Chapter 3
After what should have been a five-hour flight but ended up being ten hours of travel, Magnolia arrived at her childhood home in Briar Ridge, Tennessee. As she sat in the passenger seat of the truck and knocked along the winding, tree-lined drive, she sucked in a breath. Magnolia hadn’t been home since leaving for college. Ten years later, and it was just as she remembered. Every bump and jostle in the road was like a welcome home. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Hayden’s head slumping forward in his car seat. With his touseled caramel hair and hazel-green eyes, he was the spitting image of what Magnolia used to look like as a child. “Thank you for comin’ to get me.”
There were two things Magnolia was absolutely sure about in this moment. One: Eric was a complete ass. Two: even after all these years, she was still her Uncle Mike’s favorite niece. She’d called him right when her flight landed and said one sentence. “Uncle Mike, I’m at the airport.”
Amongst the racket of him falling out of bed at six o’clock at night, she heard his muttered cursing then a solid yell. “I’m comin’.” And then the phone went dead. Now, here she was, and he’d barely uttered a word to her. When he arrived, he grabbed her bags, took one look at Hayden, and loaded them up in his old Ford pickup. As they rolled along, Magnolia wound down the window, letting in the cool, crisp air.
Beside her, her uncle smiled. “Smells like home?”
“Yeah. It does.” She reached out, patting his hand. “I’m sorry it took me so long to come back.”
Though his hair had thinned a little, he was still an attractive man, with full lips, a button nose, brown eyes and high cheekbones. He gave her a sideways glance. “Just glad you’re back. Even if it is in the middle of the night.”
“It’s only eight o’clock.”
“Yep, about time for a good meal and a warm bed.”
Magnolia could think of nothing more than wanting both of those, especially a bed. The farther they got from New York, the closer she came to having a breakdown. All this time she’d barely cried, barely let herself stop long enough to process what happened. After everything was said and done, the only thing she felt was exhaustion. Even her eyelids wanted to shut for days and block out the world.
When she sucked in the clean air, she tasted the first signs of fall on her tongue. Even the leaves had started to change colors. “Did you tell Dad you came to get me?”
Once Magnolia decided to leave Manhattan and come to Tennessee, she’d decided a surprise visit was the best form of action. Determined to get home, she jumped on the earliest flight out. No one knew she was coming until she’d already arrived. Uncle Mike shrugged. “I told him.”
“Well, what’d he say?”
“You know your father. He was a mite angry you didn’t call him to come get ya. But he figured you had your reasons.”
She did indeed have her reasons. A nervous ball settled in the pit of her stomach. She’d always had a complicated relationship with the man. They loved each other, that much was sure, but at times they didn’t understand one another. She could only imagine what he’d think when he heard about what happened between her and Eric. Before she even got on the plane, she decided to tell him face-to-face, and here she was... Surprise! But the closer they came to the ranch, the more she questioned the surprise approach.
When they came over the last small hill, Triple R Ranch came into view. Though it was night, the lights from within the large ranch-style house lit up the area around it. The house was everything she missed about living in Tennessee. A long wrap-around covered porch broken up by dark wooden posts adorned the front. It was lined with rocking chairs, and at the very end was the swing she sat on to think. Inside, there were five large bedrooms and bathrooms, a chef’s kitchen accompanied by a living room, dining room, and office where her father spent most of his time. If he wasn’t working the land, he was working in that office.
A few hundred yards away stood a smaller house, almost an exact replica of the Triple R original home, just a bit smaller. It was utterly charming and looked brand new. “Uncle Mike, what’s that house for?”
He cleared his throat. “Your dad took on a managing partner a while back. He lives there now.”
“A partner? Daddy gave up some control of the ranch? I don’t believe it.”
“Well, you ought to. The man does a damn fine job. Keeps Triple R in the green all year round no matter what.”
“I can’t wait to meet this partner.” In all her time at home, her father never gave up one ounce of control over the ranch. It would have taken a miracle for him to do so, so what had changed?
When the truck rolled to a stop, Maggie reached for the handle with shaking hands. She paused a moment, catching her breath before she faced her dad. What was she going to say to him? I left home, married a lying piece of shit, and never came to visit. But now that my world is crumbling, I’ve come home. Please let me stay here, even though I’ve been an ass.
When she was about to hunch back into her seat, she felt her uncle’s gentle touch on her arm. He gave her a half-smile. “You were right to come on home, Maggie. He’ll be happy to see ya.”
A breath she hadn’t realize she’d been holding left her lips. Coming home shouldn’t be so hard. Maybe she was overthinking things. Her father had always been there for her, even when her parents had divorced. So why was she questioning seeing him now? Deep down, she knew the answer. Because she’d stayed away too long. Scraping together what little backbone she had left, she pulled open the handle and stepped out on the dirt drive. Though she wore her black and tan leather riding boots, her feet immediately sunk into the ground. When she wiggled her toes, she felt them suck into the mud. “Lovely.” She wiggled her hips from side to side, trying to dislodge herself from the squishy mess.
When the front door swung shut with a bang, she expected to see her dad waiting for her. Instead, when she snapped up her head, she froze in shock. “Dax?”
“Magnolia?”
Oh, God, she’d recognize that voice even in a crowded room full of strangers. It was like rumpled bedroom sheets after a long night, like bourbon on ice. Rough and deep but a soothing balm to her skin. She’d forced herself to forget him, forced herself to move forward without him. Shit. How could she have?
Her boot slipped free of the mud, and she pinwheeled her arms wildly, trying not to fall. Failing miserably, she tipped back, catching herself on the open passenger door. Her legs slipped out from under her, and she hung there for a moment clinging to the door. Here she was, looking like shit run over twice in front of a man who looked like an ad in a magazine. Perfect, just perfect. Add this to the list of shitty situations she’d been in this week.
In her mind, if she did run into Dax, she would’ve been all put together, maybe in a sundress and cowboy boots, not fresh off ten hours of travel with a three-year-old. Not after finding out her husband was cheating, and definitely not after returning home with her tail between her legs. When she’d hopped on the plane, she hadn’t even brushed her hair. The messy knot was still firmly in place, and she wasn’t the type to make it look cute like other girls. No, it was a swirl of greasiness that topped off the blotchy face she’d given herself from stressing. Makeup hadn’t even been a thought.
Instead of choosing an outfit with care like she normally did, she’d settled for a baggy black turtleneck and faded black leggings. The kind of leggings a woman didn’t want her former high school love to see her in. The kind of leggings you used on the worst day of your period and didn’t care if you wiped chocolate ice cream on them. Just great!
Dragging her feet back beneath her, she slowly stood up straight and met his scrutinizing gaze. Looking up at him now she wondered how she successfully forgot him. All six foot two inches of roughly honed rancher. A day’s worth of stubble covered his square jaw and the muscle within ticked. No doubt he was grinding his teeth. Under his beat-up baseball cap, he scrunched up his face the way he did when he got confused.
Ten years apart faded away to nothing. Memories assailed her one after the other. His voice in her ear, I love you, Maggie. Be mine, Maggie. Shaking away the thoughts, she brushed her hands over her shirt, trying to smooth out the wrinkles. When he walked down the front steps, he looked almost angry to see her. When he narrowed those maple eyes at her, she knew he was. “What are you doin’ here?”
His southern drawl was smooth like a lazy river over babbling stones. Up north, the words were harsh and cutting. Even Eric’s voice fit in with New York. But Dax was all southern manners, deep and gravelly. With her emotions on overdrive, the last thing she needed was his rugged ass standing in front of her, looking like a better version of the statue of David, while she clumsily loped about. It was enough to drive a woman mad. “What am I doin’ here? This is my home. What are you doin’ here?”
“I thought home was someplace you lived. Last time I checked, you don’t live here.” Though his words were cutting, his tone was shaky, almost nervous.
Slamming the car door behind her, she righted herself. “Well, I’m back. And you can thank my lying, cheating husband for that.” Why the hell had she blurted that out? It was like word vomit—first, she’d told her mother, then the woman taking her ticket at the airport, then the stewardess, and now Dax. Each time she thought about it, her anger flared.
He froze at the bottom of the steps as his mouth dropped open. “Say what now? He cheated?”
“Yes.”
“On you?”
“Yes.”
“He… cheated… on… you?” His words were halting as if he were having trouble understanding what she was saying.
Throwing her hands up in the air, she walked to the bed of the truck to pull out her luggage. “Yes, I can’t explain it any other way, so ya might as well stop askin’. So now I am home to catch my breath and think. Is that okay with you?”
Ten years since she’d been home, and this was their first conversation. It’s not at all how she pictured it. She thought maybe they’d meet after church or in passing in a restaurant, say their awkward hellos, and sigh in relief that they’d gotten past the unease of running into an ex-love. But with him standing there, witnessing her life falling to pieces, just made it seem that much worse. Not only had Eric cheated, but now Dax got to see the aftermath.
“Um, yeah? Sorry, I guess.” He shuffled from one foot to the other, then settled on shoving his hand in the pockets of his jeans.
There was something to be said for a man who could wear a pair of low-slung loose-fitting jeans like a second skin. Eric had always worn tailored dress pants. Dax probably didn’t own a single pair. How had she ended up with two men who were complete opposites in all ways?
Seeming to come out of his daze, he hurried beside her. When she reached for the suitcase, his large hand was there first. She paused, looking up at him, and for a moment she though she saw sorrow in his eyes. “I’m sorry he did that to you, Maggie.”
What could she say to that? Awkwardness settled over her, and they stood gazing at each other for a second longer than she’d like. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” With one hand, he pulled her case from the bed of the truck. Before she could grab it, he strutted away from her to put it up on the porch. Had a man ever looked so good walking away? Damn those jeans.
When he turned back to get the other, he paused, tilting his head to the side as though he’d caught her ogling him. What was she doing? Hadn’t she gotten herself into enough man trouble? With a sound of disgust, she walked to the other side of the truck to retrieve Hayden. Two clicks later, and she had his car seat unbuckled. The kid slept like a rock. He tipped forward right into her waiting arms. She scooped him up, letting his head rest on her shoulder as she started for the house. Uncle Mike waited at the top of the stairs next to her bags.
Dax stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes were wide, and he took a small step back “You have a kid?”
“No, this is a strange one I picked up at the airport.” She adjusted Hayden on her shoulder. “Yes, I have a kid. This is my son, Hayden.”
He said nothing, and for a moment they stood like that. Him looking like she’d given him the shock of the century, and her daring him to say one bad thing. Finally, when Magnolia couldn’t take it anymore, she asked, “What are you doin’ here?”
When he ran his hand over the back of his neck, she could see the muscles in his arms bending and flexing. Goodness, he’d filled out since the last time she’d seen him. Dax had always been muscular but now, he was breathtaking. “I, ah, I work here.”
“Are you shittin’ me?” This was all she needed, seeing Dax every day while she tried to take the time to figure out what parts of herself she had left.
He leaned back on his heels, and a small crinkle appeared between his eyebrows. “No, I am not shittin’ you.” He pointed to the house across the property. “Matter of fact, I live over there.”
“You’re Daddy’s managing partner?” This just got better and better. She could feel her temper rising. This was not what she expected her homecoming to be, not with Dax here… all the time.
The left side of his mouth tilted up in a smirk. “That’s right.”
“But he hates you.” It was true. Her father disapproved of Dax so much so that at one point he forbid her to see him. Didn’t stop her from sneaking out of her window every night, though.
“This isn’t high school anymore, Magnolia. Things change.” He motioned to Hayden. “Life happens.”
He only called her Magnolia when his temper was starting to rise, just like hers. Maggie stomped up the stairs and handed Hayden to her uncle. He hesitantly took the boy and held him in his arms like he’d never held a child before. She stomped down the stairs to face off against Dax. “Why? Why this ranch? You could’ve worked anywhere.”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” He crossed his arms over his chest, the material of his grey t-shirt pulling tightly across his biceps.
She pointed a finger in his face. “Yes, you do.” Was this some kind of sick joke? She left one perfect looking, beautiful man to be faced with a ruggedly built, sexy as hell one. Was this some sort of karma coming back to bite her in the ass? Because, if so, she’d like to know who she’d pissed off so much in her life to deserve this amount of torture. The embarrassment alone was enough to choke her.
“No. I. Don’t.” He punctuated each of his words before he turned away from her and began walking away. He called over his shoulder, “Don’t you worry, Magnolia. I’ll be sure to stay out of your way. Won’t be long before you hop back on a plane, and we don’t hear from you for another ten years.” Ouch. Then he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “By the way… cute kid.”
The nerve of that man. But as he marched away from her, she watched his big strides eat up the distance to his house. To herself, she muttered, “Ugh, can you believe the nerve of that man?”
From the porch, her uncle chuckled. “Some things never change.”
“What are you talkin’ about?” she huffed and marched forward to grab Hayden from him.
As he handed him over, he said. “Y’all have always been like fire and ice.”
“Whatever that means.” She rolled her eyes and turned for the door, then stopped and sucked in a breath, ready to face her father.