Chapter Seven
Jolene
" C hild, what in tarnation are you doing hidin' in that stall?"
Busted! I knew it wouldn't be long until someone found me in here curled up with Rogue, but there was no way I was going out there to face Beau. At least not until I knew why he was here.
"I'm not hiding. I'm just giving my girl some lovin’. She was a little pissed at me for not taking her out to ride the fences today, but I had to fix at least one post, and I didn't want to put that much weight on her."
"Hmph," Nana grumbles as she scrutinizes me.
"What? It's the truth." I bat my lashes at her, but I know I’m not fooling anyone.
"I'm sure it's part of it, but I could bet my last penny on the fact that your butt is in here hidin' from that good-lookin' boy who stopped to see ya."
"Beau stopped to see me?" I sit up straight and instantly regret my reaction.
Nana's smiling like the cat that got the canary as she eyes me. "Ha! So you did know he was here."
Well, fuck me running. I just shot myself in the damned foot.
"No." I try to act indignant as I cross my arms over my chest, but my blush of embarrassment gives me away.
"You sure did, ’cause I didn't tell you which boy stopped by to call on ya."
"Fine," I grumble and stand, brushing the hay from my ass. "From the way you're acting like you know something I don't, I’m assuming you talked to him. What did he want?"
"To see you and ask if you needed any help with preparations for the Fourth party.
I knew I wouldn't find you ’cause I saw you turn that wheeler around and hightail it across the pasture, so I put him to work.
He's taking a load of hay into town for us and promised to come back for more if I needed him to," Nana says, forcing me to ask a question she knows damn well I don't want to.
"Well, is he coming back?"
"Ha ha ha!" Nana bends at the waist, propping herself up with a hand on her knee and the other wrapped over her stomach as if she heard the most hilarious joke of her life.
"Har har. I don't know why you think this is so damn funny."
"Oh, it's funny alright, my sweet Jolene."
"Please enlighten me, then." I wave my hand in front of me as if to give Nana the floor.
"It's hilarious because in all my life, I've never seen a man fluster you the way Beau does, and I sure as shit have never seen you flee from any man. So, excuse me for finding this a bit entertaining."
"It's not, Nana. It's a fucking disaster!"
"Oh, posh. He's just a man." She waves me off and turns towards the barn doors to leave.
My anger gets a hold of me. I'm spoiling for the fight—that she started, in an attempt to get me to spill my guts.
“Sure, Nana. He's just a man. But you're forgetting a very important part of who that man is."
"Oh yeah, and what's that?"
"He's a cop, Nana, and a good one at that."
Nana's eyes widen as she realizes what I'm saying.
"Sure, I can see how you are excited about a man finally getting under my skin, but he is the worst fucking man to do that. You know who I am and what I do. I don't plan on stopping any time soon. There are still plenty of scum walking around free when they should be six fucking feet under."
"Or pig food." Nana shrugs, breaking the tension.
We laugh morbidly at my precious hogs’ favorite meal.
"I'm sorry, child. You're right in remindin' me. I wasn't thinking about what he does for a livin'. Just that the boy is obviously sweet on you, and you are feeling some way about him seein’ as you tucked tail and ran when you saw his truck pull up. So, you wanna tell me what happened?"
"Eh, not really, but I know you'll pull it out of me anyway, so why the fuck not.
“Thatcher, being the meddling little twat that he is, brought him to our fire the other night. He blindsided me, and I was not happy about it. But in his dumb, rational defense, I kind of understand why he did it. Avoiding the chief of police is the perfect way to garner his attention."
"That boy sees more than any of us give him credit for." Nana smiles proudly.
"You're not wrong there. Anyway … I ran off, mad at Thatch, and found myself at Laura's. We talked it out and drank a bit of tequila before I made my way back to the fire. The night went well. Beau and I drank and danced, and when we got back to his truck for him to leave, he kissed me."
"Hooey, that sounds like a very watered-down version, child, but I'll let that go. Who kissed whom?"
"I don't know, Nana. Both of us? There's this intense-as-hell underlying attraction that is fucking impossible to ignore.
But nothing good will come out of me getting attached to Beau Calhoun.
There's no way we could truly be together, what with him upholding the law and me breaking it in the most epic way possible. "
"That is definitely a tricky situation, but I don't think you should write him off yet."
" Nana ," I whine, knowing that look in her eyes. There's no way she's letting this go, even if I wish she would.
"Just listen to me for a minute. What have you found out about him?"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, don't play with me, Jolene. There's no way the good officer has been here for a year without you finding everything you could about him. Especially since he's sexy as sin."
I groan in frustration.
To my dismay, she gives me the look that has me spilling my guts in seconds.
"Fine. I found out everything about him that I could. I know where he lives, have seen recommendation letters from his academy days, and have done a full deep dive into his history. I've also heard everything the town has had to say about him."
"So you know he's a good, honest man."
"Yes, which is exactly why I should steer clear from him."
"Maybe, or you get to know him and see how it goes. He could surprise you."
"Yeah, by somehow catching me and throwing my ass in jail."
"Oh, I doubt he'd catch you unless you wanted him to. I know what you’re capable of, which is why I don't worry about pushing you towards him."
"But—"
"Stop it. I'm not saying you need to marry the man, Joey. Just get to know him a little better. If you've done your research, like you've said, I'm sure you know about his parents."
"Yeah, they live a few hours awa—"
Nana raises her hand, stopping me. "No, those are his adoptive parents. His real parents."
"Oh, umm, I didn't really find much on them. Just that they passed, and he went into foster care and was eventually adopted by his current parents."
"They didn't pass away, child. Beau's dad was a cop and more crooked than that old fence your pa put up when he was drunker than a skunk."
"Oh …"
"And just like your daddy, he was an alcoholic who loved to use his wife and kid as a punching bag."
My brow furrows. I already know where this is leading.
"Nobody knows exactly what happened the day they both died, but we do know that it was a murder suicide."
"How the hell didn't I find that out in all of my digging? There was nothing other than that they passed unexpectedly."
"I should've said; I know the truth, but most folk around here do not. Neither of them had any family left in the area, so everythin’ was kept hush hush.
The entire force was dirty at that point, and they didn't need any bad publicity about one of their own murdering his wife before killin' himself. "
I blow out a breath as I let it all set in.
If I remember correctly, Beau was only nine or ten when he lost his parents. I can't imagine what that must've been like for him. I was lucky and still had my mama and nana with me after I’d snuffed out my dear old dad, but Beau didn't catch a break like I did.
"I wonder why the hell he became a cop after all of that."
"Come on, girl. You really can't think of a reason?"
I ponder on why you would choose to follow in the footsteps of a man who stole your entire world, when it hits me.
"To do better. To be better than the man who failed him epically."
"Bingo. You hit the nail on the head. From my sources, he didn't plan on ever coming back here. But when he had an opportunity to come back and shut down the assholes who were doing anything but abiding by the law, he jumped on it in an attempt to right more than the wrong done to him."
"Well, fuck me." I sigh.
If I had any doubts of what kind of man Beau is—which, let's be honest, I didn't—then I have no doubt in my mind now. Beau is the best there is, and attaching myself to him in any way just seems wrong.
"Jolene DuVall, you wipe that look off your face this instant."
"What?"
"You're thinking you're not good enough for that boy. You are, and he'd be damn lucky to have you by his side."
"How in the hell do you see that? If he somehow found out and still accepted me—which is a big if —I'd be putting him in danger of losing everything he stands for."
"You both stand for the same damn thing. You just go about it a little differently than he does."
I snort, which makes Nana's mouth twitch, and it's not long before we're both laughing.
"That's a good one, Nana."
"Just keep an open mind, will ya? I think you two have a lot more in common than not." She pats my cheek.
I lean down and wrap my tiny little nana in a hug, letting all of the tension I'm holding out on a deep sigh. Nana pulls her arms away then swats my butt.
"Hey!"
"You better get a move on if you're still trying to hide from that handsome man. I reckon he should be back for his next load of hay any minute now."
"Fuck. Thanks." I peck her cheek and race back into the barn. "Wanna get outta here, girl?"
Rogue whinnies and stamps her foot.
I'll take that as a yes. I don't have time to saddle her, so I grab her bridle off the post beside her stall, get her situated, and then speed out of the barn as I hear the roar of an engine coming up the drive grow louder.
I let Rogue free, which isn't the smartest move when I'm riding her bareback, but who am I to stop her from feeling like she's flying? Lord knows I can use this freedom more than ever now.