Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Mason
“ H ey, um, could we talk for a minute?” Emma asked, grabbing Jess’s attention. “ Before we get in the truck with your dad,” she added, much to my annoyance.
Jess stopped at the back passenger side, turning to give Emma a weary expression. “I don’t need a lecture… I know I shouldn’t have snuck out.”
Emma smiled. “It’s not a lecture, I promise.”
My daughter hesitated, glancing over to me. “Okay.”
I watched with curiosity as Emma guided Jess around to the back of the Bronco, keeping her voice low as they began to talk. I wanted to interrupt, demanding to know what the hell she was telling my daughter, but I could just make out Jess’s face through the back glass… And she looked relieved as they started to talk.
What are they talking about?
I climbed into the driver’s seat, keeping my eyes trained on the rearview mirror. I don’t know why, but I felt apprehensive about Jess and Emma talking without me knowing what it was about—and it wasn’t because I didn’t trust Emma… It was just, well…
I felt left out.
Things were bad enough with the way that Jess was acting—and the fact that tonight confirmed that she had been keeping that kid a secret. I didn’t know exactly who he was, but just based off his looks, I assumed he belonged to Graham Hudson.
And also, how the hell did Graham not know his son was throwing a wild party? I get that they were out of town, but there were cameras all around the house. I noticed them as soon as I pulled up…
They could be charged.
My jaw twitched at the thought, eyeing the underage drinkers meandering around the house. It was dumb—really freaking dumb—but I had no idea what kind of tension that would cause.
And Jess would really hate me if I went charging her boyfriend’s parents.
Yuck.
I did not like the sound of that word. Jess hadn’t had a boyfriend until now—well, none that I had known about. I pushed away the thought, trying not to torture myself. I wanted to storm back in there and punch the kid’s lights out for touching my daughter, but I knew that wasn’t the right thing to do.
The minutes ticked by, Emma and Jess still talking behind the Bronco. I was more than ready to go home and call it a night—but while I couldn’t hear the words, I did hear Jess’s muffled voice. It had started out thick with emotion and now it was much lighter…
And she was laughing .
What the hell? She’s supposed to be in trouble.
Right as I was about to get out and put an end to the conversation, Emma and Jess headed back to the front of the truck, both climbing in. Jess lost her pleasant expression, eyeing me as she got settled in the backseat. She clicked her seatbelt into place and wiped away the remnants of tears from her eyes.
“You can just take me home,” Emma said, her voice soft. “Lily sent me a text and said that they’d drop my car off at my house in the morning. I’ll just take my spare.”
“Spare car?” I questioned, surprised at the fact.
“Yeah,” she said with a shrug. “When I had the SUV in the shop back in Austin, I bought an older car. I like having a backup. I didn’t like the idea of being stranded as a single woman.”
“Smart,” I commented, looking back at Jess. Her eyes were on her phone, eagerly texting away. “I’ll take that,” I said in a stern voice. “You don’t need your phone for the weekend.”
Jess glanced up at me, a defeated expression on her face. I expected her to test me, making some smartass remarks… But she didn’t. She powered it down and handed it to me. “That’s fair.”
I raised my brows, surprised, and set the phone in the front cupholder. “Okay. You can have it on Monday when you go to school.”
“Okay,” she said with a nod. Her eyes held mine in the rearview for a moment, and she let out a sigh. “I’m sorry for sneaking out, Dad. I didn’t mean to worry you like that.”
“It’s okay,” I grunted, swallowing the urge to lecture her. Whatever Emma had told her must’ve gotten her thinking… And that was enough for me. I wasn’t going to push her any further. Honestly, I was just thankful that she was safe .
Emma turned herself in the seat, adjusting to look at Jess. “You know, I was thinking, how does Cody’s parents not know that he’s having a party? I saw the cameras everywhere.” Her casual tone and soft expression made her easy to talk to, and for a second, I felt a pang of relief that I had decided to take her with me.
It was a good idea.
Jess shrugged. “I have no idea, honestly, but his parents are gone all the time. I don’t think they care about what he does. His mom isn’t in his life—and his stepmom is a witch.”
Ah, so they have a lack of mom in common.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, wishing that I would’ve had the ability to get information out of my daughter. Emma didn’t even know her, and she was able to talk to her in a way that I couldn’t.
This is why she needs a mom—or at least a female figure to guide her.
“His stepmom is something else, that’s for sure,” Emma grumbled in agreement, making Jess smile. “She’s the first person I’ve ever met that’s offered me recipes for low-carb foods in my café. I actually made a version of one of them—labeled it low-carb—and no one ordered it… Not even her.”
Jess burst into laughter. “She just wants it on the menu so she can take credit for it, probably. She’s always been that kind of person. I didn’t really know her when she tried to date Dad, but it doesn’t take knowing her to know how ridiculous she is. Cody says that she’s crazy.”
“That’s because I think she might be,” I grunted, gaining the attention of both of the women. “I couldn’t get rid of her.”
“That’s what Lily told me,” Jess said, just before yawning.
We all fell into silence at that. By the time I pulled up in front of Emma’s house, Jess was fast asleep in the backseat. I glanced back at her, knowing that she would be tired in the morning… But I would get her up anyway. That was just tough shit when you decided to sneak out in the middle of the night. I was certain that Lucas could find some ranch work for her to do, too.
“Well, thanks for taking me home,” Emma said in a near whisper, pushing the door of the truck open. “I’m glad it was nothing more serious than it was—which was serious enough,” she added quickly. “I just mean, I’m glad she’s safe.”
I smiled at her. “Me, too. I’ll walk you to the door.”
She seemed surprised, but didn’t object, waiting for me to slip out of the Bronco and join her. I walked her up the concrete path to her front door, the motion light kicking on as soon as we made it to the porch.
“Thanks for talking to Jess,” I began, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “I don’t know what you said, but it must’ve worked. I was expecting her to put up a lot more of a fight about it all.”
Emma shrugged. “She’s a good kid, Mason. She knew that she shouldn’t have snuck out—there’s just so many pressures in the world. Not to mention, she’s really taken by that kid.”
“He’s Graham’s kid, isn’t he?” My stomach knotted up uneasily at the thought of her getting involved with that family. There was something about them I didn’t like, and maybe it was just my small-town bias, not wanting outsiders to come to town… But I wasn’t sure.
“Yeah, he is Graham’s kid—but I have no idea who his mom is,” Emma said, giving me a puzzled look. “That being said, you should probably know that he’s started working for Lucas out at the ranch. He’s helping Jake. I guess they know each other somehow? I don’t know. That’s just what Jess told me. She was working really hard to get me to accept him.”
“Lucas sometimes hires high school kids to help out at the ranch, though it’s a little surprising he hired the kid of the developer that’s trying to buy the ranch.”
“Maybe he’s just trying to keep the peace?” Emma suggested. “Maybe by hiring Cody, he’s trying to get Graham to back off.”
I nodded. “That’s a good point.” I had to agree with her on that. It made sense that Lucas would try to do that. He wasn’t the kind that got into conflict if he could avoid it. He preferred to bend and give to avoid confrontation…
And maybe that’s why he was so damn hardheaded about reporting the missing cattle.
I could only guess, though.
“Anyway,” Emma cleared her throat as she reached for the doorknob. “I need to get to bed. It’s way past my bedtime.”
“No kidding,” I chuckled, glancing down at my watch. “It’s damn near morning.”
“Basically,” Emma laughed, giving me a fatigued smile. “I’m glad that everything was okay. I know she’s in trouble, but that’s always better than her not being safe—or not getting in trouble for doing something silly.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s one way to put it,” I agreed with her, feeling the tension rise between us as I lingered there on her doorstep. Her potent green eyes seemed to be waiting for me to do something, and something in my chest was in agreement with her.
I pulled my hands from my pockets, and leaned toward Emma, threading them through her hair. She let out a sharp breath as I cupped the back of her head, bringing her lips to mine. I was sure my daughter was still sleeping, but even if she wasn’t…
I didn’t care.
Our kiss was soft, but still passionate as my tongue stroked hers for a brief second before I broke it and pulled away.
“Goodnight, Emma. I’ll call you.”
She smiled, her cheeks still flushed and lips slightly swollen. “Goodnight, Mason. Get some sleep—both of you.”
I tipped my hat to her and waited for her to step inside and lock the door before I headed back to the Bronco. My heart was beating out of my chest as I headed across her yard. There was no doubt that I was starting to feel things for the woman…
I just hadn’t deciphered exactly what they were—and I couldn’t let them distract me from the investigation or my relationship with my daughter. That all had to come first...
Though I had no idea how not to think about her all the time.
I climbed into the Bronco and backed out of her driveway, glancing back to a still sleeping Jess. Her face was relaxed, and in moments like this, I always saw so much of myself in her. She had my dark hair and face shape…
And also, my hardheadedness.
I smiled as I made the drive home, thankful as hell that she was safe—and that Emma had defused the situation. I had nearly lost my head when I had seen her all cuddled up with that Hudson kid. Emma knew how to tread lightly, keeping her head. She made the night easier…
And I had to admit, no matter how much I tried to argue with myself, she sure seemed to make things better.
For everyone.