Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
REECE
B ooker had been stomping around the ranch all day, and it was actually pretty cute, not that I’d admit it to his face.
I could tell he was hurting, but he was being stubborn and refusing to take any painkillers. Xander was just about ready to throttle him and was currently trying to threaten him into going back to bed for a nap before he took him to the hospital for his next appointment.
So I’d been hiding in the living room pretending to read a book as an excuse to stay out of both of their ways.
I heard the kitchen door slam, and then Xander appeared in the living room doorway wearing exactly the same expression that Booker normally did when things weren’t going his way.
They were so alike it was funny. The fact they clearly didn’t think they were made it even funnier still.
“I give up on him. His arm can drop off for all I care.” Xander huffed as he dropped into the armchair and put his feet on the coffee table, crossing his arms as he sulked.
I shoved the bookmark between the pages of my book and put it on the arm of the couch.
“Did you really think a nap was going to work?”
“He needs to rest.” Xander was practically pouting now, then he squinted at me with a calculating look on his face. “You could persuade him to go to bed.”
“Are you trying to use me as sexual bait, Xander Farrington?”
“You wouldn’t have to actually sleep with him.” He sighed dramatically. “I wouldn’t force that on anyone.”
“That’s big of you. I doubt even I could…No, I definitely could. I’m just not going to. If you want him to stop stomping about the ranch, you need to offer him something he’s not going to refuse.”
“I tried, but you won’t cooperate with me!”
I knew he was teasing me. Apparently, trauma really did bond people because Xander and I had gone from slightly frosty acquaintances to co-conspirators in the space of twelve hours.
“Trace and Delaney are coming over,” I told him, deciding not to engage with his earlier plan. Honestly, I was saving that one for this evening. “And Cade will be here. And Booker loves his nephew, who I happen to know is coming with a stack of Pokémon cards and apparently a burning desire to tell Booker about each and every one of them.”
“I want him to rest, Reece, not to torture the poor guy.”
I swiveled on the couch, curling my feet beneath me so I could look at Xander properly. “Did he tell you?” I asked.
Xander didn’t even pretend not to know what I was talking about. “He did.”
“You know he’s just using the horses as an excuse to check the barn, the cottage, and everything in between them. He’s not really doing any work.”
“And what do you think he’s going to do if he actually finds this guy lurking in the shadows somewhere?”
I sighed and flopped back against the couch. He had a point. I guess I’d just assumed that Camden wouldn’t be stupid enough to still be hanging out around here, but he’d proved me wrong on that already with the whole gate incident.
As I stared up at the ceiling, I found the courage to say what I was really thinking.
“Is it wrong that I kind of hope he punches him in the face and then somehow reverses a truck over him?”
“Not in the slightest…as long as he remembers to use his good hand.”
I snorted out an unladylike laugh, then, with a sigh, stood up. “I’ll check on him.”
As I went to walk past Xander, his hand gently wrapped around my wrist, and I looked down at him in surprise.
“We won’t let this guy anywhere near you, Reece.”
My eyes must have widened comically because Xander hit me with a boyish smile that I’d never seen on his face before.
“You’re good for him,” he said with a shrug. “I can see the difference from the guy I saw three years ago who communicated in mostly grunts and growls. He’s happy finally, and it’s about time that Booker had someone looking out for him as much as he looks out for the rest of us.”
I moved to perch my butt on the arm of the couch and bit my lip nervously. “Will you stay?” I asked him, my eyes nervously glancing toward the door to check that Booker hadn’t come back inside.
I knew he wanted his brother here. He just didn’t know how to ask him.
Xander rubbed the back of his neck as he half shrugged. “I don’t know. This place has never been good for me, Reece. I don’t know what I have to keep me here. I’d do better finding somewhere to start over. Somewhere without all the memories that want to drive me back into the closest bottle.”
I understood where he was coming from, but it shocked me he thought he didn’t have anything in Willowbrook to stay for.
The front door flew open, and Trace, Delaney, and Cade came tumbling inside. Cade was standing on Trace’s shoes as he did a strange waddling walk, walking them both inside, and Delaney laughed at their antics.
“Where’s Uncle Booker?” Cade shouted, jumping off Trace’s feet, much to the relief of his father, who shook out a foot with a grimace.
“He’s out by the barn,” I told him, smiling as he charged through the house.
“Come on, Dad! We need to show Uncle Booker my cards, and I want to sign his cast!”
“Wait up!” Trace called out as he ran after his son, laughing. “He’s getting it changed today, anyway.”
“I’ll sign that one too,” Cade shouted, his voice disappearing out the door.
Delaney stood in the doorway, watching the two of them with a soft smile on her face. Then she glanced at us with a wry smile. “Sorry about that…” she started, only to be interrupted by the sound of a crash outside. “Oh hell!”
And then she was running for the door next.
I turned to Xander with a smile on my face as he watched on in horror at the chaos that had just blown through the front door.
“Them, Xander. You have a family to stay for.”
The look of genuine surprise on his face was a little sad, and I cursed his parents for all the things they’d done to their sons so they couldn’t see a chance of happiness when it was right in front of them.
I stood from the couch again, giving Xander’s shoulder a squeeze as I walked past him, leaving him to his thoughts of the future and how he wanted that to look.
He had so many opportunities in front of him. He just needed to open his eyes and recognize them for what they were.
“This damn thing itches,” Booker grumbled as he tried to stick a finger inside his new cast.
“Will you leave that alone? It’s supposed to be helping you heal. Poking and prodding at it is just going to make this take longer,” I warned him.
The petulant look I got from him made me laugh, and I quickly kissed his lips to stop him from being annoyed with me. It must have worked because he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer.
The town meeting still hadn’t started, even though it was scheduled to begin nearly half an hour earlier. It seemed like people were still arriving, and honestly, the people of Willowbrook were so busy catching up with each other and being excited about the fact that they were having a town meeting to begin with for anything to happen.
“It’s barely broken,” Booker said, rolling his eyes dramatically. He’d tried this with the doctor earlier when he was trying to persuade him he’d be fine with just a brace.
“Booker Farrington, there is currently a bone in your arm that is in three pieces instead of one. Do not make me pull up the picture of your x-ray on my phone again,” I snapped.
I knew taking that picture was a good idea.
He leaned closer, his face coming level with mine. “It’s kinda hot when you get all schoolteacher snippy like that.” Then he quickly pecked my lips before pulling back with a smile.
“Aww, Booky bear, I love seeing you all loved up and gooey like this,” Blake gushed as she slipped into the seat on the other side of him and wrapped her arms around his good arm, clinging to him.
She caught my eye and grinned at me before she looked up at Booker with big Bambi eyes. “Did you get a boo-boo, Booky bear?”
The laugh burst out of me in the loudest snort that I swear echoed around the suddenly silent room. Everyone turned to look at me, but thankfully, maybe, Blake drew the attention away from me as she leaped from her chair.
“No, Booker, spank Reece. She’ll enjoy it more than me!” she squealed as she ran off.
“She’s like a four-year-old on crack who was the result of some kind of deal with the devil,” Booker grumbled.
At least most of the town turned to watch Blake run away cackling rather than me, until an elderly lady in the corner joined in.
“I’d be down for a spanking,” she loudly told her friend, who nodded in agreement.
Booker turned to me with a look of absolute horror on his face. “If you fake a medical emergency right now so I can carry you out of here, I’ll pay you a thousand dollars.”
“Booky bear, if you think scooping me up in your big manly arms is going to help in this situation, then you haven’t read far enough into that romance novel of yours.”
For a split second, he looked annoyed at my adopted use of Blake’s pet name for him. Then what I’d said seemed to register, and the blood drained from his face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbled, turning to face the front of the room as he tried to cross his arms over his chest, and then scowled at the cast impeding his progress.
I leaned over and whispered in his ear. “The one you keep under the couch cushion.”
Every muscle in his body tensed as he stared at me out of the corner of his eye. “Tell me you didn’t show Xander.”
“Would I betray you like that?” I gasped. Then I leaned closer, pressing my breasts against his arm as I licked my lips and whispered, “But maybe skip ahead to page 187, and we can give it a try tomorrow night.”
“Minx,” he grumbled as Trace stood at the front of the meeting and called for everyone to take their seats so they could get started.
I caught the twitch of Booker’s lips and laid my head against his shoulder to hide the smile on my face.
It should be illegal to be this happy.
I guess the meeting was going as well as expected. The people were scared and honestly pissed that no one had told them earlier the direction the town was heading. One thing I hadn’t anticipated was the town looking for someone to blame.
“But why was this kept a secret for so long?” a woman asked to the agreement of the crowd.
“So the Farrington’s could come in and buy up everything cheap. You know they were going to put a golf course on the Barrett land? That’s all they want, to run the rest of us out of town and bring in their rich friends,” a man added.
The crowd was getting whipped up, and we weren’t reaching any kind of conclusion. The plan that Trace and Delaney had been talking about made sense. Investing in the town and the businesses that were already here was smart. I really liked the idea of starting seasonal events to display local goods and bring in visitors. But as soon as they started talking about investing, a lot of people had shut down. Some didn’t even want to open the town up to draw in more tourists. They liked Willowbrook how it was, and I couldn’t blame them.
Finally, Booker surged to his feet. “Look, I get that you’re angry. You should be. A lot has been done around here, and whether it was done with good intentions is hard to say. What I can tell you is that Trace is trying to help you. If you would just see what they have planned at their farm, you’d see what it could do for the town.” He looked down at me, and I nodded.
“I’m going to be expanding the business at the ranch,” he announced, and a murmur ran through the crowd. “You all know that I’ve been bringing in horses for rehab. Well, I want to keep doing that and open up the ranch for people to come and find some peace, too. Work with the horses if they want. Find a quiet place to help them heal. It might not bring a lot of people into town, but they’ll be people who will shop at our businesses. Who will see Willowbrook for the peaceful and beautiful community that it is. We need families, we need revenue, and why not share what we have with new folks? Sometimes you find they’re exactly what you need.”
Booker looked at me with a soft smile and then awkwardly took his seat as his cheeks flushed.
“Stealing our men more likely,” the old lady who apparently liked spanking mumbled.
“Oh, please, June. A woman like you would have broken the poor boy anyway,” her friend added, and Booker looked like he was praying for a heart attack to take him away.
Dex stood up next. From the look on his face, I was sure he was about to say something that Booker would hate, and I braced myself for the explosion that would no doubt follow.
“Look, I know we don’t all talk about stuff like this. We have our heads in the sand because we want everything to stay the same. But the garage has nine months tops before we’re out of business. There just aren’t enough of us to keep the small businesses afloat much longer. This has to happen. Small towns die every day, and if it’s a choice between Willowbrook disappearing for good and suffering through a boom in the economy from tourism, well, I know what I’m hoping for.”
Booker looked at his friend with concern as he took his seat and people talked among themselves. Trace let them talk. It was important people came to their own conclusions, and at least there was some discussion happening now rather than people just shutting down.
“He never said anything,” Booker said quietly, still watching Dex, who’d pulled out his cell to mess around with.
I heard the ding of a notification as Booker pulled his own phone out and scowled at the screen before he tipped it in my direction.
Dex: Stop staring at me. I’ve told you before that I’m not making out with you.
“Idiot,” Booker grumbled, but he couldn’t hide his smile from me.
“It’s going to be all right. We have six months to make some changes.”
Booker nodded. “And until then, I might need a few things done to the ranch equipment,” he said with a smile.
I had a feeling this was why Dex had said nothing to his friends. He knew they’d immediately find a way to send work his way.
What was wrong with that?
“I might have a slight accident in my car tomorrow,” I said, snuggling into Booker’s side as we listened to the town get serious about how we were all going to save this place. “And maybe the cheese smell is coming back.”
Booker shuddered dramatically.
The meeting was drawing to a close an hour later, and everyone looked exhausted. The whiteboard that Delaney had dragged into the community hall was filled with ideas, and she was busy taking notes of people to follow up with.
It had been an epic brainstorming session, but the results were impressive. Dex wasn’t the only business that admitted to struggling, but with the introduction of some new annual events and an expansion of the B&B in the cards, it was all looking more positive.
“We can expand the town visitors’ accommodation by ninety-five percent in the next six months,” Delaney said, sounding impressed.
“All of this won’t mean anything if people don’t know what’s happening here, though,” someone said.
“We can tell the internet about it,” someone suggested, and Delaney smothered the smile on her face.
The thing was, they weren’t entirely wrong.
“Reece has experience with managing events through social media. She can build you enough attention to have those beds filled in no time.” The sound of his voice sent a chill down my spine.
Everyone looked around in confusion, clearly not knowing who it was that was talking.
Booker must have sensed the change in me, as every muscle locked up in my body. A wave of emotion flooded me from the feet up, but this time it wasn’t fear.
This time I was just so fucking angry.
As Camden strode to the front of the room, he gently pushed Delaney to the side and stood at the front, smiling that smile I’d thought was so charming way back then.
His tawny hair was slicked back with way too much gel, and the country club chic look of polo shirt and chinos just didn’t fit in with the people around him. Looking at him now, he exuded superiority, but not in a genuine way. In a way that screamed how he thought he was better than the people around him, no matter how far from the truth that could actually be.
“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Camden Carter. You’ll know my father, of course. He’s the governor of this beautiful state. I’ve worked with Reece before, and she is excellent at drawing attention to a project she’s passionate about. Isn’t that right, Reece?”
That was all it took for Booker to realize who was standing in front of us.
“My father and I have come through your quaint little town occasionally, and it has always charmed us in ways that only a small town can. We’d be honored to be part of your investors and help you build this town into something you can be proud of.”
Camden opened his arms wide like he was preaching to his followers at a pulpit. He smiled that Cheshire cat grin and paused, waiting for what I’m sure he thought would be words of praise and gratitude.
“What makes you think we need more outsiders coming in here throwing about their money and trying to take over the place?” someone asked.
Camden’s eyes widened in alarm, but this was a man who had grown up on the campaign trail. He wasn’t done trying to control the situation yet.
“No one wants to take over. I’m offering you a lifeline. A cash injection to boost your little economy. There’s a beautiful patch of land outside of town that I’d be honored to build a summer home on.”
A snort came from behind us, and Camden’s eyes narrowed in annoyance.
“No one’s handing any land over to you, sunny boy. I’ve got some suggestions where you inject that cash of yours.”
A ripple of laughter ran through the room, and Camden’s arms finally sagged. You see, the thing with Camden Carter was that he wasn’t half the man his father was. He had no finesse, no clever words to sway a crowd because he wasn’t all that clever.
Camden stood at his father’s side and absorbed everything that wasn’t his to take. And he was just stupid enough to think that he’d achieved it all himself.
“Don’t be mean to the boy,” Marie from the bakery said, standing up and scowling at the crowd before her lips quaked as she tried to hold back a smile. “He’s come here all on his big boy self to try to save us poor country folk with his daddy’s money. That’s a long way to cycle on your own.”
She snorted then, unable to hold it in.
And then the insults flew. I had to give it to the people of Willowbrook. Most of them were hilarious.
But even with the rest of town taking great joy in making fun of Camden, Booker hadn’t relaxed for even a second. When he surged out of his seat and Camden’s real sneer came to his face, I thought for certain that a fight was about to start.
“We don’t need people like you around here. People who get off on hurting women. On scaring them because that’s the only way you can keep them at your side. Did you have fun at the ranch, tearing up her clothes and trying to hurt her again?”
The room fell deadly silent, and the laughter stopped as abruptly as if someone had flicked a switch.
“What’s wrong, Camden? Not got anything to say for yourself?” Booker taunted. “Not so easy when it’s someone your own size standing up to you.” Then he looked down at himself and sneered at Camden. “Well, maybe not exactly the same size.”
“I’ll fight him,” Cade piped up, already getting ready to climb on a chair as Delaney pulled him down and then hugged him proudly.
“No need, I’ve got this,” Marie said, rolling up her sleeves as she strode to the front.
I actually thought she was going to punch him then, and clearly so did Camden, as he stumbled backward and scurried to the side of the room in search of the door.
“This is slander,” he called out over his shoulder. “I don’t know what that bitch has been telling you…”
“Nothing but the truth, you piece of shit,” I suddenly exploded.
Camden froze and then slowly turned to face me. “What the fuck did you say to me?” he said lowly.
A shiver flashed through my body as the memory of him raising his fist for that first punch blazed into my mind. This was the exact face he made before he completely shut down.
“I called you…A. Piece. Of. Shit!” I enunciated as I strode closer. “I’m not afraid of you. What are you going to do, Camden? Are you going to hit me again in front of all these people? Are you going to run to Daddy and tell him all these mean people hurt your feelings? I don’t care if no one’s going to arrest you. I don’t even care if you walk out of here and live the same nasty pathetic life you had before. But you come back here again, you even try anything to hurt these people, and I’m going to send all the pictures, all the emails, all the documents I took from your computer straight to dear Daddy and straight to the press.”
Camden’s face flushed white and then quickly went red with rage. “I don’t know what you think you have…”
“I have everything,” I told him calmly. “Now leave.”
He stared at me for a second, and the town waited calmly to see what he’d do. I knew he could hurt me. Hell, I knew how much he wanted to. But he wouldn’t risk the scandal, and just like I’d thought he would, he turned and left instead.
A breath of relief rushed out of me, and the crash of adrenaline that followed made me feel like I was going to vomit.
I felt Booker’s presence at my back as he pulled me back against his chest.
“I’m proud of you, baby,” he murmured. “But next time, let me hit him at least once before you chase him off.”
I chuckled sadly then, and he held me tighter.
“You didn’t tell me about the files.”
“That’s because I don’t have anything,” I told him honestly. “But he doesn’t need to know that.”
Booker kissed the top of my head, and I trembled in his arms. This wouldn’t be the last we’d see of Camden. It couldn’t end this easily.
“Come on, baby. Let’s go home.”
Home. That sounded nice.