Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
SAM
“Ihope you enjoyed your ride.”
“Thank you. That was a lot of fun, sir.” The little boy looks up with a smile on his face.
“I’m glad you had fun.”
God, the kid looks so much like Max that it makes my heart hurt. Fuck, this shouldn’t be so hard. I haven’t been able to go to the main lodge since Greg found out about us, and now, well, everything just fucking sucks.
With Lennox hovering, no matter how many times I try to tell her not to worry, I don’t have time to be that lonely.
“Hey, Benny, you want to take them back up to the lodge for me?”
“You sure you don’t want to do it?” he asks.
I pin him with a look that tells him I’m his boss and he needs to do what I say.
I guess there are some perks to being the head man in charge out here.
Instead of going back to my office and doing the paperwork that can wait until later, I head back out to the barn and find Storm.
I’m sure Kade could use some help checking the cattle.
There’s plenty of time to help him and get a good ride in between guests.
Anything to not have to go to the lodge and see Joey.
I was doing just fine on my own until Joey came into my life. Then she showed me everything I was missing—love, comfort, intimacy—and now, I can’t imagine not having it in my life. Not having her in my life.
Putting my foot in the stirrup, I swing my leg over Storm and it’s like he knows exactly where I need to go.
I push him harder and faster than I usually do, but he can take it.
With each pound of his hooves against the ground, it helps to push the swirling thoughts from my head.
I love being out at this part of the ranch.
Everything back here is quiet. I don’t have to worry about bumping into people.
It’s just me, Storm, and the field sprawled out before me.
It’s days like this that I’m really fucking thankful that Kade didn’t sell this place. I don’t think it would be what it is now without him. It’s a place I’ll never want to leave. Even if things hurt right now.
So much for not letting my thoughts go back to Joey.
Cresting over the hill, I spot all the cows lazily munching on the grass.
After all the issues we had with getting them secured in the fence last year, it’s nice to see they’re all where they should be.
I stop and take a second to breathe in the cool, fall air, letting the sun warm my skin. Yeah, this feels really fucking good.
“I thought I might find you out here.”
Turning my head, I see Kade riding up on Lollipop and stopping next to me.
He’s by himself, which is a rarity nowadays. If he’s not with Presley, he’s usually taking Poppy out for a ride.
“What are you doing out here?” I ask.
“Technically I own the place and I can go wherever I want.”
I smirk at him. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, when Benny brought everyone else up and said you had gone back out, I figured you might need someone to talk to.”
“And what am I supposed to do? Dump my problems on someone who’s twenty years younger than I am?”
“You know, you say that like it’s a bad thing. I’m actually a really good listener.” Kade smiles back at me.
“Do you really want to hear my problems?”
“Would it help if I told you I already know what happened because of Presley?”
I groan, scrubbing a hand down my face. My beard is growing in because I haven’t bothered to shave it in the last week.
“I swear, do women tell each other everything?”
Kade nods. “Yes. Having a daughter, I think you should know this.”
“Lennox isn’t exactly an oversharer about what happens in her life.”
“Poppy better not get that way.”
I glance over at him before turning back to the pasture.
“Is she at the stage where she tells you everything?” I laugh.
He nods. “Even the things I don’t want to hear.”
“She’s six. What don’t you want to hear?”
“That Margo.” He shakes his head. “Always telling Poppy about some new toy she got or how one of the boys likes her and not Poppy.”
“Really?”
He nods. “Oh, yeah.”
“Did you ask Poppy about the boys?” I ask.
“She said boys are gross, so I hope I don’t have to worry about that for another few years.”
Laughter bubbles out of me. “I hated those days. Trying to have the talk with a teenage girl? It was the worst.”
“So, are you going to fill me in now, or are we just going to watch the cows?” Kade asks, diverting the conversation back to why he came out here.
“There’s nothing going on between me and Joey. Nothing that will affect our working relationship.”
“Even though you haven’t been out of the barn for two weeks now?”
“We’ll be fine once we move past this.”
“So what, you’re just going to ignore each other at the big picnics and parties we have?”
“Again, I’m not seeing a flaw in this plan.”
“And if I just let Presley go again, do you think I’d still be here?”
“Your situation is different.”
“I love her and you love Joey. Not that different, Sam. Are you really going to let her dad get in the way?”
He pierces me with a fierce look.
“Sam, I didn’t fight for Presley all those years ago. I was a stubborn-ass twenty-year-old who let his pride get in the way. It’s still one of the biggest regrets of my life. If you love her, if you really love her, then you need to decide whether you’re going to fight for her.”
“But what if he makes Joey choose between me and her family? I don’t want her to have to give them up.”
“Isn’t that a decision Joey deserves to be a part of?”
I shake my head. “I know what it’s like to lose family. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
Kade clucks at Lollipop and starts moseying his way back to the barn. I follow him.
“You’ll never know though unless you try.”
I mull it over the entire way back to the ranch. If I ever want to be Joey’s knight in shining armor, the kind of man that she wants to build a life with, I’ll have to man up and do something about it.
Maybe it’s time I have a conversation with Greg. As much as I don’t want to do it, Joey is worth all the discomfort that would come along with it.
Or maybe I should just let him get a punch in and then see how things go.
As we get close to the barn, Joey is running toward us. She’s frantic.
Jumping off Storm, I toss his reins to Kade and jog over to her.
“What’s wrong?”
Tears are streaming down her face. “Max’s school called and he fell and they think he broke his arm.”
“What?” Panic floods through my veins.
“My car isn’t starting, and I can’t find Presley. Georgia might be out here but I can’t find her and I need to get to the hospital.”
“I’ll take you.”
“What?”
That’s clearly not what she had in mind when she came out here.
“C’mon. I’ll get you there.”
Grabbing her arm, I steer her toward my truck that’s sitting outside behind the barn.
“But…”
“You don’t have many options here, Joey. Let me help.”
She looks like she’s considering it before nodding her head.
“Let’s go.”