Page 107 of The Talk of Coyote Canyon

Hendrix wished he could keep their relationship quiet for the time being, but the world was pressing in on him from all sides. He didn’t have that luxury. He had to push forward with the truth, because he wasn’t willing to risk what he’d found with Ellen. His head was still filled with the memories they’d created last night—the taste and feel of her—and he was already eager for more. “I’ll be there myself. I can take care of it.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me...” Kurt said.

“I’m afraid not. I know you like her, too, and I want you to know I didn’t have any designs on her when you told me that. But... Well, things have just sort of progressed in that direction since we were at Hank’s that night. I have no idea where it’ll go from here. But I’d like to give it a chance.”

“Wow,” Kurt said.

“I’m sorry if that makes you mad.”

“Do you really think you two can make it work?”

“We have a lot of obstacles to overcome, but...”

“You like her that much.”

“I do.”

“Shit, Hendrix. You were the last dude I was worried about,” he said and disconnected.

Befriending Ellen seemed to be causing a problem with everyone he cared about. But, fortunately, Kurt hadn’t sounded truly pissed—just a little irked and disappointed. He’d come around eventually, once he stopped kicking himself for not making a move on Ellen before something like this could happen.

The radio had come on the second his call disconnected. He lowered the volume as he turned down his aunt and uncle’s road. With everything that was stacked against him and Ellen, maybe Kurt would have another opportunity. He didn’t like picturing her with his friend. It would suck to see them together around town. But what were the chances he and Ellen would be able to come out of this mess with each other?

Not great.

He pulled into the circular drive of his aunt’s house. But it was seeing Lynn—and not Leo—standing outside waiting for him that put the exclamation point on that thought.

Twenty-Six

Hendrix’s heart sank. Judging by the steely set of his aunt’s jaw, she was furious.

Leo had to be aware of his mother’s emotions, too, because he was hanging back in the entryway of the house. Although the shadow of the porch made it difficult to see much detail, Hendrix saw his cousin open the door, poke his head out and then close it again as though he couldn’t bear to watch what was about to happen.

Leo had just opened the door and closed it for the second time when Hendrix came to a full stop and lowered his window. “What’s going on?” he asked Lynn.

She drew herself up straighter. “Why don’t you tell me?” she asked, her words clipped.

To buy a few seconds to decide how to handle this ambush, Hendrix reached over and turned off his radio. But she was so upset she couldn’t wait even a second for him to answer.

“Have we not been good to you?” she demanded. “Have Stuart and I not treated you like our own child? We took you in, raised you, gave you everything you could ever want. And you repay us by taking money out of our pockets and putting it in Ellen’s—of all people!”

So thiswasabout helping Ellen drill the well and not about something else he’d done—like spending the night with her. He hadn’t been sure what, exactly, Lynn had heard. In Lynn’s mind, developing a relationship with Ellen would be just as bad. But he felt his actions there were easier to defend, since he should have the ultimate say over his personal life.

She had him on the issue of money and the success of their business, though—not that he believed he’d harmed Fetterman Well Services.

“You can take what we would’ve made on that well out of my next several paychecks,” he said, hoping to mitigate the problem before his aunt could take things too far.

There. He’d offered her a very expensivemea culpa, but he couldn’t see how Lynn could continue to be mad—not onthisscale—if he acknowledged his fault and tried to make it up to her.

“You wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t caught you?”

“Caughtme?” he echoed. “Can’t I help whoever I see fit?”

“Not if it’s our biggest competitor!”

Apparently, he’d underestimated his aunt. It wasn’t enough that he was willing to make reparations. “I’m sorry. I thought it was the right thing to do.”

“You did,” she said bitterly. “What about what’s right wherewe’reconcerned?”

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