Page 30 of Wrangled and Tangled (Raven Peak Ranch #1)

W ith Heath’s earlier somewhat lie to Briar, I don’t really want him answering any of Briar’s questions.

Do I think she needs to know I took him out on a date?

Yes.

Was I planning on lying to her about it?

No.

Now, here I am, stuck between Heath’s sort-of lie and telling my daughter that I fucked up.

I forgot to call her after I spoke with Clara’s mom. She wasn’t going because her parents weren’t going to be there, still I should have told her that like I’d promised.

“It’s late,” I say, punctuated with a yawn.

Heath and Lucy both chuckle and Briar whines. “It’s summer, Dad. Bedtimes don’t exist.”

“They do when you still have chores to get done every mornin’,” I chuckle, attempting to give her the dad look .

“Ugh,” she groans, “the chores would get done with more enthusiasm if I could hang out with my friends after, you know.”

Her tone’s playful, but the undercurrent of hope fills me with dread.

“Clara’s parents weren’t going to be there,” I start, and her face falls, mouth opening, ready to defend her position on going. “How about you wait until next weekend to go to the pool, and I’ll call Pen’s mom for a week-long sleepover?”

Penelope Saul is Briar’s “ultimate best friend”, whatever that means in teen girl language. She’s my niece, Briar’s cousin, and before her mom got her dream job, they lived here in Goldspur Ridge.

I don’t blame Ravena for getting out, especially after Pearl’s death.

Her squeal is higher pitched than I think I’ve ever heard, and she jumps up and down, pumping her hands in the air. “Pen’s comin’ to stay with us!”

“That way, the two of you can travel together,” I warn, eyeing her with a stern brow. “Look out for one another.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” She says, wrapping her arms around my waist and squeezing. Looking up at me, she smiles wide, “Thank you, Dad!”

“We’ll go pick her up after I get away from the garage tomorrow,” I promise, placing a kiss on the top of Briar’s head. “Now, bedtime, please.”

She mocks a salute and skidaddles on to her room, where she’s already picking up the phone while she repacks her bag. I have no doubt Pen will be doing the same in point two seconds.

“You bring that up with Maw?” Lucy asks quietly, and I give her a halfhearted shrug to indicate I have not, in fact, informed Mawmaw. She lets out a sigh and says she’ll make that call for me.

“Thanks, Loo, you’re the best.”

“Yeah, I know.”

As Lucy and I start cleaning up their mess from what I hope wasn’t entirely their dinner, my phone rings. I placed it on the counter before coming to pick up their mess.

Heath looks at it and hollers, “Say’s Ravena.”

“Tell Bee I’ll be waiting outside to walk back to Mawmaw’s with her,” and she slips outside with her phone pressed to her ear.

“Press the speaker, please,” I tell Heath, making my way over to the trash.

“I guess you told Briar the good news, huh?” Ravena, Pen’s mother, laughs. “I’m glad they still have each other, even after all these years.”

“Me too, though you and Clive could move back, ya know,” I tease. I know with Ravena’s new position at the hospital, she’ll never move. Being the top surgeon in the state affords you that luxury.

“Speakin’ of, you wanna babysit him too?” She jokes, and I can hear the faint rebuttal from her husband.

“Hey, don’t go outtin’ me to Briar. She thinks this is a reward,” I laugh, only half-kidding.

Heath stands leaning against the counter with a smile splitting his face.

“Pen’s excited to spend time with Uncle Spence, don’t let the teen attitude fool you,” she says, and I can practically see the mom look she’s throwing at someone. “Clive will be here with Pen when you come to pick her up. I’ve got a surgery that I’m not sure will be done before you get here.”

“That’s alright,” I can’t say I’m not disappointed, ever since Pearl’s death, it’s been hard for Ravena and I to be around each other. Especially since they were twins. Seeing Ravena brings back memories of Pearl that I’d rather keep as memories. “I’m sure Clive misses me more anyway.”

She laughs, and though I know it’s genuine, it’s still got a tinge of sadness to it.

“She would have loved seein’ them together, Ravena,” I whisper, sniffing back the tears that make my throat hot and thick.

“She would,” Ravena agrees with a sniffle of her own. “It’s good to hear from you, Spence.”

“You too, Ravena,” I say with a heavy breath.

She disconnects the call, and I lean against the kitchen island, hanging my head. Flexing my arms to feel something other than the pain in my chest, I stand there. Pen looks almost identical to her mother, so I have to prepare myself to go pick her up.

I didn’t know if I should’ve told Ravena about the murders happening in Goldspur Ridge, they seem pretty isolated to the rodeo… I decided against telling her at the last second. No sense in raising an alarm yet.

Lucy’s boots clack on the porch, and she leans into the house, “What’s takin’ so long, Bee?”

“Flower?” I ask, looking at Heath in question when he chuckles at my bedroom door.

Lifting his finger to his lips, he carefully walks back over to where we’re standing. “She’s out.”

“What?” I ask, heading to look for myself. Briar had to be tired to fall asleep packing her bag. Her phone’s still by her ear, but the screen’s black, and she’s breathing deeply as if she’s more comfortable than she’s been in a while.

“She’s asleep,” I confirm, nodding at Lucy.

She steps into the house and closes the door behind her. “So what do you want me to do? I can go pick up the truck?”

“Nah, just pick her up in the mornin’,” I know it’s probably too soon, but she’s fast asleep, and I’d hate to move her now.

“I’ll come by before chores,” Lucy laughs, “hope she’s ready!”

“Thank you, Loo,” I tell her as she walks out.

Leaning against the door, I let out a breath. Talking to Ravena took a lot of my emotional bandwidth, and I feel like I need to explain because Heath’s standing against the kitchen island with a look of confusion on his face.

“I loved Pearl,” I whisper into the stale air between Heath and me. “She and I… We weren’t conventional, but God, I loved her.”

Heath walks around the island, standing close enough that I can smell his spicy, sweet scent. “I’d love to hear more about her.”

Turning my head, our eyes connect, and I blink away the tears that threaten to flood my cheeks. Nodding my head, I stand, walking past him to the fridge. Grabbing two beers, I pop the tops and offer one to him.

He accepts with a smile, following me to the living room, where we settle on opposite ends of the couch. Neither of us speaks until my bottle’s almost empty, and I have to refill.

“Want another?” I ask, tipping the glass bottle his way from the fridge.

His grin is answer enough, still he says, “Only if you’re drinkin’ with me.”

Taking him the glass, his fingers brush mine and electricity zaps my skin. I can’t deny the chemistry we share, and I’m done trying. We have some things to figure out, but I’m willing to give this a try. I still need to lay ground rules, especially because of Briar.

“Do you want to talk about her?” He asks, tipping the bottle back and finishing the last of the first bottle. The scruff on his neck is dark against his skin as he swallows.

“I’d rather you tell me more about you,” I smirk, leaning close to the coffee table to put my beer down. Turning his way, I bring my leg up onto the couch and rest my arm across the back.

“What do you wanna know?”

“You said your parents passed. Were you close?” I want to know how his family was. Were they close like mine? Or were they strained?

He looks down at his lap, and his shoulders roll as he looks back up. “My mama and I were close. My dad and I–we butted heads, but I loved him. I’ll always love both of them, but I’ve made peace with their deaths. It’s funny, really, the rodeo helped me heal.”