Page 98 of Redemption

“You’re slurring.”

“You’reslurring, my speech is impeccable,” she shot back.

Gertie looked so proud of herself that I burst out laughing. After a while I could see her eyes drifting closed and I helped her upstairs to my bed.

I took the couch that night and I paced around the living room, thinking about her and her stupid woman-beating shithead of a soon-to-be-ex-husband. I thought about the ranch and Jack and eventually I gave up and went into my father’s study.

I lingered by the window in the dark and looked out.Jack’s cabin was dark and my mind whispered cruel scenarios.He’s out with another woman. He’s already moved on from you. You didn’t mean anything to him.

When the lights came on inside the cabin, I released the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. He wandered into the little kitchenette shirtless, just in his sweatpants, and my heart leapt into my throat. I took in the curves of his body. The smooth thick skin that covered his muscles and I ached to run my tongue over it again. I moaned softly in the dark and like he heard me, he turned and looked out the window, staring straight at me.

It was dark, I knew he couldn’t see me, but I also knew he knew I was there. If history had taught me anything, he always knew I was watching him. I waited, seeing what he would do. I needed a sign that he missed me, that he was aching with our separation too.

But he turned away and the lights in the cabin went out and my hope died with them.

*

The next morning, I woke with a crick in my neck and a fucked-up back from the couch. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes before stumbling into the kitchen in dire need of coffee. I heard a loud sound and instantly smiled as I recognized Gertie’s laugh.

My bestie was home.

I went into the kitchen, and she was there at the table, with my sisters crowded around her and Leo watching from his place next to the sink. He spotted me and held out a mug of coffee.

“I know lots of good stretches to help work out the kinks from a night on that evil couch,”he offered.

“Thanks,” I replied, accepting the coffee.

Leo moved closer to me and raised his mug to his lips. “Is there someone we need to fuck up?” he murmured, flicking his stare to Gertie. Her bruises looked just as bad today as they had last night and would probably take a few days to die down. I should have warned my sisters as it was a startling sight.

“Yes, we do indeed. No one messes with our Gertie.”

Leo grunted and clinked my mug with his. “I’m on it,” he said, then moved away and put an arm around Gertie’s shoulders, always the protector of our little group. I caught the way Maddy’s stare lingered on the arm Leo slung around Gertie before her eyes flicked to mine then away again.

After a while, Gertie broke away and came over. She had her wild hair piled up on her head, a few curls spilling out from the messy knot but her eyes were bright and clear. She had on one of my dresses that struggled to contain her generous curves and the lilac cowgirl boots that Daddy had bought her for her sixteenth birthday. She looked amazing.

“How’d you sleep?” I asked, hugging her.

“Like a log. How I’ve missed that Redemption Ranch air,” she sighed.

“It was probably all the wine,” I added.

“Definitely the wine,” she agreed with a smirk. “What’s the plan for today?”

My brows shot up. “You wanna help out?”

She shrugged. “Sure, I need to earn my keep if I’m staying here.”

“No Gerts, you don’t.”

“Well, I want to. I love this place so put me to work, boss.” She mock-saluted me.

I took Gertie with me to the stables and immediatelybumped into Jack coming out of them. I rebounded off the wide wall of his chest and teetered on my feet. He gripped my arm and tugged me forward to stop me from falling. The heat rippled all the way up my arm and had me fighting a shiver, but when I lifted my stare to his face, he wouldn’t look at me.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. He didn’t say anything, just ducked around me and out of sight. His black Stetson perched on his head, his brown hair curling out from under it. A pair of blue Wranglers molded to his hips and his boots clomping as he walked away. He looked every inch a true cowboy and the sight was something to behold.

“Oh dang,” Gertie whispered when he walked away. “Check out those muscles.” I glared at her and she held up her hands in surrender. “Sorry, they just took me by surprise, that’s all.”

“You and me both,” I sighed. I tugged her into the stables and she started cleaning the stalls while I fed the horses.

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