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Hunter
I’d grown so used to being with Muffin nearly every hour of every day these past few weeks, I barely remembered how to function without her by my side. But for the first time, possibly ever, I saw warmth and maybe even compassion stir within my mother. Getting married and having a child—me—hadn’t softened her. Perhaps Muffin could. Maybe my temporary sacrifice of a beloved pup was for a good cause.
Probably wishful thinking. More likely, my mom needed a quick puppy fix and I’d be reunited with Muffin shortly.
I climbed into the Silverado and texted my mother with the correct type of dog food. I fired up the Silverado and minutes later, I was tooling along the highway, immense relief rolling off me in waves. The initial visit was done and, apparently, they’d had enough of me. I wouldn’t be obligated to see them again until I returned for Muffin. If my mother lived up to my expectations, she’d be arranging a puppy transfer soon. I’d give her a couple hours or so.
My thoughts drifted to Bailey, my shoulder muscles tensing again. Maybe she just needed a chance to cool off. If I snuck into the house and went directly to Blake, then later went to my own room to unpack, and only came out to visit with Mrs. T, Bailey might be spared of seeing me the rest of the day.
As soon as I parked in front of the house, I zeroed in on the stables. I immediately located Bailey on Iesha in a pen with some cattle. I observed them, admiring Iesha as she repeatedly blocked a heifer from rejoining her herd. And she did it with style and grace. I’d seen enough horses cutting to know when they stood even half a chance at winning a competition. Bailey had a promising future with Iesha.
After jumping out of the truck, I sprinted into the house and barged into Blake’s room. He lay on his bed, looking just as he always had. Brown hair that was cut efficiently short, making it impossible to ever get in his way, and gray eyes a shade deeper than Bailey’s. On his other side, Chester took up nearly half the bed. A mangled coat hanger bobbed up and down as Blake inserted one end of the wire between his skin and the leg cast.
“Itchy?” I punched him in the arm, chuckling when he took a swing at me and almost lost his grip on the hanger.
“You’re an ass,” he muttered.
“Not gonna deny it.” I ambled through his room, noting the changes to his knife collection hanging on the wall. “Enjoying your vacation?”
“I spend most of my time worrying about the ranch.”
“Micromanaging everyone else doesn’t improve your mood?” I snickered.
“Not really.” He scowled at the cast. “Can’t wait to get the damn thing off. And when I do, you’re dead meat.”
My head snapped around at the tap tap. I was already making my way to the door when Mrs. T popped her head inside. I flung the door open the rest of the way and pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her slight frame off the floor. “Great to see you, Mrs. T.”
“Put me down.” She giggled. “And how many times have I told you to call me Liz?”
A million times. But calling her by anything other than a proper title seemed disrespectful and she deserved better than bad manners for everything she’d done for me. Besides, I wanted to avoid first names, which seemed more personal. I couldn’t risk anything leading us to verbalizing our feelings. I’d never told anyone I loved them. Loving words of any kind were never uttered at Fletcher Manor.
If I was going to tell anyone I loved them though, it would be Mrs. Thayer. I’d gotten more warmth from her in the last few seconds than a lifetime with my parents.
I gave her another squeeze before lowering her to the floor. She looked amazing. Her dark brown hair had enough slivers of gray to shimmer from the light above. A buddy had once told me if you weren’t sure about dating a girl, check out her mother. If the mother was a MILF, the daughter had a good chance of aging well too. I didn’t have to look at Mrs. T though to know that Bailey would be beautiful at any age. Not a bad deal for her future husband, whoever he would be.
“How’s everything?” I asked.
“We’re managing. How is your family?”
My smile dulled but I determined to hold it steady. “Same.”
“Where’s that puppy I heard so much about?” Mrs. T leaned past me, scouring the room for my missing dog.
“I got tricked into leavin’ her with my mom.”
Mrs. T’s brows flew up. “I’d be interested in seein’ how that works out.”
I nodded briskly. “Me too.”
When my phone dinged, I fished it out of my pocket and checked the screen. I laughed and faced it toward Mrs. T. “So far so good.”
Mrs. T snickered at the image of Muffin lounging on my parents’ priceless antique couch, tummy exposed and tongue lolling.
“Animals can be powerful medicine.” Mrs. T peered over at me adoringly, cupping her palm against my face. “Glad to have you back. Thank you for comin’ to help out.”
I covered her hand with mine, trying to remember why I’d resisted coming to Bride. Now that I was seeing loved ones, being here felt like the most natural thing in the world. “It’s the least I could do.”
“I need to get started on dinner.” She patted my cheek then slipped out the door.
“I can hardly wait,” I called out. The thought of how much I’d missed her southern cooking made me grin. Except Bailey would be eating too and I’d vowed to avoid her, for her sake. I twisted to face Blake. “I remembered this thing I have to do, some L.A. stuff I promised to finish. And I still need to unpack. You think your mom would mind if I ate in my room?”
Seconds lengthened as he scrutinized me. “Bailey made a lame excuse earlier, sounded awfully similar to yours. Something goin’ on between you two?”
I huffed. “What? No. Why would you think that?”
“She’s been acting weird since she found out you were comin’ back.” Blake cast me a glance full of suspicion. “Now I’m sure somethin’ is up. What gives?”
I opened my mouth with no clue what to say. How could I explain to him that I’d married his little sister in a drunken frenzy, failed epically on the annulment, and now most likely would have to go through an actual divorce to make things right? Worse, Bailey would already be divorced at age twenty-four. “Nothin’. I’m just trying to navigate her mood swings.”
“What did you do?” His eyes narrowed.
I threw my hands in the air and moaned. “How am I supposed to know? I’ve never been able to figure out women.”
“Then I’ll ask her.” Blake folded his arms over his chest but didn’t look any tougher, not with the bum leg. “You’re hidin’ somethin’ and I’m gonna find out what it is.”
Before I became aware of what I was doing, I had crept toward his window and was searching the grounds below. I immediately spotted Bailey walking a stallion. “Good. And when you find out what’s agitatin’ her, be sure to tell me.”
Blake seemed to buy my innocent act. But if I avoided the dinner table, everyone else might become suspicious too. Damn. My fingernails tapped the window sill and I veered away from the distraction below. “I’ll hurry and get my work done now, so I can eat with you guys.” I swiveled to leave, but stopped at his voice.
“Thanks for being here, man. Don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t stepped up.”
I smirked. “You would’ve driven everyone nuts with all your whinin’.”
“Screw you.” He turned a pillow into a missile, hitting me in the shoulder.
“See you at dinner.” I tossed the pillow at him and crossed the hallway to my room, not looking forward to unpacking. My phone rang and solved my dilemma. I checked the screen and considered rejecting the call. I’d rather color sort my shirts than talk to my dad again. But he didn’t waste time making unnecessary calls. I swiped the screen. “Hey, Dad.”
“Two things working against you. First, it’s been over a year since you got married. Second, you’d have to prove that one or both of you were under the influence when the ceremony took place. In your favor, however, you’ve been residin’ in separate states. Also, you did attempt the annulment immediately after the unfortunate event. That said, the lack of follow-through could be construed as a lack of desire by one or both parties to reverse the marriage. Not to mention you’re currently livin’ together at the B & B ranch, which could be considered cohabitatin’. Disqualifies you from getting an annulment.”
Wow, no hello or anything. Just straight to the point. But what else was new? “So what should I do?”
Papers shuffled. “Get started right away on the divorce. I’m sure you want to be free of her as soon as possible.”
Maybe return to the scene of the crime. Vegas would be faster, and since we got married there, seemed logical we could divorce there. I’d need to research that, of course, before I made the trip. Regardless, an out-of-state excursion wasn’t going to happen in the next few weeks since the ranch couldn’t do without both Bailey and me for several days. And how would we explain to everyone why we needed to fly to Vegas together? “Is there any way to petition the court here to proceed with the original annulment, maybe with a judge you know?”
“I play golf with someone who may be willin’ to do me a favor. But not for something that was started in another state. Your situation is murky at best and he won’t risk his reputation to bend the law for you.” He paused and I waited, hoping he’d come up with a brilliant idea. “As much as I pity you for being saddled with a Thayer, I think a divorce here in Texas is your only option. My best advice is to avoid doing anythin’ that might set her off so when it comes time to dividin’ assets, she doesn’t try to take advantage of you.”
I bristled at the stream of insults on Bailey and her family, but stifled the irritation. The least I could do was be gracious since he was doing me a favor. “Thanks, dad. Appreciate the advice.”
“Goodbye, son.”
I hit the end button, fury clouding my vision and muddling my head. He pitied me for being tied to a Thayer? He thought so little of Bailey that he believed her to be capable of trying to screw me over? If my dad had any ability to see into people, if he’d been capable of any kind of an emotional connection to humans, he would view Bailey like I did—as a sweet, beautiful, kind and generous woman. She wasn’t rich like us, but any guy—and it wouldn’t be me—would be lucky to have a girl like her. And whoever he was, he’d definitely be marrying up.
I yanked my other suitcase from the floor and set it on the bed, then rummaged through the contents for my speaker. I cranked up the play list from my phone and an instant later Waylon Jenning’s Just to Satisfy You came on, promising someone was gonna get hurt before I was through.
Reaching down, I skipped that song. I didn’t need to be reminded of the mess I’d made with Bailey or how long she’d be furious with me for keeping her married against her will.
After rifling through my bag for my laptop, I booted it up to search for more information on getting a divorce in Texas. Next time I spoke with my dad about filing for the divorce, I didn’t want to sound like an idiot. But the more I read, the punier I felt.
Banging from the other side of my door made me jolt. A split second later, Bailey barged in, her mouth set in a hard line, her hands at her hips. “Well? Did you ask your dad about it?”
“Shh. I thought you didn’t want anyone to know,” I whispered, motioning for her to shut the door.
“I don’t.” She closed the door, and crossed the room toward me. “But you must have spoken to your dad about gettin’ an annulment. What did he say?”
The scent of cherries floated the short distance to my nose. And, damn, when did she get so pretty? I mean, she’d always been pretty but she’d also been like my little sister. Why couldn’t I find Big Brother mode that I’d always lived in? I needed to completely slam the door on any intimate thoughts of Bailey. Cleaner thoughts would begin with me not paying any attention to her physical beauty. I vowed not to let my gaze travel below her neck.
“Unlikely we’d qualify for an annulment since it’s been over a year. And it’ll be more difficult to prove intoxication because it’s been so long. I’m thinkin’ we should find out if we can return to Vegas, since that’s where we got married and maybe they’ll finalize a divorce sooner than Texas would.” When did she get so curvy? And those legs!
“Up here, Hunter.” She pointed at her eyes. “Can you not act like such a guy right now, please?”
Disgust filled me. I hated being lumped in with every other deviant male. But since I’d been caught staring at her legs, I deserved it. “Well, you oughta put those things away. If you don’t want anyone gawking, wear some damned clothes.”
She frowned, taking a long deep breath then exhaling as if she was expending great effort to keep her cool.
My dad’s earlier words popped into my head, reminding me not to piss Bailey off. Not that I thought for even an instant she would try to screw me over. I just needed a smooth annulment to give her what she wanted. “Sorry,” I said. “I’ll try to be more gentlemanly in the future.”
Her face softened. “Where’s Muffin?”
“My mom didn’t want to give her back.”
She blinked once. “Sorry, but I can’t imagine your mom being inconvenienced by a human, much less an animal. First time Muffin digs in the garden bed or chews on one of her Manolo Blahniks, your mom will be begging you to pick her up.”
As much as I wanted Muffin by my side, I needed my mom to bond unconditionally with some kind of living thing other than plants. But my expectations were extremely low, as always. “No doubt I’ll be seeing Muffin very soon.”
“On another note, we can’t fly to Vegas. Not for at least a couple months and even then, I won’t be in a position to leave the ranch. There’s no one else to do my work. I want this marriage dissolved now,” she hissed.
“We can start the process here in Texas right away, but they have this pesky sixty-day waiting period before we submit the particulars on the dissolution, like who gets what.”
“Nothing to decide there. Anything that belonged to you before we realized how negligent you’d been in handling the annulment is the same as what you still own. And that applies to anything belonging to me.” Her chin jutted out. “Agreed?”
“Absolutely.” Especially since I had the trust fund and parents with deep pockets.
“Good. We’ll go to the courthouse first thing in the morning. Unless you’d prefer your dad handle it,” she said, her tone clipped and formal.
I hated the coldness creeping into her voice. I’d had a lifetime of that from my parents. Maybe she’d get back to the old Bailey, the one who used to rib me in the cutest way or look at me like a hero, after the divorce went through. “I’ll get him to do it, make sure it gets done correctly. But we can’t get around the sixty day wait.”
Her eyes darkened. “Let me know what you need from me.” Without another word, she swept out of the room.
Looked like Bailey had pretty much abandoned our friendship, yet I refused to give up on her. I would keep trying until I had exhausted every possibility, and done everything imaginable to bring her back. Writing off my parents as hopeless was one thing. Letting any of the Thayers go was quite another.
But was it really understandable to write off my own parents? Had I done everything in my power to get through to them? All I’d done was lower my expectations and cross my fingers every time I visited them. Very little effort beyond that.
I popped off the bed and went after her. “Bailey.”
She stopped before the stairs, pivoting on her heel. “Yes?”
“I was thinking... So long as I get all Blake’s work done each day, the hours don’t matter much, right? Some of it can be done at night, like mucking the stables. We’ve always had good lighting out there.”
She squinted. “Your point?”
I lifted one shoulder, trying to be casual. She thought my parents were hopeless, but I wasn’t ready to abandon them yet. “Figured I’d arrive at my parents’ place early when I can and hang out with them, maybe help my mom in the garden.”
Her lips pursed. “And if they don’t respond the way you want them to?”
I flashed her a grin to hide the twinge of despair. “Then I’ll keep trying.”
Her mouth softened and her eyes grew shiny. “Do what you have to do. If you can’t get to some of your chores, let me know and I’ll cover for you.” She was about to leave, then swung back around. “I wish you’d let us pay you for your work here.”
I gave her a humorless laugh. “If you could afford to pay someone, you wouldn’t be short staffed and selling off your land. I can’t take your family’s money anyway after everything you guys have done for me. And it’s not like I’m poor.”
“Whatever.” She disappeared from my view, her cowboy boots thumping each time she touched a step down the flight of stairs.
My lungs strained to expand for air, my body refusing to function like normal. It was an odd sensation, something I’d never experienced before. Similar to withdrawals, like when I’d quit partying after Vegas. After I’d screwed up so royally and married Bailey, I’d decided that I preferred being in control of my actions. But I’d had to get used to not always having a drink in my hand at parties or other social events, limiting it to only one or two.
Missing the cold smooth glass of a bottle against my palm, the heat of the alcohol as it slid down my throat, was drastically different than the ache in my gut now. I had a powerful urge to spend time with Bailey. Certainly not because I wanted more than friendship with her, but because she’d been a part of me most of my life.
A vision of her flashed before me. Long gorgeous legs, slim waist, perky breasts... and the feel of her mouth against mine. No, no, no. Those images were supposed to dull over time, not become more vivid. If I couldn’t get my wits in order—and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to anytime soon—I was screwed. I had no clue how to get back to normal with Bailey. I’d just have to work harder at it because the alternative—losing her entirely—was unacceptable.