Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
COLTON
I stare at the iron horse crest that hangs on the gates of my family ranch, right on the property line. About an acre past these gates is the house I grew up in, a place I should feel comfortable returning to, yet I can’t seem to work up the courage to open the gates and drive my truck through.
I parked my truck on the side of the road, and I’ve been pacing back and forth for the last forty minutes, going over all the possible scenarios of how showing up out of the blue like this could go.
My dad might chase me out with his shotgun, or he’ll run me out with a herd of horses, or worse—run me over with the tractor. A shiver runs down my spine as I think about running from all three possibilities, and neither of them seem survivable.
How would Kairi take the news of my murder? What if she never finds out what actually happened. He could bury me right here on the ranch and tell everyone I ran off. With my track record, they might actually believe it.
I wonder how Kairi is doing. I left her on her date with Zale last night, more abruptly than I’d planned.
I was going to wait until this morning to leave Saltwater Springs, but after realizing she does, in fact, have feelings for me and is just too scared to admit it, I decided to leave much sooner because without me there as a constant comfort, she’ll miss me so much that she’ll have no choice but to confront her feelings.
I was able to grab a room at a crappy motel when I arrived in Bluewater Bluffs in the middle of the night, and I’m hoping I don’t have to spend another night there after seeing a roach on the bathroom mirror this morning.
The sound of gravel crunching in the distance catches my attention as the sound grows louder. I stop pacing and look over my shoulder, the sight of my fathers mustard yellow truck kicking my heart into overdrive.
“He’s going to run me over,” I murmur, watching as the truck gets closer. “Run me over just outside the property and probably wash his truck right after without shedding a single tear.”
I decide not to give him a chance and I sprint for my truck, hopping into the driver's seat and buckling my seatbelt just in case he decides to rear-end me. But instead of hitting my car, the yellow truck slows to a stop next to mine.
I glance over, expecting to see my fathers pissed face, but instead my oldest brother, Cade, is staring at me completely unimpressed. He motions for me to lower my window, so I do.
“You planning on sitting out here all day in that pretty truck of yours, or are you finally going to make your way past those gates?”
“I—“
“I’ve passed your truck at least twice in the last three hours, and you’ve been pacing this whole damn time as if you forgot where your family lives.”
In true Cade fashion, he doesn’t wait for me to respond before he drives off, stopping right in front of the gates and jumping out. He walks over to the gates, opening them both wide, and jumps back into his truck before driving through.
He pulls over once he’s past the property line, and jumps back out. But instead of closing the gates behind him, he leans on his truck with his arms folded across his chest, staring at me.
“Well?” He shouts.
”God damnit, Cade,” I mutter as I start my truck's engine and drive through, stopping next to his truck.
I watch in my rearview mirror as he closes the gates behind him and returns to the trucks, but rather than getting back into his, he swings the passenger side door of my truck open and hops in.
”Why the hell are you in my truck and not yours?” I ask.
”Because I ain’t driving it back to this gate again, just to drive it back home,” he says in a gruff tone. “Once you’ve said what you have to say to whoever you’re here to talk to, just drop me right back here so I can lock up behind you.”
“What if I don’t have anything to say to anyone, and I just came here to visit my family?” I ask.
He scoffs. “Sure, whatever you say, hotshot.”
He buckles his seat belt and waves his hand, gesturing for me to start driving. I glance at him a few times as I drive down the dirt road that leads us to the main house, and I hate how unfamiliar he feels.
He talks to me like some annoying stranger, not like I’m his brother.
I keep my mouth shut for the rest of the drive, focusing instead on the trees that line the dirt path, the birds singing in the trees, the smell of horses and my moms cooking floating in the air.
It’s all so familiar, but it’s been years since I was last here.
The house comes into view, and my throat tightens when I spot my mom sitting on the porch swing and reading a book the way she always did. She looks up, and jumps to her feet, in complete shock as she watches the truck slow to a stop just in front of the house.
And when I climb out of the car, her book clatters to the floor and she grabs onto the wooden beam for support.
“Colton?” She whispers, eyes wide. “Is that really you?”
The tightness in my throat gets worse and my vision begins to blur as I watch her slowly walk down the porch stairs, holding onto the railing like she might drop any second.
“It’s me Momma,” I say, my voice breaking.
She runs down the last two steps, in such a hurry to get to me as if I might disappear if she isn’t fast enough, and launches herself into my arms with a tight hug. I wrap my arms around her and rest my head on her shoulder, taking a deep breath of her scent.
She smells like the ocean, largely due to the fact that she takes a morning swim every single day at our private beach. It’s been her routine since before she had kids, and it’s part of the reason the family ranch sits right on the edge of the water.
That’s probably why I love surfing so much too, the smell of the ocean reminds me of her and that brings its own sense of comfort because of it.
The sound of my truck door slamming pulls us apart and I watch as Cade walks past us and up the porch stairs, picking up her book along the way.
“I’ll be waiting in the kitchen for you to explain what it is that you’re doing here.”
“He doesn’t need an explanation to come home,” my mother says defensively.
Cade turns to look at us, tapping the spine of the book against his palm. “After so many years away, he sure does.”
He turns his back to us and enters the house, screen door slamming shut behind him. My mother turns around with an apologetic expression, hands still bracing my arms.
“Don’t let him scare you away, okay?” She says, giving me a comforting squeeze. “He’s been spending too much time with your father and that cowboy attitude’s been rubbing off on him.”
I force a small smile. “Where is dad anyway?”
“Oh you know,” she says, waving her hand around nonchalantly. “Out doin’ horse things somewhere out there with your other brother.”
She smiles with a little sparkle in her eye before dragging me up the porch and into the house. As promised, Cade is waiting for us in the kitchen, leaning against the sink with a glass of water in his hand.
He tracks my every move as my mother walks me to the table. “Need anything to drink, sweetheart?” She asks, rushing to the fridge. “We have freshly squeezed orange juice and lemonade.”
“He’s a grown man, Ma,” Cade mutters. “I’m sure he can get his own damn drink.”
“Cade Austin Harrison,” my mother says firmly, slamming the fridge closed.
His expression changes from annoyed to scared, and it brings back memories of when we were kids and he’d always be the one getting into trouble.
“Your brother's been gone for years,” she says. “You’d better start behavin’ more welcoming or I’ll put you out with the pigs.”
“Sorry Momma.” Cade lifts his hands in surrender and he gives her an apologetic look before walking over and taking a seat across from me at the table.
“Drink, sweety?” She asks me again, a gentle smile on her face.
“I’m alright,” I say, reaching across the table and snatching the glass of water from Cade’s hand. “Cade was nice enough to get me some water.”
He balls his hand into a fist atop the table as he watches me drink from his glass, and I peek at him over the rim and wink. If I did something like this when we were kids, he probably would’ve beat the shit out of me when our parents weren’t looking.
But that was then, and this is now. If he tries to beat me up, I’ll kick his ass across town, and he knows it.
“So why did you come back?”
“Cade!” My mother shouts, smacking his shoulder with a dish towel.
He flinches, instinctively covering his head. “I’m just curious, Momma. I’m not trying to be rude.”
I highly doubt that.
”I watched the Titanic with a girl the other night,” I say, staring down at the glass. “Made me think of you, Cooper, and Callie. So I decided it was time to try and fix things.”
Cade snorts. “So some girl is the reason you’re here trying to fix years of no contact?”
“No,” I reply, glaring at him. “The movie is.”
”Do you know how stupid—“
My mother smacks him with the dish towel again and he presses his lips together in a straight line.
“I think it’s time you go help your father and brother finish up whatever it is that they’re doing out there before dinner is ready,” she says, staring him down with a warning look that gives me chills.
“Yes ma’am,” he mutters, as he stands up.
Cade reaches across the table and yanks the glass of water from my hands and chugs the rest before he gently places it in the sink, kisses our mother on the side of her head, and walks out the back door.
“That boy is always looking to start a fight with just about anyone,” my mother mutters as she sits in his spot. “Feels like he’s been angry his whole life.”
“That’s Cade,” I say with a smirk.
“Anyway, that’s enough talk about grumpy men.” She places her kitchen towel on the table and leans forward eagerly, resting her chin in her palms. “Tell me all about this girl you went on a date with. She someone special?”
The tips of my ears grow so hot, I’m sure she can see it, despite most of my hair covering them.
“Momma…” I groan in embarrassment, not wanting to talk about Kairi right now.
“Oh come on,” she says with a giggle. “I deserve to know who’s been taking care of my son while he’s been gone.”
I let out a deep sigh and look her in the eye. She has the biggest grin on her face and I already know she’s going to be demanding I bring Kairi here to meet her.
“Her name is Kairi,” I start.
“Oh lala, that’s a fancy name.” She shimmies in her seat. “Where’d you meet her?”
I clear my throat, looking away. “She’s on the surf team I compete with.”
Her smile drops slightly. “Don’t you all live together in one giant house?”
I nod, raising a brow. “We do.”
She slams her palm on the table, causing me to jump, and pins me with a stern look.
“Colton Wyatt Harrison.” The sound of my name spoken in that voice gives me chills, and flashbacks to all the times I’ve ever gotten in trouble before. “You better not be foolin’ around in that house you’re staying in. She’s a young lady and—“
”Mom,” I cut her off, my whole face burning hot now. “We’re not kids anymore, and we know how to…to be safe.”
She purses her lips and sits back, eyes narrowing on me. “I’m just sayin’ I don’t want to hear that I’ve got grandbabies on the way before I’ve even met their mother.”
Yup, I think to myself. There it is.
”You should bring her by sometime,” she says. “We can make a pie, and I’ll show her all those cute photos of you as a baby.”
“One step at a time Momma,” I say, holding up two hands. “Let’s just make sure dad doesn’t kill me first.”
She furrows her brow. “Why would he kill you?”
“Because…he kicked me out?” I frown. “Told me if I picked surfing over the ranch then he wouldn’t consider me his son anymore and I wouldn’t be welcome here…didn’t he tell you all of this?”
She sits back in her seat with a distant look, but the sound of men shouting and horses galloping catches our attention.
“Go wash up sweetheart,” she says, picking up the dish towel and walking over to the sink. “Your room is still how you left it and there’s some clean clothes in your drawers.”
I stare at her, gripping onto the edge of the sink, shoulders raised high.
“Is everything okay?” I ask in almost a whisper.
“Everything’s fine,” she says, smiling at me over her shoulder. “Get goin’ now, the shower gets crowded when those three are back from their ranching duties.”
“Okay,” I say, not believing a word she says as I make my way to my old room.
There’s no way she didn’t know the reason why I was gone all these years, is there? I mean, what excuse could he have given her for me leaving that kept her from calling me to check in?
The questions ricochets through my mind, and I have no doubt in my mind dinner is going to be an absolute shit show tonight.