Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
I n the end, neither of their teams won first place.
The Lassiter’s had taken second though.
Leni and her sister had pulled in a solid fourth spot, which still earned a ribbon and a plaque and made Lorna happy, since she could display it at the shop.
The Chili Dawgs , a new team formed by the family who ran the local hardware store had come in strong with chunks of smoked sausage, brats, and bacon in their recipe, and they nabbed the winning trophy and bragging rights for the year. They’d been cooking the meat all day on the new smokers they were selling at the store, and the consensus from the Lassiter clan was that the scent of smoked sausage and the extra samples of brats in the barbeque sauce that they also sold in their store, was the catalyst to their win.
“That was some damn good chili though,” Chevy said as they washed up the last of the dishes that night.
They’d already put Max to bed and Chevy, Mack, Leni and her sister were all in the kitchen of Lorna’s house. Lorna had finished nursing and put Izzy down and was trying to wheel the knee-scooter around the kitchen to help with the dishes but kept bumping into the cabinets and everyone else’s legs.
Leni finally gave her a job that required her to sit at the kitchen table with Mack while she and Chevy finished washing out the last of the five-gallon buckets and all the coolers.
“Welcome to the family,” Lorna told Mack. “What an introduction. Talk about getting thrown into the deep end to learn how to swim. That was a lot for your first day here.”
Mack offered her a shrug. “I thought it was fun.”
“You must have a lot of siblings the way you were able to just jump right into the mix,” Leni said, pulling out a chair and sitting down next to her sister.
Mack shook his head. “Not really. I was raised as an only child.”
“That sounds tough,” Chevy said, setting four glasses of ice water on the table before dropping into the chair next to Leni. “We give each other a hard time, but I don’t know what I’d do without my brothers.”
“You’re lucky,” Mack said, taking a glass then passing one to Lorna. “You need anything else?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she said. “A million dollars, a great night’s sleep, and a weekend in Paris.”
He chuckled as he took out his wallet and looked inside. “No million dollars or a trip to Paris, but I could offer you a Subway card that’s only two stamps away from a free sub.”
She held out her hand for the card. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all year. I’ll take it.”
He started to hand her the card then pulled it back. “How about I get the last two stamps by picking up sandwiches for you and your sister some night next week, and then I’ll give you the card and the free sub is yours.”
“Deal,” Lorna said with a laugh.
“Great. How about Monday night?”
“Perfect.”
He pulled out his phone. “I’d better get your number so I can text you for your sub order.”
Chevy chuckled as he muttered, “Smooth, bro,” not quite under his breath.
Leni laughed. “Works out well for me too, since I’m now also getting a free sub out of this deal. Although I should be treating you guys to a meal for all the help you gave us today. Seriously, I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
“Yes, thanks so much,” Lorna added, lifting her glass for a toast. “Here’s to good food and good times, to new friends…” She glanced first over at Mack then turned to Leni and Chevy. “…and old friends becoming new ones again.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Chevy said, as they all clinked their glasses together. “And speaking of new friends, Mack and I should get back to the ranch. Duke will want to get you settled in proper, and I’ve still got chores to do.”
Two days later, Leni pulled her car into the Lassiter ranch, happy to see Chevy’s pickup parked in front of the house.
She had worked at the coffee shop the day before, then she and Lorna had spent most of the afternoon recuperating from the festival, napping with Izzy and watching movies with Max. Chevy had dropped by with a couple of pizzas and sworn that he’d just been thinking about how much he’d wanted to see the latest Minion movie. Leni had been impressed that he’d stayed awake through the whole thing.
She’d been even more impressed when he’d offered to put Max to bed while she straightened the kitchen and helped Lorna with Izzy.
Something that had felt a lot like love had come over her when she came up the stairs and heard him telling her nephew what happens when you give a mouse a cookie. The sweet giggles of the five-year-old made her heart want to burst.
She’d stood in the hall outside of Max’s room wondering if she really was in love with Chevy Lassiter again. Or if she’d ever stopped loving him in the first place.
Then he’d come out and asked her if she knew what would happen if you gave a cowboy an aerospace engineer, and she stopped thinking altogether as he carried her into her bedroom and shut the door.
It was Monday morning now, and the coffee shop was closed, so Leni had picked up donuts and decided to surprise Chevy and his brothers with them.
She pulled up next to Chevy’s truck and did a quick lip gloss refresh in the visor mirror, swiping on a new layer of the minty soft pink shimmer. She’d taken a little extra time with her makeup that morning and set her hair in hot curlers to get the bouncy waves that he liked.
Digging through the pile of new summer things she’d bought when she realized she was staying in Woodland Hills longer than she’d planned, she found a white top with tiny flutter sleeves and a little black skirt that showed off the tan she’d gotten since she’d been here and started spending more time outside in the sun instead of inside at her computer.
Under the skirt, she’d put on a pair of black thong panties, not exactly planning to seduce him somewhere on the ranch this morning, but hey, if a hayloft proved available…there was a strong possibility she might haul him into it.
She grabbed the pastry box and met Dodge on the porch as she was walking up to the house. “Hey Dodge. I brought some donuts out to say thank you for all the help you guys gave us at the festival on Saturday.”
“That was nothing. We all had fun.” He held his hand out for the bakery box. “But there’s not a Lassiter here that would ever turn down a donut.”
She handed him the box. “Chevy around?”
He nodded absently as he opened the lid and considered his donut choices. “Yeah, I think he just got back. He’s been out with Jolene all morning. She was causing drama—probably jealous of all the time you two have been spending together.”
Leni’s heart stopped, and bile rose in her throat. “Wait. Did you say Jolene ? She’s here? Now? With Chevy?”
He’d said he wasn’t seeing anyone.
He lied.
How could she have been so stupid?
I trusted him.
She pressed her lips together to keep a sob from escaping.
He’s gonna break my heart all over again.
“Yeah. I think they just got back from a ride. He’s out in the barn with her—”
But she didn’t hear the rest of what he said as she turned around and stomped toward the barn.
She threw open the door, anxiety filling her chest as she prepared herself to catch the man she’d thought she loved in the arms of the same woman he’d left her for all those years ago.
She marched through the alley of the barn but found Chevy alone standing outside one of the stalls watering and brushing a brown horse.
His face lit as he looked up and saw her. “Leni. Hey. What are you doing here?” He took a step toward her, but she held her hand up like she was warding off a vampire with a wooden stake and a strand of garlic.
“Never mind that. What are you doing here?” she asked with barely controlled fury in her voice. She could feel heat burning her cheeks.
He stared at her, a confused expression on his face. “Um, I don’t know what you mean. I’m just brushing my horse. Everything okay?”
“No. Nothing’s okay. I can’t believe I fell for this again. Fell for you .” She spat the words at him, the anger and humiliation building inside her. “You are such a freaking liar.”
He took a step back like she’d physically slapped him. “What are you talking about?”
Leni glanced around the barn. “Where is she?”
“She who?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. You said you weren’t seeing anyone, that you didn’t have a girlfriend. Yet, within a week of us getting back together, which, by the way, is over now, you’re back with your old girlfriend.”
“Leni, please. Slow down. I don’t know what you heard, but I don’t have a girlfriend. And I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Stop lying!” she screamed at him, hot tears pricking her eyes. “Dodge already told me you were out here with her . He said you just got back from a ride with Jolene .”
The horse let out a whinny and stomped her foot.
Chevy’s eyes widened, and he breathed out one word. “Oh.”
Before he could answer, Ford walked into the barn. He stopped when he got to them, and his gaze went back-and-forth between Chevy and Leni and then landed on his brother. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Oh no,” Leni spat, still fuming as she planted one fist on her hip. “Chevy was just about to introduce me to Jolene .”
“Oh yeah? That’s great. I’m surprised you haven’t met her before.” Ford crossed behind Chevy to give the horse he’d been brushing a pat on the neck. “She’s a great girl. Aren’t you, Jolene?”
Leni sucked in a breath, and her stomach churned. She bent forward and grabbed her knees, afraid that she might vomit.
“Whoa. You okay?” Ford asked, taking a step forward, but Chevy reached out to hold him back.
She stood back up, but pressed a hand to her chest, pushing against it like she was trying to hold her heart inside, as if the shattered pieces might ooze out between her fingers.
“ Jolene ?” she said, her voice coming out in a whisper. “ That’s Jolene? That horse ?”
“Yeah,” Ford said, clearly confused as he rubbed her neck again. “Isn’t she a beauty?”
She swallowed, anger taking the place of the nauseous feeling that had her stomach roiling. “Just when did Chevy acquire this beautiful horse?”
Chevy stood stock still, his face as green as her stomach felt.
Ford shrugged. “I don’t know. About ten years ago, I guess.” He turned to Chevy. “You got her towards the end of that summer you graduated high school, wasn’t it?”
Chevy looked at Leni, not answering his brother out loud, but slowly nodded his head.
Every emotion was tearing through Leni—sadness, nausea, disbelief, fury. The tears she’d been holding back finally broke as she sobbed out, “A horse? You broke up with me—broke my heart into a million pieces—for a horse ?”
“Leni.” His voice was pleading as Chevy took a tentative step toward her.
But she held up her hand as she took a step back. “No. Don’t.”
She pressed her fingers to her lips, trying to hold back more sobs as she turned and ran out of the barn.