Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Callie
M y brother seems to be in a good position to hear sense, but before I can get past reminding him who's in charge of deciding who my baby daddy's going to be, I hear a sound behind me that I'm not prepared for.
I'm no stranger to the sound of a fight, but Rowan's still on the ground so what the hell is going on behind me?
Whipping around, I see Archer staggering backward with his brother, Gunner, preparing to throw another punch.
"You fucking around with Callie Maye, Archer? She's your best friend's little sister, for fuck's sake! Not to mention her brother's our feed supplier, you dumbass. You really willing to get us black listed to get your dick wet?"
"Hey!" I charge the older O'Leary brother with every intention of endangering his ability to make babies himself but Rowan pushes me out of the way and decks Gunner instead.
"Talk about my sister that way again and you can bet your ass I'll black list the Delta O!"
Gunner socks Rowan, and casually lifts the brim of his hat in my direction while my brother rubs his jaw.
"Sorry ma'am, no disrespect," he tells me.
I've known all the O'Leary brothers for about ever. Gunner's always been on the gruff side, but he's polite. I know his comment wasn't about me, he's mad at his brother because he doesn't know the whole story.
"It was really Cal?" My brother's looking a little beat up and lot like he'd rather avoid getting hit again. "That you were talking about when you said you were in love?"
He's looking right at Archer Dean now, and so are Archer's brothers.
"Yeah. It's Calla." Archer admits almost shyly. But he's looking at me with half a grin on his gorgeous face. "It's been Cal for years now. Since she got back from her schooling in the city, I reckon."
All heads on the lawn swivel in sync to look at me.
"Cal?" Rowan's voice is all kinds of curious.
"It's always been Archer for me," I confess. "Since long before I even knew what the hell love was really going to be. But yeah-- these last couple of years, my feelings for him kind of...grew into something I'll never be able to let go of."
"So you never dated anybody-- because of that fool?" Rowan jerks a thumb toward Archer.
It's my turn to get shy, with a weak shrug of affirmation. Maybe it's ridiculous, but it worked out.
Well, it worked out for me and Archer. Judging from the expressions on the faces around us, it's going to take a while for our brothers to get used to the new arrangement.
"Looks like you got things handled then." Lance breaks the silence but the rest of us continue our stare down. "So, uh, I'll just go let Mom know she was right."
Rowan and I are both confused by the younger O'Leary's statement, but Gunner throws his hat to the ground with a loud curse and Archer drops his head back to look at the sky with a long groan.
"You're gonna give Ranger the hundred you just cost me, asshole." Gunner picks up his hat and backhands Archer's arm as he replaces it on his head. "Never thought you'd pull a stunt like this in a million years."
Lance laughs as he walks toward the main house where their mother, Kim, lives.
Gunner grumbles about losing money on some bet with his older brother that seems to have involved Archer and me getting to together, as he gets back in the side by side and heads back toward the working side of the ranch's sprawling property.
Rowan and Archer hold each other in a steady gaze filled with testosterone and defiance.
When my brother takes a step in Archer's direction, I rush to get between them. Taking my place directly in front of Archer to make my position on the matter as clear as possible.
Archer
Once again, Callie puts herself right in the middle. I appreciate her standing with me and making it clear that she won't be backing down from the promises we've made to one another, and she's certainly shown that she knows where to hit a man when she's fed up with his behavior-- note to self-- but I'd rather she wasn't between me and her brother.
Not when he's stalking toward me with murder still written in his features.
But when I move aside so Cal's not in danger, Rowan's path of travel doesn't follow me. He keeps walking till he's toe to toe with Callie, the two of them locked in a staring match the likes of which I've never witnessed.
"You should have told me." Rowan finally speaks, scolding and hard.
"Told you what? I was in love with your best friend? How was that going to go over, Row?"
Rowan's face only darkens. I don't know if he's taking time to think it over or if he's just fighting to keep his temper under control.
I move closer to Cal, laying my hand on her shoulder in a move that has Rowan's eyes narrow where I'm touching his sister.
"You're too young." He tells her firmly.
"Correction: I was too young." Callie edges forward, forcing her brother to step back or get stepped on. "Now I'm a grown woman with a career and my own business, Rowan. Other girls in the valley were getting married straight out of high school. Girls I graduated with are already on their second baby and you never seemed to think that was too young for anybody else."
"The girls you graduated with married boys their own age, Cal. Archer's got ten years on you. What the hell do you have in common that's gonna get you through the long haul together?"
"It's not like I'm marrying a stranger--" I watch Rowan's eye twitch when she says "marrying" and I might feel for my buddy, but hearing her claim me out loud like that feels mighty damn good. "I've been friends with Archer and his whole family just as long you have.
"He's your best friend , Rowan."
It's hard to fight the grin that threatens the corner of my lips when lays it on thick like that.
"You wouldn't have been so close to someone for so long if he wasn't a good guy."
She's got him. I see the moment my buddy's resolve cracks open.
"She's got a point, Row." Now I step fully into their space, wrapping my arm around Callie and taking in the slack when she leans into me with her own arm around my waist. "You've known me a long damn time. We've been though some epic shit together. You know I'd never disrespect that.
"I did my level best these last couple of years to ignore what I was feeling. Nobody knows how protective you are of Cal better than me. No way I'm going to risk our friendship and my family's business relationship with you over something that's not serious. You gotta know me better than that."
Off in the distance, the distinctive sound of delighted chatter joins the tense conversation in my front yard.
I'm really starting to wish I had a shirt on. And some damn shoes.
My mother's excited voice quickly closes in on us, causing a noticeable shift among us.
"Oh my gosh! Callie!" Mom's got her arms wrapped around Cal, pulling her away from me in a bear hug that Cal returns with enthusiasm.
"Lancer told me the good news, I'm so excited!"
Mom releases Callie and goes for Rowan.
"Aren't you excited?" Mom gushes as Rowan awkwardly allows the hug. He looks like cat being forced to take a bath and it's enough to make both Cal and I laugh out loud.
"We're going to be family, Rowan! I've been telling Archer all year that he and Callie were right for each other. I just had a feeling about them. Aren't you happy for your sister?"
Mom babbles excitedly, seemingly unaware of Rowan's objection to our relationship.
Seems to me, Lance would have mentioned the part where fists were flying.
"Uh, yeah, Mrs. O." Rowan's cat in the bath look has morphed to more of a kid with his hand in the cookie jar kind of guilt that does nothing to make me stop laughing. "I guess so, sure...if Cal's happy, I'm happy."
Eyes turn to Cal, who's still stifling giggles at the way my mother has managed to change Rowan's attitude.
"Oh! Yes. I'm happy!" Cal practically sings, stepping back against me so I can wrap my arms around her again. "Very happy."
"Lancer said this all just came out this morning? Have you told your parents yet, Cal?"
Mom seems to have decided that Rowan is sufficiently on board with her match making. Now she's moved into planning mode.
"We were going to tell them today," Cal answers, "when we start moving my things over, but someone decided to throw a tantrum and slowed things down."
Cal's eyes narrow at her brother.
Rowan shifts his weight between his feet and works his jaw in irritation.
"Well then, I'll just call your mother and we'll have them over for dinner tonight and you can make your announcements all at once. How's that sound?"
Mom doesn't wait for any of us to answer, she's already speed walking back to the house; probably lost in plans of what she'll make for dinner...and where she's setting up the chairs for the wedding if I know Mom.
The three of us watch her go, waiting silently till she's out of hearing range.
Rowan paces forward. He still looks pissed, but it's clear to see that the fight's gone out of him.
"It's happening," Callie tells him cooly. "Make peace with it."
He just stares back at her for a long moment before taking a very deep breath and looking me in the eye.
"You're gonna marry her."
His finger pokes at my bare chest. It's not a question, it's a command.
"She better have a ring on her finger this week. And no long engagements. I expect to be putting a date in my calendar soon.
And she better not be pregnant before you guys are legal."
Rowan's eyes swing back at his sister. She rolls hers at him in response.
I give her a smirk, knowing there's no way either of us can promise that.
The way she looks back up at me with an upturn to her lips that mirrors mine has me ready to haul her back into my bedroom.
"No backsies, Cal. You marry him, you keep him. It's bad enough you made me kick my best friend's ass, don't make me kick my brother in law's ass too."
Before either Cal or I can respond to that promising note, Rowan's finger is pressed back to my solar plexus, his eyes burning with intensity.
"Fuck her over and they don't find a single piece of you for a hundred years. I'll make the Kelly/Ralston feud look like a joke."
"Won't happen," I assure him. "I'm gonna spend the rest of my life making her happy and chasing kids around this yard."
Forgetting Rowan for a second, I lean down to meet Cal's lips with mine.
Her brother's growl sounds farther away, but I'm too focused on Callie and the way she looks at me like what I said about chasing kids has her thinking about getting started right away.
"Not till you're married, Calla Lillian!" Rowan shouts from his truck as he pulls out of my drive. " Married! "
Gravel from the private road flies as he guns the engine and tears out of the ranch's property like he can't get away from us fast enough.
Callie rolls her eyes at her brother's display.
"He doesn't mean that," she tells me with a sly grin.
"What he doesn't know won't hurt me," I agree as I lift Callie in my arms and carry her back inside.