Page 5 of Rival Heart
“Fucking bastard,” I grumble under my breath. Just because he’s living the dream doesn’t mean that all of us get that option.
But for some stupid damn reason my heart, the organ I thought dead and buried, flutters to life like a butterfly trapped under glass.
What if he was right and I could be happy here with the woman I’ve loved my whole, miserable life?
Yeah, right. I’ll try but really? I don’t think my wishes can compete with all the hurt and anger I caused Rebel.
No matter what I do, I think I’ll just end up hurting both of us in the end. Just like I did the last time. I wish it could be different. But sometimes wishes aren’t reality.
And reality bites.
FOUR
Rebel
It’s been two days.I pace back and forth, the dusty ground of the corral barely slowing my racing thoughts down.
I haven’t seen Jace since I went out there that first day but I’ve sure as hell been hearing about him in town. How he’s working his ass off to clear the scrubby, overgrown land out at his place.
“Probably just so he can sell the place and get the hell out of Dodge,” I mutter under my breath. I know damn well he doesn’t want to stay around here. He lit out of here like his Wranglers were on fire so many years ago. Didn’t even tell me good-bye.
Of course, it doesn’t surprise me that he said my dad was part of the reason he left. He’s always messed around in my life. On the fringes usually. Not directly. Oh no. He’s too slick, too polished to do anything like that. Everything has to be done under cover of darkness so that nobody thinks any less of him. He enjoys keeping his darker side hidden so that he can feel like the hero he’s not. It’s one of his power plays.
My dad’s out of town right now which is why I wanted to hurry up and get the land purchase over and done with before he got back and screwed it up somehow.
I’ve got the legacy that my mom left me when she died. Plenty to get the ranch cleaned up and going. Even hire some good guys for me and get the cattle that I need.
But if he was home, I guarantee that S.O.B. would have a chat with the bank or something and manage to put a spanner in the works for me.
When I see the tell-tale trail of dust heading up the road, my heart freezes in my chest. But as the little car gets closer, relief hits me.
For ten seconds. Until I see lavender hair and realize I’m about to get a visit from the infamous grannies. The matchmakers of Hamilton. The eccentric, elderly ladies who are on a roll finding love for their younger relatives. The grandsons that Margot loves with all her heart. Sebastian and Ricky.
But I don’t need their help and neither does Jace. We’re not their relatives and I don’t know why they’d want to “help” me. I’m nothing to them.
But as Margot steps out of the little lavender compact and grins at me, I find myself struggling not to grin right back at her. The woman’s a powerhouse that’s for sure. Her bright smile sucks you in quick but if you don’t keep your head? That’s when they make their move and you find yourself out on a date with a guy who’s sucking chicken wings down so fast, he’s lucky he doesn’t choke on a bone. That same guy that sits there and talks to you about how he thinks you need to watch what you eat. Should you really have a piece of cake for dessert?
On and on it went until I was ready to grab a knife and… well, let’s just say that guy wasn’t going to enjoy his dessert either.
“Margot.” I nod my head and smile slightly. After all, my mama told me that I shouldn’t be rude to my elders. No matter if I trust them or not.
“Hello, dear. How have you been? I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you since we set you up on that last date.”
I snort but quickly cover the noise with a cough when Margot’s eyes narrow. She’s got quite the temper and I’m not looking to get into it with an elderly troublemaker.
The woman makes quite a picture though. Her foot is tapping on the hard-packed ground in her bedazzled hot pink sneakers. Her lean, yet curvy little body is practically vibrating with enough energy to run a nuclear power plant and her dark eyes twinkle with humor and a lively look that makes me very wary indeed.
I cross my arms over my chest. “What are you doing out here, Margot?”
Margot’s slim, pale fingers flutter like butterflies as her partner in crime, Louise comes sauntering up.
“Rebel Hawthorne, as I live and breathe! Aren’t you just a pretty picture, darlin’!”
I have to fight the snicker trying to bubble up my throat. If I give these two even a sliver of a reaction, they’ll take that and run and the next thing you know, I’ll be on another date from hell, staring at some crazy loser who I wouldn’t kiss if he was the last man in the galaxy.
“Hello, Louise. I was just asking Margot what you two are doing out here and she still hasn’t answered me. Maybe you’d care to.”
Both elderly ladies snort and grin at me and the sinking feeling in my belly starts to make me feel a little queasy. Like I’m being tossed around on an ocean with fifty-foot waves and nowhere to go.
