Page 17 of Rough
“I’m Trina. I’m with the guys,” she sings out, never dropping the phone.
That brings me up short. My heart fucking aches at her implication. What does she mean she’s with the guys? Locking gazes with Clyde under the brim of his Stetson, I tilt my head to the side, begging for an answer. No way is he with someone likethat.Anyof them for that matter.
I suck in a breath when he flicks his gaze in her direction, then I see the way Wilder is looking at her as well.
Jesus. She’swiththem. I knew it could happen, probablywouldhappen, but today wasn’t the day I was prepared for it. I always hoped…No. It doesn’t matter what I had hoped.
Shoring up the little strength I have left, I fist my hands at my sides and glare at all of them. “Get the fuck off my farm.”
“You can’t get rid of us so easily. You tookeverythingfrom my family! I won’t let that stand,” Remy hisses. The boy I used to know is nowhere in sight. Right now, I’m looking at a roughened, heartless stranger and I’ve never been more disappointed in my life. My friend is gone, replaced with this aggressive, testosterone driven brute.
“I can get rid of you,” I clip out. Meeting Wilder’s eyes, I don’t look away as I add to Remy’s dismissal. “And I will. Leave now. Call me when you pull your head outta your ass and have an apology on your lips. Your mother would be ashamed of the way you’ve been speakin’ to me today.”
Everything is wiped clean from Remy’s face, resolve settling around him like a blanket. Nodding once, he takes a step closer and lowers his voice. “Enjoy this while it lasts, because you’re fuckin’ dead to me. To all of us.” Looking away, he calls out, “We’re outta here!”
His words slice through me like a stake to the chest, and it takes everything not to cry out when the other two turn their backs on me as well. Finally, Trina drops her phone with a grin and jerks a shoulder up in a ‘what can you do’ kind of way.
I watch them load up into the SUV they drove over here and peel out of my driveway, leaving the dust in the air to irritate my eyes.What the fuck happened to my boys?
Turning on my heel, I try to reconcile our altercation with the fact that Remydidjust lose his dad. Attempting to muster some understanding that his life has just been thrown upside down, I gather Zeus’s reins once more, clicking my tongue to get him to follow.
Once Remy gets his head on straight and takes a minute for a real conversation, this’ll get worked out. I can’t think of theway the other two turned their backs on me and, instead, throw myself into the rest of my chores for the day.
This was the plan. It’s always been the plan.
Chapter Seven
Flashback
~ 12 years ago ~ Betsy
“When my dad retires, we’ll buy up the land around my farm and expand,” Remy says, handing me a cup of the pink paint.
Narrowing my eyes at the gas tank, I lean my head to the side and study it. “You think it needsmorepink? I think I should add some blue to make it less…” I wave my hand around at my painting before finishing. “Girly, maybe.”
Remy laughs, bumping me in the shoulder. “You’re paintin’ a flower garden on the side of a diesel gas tank. I don’t think you should be worryin’ about it bein’ girly at this point.”
Humming in response, I take the cut off soda bottle and dip my paint brush into the pink paint. “Maybe. Whose land are we gonna buy up? The Conners’ land?” Reaching out, I run my brush over the rusted-out tank, ignoring the way it crumbles and catches in the bristles. Pap told me I could do what I want with the tank, and this thing needed some work.
“The Conners’ would work, but they don’t got a lot of acreage. Might have to get the DeRuyters’ as well,” Wilder says from my other side.
“Ooohhh, they got a lot of field. But they don’t do anythin’ with it. We’ll have to plow it up and cut some trees,” I say, distracted by the extra flowers I’m adding. “How we gonna do it? ‘Cuz if you own your farm and I own mine, we’d have to go in by halves and put both our names on it.”
Remy rubs his chin, thinking. “I don’t know how it all works. Maybe I’ll just buy up your farmandtheirs. You can work for me.”
I drop my brush into the container at that and spin around on my knees to glare at Remy. “Well,that’shorseshit!”
“Ladies shouldn’t curse, Country,” Clyde says from his spot, perched on top of the tank. He’s lying on his side with his chin in his hand and his Stetson shoved over his hair and eyes.
Glaring at him, I point my brush in his direction. “I’m no lady, and you know it. I’ll curse all I want whenheis being an ass.” My statement followed by turning my brush end toward Remy.
Chuckling, Remy grabs my hand and pulls it down. “I’m not an ass, and Clyde’s right. Your grandma would have your hide if she heard your mouth. I’m just sayin’, I don’t know nothin’ about mergin’ farms, but puttin’ it all in one name would probably work best. Besides, you don’t know nothin’ about runnin’ a farm.”
Well that fucking hurt. I drop my butt onto my heels and frown at him. “I know lots about runnin’ a farm. I work with Pap all the time.”
“We know you do, but still. Farmin’ is hard work and nobody is gonna wanna work with you if you’re a girl,” Wilder adds, pushing my shoulder forward. Scowling at the flowers I’ve painted, I’m tempted to grab the black and cover it all up.
“Here,” Remy says, handing me the purple. “Needs variety.”
