Chapter 11
ELEVEN
AUbrEE
I’m draggin’ ass after we went to the bar last night, but it was much needed.
To feel like myself again, to not be hiding from everyone and everything because of what my ex-boyfriend did to me.
Last night I was more like the Aubree who left here, and less like the Aubree who tucked her tail between her legs and came back.
There are dark circles under my eyes and a tiredness lining my face, but both of them are good. I’m working hard and having fun.
Putting on my boots and grabbing a flannel to ward off the chilly morning air, I stomp down the stairs.
“Who’s going to go today?” I can hear Truett and Jesse talking in not exactly hushed tones. “Everyone is working. We desperately need to hire some more hands.”
“To do that, we need more money,” Jesse argues quietly. “To get more money—”
“I know,” Truett cuts him off.
The nosy part of me desperately wants to know what they’re talking about, and why it’s in riddles instead of plain English. I clear my throat as I walk over the threshold from the hallway into the kitchen. “Morning, y’all.”
Both of them shut their mouths and glance at me. “Morning, Aubree.” Truett strolls over to the coffeepot on the counter and pours me a cup.
My eyes travel over to where Jesse is standing.
He’s leaning against the butcher block countertop, long legs crossed in front of him, arms over his chest. Our gazes meet, and he gives me a slow smile.
Heat creeps up my neck before I clear my throat and look over at Truett.
“I couldn’t help but hear that y’all might need someone to go and get something done today? ”
“Yeah.” Truett hands me my coffee mug. “There’s a feed order that needs to get picked up, but everybody’s busy. We can’t put it off for much longer because we’re almost out of feed.”
“I can do it,” I offer without thought. “It’s been a long time, but I remember how to drive a truck.”
The two of them share a glance, and it’s as if they’re weighing between each other if I’m capable of this. Eventually, Truett answers. “All right, I’ll let them know you’re on the way after we have breakfast.”
The look that passes between them doesn’t escape my notice. There’s something they’re not telling me, some weight they’re carrying that goes beyond simple ranch business. I file it away for later, along with all the other little inconsistencies I’ve noticed since coming home.
Breakfast is simple: eggs, bacon, and toast that Cookie has left warming in the oven.
The three of us eat in relative silence, though I catch Jesse watching me more than once.
Every time our eyes meet, I feel that same electric jolt from last night, the memory of his lips on mine making my skin flush with heat.
“You sure you’re okay to handle the truck?” Truett asks as we finish up. “It’s been a while since you’ve driven anything that size.”
“I’ll be fine,” I assure him, though privately I’m a little nervous. It has been years since I’ve driven anything bigger than the sedan I had when I still lived at home. “How hard can it be?”
Jesse snorts, earning him a glare from me. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” he says, but his green eyes are dancing with amusement. “Just remembering the time you tried to back Dad’s truck up to the barn and took out half the fence.”
“I was sixteen!” I protest, heat flooding my cheeks. “And that fence was in a stupid spot anyway.”
“Uh-huh.” He pushes back from the table, standing to his full height. Those long legs of his seem to go on forever, and I have to force myself to look away. “Just be careful, all right? Call if you need anything.”
There’s something in his tone. Concern? Protectiveness? It makes my heart skip. “I will.”
An hour later, I’m behind the wheel of Truett’s pickup, trying to remember everything I learned about driving a stick shift all those years ago. The truck lurches and jumps as I navigate out of the ranch, but eventually I get the hang of it.
The drive into town gives me time to think, to process everything that’s happened since I came home.
Jesse’s kiss last night, the way it felt to be in his arms again, the promise in his voice when he said he’d steal my heart.
Part of me wants to let him try, to give in to this pull between us that’s always existed.
But the other part, the part that’s still healing from Daniel’s betrayal, warns me to be careful. I can’t afford to get my heart broken again, especially not by Jesse. He has the power to destroy me completely, and I’m not sure I’m strong enough to survive that kind of devastation twice.
Grabbing my phone, I scroll through until I find Nora’s name and quickly make the call, putting her on speaker.
“Well, well,” her voice fills the cab. “Look who’s calling to check up on me.”
“Just making sure you got home okay last night,” I lie, though we both know that’s not the only reason I’m calling.
“Uh-huh. And this has nothing to do with wanting to know what happened between me and Truett when he drove me home?”
I can’t help but smile. Nora knows me too well. “Maybe a little. So? Anything to report?”
There’s a pause, and I can practically hear her grinning. “He kissed me.”
My heart does a little skip of excitement for my friend. “And?”
“And what? That’s it. Nothing else to report. He walked me to the door, kissed me good night like a perfect gentleman, and left.”
“How was it?” I press, needing details.
“Amazing,” she admits, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “God, Aubree, it’s been so long since I felt anything like that. I’d forgotten what it was like to want someone.”
I know exactly what she means. Last night with Jesse awakened something in me that I’d thought Daniel had killed. The desire, the need, the flutter of possibility—it’s all rushing back with a vengeance.
“So what happens now?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she sighs. “We’ll see, I guess. What about you and Jesse? Don’t think I didn’t notice you two practically devouring each other with your eyes on the dance floor.”
Heat floods my cheeks even though she can’t see me. “It’s complicated.”
“It always is with you two. But Aubree? Don’t let fear keep you from something that could be amazing. You’ve been hiding long enough.”
Her words hit closer to home than I’d like to admit. I have been hiding—from Daniel, from the past, from the possibility of getting hurt again. But maybe it’s time to stop running.
“I should go,” I tell her as I see the sign for Grizzly River Feed and Seed ahead. “I’m about to pick up some feed for the ranch.”
“Okay, but think about what I said. Love you, girl.”
“Love you too.”
I end the call and pull into the parking lot of the feed store. The place looks exactly the same as it did when I was a kid, with weathered wood siding, a tin roof, and a hand-painted sign that’s seen better days. Some things never change in small towns.
The bell above the door chimes as I enter, and the smell hits me immediately: grain, hay, and leather mixed with something else I can’t quite place. Behind the counter, an older man I don’t recognize looks up with a friendly smile.
“You must be here for the Weber order,” he says before I can speak.
“That’s right. I’m Aubree.”
“Figured as much. You look just like your mama did at your age.” He comes around the counter, wiping his hands on his apron. “I’ll get the boys to load you up. Shouldn’t take but a few minutes.”
While I wait, I wander around the store, looking at the various supplies and equipment. It’s like stepping back in time, everything from bridles and saddles to chicken feed and garden tools. This place serves every need a rancher or farmer could have.
“Aubree Weber? Well, I’ll be damned.”
I turn to find a tall man in a sheriff’s deputy uniform approaching me, and it takes me a moment to place him. When I do, I smile. “Noah Sanchez? Oh my god, hi!”
He grins and pulls me into a friendly hug. “It’s Deputy Sanchez now, but yeah. How long has it been?”
“Too long,” I say, meaning it. Noah and I went to high school together, though we ran in different circles. He was the quiet, studious type, while I was more interested in causing trouble with Jesse and his brothers. “I heard you joined the sheriff’s department.”
“Five years ago,” he confirms, his dark eyes warm. “What about you? Last I heard, you were conquering the big city.”
The question hits a sore spot, but I manage to keep my smile in place. “Living back here for a while. Helping out at the ranch.”
Something flickers in his expression. Concern? Suspicion? Before I can analyze it, one of the store employees calls out that my order is ready.
“Guess that’s my cue,” I say, starting toward the door.
“Aubree, wait.” Noah catches my arm gently, his expression serious now. “Be careful, okay? There are rumblings about what’s happening out at Grizzly River Ranch, and you don’t want to be caught in the middle of it.”
My blood chills. “What kind of rumblings?”
For a moment, I think he might actually tell me. Then he shakes his head, his jaw tightening. “I can’t get into specifics. Just…be careful who you trust.”
Before I can press him for more information, he reaches out and caresses my cheek, his touch gentle but his eyes intense. “I’d hate to see you get hurt, Aubree. You’ve always been too good for this place.”
The gesture is intimate, unexpected, and I take a step back. “Noah, I…”
“Just think about what I said, okay?” He drops his hand and steps back, becoming the professional deputy again. “Take care of yourself.”
He walks away before I can respond, leaving me standing there with more questions than answers. What did he mean about rumblings? What’s happening at the ranch that I don’t know about?
As I drive home, my mind races with possibilities. The cryptic conversation between Jesse and Truett this morning, their worry about money, Noah’s warning…it all adds up to something bigger than I understood. Something potentially dangerous.
The question is: What am I walking into? And more importantly, how deep are Jesse, Truett, and our families involved in whatever it is?
By the time I pull back onto the main road and head toward the ranch, dark clouds are building on the horizon, and I have a sinking feeling that the storm approaching isn’t just about the weather.