I didn't mean to break down, but it's my fault this is happening. I've become a target, and in turn, made Brandt a target. The last thing I want to do is cry in front of his fucking friends, but I'm actually scared with no end in sight.
Pulling away from Bo, I wipe my face and notice their friends have spread out and started moving toward the back of the house.
"You okay?" Bo asks.
"Yeah. Can't you guys just kick his ass and make him go away?" I chuckle, though I know that would never happen. I just need to draw attention away from the fact that I was crying.
He lets out a stressed chuckle. "Not until he's ten feet under will he go away." He rubs the back of his neck as we start to make our way to the party. "So how do we play this? Brandt's gonna kick my ass if I go too far, you know."
"No he won't. We're not going to go too far. Also," I lock eyes on Donna who's headed toward us wearing a huge smile, "news somehow already spread because my mom thinks we're dating."
"Bo! I'm so happy you're here." She hugs him. "I heard about you and Jo and I couldn't be happier." Her twang is thick and it's crawling under my skin.
"Thank you, Mrs. Kenshaw. I like her a lot." Bo drapes his hand over my shoulder. "I hope you don't mind we crashed the party."
"Nonsense," Donna coos and waves her hand at him. Christ, I feel bad this is Brandt's step mom. "You're with my baby, you're Brandt's best friend, you're part of the family." She touches his cheek and I glance in time to see his cheeks are bright pink.
"Back off a little, mom," I grouch then notice Brandt sitting on the swinging bench with two girls and watching me. "Bo, you hungry?" I blurt and grab his hand, pulling him away before he can answer. I walk toward Brandt, but Cash steps in front of me and I gasp because I hadn't even seen him.
"You wear that for me, Jo?" His fingers touch my stomach and Bo shoves him back a step.
"Back the hell off, Fayer."
Chase and another friend of Brandt’s are moving closer to us. Cash's eyes flash across the lawn to Brandt whose glaring at him.
I pull Bo the opposite direction and into the house.
"What the fuck are we supposed to do? Dodge him all fucking night?" I bark, annoyed with this fucking game.
When I look at Bo, his glare's locked on something out the back door and I huff, walking into the kitchen. It takes him several minutes but he darts into the kitchen to my side.
"Maybe we should just call it a night. Lock the doors and wait it out. This place is too big and being joined at the hip is hard as hell." He lets his eyes dance across the room, scanning it for Cash.
"Let me just get some food." I look through eight cupboards before letting out a grunt. "Who the fuck doesn't own Tupperware?" I snarl at Bo like this is his house.
Moving quickly, he crosses the room to what looks like a pantry, but comes back with Tupperware.
"Thanks." Without thought, I start dumping food into the bowl. When I'm nervous, I eat. And I'm fucking nervous right now. Peanut butter isn't going to cut it. "Should we tell Brandt?" I ask as we head toward the doors that close off the guesthouse.
"Let's get you locked in, then I'll tell him. I hate you out here where that asshole can strike at any minute." He pushes the doors open then follows me into the foyer and I open the door to our house. I head for the couch while Bo makes sure every door and window is locked tight on both levels. "Stay. I'll be back as soon as I tell Brandt where we are."
"Turn on the air at least!" I call out and pop open the lid to my bowl of seven mixed foods. I'll eat it anyway.
I head to the kitchen for a fork and the shadow in the corner makes me drop my bowl of food. Gravy splashes up my bare legs and I back against the counter while Cash grins at me from across the room. I dart for the door because he's blocking the kitchen exit, but I don't get far before he grabs me. My legs kick back but he's prepared and he drops us to the ground, kneeling on the backs of my legs.
"I just came to fuck shit up in here. I didn't think it'd be this easy." He chuckles.
"Please don't hurt him, Cash," I beg and try to squirm when he ties my ankles together.
"It's either you or him, Jo." His fist connects with my temple, but I don’t black out until my head hits the counter.
A foreign smell wakes me up and I blink a few times, realizing we're in the barn and I'm tied to a post. I don't know how he got me here, but I suppose that's the point because if I were conscious, him transporting me with all these people around would have been a hell of a lot harder.
I groan and he looks at me over his shoulder. "It's either you or Brandt tonight, city girl," he snarls while he walks in circles with an open can of kerosene. "If the fucker figures it out in time, you might live. But, Jo," he turns to face me, "when he's dead, you're mine." He grins and my eyes flash to the can in his hands.
Brandt should have just told his dad. I don't think he realized how unstable his brother is. He warned me he's a bad guy, but I don’t think Brandt thought he was capable of murder. Unfortunately, Cash is just that crazy, and now Brandt’s the one that’s going to die because of it. This can't be happening to us. If I never came here, this would have never happened to Brandt. They would have had their problems and turf wars, but Cash wouldn't have been hell-bent on trying to make Brandt pay like this
I whimper and try to tug free, but I'm secure.
The fumes are becoming so overwhelming my head starts to bob and I think I'm going to pass out again. After what feels like forever of dousing what he can, Cash is sitting on the bench with a lighter in his hand. The only thing he didn't directly drench in this place is us and the animals, but none of us stand a chance when he ignites the fuel.
I hear Brandt and someone's voice approaching and Cash stands with a huff. "Finally. I was getting light headed." He chuckles and waits in excitement.
"Jo!" Brandt blurts when him and Bo run into the barn. "Cash, what... What the hell you doin’, man?" His panicked eyes look at me and I see the sad truth in them.
Someone's not making it out of this barn tonight.
"Bo, go get my dad," Brandt blurts, shoving Bo, but before he can move Cash flicks the lighter in his hands and walks over to me.
"Too late, tubby. Happy fucking birthday, Brandt." Cash reaches behind us and lights the saddle on the wall.
It takes mere seconds for the flame to reach the gas, but when it does, it spreads and smoke quickly fills the barn. Tied to the post, I can't fucking move, but I'm fighting as hard as I can. I can't see anything, but I hear Brandt and Cash going at it. There's so much smoke, I'm not sure what's on fire but it's hot as hell in here and we're all going to die.
"Jo," I hear Bo behind me and soon my hands are free. "We gotta get the hell outta here!"
I reach for my feet and move quickly to untie them, pulling away from Bo who's coughing and trying to pull me out, but the animals are screaming and I can't fucking take it. I start hitting all the latches and the three steers stampede out. When I open Lucky and Taylor's latch, I drop to my knees. I can't fucking breathe anymore.
"Go, go, go!" Bo yells from behind me and dodges toward me, shoving me out of the way when a beam collapses. "Get the fuck outta here!"
I try to run but I can’t. Someone grabs me and drags me out and when we get out of the smoke engulfed barn, I gasp in a breath of fresh air and fall to the dirt. Before I can focus on anything, someone picks me up and drags me farther away from the blazing barn. My foggy eyes dart around and around for Brandt, but I don’t see him.
"You got her?" I hear Bo’s voice yell and the person I'm with assures him. I see Bo’s figure running back to the barn and panic.
"Brandt!" I scream and immediately start coughing. When I try to run closer to the barn, because there are people everywhere and one of them has to be Brandt, arms wrap around my stomach and stop me.
"Jo, don't!" Chase screams, holding me back.
People are screaming and running, but not away, they're all running toward the burning barn, attempting to put out the fire. I try one more time to run toward the barn. I just have to see Brandt. He can't be in that barn. My tears help the burning of my eyes, but when Chase doesn't let me go I fall to my ass and start bawling, still having a hard time breathing.
A fire truck blazes down the dirt road toward the house and it feels like hours have passed. I've sat in this same spot, crying my eyes out and looking for Brandt. It hasn't been that long but with this many people helping, they've managed to contain the fire before it spread to any of the land or other barns. It's not salvageable. It'll have to be knocked down and rebuilt. It was the biggest barn on the ranch. The most important barn, because it held Garrison's and Brandt's horses and the steers they need for breeding. I hope the animals are okay. I glance around but I can't see them, and then I remember I still haven't seen Brandt.
"Jo!" I hear him scream before I can see him. There're too many people. "Jo!" he yells again and I stand, just in time for his arms to wrap tight around me. "Holy fuck," he chokes out. "I thought you were fucking dead." He pulls back an inch and looks me in the eyes, cupping my face with his hands. "Holy fuck."
I'm crying so hard I can't talk, but I'm holding him so tight I'm probably clawing into his flesh. His heart’s beating wildly in his chest as he holds me against him. He kisses my forehead and I reach up, trying to wipe the black marks from his face. Pushing my hands down, his lips connect with mine as he pulls me against him as tight as he can. It's not a gentle kiss. It's a panicked kiss, one that tells me he thought we'd never see each other again. I'm plucked back from his arms and Brandt's wide eyes land behind me. I look up and over my shoulder at Garrison's shocked face as he stares at his son in disappointment.
"Go," he demands and points toward the fire trucks. "For oxygen. Go now." He gives me a little push toward the fire truck, but I want to run back into Brandt's arms.
Brandt stares his father in the eyes and he tries to stand up taller, but he's hurt and his lungs are probably feeling worse than mine right now. I want to help him and insist he go for the oxygen, but the look on both their faces says I need to walk away before any more damage happens tonight.
Someone escorts me toward the fire truck where a fire fighter puts an oxygen mask on my face and I turn around to see Garrison yelling at Brandt, but I can't hear them. Their arguing is getting a lot of attention and it takes a minute for me to notice the glances going back and forth from me to the men arguing.
Fuck.
My eyes dart toward the barn that's a smoldering mess. The fire's been extinguished but thick smoke is wafting in the wind. There's a paramedic wheeling a gurney away from the mess and I stand, wondering who got hurt. When I see it's a full body bag, my heart drops to my stomach. Someone's dead.
"Bo!" I frantically scream and throw the mask from my face. "Brandt!" I run for him. "Where's Bo?"
If that's Bo...
No.
"Hey. Jo, he's fine." Chase steps in, stopping me from getting to Brandt. "He's with Kinlee right now." He nods across the field to the two of them, Kinlee obviously flustered with his appearance.
I sigh in relief but worry hits again. If it's not Bo, it could be any number of Brandt's family members. "Who's that?" I point toward the gurney with a shaky finger and look at Chase.
"Uh..." He shakes his head. "Cash," he quietly divulges and watches them load the gurney into the ambulance.
My eyes dart to Brandt who's crossing the field with Garrison and they're walking toward the animals that got out. I look back at what's left of the barn. It’s gone. The animals hopefully all got out, but it’s completely ruined.
"Jolene," Donna cries and yanks me toward her. "Oh, baby." She strokes my hair until I can't breathe and I push away from her. "Come on, honey." She walks me toward the house and I wrench my head, trying to find Brandt. "Garrison and Brandt have to corral the horses and steer. God, Jolene, how'd this happen?" She walks me into her bathroom in their house and starts to get me cleaned up, but I need to shower. I need to wash away this smell.
"Jo, what the hell were you doing in that barn? What the hell happened? What's happening with you and Brandt?" she stresses, losing her cool as she starts to cry.
So I tell her everything. Her tears don't stop the entire time I speak and she keeps nodding her head as I talk about Cash, like she's not surprised everything came to this. She doesn’t have much to say, and I end up repeatedly apologizing until she gets me into the shower. Clean clothes are waiting for me when I get out and she’s waiting right outside the bathroom door.
"God." She starts to cry again and pulls me into a hug.
We go downstairs and there's an officer sitting at the dining room table.
"He needs your statement, baby. Tell him everything you told me about Cash." The way she's looking at me is like she wants me to leave out the part about me falling for Brandt, so I do.
I can't stop shaking and I'm freezing while I eat the food Donna is forcing down my throat. Halfway through, I'm done. I want to see Brandt, but I'm too afraid to ask where the hell he is. She takes me into the living room and I sit on the couch.
"Donna!" Garrison's voice travels through the house and I jump.
Brandt walks into the room with a purpose and heads for me, pulling me to my feet and into his arms, holding me tightly. It's been hours since I've seen him and he's cleaned up some, but his flesh is clammy like he's been out there working.
"I'm so sorry," I quietly say into his chest as he kisses my damp hair.
"Sit down." Garrison’s stern voice has us both sitting in seconds.
Brandt takes my hand, but I pull it away.
"Goddammit," Garrison huffs and runs his hands through his hair like Brandt does.
Brandt takes my hand while Garrison and Donna stare at us, but I pull it away for a second time. Brandt snaps his head to look at me, anger written all over his face as he grabs my hand again. I know he's not angry with me, but he doesn't want to be sitting in front of our parents right now.
"When did this happen?" Donna's gentle voice finally breaks the silence. She already knows that, but now that we're both in front of her, I'm assuming she wants answers from both of us.
"Does it matter?" Garrison says from next to her, his voice gruff and a scowl making his face look aged.
"A while now, ma'am," Brandt explains, his eyes falling to where our hands are connected.
"A while!" Garrison barks. "Son, she's not even been here but a couple months!" He stands and paces the room. "You mean to tell me this has been happening since the beginning?” When I drop my head, he roars, “Y’all are related!"
"By marriage," Brandt snaps, his hand tightening on mine when I try to pull it away again. Looking over at me, his eyes are begging me. "Please don't pull away again, Jo."
I stare at him a minute and bring my other hand to rest on top of ours. He needs me. I need him. Everything’s out, I don’t have to pull away.
"Honey." Donna walks over to Garrison. "Calm down. There's no blood relation goin' on here. But I'm so confused. You were dating both him and Bo, Jo?" She looks at me incredulously, like she wants to slap me. I didn't tell her about the part where we came up with the bright idea to use Bo as a curtain.
"She was never dating Bo, Donna," Brandt speaks up. "We used that as a distraction because we didn't know how to tell you guys about us and thought you'd flip your lids." He raises an eyebrow at his dad. "Kinda like you are now."
"Damn right I am. This... This isn't right, Brandt. A smart kid like you should know this." He shakes his head. "You're my son. And she," he says, pointing toward me. "I accepted her as my daughter. You’re my son. And she’s my daughter! A son and daughter don't date!"
My eyes flash to Donna who's staring at him. My grip in Brandt's hand loosens, but his tightens.
Donna sighs and faces us. "I wanted to bring Jo here and give her the family I should have years ago. We were happy and I wanted her in on it. She was the last piece to my puzzle." She looks between us again and the smile on her face falls. "I didn't even think about things taking this route, but I don't know why I didn't. We put you two young kids in a house together and expected you to have the same feelings we had. I've been your step mom for years, Brandt. I consider you my son. And me and Garrison had been planning for two years to move Jo here, so he was preparing to love her like his daughter." She rubs his back then looks at us again. "Y’all understand, don't you?"
Brandt huffs and pulls me to him, kissing my forehead before he stands tall. "We know this isn't ideal for most people, but Donna, I'm in love with your daughter. There's nothing wrong with what we have, and I'm not apologizing for having these feelings for her." He smiles down at me, but it’s laced with sadness. "I'm sorry it's awkward, but I'm happy it's all out in the open."
"Sit down!" Garrison screams and I flinch.
"Garrison!" Donna bellows. "That's enough! None of yous are tearing apart my family! This ain't ideal, you're right! But it's happened. Me and Jo are gonna take a small trip away from the house for a few days. You two will have this sorted when I get back. If they love each other, Garrison, your screamin' ain't gonna change it." Donna's face is beet red and she's so pissed, even Garrison has retreated and is sitting at her side holding her hand. "Jolene, you can take a few days away from Brandt," she demands, then yanks her hand away from Garrison and storms out of the room.
My eyes go to Garrison and he's focused on the floor, then I look at Brandt. He shakes his head, then sighs heavy. His eyes land on mine and I see the storm brewing. Quicker than I can react, he pulls me to him and slams his lips to mine, right there in front of his dad.
"I love you, Jo. It'll be fine." He breaks contact with me and squares his shoulders.
I've been mute this entire time, and I'm afraid to say anything that'll set Garrison off so I head for the door, but Brandt grabs my hand and doesn't let me get far.
"Jo, tell me you love me," he whispers, the panic in his eyes evident.
I dart my eyes to Garrison and he's standing, staring at us now.
Reaching my hands to Brandt's shoulders, I kiss his lips. "I love you, Brandt," I say, and I mean it, but the noise Garrison just made makes me dart out of the room.
My mom stops me before I make it to Brandt's place. "Sweet pea," she softly says. "I think it'd be better if you stayed over here tonight. Just let Garrison cool off about all this."
I stare at her wide-eyed, but nod my head in agreement, though I far from agree. I need Brandt. I thought one of us was going to die tonight and I need his comfort, but they're not going to allow it. She comes with me to my room and I pack a bag for a few days away. I don't know where we're going, but I don't care. I don't want to go.
In the late morning as I walk toward Donna's car, Brandt heads toward me like he’s been waiting on the porch. He was up early working on the mess of the barn. I only know that because when Garrison woke at four thirty, I heard him and I got up. I looked out the window when he finally went outside and I saw Brandt was out there with him and they got started on the barn mess.
"Wait," Brandt blurts, jogging over to me. Donna glances between the two of us and continues walking toward the car, giving us some space. "You're coming back, right?"
I look at the barn and see Garrison's stopped working to watch us. "Yeah." I wipe a smudge off his nose. "I don't know what this time away is supposed to do." I shrug and glance toward Donna. "I think it's more for them."
"They'll get over it. My dad's not spoken more than four words to me today, but he hasn't threatened to kick me out any more so I think he's warming to the idea." He tries laughing but it falls flat. "I'm gonna miss you, city girl."
"Me too," I whisper and step closer to him. There’s so much he’s dealing with and they’re tearing me away from him.
"Where you goin'?" He glances at Donna's car.
"I don't really know." I hadn't listened to Donna when she told me. When Brandt frowns, I softly touch his hand. "I'll be back in a couple days." I lean in to kiss him and my eyes dart to Garrison. He shakes his head and looks away, so I quickly press our lips together.
Brandt takes it a step further, pulling me to him and gripping me tightly as he deepens the kiss, only pulling away to take a breath and rest his forehead on mine. "When you come back this whole thing'll be in the past. I promise you."
I try and smile, but I doubt it. "I love you," I swear to him.
"I love you, Jo." He pushes his lips to mine once more. "Have fun, okay?" He manages to force a convincing tone.
I chuckle and pull away with a shake of my head. "You too, farm boy." I get in the car and Donna gives my arm a little squeeze and a gentle smile. I look out the window and watch Brandt walk back over to the barn.
I use the time to sleep, but the drive isn't long. Maybe three hours. We're not too far from the ranch and we spend four days at a spa retreat where Donna's known well. You'd think her best friends ran the place. I manage to relax, but my mind stays on Brandt almost the entire time. We text every chance we get and when he's in bed for the night, he calls me.
"I'll see you tomorrow," I whisper, falling asleep.
"I love you. I can't wait till you're home, Jo."
"Me too, farm boy. I love you."
"Night," he whispers.
He hasn't mentioned his dad any time we've talked and I know that means Garrison hasn't come around like he hoped he would.
As we head down the dirt road toward the ranch, I take a deep breath and sigh with content. Only a few hundred feet and my comfort will be there. I love Brandt more than any addiction I've ever had and that's why I know he's not just a quick fix.
As I walk to the back of our house, Garrison's sitting on the deck with a cup in his hand and I stop.
"Brandt's not here."
"Okay." I try to walk in anyway, but he stops me.
"This is a small town, Jo." His eyes meet mine. "News like this travels fast. It'll ruin him. It'll ruin this family. It’ll ruin the Kenshaw Ranch name. Hell, the barn's already ruined, but even rebuilding that won't make this situation better."
I keep my gaze down, not wanting to cry. I don't know why I thought maybe, just maybe Garrison would have had a change of heart before we came back.
"I understand that." I clear my throat to break up the pain.
"I sure hope you do." He downs the rest of whatever's in his cup and shakes his head. "I just hope you make the right choice."
When he walks down the steps, I burst into tears and dart into the house.