Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Callie
" T ell me about this guy," I demand, stabbing at the lime wedge in my cocktail and mentally calculating whether or not I can handle another one and still get the shop open on time in the morning.
The new bartender at O'Hare's has a heavy hand with the booze and they don't call these thing "mules" for nothing-- they've got a kick.
Ginger sighs and launches into a moony-eyed description of the guy she met up on the mountain where she's opening her brewery.
I think my best friend is in love. I've never seen Ginger act this way about a guy before. This might be it for her; she'll move up to Moonshine Ridge to live happily ever after with her mountain man and I'll be left down here in the valley with my flower shop and a growing herd of cats.
"Come up to the Ridge and hang out with me while I paint," Ginger tells me when she sees me staring into my empty copper mug, "Current has a couple of single brothers, and my land lady's grandson is smoking hot if you're into that bad boy thing."
She wiggles her eyebrows at me, looks up at the bar and throws up a peace sign. Oh. I guess that's actually a two. As in, two more drinks.
"Not my vibe." I shrug, "I'm not big on beards."
"Puh-leeze, if Dean O'Leary walked in here with whiskers to his knees--"
"Shut up!" If we were alone at Ginger's place where no one could overhear her, I'd be laughing my ass off. Because she's right. If Archer Dean grew a beard, it'd be the sexiest beard that ever bearded. But O'Hare's pub is the bar where all the ranchers hang out. It's full of people that work on the Delta O, and guys from all over town that know my brother. I can't have my bestie tipsily shouting Archer's name like that.
"Why don't you just make a move already?" Ginger sips at the new cocktail that's been delivered to our table, dropping her voice to a respectable level and looking at me with sympathy in her eyes. "Just tell him he's the guy you've been waiting on and ask him to take care of business."
Choking, either from the bourbon or Ginger's bluntness, I shake my head vehemently.
"One, I could never do that! I'm not you. Two, I don't want him to 'take care of business,' Ginge, I want..." Sighing heavily, I sip, wave my hand in circles as if it's the universal gesture for what I'm getting at, and go on, "...you know, I want the whole picture. And, most importantly, you know Rowan will kill any guy that touches me. I should have dated while I was away at school."
"But you didn't. Because you are going to die on the hill that is Archer Dean O'Leary."
"I'm destined to die a virgin."
"Cal, you're a grown woman now. You run your own business. I know you-- you want a family of your own. Maybe it's time you set your brother straight on who the gatekeeper of your panties is.
"Brothers are supposed to beat up guys who break your heart, not stand in your way of finding happily ever after."
"Maybe," I concede, "if it was anyone but Archer."
Ginger rolls her eyes and mimics "Archer" with a giggle. "Since when is it 'Archer' anyway? He was always just plain old Dean when we were growing up."
"I dunno. His people always called him by his first name. I think he started using it more after his dad passed away. Seems like all the O'Leary boys have done their growing up over this last summer."
Ginger stirs and sips thoughtfully, "I hear Ranger moved back too."
"And brought a girl home with him," I point out. "Gunner's getting married too."
"You know how these things go, Cal; once one of 'em marries up, the others fall like dominoes. Your window of opportunity is closing, you should shoot your shot before Dean ends up with someone else."
Rolling my eyes, I give my drink more attention than it calls for.
"Yeah right," I mutter, "Even if my brother wasn't an overprotective asshole; Archer still sees me as that little girl making mud pies with you."
When he sees me at all, that is.
It's for the best: he'll find some girl to marry and then he'll be the kind of off-limits that I can't fantasize ways of getting around. Then I'll have to give up on him for good and maybe I can finally get on with my life.
"I think the only person who still thinks you're a little girl making mud pies, is you, Cal. It's okay to grow up, make a play for the things you really want-- find out if they want you too. You can't move on if you don't move past."
Ginger drains her drink in one last swig and gives me a glassy-eyed smile.
"And for fuck's sake, tell your brother to stop with the clam jam."
"Ohmygod!" Maybe it's the drinks, or maybe it's really that funny, but I can't stop giggling. "I cannot believe you just said 'clam jam' unironically! I'm cutting you off!"
Archer Dean
"I'm just saying not to overlook her, honey."
Mom fusses with the pots hanging from the overhead rack Dad made out of welded horseshoes back when I was still little. She finally chooses a large saucepan and sets it on the stove, humming absently while she works and barely paying attention to my protests.
"She's Rowan's little sister, Mom, you know how he is about her."
Mom makes a "hmm" noise that isn't part of her tune and I feel like she's making a note about my comment that I hope she doesn't try to explore.
"Rowan's your friend."
"Rowan is our feed supplier. The only one in a fifty mile radius and the only good one within a hundred miles."
"So then, if Rowan was supportive, you'd ask Callie out?"
Damn, ma. I roll my eyes and do my level best not to look guilty when she looks straight at me with the big knife in her hand that she uses for the vegetables.
"Mom," I take a step and lean in to kiss my mother's cheek, sneaking a carrot off the counter behind her as I do. "This is why Ranger talked a stranger into playing pretend, remember? You need to lay off."
"Well things certainly worked out for your brother and Serenity, maybe you shouldn't be so quick to brush me off."
Ma goes back to chopping up veggies for dinner while I take advantage of the chance to sneak out of the house before she can give me any more "good reasons" why Callie and I would make a good couple.
"Range found his own girl, Mom. Love you, but you're way off here. Gotta go."
Mom's saying something about how she doesn't want her grandkids spaced too far apart so me and my younger brother, Lance, need to get busy finding women soon.
Ever since my older brothers settled down over this summer, Mom's been working overtime on the match-making.
Lance and I give her a lot of grace, seeing as how Dad passed away earlier in the year. Mom's all by herself in the big house now and damn Gunner and Ranger for getting her so excited about grandkids to spoil.
Of course, we all know my baby brother's heart is locked down already. The whole town-- and the girl who's gonna get stuck with him-- is just waiting for him to wise up to the fact and do something about it.
I'm the only one who's gonna end up letting Ma down. Because if it's not Callie, it's not gonna be anybody.
Ma means well, but she doesn't understand just how big a problem it would be if I went for Cal. I can't risk Rowan taking out his anger with me on the ranch by refusing to do business with us anymore. Then it wouldn't just be Row kicking my ass, my brothers would help him.
Though, damn, if it meant putting my ring on Callie's finger? Having her warm body wrapped around mine at night and being able to hold her hand in public and call her mine?
The toe of my boot hits one of the larger rocks in the long, private drive that runs between Mom's house and the ones us boys have built on the property. The rock goes flying, skittering over the others until it comes to a rest several feet in front of me.
Fuck yeah, man. For the chance to call Callie mine, I'd risk a whole helluva a lot. Even if it meant I'd be demoted to driving the feed trailer myself after Rowan blacklists the Delta O.