Quinn
“So, what’s going on with you and Brody?” Savannah asked as we lay around the pool at the Blue Bay Spa in Marble Falls. After arriving about thirty minutes ago, we’d booked in at reception for various treatments throughout the day. Changing into our swimsuits, we were currently lying on the warm tiled loungers around the indoor pool. Opening my eyes, I looked over at Savannah who was eagerly awaiting my reply. Libby, who was sitting next to her, was also looking at me in anticipation. I was surprised she had been able to wait until now to ask me. I could see on the way here she'd been itching to find out. Thankfully, Libby had been talking about college, and Savannah hadn’t had a chance to bring it up.
“I’m not sure, but I really like him,” I confessed. I didn’t see the point in pretending I didn’t any longer. From the comments Savannah had made over the past couple weeks it was obvious she’d already figured it out.
“I knew it,” she exclaimed triumphantly. “Oh my God, you’re going to make the cutest couple.” I looked at her with wide eyes.
“I’ve no idea if he even likes me. Last night I made such a fool of myself. I was so embarrassed. He must think I’m an idiot.” I groaned, dropping my head into my hands.
“Look around you, Quinn,” Libby said kindly. “A guy doesn’t arrange this for a girl he doesn’t like.” My head flew up and I looked at her hopefully.
“Really?” I asked, not allowing myself to believe she could be right.
“Really,” she assured me.
“This is so exciting,” Savannah said clapping her hands. “But, I’m dying to know what you did that was so embarrassing.” Struggling to sit herself up with her huge baby bump, Libby offered Savannah her arm, and she pulled herself up, grinning at me as she waited for me to answer.
“Urghh… well, I might have gotten drunk and kissed him.” Putting my hands over my face, I shook my head. “I’ve never done anything like that before. I’d never even had a drink before last night.”
“Did he kiss you back?” Libby asked.
“I think so. To start with at least, then he pulled away. It’s all a little fuzzy.”
“He likes you, Quinn,” Savannah said. “That’s why he pulled away.”
“That makes no sense. Surely if he liked me, he’d have kissed me back?”
“Brody’s a good guy. He wouldn’t take advantage when you were drunk. Trust me, he likes you.” She sounded so sure. It was easy to believe what she was saying was true, or maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part.
“I guess we’ll have to see how tonight’s date goes. Would you both help me choose something to wear when we get back to the ranch?” I looked hopefully between Savannah and Libby.
“Whoa!” Savannah cried. “He’s asked you out on a date?” I laughed and nodded. “Where is he taking you?”
“I have no idea. Somewhere in Marble Falls, I guess.”
“Right, come on.” She got up to standing and put her hands on her hips.
“Where are we going?” Libby asked, looking at me and shrugging her shoulders.
“To the salon. Quinn’s getting the works: hair, nails, the whole shebang. Maybe even a wax.” She wriggled her eyebrows at me and I shook my head.
“I’m not getting a wax!” As I got up she took my hand, pulling me along behind her. Tugging gently on her arm, I made her stop. “Savannah, I can’t get my hair and nails done, it’s going to cost a fortune. All of this,” I waved my arm around at the beautiful spa, “it’s all too much.” I looked to Libby for moral support and she smiled sympathetically at me.
“Why don’t we do Quinn’s hair and makeup for her when we get back to the ranch? We can all just have the treatments we’re booked in for and save Brody’s bank balance,” Libby suggested. I smiled gratefully at her, breathing a sigh of relief. There was no way I wanted to have hundreds of dollars’ worth of pampering done and take advantage of Brody’s generosity.
“Yeah, we could do that, I guess. It sounds like fun.”
Mouthing a “thank you” to Lib, I attempted to change the subject and get the conversation off of me and Brody. “So, how long have you and Josh been together, Savannah?” I asked, as we sat back down around the pool.
“Just over six months.” Her face lit up when I mentioned Josh. Glancing down at her swollen stomach, I tried to make the math work, but the figures didn’t add up.
“I can see you’re trying to work out how I’m almost nine months pregnant, but have only been with Josh six months,” she said with a smile.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business…” I trailed off and felt my cheeks flush.
“No, it’s fine. It’s a long story, but the baby isn’t Josh’s. I’d been in love with him for years, but he pushed me away, telling me he saw me as his friend’s sister and nothing more.”
“That must have been heartbreaking.”
“It was. I got reckless and had a one-night stand.” She rubbed her rounded stomach. “When my dad found out, he lost it, we didn’t speak for weeks. Josh was there for me. It turns out there was a reason he’d been pushing me away. We worked through it and we’ve been together ever since.” She paused and smiled. “I’ve never been happier, and I can’t wait for this little one to make an appearance.”
“I’m so glad it all worked out for you. Anyone who sees you two can see how happy you are.”
We spent the next hour chatting. Libby told me how she’d come to the ranch after her best friend died and my heart broke for her. I knew the pain of losing someone you loved, feeling like you were the only person hurting. Her relationship with Mason seemed solid, and I was happy she had found her happy-ever-after with him.
The rest of the day was spent being massaged and pampered. As the day went on, I became increasingly nervous about my date with Brody. Was it a real date or a pity date? I had no idea, though I hoped for the former. I played the conversation with Savannah over and over in my head as I lay on the massage table while hot stones were laid the length of my spine. Could she be right, and Brody really did like me? I wished my memory of last night was clearer and I could remember what had happened after I’d kissed him. I guess I’d have to wait and see how the date went.
Brody
After the girls set off for the spa, I left Mason and Josh on the ranch while I ran in to Marble Falls in the truck. Quinn didn’t have a phone, and I didn’t want her working on the ranch without one. Most of the time she would be working alone, and she needed to be able to contact someone in an emergency. I hadn’t known Quinn for long, but I knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t just accept a phone from me. I’d have to tell her some shit about it being ranch policy that all members of staff carried a phone. She’d no doubt see right through my bullshit, but I didn’t care.
Finding Mason and Josh in the old barn with the horses when I got back, I was met with twenty questions.
“So, you like Quinn then?” Josh asked, straight to the point. Eyeing him I held his gaze.
“Yeah, I like her,” I replied cautiously, waiting for him to say I told you so.
“The spa day. That was a nice touch. It’ll definitely earn you brownie points with all the girls,” Mason said, laughing.
“I’m not looking for brownie points.”
“Maybe not from Sav and Lib,” Josh teased. “This girl has you tied up in knots. I’ve never seen you do anything like this for anyone else.”
“Like I said, I like her. She’s been through a lot.”
“What did you have to go into Marble Falls for?” he asked.
“You know what? I think you’ve been spending too much time with Sav. You never used to be such a nosey bastard. Did she put you up to all these questions?”
“Well… she may have asked me to see what I could find out,” Josh admitted, running his hand through his hair. “Man, you know how persistent she can be. It’s easier to just do as she asks.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “See, pussy-whipped! She’s got you doing her dirty work. I bet she’s sitting with Quinn right now asking her a million questions, just like you are. Are you planning on swapping notes later? What about you, Mason? Anything you want to know?”
Mason laughed and held his hands up. “Nope! You know Lib, she’s pretty easygoing.” I nodded and focused my attention back on Josh.
“I like her okay? She’s young, and that’s what held me back in the beginning, but I’m taking her out on a date tonight. And as for my trip into town. I went to pick her up a phone. She shouldn’t be on the ranch alone, with no way of contacting anyone.” I paused and waited for him to say something. “Anything else you want to know?” He looked suitably sheepish, and I nodded. “Good.”
“I told you some girl would come and change everything. Looks like I was right,” he said cockily.
“Take it easy, Josh. We haven’t even been on a date yet. It’s not like I’m marrying her.”
“Not yet!” I rolled my eyes, throwing my cowboy hat at him. He laughed and bent down to pick it up off the floor. “Seriously though, have you found out the deal with her? Why was she in the stables?” He held out my hat to me, sighing, I took it from him and placed it back on my head.
“She started to tell me this morning. We’re going to finish talking tomorrow. I wanted her to enjoy today and not have to think about it.” I paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm down the anger forming in my stomach. “It was her stepdad though, that much she did tell me. God, what sort of a man puts his hands on a woman? He wants to hope he never shows his face here!”
Mason slapped my shoulder. “Only a coward puts his hands on a woman, Brode. I bet he’s a sniffling piece of shit.” He paused and glanced across at Josh. “Just know we’ve got your back. I can see Quinn means a lot to you. I know this asshole has been winding you up about her,” he cocked his head toward Josh who feigned ignorance, “but I can only imagine how I’d feel if anyone hurt Libby like that.”
“Thanks, guys. I hope to God he never finds her. She’d be terrified, and I’d probably end up killing him.” My fists clenched at my side. I really did hope I never laid eyes on him as I couldn’t be held responsible for my actions if I did. “I want to know about him though, so I thought I'd get Ethan to run his name through the police database, see if it throws anything up.” Ethan was a friend from school who was now a police officer at the Marble Falls police department.
“So, how does it feel to know you’re going to be a dad in a few weeks, Josh?” I asked him, steering the conversation away from the path it had taken.
“To be honest, I’m shitting myself. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to be a dad, but I’m going to hate seeing Sav in all that pain.” He pulled his face and shuddered. “We went to a childbirth class last week, and they showed us a movie of a woman giving birth. I swear to God I’ve never seen anything so disgusting. I’m definitely staying near her head!” His face screwed up in disgust, and Mason and I burst out laughing.
“You might laugh. You’ll be next, Mase, although who knows, it could be Brody, he could shock us all.” I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. Picking up a fork, I started to muck out Titan’s stall.
“Whatever. I think it’s safe to say as Mason and Lib are married, it’s likely to be them, dickhead.”
“Whatever you say, Brode.”
After finishing off in the barn, there wasn’t much left to do around the ranch and we all headed home to shower before meeting back in the den for a beer. We’d been watching a football game when we heard a car pull up in front of the house.
“I bet that’s the girls,” Josh said as he shot up out of his chair and headed outside. Since the fire, Josh had been particularly protective of Savannah, not wanting to let her out of his sight. I can’t say I blamed him after thinking he’d lost her. Following Josh and Mason outside, I hung back, standing on the porch while they went to greet the girls. I watched Quinn climb out the back of Savannah’s Bug. Her long blonde hair was damp, and loose in waves over her shoulders. She threw her head back, laughing at something Mason had said. I smiled as I watched her. She was beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to have her to myself later on.
As if sensing I was watching her, she looked up and gave me a small wave. I waved back and made my way down the steps toward her.
“Hi, did you have fun?” I asked, coming to stand in front of her.
“I did. It was amazing. Thank you. Savannah and Libby are great. They’ve offered to help me get ready for tonight.” She paused and bit down on her lip. “If you still want to go?”
“Of course, I still want to go. I’ve booked the country club.” I winked at her and watched as her eyes went wide.
“I’ve never been to a country club.”
“You’ve booked the restaurant at Lakecliff?” Savannah exclaimed, overhearing our conversation. “It’s beautiful there, Quinn. I’ve got the perfect dress you can wear. Come on.” She took Quinn’s hand and dragged her toward the house. Quinn turned and met my eyes, her shoulders shrugging as Sav pulled her along.
Laughing, I called after her, “I’ll be waiting for you at six thirty.”
Quinn
I sat on the bed with Libby as Savannah threw dress after dress out of the closet, a huge pile forming on the floor.
“How many dresses is she wanting me to try on?” I whispered to Libby.
“Sav loves clothes. We could be here a while,” she replied with a giggle.
After she’d thrown three or four more dresses onto the pile she emerged from the closet and flopped down on the bed. “I thought you said outside you had the perfect dress for me?” I looked in horror at the huge pile on the floor. Was she expecting me to try all of them on?
“Once I started looking, I found a load more. I’d forgotten I’d gotten some of them!” I couldn’t say I was surprised. Considering the clothes in the closet were overflowing from her one at home, I couldn’t imagine how big her closet was in the cottage. I’d never seen so many clothes.
Standing up off the bed I kneeled on the floor next to the pile. Looking through, I fingered a beautiful electric-blue pencil dress. “That’s a great choice,” Savannah called from the bed. “Try it on.”
I nodded and removed my jeans and shirt, stepping into the dress. There was an exposed zip from the bottom of my ass, right up my back.
“Here, let me get that,” Libby came over and zipped me up. There was a free-standing mirror to the side of the bed and I walked over to look at my reflection. “You look amazing, Quinn,” Libby enthused.
“I agree,” Savannah said, coming to stand next to me at the mirror. “It’s perfect for the country club.”
“I love it.” I smoothed the dress down with my fingers. “I’ve never worn anything like this. It’s beautiful.”
“I think black heels and a black clutch would go perfectly with that.” Reaching into her purse she pulled out her phone.
“Hey, babe, can you run back to the cottage and grab my black heels and clutch?” she asked into the phone. She paused as she listened to Josh’s response. “Yeah, they’re in the bottom of the closet.” She nodded. “Thanks, babe.” She tossed her phone on the bed and grinned. “Josh is going to get them. Why don’t you try something else on while we wait?”
I shook my head. “I really don’t think I’ll find anything I love more. This is definitely the one.”
“Let’s get started on your hair then,” Libby suggested. I grinned and sat on the stool in front of the full-length mirror. Fifteen minutes later and she had worked wonders. My hair had been curled and pinned up at the sides leaving loose waves falling down the center of my back. I turned my head from side to side so I could see better before meeting her eyes in the mirror.
“Thank you. I love it. You’ll have to show me how to do this.” My hands reached up to feel the silky curls. “I’m useless with my hair.”
“I taught her everything she knows,” Savannah called out from the bathroom where she was sorting through her makeup bag.
“She did. In fact, Savannah helped me get ready for my first date with Mason and look at us now.” She raised her eyebrows at me in the mirror and smiled.
“I have this knack of knowing when people should be together,” she announced as she walked out of the bathroom.
“In other words, she likes to interfere,” Libby whispered into my ear.
“Hey!” Savannah exclaimed, feigning hurt. “I heard that, Libby Walker.” We all burst out laughing as a knock sounded on the door.
“Come in.” Looking in the mirror I saw the door open and Josh walked in, his arms full of shoes and purses.
“Babe, I just wanted my black heels and clutch,” Savannah said in disbelief as she saw the armful of stuff Josh was carrying. Spinning on the stool, I chuckled.
“Sav, do you know how many pairs of black heels you have? They all look the same to me.” He walked across the room and dumped them on the bed. “And don’t get me started on purses, there were even more of them!” Laughing, Savannah threw her arms around him and kissed his jaw. “Thank you. I’m sure the pair I wanted are in here.” He kissed her head and turned to leave.
“I’ll be downstairs when you’re done, sweetheart.” She nodded and closed the door behind him.
“Right, let’s finish getting you ready! Brody is going to freak when he sees you,” Savannah exclaimed. I felt my cheeks flush, but more than a little part of me hoped she was right.