Chapter Fifteen
Kace pulled into the diner’s parking lot and found two spots in the back where he could park his Mustang across the spaces. He didn’t like anyone parking near his pride and joy. After today, he was tempted to sell it too. After selling the garage and paying for his hospital bills, he had about six months’ worth of savings. Definitely not enough to fund a racing team and continue to survive. He didn’t have to pay rent to his brother, but he wouldn’t take the charity. No way. When Gage had come home with an infant Izzi and needed help to be a parent, he still paid rent. Kace would do that too. A Ryker made his own way in the world with no handouts.
He wouldn’t think about taking any other job until he had exhausted all possible options to invest in that team. If he won a championship race, he could win millions.
Then and only then would he give up on racing and go back to fixing cars or worse, working on the ranch. But there had to be a legit buyer for his part of the ranch somewhere.
He checked his phone. His spotter, Trevor, had left several messages, but he hadn’t answered a call or a text. He owed Trevor more than that. Trev had come to the hospital while he was laid up. Trev had ridden in the ambulance with him right after the crash, but he wasn’t ready to hear Trev talk about the other teams going from speedway to speedway as the racing season continued on without him.
He had received plenty of texts and emails from his team asking about his health, and he had ignored all of them. He couldn’t face them because of his stupid mistake, but he had better start since some of those guys would be good on his team. If he ever got one.
He pushed out of the car, and the raging headache he had woken up with slammed into the right side of his head. He dug out the ibuprofen bottle from his pocket and swallowed two dry. Thick gray clouds rolled in and blocked the sun. The dimness was better for his eyes, but the cold seeped into his bones. Even the weather was turning on him. He’d feel better after Tara had her hands on him. He only wished it wasn’t in the professional sense. That kiss last night had burned hot and fast. He was sure if they could get out of second gear, they’d tear up the track. He hesitated at the diner’s door. Her ex was his biggest obstacle. She had reasons to go back to him, but Kace had won against opponents with advantages before.
The bell jangled as he entered. The lunch crowd had dwindled down, and that meant he could sit in a booth in the back corner and not be bothered until his massage.
A couple of the old guys, Ross Nettle and Otto Hornsleth, sat hunched at the end of the counter deep in conversation and didn’t look up when he went by. Howard Hornsby, wearing his usual blue smock from the hardware store, waved from his spot in a booth. The smell of cooked pork hung in the air, thick and oily. His stomach grumbled for food. He hadn’t eaten all day.
“What’s it going to be, Kace?” Evelyn Jesdale asked from her place behind the counter. She was a wide woman with dyed-brown hair that never moved, even in a summer storm. Her smile and laugh always welcomed in her customers. Evelyn owned the diner and knew all her regulars by name. She knew most of their orders too, but she asked just the same. Her niece Jenna must not have inherited the ability to serve people like her aunt could.
He looked around for any sign of the aloof waitress—who seemed to have a dislike for him if the last time he was here with Gus said anything—so he could avoid her section, but he didn’t see her. He headed for the empty booth in the corner, the opposite direction of the old coots in the room. Normally, he didn’t mind talking cars with them and listening to their gossip, but not today.
“Hey, Evelyn. The usual burger, please.”
“Comin’ up.” She pushed through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen.
He stared out the window at the cars passing. His phone vibrated on the table. Tara had sent a text.
—I’m so sorry, but I have to cancel your appointment at two. Royce is sick. I’ll call you.—
He pushed away the disappointment because it would only make his head hurt if he thought too much about it. He needed the calm she brought over him and not just a calm from the massage. She always seemed to know when he was hurting but didn’t push him to talk about it like everyone else. She gave him the space he seemed to want, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on pretending he wasn’t hurting. She saw right through him, and he didn’t mind. He didn’t want to carry the burden by himself any longer. He just couldn’t tell anyone until he raced again.
—NP. Hope he feels better. Can I see you tonight?—
Linnet Lino wandered up to his table and placed a red hard plastic cup filled with ice and soda in front of him. “Here you go, hon. Food will be right up.” She grabbed his chin and tilted it up. “Are you feeling okay? Do you need me to call the doc or your mother?” Her big brown eyes searched his face.
If Linnet hadn’t been Evelyn’s best friend and as old as his mother, he might have something to say about the woman’s hand on his face, but Linnet had been around as long as he could remember. His mother used to take him and his brothers to the diner for special dinners after his father died. It was one of the few places that didn’t mind five Ryker boys making noise. He was pretty sure Linnet had babysat for them too.
He gently removed her hand. “I’m great. Thanks.” He raised the glass to punctuate his point. Too bad it wasn’t whiskey.
“You look like you’re about to fall over. Food will fix you right up. I’ll rush Stu in the back.” She wandered off again, ignoring Howard waving his hand for her attention.
He checked his phone. Tara hadn’t responded. He wanted to see her. And stopped at that thought. What if her canceling had nothing to do with Royce but was about Paxton? He needed to know how she felt about her ex. He wasn’t afraid of the competition, but he wasn’t going to waste his time if she wanted to get back together with her husband.
He scrolled through some emails, then checked the latest sports news to see what racing was up to. The season only had a few weeks left. His dreams of racing in the pros could be put on hold if things didn’t turn his way, and that made his head hurt more. He was losing control of everything—how could he fix any of it?
“May I sit?” Drew Paxton stood over him, appearing as if Kace’s thoughts had willed him there. The guy was big with wide shoulders and a thick neck. He wore a smile, but it hung on his face like a deflated tire. The air around them charged like jumper cables.
He didn’t want Drew sitting at his table, but the dizziness picked that moment to return. If he stood, the room would spin out from under him. “Is this important?”
Drew slid into the booth even though there hadn’t been a definitive invite. “I think it is, and I think you’ll agree. I want to make you an offer.”
“What kind of offer?” If he was going to ask him to stay away from Tara, he could forget it. He wouldn’t walk away unless Tara told him to. She still hadn’t responded to his text.
“I overheard you talking to that older gentleman the other day, right outside in the parking lot here. I’d like to buy your piece of the ranch. I think it would give me quite a bit of acreage to build a nice home on.”
It would give him one hell of a piece of land for a house for one guy. “You haven’t seen the land.” He figured he could sell the piece that butted up against the old State Route 22. The road wasn’t heavily trafficked but more of a cross-through to the next couple of towns. A commercial establishment might do better there than a residence. But he didn’t care what went there. It was far enough away from the main ranch area and the guest activities it wouldn’t affect the family business.
“I saw an aerial view online. My guess is you’re selling the piece farthest away from the activity since the entire place isn’t up for sale. Your brothers wouldn’t want someone or something too close to their livelihood.”
His brothers didn’t want anyone near any of their property and were going to kill him for having this conversation. “You don’t know what I’m asking.”
“I’ll pay whatever the price is. I want to move to this town. My family is here. I don’t plan on leaving them again, and I want Tara and Royce out of that cabin. It’s not up to their standards.”
His insides burned. He would show this guy what standards were. His brothers treated all their employees like family. His mother fussed over everyone as if they were her own. She had even babysat his kid last night.
Those employee cabins might be small, but they were updated and taken care of. What did this man know about family if his ex-wife cowered in his presence? He checked his phone again. No Tara.
Linnet interrupted them with the plate of food he no longer wanted. She placed it down and turned to Drew. “Are you staying for lunch?”
“No, my friend and I are just finishing up,” he said before Drew could answer.
She shot him a look. He shrugged. She knew Drew was a stranger and no friend of his.
“Kace, let me know if you need anything.” She ignored Drew and went behind the counter. She and Evelyn kept their gazes pinned his way.
Drew pushed out of the booth. “Take your time and think about it. When you’re ready, we’ll make the deal happen, and we’ll both get what we want.” He walked away without another word.
His phone buzzed. He tore his gaze away from Drew as he walked out the door.
—I can’t see you tonight.—
He typed back to Tara. —Why?—
—Confused.—
He clenched his fists. She was rejecting him, and her ex-husband wanted his land. Did she know about that? Did she like the idea of building a house on Ryker property to live in with Paxton?
He wasn’t supposed to care who purchased the land. That money would buy him his dream, and it would take someone with Drew Paxton’s spending power to make the sale happen. But he didn’t want to give Drew a way to entice Tara. Hell, if she wanted a big house on the edge of his property, he could build it for her. What was he saying? She wasn’t his long-term future. He couldn’t think that far ahead where a woman was concerned. And she had just told him no anyway.
He dug his wallet out of his pocket to leave money for the untouched food. He needed time to think. He only wished he had someone he could talk to about this.
“Hey, Kace.”
His gaze snapped up. Kennedy Stark leaned one hip against the side of the booth. She wore a flowered dress and cowboy boots, fancier than her usual T-shirt and jeans, as if she had come from somewhere important. Her dark hair fell around her face, dusted with makeup. Her smile flickered in her eyes. He stifled a groan. He didn’t have time for this.
“Hey. What’s up? I’m in a hurry.” He hoped that didn’t sound agitated, but it probably did. The headache still pounded. The room still tilted, and the conversation with Drew had set him on edge. He needed the massage, but he couldn’t expect Tara to drop everything for him. She had a child to take care of.
Kennedy’s smile slipped, but she righted it before he could be sure. He must have sounded like a shit.
“I just wanted to see how you were feeling. You haven’t stopped by the pub in a while.”
“I feel fine. Thanks.” He shoved out of the booth and tossed some bills on the table. Evelyn and Linnet had propped their elbows on the counter and stared in his direction. He stifled another groan at their obvious observing. He hadn’t been to the pub because he hadn’t wanted to lead Kennedy on. Tara had his attention now, assuming she still wanted it.
“Your head is better? That’s great to hear. Maybe we could do something together. You know, if you’re not busy.”
“I’ve got a lot going on right now. Can I call you?” He hated the way that sounded. They had been friends for a long time. If Tara hadn’t walked into town, he might have actually taken Kennedy up on her offer.
“Actually, I scored two tickets to the qualifying race in the Premier Auto Race Series this weekend at Montana Speedway. Um, there’s access to the pit and meeting the crew. I thought you might like to go.”
He’d been to the October Qualifier before, in fact a dozen times. When he was racing semipro, his team owner had had a team as well in that pro race and had hosted his semipro team and crew. It had been a lot of fun. Seeing the race might be good for his mental recovery. He wanted to be at a track.
He hesitated. Kennedy would get the wrong idea, but Tara had just told him she was confused about him. He had meant what he said about her steering what happened between them. He wouldn’t push her if she didn’t want to be with him. Maybe she wanted her family back together, and that was what had caused so much confusion for her.
“Kace, what do you say? Would you like to go with me?”
He stared at Kennedy, willing his mouth to say something, but his thoughts bounced around like bumper cars. If he took Drew’s offer, what would Tara say? But did it matter what she thought? Drew had what he wanted, the money to buy his land, and in the end racing was the most important thing in his life.
“Sure. Thanks.”
“Great.” She planted a hard kiss on his cheek and almost knocked him off-balance. He gripped the corner of the table to steady himself. Her face turned red probably because she thought she had done something wrong. She couldn’t know how much pain he was in, and he would never tell her.
“I’ll pick you up early. Say nine on Saturday? It’s a two-hour drive, and I thought we could grab some lunch first.”
“Just as friends, right?”
Her smile slipped again. “Sure. Right. Of course. That’s what we are, aren’t we? I mean, we’ve been friends since, what, middle school?”
“Something like that. I’ll see you on Saturday.” He hurried from the diner before she could ask for anything else, like dinner or marriage.
Now that he had decided to take Drew’s offer, he needed to figure out what to do about Tara. And fast.