Deputy Walker clears his throat. “I’m gonna give you allsome privacy. He can’t leave till he’s signed out, so just holler when you’re ready to go and I’ll unlock his cuffs. Only had one cell available and couldn’t put ‘em all together.”
“Need to sign Travis out too,” I remind him as he ambles down the hall.
“Nah, he’s not going anywhere for a while. He’s got coke in his system. He’ll be booked and I’ll call to let you know the bail when the judge sets it,” he calls back, disappearing through one of the doors as though our cousin being high on cocaine wasn’t a surprise.
But it was. Coke had been a growing issue in Cedar Creek for years, but I didn’t know Travis was doing the shit. Bailey isn’t as concerned about our cousin as she is about her twin, the deputy’s words barely even reaching her.
“I’m waiting,” she seethes through gritted teeth, hands on her hips as she looks down at Colt.
He ducks his head, slumping down in his chair like a little boy. “Bails, c’mon, cut it out,” he mumbles, eyes darting over to where Chase sits. I don’t know why he’s embarrassed. It’s not like Chase hasn’t been on the receiving end of Bailey’s ire before.
“Colton, just take the whoopin’ so we can get home,” I tell him with a sigh, leaning back against the wall and crossing my ankles and arms. Bailey wasn’t gonna let us leave till she tore into Colt properly. As much as she hated being in the same room as Chase again, I think we both know lecturing him in front of an audience is the best way to make sure he won’t risk doing something like this again.
Colt sits up in the chair pretty quickly for a man with his hands cuffed behind his back, looking over at me with all the malice Bailey’s attitude deserves, but he won’t give her. “I don’t even know why you’re here. You wanted me to get my ass chewed out, fine, but Bailey has a truck of her own. She could’ve driven herself here and signed me out without you.”
Bailey huffs. “Can you guys stop?” she asks, voice softer with exhaustion. “I’m sick of you two being at each other’s throatsand I’d like to get back home and get a few more hours of sleep before I’ve gotta be up for school.”
Shit. I’d forgotten that Bailey had to wake up early for school tomorrow. It was always a struggle for me to get used to her schedule at first and by the time I did, she’d be done for the year. I felt like shit for dragging her out of bed now, but I couldn’t think of another way to get Colt home.
“You’re back in school, BJ?” Chase asks from the chair across the room. He’d been quiet until now, something that was in his best interest, but clearly he no longer cared about that. I cut my eyes over to him, finding a proud smile on his face, despite her ignoring his question.
Bailey had been back in school for a few years now, but I guess Chase had no way of knowing that. She was only able to take classes during the ranch’s off season, so it was taking her awhile to get her degree.
“He was saying shit about you and I let him get under my skin,” Colt finally admits.
Bailey softens. “I don’t care if he called me the worst names known to man, Colt. Your goddamn belt buckle’s worth more than he is, and he damn sure isn’t worth you risking your sponsorships this close to going back on the road.”
“Hey!” Chase interrupts halfway through. He’s ignored again.
“We’re ready to head out!” I call down the hall, hoping to get Colt and Bailey out of here before Chase decides to really start running his mouth.
The deputy takes his time, wiping crumbs from his mustache as he walks back to the desk. He clicks around on the computer so slowly Bailey looks half-tempted to go behind the desk and do it for him, but eventually the printer spits out a form and he lays it on the corner of the desk with a pen for her. He spins his finger at Colt, who turns his back to the deputy to get his cuffs unlocked.
“What about me?” Chase asks with a wry grin that probablycharms a lot of women, but if it ever worked on my sister, it doesn’t anymore.
“Whataboutyou, Chase?” she asks with a sigh, setting the pen back down on the desk and sliding the form back over to Deputy Walker.
“Don’t you wanna give me a talking-to and take me home with you?” he jokes, waggling his brows at her.
The look Bailey gives him isn’t one any man would want from a woman he’s in love with, especially when he hasn’t seen her in years. Even Colt makes a sympathetic face as he turns toward the door to give them as much privacy as he can without stepping out into the cold.
Deputy Walker didn’t have a problem listening in this time, but the details of what happened between Bailey and Chase were one of Cedar Creek’s only mysteries, so it made sense he’d want to stick around.
“I’d have to be disappointed in you to want to give you a talking-to Chase, and honestly, I’m so past disappointed in you that I’ve stopped giving a fuck entirely. The best I can do is call your mama for you if you want.”
Her tone sounds more defeated than I’ve ever heard it before, and I hate myself for putting her through having to face him.
She and Chase were complicated. They got together in middle school—as much as two middle schoolers could get together—and stayed a couple despite having to go long-distance while he was in college. He fucked it up in his senior year.
It had broken my sister. Between Dad dying, Chase cheating, and the road trip we’d gone on that no one else knew about, Bailey’s strength had been tested. She hasn’t been the same since.
She threw herself into wearing as many hats as she could on the ranch—social media manager, accountant, payroll, HR. During the off season, things slowed down, so she spent her winters working towards a degree in finance. She couldn’t stand not having something to do.
Chase’s jaw clenches and the smile drops from his face. “Nah, don’t do me any favors, BJ. Get your pansy-ass little brother home safe and tell him to leave me alone next time I’m trying to get my dick wet.”
Colt jerks toward Chase again, but Bailey pushes him toward the door and outside. I linger.
“For what it’s worth, I think if you can get your head on straight, stop fucking around with any girl that walks your way, maybe grovel a bit, you could get her back,” I tell him.
