Page 10 of Make Me Trust Again (Bluebonnet Creek #3)

A soft, choked-out scoff draws my attention back to the woman behind the counter. Rose is biting the inside of her cheek, trying to keep a straight face, but from the twinkle in her eyes, I can see that she’s enjoying their ribbing.

I narrow my gaze at her, which has Rose raising her brow.

“See? I was right.” Mrs. Tyson slaps me over the chest and shakes her head. “Your mother raised you better than that, Chase Williams.”

Reluctantly, I shift my attention to the two women. “Yes, ma’am.”

“What brings you out among mere mortals?”

Great, escape.

“Becky asked me to check the leak in the kitchen, so I shou?—”

Mrs. Miller interrupts me before I can finish, “Good girl.” She waves her bony finger at me. “You can’t keep hiding away at your ranch alone all the time.”

“I’m hardly alone. Shadow’s with me.”

Mrs. Miller glances at the dog, her lips pursing disapprovingly. “That’s not the same, young man. And you know it.”

“She’s right. You need to get out more and hang out with people.” Mrs. Tyson tilts her head and gives me a knowing look. “Find yourself a nice girl and settle down. Then you two can hide away at that ranch and create some babies.”

I choke in surprise at her words.

Yeah, I think not.

Mrs. Miller glances at her friend, completely oblivious to my mishap. “Oh, did I tell you little Shelly Timothy moved back home after college? She’s working at the hospital. Such a sweetheart, that one.” Her knowing gaze turns to me. “You know her?”

“I don’t think I do, ma’am.” I take a step toward the counter, just as Rose turns to the coffee machine. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to go and check that sink.”

Before either of them can protest or try to set me up again, I slip behind the counter. Rose peeks over her shoulder, but when our gazes meet, she quickly looks away.

I hold the door open for Shadow and slip into the kitchen behind her. The door falls shut after me, muffling the voices from the outside.

Running my hand over my face, I can feel my shoulders relax.

This is why I hate going into town.

Before you know it, people are ribbing you about your life decisions and trying to set you up.

Letting my hand drop, I take in the room. Becky wasn’t lying when she said that the place is a mess. The door to the counter under the sink is left open, and sure enough, there is an almost full bucket underneath.

Sighing, I go to the sink and get to work.

I crouch down to check out the pipe. The movement has a jab of pain going through my leg, making me grind my teeth.

Water is sliding down the plastic in a steady trickle, but I can’t see where the leak is coming from.

Cursing under my breath, I get to the ground and slide underneath the sink, turning the flashlight on my phone so I can see better.

It takes me a while, but after some probing, I spot where the water is coming from.

I take a quick note of what I’ll need to fix it before I push upright.

Determined to avoid people, this time I use the back door to slip out of the café and make my way to the hardware store just in time to catch them before closing.

Once I have all the parts I’ll need, it doesn’t take me long to replace the pipe.

I make sure everything is working fine before grabbing a towel to wipe my hands and going to the door.

I’ll let Rose know I’m done here, and then I’m getting the hell out o?—

“What are you doing here, John?”

My brows pull together at Rose’s sharp tone.

John?

I try to place the name, but come up empty. I tilt my head to the side, so my good ear is closer to the crack in the door.

“I ran into your mother and Kyle at the store, and imagine my surprise when she said she’s taking care of our son because you’re busy working. Here. What the hell, Rose? Working at the café? You’re embarrassing yourself. You’re embarrassing me ,” the guy hisses, not even trying to be quiet.

Her ex.

I glance toward the back exit, debating if I should just slip out and give them some privacy, but Shadow’s ears perk up.

Besides, there was just something in the tone of her voice that kept me glued to the spot.

“I don’t see how my place of work has anything to do with you.”

“You’re my wife. ”

Shadow shifts, her body brushing against mine. I place my hand on her back, feeling the soft rumble of her lungs as she lets out a warning growl.

“ Ex- wife.”

The asshole lifts his hand up, and for a second, I see her flinch; my eyes narrow at the guy. Because what the hell was that?

“Not yet, baby.” He slides his finger under her chin and lifts her head up, his tone turning gentler. “Stop this nonsense, Rose, and come back home. It’s better for all of us.”

“Better for you, maybe.” Rose shakes her head. “I think you should leave.”

His jaw is set, eyes narrowing in anger, but Rose doesn’t back down. “This isn’t done.”

“This was done a long time ago.”

“We’ll see about that.” He smirks. “I’ll see you this weekend.”

“This weekend?” Her lips part, brows pulling together in confusion, and the asshole grins at her. “Your mom was kind enough to invite me over for a family dinner. How nice was that of her? Contrary to you, she’s trying to make this work. I’ll see you soon, Wife .”

Rose presses her lips into a tight line as she watches her ex leave. Her back is stiff like a board, and her knuckles have lost all the color from how hard she’s squeezing them by her side.

Only once he’s gone does she let her guard down. She uncurls her fingers, running her palm over her face before letting it fall.

I’m not sure what happened between her and her husband to cause the divorce, not that it’s any of my business, but I can’t say I’m surprised either. The guy is clearly a piece of work.

“ Dammit, ” she mutters, her head ducking.

Her body shakes as she lets out a long breath, her palms resting against the counter.

She seems tired.

Even worse, she seems defeated.

I don’t know why, but something about seeing Rose Hathaway like that unsettles me.

And I’m not sure what to do about it.

It’s not your place to do anything , a little voice reminds me. You can’t even help yourself.

Before I can decide what to do, Shadow sneaks past me and into the café, her body brushing against Rose’s leg. She jumps slightly in surprise as Shadow nudges her palm with her snout. Rose extends her hand tentatively and scratches between her ears.

The corner of her mouth tips upward, if only slightly. “You’re one big softy, aren’t you?”

Shadow licks her palm, making Rose giggle, the soft sound ringing in my eardrums. I suck in a sharp breath at the sound and just stare at her.

She must have heard me because she looks up, her gaze meeting mine, and that smile falls. Rose tucks one of the runaway strands behind her ear. “All done? The kitchen was empty when I came to grab some more cookies.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s good.” Rose nods. “Rebecca was not happy when she saw the kitchen was flooded this morning.”

Her comment makes me scoff. No, my sister was not happy, and she made sure to let it be known.

Rose’s teeth sink into her lower lip, nibbling at the soft flesh as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other, as the silence grows. For once, there isn’t anybody in the café, just the two of us.

Is that why her ex decided to use this opportunity to come? Because he could corner her without anybody knowing? Or was that just a freaking coincidence?

And what is it with this sudden rush to move?

Is he the reason behind it? She sure as hell doesn’t like the idea that he’ll be stopping at her parents’ for dinner.

Do they want them to stay together? I wouldn’t be surprised.

Most of the folks around here are old-fashioned. They don’t believe in divorce.

Rose lowers her gaze and shakes her head. “Anyway, I guess I should use this opportunity to clean the back up a little bit before I close…”

“Fine.”

Her head shoots up, and she blinks, her brows pulling together in confusion, not that I could blame her. I don’t know where the words came from, but there is no taking them back. My heart starts beating faster, my throat going dry as that frown between her brows deepens.

“Fine? I didn’t realize I needed your approval about how to do my job.”

And that snarky attitude is back.

“Fine, you can take the cottage,” I grind out. That familiar ringing is back in my ears, the sound echoing inside my eardrums.

“The cottage—” Another blink. Her tongue peeks out, sliding over her lower lip. I’m so transfixed by the movement, I almost miss her next words. “But you don’t want me there.”

No, I didn’t want her there. Having Rose Hathaway and her son living on my ranch spelled trouble, but dammit, I didn’t like seeing her defeated like she was just moments ago.

And I didn’t like the way her asshole ex talked to her.

Or that he tried to manipulate his way back into her life. I didn’t like it one bit.

As if she can read my mind, she scowls. “It’s fine. I’ll just take that other house. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need?—”

She tries to walk past me, but I’m taking up most of the doorway and make no attempt to move. Rose tilts her head back, those blue eyes blazing at me. “I need to get to work.”

“Not until you agree to take the cottage.”

“Why?” She crosses her arms over her chest. “You don’t want me there, and I don’t need your pity, Williams.”

Seriously, this woman.

“It’s not pity,” I grit through my clenched teeth. “Just stay there until you find something better. Something safer . That fucking gutter almost fell on your head. What if your son was playing out in the yard?”

Her mouth opens, but no words come out.

I have her, and she knows it.

“You’re not playing fair.”

No, I’m not, but I’m fine with that.

I don’t know a lot about her, but from that one time I saw her with her kid, I know that she is a good mother, and there isn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her son.

I can see her brain work, the sass fighting with the logical side of her that knows that I’m right, and this is her best option.

“Fine.”

The weight I didn’t even realize I was carrying on my shoulders loosens.

Her eyes narrow. “But I’m paying rent.”