A Slow Burning Fire (11 page)

Bryce ran his lower lip under his teeth. “I wasn't aware they did that. You always paint your family as this super-positive influence in your life. Granted, you don't talk about your siblings much.”

“There isn't much to say because I don't see them much.”

“Maybe that's part of the problem, then. Perhaps they just want to have a place in your life. You've been able to give your parents a slice of it, so why not them?” He gave her a sideways glance.

Scowling, knowing he was right, she let out a soft huff. “We can't all be perfect like you.”

He laughed. “You know I'm far from perfect. I just don't want you to make the same mistake I have.”

“And what mistake would that be?”

“Giving up,” he said.

Arial scoffed. “I've never seen you quit anything.”

He sighed and stopped tracing her hands with his own. Instead, he held her hands firmly. “My brother thinks that my priorities are off. While my mom was sick, he resented the fact that I worked so much instead of spending more time with her. He still doesn't understand that I did it all for her so that she could get the best treatment possible and be with us longer. No, I didn't stay at the house and take care of her like he had, and there were a lot of moments I did miss because of work commitments. We made the most of it all the same, she and I.”

“I remember all of the set visits she made. Filming got a little awkward sometimes,” she said with a small laugh. “Not like we did anything together back then in those scenes, but that was when Veronica started getting all kinds of crazy on the show. I just remember seeing her there with my mom, both of them watching…” She shivered, reliving the experience all over again. They both had been there the day she'd lost her on-screen virginity. It was just a show, but she'd been embarrassed all the same.

Bryce also laughed. A good sound to hear from him. He didn't do it that much when he talked about his mother anymore. “Right, and we took a few vacations together, too. I wanted to make sure she could do and see everything she wanted to do. He didn't think that was a good idea, but I think part of him was jealous. Even though we did all of these things together, I think he wonders if she loved me more for giving her those moments. I, of course, wonder if she loved him more for being there through the harder things. I barely got there in time to say goodbye.”

“You know she didn't love either one of you more,” Arial said. She gave his hands a squeeze.

“The long point I'm trying to make is that you can't let your sisters scare you away from being a part of your family. My relationship with my brother is basically shot because he thinks I'm selfish. I've given up trying to prove him wrong, so now I just avoid seeing him as much as possible.”

Arial shifted her body so she could gaze up at him. Her heart absolutely ached for him. She’d noticed a shift in how he talked about his family ever since his mother had died, but she didn't realize why. The assumption had always been that it was because he wasn't ready to talk about family things just yet. In truth, it was because he didn't have any family business to share. Outside of the fact that his father had remarried a couple of years ago, the Valentine family stories had stopped.

She frowned. “It's not too late for you to fix things. If you tried to make him understand, I'm sure he'd listen.”

Bryce shrugged. “I'll worry about me later. Stop ruining my heart-to-heart talk where you gain the sudden amazing revelation that your family loves you. All of them.”

“Sounds like a cheesy television movie,” she teased and nudged him in the side. “Then, let me guess, life automatically becomes easy and perfect, and we all live happily ever after?”

“Throw in a few bombs, too, because in my head this is an action spy flick.” He winked.

She sighed, smiling, completely lost in his arms. He always knew how to make everything better again. The advice he had given, though unwanted, was exactly what she needed to be reminded of. Perhaps he understood better than she originally thought. He didn't know her sisters, but the sadness in his voice as he spoke about what happened to his brother was enough to make her want to try. She doubted it would help, but at least she could say she did something instead of give up. It was a shame he wasn't doing the same.

“So is your family treating you like an outsider what you meant by consequences?” he asked.

“Back on the serious talk again?” She glanced up at him. “They've all sacrificed for me. That comes with a price on my end, too. Part of it I am paying by being here now.”

“You really don't want to be here,” he said softly.

“No, I don't,” she admitted. The sky was finally dark, though she missed the exact moment the sun had actually set. One by one the stars twinkled into view. “Look up,” she said.

Bryce sucked in a deep breath. “Wow, you're right. This is humbling. I can't say I've ever seen so many stars in the sky before.”

“Never ever?” she asked.

“No, because I've always been too close to a city to get a good view.” He pointed up. “That's the Milky Way. I can actually see the outline of it in the sky. And over there is Cygnus, which means Pegasus is right over there!” He continued to point, and his face lit up as he spoke.

She followed his hand, trying to see the constellations he spotted in the sky. “I didn't realize you were so interested in stars.”

“Astronomy was one of my favorite subjects from high school, and I love mythology. I studied star charts when I was younger, thinking I'd get to see the world and I'd want to know what I saw in the sky while I did it.” He chuckled. “Little did I know I'd see the world, but not anywhere I could see so much at once. Usually only the really common bright constellations can be found. Big Dipper, Orion, that kind of thing.”

“Big Dipper is about the only one I know on sight,” she admitted. “That and the W one.”

“Cassiopeia.”

“Right.”

He stretched out his body, and she could feel his muscles tightening underneath her. “Promise me something, will you?”

“Maybe,” she said.

“It's not anything too crazy. I just want you to try and make the most of your time here, and see what it does to your relationship with your family. If you're unhappy, they can sense it. Try to see the good things about being here.”

She rolled onto her stomach so she could look up at his face. “Fine, but only if you promise to call your brother and talk to him.”

Bryce's gaze met hers and he swallowed. “I told you I don't want you to worry about me.”

“It's only fair,” she stated.

“Fine, you have a deal.” He shifted his weight underneath hers. “I should probably get going. Regardless of whether I'm going to be doing your chores or not, I will still be getting up early.”

Arial rolled off him, sitting back on her knees. She watched him stand, rather reluctant to see him go. Did she do something wrong? It felt a lot like he was trying to escape from her. Maybe she'd been a little too intimate with her actions.

She glanced down at her watch to check the time and saw it was a lot later than she expected. “Will I get to see you tomorrow?” she asked hopefully.

He flashed his beautiful smile. “Like I could go a day without seeing you. I'm sure at some point we'll be crossing paths.”

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Arial nodded. “Thanks for letting me —”

“Don't thank me for listening to you. It's my pleasure. I'm glad you still trust me so much. Don't hesitate to tell me anything, Ari. Nothing you say could ever make me think differently of you.” Before she could reply, he ran off, waving farewell as he went.

He was still smiling, and she wanted badly to believe him. Would he still say those things if he knew just how deeply her caring went? When they had moments like tonight, she couldn't help but fall even harder for him. He had a way of making her want to try things beyond her comfort zone, of making her bold. She could find a way to reconnect with her family and make things better with the courage he instilled inside of her heart. But it wasn't quite enough to give her the strength to tell him she was indeed in love with everything about him.

Chapter Eight

With a groan, Arial entered the shed out back. Getting up early for work wasn't the problem, but rather the kind of work she would be doing. The morning chores were divided up fairly amongst the whole family. Her father generally took on the more physically challenging jobs before he left for work, while she and her siblings did the smaller but more plentiful chores. She grabbed the grooming kit for the cows. They were her responsibility. Her sisters tended to their horses, Kieran took care of the fish in the morning, and they all did something to take care of the yard.

She trudged over to the open barn where the cows lived and found Bryce inside already, removing piles of manure in the hay. One of the cats walked by her as she stood in the doorway, mewing loudly and giving away her presence.

Bryce glanced over at her and put his pitchfork down. Then he pulled down a bandana from his face and a plug off his nose. To top it off, he wore thick rubber boots over his blue jeans, and his red button-down was open, exposing the muscles on his abdomen. She had to keep herself from staring. Even if she'd seen them on set, they were still a nice sight. What made it even more worthwhile, however, was that Bryce was so out of his element to the point where it was hilarious. He might have been trying to be country, but it was clear where he came from.

Arial couldn't help but giggle at the sight. “What I wouldn’t give for a camera right now.”

“You wouldn't dare,” he challenged.

“Why is it fair for you to take all those pictures for yourself, but I can't take one for me?” she asked and pulled out her cell phone to snap a photo of him. “Say cheese.”

He folded his arms in front of him and raised an eyebrow. A perfect image, and she made sure to capture it with her camera.

“Send me a copy then,” he said. “Because I do want to document this moment of my life. Just don't post it all over the Internet.”

She scowled, hurt by the warning. “You should know me better than that. When have I ever done anything on there? I mean, besides the obvious work-related things. People have asked me to run a social media page, but I like my private life to stay private for a lot of reasons.”

“Just like me.” He nodded. “I was teasing you.”

“Oh, right,” she mumbled and closed her eyes.

“You're edgy today.”

She attempted a casual smile but wasn't sure if she pulled it off. “It's the six-in-the-morning, no-shower-or-breakfast day I'm having.”

Bryce relaxed his arms and set the pitchfork aside. He walked toward her and gazed down at her with eyes that were wide awake and sparkling in the sunlight streaming through the windows. “It's too early to be having such a sour attitude. I mean, the day's just starting. Don't be so quick to judge it just because of a few minor things. Besides, who wants to take a shower before working with these beauties?” He patted Jojo's haunches. “They're great ladies, but they're kind of smelly.”

“Oh, believe me, I know. I have been where you are right now, and I do not envy your job in the slightest. At the same time, it helps wake me up.” She winked. “You're taking to this rather naturally. I'm kind of surprised.”

“Why? Just because I'm from the city doesn't mean I'm incapable of getting down and dirty when I need to.” He gasped in mock surprise.

She smiled and picked up the brush so she could groom the cows. Not all farmers took the time to bond with their cattle. Since there were only two of them on the family farm, it was easier to get attached to the animals. Arial liked how friendly it made the cows, which was part of the reason she had a hard time eating beef. Her new friends would eventually be taken to slaughter. While she was grateful for the sacrifice and all they provided, they were still her friends just like the bond she had with the dog and cat. Jojo and Pieces were just like any other family pet to her.

With a shrug, she brushed the cow in slow, smooth strokes. “Some people have it in their blood to do this kind of rough work. Other people, not so much. You've always been a hard worker and willing to take on any challenge presented to you, no doubt about it. And you've never been afraid of getting messy. At the same time, you've only lived in the suburbs. The most complicated animal you've ever cared for is a cat. You're usually more into being stylish and suave than…” She gestured at his outfit. “It took me by surprise, that's all. Maybe the country is a little in your blood after all.”

“Maybe I want it to be if it's not,” he said. His hand ran over Jojo's fur. “I can see why you get attached to them. They're fascinating. Pieces licked me today. I had no idea they had scratchy tongues.”

She laughed. That was such a city thing of him to say, and adorable. Just the fact that he wanted to try so hard in the first place was sweet. When Bryce committed to something, though, he did it with one-hundred-and-ten percent of everything he had to offer. What she couldn't tell was how long the devotion would last. Would he stick around for the full summer or get bored and want to move on? She knew him well enough to know he liked a lot of spontaneity and variety. For a long time, she was surprised he stayed on the show for its entire run. He'd told her many times he wanted to see what else was out there for him. Ohio could have been just another random adventure for him to try.

“Why are you here, Bryce?” she asked, setting the brush down.

He rubbed at his arms slowly. “You asked me to come, remember? It was your suggestion.”

“But why did you agree to come?”

****

Bryce was having a hard time looking her in the eyes. Not because he had anything to hide, but because she had this way of making him feel weak in the knees and all kinds of vulnerable. He'd spent a good deal of the past few days rebuilding a lot of his strength from when his life had been turned upside down. One look, and she'd have him back at the beginning again. So he looked everywhere but at her face.

“I agreed with you when you said it might be a good thing for me. It is. Being here has been exactly what I've needed for quite some time. What I want to know is why you care so much,” he said.