Chapter 3
LIAM
“Ma!” I called as I walked through the back door of my parents’ house.
“In the kitchen!”
Tossing my cowboy hat on the hook, I kicked the dirt off my shoes before walking down the hallway and following my nose to the delicious scent of breakfast.
“Something smells good.”
Shooting me a pointed look, she jabbed the spatula at my chair. “You know I made breakfast for you, Liam.”
“And I appreciate that.”
Scooping a heap of eggs on my plate, she continued with Pop’s plate and Jeff’s. “How are the bookings this morning?”
“A little low, but we’re finally starting to get some traction.”
Sighing, she set her pan on the stove, grabbing the bacon. “It’s a shame we couldn’t keep the ranch running the way it was, but I think this really is the best option. Just don’t tell your father I said that.”
“Don’t tell me what?” Pop asked as he walked in and took his seat.
“She doesn’t want me to tell you that Lincoln Delaney was asking about her again.”
Pop grunted, shoving a piece of bacon in his mouth. “Not that it matters. Your momma only has eyes for me.”
“That’s exactly what I said,” Ma winked at me before walking away. “Coffee?”
“Please, Ma.”
“The truck broke down again,” Pop muttered, sitting back in his chair. “Either Wyatt Callahan is the stupidest mechanic I’ve ever met or that truck needs to be replaced.”
“Let’s not talk about Wyatt,” Ma interrupted, setting a cup of coffee next to my plate and one next to Pop’s.
“Maybe it’s not Wyatt,” I contemplated.
“Precisely.”
“But it wouldn’t surprise me if it was his brothers.”
Just when my mom thought we would drop the subject of the Callahans, it was brought up again. But when things started to go wrong on the ranch a few months back, it was hard to ignore the old feud flaring up again.
“Clay is too dumb to know how to damage the truck,” Pop retorted.
“Ben!” Ma gasped.
“He’s not the one we need to worry about. Austin has a mean streak a mile wide.”
“I hate this kind of talk,” Ma sighed, sitting down to her breakfast. “Honestly, if you would let me get together with Lenore, we could work this out in no time.”
“And how long would the rest of them let it go before they decided they were pissed at us?” I asked. “You bought their land and gave them a good price. They just won’t drop it.”
“I still think it could have been handled differently. It feels like we took advantage of the hard times they were facing.”
Pop slowly set down his mug, his face hardening at her words. “We didn’t take advantage of anything. They were down on their luck and I tried to help them.”
“Yes, but they were only down on their luck because of the accident—”
“I don’t want to hear any more about that,” Pop said harshly.
“But, it was just as much—”
“I said, we’re not talking about it!” Pop boomed, his fist slamming down on the table to end the conversation.
Silence filled the kitchen for a solid minute before the back door screen door opened and Jeff walked in.
“I just checked out the Millers,” he said, plopping his hat down on the table.
“Jeff, how many times do I need to tell you not to put your hat on the table?” Ma scolded.
He grabbed the hat and tossed it on the hook in the hallway before rejoining us at the table. “Ma, this smells delicious.”
As he dug in, the rest of us resumed our eating in silence, which Jeff noted almost immediately.
“What’s everyone so glum about this morning?” he asked around a mouthful of food.
“Nothing,” Ma answered with a tight smile. “Nothing at all.”
“You guys look like someone died.”
“Did you clean out the stalls?” Pop asked.
“I did that,” I answered, knowing Pop would only get pissed if he found out how late Jeff slept this morning.
My brother’s eyes met mine in a silent thank you. Since the accident, Jeff had never been quite right. It was a tragedy, but he took the family feud on his shoulders, knowing it was all because of one stupid incident that changed the course of everything.
“I asked Jeff to take care of Maisey. She needed to be shod.”
Pop grunted, finishing up his breakfast. “Not much point in keeping her around. We’re not even a real ranch anymore.”
“She’s good for tourists,” I countered.
“One more thing to be kept up. And for what? To let families come here and pretend to be ranchers for a day.”
“Pop—”
“I’m going out to the barn.” Standing, he tossed down his napkin and stormed away from the table and out the back door.
Sighing, I leaned back in my chair, taking a sip of my coffee.
“Georgia Bennett called this morning,” Ma smiled. “It seems you were the talk of the town last night.”
“Hardly.”
“She said you knocked the socks off the town when you finally asked Bailey to dance.”
I let out a long breath, wishing I could bypass this conversation.
“Took him long enough to ask her to dance,” Jeff laughed.
“This town…” I muttered.
“Well, I think it’s nice. Bailey’s such a sweet girl.”
“I’m glad you approve, Ma.”
I shoved back from the table and grabbed my plate to escape the incoming talk about my future, the wedding she’d always wanted, and the grandkids that she longed to care for.
“Don’t you do that. I’ve been waiting a long time for one of you to get married and give me grandkids.”
Jeff snorted as if he realized exactly what I had been thinking.
“And you can wait a little longer. Call Michael. Maybe he’s met someone.”
Ma’s lighthearted demeanor shifted in an instant, replaced with a sadness we all felt whenever Michael was brought up. “Don’t tease me about your brother.”
The dirty dishes were piling up, and while I didn’t like doing dishes, it gave me something to do instead of looking at my mother and feeling the guilt pouring off her at the mention of my brother.
“Sorry, Ma.”
“All I’m saying is that Bailey would be good for you. She’d bring some life to this ranch. Maybe she’d cheer your father up a little bit.”
“I doubt anyone could cheer Pop up,” Jeff grumbled. “I doubt he even knows the meaning of happy.”
“Your father and I are very happy,” she snapped, slapping her napkin down on the table. “Now, I have chores to get on with. I’m sure both of you have things to do as well.”
Somehow, my mother always had a way of chastising us even without yelling at us. I felt like a kid back in school sometimes, trying to find a way to hide the bruises from my most recent fight so I didn’t have to hear how disappointed she was in me.
“I’ll finish this up. Get on with your day,” Ma said, her voice softening.
“Sure, Ma.”
I headed for the back door, smacking Jeff on the back of the head as I left.
“And don’t forget to call Bailey and invite her over for dinner tonight! I already arranged it with her mother!”
I had just shoved the screen door open, and it came back to smack me in the face when I paused at her words.
“Well, hell,” I muttered. “So much for going at my own pace.”
“You’re blocking the door,” Jeff said, walking up behind me. “And cheer up. We’ll all be really nice to Bailey.”
He tossed his head back and laughed as he walked away.
That jackass. “You can shoe Clover and Phoenix while you’re at it!”
The bell over the Gearhead Garage door chimed as I walked in. I didn’t particularly want to be here, not when Wyatt Callahan was the owner, but he was the only shop close by.
And Bailey was here.
He came into the office, wiping his hands on a rag as he studied me with dark eyes. I never knew what to think of Wyatt. He always looked perpetually pissed-off.
“Need something?”
“Brought the truck in.”
“Again?”
I shrugged. “It’s on the trailer.”
“Any idea what’s wrong this time?”
“I have a few ideas, but I’m not a mechanic. I’ll leave that to you.”
“I should be able to get to it later today. Drop it and leave the keys.”
I nodded, but didn’t move. I still needed to talk to Bailey.
“Is there something else you needed?”
“I need to speak to Bailey if she’s not busy.”
“Of course she’s busy.” He stalked to the garage door. “Bailey! You’ve got a customer!”
I really fucking hated Wyatt. Of course, half of that was due to the fact that his whole family was trying to ruin our family in one way or another.
“This isn’t a fucking social hour,” he reminded me just before he left, shoving past Bailey.
“Your boss is a dick,” I muttered.
Bailey glanced back at the door, then smiled at me. “He’s not that bad. What did you need?”
I did my best to ignore the way her blonde hair shimmered in the light or the tiny grease stain on her cheek. Just the sight of her in coveralls made me hard, which probably seemed odd, but I always loved how Bailey wasn’t afraid to get a little dirty.
Besides, she looked beautiful no matter what she was wearing.
“I came to drop off the truck.”
“Oh.” She hid her disappointment well, but it was clear she was hoping there was another reason I was here.
“And I’m supposed to bring you to dinner tonight.”
She shot me a confused look. “You’re supposed to?”
Here we go. “Ma told me she discussed it with your mother.”
Her eyes dropped as she cleared her throat. “Well, that’s interesting.”
It was interesting, but not nearly the fight I had been hoping for. After the way she so boldly pointed out last night that it took me forever to ask her out, I wanted nothing more than to hear that same feistiness in her voice now.
“You know how our mothers are.”
“I do. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I’m only invited because our mothers decided.”
“Yeah?” I leaned against the counter, cocking my head at her. “And why’s that?”
“Because it took you ten years to ask me to dance.”
“More than that.”
“And I guess I need to adjust my standards. I should probably assume it’s going to be another year at least before you ask me to dinner by yourself.”
“At least.”
“And then another six months before you decide whether or not you want to continue dating me.”
“You know me so well,” I smirked.
She sighed heavily, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. “By the time you actually decide if you want me, I’ll have moved on to someone more willing.”
The challenge in her voice set me off. “And who would you be moving on to?”
“Who knows? Maybe I should see if Wyatt is up for a good time. I already know he’s not interested in marriage, but a girl has needs. He’s handsome and—”
I didn’t give her a chance to finish that sentence. Grabbing her by the back of the neck, I gently pulled her forward so our lips were just a scant inch apart.
Her baby blues widened in surprise at my bold gesture. I would kiss her now, but I would not lay claim to her in the front office for anyone to see.
No. When I kissed her for the first time, it would be because I had her right where I wanted her—desperate and needy for me.
“If you want Wyatt and his good time, what are you waiting for?”
So thrown from the sudden change in power, she didn’t know what to say.
The garage door swung open and the air intensified as I felt Wyatt’s heated glare on me, but neither of us moved.
“Everything okay in here?”
Leaning forward, my lips brushed Bailey’s ear. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
Hot breath skimmed my neck as the air rushed out of her lungs, and yet, I couldn’t pull back, not when I was so close to her.
My fingers slid from the back of her neck, trailing across the side and down her collarbone, lingering for just a moment before I drew back just enough to look into her eyes.
“Unless you decide you want something else.”
A minute shake of her head told me all I needed to know.
My eyes flicked to Wyatt’s for only a moment. With a tip of my hat, I turned and shoved the door open, stalking out to drop the truck from the trailer.
Six o’clock couldn’t come fast enough.