Home: A Novel (12 page)

I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick text.

Feel like grilling steaks tonight 4 the fam?

Will invite Justin, U call the boys. Cool?

We pulled into the DeLuca farm and Sarah gasped as the house came into view. It really was amazing, and she wasn’t even aware of the transformation that had taken place over the years. I pulled into the empty spot in front of the unattached garage.

My phone chirped.

you bet baby girl. Supper 7pm

Deal.
 
T
onight I would let Justin and my brothers know about Colton.
 
W
ell, not everything, just the most current threats. Justin would lose his shit if he knew all I had been through with Colton over the years. And quite frankly, my brothers would not be far behind.

Justin was coming out the front door when I heard the roar of a diesel truck coming up the lane. Sarah and I were barely out of the car as it pulled in right behind us.

David Lyons.

I whipped around to glare at Justin but he was already right behind me. “Easy, Bright Eyes,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m not playing matchmaker. I’m just eliminating myself as the third wheel.”

All I could do was shake my head. I looked over at Sarah who had not moved an inch, but instead stared at David getting out of his truck. I looked from her to him, and back again.

“Um.” I didn’t know what to do. I turned to face Justin who was grinning at David. He wrapped his arms around my center and I could feel his body shake from his chuckle.

“What the fuck are we witnessing here?” he asked.

“I have no idea.
 
T
hey are just staring at each other. I need to save her.”

“David!” I said a little too eagerly. “This is my best friend, Sarah. Sarah, David Lyons. He went to high school with us.”

David nodded in her direction but she stood frozen like a statue. “And this is Justin,” I said, dragging him over to shake her hand and snap her out of this trance. She peeled her eyes from David to us and finally came back to reality.

We stood around and chatted a bit after introductions, then walked down to the horse barn. After complaining about the smell of shit, Sarah tugged my arm to hold me back from the guys.

“Dude, I would actually consider rolling around in shit filled hay with Justin’s friend. He is that fine,” she said.

“Did you just call me dude?” I laughed. “And for the record, not everything on the farm is covered in shit or smells like shit.”

“From what I just said you choose to focus solely on the shit portion? Seriously? Please don’t leave me alone with him. I’m scared I’ll do something totally stupid.” She looked panicked. I had never seen her act like this before.

“Wait, do you like him?” I asked.

“What? Like him? No. I’ve said, like, three words to him. I mean. He looks nice.
 
W
ay nice, in a cowboy slash farmer slash bodybuilder sort of way.” She sighed. “Maybe I just need to get laid.”

I shook my head and grabbed her arm to keep walking. “Come on,” I giggled. “Let’s go help the guys get ready for the ride. I promise you’ll be okay.”

We walked into the horse barn as Justin and David finished getting the horses ready. It really was an amazing building. I was beginning to notice when Justin did something, whether it was associated with the farm or not, the boy did not do it half-assed. His house was amazing, the horse barn looked like you could actually live in it, and the rest of the farm was so well taken care of you’d think there was a woman involved at some point. Except there wasn’t. It was all Justin.

“Have you ever ridden before?” David asked Sarah. Her face instantly turned bright red. I knew exactly what her dirty mind was thinking.

“
Horses,”
 
I mouthed to her. She simply nodded and slid her foot in the stirrup.

Justin and I both mounted up and headed out of the barn.
 
W
e weren’t going very far today; just a short trail ride around the pasture to give Sarah the full experience. Justin brought me out here last week for a ride and it was beautiful.
 
W
ide open spaces with tall grass and lots of fresh air, it was exactly what I needed to clear my head and relax.

Of course, Sarah swore she could smell shit.

Chapter 12

Justin

A
fter I got off the phone with Lily, it seemed like a good idea to give Lyons a shout. I knew he wouldn’t have much going on today either. 
W
e both had a few weeks of down time between summer work and harvest. Usually this time of year we took off for the river to catch a few fish. 
W
ith Lily being back, I skipped out on those plans to stay around home. Once I witnessed the stare down between Sarah and David in my driveway, I was beginning to question my actions.

“So Justin,” Sarah asked from behind me. “Is all this land around here yours?”

We were riding out in my pasture. It was a beautiful piece of land just a short trail ride from the home place.
 
T
he creek running through it was quite big and with the hills it wasn’t ideal farmland, but it was the perfect pasture for trail rides.
 
W
e followed the hardened path until we got to the open grass. About a hundred yards ahead, through the trees, was the creek that flowed all the way to town, eventually spilling into the Glenview Lake. It was beautiful this time of year.
 
W
ildflowers popped their heads above the grass. It looked like confetti sprinkled the grass with every color imaginable.

I heard David chuckle next to me. “What is so damn funny?” she barked at him.

“You are, city girl.”

Sarah scowled but raised her eyebrows to me, obviously annoyed that I hadn’t answered her already. It made me wonder how Lil put up with her all those years on the road.

“Well, yeah, all this grassy area here is mine. And then I own quite a few acres where we plant crops.
 
T
he rest that I farm, I rent from other people who own the land.”

“Crops?” she asked.

“Christ Almighty,” David muttered as he shook his head and rode ahead to catch up with Lily.

“What the hell is up his ass?” she asked me.

“How should I know?” I answered and decided to completely ignore the fact that they cared what each other thought at all. “So yeah, crops. I plant corn and soybeans each year. I have a few fields of hay I cut and bale as well.”

I looked up to see if David and Lil were far enough ahead to be out of earshot. I knew if Lil found out I grilled Sarah for information about her, she would fly through the roof. But still, I couldn’t waste my chance to see if she could shed a little light on what she was hiding. Except Sarah beat me to it.

“Lily seems to be adjusting well to the simple life,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s like she never left.”

“Except she did.”

I looked over at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you can’t just pick up where you think you left off with her,” she said. “I know we’ve just met, but I know
 
this
 
Lily better than you do.
 
T
rust me. She’s not the same person she was at nineteen. If you want to move forward with her, you need to remember that.”

As much as I knew Sarah was trying to help, it also pissed me right off. I had the patience of a freakin’ saint. Had Lil told her I was pushing her too much? Because that definitely was NOT the case. Jesus, it took all the restraint in every inch of my body to keep from hauling her into my bedroom and locking the door for a fucking week.

“Thanks for the advice, Sarah, but I’m well aware that she’s not nineteen anymore. I’m not nineteen anymore either. I know some serious shit went down with her in Nashville. I can tell by the way she keeps her emotions behind a goddamn wall all the time. I haven’t pushed her into anything. But even if I had, she’s a big girl. I don’t think she needs you to guard her. And you apparently don’t know the same Lil that I do, because she would ream my fucking ass if I acted like that to her.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. My little firecracker. I knew it was just a front; acting like a badass to make everyone around her think she was tough. I knew better. I knew she was hurting. I knew she was scared. I knew she needed me to go in gentle with her, which is what I’d been doing. I just didn’t know how much longer I could hold out.

“Yeah, well, maybe we do both know a little bit of the same Lil,” she said. She had sunglasses on but I could feel her eyes on me, likely trying to figure me out. “Not to get too personal here, but I’m not talking about the sex stuff.”

I whipped my head to look at her.
 
W
hat?

She went on. “I’m talking about you being the type of man that she can trust. It’s not my place to say, but I think she’s ready in
 
that
 
context.
 
W
hat I’m talking about is her completely opening up to you and letting you in. She might choose to never tell you what happened, and that’s her decision. Having your heart broken is a rite of passage for most girls. But the difference with Lil is that she was in the spotlight and only one side of the story was told. Unfortunately, it wasn’t
 
her
 
side of the story but she wanted it that way. One thing’s for sure, Lil doesn’t like her private life made public….to anyone. She already has trust issues because so many people use her for money or fame. It’s hard for her to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not when it comes to relationships.”

I changed my mind about Sarah, thankful that Lily had her in her corner all those years. It made me feel better since I wasn’t there. I had been her protector all through high school, making sure she didn’t get into too much trouble and no one took advantage of her. It about killed me the day she left for Nashville knowing she would be on her own.

“So,” she went on. “Not to sound all protective on you, but what are your intentions with my best friend?”

I looked ahead to Lil and David.
 
T
hey were riding about fifty yards ahead of us and still well out of earshot. It looked like they were deep in conversation themselves. I wondered if David was spilling all my secrets like Sarah.

“She means something to me. I don’t know what else to tell you. Growing up, she was my whole world. I still can’t quite believe she’s really back for good. I guess maybe part of me is scared she’ll wake up one day and decide she doesn’t want this life and leave again.”

Shit. Did those words actually came out of my mouth? And to someone I just met? I wasn’t typically one to talk about my feelings unless I had at least a six pack coursing through my veins. But it was different with Sarah. I knew she loved Lil and was protective of her. I didn’t want her to think I wasn’t good enough.

Sarah laughed at me. “I’m pretty sure you have nothing to worry about. From what she tells me, this is it for her. She’s done with the spotlight and wants a simpler life. And from the goofy fucking look that crosses her face when she talks about you?
 
Y
eah, you should be good to go.”

Well that was good to hear.

“And I just have to say, she’s ready for more than you think.
 
Y
es, she had a shit deal handed to her awhile back.
 
T
hen not long after that had to deal with another tragedy.
 
T
hat one left her with a fear she may never get controlled.
 
T
he thing is, I think she’s more over it than she leads on. She’s scared, true, but she also knows you’d never do anything to hurt her.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked at me. “Just take a chance.”

“Take a chance, huh?
 
Y
ou gonna take your own advice?” I asked.

I watched her face shut down as she put up her defensive walls. “I take plenty of chances, thank you.”

“I mean about Lyons up there. Obviously, there were sparks between the two of you.”

She stared at me like I just spoke to her in a foreign language. David and Lil had slowed enough and we were catching up to them. Lil turned and smiled.
 
T
hat was all she had to do and it was over for me. I thought about Sarah’s advice. Maybe she was ready for more. I sure as hell was.
 
T
his taking a cold shower twice a day business was getting a little old. I fought against getting hard every time she crossed my mind. I was so fucking horny I felt like a fifteen year old kid and Lil didn’t deserve that. She needed romance, not some guy pawing all over trying to get in her pants.

“Sarah, my mom just sent me a text saying she’s grilling steaks for a big family supper tonight. Doesn’t that sound awesome?”

I raised an eyebrow at her. She was up to something.

“Lyons, you like steak, right?” she asked him.

He nodded and smiled.

“You should come over tonight.
 
Y
ou know Mama, there will be enough food for thirty extra people. It would be a good chance for you and Sarah to get to know each other.”

“Damn,” I heard uttered from Sarah’s mouth.

“Lillian,” I warned, shaking my head.

“Thanks for the invite, Lil,” Lyons said but kept his eyes on Sarah. “I’ll be there.”

I rolled my eyes and Lil grinned. She was pretty proud of herself playing matchmaker. Maybe I should warn Lyons. Sarah seemed nice enough, but she came off a little stuck up. I know they say opposites attract, but I think these two might be a little
 
too
 
opposite.

He turned to Sarah and said, “Come on, city girl, let’s head back to the horse barn and I’ll take care of the tack while you brush the horses.”

“Oh goody, back to where the shit smell is contained in an enclosed space.”

Lyons took off. “We’ll see ya when you get back,” he shouted over his shoulder to us. It was blatantly obvious they were giving us a little alone time.

“Well Ms. Raftzen, it looks like they’ve left us all alone out here,” I said as I hopped down off my horse. I walked him over to the tall grass to graze.

Lily dismounted as well and followed close behind. Looking back to where Sarah and David rode up the trail she said, “Do you think we need to be concerned about the two of them being alone?”

“Probably not. I’m sure Sarah will bitch about the shit smell until Lyons finds a way to shut her up.” I smirked at the thought. “How he chooses to do that is none of my business.”

I looked up to see Lil strolling casually toward me. She had a devious look in her eye.

“Well, Mr. DeLuca. How do you plan to shut me up?”

Oh yeah, I like where this is going.

I stalked the rest of the way to her and kissed her hard. I may have frightened her a little at first, but she relaxed into me in no time. I reached up and pulled the hair tie from her ponytail, causing her dark curls to spill down around her face. I threaded both of my hands into her hair and deepened the kiss, thrusting my tongue into every depth of her perfect little mouth. Her body melted into mine as she moaned.

I moved my hands from her hair down her back to rest at the top of her jeans. Pulling my left hand around to grip her hip I then ran it up her ribcage. I stopped just under her breast, but was close enough to graze the side of it with my thumb. She moaned again into my mouth as I moved my hand just a fraction to palm the entire mound. She was the perfect size to fit in my hand. Her kiss softened, and she sighed as I gently kneaded the soft tissue.

She pulled my baseball cap from my head and ran her fingers through the curly hair at the back of my neck. My right hand travelled further down her back until it fully cupped her perfect ass. Pressing my hips tighter to her body, I knew she could feel my erection pressing against her belly.
 
T
his woman made my insides melt.

She pulled back from the kiss and smirked at me. “Yeah, I feel ya DeLuca.”

It was so damn cute, I wanted to lay her down right there in the grass and run my tongue over every inch of her body. Instead of listening to the advice Sarah gave me not five minutes ago, I froze. She didn’t need me fucking her in the damn pasture. Jesus, she was better than this.

“Listen, Lil, I don’t think this is the best place for this.”

Her face instantly fell.

“I’m sorry, for lack of sounding like a total and complete pussy, I just want this to be perfect for you.”

“I understand,” she said softly.

It was not at all what I expected from her. Usually, if I tested my will against hers she would get all huffy and storm away. So what was different today? She seemed almost beaten down, like the fire that burned in her eyes was not as hot as usual.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah, no, I totally understand.” She seemed distracted. “You know, we should really head back. I don’t want Sarah to kill Lyons or try to eat him alive or anything.”

She laughed but it seemed off. Forced almost. She grabbed the reins, put her foot in the stirrup and lifted herself up onto the horse. She was off at a trot before I even moved from my place.

By the time I caught up to her she was almost back to the farm. She rode into the barn and quickly dismounted.
 
W
alking her horse to tie up in front of his stable, I eyed her as I did the same. Every time I looked in her direction she was busy doing something else, purposefully not looking at me.

Looking around, I realized David and Sarah were nowhere in sight. I assumed he took her into the house to show her around and grab something to drink.
 
T
hey probably figured Lil and I would stay down by the creek longer. Instead, I fucked it all up by pushing her away. Damn it.

When I glanced in her direction again, I realized her eyes looked sad. She continued to run the brush over her horse but refused to look at me.

Son of a bitch, I hurt her. Just what I promised Sarah I would NOT do.