Millie
The morning after my confrontation with Brandon, I was surprised to see Garratt at the breakfast table. I assumed that he’d be staying overnight at the party. I’d still been upset when we got into the house, despite the amazing truck sex, so Jesse had stayed with me, in my bed, all night until he’d had to get up at five to get started on work.
“Hey, Garratt,” I said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “Didn’t expect to see you this morning.”
Garratt shrugged and took a drink of his coffee. “Wasn’t really in the party mood so I caught a ride home with Preston Jennings. He lives five miles down the road, going out towards Missington. He’s a complete jock who doesn’t drink, so cheaper than an Uber.”
“You weren’t enjoying the company of those two girls then?” I said with a grin.
“Poppy and Marnie?”
“If they are the ones who were at Rowdy’s, yes.”
Garratt shook his head. “Nope, just wasn’t feeling it.” A shadow crossed his face and the usual gregarious Garratt was missing.
“Have you tried contacting her again?” I asked, giving him a gentle nudge.
Garratt stared at me with arched brows. “How did you know?”
“Good guess, and I have a younger brother who wore that same expression every time his bitch of a girlfriend let him down. Not that I’m saying Jemma was a bitch, or that she let you down.”
He sighed and gave me a thin lipped smile. “I sent an email to her Gmail account, but it bounced back. She’s totally disappeared off social media and according to her friend, Hannah, she isn’t going back to college. She just sent Hannah a text to say she wouldn’t be back and to tell me she’d had a great time and was sorry it had to end.”
“But she didn’t text you anything?” I sat down next to him and pulled the coffee jug towards me, pouring myself a mug.
“Nope, nothing except for the first message to say about her sister and how she had to go home.” Garratt blew out a breath and circled the rim of his mug with his finger. “Anyways, how about you? How are you feeling this morning?”
“Good change of subject, Garratt,” I said, before taking a sip of coffee.
“Nothing more to say, and same goes for you. So now tell me, how are you feeling after what that dickwad did?”
“Hurt by what he said, I thought we were friends.”
Garratt took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “He’s a prick and you shouldn’t listen to him. Jesse put you straight, yeah?”
I smiled and felt warm inside as I thought about how Jesse had ‘put me straight’.
“Yes, he did. He made it quite clear how he feels about me. I just don’t understand how Brandon can be like that. He was awful about Jesse, too.”
“What?” Garratt growled through clenched teeth. “What the hell did he say about my brother?”
“Nothing too much, just that I ought to hear all about ‘my precious Jesse’. What do you think he meant, Garratt?”
Garratt shook his head, and I could see he was desperately trying to hold onto his control. “Nothing, he was just trying to stir some shit between you. Jesse hasn’t done anything you need to know about. You’ve seen him at his damn worst, the way he was when you first got here is the only time Jesse has fucked up. Before she died, he was the best son, the best brother, the best husband, and the best fucking father ever, so do not listen to what Brandon Reed has to say.”
A vein in Garratt’s temple throbbed and his jaw was tight as he looked at me and gave my hand a squeeze.
“So why would he say that about him, and what he said to me? I don’t for one minute think it’s because he liked me that much. We’d only had one date. I hadn’t even kissed him properly.”
“There’s things about Brandon that you don’t know, and I’m not going to tell you, but what I will say is he’s a lying, cheating, cock sucker who shouldn’t be trusted.”
“Is this about the card game where he won all your money?” I asked, trying to understand why Brandon had been so nasty. “Is there more to it?”
Garratt swallowed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. Just promise me you won’t listen to him. You and Jesse belong together, and if he found out what I know about Brandon, it could ruin things for you, because it would kill Jesse.”
My heart was thudding, banging a beat against my breast bone, as I opened my mouth to tell Garratt I wouldn’t listen to Brandon. I didn’t get chance.
“What would kill me, Garr?” Jesse’s voice was low and controlled. “Tell me what the fuck Brandon has done that I shouldn’t know about?”
I swung around in my seat to see Jesse standing behind me, hands fisted at his sides and his chest heaving.
“Jess,” Garratt said, his voice quavering. “Nothing, it’s nothing, just about him cheating at cards, and that he’s done it before.”
My eyes went back to Garratt who was chewing on his bottom lip. He was physically shaking and there was no way he was telling the truth. The tortured look on his handsome face gave him away.
“I know about his cheating,” Jesse replied. “Now tell me what I don’t want to hear. Because I’ll be honest with you, Garr, I’m freaking out a little here.”
He ran a hand through his hair, the exact same way that Garratt had only minutes earlier. Garratt stood up from his chair and leaned forward, his hands on his knees as he exhaled a shuddering breath.
“Please, Jess,” he begged, looking up at his brother. “Just leave it. All you need to know is that Brandon can’t be trusted.”
Seeing how distressed Garratt was, I turned to Jesse. “Baby, let’s just leave it. Everything is fine between us, we’re good, and Brandon won’t change that.”
Jesse shook his head. “I need to know, Armalita, and Garratt is going to tell me. It doesn’t involve you; this is between me, my brother, and my best friend, so damn well stay out of it!”
“Please Jesse,” I whispered, trying to ignore the hurt as I put my hand on one of his shoulders.
Jesse shrugged me off, taking a step towards Garratt and leaning down to face him.
“Tell me, Garr,” he snapped. “If this is anything to do with Addy you’d better tell me.”
Garratt straightened and shook his head vigorously. “God no, it’s not Addy, I swear.”
“Well what the fuck is it then?”
As they stared each other off, both with grim determination, the door to the mud room opened and Bonnie strolled in, looking at a list in her hand.
“Morning,” she said distractedly before looking up. “Oh, hey honey, I thought you were out this morning.”
Jesse shook his head. “Came back to check that Millie was okay.”
“You not well, sweetie?” Bonnie asked, her brow wrinkling with concern.
“She had a run in with Brandon,” Jesse said, his eyes still pinned to Garratt.
“Oh really, is that why he’s shuffling around outside then?”
Before anyone had chance to blink, Jesse turned for the door.
“Jesse, no!” Garratt yelled and lunged for him, managing to grab Jesse’s arm.
Jesse’s upper body strength, through years of working on the ranch and roping cattle, meant he was able to shrug Garratt off easily, aiming an elbow at his brother’s chest as he swung the door open.
“Shit!” Garratt took the blow and staggered after Jesse.
“What’s going on?” Bonnie cried.
“Jesse heard Garratt say Brandon wasn’t to be trusted and wanted to know why.” My words were rushed as I started to follow Garratt and Jesse. “Jesse hit him last night, for things he said about me.”
“Oh my God, no,” Bonnie yelled and ran after her sons.
“Bonnie, what’s going on?”
I chased after her, across the lounge and through the door that was swinging open. When I got to the top of the porch steps, Jesse had a blustering Brandon by his shirt, while Garratt was trying to pull his brother away.
“Jesse, leave him!” Bonnie cried as she reached her sons.
Jesse turned to Bonnie and took a deep breath. “He’s done something that Garratt says will kill me, and I need to know what the fuck it is. I want to hear it from his mouth.”
“Sweetheart, just leave it be,” Bonnie pleaded.
As I gasped, Jesse’s eyes darted towards me and then back to his mother.
“You know, too, don’t you?” he accused.
“We just thought…”
“Mom,” Garratt said, shaking his head. “Please don’t.”
Bonnie turned to her youngest son and placed a palm on his cheek. “We have to, he won’t rest until he knows. He deserves to know the truth. He’s strong enough to hear it now.”
I could hardly breathe as I watched Jesse’s face crumple. I instinctively knew what was going through his mind and I was sure that he was right. It explained why Garratt hated Brandon.
“Someone better tell me, now!”
Brandon shook his head, as if pleading with Bonnie and Garratt.
“You tell him!” Garratt snapped. “You tell him what you did, you be the one to break his fucking heart, because I can’t.”
Garratt let out a heart wrenching sob as he collapsed back against the side of Brandon’s truck. Bonnie lifted a hand to her mouth and started to cry as Jesse looked between her and Garratt and then back to Brandon.
“Why?” Jesse asked in a quiet voice.
While Brandon stood silently, I took the steps and moved to Bonnie’s side, taking her hand in mine and giving it a squeeze.
“I asked you a question?” Jesse said, prodding Brandon in the shoulder. “Why?”
Brandon opened his mouth, but didn’t speak. He turned to Bonnie. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” she said sharply. “You were man enough to do it, so now be man enough to tell him.” Her face hardened as she lifted her chin in disdain.
“Tell me!” Jesse yelled, inches from Brandon’s face. “I want to know why you were fucking my wife!”