My smile is so wide it hurts my cheeks. “Funny you should mention it, because I also made a deal just like yours.”
“Odd,” he murmurs, his lips vibrating on my neck and his hand running the length of my stomach.
“Yes it is, and—” My stomach growls loudly. Wes laughs, his hand still on my middle. “I both heard and felt that. Come on, let’s tame the hungry beast.”
He rolls off the bed first, coming around and giving me a hand. I wince, and try not to show it, but I’m stiffer than I originally thought. I go into the bathroom, clean up and wash my face, rinse my mouth with toothpaste I find in a drawer, and go back out to the bedroom to find Wes has changed into last night’s clothes. I glance down at my pile of dirty, ripped clothes.
Wes must see what I see, because he instructs me to wait here. He’s back quickly with a pair of athletic shorts and a T-shirt.
“Jessie’s,” he says, holding them out to me.
The shorts are a size too small, but the T-shirt is oversized and comfortable.
Wes takes my hand and leads me out the guest room door and down the stairs.
* * *
“Dakota,when was the last time you ate?” Warner asks, smiling. “One might think you’d been kidnapped recently.”
Wes elbows him and he grunts. “Too soon?” he asks.
I take a big bite from my second helping of hash browns. “One might think you joke around so often to cover up something inside you that hurts. Like, perhaps, your pride.”
Warner frowns, but Wes laughs, and Wyatt joins in.
“Shut up,” Warner tells Wyatt, folding him into a loose headlock. Wes lands a few playful punches in Warner’s stomach.
“Do you three ever stop?” Juliette asks, coming into the dining room with another bowl of scrambled eggs. She winks at me and places the bowl in the center of the table.
I wouldn’t say Juliette and I are best friends, but after she cared for me last night, I think we’ve come to a place of mutual respect.
Beau walks in, water droplets from his shower still clinging to his hair. The corners of his eyes turn down, like he didn’t sleep much. Wes, Warner, and Wyatt stop horsing around, all three paying close attention to their dad. The last time we all saw him was at Dixon’s place, and I don’t know about his sons, but I have no idea what happened.
He grabs a biscuit from the basket on the table and walks into the adjoining living room. He turns on the TV and changes the station to the news. Everybody but Beau shares glances with each other, and then Beau walks over to the dining room table and makes himself a plate. Juliette leaves the room and brings him black coffee.
He thanks her and takes a big sip. Whatever Beau was looking for on the news doesn’t appear to be there, and conversation starts back up at a trickle. First Wyatt asks me how construction is coming along on The Orchard. We talk about that for a few minutes, and Wes asks Warner a question about a calf that was born a few weeks ago. Juliette says something about goat cheese, and her voice breaks. I look to Wes for an explanation and he tells me about the barn fire.
“I just can’t believe…” But the rest of what I’m saying is drowned out by an exclamation from a reporter on TV. “Breaking news. We’ve just learned of an explosion at a suspected meth lab in the mountains near the town of Sierra Grande. As of right now we are unaware of any fatalities, but we will keep you informed as the situation continues to develop.”
I look at Wes. Wes is looking at Beau. And Beau, calm and unaffected, lifts his fork to his mouth, takes a bite, chews and swallows. He looks out the window that faces the burned barn, his coffee poised at his lips. “Good day for working. You boys about ready to get to it?”
Wyatt’s the first to respond, then Warner and Wes. And that’s it. It’s as if some kind of code has been enacted.
I gather my dirty clothes from upstairs and stop Juliette on my way out. Wes waits for me in the open door. “Please tell Jessie I’ll bring her clothes back to her.”
“Will do. I’m just happy she wasn’t here for everything.” Juliette squeezes my hand, and the uncharacteristic gentleness removes another chunk of my irritation at her for poking into my private life.
Wes drives me to the hotel and insists on walking me to my room. I’m glad he’s with me, because the second I walk into the room I’m assaulted with memories of Dixon strong-arming his way in here. The pen, my would-be weapon I couldn’t reach, lies on the table. For all that took place in here, there are no signs of it ever occurring.
Wes balks when I trade the too-small shorts for my black work pants. “Don’t you think you should take today off, Dakota?”
“If I sit around here and think, I’ll lose my mind. I need something to do.” Also, the more I use my body, the better I feel. Resting makes me stiff.
“I understand. If we were still at the ranch, I’d be on Ranger right now. Helps me clear my head.”
I kiss his cheek. He stands in the doorway to the small bathroom and watches me apply makeup. For everything I went through last night, my face didn’t fare too bad. Foundation covers most of the scrape, and wearing my hair down should make it even less noticeable. My wrists, however… Juliette ran them under the warm water to loosen the adhesive from the duct tape, but red marks make it clear something abnormal occurred. I step past Wes and select a long-sleeve silk blouse from the closet. The daytime weather is too warm for my outfit, but I’ll just have to deal with it.
“Dakota?”
