Page 43 of The Perfect Hosts

Lucy

One mile out of Jackson, despite the glare of the bright morning sun, Wes falls asleep in the passenger seat of Madeline’s Lexus. Why anyone needs a luxury car while living on a working ranch is beyond Lucy, but she’s not going to complain. She has to admit it’s a nice ride.

When Trent found Lucy in the stable’s office, she was trying to figure out what to do with the information she just discovered. Luckily she had returned the envelope to its hiding place, but still, he seemed suspicious. And as much as she was looking forward to more time alone with Wes, she had been hoping to snoop around the ranch more, see what other dirty little secrets she could dig up before Madeline came home. It would have to wait.

Abruptly, Lucy pulls off Highway 191 in hopes that the sharp motion will wake Wes, but he’s out cold, snoring softly, his head lolling against the passenger-side window. She pulls into a gas station, parks, and goes inside. It’s one of those filling stations with an all-night café to feed all the truckers who come through. Lucy orders a chocolate shake for Wes and a sausage biscuit for herself. By the time she returns to the car, food in hand, Wes is awake.

He looks like crap, and Lucy tells him so. “Yeah, you get hit in the head with a crowbar and see how you look,” Wessays, poking the straw through the lid and taking a long drink. “God, this tastes good. Thanks.”

“No problem,” Lucy says, clicking her seat belt into place. She and Wes have always had a good rapport. Back when they first met, Lucy thought that maybe the two of them could have been good together, but the timing was never quite right—they were too different, or maybe too much alike. Then Lucy introduced Wes to Madeline and the decision was made, for better or worse.

“So, your brother?” Lucy says, pulling the truck back onto the highway.

“Yeah, it’s unbelievable. How does a man just disappear? Especially Dix—he’s pretty unforgettable.”

“Yeah?” Lucy says. “I remember him from your wedding. He was trying to get people to drink shots out of his cowboy boot.”

“Yeah, Dix is a good guy, but he’s a character,” Wes says. “Madeline gets a kick out of him. I swear sometimes she thinks she married the wrong Drake brother.”

Lucy raises her eyebrows and gives Wes a wry look. “You know Madeline is crazy about you. Always has been, always will be.”

Wes shakes his head. “She’s been different lately. You sure she hasn’t told you what’s been going on with her?”

“Me? Nooo,” Lucy laughs. “I think you might have forgotten that my dad made Madeline my fucking banker. We don’t talk much anymore, and I’m not thrilled about it, okay. But how would you feel if your brother was in charge of your finances?”

“I’d hate it,” Wes admits. “Dix and I have had our fair share of knockdowns over money.”

“It sucks,” Lucy says. “Dad’s funeral was hard, but it was good he wasn’t suffering anymore. Before we read the will, Madeline and I genuinely had a nice time, laughing over memories, going out with some old friends.”

“What old friends?” Wes asks. Lucy knows he’s trying to keep his voice nonchalant, casual, but there’s a sharpness that he can’t hide.

“Just some old classmates. Lydia Dunne, Angela Walker, Marc Lee,” Lucy says, ticking the names off on her fingers. “A few others. It was nice, kind of like a mini-reunion.” Lucy sees Wes’s face darken at the mention of Marc Lee, Madeline’s high school boyfriend. Madeline and Marc fell hard for one another, were inseparable, and almost immediately started planning their life together: get married, have kids, raise horses. It lasted through the summer after graduation, but that’s when Madeline got more serious about equestrian competitions and began winning on the international circuit. The romance fizzled, and a few years later, Lucy introduced Madeline to Wes. Still, Wes didn’t like hearing about Madeline’s first love.

“Everyone had a little too much to drink, I said a few things, Madeline said a few things.” Lucy shrugs. “It got ugly.”

“Madeline wouldn’t have been drinking,” Wes says, setting his shake in the cupholder. “She’s pregnant.”

“It was just a sip. A toast to old friends,” Lucy clarifies. Wes grows quiet and turns to look out his window. Madeline is going to be pissed when she finds out Lucy told Wes about meeting up with Marc and possibly drinking while pregnant. And Wes will bring it up. Lucy is counting on it.

“So who is this Mellie person, staying at the house?” Lucy asks, as she slows the car and takes a right turn.

Next to her, Wes shakes his head. “You’ll have to talk to Madeline about that one. There isn’t a stray animal she won’t take in. I just hope she doesn’t stay long. I can’t wait for things to go back to normal—whatever that means.”

“I don’t trust her,” Lucy says.

“What? Why? Did she do something?” Wes asks.

“Not really,” Lucy admits. “It’s weird, though, right? She just shows up on your doorstep and doesn’t leave?”

“Kind of like you, right?” Wes says, trying not to smile.

She smacks him lightly on the arm. “You were always a smartass. No, really, though. I don’t trust her.”

Wes turns thoughtful. “I’ll try and get rid of her before Madeline gets back home, but in the meantime, will you keep an eye on her for me?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Lucy says, meaning it, then changes the subject. “You know, I was thinking, the baby will be here in the next few weeks or so, and I’d love to be able to fix up the nursery. It’s a mess after what happened, and the sooner it’s cleaned up, the sooner you can put all of this behind you.”

Wes looks skeptical. “Honestly, I don’t know if Madeline will even want that as the baby’s room anymore. I don’t know if I want the baby to stay where a man died, where she could have died.”