Two
Jenny sat on the back stoop watching a cow stick her head through the barbed-wire fence to reach the green grass in the yard that Jenny had watered. The grass was always greener on the other side. That was how Paxton felt. He’d found someone better than Jenny and she had to bite the bullet and accept it.
The back door opened and her sister, Lindsay, sat down beside her. “What are you doing out here? It’s hot.”
Jenny was so upset, she hadn’t even noticed her skin felt as if she’d taken a bath in honey. Sticky. All she was aware of was the hollow ache in her stomach. “Thinking.”
“Come on, Jenny. You have to have seen this coming. You haven’t heard from Paxton in months.”
“Seven weeks. That’s how long it took him to fall in love with someone else.”
“You have to get past this. There are a lot of guys out there who would be more than eager to go out with you.”
“I’ve spent half my life waiting for Paxton and now I just feel like a horse without a bridle. I’m free, but I don’t know which way to turn without Paxton.”
“This isn’t like you. What else is going on?”
The cow pushed on the barbed wire and Jenny was afraid the fence would break. She got up to shoo her away. When something around the ranch broke, Jenny and Lindsay were the ones to fix it. Their dad had had a tractor accident some years ago and now had a gimpy leg and walked with a cane. He still had cattle, but some things were hard for him to do, and having no sons, his daughters picked up the slack.
She and Lindsay were both nurses and worked in a hospital in Temple. Lindsay was director of nursing and didn’t work on the floor anymore. Her job was stressful and she spent a lot of hours at the hospital, including weekends if there was a problem.
Jenny was a pre-op nurse, the one who prepared a patient for surgery, took vitals, dealt with consent forms, started an IV, calmed nerves and answered questions. Working three twelve-hour days was a challenge, but it gave her a lot of free time at home with her dad. Sometimes she was called back for extra duty. Since Lindsay was in charge, that didn’t happen too often.
She resumed her seat by her sister.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Jenny shrugged. “I forgot what it was.”
“You’re really down about something other than Paxton. What is it?”
They were four years apart and very close, and Jenny knew she could talk about anything with Lindsay. But her sister tended to be bossy and sometimes that grated on Jenny’s nerves. She needed to talk, though. She wiped the palms of her hands down her jeans. “I went over to talk to Quincy to see if he knew anything about Paxton and the engagement.”
“And?”
Jenny swallowed. “He was rude to me.”
“What?” She poked Jenny in the shoulder. “Get out of here. That doesn’t sound like Quincy. You probably were just upset and misunderstood him.”
“No. It was very clear what he said.”
“And what would that be?”
“He said that Paxton’s fiancée was going to be staying for a while and it would be best for everyone if I didn’t come back to Rebel Ranch.”
“You’re joking.”
“I wish I was.”
“After all the work you put in on his horses—for free, I might add—he’s got some nerve.”
“I’ll have to return White Dove.”
“The paint he gave you? You love that horse.”
The ache in Jenny’s chest ballooned into something she didn’t understand. All she knew was that it hurt that Quincy had treated her as he never had before. She couldn’t keep the horse he’d given her for her birthday. A birthday that Paxton had forgotten. Funny, how that little detail still stung. She would have to find the strength to return the horse.
“Keep her. Quincy would want you to have White Dove, unless he asked you to return her.”
“No, he didn’t say that, but it’s clear I’m not welcome at the ranch anymore.”
“Let me get this straight. Are you upset that someone is taking your place with Paxton? Or are you upset that Quincy asked you not to return to Rebel Ranch?”
Jenny didn’t know, and that was why she was so confused and conflicted. She’d expected some consolation from Quincy, someone to understand how she felt. But what was she expecting? That he would side with her over his family? That was insane. The Rebels were fiercely loyal.
Lindsay got to her feet. “Let’s go check the water troughs and then we’ll open that bottle of wine we’ve been saving and toast good ol’ Paxton and his new love. Ten bucks she’s a blonde with fake boobs.”
A smile tugged at Jenny’s lips. Her sister sometimes had a fun side. Getting to her feet, she said, “You’re on. But we’ll probably never get to see her.”
“Yeah. That’s probably best.”
Was it? Like Quincy had said, Jenny just couldn’t let it go. She had to see Paxton face-to-face to end this relationship that had existed for over fifteen years. She couldn’t end it by just walking away. That wasn’t in her nature. Paxton Rebel was going to deal with her one way or another, and she didn’t care if Quincy liked it or not.
* * *
QUINCY DIDN’T SLEEP MUCH. His mind was caught in a vortex of Paxton’s crazy life, and like Grandpa had said, there were some things a brother didn’t do. Tortured by his own feelings, he got up at five to help Falcon, Egan and Jericho put meat on the pit for the barbecue that evening.
His mom had invited all of Paxton’s friends from high school and some from the rodeo circuit. It was going to be a big night. Quincy was hoping he could slip away for a while and miss the whole thing. That would be his kind of party.
About midmorning, he and Elias set up tables and chairs on the large deck off the den. His mom and Falcon were busy in the kitchen. Falcon was making his special barbecue sauce.
Eden and Rachel, Egan’s wife, put tablecloths and votive candles on the tables. Quincy wondered where the bride-to-be was. She and Paxton had come in late last night, but no one had met her except their mother. He supposed she was sleeping in.
He and Elias were headed to the kitchen when they heard a feminine voice.
“Is anyone here?”
Quincy looked to the top of the stairs, as did Elias. A tall blonde stood there in white shorts and a bright green top that barely covered her ample breasts. Long, straight blond hair flowed down her back. Model flashed across his mind, like a woman in one of those lingerie catalogs. Paxton’s fiancée was gorgeous.
“Damn, is that her?”
