Page 4 of Revelry (Cowgirls Do It Better #2)

I scoffed. “And what, Kat? I watched him hit Mom, then sometimes turn it on me when he was really riled up. I watched him come back the next day with flowers for her and a doll for me then cry and beg and plead with us. You know to this day, I hate Barbies? Just looking at her frozen smile makes me feel sick to my stomach.”

Kat nodded because she did already know that; she knew everything that happened.

“So yeah, I shoulda known better but I didn’t.

I just wanted so damn badly to be loved.

Then Gary was put in charge of this huge corporate merger and the coke turned into weed, coke and ketamine and God knows what else.

He would have these rages that spiraled and this,” I gestured to my face, “was the result of the last one. He knocked me around hard enough to knock some sense into me.”

“Don’t say that. You’re talking shit about my best friend and that’s not okay with me.

” Kat said it fiercely but there was a little pout to her mouth that had me smiling.

She’s fierce but loves so deeply, just like me .

I took another big sip of wine, pulled at my bun and took in a deep breath of fresh mountain air, feeling myself settle again.

“Anyway, after that I told him I was divorcing him and I agreed not to press charges if he agreed not to contest it, just sign on the dotted line and here I am. I just don’t know what to do now,” I sighed.

“You can stay here as long as you need to figure it out. Stay forever, please?” Kat begged.

I laughed, tapping my knee. “I’m home for good, don’t you worry about that.

” I looked away, out at the dark night sky with its twinkling stars, knowing Charlie was up there shining down on us.

I nibbled on my swollen lip. “I’m sorry I’ve been so distant, after everything you’ve gone through with Charlie.

I’ll never forgive myself for not being there for you through all this. ”

“Don’t. You clearly had your own stuff going on.”

I nodded, my guilt not dissipating one iota. “I did, but I could have still messaged you back more. I’ll make it up to you, promise.”

She squeezed my hand before removing it, signaling we were done with the conversation.

“So,” I ventured. “Tell me about the ranch. Do I still need to kick Jack’s ass?”

She sighed, gulping down the rest of her wine. “No, you need to kick mine.”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. She opened her mouth to spill but I held up a finger, pausing her. I hustled back into the house and grabbed the wine bottle from the kitchen and topped up our glasses. Tucking my feet under me, I gestured. “Continue.”

She told me about Jack, the man who had driven drunk when he was eighteen and hit Kat’s mom Sherry, killing her.

He’d just been released from prison and come to Redemption Ranch to repay his debt.

Despite their traumatic history, he had inadvertently stolen my bestie’s heart.

She explained about discovering all the ranch debt after Charlie died then fighting with her sisters.

Then she started talking about how useless she was and that’s when I interrupted.

I held up a hand. “Hold up, now I know you’re not talking about my girl like that.

You’ve had a lot of shit recently. Your dad died , that’s a lot all on its own.

For the man who killed your mom to turn up here, for you to take on everything at the ranch and actually keep it fucking running, is a huge success. Do not put yourself down.”

I couldn’t believe what she’d been going through and I was damn proud of her for handling it like a complete boss. My guilt returned full force and reminded me that I could have been helping her out, but I ignored it when I saw she was about to argue with me.

“No! Okay, so you got a little bit blocked about how to make money, I’m not surprised after everything.

There is nothing wrong with that, and needing time to suddenly become this savvy businesswoman who saves the entire ranch?

Damn girl, grant yourself some grace!” There was a pause as we stared at each other.

“But at least you were getting dicked down,” I snorted.

She spat her wine out, spraying me a little and ruining her own clothes.

“Oh, I was getting really dicked down. God he was so good. I miss him.” She dropped her head in her hands, sloshing wine onto the wooden porch.

“I fucked it up and I can’t stop thinking about him.

I’m always looking for him. I need to be around him, even if he ignores me, the satisfaction I get just being in his presence is intense.

And he’s so good with the ranch and the girls and the animals and he’s got such talent with wood. ”

“I’ll bet,” I joked, so happy she was well looked after but also having a tiny twinge of jealousy over the good loving she was clearly getting. Gary was usually so coked up that although he came to me, begging for bland sex, he couldn’t even get it up.

She rolled her eyes. “I meant wood work not wood. But I hurt him and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Tell him.” I sat up straighter, downing more wine. “Say, Jack, I fucked up and I love you . It’s that simple.”

“Oh, sh-shit,” she hiccupped.

“Epiphany!” I guffawed. “You love him sssoooo much!”

“You’re slurring.”

“ You’re slurring, my speech is impeccable,” I shot back, thinking that my pills may have helped the alcohol settle in my system a little too well.

Eventually my eyes began drifting closed and the next thing I knew, my bestie, my ride or die was tucking me into her bed. I tried to protest but it was a pretty weak effort, her bed was so comfy. I had the best sleep of my life.

*

I awoke in the morning, hair everywhere but feeling a thousand percent better about life. I headed downstairs eager to make Kat and the girls breakfast to say thanks for being so amazing but I made it into the kitchen and found one sexy ass man there flipping pancakes.

“Hot dang!” I whooped. “That ass is its own good morning.”

Leo Valkner spun around, a big grin splitting his lips, only faltering slightly when he spotted the damage to my face.

“I shoulda known that piece of shit pink Beetle out front would belong to you,” he joked, pulling me into his arms.

“Don’t slander Princess.” I scolded. “You’ve grown up, Leo,” I squeezed myself to his chest, shamelessly rubbing up against his muscles.

I’d grown up running around the ranch with Kat and her younger sister Maddy, and Leo was always glued to Maddy’s hip.

I hadn’t seen him in person for a long time but I followed his career as a bull rider.

“I want a Gertie hug!” a voice cried and I turned to find August, the fourth youngest Cartwright sister grinning at me, her strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a long braid.

“August, look at your beautiful face!” I squealed, pulling her into a hug that involved lots of squishing and giggling.

Mainly because I panicked how she would react to my bruises, I didn’t think it through and maybe I should have warned everyone.

When August pulled back and truly looked at me, the joy sliding from her face was the most saddening moment.

I smiled brightly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “How’s Marshmallow doing? I miss him,” I said, distracting her with her favorite topic of conversation.

It worked. She blinked and then smiled. “He’s good, thanks. Such a good boy and loves being out in the open fields, you should ride him!”

That sounded like heaven to me. “Only if you don’t mind sharing him?”

She nodded eagerly. “Of course. I don’t get out with him as much as I used to.”

I frowned, although August’s bright expression didn’t change, there was a shift in her eyes that gave me pause.

A few years ago, August had been set for becoming a champion barrel racer, until an accident with Marshmallow had left her permanently injured and forced her to retire early.

August had never blamed Marshmallow for what happened, and I knew she loved him fiercely but maybe she was still a little scared of riding again the way she used to.

“Let’s go out together then and you can show me some of those fields he loves so much,” I insisted. She smiled and nodded eagerly.

Daisy entered the kitchen and when she saw me, she screamed the house down and I screamed right back before we threw ourselves at each other.

Maddy appeared, giving me our secret handshake and another big, tight hug that I didn’t want to end.

Then Tilly came in, the youngest sister who I hadn’t spent as much time with.

She’d been through so much in her young life and I pulled her to me tightly.

I loved these girls.

As an only child I’d wished for sisters so hard and only now did I realize that I had five.

I caught up with them, chatting away until I noticed Kat was in the room. I broke away from the brood and joined her at the countertop, nudging my hip into hers, knocking her slightly off balance.

“How’d you sleep?” she asked, slinging an arm around my shoulder, hugging me.

I sighed. “Like a log. God, I’ve missed that Redemption Ranch air.”

“It was probably all the wine,” she added.

I laughed . “That too. So, tell me cowgirl, what’s the plan for today?”

Kat peered down at me, eyebrows raised. “You wanna help out?”

I shrugged. “Sure, I need to earn my keep if I’m staying here.”

“No Gerts, you don’t.”

“Well, I want to. I love this ranch, so put me to work boss .” I mock-saluted her.

I’d worked the ranch as a teenager, baling hay, cleaning stalls, tagging cattle, loving how simple life was.

After Kat was dressed, we headed to the stables and she asked the question I’d been waiting for.

“You gonna go see your mom and Cathy at some point?”

I scuffed my boots in the dirt. “Maybe.”

She tsked. “You need to face her soon. Small towns talk and she’ll be hurt if she finds out from a stranger that you’re back.”

“I know,” I pouted. But I was terrified.

“You know—” she began but her words died when she bumped into a man, rebounding off his wide chest. I vaguely recognized him.

This was the notorious Jack she’d told me so much about.

He gripped her arm to stop her from falling and seeing them practically face to face, eye to eye, they looked good together.

“Sorry,” Kat mumbled. And for the first time in a very long time, I saw my best friend get flustered. Boy, it was a sight to see, one I would definitely tease her about later. Jack walked away without saying anything.

“Oh dang,” I whispered when he was out of earshot. “Check out those muscles.” I felt Kat’s glare before I saw it and held up my hands in surrender. “Sorry, they just took me by surprise, that’s all.”

“You and me both,” she sighed, tugging me into the stables. I greeted the horses and got to work, enjoying the physical labor. It allowed me to get out of my head because I was not ready to face my mother just yet.

And just then another person I really didn’t want to face entered the stables.

“Morning Katarina,” he said, his voice echoing. I stiffened, the deep resonance of it slithering down my spine in an excruciatingly delightful way. His voice had always affected me.

A lot of things about him had.

Then he spotted me, his gray eyes, pale like lavender smoke, running over me and assessing me in seconds. Inspecting me before giving me a swift nod of acknowledgment.

“Gertrude.”

“Hey, Tatey,” I waved at him, trying to act casual and like I wasn’t terrified of him seeing me like this again, so battered and broken.

Then he was storming towards me and before I could react, my chin was gripped in his big palm and he was lifting my face towards the light.

A quick exhalation left me at the sudden movement, but I maintained eye contact with him. Although I could feel how tightly coiled his rage was, I wasn’t scared. I knew it wasn’t directed at me. Despite my history with men, I’d never been scared of Tate.

His nostrils flared as he assessed my face. “Was it him?” he murmured softly, for my ears only.

I gave the slightest shake of my head.

“Then who did this?” His voice was low with a lethal edge to it that surprisingly warmed me. His body heat along with that leather and sandalwood scent had my eyes drooping. God, he smelled good. I loved a man who smelled good.

I couldn’t stop the slow smile that I released. “No one, sugar,” I replied.

His mouth dipped slightly as I saw memories play behind those smokey lavender eyes, memories of the last time he found me bruised.

His thumb stroked my chin, the rough rasp of his skin, calloused from hard work, felt like heaven.

I don’t think he realized what he was doing but I would never forget this moment of gentle care from him.

He released his grip, his hand returning to his side and fisting, knuckles turning white. His lush mouth pulled into a tight line. “Are you…well?”

I dipped my head. “I am, are you?” I knew Tate hated liars, but I liked to push his buttons. Always had, always will.

His gaze swept over me again. “Excuse me,” he said. He left the stables as quickly as he’d entered.

“What the hell was that?” Kat said, looking at me as I stared after him. “He’s never acted like that before!”

“He always was a little intense. He’s just concerned, Kitty Kat. Is he still living in the same house?”

She nodded. “Yep, he’s still there.”

I sighed. “Great.” Just what I needed.