Chirp(41)

“It’s settled then. Stay here until after his brothers have come and gone. That will give you time to sort things out. Now that you know he’s not interested, maybe you’ll stop thinking about him so much.”

Since the house belonged to Hanna’s parents, Blaze didn’t feel right about staying there. But she didn’t want to go back home either. A quilt and a pile of fresh hay were all she needed. Well, that and the bathroom facilities in the workshop. “I’ll agree only if you let me sleep here in the barn.”

“Don’t be silly. You can crash on the couch until we leave, then take my bed.”

“No. It’s the barn or nothing.”

“Fine. Have it your way.”

Blaze spent the rest of the morning making lists of goat chores and notes on how to store the milk. She barely thought of Rance, which made her think Hanna was right. Keeping her distance was the best idea. She supposed that once the guys left, things could go back to how they were when Rance first arrived. Avoiding each other. Or she’d move on. Find a bigger city to get lost in, like Austin. Its eclectic, creative community would be a good fit.

She pulled out her phone and searched facts about the city. Wow, it had so many events going on each weekend, she’d be invisible.

Her remaining cash meant she wouldn’t have to work. Just concentrate on painting. Do pieces good enough to put in a gallery. Once she returned to Houston, her connections to the art scene would get her foot in the door.

She moved to Hanna’s laptop and scrolled through rental properties in the area. Plenty of places she could afford until she had to face Marla.

Blaze heaved a deep breath, and the weight of her mistake lifted. As soon as Hanna returned home, Blaze would hit the road.

She’d always have fond memories of this place. Dessie. Hanna. Tiffany. Rance. No, not Rance. She couldn’t allow memories of him. Someday she’d look back on how he’d stayed with her during the storm, rescued her from Cam, and let her keep Muttly. But not for a while. Maybe never.

Leaving was the right choice. Cut all ties. When her goat duty ended, she’d say goodbye Bluebird, hello Austin.





19


Rance


Rance figured Blaze was at Hanna’s because she hadn’t been home in days. Fine. Wasn’t this what he wanted all along? To have the whole place to himself? Just one problem. He hated it.

Not having her across the hall drove him nuts. Sitting at the dinner table alone made him downright surly. And missing out on her fucking word of the day pissed him off. He’d tried to ease his pain by going to The Roost and hooking up, but he couldn’t get interested. He found something wrong with every woman there. Too friendly—too needy—too clingy.

Most nights he had a couple of drinks, came home and got drunk in private, then fell into a whiskey coma and didn’t come to until the booze wore off. He had to stop acting like a teenager with his first crush. He didn’t understand it. The sex had sucked, so why did he think about screwing her all the time?

He scrubbed his hand over his four-day-old beard and shook his head. Didn’t even want to shave anymore. Didn’t want to do much of anything except drink himself into a stupor.

Thankfully, Seth and Nick would arrive tomorrow and he’d have plenty to do. Fishing. Target practice. Watch sports. Once the festival started, he’d take them into town to check out the barbecue cook-off and antique car show. Rance remembered how much he and his brothers liked the three-legged race and tractor pull. Too old for that now, but the pancake breakfast was always good. He’d talk them into getting up early for that.

He walked to the window and peered into the early morning light, and his heart stopped. She was in the garden, hoeing weeds and dragging dirt around the tomato plants. She wore a shirt he hadn’t seen before. A blue button-up. The top two were unfastened, allowing the fabric to fall open at her neck. Even from this distance he could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra.

The memory of having those small breasts in his mouth caused his cock to twitch. Dammit. He opened the door and ambled toward her. “Hey.”

She didn’t look up or stop working. “Hey.”

“You been staying at Hanna’s?”

“Yeah.”

Why wouldn’t she look at him? Easy answer: still pissed. Okay, he got that, but she needed to get over it. “When are you coming home?”

That stopped her, but she still didn’t face him. Just leaned against the hoe handle as if considering his question. Then she took a deep breath and went back to working the dirt. “This isn’t my home.”

“Yes, it is. You pay rent. That makes it yours. My brothers will be here tomorrow. I want you to meet them.”

“Why?”

The question caught him off guard. “Because I told them about you. We live together. You lived with Dessie. They’ll want to know you.” Damn. None of those reasons sounded good enough. Truth was, he didn’t care if they met her or not, he just needed her to come back. He missed her. So why couldn’t he say that?

“I’ll try to drop by one afternoon.”

“For God’s sake, Chirp. Look at me.”

At first she didn’t move, but then she faced him with an expression as blank as his brain. “I’m sorry about the other night,” he said.

Something flickered in her eyes, and her bottom lip quivered. “I’m sorry I was a virgin. I wasn’t trying to trick you. I really didn’t know.”