Page 13 of Cinnamon Cider Whiskey
Cinnamon set her drink on the table and let out a long breath while she gathered her thoughts. “When Austin’s father died by suicide, it affected him deeply. He always tried to tell himself that he had no feelings for his dad. I kept telling him that he did. That there was a hint of love in his heart. It was his father and his dad did show up to football games. He took him fishing. He never hit Austin until Austin was in college, but that was only because Austin, as an adult, couldn’t stand there and let his father beat the crap out of his mom. He was also dealing with his sister who married an abusive man. The cycle had been handed down.”
“That’s rough.”
“The truth was that Austin was afraid he would be like his dad because he does have a temper.”
“I’ve never seen it,” Kitty said. “He’s always so zen.”
Cinnamon laughed. “Trust me. Austin can be jealous and if he sees a wrong when it comes to a woman, he has no problem stepping in. His father refused a plea deal and the case went to trial. Austin had to testify. That was the beginning of our problems because Austin was conflicted. His testimony helped put his father away for twenty years. When his dad died, he left a note blaming Austin. But it wasn’t just the blame. The comparison of how they are alike started Austin on this weirdpath. He pulled away from me. He stopped coming home as often. He broke up with me, and then he’d want me back. I’d end it with him, and then he’d come home and things were good. This went on for almost a year. Meanwhile, I had Pete in my ear, telling me how he’d make for a better boyfriend. He’d buy me lavish gifts and he was always there when I needed him.”
“Oh shit,” Kitty said. “Sounds like he tossed over a line with the right bait.”
“You could say that, but Austin wasn’t helping, and one night on the phone, we got into a big fight and I told him to fuck off. That we were done. I saw Pete that night, went to bed with him, and got pregnant. The weird part was that Austin wasn’t all that pissed at me when he came home and found out. His rage was directed at Pete.”
“Do you think he knew what kind of man Pete was?”
Cinnamon shrugged. “Maybe. He has good radar that way. He offered to raise the baby as his own, but once I decided to marry Pete, Austin walked away and I never heard from him. Not one phone call. Nothing.”
“No offense, but what did you expect him to do?”
“I suppose exactly what he did. He felt I had given up on us, but I had been feeling that way for the last year. I was young and stupid and he was pigheaded and hurting over his father. It was a series of events that we—at the time—didn’t have the tools to deal with.”
“Hindsight is always perfect vision,” Kitty said. “How do you feel seeing him now?”
Cinnamon glanced toward the sky. A flock of birds flew overhead. She focused on them for as long as she could while sorting through all the emotions. “So much is going on in my life right now. I’m scared about what Pete will do while he’s out awaiting trial because he’ll be like Austin’s father. He’ll fight as if he did nothing wrong. An uncontested divorce in this state onlytakes sixty-two days, but he’ll fight that too, so it could take a while. But I have to admit, I do still have feelings for Austin.”
“We all know he cares very deeply for you,” Kitty said.
“He’s said that?” Cinnamon’s heart fluttered like the first time Austin took her hand while they walked across the ranch. She’d been all of twelve. He whispered in her ear about how much he liked her and how pretty she looked.
“Not to me. And I don’t know if he’s mentioned it to JW or any of your cousins, but ever since he’s moved back here, he’s always asking if anyone has talked to you or if we knew what was happening with you and Pete. Once, he did it at the dinner table with Charity sitting right next to him.” Kitty laughed. “She got up and walked out the door and Austin let her go without saying a word. That’s when we knew he didn’t want to be with her.”
“How long after that did she leave?”
“Not for another month. We had no idea she’d been cheating on him. He didn’t tell us until after she left,” Kitty said.
“I wonder why he kept that to himself.”
“He told us later it was because he wanted to confront her first. He did that and she left the next day.” Kitty sighed. “Sadly, she’s been missing for a year. Austin hired a private investigator to look into her disappearance but has found nothing. Gage watched her drive away. She stopped at a gas station not far from here, but after that, no one has seen her or heard from her since.”
“That’s terrifying.”
“There has been no sign of her, but every once in a while, an anonymous tip comes into the Feds, leading them right to Austin,” Kitty said. “We truly hope they find her—and that she’s okay—but it’s not looking good.”
“I just wish the spotlight wasn’t on Austin. He’s a good man with a big heart.”
“For the most part, he takes it all in stride, but occasionally, he loses his shit.”
“I’m sure he does.”
Kitty glanced at her watch. “I hate doing this to you, but I must get to work.” She stood. “Hey. I have a great idea. One of the girls in the infant room will be leaving soon on maternity leave and you don’t need a degree. I need to be official and do a background check, but I’m happy to hire you as a fill-in if you’d like. The position will open up in a week and I haven’t found anyone yet.”
“Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t joke about that.” Kitty smiled. “It’s a temp position. But if you’re going to stay at the ranch and would consider going back to school, I might be able to find you a more permanent gig.”
Cinnamon had no idea what her future held or even if Whiskey Ranch would be a part of it, much less getting the degree she’d always felt robbed of, but her soul came to life at the thought. “I’d love to take the temp job. How do we go about getting the paperwork started?”
“Come by the education facility when you can. I’ll be there most of the day, but my assistant will have it if I’m out. As soon as it’s filled out, I’ll file it and once I get it back, you can start. It should only take three business days.”
