6. Christian
christian
“Ifeel like it’s been weeks since you’ve come out with us,” I told Lina as we settled at a table at The Rooster with Reed, Jude, and Romy.
“Shit, I know! Between the circuit finals, Penn starting school, and repairs on the ranch, I’ve had no time for self-care.
” A now champion barrel racer, Lina was known to be a bit of a partier, but it seemed like she was starting to settle down now that she and Reed were together.
It helped that Reed had a damn cute kid, too.
She exchanged a glance with him. “I think we all needed to get out and take a break from being on top of each other.”
“Chuck watching the kids then?” I asked, taking a sip of my beer.
Romy nodded, absently stirring the straw in her margarita on the rocks.
“It’s the first time he’s alone with the baby, but Penn’s such a good little helper with her.
” She side-eyed Jude, who was readjusting his ballcap, and squeezed his arm.
“You know she’ll be fine. Quit worrying.
Your uncle knows how to take care of a baby. ”
Romy had been Jude’s best friend and childhood crush until she disappeared for twelve years.
It wasn’t until her older sister, Hazel, landed in jail that she and Jude both returned home.
My buddy wasn’t about to let her go a second time and locked that shit down as soon as he retired from his championship MMA career.
“I mean, he took care of you while he was also taking care of me,” Lina reminded him. “And look how great we turned out!”
Chuck Larsen had been a young single dad with a newborn when his sister took off, leaving him with his three-year-old nephew while he and Lina’s mother were trying to be young co-parents.
Between Chuck and his father, Lloyd — who was now in memory care for dementia — they were running a ranch, training rodeo stars, and chasing after two little ones.
Jude blew out a breath, flipping his hat around as if to show he was being laid back about all this, even though we all knew that as his nervous tick.
I thumped him on the back. “Chill, Dad. Have a drink and take a load off.”
He picked up the pitcher of beer for the table and poured it into his glass. “See, I can chill.”
Lina gave an audible yawn, hiding it behind her arm. As if in sync, Reed followed suit, trying to cover it with his glass of soda.
“Not getting much sleep?” I teased them both with a grin, knowing how those two rocked the trailer on the rodeo circuit.
Lina kicked me under the table. “Shut the fuck up. Believe me, I’m not getting nearly enough action living under the same roof as my dad and Jude.
” She and Reed exchanged glances. Reed, always stoic, was completely unphased by her mouth.
“Don’t get me wrong. We’ve been so grateful for your family taking us in, but …
We’ve had to get creative with Penn sharing a bed with us.
Let’s just say the trees have seen my ass more times than I’d like.
“Not to mention school nights have been running late. Right now we’re driving into town to pick up Penn then driving back up the highway for the evening … She falls asleep in the truck most days,” she added.
“Well, you could stay at my apartment,” Sage chimed in as she approached with another Coke for Reed and laid down a napkin and Old Fashioned in front of me.
“You make the best Old Fashioneds, Sage,” I told her, beaming.
She pursed her lips at me. “You look really good tonight.” I blatantly checked her out.
She was wearing black jeans with black cowboy boots, and she had one of those sweaters that had strategic holes in it and a stretched-out neckline, revealing a peek of her owl tattoo on her upper arm.
She narrowed her eyes briefly at me, before turning back to her friends.
“My apartment is walking distance to the school and I totally wouldn’t mind.
I don’t have the hours you both have trying to fix up the ranch and going back and forth between the farm and the cattle. You’ll be closer to Thornbrush, too.”
“What about you?” Lina asked.
“Yeah, what about you?” I butted in. “Where’re you going to stay?”
Sage once again ignored me and I felt like stomping my foot like a child to get her attention.
“I have a place. Seriously. Anything I can do to help while y’all are getting your feet back under you. I know I would’ve wanted someone to offer it to me when I needed it.”
“We can’t kick you out of your place,” Lina protested.
“At least think about it. I’ve felt so helpless not being able to help. Trust me, I have a place to stay and it wouldn’t be nearly as inconvenient as you may think.”
Lina and Reed exchanged glances.
“Maybe we should think about it?” Lina asked. “We’d be closer to Penn when she’s at school and we’d both be able to spend more time on repairs at Thornbrush without having the extra commute. It may mean moving home sooner.”
“More time at the ranch would be helpful and I’d be able to walk her to school instead of the extra early mornings and the late nights driving her to and from school. I think she’s as exhausted as we are,” Reed contemplated aloud.
“And once her mom moves back from rehab, it may make it more convenient for supervised visits,” Lina suggested to Reed.
Reed’s ex-wife was in addiction recovery after her fiancée, Junior, attempted to kidnap Penn while setting the ranch on fire.
Claiming his family was screwed out of their land when the Larsens expanded Thornbrush Ranch, he’d been intent on destroying them and everything they’d built for the past couple of years.
It was a complete shit storm, but it allowed Reed to be granted immediate custody of his daughter.
“It makes sense to be in town,” Reed agreed.
Lina turned back to Sage. “I just feel bad kicking you out of your place.”
Sage brushed off her concern. “Please. It’s a two-bedroom apartment and I’ve never once had someone use the twin bed in the spare room.
It’s way more apartment for me than I need.
Besides, I spend more time in the gallery and at The Rooster than I ever do at home.
I think Arlo would appreciate a change of scenery as well. He’s not meant to be cooped up.”
“Have him stay with me,” I piped up. I hated not being a part of this conversation.
She finally turned her beautiful glare on me. Goosebumps scattered across my skin and I fucking loved it. “You’re in an apartment, too.”
“You both can stay with me then,” I told her.
“Fat chance,” Sage shot back. “I got it covered.” She returned to Lina and Reed. “Let’s chat more about it later and we’ll get y’all set up this week.”
“Sage—” I started, but she’d already spun on her heels and was heading back to the bar.
“Is she dating someone?” Jude asked Romy and Lina.
“She never dates,” Lina replied.
My eyes ping-ponged between them, wondering if they knew something I didn’t.
Romy shrugged. “At least, no one she’s told us about.”
I shook my head, my eyes turning back to where Sage was busy loading a bin of dirty glasses. “She better not be fucking dating,” I grumbled. I was generally a very happy person, but just the idea of her with someone made me want to punch a hole through the bar wall.
“Woah, hit a nerve did it?” Lina asked, her brow quirked.
“Yeah,” I agreed, pushing to my feet and following in Sage’s direction.
“Uh-oh,” I heard Romy say.
“Sage isn’t going to like this,” Lina cautioned.
I didn’t stop, heading straight for her while she loaded the last of the glasses in a wash bin and headed into the kitchen.
I followed her to the back. The kitchen staff glanced up from where they stood at the grill and sink when I entered, but Sage’s back was still to me as she deposited the bin on the counter beside the dishwasher.
Grabbing her arm, she flinched and whirled on me. “What the fuck? Christian!” she scolded, realizing it was me.
I scanned the area, noticing the back office light on and the door ajar.
I pulled her with me to the office. A computer hummed and the desk was scattered with papers.
Marty and Marine needed to get a better filing system.
Neither one of them were here tonight, so I hoped no one else would interrupt us as I shut the door with a quiet snick.
“Christian!” Sage chastised again. “You can’t come back here.”
I took my cowboy hat off my head and ran my fingers through my hair. I really needed to get a haircut. “Where’re you staying, Sage?” I asked, my voice sounding more demanding than the inquiry I meant it to be.
“I really don’t think that’s any of your concern.” She crossed her arms over her chest causing her plump breasts to be pushed up as she leaned against the desk and crossed her ankles.
“Of course it is,” I told her, taking a step toward her.
“I’m not your concern.”
“The fuck you are.”
“Ever since we made out last summer, you’ve been acting all territorial. More so than normal. You need to ease up, buddy. It never should’ve happened—”
“I don’t care.” I interrupted her. I really didn’t care because eventually she would have to admit she felt the same magnetic pull I did. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
“Who’re you going to stay with?” I asked her again.
“Seriously, Christian. It’s none of your business. I need to get back to work.” She started to push past me, but I leaned my hand on the door to keep her from leaving.
She stalled in her steps. “You’ll always be my business. Please, you’re killing me slowly. Are you dating someone?”
When she turned to face me, her breath caught and her body tensed.
We were only inches away from touching. My own oxygen stalled in my chest and I couldn’t help leaning toward her.
She squirmed slightly causing her hip to brush up against me and I froze as my dick hardened.
I knew she felt it too, because her eyes went wide.
“Christian.” Her voice came out breathy instead of the warning I knew it was meant to be.
It did something to me though. Turned me on and caused my stomach to roll in somersaults. “Sage, baby, my love, my sweet peach.”
“Ugh! Why do you have to make everything so weird?” She pushed at me again, a brief flash of panic crossing her gaze before narrowing in annoyance.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I’d pushed too hard. “I can’t help it. Your pet names just roll off my tongue,” I grumbled.
“I don’t have pet names. Now I need to get back to work.”
“Please, just put me out of my misery and tell me you’re not seeing anyone?”
Rolling her eyes, she threw up her arms, breaking my hold on the door by her head. “I’m not seeing anyone. There! Are you happy?”
I rocked back on my heels, my lips tipping up in a grin. “Almost, but you need to tell me where you plan on staying.” I needed to know wherever she was, she was going to be safe.
“All you need to know is I have a place to stay.”
“You know you can always stay with me?” I offered.
“Yeah, that’s never going to happen.”
“Never say never.”
“Never. I’m not sleeping under the same roof as you and my brother.”
“So you’re saying if your brother wasn’t there you’d consider it?”
She huffed in exasperation. “Is that all you heard? I’m leaving.”
I reached for her again, but she shrugged me off. “Sage baby,” I crooned.
“Stop, Christian. You’re not buttering me up by calling me baby, so just quit it. Once again you’re keeping me from earning tips, so I’m leaving.”
With that, I watched as she opened the door and walked right back out to the bar.
The cook with the greasy apron stepped in the doorway. “You shouldn’t be back here.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m going.”
I’d find out where she was staying one way or another.