she stepped into the store.
Her honey blonde hair was divided into two French braids with soft brown hair ties at the bottom.
She wore a blue dress with short sleeves and a floral print, long enough to almost cover her sneakered feet.
“Do you work at the vineyard?” I guessed not, but one could never be too sure.
She smiled at me and walked through the store, no doubt expecting me to follow her.
“Goodness, no. I’m a teacher at the high school.
” Allie went on to explain how the faculty head position opened up the previous year.
“It sucks to be further from my mom and sister but I met Cal at the VA and we started dating. I grabbed the opportunity as soon as I saw the listing. At least I am in the same state as my brother.”
Her wide eyes made me believe I was supposed to know what that meant. When I just stared at her she continued. “Christopher— I mean Abe is my brother. His name is Christopher but his team calls him Abe. They say it's because he cannot tell a lie. Ironic, considering his line of work, right?”
“True.” I nodded and looked at her once more. I understood the familiarity. “You both have the same eyes. He was so kind to me on the trip here. Him and his friend Wolf.”
“They really are a great bunch of men.” She dragged me to the back of the store.
“Anyway, we need to get you geared up. Leather boots will rot in this weather. Not to mention how impractical the thick sweater around your waist is. You need proper overalls, and a decent waterproof jacket. And some rubber boots.”
I gave Allie a once over. “You’re wearing a thin dress and sneakers.”
“True.” She pulled a pair of ugly green overalls from the rack. “But Honey, I don’t work on a ranch on the high road. That moisture gets into everything. Trust me, you won’t regret it. And you’ll look like less of a tourist.”
I had to admit I hated that I stood out. I had been staying with Rafe for a week, and only one trip into town made me feel like an outsider. I grabbed a second pair of overalls in grey. Then another few t-shirts and some flannel shirts.
“You mentioned a decent jacket.”
“Yes, a waxed canvas jacket.” She browsed through the rack. “They only have your size in the brown. It’s ugly as sin, but you’ll be warm and comfortable. And most importantly, dry.”
She handed me the jacket and I had to admit, I relished buying proper clothing for the area. Almost like I was a local “Next, boots.”
I followed her to a shelf filled with rain boots.
Heavy duty and tough, but rain boots all the same.
Once again, black, grey and brown seemed to be the uniform except…
my eyes wandered to the end of the shelf.
A pair of yellow boots sat there. I reached for them and checked at the label then smiled at Allie. “They're my size.”
“Yes.” She punched the air, as excited as I was over the boots. “Those are going to look so cute on you. I mean, I know it's meant to be comfortable and functional, but it doesn’t hurt to be cute as well.”
I nodded my agreement. She got it. I was so happy I had decided to follow Allie.
I missed my sisters, I really did. But an afternoon in the company of Allie Powers had eased the sting somewhat.
There was no telling how long I needed to be in Cypress Cliffs.
Abe had explained on the trip from Lexington to Monterey Airfield that my brother had so many fingers in so many pies and it may take a while to dismantle how far his reach went.
And with what me and my sisters could determine, he had enough high-powered people covering his tracks.
If he had judges and politicians in his pocket in Kentucky, he may well have them all over the country.
Allie picked up a few things for herself and I got some of the things Rafe needed before we made our way to the checkout. A middle aged man was glaring at the woman behind the counter. “Mr. Miller said he is not interested in selling. That is why he hasn’t called you back.”
The man looked at Allie and me before he dropped his card on the counter and stormed out.
All I could make out was that the man’s name started with a V before the woman picked up the card and shoved it under the cash register.
But I did recognize the logo and company name.
The Argent Group. Panic rose in me, the world had reduced to a blurred pinhole.
I couldn’t stop the ringing in my ears. Were they there for me? Had they found me?
A soft hand covered mine and Allie’s gaze met mine. She raised and lowered her head gesturing for me to breathe. It was then that it occurred to me he had looked right at me and not had a reaction. He was not there for me. He was probably doing more of Argent’s evil bidding.
Even though I was certain Rafe would not have let me pay for anything if he was with me, I was grateful he insisted I bring my purse with me. I pulled my wallet from the bag and took out some notes. “I can’t…” I looked at her and shook my head. “I need to pay with cash.”
“Cash it is.” She took the cash from me and smiled over at the young woman at the register. “Charge it all to my card. Much simpler.”
The young woman, Deena, going by the name badge, did as Allie asked. I smiled at my new friend, grateful she made no attempt to ask any questions. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. We need to get coffee.” She pointed across the road. “The Cliff Café has the best coffee in town.” She gave Deena an apologetic wince. “Sorry.”
“None taken.” Deena gave us a small chuckle. “The coffee here is free and you get what you pay for.”
With a final wave, we both left the store and made our way across the road.
The sun had finally come out to play completely, giving the town a hazy glow.
What had started out as a foggy morning had quickly turned into a bright and sunny day.
“We’ll go into Santa Barbara later in the month for more fun clothing if you’re up for it? ”
“Up for it?” I followed her into the café, and the rich smell of coffee filled my nostrils.
I took a moment to inhale it all before answering her question.
“Honey, clothes are my life. My best friend back home is a fashion designer. Well, she’s starting out at least. I used to model all her thrifts and designs when we were kids. ”
“A designer? A real one?” Allie seemed genuinely interested.
“Yes, but she’s still new.” I smiled thinking about Melissa. “I used to text every time I bought new shoes. She doesn’t even know I left town.”
“Everything will work out.” Allie cocked her head to the side, allowing her braids to fall forward. “Before long all this ugliness will be sorted and you’ll tell me we have tickets to her show during fashion week.”
My smile faded. Who knew how long it would be before it could happen. Not because Melissa wasn’t talented enough, but because my future was so uncertain.
We placed our coffee orders at the counter and made our way to a booth. “Hopefully, soon.”
“Listen.” Allie’s hand grabbed mine across the table. “There is no hurry. Tex will keep you safe. Whatever is going on, let the chips lie where they fall. There is no rush.”
“You’re right.” I knew she was. “I just miss…”
I shook my head, unable to finish the sentence.
Allie’s hand tightened. “I cannot replace whoever you lost in all of this. But I can be your family. I have a brother and a sister. And a mom. They’ll tell you I make a great sister. I make for great family.”
My head nodded even before my mind agreed with her. My own hand covered hers and then she placed her second hand over mine. She had no idea how much I missed my sisters. How much I loved having a girlfriend. Tears filled my eyes and I squeezed her hand even more. “Thank you for today.”
“You are very welcome.” She patted my hand and stood. “I know how to cheer you up.”
I wasn’t sure if it was even possible but I stood as well. “How?”
“Bernie.” She indicated to the barista who was walking towards us with our coffees. “We’ll take those coffees to go.”
The barista rolled her eyes but turned around and headed to the back of the shop.
Before long we were sitting with to-go cups in our hands in the cab of Allie’s truck.
As we drove back I told her a bit about growing up in Kentucky and she told me about the woes of being the middle child and the eldest daughter.
I could relate to being the oldest daughter, but Julian had not been in our lives enough for me to be able to identify as a middle child.
When she took the turn off for the vineyard, I gave her a curious look. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” She smiled like she was up to something. “Besides, Rafe said he would meet us at the vineyard, remember. He was all,” She deepened her voice and formed a mock scowl. “Be careful, I will get you both at the vineyard.”
I let out a huge laugh. It had been weeks since I had laughed so hard. Between my dad’s death and Julian and ending up in Cypress Cliffs, there hadn’t been much to laugh about. “Does he ever smile?”
“Honey.” Her face softened, and I knew she cared about Rafe.
Not in a cheat on her fiancé kind of way, but possibly in the same way I care about my sisters and friends.
She cared about him because he was her fiancé’s best friend and he needed people to look out for him.
“That man is carrying the entire town on his shoulders. He is the only person who supported Cal’s decision to make wine out here.
He is a good person. And he needs good people watching out for him.
When he laughs, it's a beautiful thing to watch. Come, check this out.”
She climbed out of the truck and I did the same. We stood at the edge of a small hill and my mouth dropped. Ten to fifteen men knocking hammers and tugging thick ropes. “What are they doing?”
“Setting up for tonight. Some of the wives of the farm hands will set out food for everyone who helps. We hope it will be enough of an incentive.”
My mouth continued to hang open. Half the men were shirtless, Calvin included. “I can see how you would enjoy this.”
“Last year we had just started dating and it was quite a sight. Now I know what that man is packing, my mouth is positively watering.”
I allowed my gaze to wander to the other side of the staging area and I spotted Rafe hammering the frame of a floodlight to a post. He’d also gotten rid of his shirt.
Muscles and scars and tattoos had my eyes wondering.
“Whoah.” My eyes caught on the tattoo of a compass on his shoulder before I took in the rest of him.
Rafe didn’t have the body of someone who spent hours in the gym, his body came from hard work.
I mean, I knew the man had a great ass. It was the only part of him his jeans offered.
Watching the sweat drip down his torso, though, I couldn’t help but move my gaze lower.
And suddenly I was wondering what he was packing.
As soon as the thought entered my mind, I shook it away.
I had enough issues, I didn’t need to invite the grouchy rancher and whatever issues he was hiding in as well.
My gaze lifted and found Rafe’s. His eyes bored into mine, letting me know I got caught ogling him.
He picked up his shirt and started walking toward me.
My heart started racing and my breathing was stunted.
Maybe it was a few seconds, maybe hours before he stood in front of me.
Still no smile, but it didn’t dampen the tension between us though. My panties were another story.
“It’s rude to stare, City.” My eyes lifted and met his. Heat and something I couldn’t name flickered in those dark grey orbs. He motioned me to his truck. “Let’s go. We’ll be back to pick tonight, they’ll need all hands on deck.”
My eyes dropped to his chest. To the angel wings on his left pec. The clearing of his throat got my attention and he raised his brows, the smallest smirk lifted his lips.
He flipped his shirt over his head before he allowed his hand to drop to the small of my back.
I looked up at him. “Why are we leaving now?”
“We’ll be up all night, best to get some sleep now.”
I nodded and turned back to the men still working over at the vineyard. Rafe was right, I needed some sleep. I needed my wits about me to deal with a full night of Rafe.