12. Brock
CHAPTER 12
Brock
I would never tell either of my brothers, but I carefully monitor Emerson’s progress throughout the days on the ranch. Her hospital visit worried me for more reasons than I cared to admit.
Even when she’s not with me, I make sure I keep a careful eye on where she’s going next and who she’s with.
At first, I told myself it was just a liability issue, but I quickly came to realize that it’s more than that. I find myself checking her color and seeing how much she’s eating. I’m being as covert as possible, but I started asking her to join us for lunches at the house just to make sure she’s consuming enough calories.
She’s smart enough to call me on my nonsense, but she still takes me up on the meals.
“You know, I am taking the doctor’s orders seriously,” she informs me as we head up the hill to the house for lunch one afternoon.
“I’m sure you are,” I reply, casting her a surprised look. “I didn’t say you weren’t.”
“Are you going to tell me that’s not why you’ve been inviting me over every day?”
Heat spirals its way up my spine, and I pretend to check out the training sessions as we walk by. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Uh-huh,” she laughs. “Not that I don’t appreciate it—and you. All of you.”
I slow down and peer at her. “Have you been going to all your appointments, Emerson?”
“Of course.”
I stop fully now and look at her. “You know, if you need someone to go with you, or if you want someone there with you… I mean, just for moral support or whatever.” I clear my throat and keep walking. “We can arrange for that.”
She doesn’t say anything, but I sense she’s smiling. “Thank you. Both Owen and Toby offered, too.”
I stop in my tracks, my eyes narrowing slightly. “Have they?”
Her green eyes meet mine, and I swear I read a challenge there. “Is that a problem for you?”
“No, of course not. They should be offering their help. And you should accept it. You’re not alone here. I keep telling you that you’re part of the Pine Sky Ranch family now. We take care of our own.”
A smirk quirks on the corners of her lips, but she doesn’t comment, almost as if she doesn’t buy into my company line. We enter the house, and Owen sits at the dining room table, poring over his cell phone.
He looks up and nods at us. “Don’t forget about the mayor’s fundraiser this weekend.”
A strange expression passes over her face. “Right,” she says slowly. “All three of you are going, right?”
I groan at the reminder. “Shit.” I flop down at the table with my brother. “I’d rather not. I have to prepare for the rodeo at the end of the month.”
“You have to go,” Owen counters, setting his phone down and rising to start lunch.
But Emerson takes over the task and waves him down. “Sit down. I’ll make lunch today.”
“No, he can do it,” I say.
“I’m doing it,” Emerson insists as Owen looks from one of us to the other.
He settles for perching at the kitchen island.
She winks at him. “You can be my sous chef if I need you.”
I roll my eyes and settle back in my chair as I stare at them. “I guess we can go for a few hours. The mayor won’t forgive us if we don’t make an appearance.”
“It’s the cost of being a Collins,” Owen quips. “Anyway, Emerson and I did most of the planning for the rodeo when she first got here. We laid out most of the groundwork. How much more really needs to be done?”
I nod slowly. “Right, I saw the plans.”
Emerson is unusually quiet as she washes salad greens.
“The fundraisers aren’t so bad,” I offer. “And the food usually isn’t terrible.”
“Oh no, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she agrees. “But maybe I should sit this one out. I mean, it’ll look weird having me there, won’t it? I’m…” She shrugs and looks at me across the room. “I’m no one to the ranch.”
I frown at the self-deprecating comment and stand, venturing toward the kitchen. “You’re a very important part of the team,” I counter. “If not for you, half of what we do here wouldn’t happen.”
“He’s right,” Owen agrees, his forehead creasing. “Where is this coming from?”
She sets her knife down as I join her, reading the minor distress on her face. She bites on her lower lip, and I know she’s worried about something.
“Hey,” I growl, tipping her face toward me. “What’s going on?”
She shakes her head, avoiding my stare. “It’s nothing,” she mumbles.
But I don’t let go of her, and I cup her face gently.
“Brock…” Owen tells me warningly.
I sigh, releasing her. “We can’t help you if you don’t talk to us, Emerson. That’s how you got in trouble in the first place.”
Relenting, I retreat to the dining room, and she resumes her cooking, her cheeks paling.
“No one is going to force you to come if you don’t want to come,” Owen adds. “I mean, these fundraisers aren’t like college parties or anything, but they’re not terrible, either.”
“They would be more fun with you there,” I joke.
She gives me a half-smile. “Let me think about it. We’ll see how far along we are with the rodeo plans and whatever else we have going on. I think I could probably do more good with finishing off the rodeo plans back here while you guys represent the ranch at the fundraiser.”
It’s not a ringing endorsement, but I’m the one who doesn’t want to push her.
At the end of the day, I invite her over for dinner, but she refuses for the first time all week.
“I think I’m going to have a bath and go to sleep early,” she yawns. “Tomorrow is my day off, and my best friend is visiting with her husband.”
The information shocks me for some reason. “That’s great!” I say, blinking. “I… I hope we get to meet them.”
I don’t know why I said that. I have no reason to meet my employee’s friends.
Emerson gives me a half-smile. “If you’re around, I’ll be sure to introduce you,” she promises. “But we won’t get in the way.”
“Do they know about…?” My eyes travel toward her belly, and she shakes her head.
“Not yet. That’s what tomorrow is about.”
“Well, good luck,” I say stiffly. “And uh, if you need anything, you know where to find me.”
Emerson stares at me, her eyes shining like she wants to say something.
“Okay. Thanks, Brock. Goodnight.”
She leaves through the front door, and a part of me wants to call her back inside, to tell her not to worry about the father of her baby, or what’s going to happen.
But of course, I don’t do any of that because I’m her boss, not her boyfriend.
Hell, I haven’t even kissed her, even though I’ve been tempted more times than I can count.
Yet I can’t shake this hold she has over me, like she cast a spell or something, from before we even met. I don’t understand it.
And I don’t believe for a second that Toby kept his hands off her, either. But I haven’t discussed it with him; this whole situation is too complicated, even for me.
As if my triplet hears my thoughts about him, the door opens, and he wanders inside the office.
“What are you doing?” Toby asks.
I figure there is no time like the present to get this off of my mind. “Have you been sleeping with Emerson?”
His gray eyes become slits. “Have you?”
I snort. “You are a pig, you know that? Come on. Owen’s waiting for us at the house.”
I flick off the office lights, and we head toward the house in lockstep.
“Don’t worry, bro,” Toby tells me, nudging my ribs in that way I hate. “I don’t think she minds sharing.”
I eye him dubiously. “How the fuck do you know that? What did you do now?”
He shakes his head and throws up his hands. “I didn’t do anything! She brought it up herself!”
I stop in my tracks and stare at him in disbelief. “Come on,” I drawl. “She brought up sharing her without you saying anything?”
He nods. “She did!”
I don’t believe him.
“Whatever. You better not fuck this up, Toby. I’ll never forgive you if you do,” I tell him. “And I’m not kidding. I warned you way ahead of time on this.”
He scowls. “It’s not always me doing shit, you know?”
Rolling my eyes, I march ahead to join Owen in the house.