Love All Out - Part 2 (A Stepbrother Romance) (4 page)

Generous offer? What has he done now?

Renee gave Dave a confused smile and turned to Daddy with questioning eyes. He cleared his throat and gave her a sheepish grin.

“We stopped by the cabin so James could grab a long sleeved shirt, and Claire commented on how nice it would be to move to a smaller house,” he began.

Claire nodded. “Our place is so big and keeping it clean is such a hassle.”

“Dave mentioned that he’ll be retiring in another year or so… I suggested that they move here,” Daddy finished.

My mouth dropped open. I looked at Daddy, but he wouldn’t meet my eye.

“We don’t want to impose on you, of course,” Claire added quickly. “But it would be wonderful to be around the animals and have room for gardens… and to be closer to our grandson.”

Renee stared at Daddy. Her lower lip trembled and for a second, I couldn’t tell if she was moved or furious. “You did that for us?” she finally asked.

Daddy gave her an indulgent smile. “Of course. Dave and Claire are your family; they’re always welcome here.”

Renee took Claire’s hand. “I’d love for you to live here with us. It’s important that James has you close by.”

“It’s settled then,” Dave announced. “Though I insist that you let us pay for the cabin.”

I tuned out the conversation and tried to wrap my head around what was happening. Clearly, James’s plan had completely backfired. If we didn’t find another way to break up the engagement, I’d be stuck with four Parkers instead of just two.

After a sleepless night, I rolled out of bed before dawn and started packing for my trip to Sterling. I took a long, hot shower to relax the tension in my muscles and then pulled on ratty yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt. I pulled my wet hair into a ponytail and glanced in the mirror.

I look terrible. But I can sleep in the truck… and I’d rather be comfortable than cute for an eight hour road trip.

I slipped my socked feet into tennis shoes and pulled my duffle bag over my shoulder. I crept silently into the kitchen, where Daddy was leaned against the counter drinking a cup of coffee.

“Morning, Daddy. Are you ready to go?” I whispered.

“You don’t have to whisper, pumpkin. Renee’s awake. There’s been a change of plans.”

I sighed and let my bag fall to the floor.

I was looking forward to having more than three seconds alone with you… of course there’s been a change of plans.

I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the refrigerator. “What’s going on?”

“Dave and Claire spent the night at Renee’s house. She’s supposed to meet them over there this morning. They’re going to sort through Gus’s old things and decide what they’re each going to keep. I’m afraid it will be an emotional day for all of them, and I’d like to be there for Renee,” he explained.

“Daddy, I understand that it’s a difficult time. But I can’t reschedule the pickup. This weekend is the only time I can get away before we leave for Kentucky. And with any luck, I’ll be too busy to leave after the Derby,” I argued. “If you have to stay here, I’ll just go by myself.”

He hates when I haul horses by myself. He thinks that the trailer and the animals make me a target, that someone who knew their value would have no problem overpowering me. If I insist on going alone, he’ll change his mind and come with me.

“You won’t be going by yourself,” he told me. “I spoke with James and he agreed to take my place.”

Another overnight with James? That’s probably not the best idea…

I was suddenly very aware of the fact I was wearing my two least attractive pieces of clothing. I smoothed my wrinkled t-shirt and wondered if I had time to change.

There has to be a way to get out of this. I’ve already insisted that I have to go this weekend. But maybe I can convince Daddy its best I go alone.

“Doesn’t James want to be there when they go through his dad’s stuff?” I asked.

“No,” Daddy replied softly. He stared down into his coffee cup. “James made it quite clear that he doesn’t want any part of it. I think he’s having a difficult time with all of this, Willow. Do me a favor and see if you can get him to open up to you this weekend. Try to make him feel like a part of the family.”

I heard the front door open and I abandoned all hope of hiding my hideous clothes. I took a travel mug from the cabinet and filled it with black coffee. “I’ll do what I can,” I whispered to Daddy as the sound of James’s footsteps grew closer.

James cleared his throat as he stepped into the room. “Good morning, Cole. Willow. I’m ready to get on the road whenever you are.”

I turned to face him, relieved to see that he looked just as rumpled as I did. He wore blue basketball shorts and a t-shirt, and his face was thick with stubble.

“I still need to hitch up my trailer,” I told him.

“My rig is all ready to go,” he replied.

I wanted to argue with him, but I was too tired. “Fine, let’s get going then.”

Daddy pointed at a canvas tote bag on the counter. “Renee packed breakfast sandwiches and snacks. There’s a thermos of coffee in there too. She’s in the shower, she said to tell you to be safe and call us when you get there.”

I hugged Daddy goodbye and reached for my duffle bag. James beat me to it and tossed the strap over his shoulder before taking the tote full of food.

“Take care of my girl, James,” Daddy instructed, patting him on the shoulder.

“I will, Cole. Tell Mom I’ll call after we check in to the hotel.”

James looked at me and then nodded at the doorway. “After you.”

James followed me out of the house and down the driveway. He opened the passenger door of his truck and I climbed into the cab. I took the bags from him and put them in the backseat as James circled the truck and slid behind the steering wheel.

“You look exhausted,” James observed as he drove towards the main road.

“You don’t look any better,” I pointed out. “I take it you didn’t get much sleep last night either?”

James stared at the road in front of us. “I had a couple of pain pills left over from the accident. I took them when I got back to the cabin and slept great all night… too great. I didn’t hear my alarm this morning. I figured you wouldn’t get much sleep, and one of us needed to be able to drive.”

I kicked off my shoes and propped my feet up on the dashboard. “Last night didn’t work out the way we expected,” I said softly.

James swallowed and shook his head. “No… no, it didn’t.”

I sighed. “Maybe it was a sign, James. Maybe we should just accept that they’re going to get married. It could be a lot worse. Our parents love us so much they gave us our own land on the ranch. I started looking at floor plans last night, when I gave up on sleep. Maybe it’s time we admit defeat and find a way to make this work.”

“You’re exhausted, Willow. It’s making you delusional,” he said dryly. He kept his left arm on the steering wheel and draped his right over the back of the bench seat.

“If you think you can split them up, you’re the one who’s delusional,” I told him. I lowered my voice. “James, I know how you’re feeling right now. You can’t stop thinking about your dad and wondering what life would be like if he hadn’t died. I feel the same way about my mom. But breaking up the engagement won’t bring either one of them back.”

James’s jaw clenched and his face flushed red with anger. He moved his right arm back to the wheel and stared out the windshield. “I don’t need to be reminded that nothing will bring my dad back,” he snarled. “And I don’t appreciate you making assumptions about why I feel the way I feel.”

Great, he’s in a cranky, asshole mood. This is going to be a long weekend.

I propped my elbows up on the center console and turned to face James, even though he refused to look at me. “I’m sorry,” I told him. “I thought if anyone understood where you’re coming from, it’s me. But you’re right, I shouldn’t make assumptions.”

James’s shoulders relaxed and he let his right arm drop from the steering wheel. He took my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“I’m sorry I snapped, Willow. I have a lot going on in my head. I’d never expect you to understand any of it. Why don’t you lean your seat back and try to take a nap? I’ll wake you in a few hours if you want.”

I checked the time on my cell phone and realized that I’d been up for over twenty-four hours. My brain felt foggy and my body ached. “Don’t wake me,” I told him.

I reclined the seat and tried to get comfortable. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander.

I don’t think Gus has anything to do with why James wants to split up our parents. He either knows something horrible about Daddy that I’m not aware of, or he wants us to be free to be together… and I seriously doubt he’s got anything on Daddy.

The certainty that James wanted to be with me felt like a warm blanket, and I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

***

“Willow… Willow, we’re here,” James whispered. He gently shook my shoulder and I rolled over in my seat.

“I slept the whole way?” I asked with a yawn. I stretched and then pulled my seat upright.

“Yes, you slept
and
snored the entire way,” James teased. His mood had made an obvious shift for the better. “I tried to wake you when I stopped for lunch, but you just mumbled something at me and covered your face with your hands.”

As if on cue, my stomach grumbled.

James tossed me a granola bar from the tote bag. “Your dad gave me a ranch credit card to pay for the room. He also said to charge our dinner to it. Why don’t you eat that while I check in, and then we can get cleaned up and go out for a civilized meal?”

“Sounds good to me,” I agreed. I unwrapped the granola bar while he slid out of the truck.

Thank God I packed something decent to wear to dinner. I’ll just change and throw on a little bit of makeup. I don’t want James to think I’m trying too hard…

I finished the granola bar and stuffed my feet back into my tennis shoes. James returned to the truck just as I was tying up the laces.

“We’re all checked in,” he said, handing me a keycard. “The lady at the desk asked me to park around back. She said there are designated trailer spots back there.”

I nodded as he threw the truck into drive and pulled around the building. “There’s a great little German restaurant down the block,” I told him. “I wanted to eat there last time we were in town, but Daddy wanted steak. Its close enough, we could leave the truck here and walk to dinner.”

“That’s fine with me,” James agreed. He parked the truck and grabbed all three of our bags before climbing out. “There was a mix up with our reservation,” he told me as we walked through the parking lot. “It worked in our favor though. Instead of a double room, we’re in a suite.” He held open the back door and I stepped into the hotel. There was a bank of elevators to our left, and I pushed the button to summon one.

Hmm… I called and confirmed the reservation yesterday.

“That is a lucky break,” I said. A bell chimed and the elevator doors in front of us opened. “What floor are we on?” I asked as we stepped inside.

“We’re at the very top,” James told me. He pushed the button for the fifth floor and the doors closed. My stomach growled again and James stifled a laugh.

“I need a quick shower, but I can be ready to leave in five minutes flat,” he said as the elevator doors opened. I followed James to the door marked 514.

“I don’t need to shower, but I’ll need about ten minutes to get ready,” I told him.

“Perfect. I’ll shower and then call home while you change,” he offered. He pushed open the door of our room and we stepped inside. The suite was one enormous room, with the living and bedroom areas separated by a three foot half wall. My eyes immediately darted through the living area and into the bedroom, where a large Jacuzzi sat next to a king size bed.

A Jacuzzi next to the bed… this is one romantic mix up.

If James had any thoughts about the room’s sexy feature, he kept them to himself. He tossed the tote bag and my duffle onto the couch and immediately retreated to the bathroom. I pulled jeans and a black blouse out of my duffle bag and pulled an iron and ironing board out of the small hotel closet.

Before the iron had a chance to heat up, James had returned from the bathroom in jeans and a plaid button-up. His face was still scruffy and his wet hair hung over his eyes. He smelled like an intoxicating blend of pine, leather, and firewood.

“That was fast,” I observed, looking down at the ironing board. I didn’t want to be distracted by the way his shirt hugged his muscled shoulders.

“You didn’t eat dinner last night, and all you’ve had today is a granola bar. I don’t want you to starve to death,” he said with a smile.

He’s been paying awfully close attention to me…

“I left my phone charger in the truck,” he continued. “I’m going to grab it. I’ll call my mom on the way.”

James left the room and I quickly ironed the wrinkles out of my short sleeved peasant blouse.

I wish I’d known James was coming on the trip when I packed… but this is better than my t-shirt.

I didn’t want James to walk in and find me half naked, so I carried my things to the bathroom. I changed quickly and dusted on a bit of eye shadow and bronzer. I added mascara and clear lip gloss, and then twisted my ponytail into a bun and pinned it to my head. I stepped out of the bathroom and checked my reflection in the full length mirror mounted to the closet door.

Not bad… sleeping got rid of the bags under my eyes… definitely an improvement from this morning.

I heard a click at the door and glanced up as it swung open. James took one step into the suite. “I told our parent’s we made it. Are you ready to go?”

I nodded, pulled my purse out of my duffle bag, and followed him out the door.

Our walk to the restaurant was quiet. James was in a much better mood than he’d been in that morning, but he still seemed lost in his head. I didn’t push him to talk.

We stepped into Emmy’s German Cuisine and were greeted by a pixy of a girl with spiky black hair.

“Table for two?” she asked with a smile.

James nodded and we followed her through the near empty dining room.

“You guys got here just in time,” she said as she placed menus on a small table. “Saturday night is our busiest time of the week. My name is Sarah, can I get you something from the bar?”

I ordered a Jack and Coke and James asked for the same. The waitress disappeared and we stared down at our menus in silence.

“I don’t know what any of this stuff is,” James confessed after a few minutes. “I’m going to trust your judgment and let you order for me.”