Jackson had decided to go to town to get some things for the ranch, and check on his own spread. Anyway, a drive to town was good for a little bit of self castigation. Obviously, he had terrified Cricket earlier when he’d moved in on her. He could pretend that he hadn’t been about to kiss her. But he had been. And he knew better. Earlier, he had decided that he wouldn’t. But for a minute there, she had seemed like she wanted him to, and his reasoning had gotten lost.
He hadn’t felt like an ass for having ulterior motives for agreeing to the bet, knowing he’d lose. Knowing it would put him in a prime position to convince her to sell. Until now.
Because one thing he wouldn’t do was get into a personal relationship with her while trying to get her land.
That was a step too far.
He had thought about going after her, but he had figured it would only create more problems. She had run for a reason, after all. It was pretty clear she didn’t want him to go after her.
Now, of all the reactions he’d had from women he’d made a move on, running full tilt the other direction wasn’t one of them. Sure, sometimes they might decide they weren’t into it, and then all it took was a simple no thanks. He wasn’t a man to push himself on anyone. And anyway, he didn’t have to.
But Cricket had run like he might. And that made him wonder things about her. And he didn’t want to wonder about her. Not any more than he already did.
He also figured that while he was out, he should go and check in on his father. Honey still lived at the ranch, and he knew she took on a fair amount of responsibility. Probably more than she should. It suited him that she was relatively sheltered, he had to admit.
And that got him right back into guilty thoughts and feelings about Cricket. She and Honey were roughly the same age. And if a man his age made a move on Honey, she wouldn’t be the one running away. He would, with Jackson right after him.
He maneuvered his truck down the driveway, up to the winery show room. The place was no less grand to him now than it had been when he was a boy. It always would be. But he would also always picture his mother standing there, waiting with a smile. No matter how many years she was gone, that’s what he would see.
But she wasn’t there. It was Honey.
“What brings you around?” his sister asked, pushing the door open to the tasting room. “Aren’t you in indentured servitude to Cricket Maxfield currently?”
“Currently.”
“Honestly, I’m glad you lost the bet. I can’t imagine having her working the tasting room.”
“What do you have against Cricket?”
Honey shrugged. “I just don’t really know her. Anyway, she’s not all that friendly.”
He frowned. “She’s not particularly unfriendly.”
“I don’t know. She’s weird. Don’t you think?”
He thought about all the things Cricket had said. About feeling out of place. And that his sister’s take, that she was weird, made him feel…
Sorry for her, he supposed.
“That’s not a very nice thing to say.”
“Since when do you care?”
“I don’t.”
“You must, a little.”
He shrugged. “She’s a nice kid. Anyway, I feel bad for all of them.”
“Maybe someday I’ll get there. I still can’t believe Creed married Wren.”
“You like Wren.”
“I know. But… Isn’t it weird? Switching allegiance like that.”
“The problem was James.”
“I don’t know. I think it’s deeper than that. Dad really…”
“Dad’s not perfect,” he said. “Dad’s feelings on something don’t have to be the final say.”
“I know that.”
Poor Honey had only been a teenager when their mother had died. And Jackson felt like she had thrown herself in a relationship with their dad even deeper, trying to please him much more than she would have if that hadn’t happened. There was no gray area with Honey when it came to Cash Cooper. While Jackson’s relationship with him came with about fifty shades of it.
“Speaking of Dad,” Jackson said. “Is he around?”
“Yeah, he’s just back in the office.”
The main office for the winery was at the back of the tasting room.
“You have any groups coming today?”
“A couple. Stick around, it’s a bachelorette party.”
And he found he had no interest at all. He found he was soured on the thought of it. Maybe his reaction had something to do with a woman running flat away from him not that long ago.
Or maybe it had something to do with Cricket herself, and her deep, seeking eyes. And that pretty mouth of hers.
Well.
He waved a hand toward his sister, then walked back to the office, his boots making a hard sound against the reclaimed barn wood floor. He knocked once, then opened the door without waiting for his dad to respond.
“The prodigal has returned,” Cash said.
“Just to check in,” Jackson grunted.
“Jericho came by yesterday and made it sound like you are pretty busy with your new boss.”
“Yeah,” Jackson said. “Jericho can shut it.” Jericho was basically another brother to Jackson. They had grown up thick as thieves, and had started their own ranches about the same time. Like a brother, Jericho could also be a spectacular pain in his butt.
“Why exactly are you here?”
“I came to check in on you. I don’t like being away for so long.”
“You don’t sound happy about it.”
“What’s going on, Dad? Look, I’ve never called you out. Not once. Not in front of Creed, and not in front of Honey, and I won’t. Not even in front of Jericho. You might not be his dad, but he looks up to you. But I was closer to Mom, and I know that… I know that you’re grieving. I believe that. But I don’t get exactly what you’re grieving. Because I don’t think she was the love of your life.”
“Jackson…”
“I know that things weren’t always great with you.”
“I loved your mother.”
Jackson paused, a muscle jumping in his jaw. He wasn’t going to argue with his dad about what he felt or didn’t. “I’m sure you did. But enough that you’re still nonfunctional five years later?”
He sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“You’ve never loved a woman in all your life, Jackson, let alone two. So what would you know about the kinds of things that I’ve been through?”
Jackson’s senses sharpened. “Two?”
“I’m not going to discuss it with you. All I can tell you is nothing in my life has been right since I lost your mother. There are a variety of reasons for it. And maybe you’re right, but to me it’s not so simple. And maybe you don’t think I deserve to have the grief and regret that I do. But I do. You know what’s worse than grieving the love of your life? I think it might be grieving a person you wronged.”
“What exactly…”
“Not up for discussion. Why don’t you get on back to the Maxfield property? Used to be you were all so against them.”
“You were against them,” Jackson said.
His father cleared his throat. “Yeah. I was.”
“Not anymore?”
“James was the problem.”
“I figured as much.”
“Turns out he was a problem for everyone.”
“Again, not a surprise.”
Though, Jackson wondered if her dad’s problems had been a bigger surprise to Cricket than she let on, and if that was maybe part of her problem.
He had no idea what his problem was. Why was he overthinking every interaction with Cricket? He didn’t overthink anything. If anything, he tended to underthink. He was a man of action. If there was something to be done, he liked to get it done. But maybe that was the problem. He couldn’t quite figure out Cricket’s aim in having him work at the ranch. Yes, she needed some guidance, but she often seemed to bristle beneath it, and she seemed more interested in him as a person then she did in his ranching expertise half the time.
But then, when he’d nearly kissed her, she’d run away. He would have thought that if there was a motivation, her having a crush would make sense.
Still, he preferred to take his chances with Cricket than trying to stand here and reason with his father. Trying to understand his father. “I’ll see you around. Just… Why don’t you go to the bar tonight or something? Do something. Honey shouldn’t have to cook you dinner every night.”
“She doesn’t have to. I could easily get food from the winery.”
“She doesn’t want you to do that. She wants you to take better care of yourself. And you not doing it is keeping her here.”
“Didn’t keep you here.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t feel responsible for a stubborn old man. And she does.”
He put his hat on his head and walked out of his dad’s office. Honey was standing in the middle of the room, and Jericho was there too.
“Don’t you have your own place?” he asked his friend.
Jericho grinned. That particular grin of his, the one he got when he wasn’t being genuinely friendly. “Yeah. I do. Just came to see how everyone was faring. Saw your truck, and thought I’d see how you were doing with your life as a ranch hand.”
“What is it exactly that you find that so funny?”
“Because long as I’ve known you, you’ve never taken orders from anyone. And I hear you’re taking orders from her.”
“Not exactly.”
“And sleeping in a bunkhouse,” Honey said. “If I recall the terms of the bet correctly.”
“Turns out the bunkhouse was in disrepair. I’m sleeping inside.”
That earned him openmouthed stares from both Jericho and Honey.
“Really?” Jericho asked, a dark brow lifting.
“Really,” he said, giving his friend a flat look.
Jericho frowned. “I didn’t take you for a cradle robber.”
“I’m not.” He shoved his discomfort aside, shoved the memory of a couple hours ago aside. “Anyway, I didn’t take you for a busybody.”
“Well, it’s not every day my best friend is suitably lowered to such a position. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying it.”
“Some friend.”
“I never claimed to be a good friend, just the best one you have.”
“No kidding,” Honey said. “Just an exasperating one. Anyway, I have work to do, unlike you two lazy cowboys. I actually still work here.”
“And the place is hopping,” Jericho said, looking around the empty space.
“I have a bachelorette party coming in twenty minutes. And no, I’ve decided neither of you can stay. I can’t bear watching you go for the low-hanging fruit. I’d like to have more respect for you.”
“I never pick low-hanging fruit,” Jericho said. “The sweetest ones are at the top of the tree.”
“Well, put up your ladder somewhere else, cowboy. Because you’re not picking off this one.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “The ladies deserve to have a party in peace.”
Both he and Jericho allowed Honey to kick them out of the room, and he walked out toward his truck with his friend. “What were you really doing here?”
“I… I have a meeting with your dad.”
“You have a meeting with my dad?”
“Yes. About the vineyard.”
“Really?”
“You and Creed are silent partners. At least, more or less these days. Your dad is… Well, he’s not enjoying this as much as he used to. He wants to get out of it.”
“Are you buying my dad out?”
“Talking about it.”
For some reason, that bothered Jackson. “You didn’t think to talk to me about it?”
“It’s a business deal, Jackson. I don’t have to talk to you about my business.”
Jackson knew that Jericho had been very successful with investments. His friend was a rancher, but he was a great deal more than that. Successful, extremely so, and not because he sat on his hands, or did things with caution.
“No. But you are my friend.”
“Yes. I’m talking to you now. But I figured I would have a conversation with your father before I did that. I haven’t finalized anything yet.”
“What’s the deal?”
“I’m buying half. And I’m going to transition to running the day-to-day.”
“That means you’re buying Honey’s portion.”
“She hasn’t come into it yet. Because of her age. So yes.”
“She’s going to be…”
“She should be free of this. Don’t you think?”
“Now you’re going to tell me that you have nothing but my sister’s best interest at heart?”
Jericho shook his head. “No. But I care about her too. I’m not just acting without thought.”
Jackson shook his head. “She’s going to kick you in the nuts.”
“She might. Like I said. It’s business. It’s not personal.”
“It kind of has to be personal. Given that our relationship is personal.”
“If it were personal, I would be buying him out for a good deal. I’m not. I’m overpaying.”
“Well, at least there’s that.”
His dad hadn’t told Jackson, of course. Bottom line, there had been a wedge between his parents whether his dad was ever going to address it or not, and by default Jackson had ended up on his mother’s team. They had all rallied when they’d needed to. His dad had been there for his mom. He couldn’t fault him for that. No. If only it were more straightforward. If only things had been toxic. Because if they had been toxic then Jackson could have disavowed his dad. If his father hadn’t been there for his mother, then Jackson could easily cut his father out of his life.
But it was never going to be that simple. His dad wasn’t a bad man. But as far as Jackson could tell he’d been a bad husband.
He’d also been there when it had counted.
“Look, I gotta get back to work. I’ll see you around.”
Jackson got into his truck, leaving Jericho standing there, leaving his conflicted feelings there at Cowboy Wines, because it was easier than staying and confronting them. Honestly, dealing with Cricket was much easier than all of this.