Rough, Raw, and Ready (Rough Riders #5)(72)

“It’ll be like old times.” Chassie’s gaze swept the girlish room. Ruffled white eyelet canopy above the bed. Bright pink Priscilla curtains hung at both windows. A vanity with a lighted mirror panel was shoved along one wall and piled with clothes, shoes and makeup. An overflowing bookcase opposite it crammed with romance novels. Posters of bull riders, bullfighters, PRCA bronc riders were plastered on the lavender walls. Official printouts for the Dodge pro rodeo final standings for the years Colby competed were tacked here and there. Chassie resisted the urge to search for Trevor’s name, instead focusing on her cousin. “Really like old times. Wow. This room is exactly the same.”


Keely plopped in a wheeled office chair. “Not exactly.” She pointed to a bottle of Malibu rum on the dresser. “Back then Daddy would’ve confiscated that immediately.

But now that I’m of age…” She sighed. “Maybe you should confiscate it. Been drinking way more than I should in the last few days.”


Chassie hopped on the bed and let her legs dangle over the side. “Dare I ask if there’s any more news on Cam?”


“None. Every time a goddamn car comes up the driveway, we panic, afraid it’s an official army rep here to tell us…” Tears spilled down Keely’s cheeks. “I can’t say it.

And some really superstitious part of me thinks if I don’t say it, it won’t happen. Stupid, huh?”


“Not stupid. Hopeful.”


“Thanks.” Keely wiped her nose. “I’m sorry that I brought you into this, Chass. Last night I had a fight with Colt, then I got into the rum and called you. I just needed to vent to someone who wasn’t in this house.”


“I’m glad you called me. I’ll also admit I’m a little pissed off that you guys have been dealin’ with this for over a week without tellin’ anyone else in the family.”


“My thoughts exactly. I don’t get why we have to keep it a secret.”


Chassie plucked at a thread on the quilt. “Maybe Aunt C is superstitious like you are.

If she doesn’t tell people he’s missin’, it can’t be true.”


“My God. I never considered that.” Keely drifted off for a minute.

“So what are you and Colt fightin’ about?”


“He’s bored. He wants to go home, but he can’t because he’ll tell Buck what’s going on. Dad insists since Colt and I are the only unmarried kids we’re here as support for Mom.”


“How long are you here for?” Chassie pointed at the open laptop on the desk.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”


“I am in school. My instructors are letting me keep up online for now, but I’m set to start clinicals in two weeks and that’s something I can’t miss.” Keely twisted a section of her dark hair around her finger—a rare nervous gesture. “So in between studying, I’m trying to talk to Mom, but all she does is knit and drink coffee. Dad barks orders at Cord and Colby over the phone and paces when he’s not obsessing over seeing my mother falling to pieces. Colt deals with all the chores around here and anyone who calls or stops by. He has the worst of it, but that doesn’t give him the right to nag at me.”


“Nag at you about what?”


Keely shrugged. “My plans after I get out of school. My love life.”


“Speaking of your love life…how is Justin?”


“I wouldn’t know,” she said coolly. “He broke up with me.”


“What happened?”


“That’s what Colt is nagging me about. I won’t tell him, even when he offered to cut off that ‘little bastard’s prick and feed it to him’.” Keely’s lips turned up, but it was a pale imitation of her usual bad girl grin. “Much as I love Colt’s threatening swagger, I need to deal with this fallout on my own. I’ve tried to talk to AJ, but…”


“But what?”


“She’s a great listener, but she doesn’t have a frame of reference for that sort of stuff.

The only relationship she’s ever been in is with Cord.” She sighed. “Macie and Channing are cool and I love them to death, but they’re pregnant, hormonal, and I don’t want them blabbing to my brothers because they’d round up a damn posse.”


“I ain’t got tons of experience when it comes to relationships, but you wanna tell me what went down?” Chassie offered.

Keely stood and ducked into the extra closet her father converted into a half-bathroom during Keely’s teen years. She returned with two Dixie cups and poured a generous slug of rum in each. She handed a cup to Chassie. “I’ve always had a couple three guys on a string at any given time. Never made any promises, I just wanna have a good time while I’m still young and can.”


That attitude sounded exactly like Keely’s brothers’.

“After I met Justin, I thought I’d try an actual relationship. We clicked on so many levels and the sex was spectacular. By Christmas I was convinced he was the one.”


“Did he feel the same way?”


“I thought so. Remember I went home with him for a couple days during Christmas break?” Chassie nodded. “His mother is awesome. So’s his dad. However, Justin’s brother Jack is the biggest f*ckhead I’ve ever met. Jesus. I can’t believe Carter is such good friends with him.