Chapter 13

Ted

The puddle of coffee threatened to spill over the edge of my desk and onto the floor, but I hoped my death glare would hold it off long enough for Lauralee to get back from the house with something to clean it up. I should have gone inside. At least I wouldn’t have let anything distract me on the way. I noticed Mason’s truck out the window and wondered if she was grilling him about where I’d slept the night before.

My jaw tightened thinking about her audacity. She’d spent the night out, laughing it up with some loser and had the nerve to call me a liar.

I should have gone to that party. I would have saved my brother from the certain misery and trouble he’d gotten into by being around Ella. I thought back to the times before, the way Ella would play her crowd, even from David’s arm, and the one time he’d slipped out early, and she’d made her play for me. I wouldn’t say I fell into her trap, but I saw an opportunity to rid my brother and my family from her grip and end the upcoming nuptials. I let her think she was in control, but I had known exactly what I was doing each time I did her. David was collateral damage in a battle I’d been fighting with Ella ever since.

I watched the puddle, making sure it wasn’t moving, as footsteps approached. As the door swung open, I let her have it. “It’s about damned time!” I used the bar towel and sopped up the cold coffee. “You couldn’t hurry your ass up?”

She placed the coffee on the table. “I got your coffee. I didn’t want to spill it too.”

“I saw Mason doing his walk of shame. I guess you grilled him on my whereabouts?”

“No, I didn’t. I—”

Her eyes told me I’d caught her, and I didn’t want to hear anything else she had to say. It irked me that I loved her so damned much and all she could do was try to bring me down with her suspicions. It’s like she wanted me to fail. Like she wanted me to be an asshole so she didn’t have to care about me. I decided at that moment that I’d oblige. “Get the hell out.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” I plopped down in my chair and grabbed my coffee. “And for your information, I did stay out last night. I got wasted and lost count of the women who were on my cock. That’s what you want to hear, ain’t it? I’m such a fucking whore, using women right and left. Go home, Lolly. You’re fired.”

She stood there, her beautiful lips gaping and her eyes wide. I’d stunned her, and I got a pang in my gut as tears filled her eyes and she stormed out. I pulled the cup to my mouth and cursed as I burned my lip on the fresh coffee.

I should have jumped up and gone after her and apologized for making her cry, but she hadn’t cared about my feelings, and I wasn’t so sure she’d listen to me. It was better this way. I had too much work to do, and I couldn’t concentrate on a damned thing with her around. I had to learn the new programs and still keep the ranch working. I had to stay on track.

When the door opened behind me an ounce of hope wanted it to be her, and my heart ached as I turned my chair.

Mason entered raking his hand through his hair and sat down beside me to sip his own cup of coffee. “When’s that truck coming?”

I turned to meet his eyes and folded my arms across my chest. “That’s it, huh? That’s all you got to say?”

“What?” Mason shrugged, his eyes shifting nervously. “We still have a truck coming, right?”

My brother had never been out all night without coming in to brag the next morning. Whether it was how much beer he drank to how much pussy he’d laid, he always had something to say. His aloof act was suspicious and considering my mood, he’d picked the wrong day for it.

“You fucked Ella, didn’t you?” I punched his arm and shook my head. His blank expression told me I was right. Never in his life did he get a poker face until absolutely necessary. “Son of a bitch.”

“Don’t be a fucking hypocrite. Save your lecture. I feel bad enough, okay?”

“Yeah, the sun rises on your shame and remorse kicks in. I’ve been there.” I uncrossed my arms and punched softly at his arm again.

“It kicked in about four a.m. during round three when she called me Teddy.” His eyes met mine, and I could tell that his ego had taken a blow to boot.

I almost spit my coffee. “You mean Davey, right?” Surely he mixed things up. Why on earth would she call out my name? David is the one she realized she loved, but, then again, it was probably another one of her games. She didn’t care about me like that, but she’d want him to think so.

“No, she said Teddy. Like Mama calls you. So then, not only am I taking a hit to my pride, but I’m thinking about my mother of all people.” He shuddered and made a face.

“Oh, man!” My expression was the same as if I’d eaten a lemon. “That’s too much information, man. I sympathize, but don’t gross me out.”

“How do you think I feel?” He swung his arm out and connected with my shoulder, leaving a sting.

“Serves you right.” I punched his arm in response.

“Well, I say we both vow that she’s off limits.” Mason held out his hand to shake, and I slapped his hand away.

“That’s a deal, but I won’t shake on it. She’ll be sniffing around here later, you wait and see. She’s going to have to come around to rub it in my face.” I laughed at the thought of it bothering me, then prepared myself to ruin his day. “If it helps, you get to pick up some slack today. That should keep you busy while you nurse that bruised ego and hangover.”

“I thought it was going to be easy with the truck arriving.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “What the hell happened?”

I hated to tell him why, but he’d know soon enough. “I fired Lauralee. So you get to do her work too.”

I glanced over my shoulder and found his chin had dropped and if the thing got any lower, he’d step on it. “You fired your girlfriend?”

“Why the hell would you say that? She’s not my girlfriend.” Anger bubbled up inside of me.

“Yeah, right.” He rolled his eyes like a little girl, and I wanted to punch him square in the mouth.

“I’m not with her. You saw her at Kinsey’s last night, right? She was on a date with another guy.”

“Nah, she was there spying. That guy is always at Kinsey’s, and she was alone when he came in. If he was with her, why didn’t he sit with her when he first came in?”

“What do you mean?” My heart pounded faster. How did I miss that?

“Yeah, she moved over beside him.”

I nodded. “So she approached him with me there? That’s what you’re saying. Which means she obviously didn’t want to be with me. She chose someone else like she did before.”

“Whatever, man. Give me my assignments so I can go get us caught up.”

“They’re by the door. And don’t complain to me about the workload, all right? I’m doing the best I can. We have fifteen head coming in today, but twenty going out at the end of the week, and I have got to get the baler fixed, or we’re going to be hurting come next month. Not to mention all the daily tasks that we’re responsible for.”

He held out his hands defensively. “I hear you, okay. We’ll get this shit done. Don’t sweat it.” As he walked out, I was reminded of Davey. That was the same look and speech he’d given me too, right before he’d taken off to Nashville.

Things had been good at first, and I believed they’d get better, not worse. I had us all caught up, and then David left, and Mama came home from the hospital needing Dad’s constant attention and supervision. All I’d ever wanted was to run the farm my way, and now that I had the chance, I wish I had someone to help me. I would have to hire someone. There was no way around it, and I was pretty sure Bailey was as useless as Lauralee had warned.

Days ago, I’d called in an ad in the local paper and hoped that would bring someone in, but I thought that it would take more than one hired hand to get us caught up now that I’d fired Lauralee. I was about to call and ask them to change and rerun the ad when Mason and Luke came running into the office in a panic.

Mason plopped down in the chair beside me. “We’re screwed.”

“Understatement of the year, my brother,” said Luke who turned to me. “We’re out of diesel.” He went to the log book and then pulled the fuel file out of the drawer.

“Shit, I forgot to order the fucking diesel.” I dropped my face into my palms and then threw my hat. “Dammit!”

Luke leaned against the door. “We can’t fix the baler without it, and all the tractors are running low. I’m scared to use Tilly. She’s a bitch to start when it gets too low, much less the trouble we’ll have if any one of them run completely out. Daddy is going to shit, and then he’s going to kill us all slowly.”

Mason threw his hands up in the air. “We’ll have to go into town and get some damned diesel.”

Luke shook his head. “No shit, but how are we going to do that without Dad finding out? I’m surprised he hasn’t noticed the truck didn’t show up on time.”

“He’s so out of his head with Mama’s recovery that he’s probably not even paying attention, but to be sure, one of you can distract him while someone goes with me to get the damned fuel.” I got up and straightened my jeans as my brothers flipped a coin to see who got the job of entertaining the old man. Whichever did would have a hell of a task and would be in the direct line of fire when the old man realized what happened.

“Dammit,” said Mason. “How the hell am I supposed to distract him? I haven’t had a conversation with him in weeks.”

Luke laughed. “No time like the present.”

I patted him on the back. “Yeah, you could always tell him about your remorse from the party.” He cut me a glance and then looked at Luke, who eyed him suspiciously.

Suddenly our baby brother’s eyes widened. “You fucked Ella!”

“Why don’t you say it a little louder so the cows can hear.” Mason glanced out the window to make sure no one was around. Sometimes Mama would come by on her way to the garden, and the walls to the office were thin.

“Would you two shut up and let’s go get this fuel before Dad comes out wondering why we’re standing around!” I didn’t have time for their petty crap. I turned to Mason. “I don’t give a shit what you tell him, but don’t let him come outside until we’re back. I’ll text you.”

“Fine, but hurry up, and I want out early Friday.”

“You’re in no position to bargain, stud.” I messed up his hair and headed out to Luke’s truck.

Luke’s was the quietest one, and I climbed into the passenger seat, and then he drove out to the back of the barn where we loaded the few gas cans we owned.

“This is it? Four cans?” Luke asked, putting the last can in the back of his truck.

“We’ll buy a couple of extra and fill them too.” We got back in the truck and Luke drove us out the side exit, down the road from our main one and closer to the Langston’s.

“I can’t believe I forgot the damned fuel. I feel like an idiot.” I stared at the dashboard and Luke shifted in his seat beside me, fidgeting with the radio. “This day is off to a terrible start.”

“Yeah, I heard you shit-canned Lauralee. Bad start for sure.” I felt his eyes on me, and I glanced over in time to see him turn his head back to the road. “What the hell happened? I understand you were upset with her but damn. That’s Lauralee. You know you love her.”

“I don’t need a damned lecture.” I rested my elbow on the door against the window and glared out to the road ahead. “I’ve been trying to get things under control and thought I had it all worked out until this week. Dad thought that I was doing well, and now he’s going to be disappointed, and I’ll have to hear I told you so. I can hear him now cussing about how his paper system worked fine for decades, and now I’m screwing it all up.” I paused to check Luke’s reaction and was disheartened when he nodded in agreement. “You even know I’m right. He’s going to gloat, and I’m so pissed at myself.”

“Look, we’ll get the fuel. It’s not that big of a deal. Mason will keep Dad occupied.” Luke shrugged it off, and I tried to relax.

The sad truth was, as much as I was upset over the fuel, I hated the way things ended with Lauralee. But another part of me realized that if I hadn’t been chasing around after her, I’d have kept my mind more on the schedules. It was time to focus on the farm and nothing else.