“Yeah,” I say weakly. “Glad he’s not trying to do everything on his own.”
I duck my face down as I walk up the porch steps, taking deep breaths to fight back the rising swell of emotions. I’m tired from the drive and the month-long work trip, and I’m sure once I get some food and some rest, the news will be easier to swallow.
“He’s a good kid, only been here about two weeks, but he’s figuring things out,” Mary continues behind me, thankfully not noticing my internal struggle. “Oh, your dad’s talking to him right now. Everett!”
I glance over to see Dad and Wayne chatting in front of the barn with a tall, broad shouldered blond man with his back to me. Dad’s head pops up when Mary calls his name, and he immediately excuses himself from the conversation before jogging over to us, but my eyes linger on the new guy instead of finding my dad in greeting.
He’s stacked like a fucking linebacker, thick in all the right places, biceps bulging under the thin cotton of his shirt. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t had much more than a passing interest in anyone since high school, but this guy will at least make good eye candy.
“Jenny!” Dad says, a little breathless as he stops in front of us. “Mary said you wouldn’t be back until next weekend!”
He pulls me into a hug before I can answer, and I huff a little laugh into his shoulder as I pat his back. He’s gotten a lot more touchy-feely ever since we settled some of our differences. It’s a good thing — he used to be so distant — but I’m still getting used to it.
“Wrapped up early, figured I’d come home and show off the new car.”
Dad whistles appreciatively as he wanders around to look it over, eyes catching on random parts like he’s looking for something in particular. I bite back a laugh — he only knows how to work on ancient Ford trucks and half-dead tractors — and glance back over to where Wayne and the new guy are still chatting animatedly.
Something about the sight strikes me as familiar, but I’m not sure what. Maybe it’s the hair? Plenty of the ranch hands have longer hair, although they usually keep it tied back.
The guy reaches his hand up to scratch at the back of his neck, and it tugs his shirt even tighter across the sculpted muscles of his chest. Instead of taking a moment to appreciate the view, my blood goes cold.
I very suddenly knowexactlywhy this looks familiar.
And why the guy is built like a linebacker.
Lucas fucking Cross—linebacker for our high school football team, total dreamboat, and my one and only ex. Motherfucker.
I whirl on my heel and advance on Dad before any rational thought can permeate through the blanket of rage over my mind.
“What thefuckis Lucas Cross doing here?” I hiss.
Dad looks up at me in surprise before glancing back at the two men in front of the barn. He almost looks like it’snewsto him, but the guilty shine in his eyes gets rid of that possibility. There’s no way he didn’t know. Even if he wasn’t my ex, Lucas is Al’sson. Dad doesn’t have a fucking toe to stand on, much less a leg, if he wants to make that excuse.
The wariness etched into the lines of his face fades away as he sighs. “Jenny, you can’t still be mad at the boy after all these years.”
Like fuck I can’t.
Lucas and I stood by each other back then, homework and football practice, dinner dates of boxed macaroni and cheese when Al had too much work to even go home. Lucas and I hadplans, and he ditched every last one of them to go chase after a football scholarship at a college I didn’t even apply to. He didn’t even tell me until the weekend he was leaving.
I was left in my bedroom with my heart torn to shreds, alone in the town we grew up together in, looking like a total fucking idiot.
And yeah, it’s been years since then, but if Dad thinks I can’t hold a grudge for that long, he doesn’t know me at all.
“What do you mean?” I ask through gritted teeth, my voice so sweet it’s venomous. “All I asked is why he’s here. I didn’t say anything about being upset.”
He and Mary share a look, but he’s smart enough to answer my question without poking the bear.
“He tore his ACL. Can’t play anymore. Lost his scholarship, tried to find work but nothing stuck, came back home. He only got back a week before Al died.” He keeps his tone blunt, nothing more than sharing information, but there’s a glimmer of sympathy in his eyes. I can’t tell if it’s directed at me or Lucas. “I offered him a job. Figured it would give him a leg up while he grieves and gets his feet back under him, and I know I can trust him.”
I scoff witheringly at the very thought of trusting Lucas Cross.
“That’s… that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Are you going fucking senile?” I spit the words at him like acid. “There’s no way you trust that asshole! He’s flaky and irresponsible and he doesn’t know a damnthingabout working on a ranch. Jesus Christ, I can’t believe you hired someone while I was away. You couldn’t even talk to me first?”
“Why don’t we get you settled in for now?” Mary cuts in, a tight smile on her face as she nods toward the house. “I’m sure this conversation will be easier after you get some rest.”
I toss a glare her way, the kindest warning I can offer in my current state. I’m exhausted and on edge as is, and Lucas being here isn’t helping at all.
“Good idea, honey,” Dad says. “I’ve got work to wrap up, and I’m sure Jenny could use some time to calm down.”
