When You're Back Read online

  A job that didn’t involve cleaning toilets. An assistant job. In an office. Wow. That was more than I thought I could do. “I’d tell her,” I assured him. “Yes, I want it. That would be a great job to have on my résumé.”

  He nodded. “I agree. And I think you can do it. I hate to think of you gone all day, but I also want you to be happy. I want you to have everything you want in life.”

  I wanted him. He was the most important thing. But I did want other things, too. This was the first step toward being my own person. Reaching up, I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close. “Thank you. Thank you so much for this.”

  Mase kissed my head. “Don’t thank me for wanting to make you happy. I intend to keep you here. Whatever I need to do to make sure that happens, I’ll do.”

  Smiling, I laid my head on his chest.

  “I’m filthy,” he said, running a hand down my hair.

  “I don’t care. I like you this way. You’re my sexy cowboy.”

  Mase chuckled. “Sexy cowboy, huh?” I nodded, and he held me tightly against him. “Why don’t I fix us some sandwiches, and then you can take a shower with me to make sure this cowboy gets all clean.”

  I pulled back and smiled up at him. “What kind of girlfriend would I be if I stayed here all day and didn’t fix you any dinner?”

  “I didn’t smell anything,” he said, looking toward the kitchen.

  “Because the fish is battered, and the hushpuppies are all rolled up and ready to go. I was just waiting for you to fry them so they’d be nice and hot. Fix yourself some sweet tea. It won’t take me but ten minutes to fry everything up. The coleslaw is already chilled in the fridge.”

  His eyes lit up. “Seriously? Fried fish? Hot damn. I’ll wash up and set the table.”

  Grinning, I ran a finger down his dirty shirt. “Why don’t you take a shower so you can be clean for dinner?”

  “A shower with you sounds like more fun,” he said, with a pouty look that made me want to follow after him.

  “You’ll enjoy eating if you’re clean. We can always get dirty again later.”

  “Keep talking like that, and we won’t be eating until later.”

  Giggling, I ran to the kitchen to grab the fish out of the fridge before he could grab me.

  “Fine. But we’re getting dirty later. You promised.”

  I flashed him a grin, then went about getting the oil hot.

  Mase had left me early this morning, like always, but he came back around eight thirty to wake me up. Piper had been thrilled to hear that I wanted to come in and speak with her about the job. She was expecting me around eleven. Luckily, Piper didn’t live by ranch hours. She liked her sleep.

  He kissed me and reassured me that I could do this. He also said he would come get me at around ten forty to give me a ride there. I didn’t have a car here, but I wasn’t sure of my way around anyway. This was another thing I hadn’t considered. How was I going to get to my job every day? I couldn’t just walk.

  Mase

  I hadn’t been able to just drop Reese off. I needed to be with her when she met Piper. I also wanted to hold her fucking hand through the whole interview, but I couldn’t. If Reese needed to show Piper she could do this, then having me around, coddling her, wasn’t going to help.

  Piper had given Reese a genuine smile when we approached and had been very friendly. She must have seen my reluctance to leave, because she’d turned to me and told me that Reese was in good hands and she would give me a call later. That had been her hint for me to leave.

  Reluctantly, I went back to the ranch. My mother’s truck was in the driveway, which meant Aida was back. But Major’s was parked right next to it. I hadn’t seen him in at least two months. I headed up to the house, in need of some sweet tea and something to get my mind and my worries off Reese.

  Opening the screen door, I stepped off the porch and into the small entrance that led directly to the kitchen. Major was sitting at the table with a plate full of biscuits and gravy. Aida was across from him, scowling about something. I glanced over at my mother, who was still working at the stove on what smelled like bacon.

  “Little late in the day for breakfast, isn’t it?” I asked, taking off my hat before my momma could fuss at me and hanging it on the rack by the door.

  All three sets of eyes turned to me.

  “Her favorite boy is home. She’s gotta feed me,” Major replied with a stupid grin. Sometimes I think he honestly believed that.

  “Oh, stop it. But yes, Major’s here, and he looked starved. I knew what would put some meat back on his bones,” Momma said.

  Major looked just like he did the last time I saw him. He was by no means starved.

  “Sure he does,” I drawled, rolling my eyes. “Can your second-favorite boy get some of that, too?” I asked.

  I walked over and kissed Momma on the cheek, and she squeezed me around the shoulders the best she could. “You’re my number one always, and you know it. Sit down, and let me feed you, too. I also want to know all about Reese’s new job.”

  “Reese got a job?” Aida asked, her eyes wide with something I didn’t recognize.

  “You already put her to work? Damn, man, what’s your deal? Woman like that belongs in a bed all day. Happy and taken care of,” Major said, and I knew he meant it.

  “Major Colt, that is enough. No talk like that at my table,” Momma said sternly.

  He winked and puckered his lips like he was directing a kiss at Momma, before taking another bite. As always, my mother laughed at his antics. If that had been me, she’d have backhanded me.

  “Reese wanted a job. I didn’t make her get one. And Piper Stout offered her one that I think she’ll enjoy.”

  Major frowned and took a drink of his tea. “She gonna be working at the Stouts’?”

  I nodded.

  “You’re stupid as sh—uh, I mean . . .” He stopped from cursing as his eyes lifted to my mother, who was glaring at him in warning.

  “I think she and Piper will get along fine.”

  Major cocked an eyebrow. “Wasn’t Piper I was referring to. You do remember Hawkins, right?”

  That was my biggest concern, but I trusted Reese. There was no question there. I just didn’t want Hawkins ever making her feel uncomfortable.

  “If at any time he steps over the line, I will handle it. But I can’t keep her locked up away from the world. She needs a life.”

  Major shrugged, then went back to eating. “Whatever. But dude, your woman is smoking.”

  Aida let out a short laugh, like she thought that comment was amusing. Both Major and I turned to her.

  “What? You don’t agree?” Major asked her. He was always up for a fight with Aida. While I was the cousin she grew up adoring, he was the cousin she grew up fighting with.

  “She’s fat. Have you seen her butt? No offense, Mase. It’s just you could do better,” Aida said, looking at me with what she thought was an apologetic smile. It wasn’t.

  “Aida! Reese is not fat. I can’t believe you’d say something so harsh.” Momma turned her disapproving gaze Aida’s way.

  Aida shrugged. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but she is . . . she’s a little too curvy.”

  Major let out a loud laugh. “I am so glad I came back here. I was missing this, and no one told me.” He continued to cackle with laughter.

  “Reese’s backside happens to be the very thing that caught my interest. It’s perfect, and it’s mine. I never want to hear you say anything negative about her body or her again. Do you understand me?”

  Aida’s eyes went wide, and I realized I’d never talked to her so coldly or harshly before. But she’d said the wrong thing. Being cruel wasn’t acceptable. Being cruel to Reese would completely turn me against her.

  Major finally stopped laughing. “Reese has the body of a porn star, Aida. You have the body of a model. Women want your body. Men want Reese’s. It’s a simple fact. But seeing you get jealous and ugly about it is pr
iceless.”

  Aida stiffened at his comment. “I’m not jealous!”

  “Don’t talk about my woman’s body being like a porn star’s, or we’ll have to take this outside my momma’s kitchen, and I’ll shut you up myself,” I warned Major.

  “I’m not jealous of her!” Aida said forcefully.

  “I was just making a comparison. It was the best I had,” Major said with a shrug.

  “Don’t,” I warned him again before he said something I couldn’t forgive.

  “Mase is my cousin! Why would I be jealous of who he dates?” Aida spat out angrily.

  Major turned his attention back to Aida. “Because you’ve always been jealous of anyone who has taken his attention off you, be it me, Harlow, or, hell, a damn horse. Because ever since you turned sixteen and the hormones kicked in and you realized there’s not one drop of blood shared between you two, you’ve been obsessed with him. He can’t see it, because he doesn’t see you that way. But I can see it. You do anything you can to get his attention. Problem is, you’re missing the big picture. He sees you as his cousin and nothing more.”

  What? Where had Major come up with this? Aida didn’t think of me like that.

  Aida stood up and ran out of the kitchen without a word. What the hell?

  “Someone needed to say it,” Major said, then leaned back and took a drink of his sweet tea.

  “I’d better go check on her,” Momma said, turning off the stove. “You two can help yourself to the bacon.”

  I watched as Momma went out the door to look for Aida.

  “You didn’t know, did you?” Major asked.

  Know what? That Aida had a thing for me? Fuck, no. “I don’t think you’re right,” I told him.

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m right. Did your momma correct me or reprimand me? No. She went after Aida. She knows I’m right, too. We all saw it. Just not you.”

  Shit. What was I supposed to do with this? I knew Aida had been different since I’d brought Reese home. When Aida wasn’t around, I didn’t think about her or worry over her like I did with Harlow. We weren’t that close.

  “She always wanted to do things with just you. ‘Take me dancing, Mase.’ ‘Let’s go riding, Mase.’ ‘Some boy broke my heart, hold me, Mase.’ All that shit was ridiculous, but you did it anyway, never once realizing what she was after.”

  I didn’t say anything, because . . . I was afraid he was right.

  “Hell, it’s a good thing it was you she wanted. If it had been me, I’d have fucked her. I have no morals. Besides, she’s adopted, so I’m not really related to her, either. And her legs are pretty damn nice.”

  Shaking my head, I stood up. I couldn’t sit here and listen to this. I needed to be alone. Figure out how to talk to her now. She’d just made this awkward, and she needed to go home. I couldn’t have her here around Reese anymore. Not with this crazy shit going on in her head.

  Reese

  “That man of yours is a fine specimen. Seeing him all caveman and protective over you is hot,” Piper said with a wink. She was dressed in skintight jeans, brown leather riding boots, and a flannel shirt that was tied at her waist, showing off her flat stomach. “This is the office you’d be working in,” she said, pointing toward a large barn door. “Let’s go on inside and talk.”

  “OK,” I said, as she turned and headed for the door. I was nervous. Since the moment Mase had let go of my hand and left, my heart had been pounding in my chest and my throat felt tight. This was it. My chance at a job that could help me in life and really get me somewhere.

  The door opened, and I took a moment to look around. The ceiling went all the way to the roof of exposed wooden beams. Large Edison bulbs hung from long cords from the ceiling, casting the room in flattering light. Bookshelves lined the back wall, and three tall file cabinets were against the left side of the room. A computer with a massive screen sat on a whitewashed wooden table. Two brown leather chairs were across from the desk, with a small round barrel functioning as an accent table between them.

  Piper took a seat in one of the chairs and waved for me to take the other.

  “So,” she said, crossing her legs and draping an arm across her thigh. “Mase informed Arthur that you don’t have any experience with horses or the type of work I would require. He did say that you were a hard worker and he believed you could do anything you put your mind to. What I want to know about is you. What you think you can do. What you want to do.”

  This was it. I would have to tell her about my dyslexia now. No point in going any further if this was unacceptable for her. I unclenched the tight fist in my lap and took a deep breath. I had nothing to be ashamed of. I was not stupid. I had learned to read, and my writing skills had improved ever since Mase began teaching me.

  “First, I want you to know that I do have dyslexia.” I didn’t pause and give her time to say anything. “Until I met Mase, I couldn’t read or write. He came into my life and helped me identify the root of my problem, and then he got me help. I read daily to him, and I also write daily in a journal, which Mase reads over to check my spelling. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am. However, when I’m in a tense situation and feel pressured, I can misspell something or possibly freeze up and not be able to write at all. I understand if this is something you don’t think will work with your needs. However, I do want this job, and I will do my very best to make you happy.”

  Piper sat there a moment before speaking.

  I focused on not fidgeting with my hands. I was nervous, but this was a part of my life. One I had to learn to work with.

  “This job will require a lot of reading and writing. However, from what I’ve just heard, I think that having an employee who wants to do a good job and doesn’t take it for granted is the best kind to have. I will need you to answer phone calls, take notes, read and reply to e-mails, and then help me some with the tack and cleaning the stalls. If you are up for this challenge, I want to offer it to you. I like fighters, Reese Ellis, and you seem like a fighter to me.”

  I could feel the tears sting my eyes, but I blinked them back. Relief washed through me, and I smiled. It was probably one of those big, cheesy grins, but I didn’t care. I had gotten the job. Me. I had done this.

  “Thank you,” I said, wishing I had words to tell her how truly thankful I was.

  Piper leaned over and patted my knee. “Don’t thank me yet. You may hate this job, but I’m hoping you won’t.”

  I wouldn’t. I was going to love it. Because it was something I’d gotten on my own.

  Sitting behind the desk, alone in the office, I checked the third thing off the list in front of me. Piper had gone over everything with me and then left me a list of things she needed me to do today. Once she had left, I’d let out a huge sigh of relief. Being in here alone made it so much easier to read and write. I had complete focus.

  The next thing on the list was to read and reply to the e-mails. Piper got a lot of interest in her horseback-riding lessons. I’d already had four phone calls about it. When I opened the in-box, there were eight e-mail inquiries.

  I began reading the first one but had barely made it through before the door opened after one short knock. I glanced up to see a familiar face but not one I had expected to see or wanted to see, for that matter. His messy, sun-streaked hair was pulled back again and covered by a backward baseball cap.

  “You got the job,” he said, with a smug look on his face.

  How did he know about the job? I nodded but didn’t say anything.

  Captain chuckled and stepped into the office. “You like it?” he asked, looking as if he had every right to be standing in this room.

  I nodded again.

  His grin grew, and a dimple appeared on his face. “Is your silence a challenge, Reese? Because I like challenges.”

  Dang this man. He was determined to drive me crazy. “Actually, it was a hint for you to leave.”

  Captain gave me a smirk, stepped over to one of the leather chairs, and sank do
wn into it. He stretched his long jeans-clad legs out in front of him, then crossed them at the ankle. “I was told to wait here for Piper. She’s with a client. I need her signature on some forms, and Arthur is in Austin today. Piper has to sign when he’s gone.”

  Great. I didn’t know that seeing Captain . . . River . . . whatever I was supposed to call him was part of my job description.

  I turned my attention back to the computer screen, but I could feel his eyes on me. I had a hard time concentrating. It felt like he was trying to memorize my every feature.

  “Your man still running around with that cousin of his?”

  I stiffened. Why was he so intent on making me think something that wasn’t true about them? I knew that Mase loved me. I also knew that he didn’t have a thing for Aida. Although she might very well have a thing for him. “No, but that’s not your business.”

  “Don’t reckon it is. But I don’t want to be too far away when he screws up. He’s got something I want.”

  All the words on the screen blurred, and my head pounded. What was he talking about? Mase had something he wanted? Me? Was he talking about me? No. He liked to say things to upset me. He didn’t flirt with me. He was an asshole. “You’ll be waiting a long time. Mase doesn’t mess up. He’s the best man I know,” I said, staring at the jumbled words on the screen. My focus was completely gone.

  “No man’s perfect, sweetheart,” he drawled.

  I didn’t like him calling me sweetheart. I also hated him insinuating that Mase could do something wrong. Something to hurt me. He wasn’t like that. Just because Captain River Whoever was a jerk, that didn’t mean all men were jerks.

  “Mase is,” I replied tightly.

  He didn’t respond right away, and I tried to take a deep breath and focus on the words. Pretend he wasn’t there. “He saved you? Is that why you trust him so much? You needed a savior, and he came along at the right time. Is that it?”