Page 24 of Love You Already
It takes me a minute to register what Nate is trying to tell me. The memory I have of Whitaker is blurry, a distant picture of gangly limbs and a crooked smile. He and Beckett were best friends at one point. The two of them played football together for the Firefly Falcons. Yeah, weird name I know. Hard to have a mascot when the town is named after an insect. Still, I don't recall a point and time when they weren't on good terms. I'm clearly missing some information.
“What about him? I thought Beckett liked him fine.”
Nate nods as he rocks back on his heels. “He did. Big fight. Mostly over Bridgett's crush.”
I gasp as the memory slams into me. Tears. Yelling. Promises to never go back.
Bridgett had been a little in love with Whitaker Cane since the moment his parents bought the property next to ours. It was happenstance that Whitaker was close in age to Nate. They wound up in classes together. The second Beckett met him, they hit it off, and Whitaker became like another big brother for him.
While her twin was bonding in a familial way, Bridgett began crushing on Whitaker instead. It started as a young girl admiring her brother's older, more mature friend. Over time, as they both grew up, those feelings blossomed into something much more. It all hit a head when Bridgett turned eighteen and tried to seduce Whitaker. The situation blew up in her face. In all of their faces really.
“As far as I knew, Whitaker and Beckett had stayed friends though,” I told Nate as I finished the trail of thoughts.
He nods. “They were. Until it came out what happened that night. Then Beckett got pissed and made accusations.” He shrugs as if to say that's the end of it all.
It surely wasn't though. “I'm guessing Whitaker still works at the school.”
“Gym teacher and football coach,” Nate replies with a frown. “Senior photos are for the sports teams.”
With that last bit of info, I put the last piece of the puzzle together. My heartbroken sister who swore to have nothing to do with Whitaker Cane is now at the school with him handling the photography for the kids. Her promise to stay away from him can't be easy in a town this size. Especially not when everyone knows your skills and can call you up for a favor without all the details.
“She'll be fine, right? Should we intervene?”
Like always, I pepper my brother, my mentor, with questions about what we should be doing. He pulls me into a hug as he shakes his head.
“Nothing to do. It will work out.”
I trust his opinion. He's been here in the thick of it while I've been away. And if there's one thing Nate is good at, it's observing a situation. He'll analyze it until he knows all the parts and pieces.
“Hey Rosie,” Daddy calls from his position across the kitchen. I turn to face him. “You should show Lachlan here around the ranch. Take one of the four-wheelers out. He says he's never been on one or seen a cow in person.”
My jaw drops as Daddy chuckles loudly. He claps Lachlan on the back, then walks over to wrap me in a hug. I soak up the love rolling off him. There's nothing quite like it.
“Trust your gut, kiddo. You'll know the right move to make.” With that last whisper of wisdom, he leaves me with Nate and Lachlan. My oldest brother gives us both a head nod before quickly following Daddy.
Lachlan's timid smile hits me full force in the chest. It's a tsunami of emotion I don't know how to contain. “How about that tour?”
If I were the type to trust my gut like Daddy says I should, then there's something very obvious I have to come to terms with. I like my husband. Like I really, really like him. And though the idea is still super fresh, I admit this whole marriage thing doesn't scare me. It's the separation that has my insides torn up.
Is that what Daddy meant when he said I'd know the right move?
CHAPTER 12
WON'T WE GET CAUGHT?
Lachlan
Rose's tour of the ranch goes about as well as you'd expect it to. Lots of me nodding aimlessly as I try to focus on what she's saying. I'm too entranced by her beauty, by the tenacity of my little Ace, that I struggle to keep up.
Add to the fact that we take one four-wheeler for the journey since all the others are being used, and I'm a mess. Riding behind her is a test of my willpower.
Her tight, curvy body fits perfectly in front of mine. Flashes of her naked body bent over in front of me fill my vision each time we climb into position on the damn thing. My erection presses against the front of my jeans and rubs against her the entire ride.
She has the decency not to bring it up. At least not until we're way out at the farthest point of the ranch. We're looking out at a sea of cattle. I've never seen this many in one place at one time.
It's distracting enough for me to let down my guard, which is why I'm not prepared when she speaks. “You seem to be having a problem with the ride today,” she says casually.
“Umm...” I lose all sense of calm I had before. “Yeah, about that. It's kind of hard not to.”