Page 129 of Relentless

Pulling her phone from the pocket of her jeans, Harper knew what she had to do next.

Chapter 35

About Time

Oakleigh relaxed on the leather sofa, enjoying her hot coffee beside the warm, crackling fireplace. A restful lull had draped over the ranch house that afternoon as the family unwound from the excitement of the night before. She was always thankful when Maeve allowed them to sleep in and delay chores for even a few short hours. After the last couple years of rigorous early morning ranch work that had set her body clock in motion with the rising sun, sleeping in wasn’t really the same as it used to be.

Maeve had been gone for the duration of the afternoon and early evening. It wasn’t unusual for her to hold back sharing every detail of her day, but her absence had been noticed. When Oakleigh asked her about it, Maeve simply shrugged and kept her explanation brief —

“I had things to do.”

Oakleigh sipped her coffee in silence, feeling somewhat relieved that she hadn’t seen her mother since the night before. Maeve had informed her that morning that Harper hadbooked her flight home. There was still an undercurrent of unspoken turmoil between them, and it seemed as though their relationship would remain unsalvageable.

Maeve had been right again — not every prayer would be answered the way she hoped.

The front door opened, letting a gust of chilly air into the living room. Sawyer had finally returned from his lengthy list of evening chores.

“Well, it’s about time,” Oakleigh teased.

“Don’t even start with me,” Sawyer murmured. He went to the kitchen, and took his place at the island. Maeve whisked by, placing a mug of coffee and a plate of reheated dinner in front of him.

“Oakleigh’s going to shadow you tomorrow,” Maeve informed him. She turned to give Oakleigh a wink despite Sawyer’s audible sigh.

Oakleigh sat all the way back on the sofa, casually clasping her mug between her hands. She couldn’t help but feel a burst of pride over her promotion.

It would be a slow transition.

She still had much to learn, but she had a vision for the ranch. Oakleigh looked forward to working beside Maeve, continuing to build their legacy of success. Even though Sawyer grumbled about it, there was a touch of levity about him that hadn’t been there before.

The front door slammed again. This time, she was glad to see it wasthe oneshe had been waiting for all day.

Crew pulled off his gloves, placing his palm on the wall to steady himself as he removed his wet boots. He wiggled his cold, stiff fingers before unzipping his thick winter coat and hanging it on the hook. His eyes finally connected with hers, and a broad grin spread across his bruised face. Much to Oakleigh’s relief, the dentist had gone to work late the night before to restore his sparkling white smile.

Meeting him in the entryway, she wrapped her arms around him and sank into his strong arms.

“Where you been, cowboy?” she asked, running her fingers down his rough five o’clock shadow. She sighed, looking into his cool blue eyes surrounded by dark black bruises.

“Does it hurt?”

“Not too bad,” he replied. “How was your daybosslady?”

Oakleigh chewed her lip, considering his playful quip about her newest promotion. “Is it going to be weird?”

“Nah, I kind of like it,” he shrugged. “Just give me a break on fixin’ fences for a while.”

A sarcastic burst of laughter was heard all the way from the kitchen. “Keep dreaming!” Maeve shouted.

Oakleigh rolled her eyes. It seemed like they were never completely alone in the large house. “Therealbosslady has spoken.”

Crew leaned an elbow on the wall of the entryway, running his fingers through his blonde hair as he considered. “You know you’re gonna have to get better at roping if you’re going to take the lead.”

“Don’t remind me,” Oakleigh muttered.

“How bout’ we go practice?” he suggested.

Oakleigh cocked her head to the side as her eyebrow went high. “Tonight?”

“Yeah, out in the arena,” Crew replied, nodding in the general direction.

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