Page 22 of Wrangled and Tangled (Raven Peak Ranch #1)

A fter breakfast and a smart-ass remark from Briar about safe sex , I send Heath back to his publicist. After Thelma outed me for having sex while Briar was with her Mawmaw, the rest of breakfast was…weirdly normal. It was as if we’d known Heath all our lives, he just fit .

It’s scary, and I’m afraid if Briar gets to know Heath anymore, she’ll get attached and want him to stay.

He can’t stay though. He’s a rodeo cowboy, not a ‘settle down on a ranch cowboy’, and I’m not delusional enough to believe that I could be anyone’s first choice.

Other than Briar, though, her aunt might fight me for that spot.

“I need to get some things done at Raven Peak,” I start. Briar pumps her arm in the air, throwing water and bubbles from the dishes all over the floor.

“I’ll come help, I’ve been dyin’ to see Jinx,” rushing through the dishes, her words are jumbled, but I get the jist.

“Work before play,” I remind her. She can’t saddle up her horse and take off before chores are taken care of.

Walking into my room, I’m hit with the scent of him. He’s everywhere, and I hate to admit that I like it. Pushing myself to get dressed, I try to ignore the sight of my messy bed. Thoughts of him sleeping here, in my bed, are making me hope it happens again.

It was only for one night so now he can clear his name, and head out to the next town for the rodeo.

Pulling my boots on and walking out of the room, careful to make sure the door shuts behind me, I wait for Briar. My cell phone’s dead, so plugging it into the charger on the counter, I leave it to charge while we take care of the ranch.

I don’t open the garage on Sundays. It’s an unwritten rule around here. Nothing’s open on Sundays except the church, and I haven’t been there in a hot minute. Nothing personal, but the ranch takes up my whole Sunday, and with Lucy being down, I’ll have a lot more on my plate.

“Alright,” Briar says, boots clicking on the wood floor as she makes her way to the door. “Let’s go!”

Grabbing the keys to the side-by-side, she cackles and settles into the driver’s seat.

Lord, help me.

Hauling my ass into the passenger seat, she floors the gas, headed straight for the fence. Correcting herself she looks at me with a smirk before shooting us clear across the pasture to the barn on our family ranch.

“And you think I’m willin’ to put you on the road, drivin’ like that?” Nudging her arm, she lifts her shoulders and hops out.

“Mawmaw already signed the papers.”

Hell.

The sun’s high in the sky, and sweat drips down my chest under my shirt as I finish up tilling the dirt for Mawmaw’s garden.

She loves fresh veggies and herbs and uses them down at the diner, too.

So every year, I till the fields, and she tends to them as much as she can.

She gets winded easily, and this summer heat ain’t no joke.

“Lookin’ good, kid!” Mawmaw hollers from the barn.

We made the garden close to the barn so she wouldn’t have to walk too far for tools.

It worked out better than we thought since Lucy’s flowers don’t play well with other plants.

Lucy’s the unofficial town florist, her flowers win prizes every year at the county fair.

“You ready to sow those seeds?” I yell back. “I’ll have Briar help.”

She shakes her head and motions for me to come to the barn. Worry pierces my gut, and I turn the tractor off. I’m done with the ol’ girl anyway, pulling her into the lean-to covering we added on last year.

Hopping down, I pull the keys and hang them on the hook inside the barn. We needed more space when Briar bought Jinx. He’s a good old gelding, perfect for Briar’s first horse. With his snow-white coat and faded black hooves, he’s a looker, and he knows it. Reminds me of Heath’s bucking mare, Fiona.

The second we brought Jinx into the barn, he preened and pranced around the mares. Now, since the mares made it clear one too many times they aren’t interested, he saves his preening for Briar.

She’s pulling the saddle off him, hanging the saddle pads and blankets off to dry. Brushing him down, she doesn’t have to hook him to the stall. He stands and appreciates all the affection she gives him.

Mawmaw’s rubbing her mare’s chestnut snout by the time I’ve cleaned my hands in a bucket of hose water. “I see Thistle’s gettin’ all her nose rubs in.”

“Yeah, poor thing doesn’t get to see me too much these days,” she sighs wistfully, eyes stuck on the horse my Pawpaw surprised Mawmaw with for the last wedding anniversary he was alive for.

Laying my hand on her shoulder, I squeeze, and she places her other hand on top of mine. “Your sister’s refusing to get outta bed,” she whispers, eyeing Briar’s proximity.

“She just lost Levi,” I argue, watching my own volume. “Give her some grace, alright?”

Shaking her head, she stops rubbing Thistle and looks at me head on, “I think it’s a little more than that.”

Cocking my head to the side, I have to let her words sink in. What does Mawmaw know that I don’t? “Okay.”

“Her phones been ringin’ off the hook, hell I had to unplug the house phone,” she grumbles and pats my chest. “I think she needs some big brotherin’.”

“I don’t have the right words for her,” I argue, “Lucy’s cryin’ over a man I’m not sure she really knew.”

Her stare tells me all I need to know. Mawmaw knew about Levi’s proclivities, how, I’m not sure, and maybe not the drugging, but she knew he was a bad seed.

“You knew,” I say without looking away from her.

“A mother always knows, child. I may not be your mama, but I am your mawmaw, and I saw somethin’ dark in that boy.” There’s a sheen in her eyes that gives away her emotion, but I don’t comment.

“I’ll talk to her,” I promise with a sigh as Briar leads Jinx to his stall and refreshes his feed.

“Y’all musta had a mighty breakfast. It’s past noon,” Mawmaw bellows, emotion gone. “Come on now and wash up. We’ve got a family dinner to cook.”

Briar claps with a little skip in her step as she tosses the keys to the side-by-side my way. “He’s driving,” she winks.

“Because you might give your poor old Mawmaw a heart attack,” I rib.

She sticks her tongue out, and Mawmaw swats my shoulder. “Be careful who you’re callin’ old,” she warns with a mischievous smirk.

I drive down the path I’m sure we could have walked and park beside Lucy’s truck. We each pile out and do exactly as Mawmaw asked, turning toward the house to wash up, but I stop in my tracks when I see who’s waiting.

Heath’s standing on the porch, his hat by his side, hand running through his hair.

“Guess that horse you coulda missed came back,” Mawmaw leans up and whispers in my ear. I’d forgotten what she told me about love being a horse you can either ride or let pass you by, and I still don’t know what I’m gonna pick.

“I guess so.”