34. Thirty-Four
Thirty-Four
Rhett
A part of me didn’t want our trip to end, I was almost tempted to jump on a few more rodeos to extend it, but Kyla reminded me of the reason we needed to get home. She kept me up to date on what Lachlan was saying, making sure we all were on the same page. The plan we put together was simple. Once we got back, we would call David to the ranch, sit him down, and refuse the offer.
Simple.
Easy.
Right?
I hoped so.
We got back late and the big house was dark, but Lachlan appeared to instantly help get Buckle settled. Kyla gave him a hug, which I think shocked him, before she gave me a quick kiss and headed inside. Lachlan raised his eyebrows and looked at me.
“She’s staying?” he asked.
I watched as she opened my— our —front door and vanished inside. I nodded, a smile forming. “Yeah, she’s staying.”
“Congrats,” he grumbled.
“Thanks,” I responded sleepily, making my way to the back of the trailer. “Wyatt got asked to go to a few more rodeos, he was happy too. I think he lasted one drive with us.”
“We won’t need him for this meeting anyway, he doesn’t have any interest in the ranch.” Lachlan stepped in the trailer, making himself known to Buckle, who began to bob her head up and down. “He’ll go along with what we say.”
“Wyatt does like it, but he’s not going to stay here.” Once Buckle was out of the trailer, I grabbed her reins and led her to the stables. She moved slowly.
“Are we talking about my twin?” Abi’s voice came up from behind me. I spun to see my sister, her arms crossed over her chest, her hair falling over her shoulders. She was wearing her pajamas and her pair of slipper boots. “He’s a lost cause.”
I chuckled. “No he’s not, he’s just not ready to stop yet.”
“He’s gonna get himself in trouble.” Abi yawned. “Where’s Kyla?”
“She went inside. She’s tired. It’s been a hell of a drive.” I led Buckle into her stall, giving her a scratch behind her ears.
“We’re home for a while. No rodeos until September.”
“So.” Abi leaned up against the gate. “I’ll talk about the elephant in the . . . barn.” She waved her arm around. “We’re calling him up tomorrow to get him here. He gave us a week to accept the offer. We have two days.”
I groaned. “I’d rather take a day to come home. I bet Kyla would like that too.”
“So, take the day tomorrow to settle, and then we set up a meeting with him?”
“It’s a damn good offer.” Lachlan folded his arms and looked at Abi. Her gaze went directly to our cousin, a sigh leaving her lungs.
I left Buckle’s stall, closed the gate behind me, and gave my cousin a glare. I hated that he admitted it was good. It felt as if he would go along with it too, like he would have no issue walking away from everything he’s worked towards.
“Not gonna happen.” I sighed. “We’ll call him tomorrow, set up a meeting and get him the fuck out of here.” Brushing my hands on my hips I began to walk out of the barn. “I’ll talk to dad tomorrow, before we call him.”
“Yeah. Tomorrow. We’ll talk to dad.” Abi sighed. “Get some sleep.”
“I’ll get Buckle fed,” Lachlan added. “No need to thank me.”
I waved my hand behind my back as I left the barn. Leaving my truck and trailer right where it was, I trudged to my house, wanting to be with Kyla more than anything. I hated that this was brought up right before trying to relax for the night. The one thing that would fix it was in my house, hopefully already in my—I sighed— our bed. All I needed was her in my arms and then I could deal with this in the morning.
I rubbed the back of my neck as I took a step into the front room, setting my hat on the table and kicking off my boots. Kyla had turned the kitchen light on, and a half full glass of water sat next to the sink. A soft smile and a sense of calm filled me as I looked at the normal things that would happen in every day life. Things I would get to see more and more.
Slowly making my way into the bedroom, I saw Kyla curled up. She hadn’t even bothered to pull a blanket over her body. I removed my jeans and shirt, leaving me in my boxers and T-shirt, before grabbing a throw and softly crawling in next to her. I covered her first, draping what was left of the blanket over my legs, before I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close.
She hummed and scooted closer to me. “Took you long enough.”
“I got cornered by Abi and Lachlan.”
She hummed again. “Are they okay?”
“Yeah.” I closed my eyes. “We’ll talk tomorrow. For now . . .” I sighed, kissing the crown of her head. “I just want to sleep.”
“Me too. It feels so good to be home.”
Home.
A blissful morning, that’s what we had.
Kyla woke up and turned to face me. She kissed my neck and chin, bringing me to life in more ways than one. We made love slow and sensual—no rushing, no hard moments. Creating pleasure every way we could with our hands and mouths before finally coming together. We showered together, and found that we were still having a hard time keeping our hands off each other. The water had turned cold before Kyla finally convinced me we needed coffee.
She dressed while I made breakfast, and I absolutely loved it once she came up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. We drank our coffee, ate our breakfast, and just . . . were. We checked my standings—noticing I was still top in the nation—on the way to the NFR. We read a text from her mother and agreed we would call her after we handled David. Then Grace called and we ended up on FaceTime with her.
We planned out our next rodeo road trip and Kyla sent an email to the job she had lined up, with only a small amount of anxiety. Going back and forth between writing the email and calling, she finally decided to write the email first, and then call. Once the email was completed, she slammed the laptop shut and moved over to wrap her arms around my neck, burying her head in my shoulder.
I knew she was here, I knew she was staying, but that final step made it real.
After lunch we decided it was time to head over to the main house, show my family that we were indeed alive, and Kyla was indeed staying. She laced her fingers through mine as we left the house, not letting go for a second as we began to take the walk over.
I could get used to this—Kyla’s hand in mine, the feeling of her ring against my finger. She was my wife. She had been in my life for two months, but it already felt like a lifetime. And we had more time. We had all the time in the world.
“So,” I started, using her hand to pull her closer to me. I used that same hand to lift above her head, resting my arm on her shoulder. She didn’t let go of my hand. “Are you serious about changing your name?”
“I mean . . .” she sang. “I do like the ring of Mrs. Hartwell, don’t you?”
“I love it, just as much as I love you.” I kissed her temple and she hummed. “But I don’t want to force you into changing it if you don’t want to. Kyla Richards has a good ring to it too.”
“Not as good as Kyla Hartwell,” she said as she leaned into me closer. “We are staying married right?”
“I plan to.” I leaned over and kissed her temple.
“Me. Too. So let’s talk about those dates we’re supposed to go on. We’re home, and we’re here for a few weeks, right? What’s the first date gonna be?”
Before I could answer her, I saw it, the black SUV that sped up the dirt path to the main house. Kyla didn’t stop walking; her hand didn’t squeeze mine, and her breathing stayed steady. She was calm—at least on the outside. I hoped I could portray that, because my heart was going a million beats per minute.
We had a plan.
And he was ruining it.
The SUV stopped as soon as we reached the front of the house, and he wasted no time. David opened the car door, shutting it quietly as he rounded the front of the car, that fake smile plastered on his face.
“Mr. Hartwell.” He sneered. “You’re back. I was so hoping you’d be here today. I’ve been having quite the time with—”
“David,” I cut him off. “I’d like to say it’s good to see you but—”
“It’s great to see you too. I’ve been watching your progress with Steer Wrestling—”
“Tie-down,” I corrected.
“You have a lot of failed attempts.” He tsked his tongue once. I tightened my grip on Kyla’s hand, grateful she still held on, if for nothing else, to stop me from punching him. “And second place in Utah? I still hope you have a shot getting to the NFR.”
“He’s still top in the nation David, we just checked. We will be going to the NFR,” Kyla spat.
We. I loved knowing she would be coming with me. Even in this moment, just that knowledge brought a sense of grounding.
David’s gaze went from me to Kyla. I could see his face twisting to find the right expression. He finally settled with a calm, longing gaze. I hated his eyes on my wife. He had no right.
“I saw you traveled with him. They had a blast showing you in-between the runs. They know more about you two than I think you do.” He brushed his bottom lip with his thumb, his gaze frozen on Kyla as his eyes moved up and down.
“Well, that’s what happens when your brother is an announcer.” I cocked my head and glared.
“He liked to share the fact that you are newlyweds.”
Fucking Wyatt.
“But you’re not, are you?” His voice dropped as he looked to Kyla’s left hand, no doubt eyeing the ring.
“Cut the shit,” I snapped, finally dropping Kyla’s hand, and taking a single step towards him. “Get off my property.”
“Why would I do that when I was invited?” David chuckled and wiggled his shoulders, presenting himself again, as if he didn’t just question our marriage. “I have a meeting with your dad. We want to discuss the offer I made on a portion of the land.” His smile grew, reaching his eyes. His teeth were abnormally white, making me think he got them whitened just for this. The prick . . .
“How many times do I have to tell you—”
“And how many times do I have to tell you?” he interrupted. “Everything—”
“David . . .” Kyla sighed, folding her arms against her chest. “You know this sale isn’t going to have the outcome you want.”
“That’s not up to you, is it, Kyla. Technically, it’s not even up to your husband. It’s up to his father, and that’s who I’ve been in contact with. In fact”—he shifted his feet and nodded his chin towards the house—“I’m going to be late, so if you’ll excuse me.”
“I don’t think so.” I stepped in front of him, “I have just as much say as Lachlan does, and I know you don’t have a meeting planned today—”
“What are you going to do, Rhett? Threaten me again? Shove a fake piece of paper in my face to get me to back off? It didn’t work two weeks ago, and it’s not going to work today. I’m here to talk to your father and cousin about purchasing a corner of your land. And when they sign, I’ll be in your life forever and then I can guarantee you, I’ll have my fiancé back.” He stepped closer to me, his voice low, and a devilish glare spread across his face as his eyes darkened.
“Wait what? You threatened him?” Kyla asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.
“Sure did,” David answered for me, his eyes flickering towards her for only a second before returning to me.
“I didn’t threaten you. I told you to get out of town.”
“What do you mean fake piece of paper?” Kyla asked, squeezing my shoulder as she stepped forward.
“A marriage license. One dated for April 24 th , signed by you and Rhett. So even if you are legally married, I know for a fact it’s just to piss me off.” He twitched his eyes to look at Kyla, leaving them on her for a second before turning back to me. “It’s not real.”
“Come on David . . .” Kyla groaned, the warmth from her hand leaving my shoulder.
“Do you even want to know how I know it’s not real?” David spat, a twitch in his jaw as he clenched his teeth.
I squinted. What the hell was he getting at?
“Come on Kyla, ask me.”
“David. I told you—”
“I know. You said you met Rhett at a rodeo in Arizona and fell for him so hard and fast you traveled with him. We all know the bullshit you’re spinning—both of you. But do you want to know how I know it’s not real? That you two weren’t really married on April 24 th . That you were married just weeks ago. Right when I showed up.”
“Enlighten me,” I urged, “Tell me the reason.”
He licked his bottom lip and raised his eyebrows. “What were you doing on April 24 th, Rhett? You have to remember, it’s all over the internet. All you have to do is search your history with the circuit. April 24 th , you were in Tennessee, claiming the top spot in the Benton County Rodeo. Don’t you remember? You almost beat your time.”
My eyes widened.
Fuck .
“That’s how I know you weren’t really married on April 24 th .”
I stared at him. Not exactly knowing what to say or do, because the fucker was right. I was in Tennessee that day. I did several runs that day. I landed my best time of the season, well, so far, that day. And since Kyla and I were married June 24 th , but she had told him we were married two months prior, I just picked the day to put on the license.
Fuck.
I could feel Kyla’s eyes on me before she turned back to David. She was silent.
He laughed.
Laughed.
“I also know,” he started, “that you”—his gaze turned to Kyla—“weren’t here in April. You were in Arizona, still living with Grace—moping. You didn’t leave until May, and for some reason you decided that this shit hole town in Idaho was the best place to settle.” David took a deep breath and straightened his posture. I looked at Kyla, her eyes just as wide, shock spread across her face. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a meeting with your father and cousin that I don’t want to be late for.” Once again, he wiggled his shoulders, straightening his suit jacket, preparing for the role he was about to play.
But I wouldn’t let him play it.
I put my hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He turned and looked at me, his eyes darkening.
“Get your hand off of me,” he growled.
“Rhett?” I heard Lachlan’s voice from behind me. “What’s going on? ”
I ignored him. “Get the fuck off my property, before I call the police.”
“And what are they going to do? I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“You’re trespassing. You’re not welcome here and you know it.”
“Rhett,” I heard Kyla say, feeling her hand on my lower back. “Let’s just go in . . . have lunch . . . decline his offer and then it will be over. It will all be over.”
“No offense, Kyla.” David looked over my shoulder at her. “This doesn’t concern you. So why don’t you be a good fiancée and go get your things, and get in the car. I’m sure your mother will be happy to know you’ll be making the right decision.”
That’s it.
Pure rage possessed me as I pushed him back with a stronger force than intended, and balled my hand into a fist, readying myself to swing.
“Don’t you ever speak to my wife again.”
“Or what? You’ll punch me? I can easily take your ‘marriage license’ to court. You falsified a record, Rhett . I suggest you get the hell out of my way so I can complete this deal, then I can take my fiancé home and be out of your hair. That is, until I build on your land—”
I swung, shocked when he dodged it, stepping off to the side with that sadistic smile on his face.
“Can’t even throw a punch. It’s a damn good thing you can rope a calf.” He raised his fist.
“So, you do know my event,” I joked, cocking a grin as my fist tightened .
“No, Rhett . . . David.” Kyla grabbed my arm, taking a single step forward.
“Rhett, he’s not worth it. He’ll call the police.” Lachlan’s voice rang in my ear, but I didn’t exactly hear him. My focus was one hundred percent on the asshole in front of me.
I swung again, using all my strength to fly towards him. He was so quick to move the first time, but this time my fist made contact with his chin. Pain radiated through my fist as I held it as tight as I could, not letting the shoots get to me. It wasn’t my best punch, but it got him to react.
“Motherfucker,” he grumbled, his fingers brushing over where I hit. He spit, most likely hoping blood would fly from his mouth, but only the clear salvia landed on the grass. “Now I hope you do call the police. I have reason to press charges against you.”
“Oh, come on,” I taunted. “You’re not going to throw one at me?”
“Rhett, no.” Kyla stepped in front of me at the same time David’s face twisted, and his eyes turned red. His body reeled as he leapt forward, his fist flying through the air.
He didn’t even see her because his eyes were glued to me.
But I felt it. I felt it more than she did . . . once his fist came in contact with her jaw.