Page 24 of Downpour

Ray stared at me. I smiled at him. He didn’t smile back.

“Please?” I begged.

Ray pushed his wheelchair over to the fridge and pawed around for a snack. “Their mother—my sister-in-law—died when the girls were little.” He slammed the fridge door, making the condiment bottles rattle. “I was living in Colorado. Came back to the ranch for a few months. Christian was grieving and dealing with the ranch. Nate was deployed. CJ was a kid. So, I stayed at the house with the girls. Eventually, I went back to my life and they grew up. I used to surprise them when I’d come into town. I’d kidnap them from school, take them to lunch, and hang out like we used to. That’s all.”

Dear God. He couldn’t be hotandgood with kids. That combination was irresistible.

I grabbed an egg from the fridge to start the frying process again. Ray had mentioned a fried egg sandwich sounded good, and dammit—I was going to make him one.

“You should have them over. Order a pizza or something. Oh! We could have a game night! That’d be so much fun! They still want to hang out with you even though they’ve grown up.”

“I don’t want to hang out with them.” And with that, he left the room.

6

BROOKE

Today wasn’t going to be a good day. It was going to be agreatday. Mr. Wilson didn’t throw oatmeal at me today, so my company polo was still pristine. I left his house at noon on the dot and had time to spare for a coffee stop before I drove out to the ranch.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the barista gave me an extra drink that someone didn’t like, and I had a day off tomorrow.

Life was an amazing thing.

The bells of the coffee shop door jingled as I stepped into the summer sun.

I took a slurp from the straw and headed down the sidewalk to my car. The aroma of nail polish and remover wafted out from the open salon door. It had been a while since I got my nails done. But with the extra pay from not getting fired in my first week with Ray, maybe I could splurge.

My pantry was stocked, my gas tank was full, my phone bill was paid, and I had already squirreled away my portion of the rent money for the month.

I had my shit together, and it felt so good.

“Yo, Stacey!”

I whirled around and spotted Nick heading down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. “Oh my god!” I mumbled through the mouthful of espresso and ice cream. “Hey!”

The chain hanging from his wallet jingled as he strolled up to me. “What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be working?”

“Oh, I am!” I said as I wiggled the plastic cup that was quickly being covered in teardrops of condensation. “I just stopped for a little pick-me-up before I head out to the ranch.”

He ran his thumb over his emaciated pencil mustache. “The ranch?”

“The Griffith Brothers Ranch.”

“Right…” He studied the coffees in my hand. “Look, I think you shorted me on utilities last month.”

My heart sank. I had been so careful… I paid in cash and counted every dollar. “Really?”

Nick crossed his arms and tipped his head back. “Look, if you can’t pay your share, we’ll give your room to someone else.” He shrugged. “Your choice. Pay up or lose your spot.”

“I swear, I gave you the right amount. I just?—“

“Is there a problem here, sweetheart?” A giant shadow engulfed me.

I turned and found Christian Griffith standing behind me. “Hi, Mr. Griffith!”

He didn’t look at me. Instead, his gaze was trained on Nick. “This fella’ bothering you, Brooke?”

“Who?” I tipped my head toward Nick. “Him? Oh, no. This is my roommate. Well, one of them at least.” I laughed. “Six of us share the house.”

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