Page 60 of A Reckless Memory

“He didn’t like that I made more than him. He didn’t like that I was fine on my own. He didn’t like that I could change my own oil when he couldn’t even change a windshield wiper on his car.”

“Why’d you stay with him?” As if I didn’t know how easy it was to get complacent.

“It was nice to not be alone. I had Sutton to talk to, but I didn’t meet a lot of people like Vienne—women I hit it off with right away. My coworkers were all older than me, and I worked with Lawson, so we had something to talk about. It scares me to think I would probably still be with him if he hadn’t broken things off.”

It scared me too. The only thing I liked about the guy I’d never met was that the breakup was the catalyst to get her to Crocus Valley. The dominos of circumstances fell, and here we were.

“He met Daddy, you know.”

I carefully turned off the highway and onto the gravel road that thankfully had more traction but, unfortunately, less visibility. I slowed, but I didn’t mind. I had to hear this story. “And you thought that’d go well?”

“Absolutely not, but he was insistent. I thought fine, see for yourself, smart guy. We went to visit Cody and the kids. To introduce them. Lawson thought he was a big shot. He thought he could go to the ranch and win Daddy over. Daddy was just starting to get home health care, so I think Lawson thought he’d be facing this old man who could barely spoon-feed himself.” The emotion in her voice told me Barns was at the fragile stage now. “But he got all of Daddy’s attitude. Lawson was so stunned, he couldn’t talk about it right away.”

I’d faced some type A cock-of-the-walk employers before, but none had blustered louder than Barnaby Knight. I hadn’t needed long to see the man was all bark. His bite came in the form of control, which I could handle. Most of my life, I’d had no control. “How hard did you try not to laugh?”

She snickered and tried to cover it like she should be ashamed of her father. “Daddy was seriously offensive. I was so upset with him.” A laugh bubbled out. “Daddy told him that I’d never be happy with a fancy-assed little twit who’d piss himself during a straight-shave.”

I chuckled. “Barns told me, on the first day I was hired, that if I couldn’t handle the winter, just hand my balls over and he’d light a candle under them in my honor while I packed my bags and left.”

“You never told me that. What’d you say?”

“I asked him if it would be a scented candle and to please make it purple. I like to spoil my balls.”

Her laughter rang through the cab as I pulled to a stop in front of her garage and breathed a sigh of relief that we’d stayed on the road the whole trip.

“No wonder Daddy liked you,” she sighed, staring out the window at the falling snow. “It’s getting heavy.”

“Yes. Good thing we left when we did.” The road would be hard to see soon.

“I suppose you need to get home before you can’t see the road.” The hint of uncertainty in her voice made me want to kiss it away. Which I planned to do.

“Just so happens I gave Fancy extra food in case I got a chance to sleep over.” I’d regretted passing last time, and only a week had gone by, but I could only be an honorable man so long when it came to Aggie.

Her lips curved up. “I’m trying to decide if that’s presumptuous or savvy planning.”

“Wanna see how prepared I can be?”

Her laughter was everything I’d been waiting to hear for years.

Twelve

AGGIE

I thought I’d wake up earlier than Ansen and have time to sneak into the bathroom to tame my hair and put on some makeup before I let Tex out. Ansen had seen me at my most unrefined—full of dust, dried sweat, and cow shit, but that didn’t mean I wanted to deep dive back to that point this quickly. Instead, I woke up to Ansen’s deep rumble talking to Tex as he put him outside. Then the bathroom door upstairs closed. I’d told him I had extras in that bathroom for guests I hadn’t had stay over yet.

When I bought the toothbrushes, toothpaste, and combs, I’d had no idea it’d be Ansen using them. Giddiness curled through my belly, but my brain threw in a healthy dose of caution. An insidious warning drifted through my awareness.

Was this temporary?

How much did it matter? I wouldn’t change what I was doing. Resisting him right now was a moot point. I couldn’t do it, so I’d take it a day at a time. My heart would stay wrapped in a box and tucked on the shelf.

Rolling up to a sitting position, I stretched for a moment before going into the bathroom connected to my room. Building this house had been a test of optimism. After a few failed long-term relationships, I’d still designed this place for a family I wasn’t sure I’d ever have.

Cody didn’t fail to remind me that a four-bedroom home for a single lady might be overdoing it. Do you want to clean on your days off? How do you plan to care for that place when or if you get sick or injured? What if you’re still single when you’re eighty?

Wilder wasn’t any better. Austen stayed out of it like he often did, and Eliot had made some caustic comment about Mama’s money.

Thoughts of their criticisms faded as I brushed my teeth. Squinting in the mirror, I made a game plan. First was taming my hair. The frizz had returned after a night rolling around in the sheets. A messy halo of brown tangles framed my head.

---