Chapter 9
I jolt awake as the sunlight peeks through the curtains, casting the room in bright morning light. One glance at the clock tells me it’s almost nine in the morning.
Oh shit.
I don’t remember the last time I slept in so late. Luckily, we don’t have guests, the chores aren’t as pertinent on Saturdays, but I still need to gather the eggs and make sure Josiah has food.
Addison kept me up late last night, determined to make the most of our one night together.
I thought after we had both had so many orgasms that we lost count, she would collapse next to me and sleep in my bed, but she didn’t.
Instead, at three a.m., she got dressed and walked back to the main house.
I hope my disappointment wasn’t too obvious. If it was, she never said anything.
Just thinking about last night has my well-used pussy perking up, ready for round seven hundred. If I didn’t have chores to do, I might put my vibrator to good use, but I’m already running behind.
I quickly shower and dress, twisting my hair into braids so it’s away from my face. Grabbing a protein bar, I head out the front door, intending to gather the eggs.
“Well, looks like you’re alive,” Oakley says from the bench swing on my porch, startling me. Josiah sits next to her, relishing in the attention he’s getting. He gives me a side eye look that seems a lot like judgment.
“Good grief, Oakley, you scared the daylights outta me. What are you doing here?”
She stands, and Josiah jumps down and scampers off now that no one’s giving him pets. “Your mom was worried when you didn’t bring the eggs this morning, so I offered to come check on you.”
“Oh, that’s kind of you.”
“Mhmm.” Oakley’s hazel eyes narrow on me. “You know, it’s strange. Addison came in late last night—or should I say early this mornin’? And she slept later than she usually does, too. What do you think she was up to?”
I try to keep my face neutral. To not give away that Addison was here, wringing every ounce of pleasure she could from my body while I did the same to her.
I almost shiver as the memories come racing through my mind.
I must not be successful at hiding it because Oakley’s face splits into a knowing grin.
“I knew there was something going on between you two. Tell me everything!”
One night, and then we’d go back to being professional. That was the promise we made, and telling Oakley feels like going against that. I don’t want Addison to be upset with me.
“Nothing is going on between us. I don’t know where Addison was last night. She dropped me off and then left.”
The lies flow easily but taste like rotten milk on my tongue. I like Oakley, and I hope to build a friendship with her, but lying isn’t the way to build a good foundation. I can’t exactly tell her, though.
“Then why were you both sleeping in?” she asks.
I shrug. “It’s been a long week. Everyone’s been workin’ overtime to get ready for Mr. Dupont and his team, so it makes sense that we’d need a little extra sleep.”
“Riiiight. I’m sure there was nothing else going on.
I definitely haven’t seen you two looking at each other with hearts in your eyes when you think no one’s watching.
Not to mention you’ve been getting cozy since your trip to the city.
And I noticed both of you came back from the same area of the bar last night. ”
Addison’s been looking at me? I thought the pining was a one-way street.
I figured last night she was bored or needed a good fucking.
I mean, I was already thinking about getting laid.
I never thought it would be Addison, but I’m not complaining.
Last night will live in my memory for a very long time.
But I still can’t let Oakley know that something happened. Deny, deny, deny.
“I don’t know what you’re seeing, but you’ve got it all wrong. We’re just coworkers. Everything else is just a coincidence.”
“That’s too many coincidences, but fine. I’ll drop it for now.”
My shoulders relax, even though I’m sure she’ll be asking about it again in a week.
Good thing there’ll be nothing to tell.
The next evening, after dinner, I’m helping Mama wash the dishes when her phone starts ringing.
“Oh dear. Briar’s callin’ me. Second time in a week. I hope she’s okay. You okay to finish up here?”
“Yeah, Mama. Go. Tell her to come home for a change.”
Mama takes the call and heads to her room to talk to my sister, and the familiar anxiety I get every few months bubbles up in my stomach.
It is strange that Briar’s called twice this week.
She usually only calls once a month, if we’re lucky.
She’s busy with her job in Las Vegas, and I think she forgets that we exist.
I worry about her being all alone in such a big city.
As far as Mama and Daddy know, she’s got a good group of friends she goes out with, but she never dates.
I know from my visit that she dates, but she doesn’t want to settle down.
She has a two-date rule and refuses to tie herself down before she’s thirty.
She’s coming up close to that deadline, since she’ll be twenty-eight in October.
She’s a grown woman and can make her own choices, but I worry about her well-being. I don’t think she’d do anything super reckless; I don’t think she’s fully taking care of herself either.
Thinking about Briar in Las Vegas automatically takes my brain to Addison.
She was acting like nothing had changed between us.
She sat next to me and asked me a few questions about my week as if we weren’t on the same damn ranch all day, every day.
I don’t know why it’s bothering me so much since we agreed this is how it would be.
That’s a lie.
It’s bothering me because part of me was hoping she felt the connection between us the way I did.
I wanted her to gently graze my thigh under the table or knock her boots against mine to acknowledge that something happened.
I thought maybe she’d corner me in the barn yesterday while I was grooming Honeysuckle and kiss me silly, tell me she doesn’t want it to be just one night, that she wants me for longer.
Stupid, naive thing for me to think.
Oakley watched us like a hawk at dinner, and I swear everyone else knew something was up, even though logically, I know that’s not the case.
No one but me and Addison knows that we spent Friday night tangled together like tumbleweeds. I washed my sheets twice, just to ensure the smell of her was gone. One night of sleeping surrounded by her citrus and mint scent was enough, and my heart won’t survive another.
But damn do I want to. I want to bathe in the way she smells, the way she tastes.
I squeeze my thighs together as I flash back to my head between her strong thighs.
She could crush my skull like a watermelon if she wanted to, and maybe I’d like that.
She did tell me I looked like I belonged there, so—
“Need any help?”
I startle, dropping a casserole dish and splashing soapy water over the sink and soaking my shirt. My face heats with embarrassment as Addison hands me a towel, and I wipe up the spilled water and dab at my shirt like it will help. It’s a lost cause until I can get back to my place and change.
“Sorry,” Addison says, grabbing another towel and wiping down the dishes on the drying rack. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay. Startling easily comes with my anxiety.”
Why are you telling her this, Juniper? She doesn't care.
“That makes sense. Is there a better way for me to announce myself to you?”
No one’s ever asked me that. The people who’ve been on the ranch longest know about this little quirk of mine, but they just apologize when it happens. I’ve never had someone try to find a solution.
“Not that I can think of but thank you for asking.”
She nods, going back to drying. I pick up where I left off with the dishes, and we complete the task in silence. It takes everything in me not to chatter away, but I will admit working next to her isn’t so bad.
My body is reacting to being so close to her, which is totally not professional. Every time our elbows brush, or she reaches for a new dish to dry, my pulse races, wanting her to touch me.
This will be a problem if I can’t get this under control.
After I put the last glass in the cabinet, I turn to tell Addison goodnight so I can change out of my still-wet shirt. She’s already looking at me, her brow furrowed.
Addison opens her mouth to say something, but Mama comes bustling in.
“I swear I’m going to have to go to Vegas, Juni. I don’t know what to do about that girl—oh, hi, Addison. I thought you’d gone down to the barn after dinner.”
Addison shakes her head and offers Mama a small smile. “No, ma’am. I was just helping Juniper finish up the dishes. Rusty and Briggs have the horses under control.”
“Well, isn’t that sweet of you? Thank you, honey.”
“No problem at all.”
“What happened with Bry?” I ask.
Mama doesn’t look like she’s been crying, but she seems a little worn from the conversation. Her dark chestnut hair is frizzy, like she’s been twisting it around her fingers like she does when she’s stressed.
The long breath she lets out confirms my suspicions that something is wrong.
“Briar’s best friend and her wife were in an accident, and they’re both on life support.
One is in much worse condition, and the doctors aren’t sure if they’ll make it.
They’ve got a little boy who’s barely three, and their lawyer informed him that Bry’s been named legal guardian and is now in charge of the baby and making medical decisions for her friends. ”
My jaw goes slack. She must be so overwhelmed. “They don’t have family or anyone else that can help?”
Mama shakes her head. “This is the couple that cut off their families because they weren’t supportive of their relationship, remember them?
They’ve been no contact for almost a decade, and they don’t trust them with their baby, so it’s Briar’s job now.
I need to head to Vegas to help her. She shouldn’t be going through all this alone, even if she says she’s fine. ”
I hate Vegas. It’s too bright and loud, and there are too many people, even if you’re not on the strip. But I’d go in a heartbeat if my sister needed me. “I can go too, if you need me to.”
“Thank you, Juni, but if I go, I need you to stay here and help your father. With this rich guy coming next week, he’ll need you to help keep things running smooth.
I haven’t decided if I’m going yet. Bry says she doesn’t need anyone.
I just wanted to let you know in case I need to leave in a hurry. ”
I blink back tears. Bry and I have always been close, and knowing she’s going through this big, scary thing makes my heart hurt.
“Thank you for telling me.” I glance at the clock on the stove. “I should get to bed. Early rise tomorrow with the group coming.”
Mama wraps me in a hug, placing a kiss on my forehead.
The tears I was trying to hold back come at full force.
“I know you’re worried about her, but she’ll be okay. All we can do right now is love her and hold her hand through it. We don’t know what the future holds, but you can count on the fact that we’re in this together, right?”
I wipe my eyes, giving Mama a watery smile. “I know. Love you, Mama. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Love you too.” She wipes a few stray tears and squeezes my shoulder before she walks out of the kitchen.
That’s when I realize Addison is still here, and embarrassment slithers up my spine.
She must think I’m a crybaby for tearing up over something silly—Mama’s right; Briar’s fine right now.
Here I am acting like she was the one in the crash and not her friends.
My anxiety makes me tear up at the silliest things, and I hate that I can’t control it.
I despise the look of pity on Addison’s face. God, why do I keep breaking down in front of her?
“I’m just… gonna head out,” I say, motioning toward the back door. “See you bright and early for the first guests of the season.”
“Right, yeah. Goodnight. Sleep well.”
“You too.”
When I get home, instead of anxiety over Bry keeping me up, I’m wondering why Addison looked like she wanted to say more.