Chapter 24 - Aubree
TWENTY-FOUR
AUbrEE
I watch Jesse drive away from Nora’s apartment, heading to take the cattle to market. I’ve never worried about him leaving before, but now I do. Since Truett got shot, I’ve worried about a lot more than I ever have before.
Nora opens the door with a smile before I can even knock. Atlee is sitting on her couch, and it looks like Nora was sitting across from her.
“Welcome to our prison.” Atlee rolls her eyes, blowing a breath. “No one’s ever told me I’m not allowed to leave somewhere before, and I’m not sure I like the implication that Devlin Nelson is in charge of me.”
Nora and I glance at each other.
“So you’re saying it doesn’t turn you on just a little bit that he laid down the law to you?”
Atlee shifts in her seat. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had a man act like that before, but it was interesting.”
Nora brings coffee to the table. “My question is, what was he like on your drive to the ranch the night that Truett was shot. Devlin hardly ever says five words.”
Atlee’s face pinkens. “He spoke. Not a lot, but he was nice to me.”
“Atlee…” I give her a grin. “Did the strong, silent type do it for you?”
“There was something about the way he grunted every answer to any question I had that did seem pretty hot.”
We both giggle at her. “Welcome to the club, honey. All of ’em grunt every answer to any question asked.”
The laughter feels good, a brief respite from the tension that’s been hanging over all of us like a storm cloud.
I curl my legs under me on Nora’s plush armchair, wrapping my hands around the warm coffee mug.
The apartment smells like vanilla and cinnamon, so different from the hay and leather scents I’ve grown accustomed to at the ranch.
“Speaking of grunting men,” Nora says, settling back into her spot across from Atlee. “How is Truett really doing, Aubree? I know when I visit him at the ranch, he puts on this tough act, but I can see right through it.”
I take a slow sip of my coffee, buying myself a moment. Nora’s always been perceptive, and there’s no point in sugar-coating things with her. “He’s doing well, considering. But I think it’s going to take him longer to heal than any of them want to admit. He’s lost a lot of endurance.”
“What do you mean?” Atlee asks, leaning forward with concern.
“Last night, Jesse had to help him shower, and it took them over an hour. Truett was exhausted afterward, could barely keep his eyes open.” I set my mug down, running my thumb along the rim.
“He’s frustrated, you know? Being dependent on everyone else is killing him almost as much as the actual injury was. ”
Nora doesn’t say anything, but I can see the worry etched in the lines around her eyes, the way she’s gripping her coffee mug a little too tightly. Her knuckles are white against the ceramic.
“Nora,” I say gently. “Can I ask you something?”
She nods, though I can tell she’s bracing herself.
“Do you love him?”
The question hangs in the air between us like smoke. Atlee glances between us, suddenly very interested in her coffee. Nora’s face goes through a series of expressions—surprise, vulnerability, and then something that looks like resignation.
“I do,” she says finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “But it’s complicated.”
“It always is,” I reply, reaching over to squeeze her hand. Her fingers are cold despite the warm mug she’d been holding. “Love isn’t supposed to be easy, Nora. If it were, everyone would be doing it right.”
She lets out a shaky laugh. “I keep telling myself that I should walk away. That getting involved with someone like Truett, someone who lives dangerously, who could get hurt or worse, is stupid. But then I see him lying in that bed, and all I want to do is crawl in there with him and hold him until he’s better. ”
“Then why don’t you?” Atlee asks softly. “Life’s too short to waste time on what-ifs.”
Nora looks at her, then at me. “Because what if I lose him? What if this shooting is just the beginning? What if next time…” She trails off, unable to finish the thought.
“What if you don’t?” I counter. “What if you miss out on something amazing because you’re too scared to take the risk?
Look at me and Jesse. Six months ago, if someone had told me I’d be living on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, in love with a cowboy, I would have laughed them out of the room.
Especially since that particular cowboy let me down easy when I kissed him on my eighteenth birthday.
But here I am, and I’ve never been happier. ”
“Even with everything that’s happened?” Nora asks. “Even with the danger?”
I consider this. The shooting shook me more than I care to admit. Seeing Truett lying there, seeing Jesse’s face when he thought we might lose my brother, it was terrifying. But it also showed me how precious what we have really is.
“Especially because of everything that’s happened,” I say.
“It made me realize that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. We might as well make today count. Am I okay knowing what they do? I’m still coming to terms with it, and they’ve promised me that things will change.
Are they telling the truth? I guess we’ll see. ”
Atlee nods enthusiastically. “That’s exactly what I told myself when I decided to help get that medicine, even though my instincts told me not to.”
“And look how that’s working out for you,” I tease, gesturing toward her. “Devlin’s got you under his protection whether you like it or not.”
She blushes again, and I can’t help but grin. “He does seem to have appointed himself my personal bodyguard, doesn’t he?”
“Honey, that man has been watching you like a hawk since the moment he brought you to the ranch that night,” Nora says, finally cracking a smile. “The protection thing is just his excuse to keep you close.”
“You think so?” Atlee’s voice is hopeful, and it’s adorable how transparent she is.
“I definitely think so.”
We spend the next hour talking, laughing, and slowly working through the knot of worry that’s been sitting in all our chests.
It feels good to be with other women, to talk about feelings and fears without having to worry about appearing weak or needy.
The men in our lives are wonderful, but sometimes you need your girlfriends.
When my phone buzzes with a text from Jesse saying he’s on his way back, I feel that familiar flutter in my stomach. Even after all this time, the thought of seeing him makes my heart race.
“I should get dressed,” I say, standing and stretching. “Jesse and Devlin are on their way back, and he promised me a good dinner.”
“Before you go,” Nora says, standing as well. “Thank you…for pushing me to think about what I really want instead of what I’m afraid of.”
“That’s what friends are for,” I reply, hugging her tightly. “And Nora? Truett’s tougher than he looks. He’s going to be fine.”
She nods, though I can tell she’s still worried. We all are.
“He was with me.”
The words come out steady and clear, even though my heart is pounding against my ribs. I meet Noah’s gaze, grateful for the dim lighting that hopefully hides the flush I can feel creeping up my neck.
Noah has kind eyes, but there’s steel underneath his gentle demeanor. He’s been asking questions of the community for days, going over the night of the shooting again and again, looking for inconsistencies in our stories.
“From what time to what time?” he asks, making notes in his small notebook.
“From around seven in the evening until the next morning,” I reply. “We had dinner, watched a movie, and then…” I let the implication hang in the air, hoping the blush on my cheeks sells the story.
Noah glances at me, his expression unreadable. “Aubree, do you know what’s going to happen if we find out you’re lying for them?”
The question sends a chill down my spine, but I force myself to maintain eye contact. “I do know, but I’m not lying, so the investigators have no leg to stand on.”
It’s not entirely a lie. Jesse was with me for most of that evening.
“You’re sure about this?” Noah presses. “Because if Jesse was involved in what happened to those cattle—”
“He wasn’t,” I interrupt, perhaps a bit too forcefully. “Jesse would never do something like that.”
Noah closes his notebook and studies me for a long moment. “All right,” he says finally. “I think that’s all I need for now. But Aubree, if you remember anything else, anything at all…”
“I’ll call you,” I promise, standing from the table on legs that feel slightly unsteady.
As he makes his way toward the exit, the group of us at our table is quiet. Jesse’s eyes find mine immediately, and I can see the tension in his shoulders, the worry lines around his green eyes. When I reach them, he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me close against his side.
“You did good,” he murmurs against my ear, his breath warm and comforting.
“Thank you,” I whisper back.
Devlin nods toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”
The four of us walk out into the evening air, and I take a deep breath, feeling like I can finally breathe properly again.
“So,” Jesse says as we reach his truck, his hand still resting on the small of my back. “Does this mean you aren’t going back to Chicago?”
The question catches me off guard, even though I’ve been expecting it.
I turn to face him, taking in his rugged features, the dark beard that frames his full mouth, those striking green eyes that seem to see straight through to my soul. This man has turned my entire world upside down, and somehow that feels exactly right.
“I’m staying,” I say, loud enough for Devlin and Atlee to hear as well. “You better get used to me being here.”
The smile that spreads across Jesse’s face is worth every uncertainty, every fear I’ve had about this decision. Before I can say anything else, he picks me up and twirls me around in the parking lot, my feet leaving the ground as I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck.
“Jesse!” I squeal, half protesting, half delighted. “Put me down!”
“Not a chance,” he says, spinning me once more before setting me back on my feet.
His hands frame my face, thumbs brushing across my cheekbones.
“You’re sure? Because once you commit to this life, to me, there’s no going back.
You were coddled as a teenager. It won’t be like that this time.
Ranch life isn’t easy, Aubree. Neither am I. ”
I reach up and trace the line of his jaw, feeling the rough texture of his beard under my fingertips. “I don’t want easy,” I tell him. “I want you. I want this. All of it.”
He kisses me then, right there in the parking lot, with Devlin and Atlee watching. It’s not a gentle kiss. It’s claiming, possessive, full of promise and heat. When we finally break apart, I’m breathless and dizzy and completely, utterly in love.
“Well,” Atlee says from somewhere behind us. “I guess that settles that.”
I glance over to see her smiling at us, while Devlin is trying very hard to look anywhere but at us. His cheeks are actually pink, which is endearing on such a tough, silent man.
“Come on,” Jesse says, opening the truck door for me. “Let’s go home. Atlee, Devlin will drive you back into town.”
Home. The word settles in my chest like a warm ember. This place hasn’t felt like home since my parents died, but right now? I can’t imagine it feeling any other way.
As Jesse drives through the darkening countryside, his hand resting on my thigh, I watch the familiar landscape roll by. This is my world now, these people are my family, and despite all the chaos and danger and uncertainty, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
I place my hand over Jesse’s, where it rests on my leg, threading our fingers together.
“I love you,” I say quietly, the words carrying all the weight of my decision, my commitment, my future.
“I love you too,” he replies, bringing our joined hands to his lips to press a soft kiss to my knuckles. “Welcome home, Aubree.”
As we turn down the long drive toward the ranch, toward our life together, I know with absolute certainty that I’m exactly where I belong.