They glared at each other until Joel gave in.
Jesse’s snide but real concern forced Joel to stop and consider. It wouldn’t be the first time a girl had gotten herself out of a bad place by accidentally getting pregnant. But
fuck
…
Even having to think about it made him crazy, and guilty, because now he was judging her just like everyone else. Definitely showed him, though, part of what Vicki put up with every damn day.
He gave in a little. “I’ll be careful. But in the meantime, you’ll be polite. I think she’s different, and you’re not going to come on to her, or offer to fool around with us, or…”
“Stop it.” Jesse rose to his feet. “You already gave me hell for butting in on your party a couple months ago with what’s her name…Sue. I was a shit, okay? I didn’t think you meant it, but you don’t have to hit me over the goddamn head anymore. Even if you think Vicki is different, I don’t want to be sticking my dick in some girl that half the town’s already had.” Jesse walked to the fridge and poured himself a big glass of orange juice, downing half of it before turning back. “You want some?”
Joel shook his head. Having this discussion with Jesse while his brother was hungover meant he wasn’t sure if Jesse was trying hard to be extra rude or simply acting his normal self.
The snarky asshole with attitude wasn’t a side of his twin Joel liked very much.
“Tell me, who have you heard boasting they made it with Vicki? Because I know talk is hot and heavy about her sister—”
“—and her mom.” Jesse made a face. “God. Why does that seem even worse than her sister being fast? You really going to go out with her?”
“I’m seeing Vicki, not her mom. Answer the damn question.”
Jesse returned to the couch. “Honestly, the only person I remember talking about doing Vicki was back in high school.”
“Eric Tell, right?”
“Right.” Jesse grinned. “Hate that asshole, but still. And didn’t she break his arm at one point, or something majorly fucked up?”
“I can’t remember the details. Jaxi might know. She knows all that gossip.”
“Other than that, you’re right. I haven’t heard anyone boasting or complaining about Vicki.” Jesse examined his glass of juice, holding it up to the light. “Maybe you aren’t as stupid as I thought.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Enough of this. Joel was ready to move on. “I told Dad, I’ll tell you. I think she’s nice.”
Jesse snorted in disbelief. “You already talked to Dad about her? Wow, you are moving fast. I was only gone for two nights.”
Joel cleared his throat. “He caught us necking in the barn today.”
“Ha.” Jesse put his empty glass on the coffee table before collapsing. “Damn, I need a nap.” He cracked one eye open for a second. “If you’re done all your true confessions, and shit.”
“Fuck off.”
“Love you too, bro.”
Jesse was asleep in under a minute, or faking it well. Joel made his way back to his bedroom to mull over the chaos of the day.
He was fully committed to the plan as long as Vicki didn’t chicken out. Although that option didn’t seem likely.
There were more bits of mystery to the whole thing than he’d originally thought, and with the secrets she remained hush about, and the ones he had promised to keep, finding out the truth would take some careful questioning.
But the figuring it out could be fun.
When he called her Wednesday night, Vicki was already headed for bed.
“Hey, Joel.”
“Hey. You sound tired.”
She ached. “Hauling boxes all day takes different muscles than working in a café. Plus, I’m now on opening shift. I have to be up at five.”
He hummed. “I hear you. I’ve had early chores this week and this is the first chance I’ve had to breathe.”
“Good thing we’ve got until May, right?”
“Yeah, but I do want to see you again. Soon.”
The sudden rush of pleasure through her eased some of her exhaustion. “For our next horse lesson.”
“That, and to make sure everyone in town knows we’re dating. It’s going to take time for people to cut us a break, so the sooner we set up as a couple, the better.”
The disappointment that struck wasn’t easy to define. This was all a ploy. One that she completely agreed with.
Still felt a twinge of sadness he wasn’t calling her for real.
She put on her best act. “You want to come over for a while? Now or tomorrow. I’m home by two o’clock.”
“If I come over, people will assume we’re…”
God. Couldn’t he even say it? “Don’t be shy, no one else would be. They’ll assume we’re fucking each other, right?”
“Yeah,” he admitted, reluctance in his voice. “So let’s blow their minds and go for a coffee in public.”
“As if that’s going to stop them from assuming we’re fooling around.”
Joel damn near growled, and a shiver raced over her skin in response. “You know what? I don’t give a shit what people say. We know the truth, so fuck them all. For the next six months before you leave town, we’re going to date, and the details are none of their business. We’ll do what we want, and in the end, they can believe or not.”
Wow. “I feel like waving a flag or something. That was totally hot.”
He laughed. “It’s true, though. People can be jerks. Screw them.”
Vicki breathed out slowly. “Okay. I’ll try.”
“Also, I talked to Jesse. He promises to not be an ass. Well, not more than usual.”
This time a definite conflict of emotions hit. Relief and panic. “Did he give you hell for…hooking up with me?”
Joel hesitated. Long enough for her to notice, but his honest words soothed the sting. “He’s my brother, and I’d have done the same thing to him. But I kept your secrets, and he’s not going to bother us. We can move forward, okay?”
“Sure.” Focus on the things she needed. Horses. That was first priority.
“So. Vicki.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I buy you a coffee tomorrow?”
“Goof,” she laughed.
Joel joined in, the deep rumble of his laughter heating her from the inside out. “I can take a break for a few hours. You want me to pick you up from work or meet you at the café?”
“The café? Oh God, you are a glutton for punishment. Gossip will spread like wildfire throughout all of Rocky before we even get the cheque.”
“Good. Let’s get this thing started. Also…” He cleared his throat. “Head’s up. You’re invited to Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.”
“Whoa, seriously?” That was heading past fun into freaking-out territory. “You want to do that already?”
“I’m sure.” Solidly spoken. “Although you’re going to kick my ass for this part. Everyone is supposed to bring something to contribute.”
Maybe he felt guilty, but she grabbed at the opportunity with both hands. “Awesome. I don’t mind at all. What do you want me to make?”
“How about you come over here on Saturday and we can bake a pie.”
She snorted. It couldn’t be stopped. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
“Smart ass. I meant a real pie, after we’re done your horse lessons.”
She’d been thinking about those. “It’s going to be tough to keep the lessons secret, aren’t they? I mean, your dad just dropping in, that kind of thing.”
“Don’t worry. Remember, if we’re dating no one is going to think anything of you hanging out at the ranch. It’ll work okay.”
She’d just have to trust him on that. “You really got what I need to make a pie at your place?”
Silence on the other end of the line.
Vicki figured as much. “Do you even have plates in your bachelor pad? Or do you use paper?”
“Hey, we have plates. And a pot. And a hell of a big frying pan. I can cook. Some.”
“Right. We’ll bake pies over here, after the lessons at your place.”
“But first tomorrow. Our date.”
They organized time and place, and Vicki hung up the phone with a blurry blend of happiness and fear simmering through her veins.
There was a faint bit inside her that hoped he actually did want to spend time with her. That all these elaborate arrangements were more than her forcing him into doing something he didn’t want.
She was tired enough to decide he was a big boy, and yeah, if he didn’t want to help, he’d have told her to fuck off. By the time she fell exhausted into bed, she’d pushed aside her doubts and focused instead on the next first.
Tomorrow was her first official date. How cool was that?
Chapter Ten
The date was anticlimactic. They had coffee, she got stared at.
The only thing that changed was she had company for the staring part. She sat in a booth and gazed into Joel’s blue eyes. She smiled at his jokes, sipped her drink and ignored the people around them.
She didn’t feel the urge to beat anyone up. As a first date it was rather ordinary.
…and that was rather okay.
He asked if she wanted to stop in at Traders with him on Friday evening, but while hitting the local pub would have been fun, it wasn’t meant to be. Between the early-morning start at her job and dealing with a shipment they had to shelve, she was exhausted enough to call off and crawl into bed before eight.
It was Saturday before they met in the Coleman barn, throwing her back into unfamiliar territory. Weirdly, the buzz of borderline nausea and adrenaline in her belly was getting addictive.
The barn was empty. “Where is everyone?”
Joel shrugged. “Here and there. If any of them do show up, it’s not the end of the world. We’re just hanging out in the barn.”
“Necking, right?”
“As good an excuse as any if we need it, but chances are no one’s going to stop in. Dad was a surprise. You don’t usually spend extra time hanging out where you work.”
Vicki nodded. She sniffed, less afraid than last week, but still cautious. “The horses aren’t here, are they?”
He shook his head. “We had them in for a few days to check them over, but now they’ll be out until the snow flies. It’s only during the coldest snaps they need to be sheltered anyway, but my dad likes to coddle them.”
“And Sable? Does she get treated different since she’s further along?”
Joel grinned. “Yeah, I’ll be bringing her inside in the next couple weeks. I’m a softy.”
Wow. “Which means this is lesson two, and I still don’t have to deal with the beasts. Nice.”
“You’ll be pleased to hear there’s no manure involved this time.”
She copied his grin. “Well, aren’t you the gentleman? What’re we doing, riding stick ponies?”
He blinked hard. “Actually, kinda.”
Joel caught her by the hand and led her deeper into the barn. They passed the stalls they’d worked on a week ago before entering a smaller room. Two walls were lined with leather straps, ropes and various horse stuff, saddles organized along another. The entire place had a rich heady scent to it, of leather and the outdoors.
“Hmm, this lesson smells better than last week’s.”
He nodded. “Addictive. Being in here brings up all kinds of good memories for me with the smell of the leather. I think they call that association, but it’s almost like it helps me relax.”
Oh boy. “Let’s hope you can pass that on to me, because I can use it.”
He tapped the double-wide sawhorse in the middle of the room. A thick quilt-like blanket was draped over the top of it. “Come meet your horse.”
“Really?” She laughed as he nodded. “I do have a stick horse. Cool!” Vicki stepped up and patted one end. “Nice horsie. You’re about my speed.”
“That’s his ass, not his head.”
Vicki jolted upright then glared at Joel.
He grinned. “Okay, fine, until there’s a saddle down you can pick which end is which. Although, patting a horse on the rump is as good as on the head. Lets them know you’re there.”
“So they can kick you into tomorrow…” she muttered.
Joel placed a saddle on the sawhorse. “One step at a time, darling. This horse is guaranteed not to kick anyone, anywhere. Now watch. You want to learn it all, you get to start from the ground up.”
He led her through saddling her “horse”. She nearly got caught staring at his ass when he stood sooner than she expected from showing her how to tighten the cinch. She laughed when he somehow attached a set of reins to the wooden frame, draping the loose ends over the raised part of the saddle.
When he stepped back and watched her expectantly, though, she had no idea what was going on. “What?”
He gestured. “Mount up.”
“Seriously?”
“Why not? You’re scared of horses, right? Not their saddles.”
“Jerk.”
Joel flashed his smile, the one she’d started to recognize as his truly happy expression. It hit her that she was having fun. Relaxed and looking forward to whatever reward was coming at the end of this lesson.
She hoped it was more kisses.