Chapter 8
“I bet I’ll get to help with the cattle today,” Aiden says. He’s sitting in the passenger seat, and we just left the house, on our way out to the ranch after he had the weekend off. It’s so freaking early in the morning, and I don’t remember the last time I was this exhausted, but I’ve seen such a huge difference in my boy in the past week that he’s been working out there, it’s totally worth it.
He even smiled at me this morning. I’d do just about anything for that handsome grin to be pointed at me. Not to mention, I didn’t have to coax him out of bed this morning. He spent most of the weekend sleeping, which I expected. He worked his butt off last week. But this morning, he jumped right up and was ready to go before I was.
He was waiting for me.
That never happens during the school year.
“Are they branding the cows?” I ask.
“Nah, they already did that, but we have to herd them to a different pasture where they’ll be for about a month or so. And I think Ryker’s getting some more head in next week. That’s what he was telling Dusty p>
I don’t remember the last time we had a conversation this long. He was sullen over the weekend again, not saying much of anything, but now he’s animated, and obviously excited to get to work, and it fills me with so much hope, I’m almost bursting with it.
It’s amazing what one week can do for a person.
“I’m going to get some gas really quick,” I inform Aiden as I pull into a filling station.
“I’ll run in and get some snacks for later,” he says, hopping out of the car.
“Do you need cash p>
“Nah, I have some money.” He almost has a spring in his step as he walks inside.
When I’ve finished filling the gas tank, I pull into a parking space closer to the door to wait for my kid. It’s taking him longer than I would have thought, but maybe he’s agonizing over his snack choices. I can relate to that. Sometimes, it’s hard to decide what you want.
However, when it’s been more than ten minutes, I lock the car and walk inside, only to find my boy throwing a punch at another kid.
“Aiden!” With my heart in my throat, I run to him just as the boys turn in a circle, and the other kid’s elbow catches me in the chin, making me see stars and my teeth clack together.
Ouch.
“Holy fuck,” someone says as I fall on my ass.
“You son of a bitch,” I hear Aiden say, but I hold up my hand.
“Stop.” My voice is firm and leaves no room for arguments. “I mean it p>
“I’ve called the cops,” the person behind the counter says. “Should be here in a sec p>
Aiden helps me to my feet, and I scowl when I see that he already has a black eye.
“Baby,” I say, but he pulls out of my reach, and his brow furrows.
“Baby,” the kid taunts, and I glare at him.
“Enough,” I bark.
The cops have already pulled up outside. Where were they, down the street getting donuts for breakfast?
Quickly, I pull my phone out of my pocket and text Ryker, keeping one eye on the cops.
Me: Hey, running late. Got delayed at the gas station. Will be there ASAP.
He replies almost immediately.
Ryker: Just be safe. No rush.
I shove my phone in my pocket as the two officers walk inside, and they give my kid the stink eye.
All in all, it takes fifteen minutes for the officers to give the boys a firm talking-to and send us all on our way. The happy kid that I had in my car this morning is long gone, replaced by the broody, angry boy that I’ve become used to.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I tell him and wince when I see how swollen his eye is. “We’ll get some ice on that p>
“I’m fine p>
“What made you guys throw punches, anyway p>
“It doesn’t matter p>
“Yeah, it does p>
He shakes his head and looks out the window. “Why can’t I just stay in the bunkhouse at the ranch, like Ryker suggested on the first day? It’ll be easier for you. That way, you don’t have to drive me and stuff p>
I frown at him, but he can’t see me, so I return my gaze to the road. My jaw hurts, and I’m going to need some ice myself.
“I like having you with me, buddy. I don’t want to just dump you out there and leave p>
The way my mom used to do to me when I was a kid. I loved the ranch so much, and I still do, but I also knew that my mom took me there because she didn’t want me around. It didn’t feel good.
He doesn’t say anything at all to that, so I leave him be, and the car is quiet as we drive the rest of the way out to the Triple Creek Ranch.
Ryker’s pacing on the porch when we pull in, and he hurries to my side of the car, opens my door, and pulls me to my feet. He immediately frames my face in his hands, his eyes skimming over my face, and he’s scowling.
“Are you okay p>
“I’m fine. I got in the line of fire and shouldn’t have stepped so close. Uppercuts are not fun p>
“What the fuck?” He tips my head to the side, searching for injuries. “You should have called me. I would have come to you p>
“We only talked to the cops for about fifteen minutes p>
He scowls before kissing my forehead, which sends a shiver all the way down my spine, and then he shifts his attention to Aiden.
“Whoa. For fuck’s sake. Come on, we’ll get you both some ice, and I want to hear everything p>
“I can go join the others at the bunkhouse,” Aiden says, but Ryker shakes his head.
“I said get inside,” he replies, and Aiden trudges in, his head hanging low.
Ry takes my hand, laces our fingers, and walks with me, surprising me. He doesn’t usually hold my hand. Certainly not like this.
But I’m not going to complain, because it feels damn good, and I’m still shaken up.
After he pulls out two ice packs from the freezer and passes them to us, Ryker folds his arms over his chest and leans his hip against the counter.
“Someone tell me what happened before I lose my shit p>
“We were at the gas station,” I say. “I fueled up, and he went in for snacks for the day. Hey, you didn’t get your snacks p>
“It’s fine.” Aiden won’t look at either of us. He just stares at the floor.
“When he didn’t come back outside, I went in looking for him and found him in the middle of a fistfight. I ran toward them, the kids turned, and I caught an elbow to the chin p>
Ryker’s eyes burn with anger, but his hand is gentle when he reaches over and tips my head up so he can have another look. His simple touch is warm and soothing. “How do you feel now, Trouble p>
“Sore. I saw stars for a minute. How did you do that for a living p>
“I didn’t get beat up every night,” he says with that crooked smile that sets my heart on fire. “Only some nights p>
Now he turns to Aiden.
“Who was the kid, and why did he deserve to have his ass handed to him p>
My boy’s gaze whips up to Ryker’s, and his cheeks go red, and I just want to hug him.
“He was running his mouth,” Aiden replies.
“About what?” Ryker asks, holding up a hand to me when I would jump in, as if telling me to let Aiden talk.
So I do.
Aiden’s eyes jump to me, and then back to Ryker. “I don’t know p>
“Sweetie p>
Ryker shakes his head and steps forward, sets his hand on Aiden’s shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “What the fuck did he say? You can tell us. You’re not in trouble p>
“He said shit about Aunt Wills p>
My heart stutters to a stop. “What? Me? Why p>
“And we don’t disrespect her,” he continues, watching Ryker closely, and I’m quite sure I’m about to have a stroke. “I told him to shut it, and he wouldn’t. So I shut it for him p>
“Good.” Ryker nods, then turns to me and skims his hand from my shoulder to my fingers, and then holds on. “It doesn’t matter what the kid said—he had your name in his mouth, and your boy was having none of it p>
Without thinking twice, I hug Aiden. I just wrap my arms around his middle and squeeze him. It takes a few seconds, but then his arms come around me, and he pats my back awkwardly.
“I’m not in trouble?” he asks.
“No, you’re not in trouble for the reason behind it. But you need to learn to walk away. You were in a public place, where people could have been hurt, Aiden. We need to talk about self-control. Not to mention, you should have told me what happened when I asked you. Don’t be that kid that only opens up to men, Aiden. I raised you better than that p>
I open my eyes and see Ryker grinning at us, but I’m suddenly so damn tired. I haven’t been sleeping well because I’m afraid I’ll miss my alarm. Driving four hours a day is exhausting, and I’m worried about Aiden, and I have so much of my own work to do. I’m overwhelmed.
Suddenly, I can’t take it anymore, and I bury my face in Aiden’s chest and start to cry.
“Whoa, don’t cry.” He pats my back a little harder, as if that will help. “I don’t… you don’t… help p>
Ryker pries my hands apart from around Aiden, and then I’m in his arms, and he’s holding me close, kissing the top of my head.
“Hey, it’s okay. You’re both fine p>
“I know.” I swipe at my tears. “It’s just been a really crappy week, and I can’t sleep well, and I’m so tired p>
“I told you to just let me stay at the bunkhouse,” Aiden says, his voice almost desperate. “I’ll be fine out here. Honest, Aunt Wills, I don’t mind at all p>
I shake my head. “No. You need to be where I am at night p>
“Okay, take a breath.” Ryker frames my face in his hands and rubs my tears away with his thumbs. “Deep breath for me, Willow p>
Willow. He hardly ever calls me by my full name. It’s always Wills or Trouble.
I follow his directions, and when I’ve calmed down a bit, he surprises me.
“I want both of you to move out here p>
I shake my head. “I would love to spend the summer here, I really would, but I have a job, and I can’t work just anywhere. I need my booth and my equipment. I need my soundproofed room, Ry p>
“It’s time I showed you the project I’ve been working on since you came out here a few weeks ago and asked if I would give Aiden a job.” He kisses my forehead so softly that it boggles my mind, and then he laces his fingers with mine and gestures for us to follow him. “Come on, both of you p>
He leads us upstairs and toward the back of the huge farmhouse. This area of the house is mostly guest rooms with en suite bathrooms, but he converted one of the rooms into his own office, and then the next door he opens is at the end of the hall. He flips on a light, and I… stop.
“Whoa,” Aiden murmurs, but Ryker’s eyes are on me.
“Am I in an alternate universe?” I ask.
“When you told me that Aiden needed this job, I assumed that you’d both be staying out here,” Ryker begins as I prowl the room. “He’ll sleep in the bunkhouse, but he also has a bedroom here. You have your room, of course. And I had these two bedrooms combined into one, soundproofed, and made ready for you to move in and get to work p>
This is the kind of booth that only a filthy rich former hockey player could come up with. He obviously did his homework, because I can see that it’s entirely soundproofed. There’s a smaller desk by the window for me to work at, but there’s an incredible setup in the corner for my sound equipment, iPad, computers, and all the things I need to record. In fact, all I’ll need to do is pack up a few things from my setup at home and move them over. It’ll be easy.
“This is way better than the booth at home,” Aiden says, looking around. “The one at home used to be a closet. It’s tiny, and it gets so hot in the summer p>
“You don’t have AC?” Ryker asks me.
“I can’t run it while I’m recording,” I reply. “The mic picks up the sound. Wow, this is… incredible. You did all this for me p>
“I had the space, and I figured you’d need to work.” He shrugs as if it’s not a big deal, but he’s wrong. This is a very big deal.
“Buddy, will you please give us just a second p>
“I’m out while you finish talking her into it,” Aiden says and leaves the room. “I’m searching for snacks p>
We listen to Aiden’s big feet clomp down the hallway.
“We can change anything you don’t like,” Ryker says with a frown, but I ignore him and simply hug him. I’ve gotten more hugs this past month than in the past year combined. It feels so freaking good. “You didn’t want to hug in front of the kid p>
“I don’t want to cry in front of him,” I reply, shaking my head as the tears come. “It upsets him, and I’m going to cry again p>
As he rubs his big hands up and down my back, I feel his chuckle through his chest. “Does that mean you’ll come stay with me p>
“I would be an asshole to say no after you built me this incredible home studio p>
“I only want you to be comfortable and safe. It’s not safe for you to drive back and forth to Missoula every day, twice a day. There are animals on the road, and it’s not light out yet when you head this way. I don’t like it. Not to mention, it’s obviously taking a lot out of you, and I don’t like that either p>
“I don’t want to sleep through my alarm,” I admit, “so I wake up every hour to check the clock p>
“That’s not good enough rest.” He takes me by the shoulders and pulls me away so he can wipe my face off and smile down at me. I miss the warmth of his hard body, but I don’t resist.
Because he’s being brotherly right now, and I’m fantasizing about this man’s lips on me and how it would feel to touch his naked body. Holy shit, I want to lick his abs and that V that runs down into his pants, right to his—
“Wills p>
“Huh?” Shit, I’m staring at his lips. Maybe we shouldn’t live out here. I’ll spontaneously combust or make a complete fool of myself and ruin a twenty-year friendship.
That would suck ass. Big time.
“Whoa, you’re overthinking something,” he says. “Stop that. It’ll be great p>
He takes my hand and leads me out of my shiny new booth, and we find Aiden in the kitchen, eating a muffin he must have grabbed from the pantry.
“We’re going back to Missoula to pack your bags,” Ryker announces.
“Now?” I ask.
“Yep. I’ll call Dusty and let him know that Aiden and I will join the others after lunch. Let’s go do this p>
“Let’s do it,” Aiden says around a mouthful of muffin and saunters to the front door.