Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Rhett
I skipped dinner with the family, heading to the bar instead. I needed to be alone. Or at least around strangers, away from the intrusive questions and exchanged glances my family seemed to think I couldn’t see. Since I didn’t have a thing to eat in the loft, strangers it was.
I didn’t mind getting on the back of the bike for a bit, either. Helped to clear my head, process everything that had happened the last couple of days.
Like the fact that Cheyenne thought I’d left because she wasn’t good enough.
Didn’t know why that shocked me so much. Looking at it from her perspective, I guessed that was a logical conclusion. It just wasn’t a thought that had ever crossed my mind before when the problem was me and not her.
I’d hurt her worse than I’d ever realized, that much was sure. I’d known she loved me. Hell, I loved her back. Nothing that happened after changed that. But we were kids. I’d figured it wouldn’t take long for her to realize she could do a hell of a lot better than me and that my leaving was the best gift I could’ve ever given her.
It was why I’d asked about her less and less as time passed, eventually avoiding talk of her at all. Killed me to admit it, but I’d never wanted to know for sure. Didn’t want to imagine her getting married, promising forever to some other man, and raising a family with him. It was selfish of me, sure, but a man knew what might break him.
I pulled into the bar’s parking lot and parked my bike, mulling everything over. Ten years ago, I’d left Wildwood because the idea of staying made me feel suffocated—not because of Cheyenne, even though my parents were putting the pressure on there, too. But the real problem was the ranch.
Once Cole left to join the military, working for Dad became unbearable. The way he saw it, he’d already lost one son. He was bound and determined to make sure he didn’t lose another. He wanted to lock me into working three hundred and sixty-five days a year at a job that was his dream, not mine. Thought if he crowded out everything else to where there was nothing left but the ranch, I’d stop talking about all the places I wanted to go and the things I wanted to do.
Showed how little he knew me. Putting that kind of pressure on me did nothing except push me away.
I had hoped to leave and get some breathing room and somehow keep Cheyenne in the process. Hadn’t worked out like that. Eventually, I made peace with it. Or thought I had until now.
No other girl had ever compared to her. Not even close. And now that I’d seen Cheyenne the woman ? I knew no one ever would.
She made me feel things no one else could. That connection she had with animals… It was like she had that same hypnotic power over me. Made me want to reform myself, settle down, and be a better man. Prove myself to her.
Downright dangerous.
I shoved those thoughts away and headed into the bar. Groaned when I walked inside and saw Sam Barton, but I decided to ignore him and head straight to the front. I claimed an empty barstool and signaled Pete.
His smile faltered when he saw it was me. “Hey there, Rhett. What can I do for ya?”
“Whiskey,” I said, putting some bills on the bar. “And whatever I’m smelling to soak it up.”
“That’d be the western burger. Ground bison, bacon, and barbecue sauce.”
“Sounds perfect.”
He gave me a weak smile. “How long are you going to be in town?”
I fought back the growl that wanted to erupt. Did the whole town want me to leave? “I’m staying for a while. At least until Dad gets back on his feet. Maybe longer.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Staying?”
“Staying.” If it hadn’t been certain before, it was now.
His hand trembled slightly as he placed the whiskey in front of me. “Listen, Rhett. I was thinking of asking Cheyenne out. Is that going to be a problem?”
I blinked three times. Pete? Ask Cheyenne out? The idea made me want to laugh out loud. He couldn’t be further from her type. He was scrawny and pale from working behind a bar instead of in the great outdoors, and his blond hair and slight build made him look like a kid instead of our age. It had to be a joke. But he wasn’t laughing.
“Now, why would that be a problem?” I asked carefully.
“So, you two aren’t back together?”
“Nope. Just work colleagues .”
His face flushed with relief, apparently not recognizing the sarcasm in my voice. “Okay. I didn’t want to start a problem between me and you. I know she was always off-limits back when you were here, but it’s been a long time and I like her. She’s sweet, you know?”
Sweet. Not the word I’d use to describe Cheyenne. But I bit my tongue and nodded. If the kid wanted to embarrass himself, that was his own problem.
I’d just taken my first swig of whiskey when Claire walked in and plopped down beside me at the bar.
“What. Was. That?” she asked, signaling Pete to bring her a drink too.
“What was what?”
She grinned. “The sexual tension between you and Cheyenne in the barn. Good grief. I thought I was going to burn alive just standing next to her when she turned around and saw you standing there, all angry and fierce.”
Pete dropped the glass he was holding, turning bright red.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I muttered.
“Oh, come on,” she said, elbowing me. “It’s clear as day you’re still hung up on her. Can’t stand even thinking about her being with someone else. And the look on your face when you set her straight about how she was everything! Then you sat out there watching her ride Diablo, unable to keep your eyes off her. Never knew you were such a romantic, Rhett.”
“I thought you slipped out,” I said pointedly. I picked up my whiskey and downed it in a single swallow, wishing I could make this conversation disappear just as easily.
She grinned. “I was watching. From a safe distance.”
“You always were a sneaky one.”
“Makes me good at my job. Look,” she said, turning toward me with a serious expression on her face. “I told Cheyenne I’d discourage you if you showed any interest. But you’re my brother, and I love you as much as I love her. So I wanna know. What are you feeling?”
“Annoyed. At you.” I signaled Pete for another drink. He refused to meet my eye when he poured it.
“I mean it, Rhett.”
“I do, too.”
“Come on.”
I sighed. “The truth?”
“Yes.”
I lowered my voice. “I hurt her. More than I ever knew. And I’m probably leaving again when Dad gets back on his feet. Best thing I could do for Cheyenne now is keep my distance.”
“But…” Claire prodded.
“But I don’t know if I’m that damn noble,” I muttered.
Claire was silent for a moment. “You can’t even think about starting something up with her unless you’re staying. If you got her to let you in, then you left again…”
“Trust me, I know.”
“So why are you even considering it?”
I stared at my glass. “Because she matters. Always has, even when I was gone.”
Claire flattened her lips and took a deep breath. “Are you really leaving as soon as Dad gets better?”
I downed my second whiskey. “I don’t know anymore.”
She stared at me. “Well, until you know, you need to watch your step. I’m not trying to make you feel bad, but Cheyenne loved you. The real kind of love. It crushed her when you left.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t,” she said, squeezing my arm.
I looked over and saw the most serious look I’d ever seen on her face.
“Rhett, I was her best friend. I was here through it all. She wasn’t just sad. She grieved, like she’d lost her whole world. And I will root for you every single time. But I’ll also kick your ass if you break her heart again.”
“Understood.” I was quiet for a minute, mulling it over. “I don’t know, Claire. I needed to leave ten years ago. But I never stopped missing Cheyenne. Never. And part of me’s always wanted to come back.”
“To visit? Or…”
I didn’t answer directly. “I quit my job.”
“ What ?”
“Put in my notice before I headed up here. I want to start my own business. Didn’t think it would be here. But I don’t know, Claire.” I swallowed hard, then admitted the truth—to myself as much as to her. “Maybe Dad getting hurt gave me the excuse I’d been looking for to come home.”
“You never needed an excuse to come home,” she said gently.
“That sounds like something Mom would say.”
Her eyes went wide. “Oh my word, you’re right. Don’t tell her. She’d probably get all teary-eyed on me.”
I grinned, feeling a bit lighter. “Nothing wrong with being like Mom.”
“No.” A shadow crossed her face, and I knew exactly why. Claire had the same issue with Mom that I had with Dad: the knowledge that we could never, ever live up to their expectations and also be true to our own souls. Claire had managed to walk the line a little better than I had, but the problem was the same. “Anyway,” she said, shaking it off, “here’s the deal. I love Cheyenne, and I have girl loyalty to her.”
“I know.” I was kind of even grateful for it.
“So I should discourage you,” she said, biting her lip. “But…”
“But?”
This time, she was the one glancing around to make sure no one was listening. “You broke her heart. But only because she loved you so damn much. Honestly, Rhett? I think she still does.”
My heart dared to hope. “You think? It’s been a long time. And other than that little exchange in the barn, she hasn’t shown a single trace of emotion around me.”
“She’s a strong woman. Puts on a brave face. She’s good at that.”
“Yeah, she is.”
Claire looked deep into my eyes. “But I know her. She’s never once gotten excited about anyone else. Has always kept her guard up. Goes on dates, keeps things casual, never lets them in. Not like she did with you.”
“Because I hurt her,” I said, forcing the words out over the lump in my throat.
“Because she loved you , ” Claire said gently. “And nothing else ever compared.”
I opened my mouth to reply but stopped when Claire’s face changed to disgust. I turned, looking over my shoulder, and saw Thomas Smith scowling at her.
Thomas was my age, but you’d never know it looking at him. His thinning hair and the hard lines around his mouth made him look like he was racing around the sun faster than the rest of us. He was still as lean and mean-looking as ever though, the kind of guy who’d always gotten a kick out of bullying anyone weaker than him. Didn’t surprise me a bit that he mistreated his animals.
He walked up to the bar and ordered a crappy beer, shooting Claire dirty looks as he did. The big brother in me began to get pissed off, but Claire gave me a little shake of her head, letting me know she could handle herself.
Of course she could. She’d been handling herself without me around for quite some time.
“Hello, Thomas,” she said, giving him a curt nod.
“Are you talking to me, horse thief?”
“Now, you know better than to make accusations like that,” she chided.
“Pretty dirty scheme you’ve got going, huh? Taking the finest animals in the county under trumped-up animal abuse charges, then using them for free labor at your ranch. There was a time when people would hang for that.” His voice was controlled, but rage glittered dark in his eyes.
Claire gave him an amused smile. “We both know there was nothing trumped up about those charges. Besides, the only horse in the county that’s been taken is yours, so doesn’t seem like much of a scheme, now, does it? Not to mention the fact that said horse isn’t working at all.”
He let out a biting laugh. “Likely story. But who could expect the truth from a Hawkins? You all think you’re above everyone else, sitting high and mighty on that ranch of yours. You’re the worst of them now that you have a badge to hide behind.”
“Hey, knock it off,” I said. Some things went too far, and no one was going to talk to my sister like that in front of me.
He stared at me for a second before recognition lit in his eyes. “Well, well, well. With you in town, I’ll take back what I said. You’re the worst of the bunch, and that girl you used to screw is the reason I lost my horse. Maybe Cheyenne needs a good lesson in what it feels like to have something taken from her .”
My vision went red and I came off the barstool, standing in front of him with my fists clenched. “Don’t even think about going near her.”
He smirked, knowing his shot had landed. “Or what, Hawkins?”
“Oh, I think you know.”
“You want a piece of me? You come and get it.” He thumped me on my chest.
I narrowed my eyes, giving him a wicked grin. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
Claire put a hand on my arm, pulling me back. But as soon as I backed down, Thomas saw his chance and decked me across the chin. After that, Claire didn’t have a chance of stopping me. I turned and slammed my fist into his face so hard he flew backward, knocking over one of the tables.
“Stop it!” Claire said, angry now. “Both of you.” She motioned to Pete. “Call the sheriff’s office. Have them send somebody over here.”
“On it,” he said, already picking up his phone.
She pulled cuffs out from the back of her jeans and slapped them on Thomas’s wrists, yanking his hand away from his broken and bloodied nose.
“What about him?” he growled.
“You punched first,” she said. “His was self-defense.”
“Then so is this,” he said, jerking out of her grasp and lunging toward me.
She pulled him back and sat him down—hard—on a chair, then shook her head, disgusted. “Knock it off. We’ll get this all sorted out in a minute. And to think, this was supposed to be my night off.”
“Sorry,” I said, meaning it. I rubbed my sore chin.
She waved me off. “Not your fault. He baited you and punched first, and you’ve got a bar full of witnesses to back that up.”
I looked around, my stomach sinking as I saw the faces staring back at me. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time they’d seen me get into a bar fight.
This might have been the first time I wasn’t at least partially to blame. So at least there was that.
The next bit was a blur of making statements and feeling uncomfortable in a spotlight I didn’t want to be in. My fault or not, this wasn’t exactly the reputation I wanted now, especially since I was starting to toy with the idea of staying. I’d wanted to come back as someone different.
Not as the troublemaker Rhett Hawkins.
When things settled down and Thomas had been sent home with a warning and a fine, Sheriff Cade McGrath came over and shook my hand with a grin on his face. “Didn’t know you were back in town,” he commented. “But I see things haven’t changed much.”
“That’s not fair,” Claire interjected. “Thomas baited him.”
McGrath nodded. “I know. I’ve heard that from everyone here. But can I give you some advice, son?”
“What?” I tried to keep my voice respectful but failed.
He leaned in. “Thomas Smith is a snake. We all know it. Nobody blames you for what happened here, but in the future, try not to take the bait. Because I’ll tell you this: He’s furious with your family. Now that you’ve embarrassed him by a sound victory in front of everyone, he’s going to be furious at you, too.”
“Got it.”
He studied me. “Good to have you back. I know your family appreciates it right now.”
Right. I wasn’t sure they appreciated it at all—and I knew Mom sure wouldn’t appreciate this. Didn’t matter that I was almost thirty years old; I was in for a lecture just the same. But I nodded and forced a smile.
“You good?” Claire asked, moving toward me.
“I’m good.”
“Thomas has to pay for the table,” she said. “Pete isn’t mad at you.”
I glanced over at him. I wasn’t too sure about that, although I knew he had different reasons to be unhappy with me since Claire had walked in making her announcement of sexual tension between me and Cheyenne.
I didn’t want to burden her with that though. So I gave her a convincing smile as we walked out to the parking lot to head home.
“See you tomorrow?” she said as she turned toward her truck.
“Yeah, see you.” I watched as she climbed in, pulled out, and headed toward home.
But I groaned when I walked over to my bike. Someone had let the air out of my tires.
I pulled out my cell phone and called Claire’s number to ask her to turn around and give me a ride, but she didn’t answer. After two more tries, I cursed, knowing I’d have to call someone else at the ranch. Travis would give me a hard time, and I wasn’t ready to face Mom. That left Jonathan or Beth. Of the two, Beth was the most forgiving by far. I pulled up her number and was about to click call.
But then a familiar voice came from behind my shoulder. “Looks like you need a ride.”
I turned around, relieved. “Man, am I happy to see you. But the ranch is out of your way. You sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. Hop in.”
I climbed into the front seat. “I appreciate it. Can’t believe someone let the air out of my tires.”
“That’s a shame. Hey, do me a favor? I need a smoke. Grab my cigarettes from the glove compartment?”
“Sure thing.” I leaned forward to get them, but when I did, white light exploded behind my eyes and the world went dark.