Page 18 of Barbed Wire Fences
I grew up in the trailer park, running wild with the other park rat kids, but the Marshalls have always been woven into my story one way or another. Cash’s younger brother, Colt, was thick as thieves with my neighbor Maverick Patrick. Colt ended up marrying Maverick’s little sister, Molly, last year. Maverick himself… well, he got swallowed whole by his father’s gambling debts and went out way too young, way too brutal. Unfortunately, they still haven’t found the person responsible for his death.
And Cash, his family ties run even closer. His older brother—technically cousin—is Lawson Marshall. My half-brother and a guy I’ve been spending a lot of time with this summer.
We didn’t grow up knowing it, but blood has a way of crawling out of the dark. Lawson showed up at my mama’s trailer not long ago, sat me down, and told me the man I’d spent my whole life hating, the piece of shit who abandoned me and my mom, was also his father too.
His mom died when he was just a baby, and the Marshalls took him in, raised him like one of their own. He never knew anything different and neither did they. That’s the type of people that the Marshall’s family are. They’re practically royalty in our small-town.
“Rhett Miller,” Cash says with a grin, gripping my hand. “Man, good to see you. Lawson told me you had dinner with him last week?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “He stopped by before jetting off with Dani to Hawaii.”
Cash chuckles. “Figures. Those two can’t sit still. I’ve been trying to pin him down to talk marketing for the egg farm expansion, but he’s always on the move. You gearing up for another crazystate fair season? Rae said turnout’s supposed to be even bigger this year.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Last year’s profits just about knocked out the rest of my loan. This year should finally put me in the clear, especially if this Meadowbrook expansion goes the way I’m hoping.”
Cash nods, approving. “I heard about that. Sounds like a great opportunity for the business. Let us know if you need anything. You know we’ve all got your back. Folks around here seem glad to have Whitewood Creek Plumbing in your hands. Not so many out of office signs on toilets these days.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Tell Colt to call me sometime, will you? Feels like ever since he and Molly had the baby, he fell off the face of the earth.”
Cash barks a laugh. “You’re not wrong. Guy went soft the second he became a dad to Colt Junior. These days it’s all about the house, the creek, and occasionally showing his face at the distillery. I swear he doesn’t work but don’t tell him I said that. The old grump’ll fight me.”
I smile, though there’s that pinch in my chest. Everyone’s got someone now. I’m happy for them. But it gets lonely sometimes. Now that I’m unofficially part of the Marshall family that realization is even more apparent.
“Ah, I better get back,” Cash says, glancing over his shoulder. “Old man Smythe’s eyeballing me for his hotdogs. You know he has to have at least two when we watch the games together. I’ll make sure Colt reaches out!” he calls over his shoulder before disappearing back into the crowd.
I turn back to the concessions, finally finding a line that isn’t too long. But I realize too late that one of the people in the line is Jael, who’s currently staring up at the menu above the hotdog stand like she’s trying to decipher the meaning of life and completely oblivious to everyone else around her.
Her long brown hair is styled in loose waves today, and the floral sundress she’s wearing, paired with thick golden wedges, only serves to highlight her sun-kissed skin. The curve of her lips, the swell of her breasts, all of it has me freezing in place, unable to look away.
Before I can step forward to say hello, my thoughts are interrupted by someone that I wish I’d never have to see again-Owen.
He moves behind her from the crowd, his arms slipping around her waist much too comfortably as he pulls her back against his chest.
She might be a beautiful reminder of my younger years, but every time I see her, she reminds me exactly why she left and only drives the proverbial knife deeper into my chest.
“Oof,” she stumbles backward, turning to face him with a smile that used to be reserved for me.
And because I could never stop myself when it comes to her, I stand there, staring at them both, completely unable to look away.
“Hey, beautiful,” Owen murmurs to her, their eyes locked completely oblivious to my presence.
I finally snap out of it and step in front of them both, cutting in the line. If I’m going to have to be witness to their pathetic reunion, at least let me get my hot dog first.
“Eh, excuse me, buddy, we were here first,” Owen’s voice rings out, his finger tapping my shoulder in a way that he has no business doing.
I turn slowly, mostly to get a grip on reality and unclench my jaw.
“Oh, look Jael. It’s Rhett,” Owen says. He looks surprised, though I’m not surprised to see him. Guess Jael didn’t mention our little run in earlier this week. Can’t say I’m shocked by that.
Jael shifts nervously beside him, lips pressed tight, and it makes me chuckle under my breath, shaking my head. Because for whatever reason, being around Owen still turns Jael into a meek little girl. Unfortunately for her, he’s never had that effect on me. For all his height, Owen never could step out of my shadow—no matter how hard he tried.
He sticks his hand out for a shake, and I take it, firm and steady, adding that extra squeeze just to remind him I haven’t forgotten what went down between us over ten years ago. And I never fucking will.
Whitewood Creek’s small, sure, but I’ve managed to steer clear of his orbit all this time. We never shared the same friend group, didn’t have the same interests unless you count Jael, so when she left town, it was easy to avoid a run in. The odds of running into him tonight would’ve normally been zero. But with Jael back in town, the odds aren’t just higher—they’re inevitable. Because when she’s around, for some goddamn reason, I can’t stop finding my way to her.
“Hey Owen, Jael,” I nod to them both. “Surprising to see you here,” I say coolly even though Jael told me she was coming tonight.
Sure, I’d hoped that Penny and I would have been able to avoid witnessing their little date night, but I had a feeling my streak of bad luck would have had us bumping heads at some point. Just didn’t imagine it’d be in the hot dog line.
