Page 91 of Rocky Mountain Home

“It’s just a visit,” Jesse muttered. “You’re right, though. I can pull my ass out of my head and pretend for a few more days that everything is great.”

This time it was Rafe who grunted.

Jesse turned on him, not even trying to hide his exasperation. “What?”

Rafe hesitated for a moment then hit him with both barrels. “I’ve always looked up to you because you pretty much did whatever the hell you wanted to, and I didn’t do enough of that for a long time. But right now, you’re making a mistake, and I’m going to call you on it. You do need to get your head out of your ass, but you shouldn’t have to pretend that everything’s great. What happened was a long time ago and everyone else moved on. Do the same, and grow the fuck up.”

If they’d been standing anywhere but in public Jesse would have responded to his cousin’s cutting statement with his fists. “Gee, I’m so glad you’re a safe person to talk to.”

“I’m trying to help,” Rafe snapped. “You left. I stayed, and since you’d told me what happened, I watched closer. Every time the Colemans gathered, I listened hard to see if there was any reason you needed to stay away. You know what? In all that damn time I didn’t find a single one.”

“Because it wasn’t about you,” Jesse growled.

“Wrong. They don’t have an issue with you. It’s always been about your feelings and guilt, and I’m telling you, it’s time to move on.”

Lectured by his youngest cousin. Great fucking day.

“I’m not telling you you’re an idiot…” Rafe began again.

“Drop it,” Jesse ordered, turning his back on Rafe. Two more bloody days and he could get the hell out of here.

“Not likely,” Rafe offered. “This is what family does, you know.”

“Kicks you in the balls when you’re down?” Jesse demanded.

Rafe made a rude noise. “Oh, please. That’s a little melodramatic, even for you.”

Jesse whirled, catching hold of the front of Rafe’s shirt in a fist. “You want a fight? You got one.”

“Jesse.”

His name echoed in his ears at high volume, panic clear in the single word. He and Rafe turned toward the girls, expecting to see them making concerned gestures at the imminent fight.

Instead Vicki screamed again as she and Laurel struggled to hold up Dare, her body limp in their arms.

Chapter Seventeen

Situation normal—totally out of my control. Since when did chaos become my status quo? Seems like half of forever…

—Diary entry at eighteen, upon learning via email that her boyfriend had left Heart Falls and wasn’t coming back—

A cloud blurred her vision, and Dare blinked hard as she struggled to put the last few minutes back into order. She’d been talking with Vicki and Laurel, and she’d been watching the horses, and then things got foggy.

She looked up into blue eyes and a stone-cold expression.

Dare laid her hand against Jesse’s cheek. “Wow, you better hope the wind doesn’t change direction because that would be one scary face to be stuck with forever.”

If she’d expected his familiar grin to appear, she’d have been disappointed. What she got was zero change in expression as his gaze darted over her face. “How’re you feeling?”

Two worried faces appeared over his shoulder, Vicki and Laurel, then Rafe was there as well, a furrow between his brows.

“I feel like the ball in the middle of a football huddle.” Dare curled upright, or attempted to. Jesse’s hand behind her back controlled the motion as he slowly allowed her to sit.

A flush of embarrassment hit when she realized she was in his lap and he was on the ground in front of a growing collection of his family. Her right cheek and eye stung.

She lifted her fingers to touch her face. “What happened?”

Laurel grimaced. “Um, that’s my fault. I think I punched you.”