Just Her Luck (24 page)

"He better knock his shit off," Bowen rumbled, drawing my thoughts back to Reeve, "or I'll remove his head for him and shove my boot up there instead."

I smiled and chuckled when Bowen glanced over at me and winked, filling his plate with another stack of pancakes.

"I love you guys," I sighed quietly, staring down at my plate and forking up another bite of food, thankful for their support, friendship, and all around ability to distract me from all the bullshit life's been throwing at me lately.

I didn't notice when all four heads shot up and stared at me.

All Bawled Up

"You about ready, girly?" Bowen asked, poking his head into my room and jiggling his keys at me.

"Yup." I grabbed my laptop and shoved it into its case, hitching my duffle bag over my shoulder.

Following along, I walked behind him, trailing quietly as I followed him to his truck.

He opened the door for me and stood back, waiting for me to hop in, helping me as I tried to juggle everything in my arms.

Such a gentleman!

Made me want to swoon a bit.

Looks like chivalry hasn't completely died out yet.

I snapped my fingers as I took a look around and realized I wasn’t quite ready to go just yet.

"Oh, shoot! I forgot my purse!" I hopped down. "Hold that thought, I'll be right back!"

He chuckled at me as I ran back into the house.

I found Sawyer in my room, sitting on my bed, looking up sharply when I came running back into the room.

"Are you leavin', Vieve?" he asked softly, motioning to the empty closet.

"What? No," I said quickly, looking around for my purse, "I just decided to go back home for a few days. It's the beginning of my days off today and tomorrow, so I thought, why not. This way I can get a crap load of work done, you know?"

"Oh," he sounded relieved, "You know, I don't even know where you live. Never thought to ask before. I kinda started thinkin' of
here
as your home."

He let out a self-deprecating laugh and ran his hand over his face, giving me a small smile.

"I live in a blue house with white shutters by a lake," I joked, snagging up my purse.

"Really?" he asked curiously, grinning at the teasing hint in my tone, not quite sure what to make of it.

"I'll see ya," I called, rushing from the room and blowing him a quick air kiss on my way, bumping into someone in my haste.

I bounced back when I hit the thick chest, putting my hands out to steady myself.

"Oh, Thatcher, sorry!" I apologized hastily, glancing up, and made my way to rush past him.

He nodded and moved to the side, quiet as he watched me.

An idea hit me suddenly and I acted on it.

I stopped in my tracks and walked back to him.

"I've decided I don't like being mad at you anymore," I informed him haughtily, mimicking the crap he'd tried with me the other day, "And
I
have decided to forgive
you."

I held his gaze with a straight face for a minute, then remembered Bowen and hurried up.

I rushed off before he could respond, hoping he realizes how ridiculous he can be at times.

Maybe we could even call a truce, become buds again
, I thought hopefully.

I miss the silly smiles and constant comments I'd once found so obnoxious before.

I miss my Thatcher
, I thought as I hopped back into the truck and buckled up,
but he has to learn he can't be like that with people, it just isn't right.

I know
I
won't put up with that kind of shit.

"All set?" Bowen asked, putting the truck into gear.

"All set."

"Then we're off," he replied and pulled out of the ranch.

I watched as we left, gazing out the window, thinking about what Sawyer had said in the bedroom.

Silly me,
I'd forgotten for a moment, when he'd asked me where I lived, what my house looked like, picturing the Harrison ranch instead and all the smiling faces of my guys.

My guys...
I thought after a moment.

When did they become
my guys
?

I wracked my brain for an answer and couldn't remember a time when I hadn't thought of Bowen, Sawyer, Thatcher and Ephraim as anything but
'my guys'
.

Oh, Vieve, you've gone and gotten attached to all of them, never a good sign.

And if Reeve keeps good on his word and hires someone else… how am I going to deal with having to leave?

Never seeing any of their faces anymore, never sharing breakfast with them? The fun, the banter, the teasing laughter and all around chaos...

Or everything else I've suddenly become accustomed to since living with them.

I need to face it
- it's going to hurt when I leave-
and I'll just leave it at that for now.

"You're being quiet," Bowen remarked as we got closer.

"Did my cousin mention Ruthie, by any chance? Is she back home yet, did he say?" I asked, wondering if she needed a ride back to Barry's house.

"Your cousin?" he questioned, making a turn down the road.

"Huh?" I mumbled, lost in my own thoughts for a minute.

"The guy on the motorcycle was your cousin?"

I laughed at the look on his face.

"Were you
all
stuck up to the windows watching me or something?"

He had enough grace to look bashful.

He
was apparently watching for me
, but why?

"Yes, Barry is my
cousin
,
not
my tattooed fuck buddy, as Reeve so eloquently put it. What were you watching me for, anyways? Thought I wasn't going to come back? Afraid you'd have to hang your own laundry?"

"Maybe." He stared out the windshield, his face an unreadable mask.

We rode on in silence after that until we pulled up next to my bug.

"Thanks for the lift, Bo."

Gathering all of my belongings, he put a hand on mine when I would have gotten out.

"I want to talk to you," he said seriously, shutting off the engine.

"Do I have to?" I grimaced, not too keen on the ‘let’s share our feelings’ front at the moment.

I'm still trying to come to terms with Ruthie from the other night.

"Yes." He chuckled a little, but when his smile suddenly died and a somber look came over him, I knew it was serious.

"I heard you last night," he said quietly, still holding onto my hand.

"Who didn't," I muttered under my breath, lips pursing.

"No," he shook his head, "I heard you afterwards."

"Oh." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

What is the proper response for that?

‘Hey, sorry you heard me shrieking?’

Nah...

‘Ooops, I left my happy face in my other pants?’

Nope.

I got nothin'.

So I settled for shutting up.

I fought a blush of humiliation as it unwillingly washed over me when it finally kicked in to my addled brain that he'd heard me carrying on like a baby, blubbering all over Ephraim.

"I called Ruthie this morning and we talked..."

"You told!" I shouted, a sense of betrayal pricking me, "You had no right! How could you? You can't be upsetting her like that! She... she..."

I snapped my jaw shut when I realized what I was about to say.

She's dying, she doesn't need that kind of shit
, I mentally finished.

"I didn't tell her anything about that," he tugged me back into the truck, "but I didn't think you'd get so worked up about what happened in the living room enough to cry about it for half the night."

Oh, my god, I cried for half the night?

I shut the door and pulled my hand away from him, frowning at the sadness in his eyes.

"What happened, then?" I asked after a long moment.

"She told me," was all he said, and
I knew
.

He didn't need to say anything else because I knew what he meant.

She told him what was wrong, told him she was dying.

"I have to go," I said quickly, turning my back to open the truck door again.

He didn't say anything as I got out and grabbed my things, not making eye contact, avoiding his piercing gaze as I made my way to my trusty old bug, promising myself I would wait until I got home to break down again.

It's too bad they don't make Ephraim in a traveling sized version, I could really use him right about now.

My hands shook as I tried to get my keys in the door.

I cursed and kept trying, but I just couldn’t manage it at the moment.

Two dark, strong arms reached around either side of me and put the key in for me, wrapping around me tightly as he turned it.

"I'm sorry, girly. I'm so sorry."

My lip trembled and I bit it to still it.

"I, uh... I, uh... god, Bowen," I sniffled, "shut the hell up, you're gonna make me cry!"

"Shit! I'm sorry," his voice rumbled, pulling away and leaning back against his truck.

He ran his hands over his head as I turned to face him, gripping his scalp as he mentally castigated himself.

I could see it in his face.

"I don't do this kind of shit well. I never know what to do. What to say. If I'm doin' the right thing." He grimaced, scrubbing at his face.

He's hurting too, Vieve,
I realized.

Just look at him!
I thought, taking in the anguished look on his face.

I opened my car and set everything inside.

He must have taken that as his cue to leave and gotten inside his truck, starting the engine up to warm it up.

I walked around to the passenger side and hopped in, crawling over the seats until I reached him.

Reaching for him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him towards me.

"I'm sorry too, Bo. I'm so sorry. I know you care about her."

His arms immediately banded around me and he buried his face in my neck, the tell-tale wetness of tears hitting my skin.

I felt mine moisten up too and I let them fall, needing this as much as he did.

He cleared his throat after a few minutes and pulled back, cupping my face, eyes searching mine as he studied me.

"I'm going to do like Ruthie says, from now on," he said, making it sound like a vow, "She asked me to live outside my own box, really go for what I want, and I promised her and myself that I would."

"That's good, isn't it?" I asked, happy for him, "Ruthie would be real proud of you if she heard, I'm sure."

Maybe I should do like him and take a bit of her advice.

Stop over thinking things so much
, she's always saying.

"I watched you last night," he admitted, going back to what we were talking about earlier. "I stayed up and waited for you to come home."

"You did? Why?" I voiced my thoughts out loud.

"I love Ruthie, we all do, even Reeve. She's like a mother to me, to all of us," he started, "I thought nothing good would come of it when she said she couldn't work anymore. I knew something was wrong with her. I'd had my suspicions for a while. I was wrong, though."

"Wrong about what...?" I prompted.

He was a little jumbled up, so I waited for him to continue.

What does this have to do with waiting up for me?

His thumbs came up to caress my face, and my mouth went dry, lost in the open sincerity in his greenish hazel eyes.

"She's always telling me to let go, quit worrying so much, live a little. Not everything has to be just 'so, so', she's always naggin' me. I never listened. I knew something was wrong when she didn't come right back, even more so when she sent
you
." He gave me a small smile.

"What's so wrong with her sending
me
? I'm not that bad!"

Don't people know first impressions really aren't everything?

"No, you're not, and that's the problem," he said gruffly, clearing his throat hard.

Erm... whaaaa?

"Explain," I demanded, ready to pull back from him.

"If I've learned anything from Ruthie, it's don't wait ‘til it's too late."

"Bowen... your kind of talking in circles... I kind of get what you're saying, but I think you need to..."

"You waltzed right onto the ranch, jumping right in, taking right up where she'd left off, 'here I am, this is me, take it or leave it, don't like it? Then fuck off attitude'... full of this," he said affectionately, pulling at a lock of my hair, watching it go right back to its crazy disarray.