Page 42 of Rope Me In

“Kade.” He sighs. “I was upset when I said that.”

I stare into the eyes of my brother—the man I once looked up to—a million things I want to say on the tip of my tongue. But it’s not worth it. It will just end up like it always does. I turn my back on him and walk away.

“Where are you going?” His exasperated tone follows me.

I whistle the melody to “Here for a Good Time” by George Strait before yelling over my shoulder, “Didn’t you know, Gav? I’ve got women to corrupt and booze to drink.” The first part is a lie. The second part is not. I think I deserve a drink after this. Blake will take care of Presley and make sure she eats and drinks.

Right now, I just need to be alone.

Chapter 14

Presley

DEREK: Presley. Cut this shit out. You’re ruining everything.

DEREK: We really are going to replace you.

DEREK: If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow morning, I’m going to call your Mom and say you’re missing.

One missed call from Mom.

Anger and sadness lodges in my throat as I stare at my phone next to my bowl of chili and cornbread on the small kitchen table. Leave it to Mom to call me only when she thinks I’m murdered or missing.

I spoon the beanless meat mixture before letting it plop back in the bowl. I haven’t had much of an appetite since I fainted yesterday, but if I don’t eat, either Ruby, June, or Blake will force-feed me. Maybe not force-feed me, but they’d probably make me eat in front of them.

I groan and push my bowl away. I can’t believe I passed out—and in front of Kade, no less. I’ve never passed out a day in my life. It made me question if the cowboy was right in hisassumption that I couldn’t handle being a ranch hand. But Blake would hear none of my apologies, telling me how she did something similar earlier this year when she got heat stroke. It was nice of her to try to make me feel better, but I still feel guilty for not completing my first day of work. On top of that, when I woke up this morning, Kade was nowhere to be found. I half expected him to be asleep on the couch again, but he wasn’t there, and unless he slept in one of the rooms not connected to the living room, he didn’t come back at all last night.

I’m trying to figure out why I felt disappointed when I didn’t see him or why he didn’t come check on me after everything happened yesterday. He seemed genuinely concerned when I passed out, which is part of the reason I lied when Blake asked me if he’d given me breaks. He hadn’t, but I’d also been irresponsible. I should’ve told Kade what I needed, but my desire to prove myself won out over my own safety.

Kade only shocked me further when he offered to bring me back to the house, his arm tightening around me as if he didn’t want to let me go—a feeling that made my stomach flip-flop in ways it shouldn’t. His desire to care for me was sweet, albeit strange, after all the shit he’d been giving me.

The logical side of my brain tells me I shouldn’t like him, but after spending time with him…I don’t know. He’s confusing. Which makes me want to understand him, get to know him and this caring side better—

No. I can’t let myself go there. He has issues. I do, too. And while I can’t lie that my body is attracted to him, he’s not a person I should get involved with. Especially because he’s a playboy who drives me nuts half the time.

But then my mind wanders to the look on his face when I opened my eyes—there was fear there, real fear. It brings my curiosity back about the rumblings I’ve heard at the bar, why he was off work for three months, the accident I keep hearing about. Did something happen to him or someone he loved?

Ping!

I jump as my phone chimes and vibrates on the table. It’s Derek. You’d think it would be my mom, that she’d be concerned I still haven’t returned her call. But no, I guess my shitty ex cares more about me than she does.

The vibrating stops, but before I can turn the phone off, it starts again. Derek’s name flashes across the screen.

I put the spoon back in my bowl of chili and debate my options. If I don’t answer, will the cops show up looking for me to get proof of life? The idea of that happening in front of any one of the Montgomerys or people at Night Hawk makes me nauseous, though I find it hard to believe anyone in my life back home cares that much.

As a teen, there were times when I would test my mom. I would stay overnight at a friend’s place without asking, thinking she’d call worried, wondering where I was or why I didn’t come home. But that never happened.

Then when I turned fifteen and she had my half-sister, Desi, I became a complete and total afterthought. Not that I wasn’t before, but it only got worse. The new baby made me nonexistent. Which I understood at first, but over time, I realized my own mother had replaced me with a shiny new baby, a child she liked better. One would think she’d have had space in her heart for both of her children, but that wasn’t the case. She put all her focus on Desi. Last I heard, she was entering her into beauty pageants.

It figures because she always wanted a little girl who would be the cheerleader and homecoming queen. That was never me. I was just her weird, orchestra-nerd daughter who could never lose weight. When she got what she wanted with Desi, that was the end of me.

And don’t get me started on my dad, who only texts me on holidays and on my birthday. It’s not like he’ll be calling me anytime soon.

Ping!

Screw it. I can’t have the cops showing up to make sure I’m alive—or Derek. With shaking hands, I tap the screen to answer the call. I don’t say hi, and I don’t need to.

“Presley! What the fuck?”

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