Mustang Daddy - A Single Daddy, Small Town Second Chance Romance Page 3

  “Back for now. That good enough?”

  “Hell yeah! Lottie is going to be so stoked!” Kirby is married to my friend Lottie. Now that I think about it, I remember there being a Facebook announcement a few years back. We didn’t stay close after I left, but we exchanged holiday greetings and the annoying thumbs up on each other’s posts occasionally. Kirby signals to one of the bartenders to pour some shots of tequila. Raising his glass, he toasts my return. “To old friends, and new beginnings. Welcome back, A.B.”

  We laugh, we dance, we drink… a lot. The hours’ tick by as we reminisce about the adventures of our youth. I manage to avoid the elephant in the room, refusing to let myself ask the question that’s been racing around my head for hours. I know they’re waiting, Jax goading me to cave.

  “Seriously? You ain’t gonna ask? You know you want to.”

  I try to play dumb, but he’s not buying it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Tequila is beginning to take effect – Kirby slurring his words as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. “Your high school beau, sweetheart.”

  “I haven’t thought about… him… in years. I don’t care where he is, or what he’s doing. I don’t need to be hearing about him riding wild horses, or whatever else he’s riding these days.”

  The color drains from their faces, causing my heart to lurch into my chest. Kirby turns to Jax. “Well, shit. She doesn’t know.”

  “Bull. She lived in Manhattan, not on the moon.”

  My palms are sweaty, a thousand scenarios running through my mind. “What don’t I know? Is he okay?”

  “Fuck, A.B. When was the last time you saw him?”

  “Five years ago. We didn’t talk. It was at an… event. Haven’t heard anything since.”

  “You better sit down.”

  My lungs tighten, fear twisting them like a boa constrictor. Surely momma would’ve told me if something bad had happened to him? What if he was injured? Paralyzed? What if he’s dead? “Just tell me, dammit.”

  He sobers in seconds. “Annabeth…” His eyes widen as his attention diverts to the door.

  “Jackson Robert McKinney, look at me. Stop looking at every girl that walks in, and tell me. What happened to…” I turn to see who has him dumbstruck…

  “Maddox?” My brain short-circuits; white noise drowning out the music as I stare in shock… awe… horror.

  “What the fuck are you doing here, Annabeth?”

  Chapter Three

  MADDOX

  The bar falls silent. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone is staring at me… waiting.

  My breath catches. My pulse racing so hard, I can feel it pounding against my skin. Time hasn’t dimmed her effect on me. Annabeth looks even better than she did at eighteen. Her curves are more mature, slender yet voluptuous. I drink in the sight of her, desire burning as fierce as my anger. I can’t stand the silence. Even the band has stopped playing.

  “Y’all, go about your business.” I hold her gaze. “There’s nothing worth talking about here.” I turn on my heels and walk back out the door. All I wanted was a quick drink and a game of pool before holing up at the ranch to wait out her visit. I never thought for a minute she’d be here – drunk with my friends. Assholes.

  Jax comes barreling out the door behind me, shouting for me to wait up, but I’m so fucking mad right now, I don’t even want to look at him. “Mad! Come on! You can’t go on like this forever.”

  “Like hell I can’t! She left, without a word. She didn’t give a crap about me, so why would you expect me to be okay with her when she blows into town to visit her parents? Not once has she tried to reach out to me.”

  “Mad, there’s something you need to know.”

  “No! I don’t want to hear it, Jax. I can’t believe that you, out of everybody, would welcome her with open arms after what she did. She left all of us behind without so much as a goodbye. You know what that did to me. Why would you do it?”

  “I was looking out for you.”

  “At the bottom of her tequila shot?” I snap back in anger.

  “Mad – she’s back.”

  I stop dead in my tracks. My legs paralyzed with rage, confusion… hope. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “She’s back. She’s the new Doc.”

  “For how long? A week? A month?”

  The voice that haunts my dreams confirms my worst nightmare. “I live here now, Maddox.”

  She strides toward me, her heels clip clopping like horseshoes on the sidewalk. She is stunning in the moonlight. So beautiful, it takes my breath away. Her hair glistens, as if sprinkled with stardust. Her eyes are wild, untamed, and ready to fight. I’ve missed her fire – hot enough to set a barn ablaze. Every move she makes, only serves to highlight how she’s changed – matured. She’s not the tomboy anymore, with a figure to match. Her new curves are sexy as hell, and it angers me further. I want to lick every inch of her caramel skin; the memory of her taste, taunting me.

  “Will you give us a minute, Jax? I need to talk to him.”

  Jax looks to me for approval. “I’ll be fine. This won’t take longer than thirty seconds. Then I’m going home to Sally Rae.” Just the mention of my daughter’s name calms me.

  I wait a few moments until Jax returns to the bar, before turning my attention to Annabeth. “So you live here now? Kingsbury Falls suddenly good enough for you?”

  “Maddox, I understand that you’re angry with me.”

  “Angry? That doesn’t even come close to how I feel about you.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t think you have the first clue about it, Annabeth. Otherwise, you never would have left me like that. I didn’t deserve a goodbye? A phone call, a letter… anything! I thought I meant something to you. I fucking loved you!”

  She reaches for my hand, but I take a step back. I know what will happen if I feel her skin on mine. “You meant everything to me, Mad. You know I loved you.”

  “Bullshit! If you love someone, you don’t rip their heart out like that. You don’t just erase them from your life. And you don’t just turn up fourteen years later and expect everything to be fine. What? You think we’re going to be friends now?”

  “No. I just thought that we could be civil. Or when you’re visiting, I’ll be sure to stay out of your way. I needed to come home, Mad.”

  “Visit? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I figured you’re still bronc riding and traveling most of the time. Will it really be such a big problem for you to see me once in a while on the town square? We’re both adults now.”

  “Wow! You cared so little about me that you don’t even know, do you? I quit riding three years ago, and moved back here permanently. So, yes – it’s a big problem for me that you have decided to grace our little town with your presence.”

  “What happened?”

  “None of your fucking business, Annabeth. You gave up any rights to knowing about my life the day you left. Do me a favor – if you see me on the street, cross the road. Don’t come to the ranch, and if we happen to be in the bar or the diner at the same time, whoever came in last can leave. That way we never have to talk, and I barely even need to look at you.” I grab the handle of the truck, swinging the door open harder than I anticipated.

  “Please, Mad. Let me explain. Can we talk about this?”

  “I don’t want to hear any lame-ass excuses you’ve come up with to help you sleep at night. Goodbye, Annabeth.” I shove my key in the ignition – the engine roaring to life, and I peel out of there like a raging bull. My pulse is throbbing in my ears, my hands shaking on the wheel.

  The drive home is a blur, my mind racing with so many conflicting emotions. I was finally feeling like my life was settled here. I finally stopped expecting Samantha to return about six months ago. Things have been going well on the ranch, and Sally Rae and I have our routine. We have each other, and that’s all that really matters. I’m not going to let Annabeth Clark come b
ack here and mess that up for me. If she wants to live here, I can’t demand that she leave, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to roll over and make it easy for her. Her and I could never be ‘friends.’ We couldn’t when we were five, and we wouldn’t be now.

  She obviously didn’t feel the same way about us as I did. I never could have left her like that. Without so much as a goodbye kiss, or even a “Dear John” letter. I get we were only eighteen at the time, we were still kids – but fuck – I would have wrangled the damn moon for her if she’d let me. Maybe she could be civil, and courteous, possibly even friendly, but not me. The moment I saw her tonight, my body came alive in a way it hasn’t in a long time. Every cell reacted to her presence – like the most powerful magnet. Pulling me toward her, vibrating violently against my resistance. As much as I hate her, my body still wants her, and I’ll be damned if I would ever let that happen.

  I’m thirty-two years old with a daughter to consider. I cannot be ruled by my dick anymore. I learned that lesson the hard way with Sam. I knew she was flakey, it was part of her charm. I’d spent year after year on the circuit, hooking up with cowboy catchers – those girls that go from rodeo to rodeo, desperate to ride a cowboy. They don’t care which one of us they caught. It was all about bragging rights. Some of them have worked their way through the entire list of competitors. I’m not into sharing the women I sleep with. I liked the quiet ones that had been dragged along to keep their friend company.

  Sam was the first veteran cowboy catcher I fell into bed with. She was so hot, and really persistent. She had been trying to get into my chaps for months, and finally I let her ride me like a bucking bronco. And fuck was she good at it. From that point on, my dick made all the decisions when it came to her, and before I knew what was happening – she was pregnant and we were married. I’ve often wondered if she was trying to trap me, thinking that life as the wife of a rider would be exciting. Most wives get tired of the constant travel, the endless rumors of affairs. A rider can’t avoid being photographed with a catcher or two, and even if he’s completely faithful, there will always be rumors – that kernel of doubt in the back of their mind.

  I didn’t want that for Sam, or our daughter. I thought bringing her to Kingsbury Falls would be a good thing – but it destroyed us. I thought I was ruled by my dick with her, but it paled in comparison to what I felt tonight. I’ve never felt such hate and sexual desire at the same time. And that just made me even more angry. I don’t want to want Annabeth. My dick is a traitor for twitching at the sight of her full lips. Remembering how they felt wrapped around me. Fuck! I’m hard just from sharing the same space as her.

  The ranch comes into view in record time. The porch light guiding my way home – a beacon of hope in the darkness that surrounds me. When I pull into the driveway, I can hear my dad and Pops talking inside, and the thought of answering any questions from them sounds decidedly unappealing right now. Rae was sound asleep when I left so I head for the stables. A late-night ride might be the only thing that can stop the vibrations coursing through my body.

  My favorite horse Artemis is always ready to ride, wild at heart, and faster than the wings of a hummingbird. Even the routine of saddling him up, slows my pulse, but my mind continues to race. With one foot in the stirrup, I throw my leg over his back like I have a thousand times before, and trot him out into the black night sky. As soon as we hit the open fields, he’s off like a shot. As we gallop into the dark, I can’t help but feel no matter how fast I ride, or how far I go, I won’t be able to outrun the dread that pools in the pit of my stomach.

  Did I mean so little to Annabeth that she never even asked about me? Never once looked me up to see how my career was going? I’m ashamed to say that I knew everything about her life until Rae was born. To everyone else, Annabeth was dead to me, because I didn’t want them to know how much I still missed her. How badly she wounded me, and how love and hate can be curious bedfellows. When Rae was born, I fell in love with her. Nothing else mattered to me, and I knew I had to give Sam and me a real chance at love. I couldn’t do that if I always had one eye on the past.

  I always told myself that she walked away without any consideration for me, and so I never expected her to come pounding on my door one day professing her undying love to me and begging for my forgiveness. But, to have her lack of interest confirmed tonight… was a harsh blow of reality. She didn’t know I quit riding, or that I moved back to town. She came back here thinking she’d only bump into me once or twice a year when I came home to visit the ranch. She wanted to build a life here because she thought I was gone. My exit from the circuit was a public one – she must have gone out of her way to avoid hearing anything about me.

  As I gallop toward the forest, I feel more alone that ever.

  “You enjoy yourself last night, son? Heard you coming in dang near sunrise. Hope whoever she was, she was worth it. You’re gonna feel like shit today, and don’t think I’ll be cutting you any slack.”

  “When have you ever, Dad? I’d probably drop dead from the shock if you did.”

  Rae never misses a beat. Her little ears picking up on everything. “Did you see Momma last night, Daddy?”

  “What? No.”

  “But Ganddaddy told Pops you were out with a girl, probably making babies.”

  If looks could kill, I would murder my father in cold blood. “Sally Rae Hale. Ladies don’t talk about such things, and Granddaddy is a silly old fool who should mind his business. I was doing no such thing. I went to see Uncle Jax. I just lost track of time is all.”

  “Come on, buttercup, we got horses to feed.” Pops grabs Rae and heads outside.

  “What the fuck were you thinking, talking like that in front of Rae?”

  With no hint of remorse, he throws his plate in the sink, busying himself with chores. “I thought she was asleep. Besides, what the hell were you doing out so late?”

  “None of your goddamn business! I’m thirty-two years old. I’m not a kid, and I’m not your goddamn employee. I work my ass off on this ranch. I run the show now – so if I want to stay out all night and get lucky once in a while, you should just butt out.”

  “I’m sitting here watching over Rae…”

  “Exactly, like Pops did for me. Don’t even start. You have no right to chide me. Pops is the one that raised me. You checked out after momma left – I am not doing that to Rae. She knows I love her. I put her to bed every single night. I’m the one that sings to her when she has bad dreams, and takes care of her when she’s sick. My whole life is wrapped up in that little girl out there – so don’t you ever disrespect me in earshot of her again, or I swear to God, I will leave this town, the family ranch, and you. I’m so fucking sick of everyone thinking it’s okay to be all up in my business all the goddamn time.”

  “Now you wait a minute…”

  “No. The truth is the truth until the cows come home. You were a shit father – I’m not. But, you are a good grandfather, except when you cuss and trash talk me around Rae.”

  “I thought she was asleep.”

  I don’t know that it makes me feel any better. After all these years, he still can’t say a good word about me. I should’ve taken Rae and left this town a long time ago. He’s about to continue just as the door opens and Jax comes strolling in.

  “Good mornin’, Hale family. Where’s my little Rae of sunshine?” His expression sobers, the tension in the room – tangible. “I’ll just go out back and get a head-start on things.”

  I follow behind. “I’m done here. Wait up.”

  For a fleeting moment, I think I see a modicum of regret in my father’s eyes, but it’s gone in a flash. I let the door slam behind me, but there is little solace in the dawn. Jax doesn’t last two minutes before his verbal assault begins. “Was that really necessary last night? It’s been fourteen years. You’ve moved on, so has she.”

  “Did you know she was back to stay?” The embers of anger from last night burst into a bright orange flame. “Wh
y the fuck would you keep something like that from me?”

  “I didn’t. I only found out when I bumped into her yesterday. I was going to break it to you today.”

  “Why were you with her?”

  “Fuck, Mad – we grew up together. When she left, I know it was hardest on you, but she was like a sister to me. I was cut up about it, too. I thought you were holing up here for the duration, so I didn’t think it was a big deal to grab a few drinks.”

  When he puts it like that, I feel like a complete jackass for overreacting. He’s right – doesn’t matter what went down between her and I – they’d been friends all their lives. I knew he was hurting back then, but I didn’t care about anything or anyone after she left. I didn’t stop to consider how badly I would let him down when I left, too. “You don’t owe me an explanation, brother. You don’t owe me a damned thing.”

  “You know I’ve always got your back, right?”

  “It’s too early and we’re not drunk – cut the touchy feely bullshit. I’ve already had too much affection for one day from the old man.”

  His lips curl in a knowing smile. “What’s his problem this week? I swear, if he wasn’t riding your ass all the time he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.”

  “Right? I was the one dishing the disappointment today. Rae heard him trashing me last night, and it pissed me off.”

  “What’d he say?”

  “Can we just shelve this shit and get to work with the horses? I just need a distraction. Last night threw me for a loop, and I just need a beat to wrap my head around it. The old man is just the cantankerous old coot he’s always been.”

  “Where’s Rae? I wanted to take her riding today, and I have a surprise for her.”

  “Pops took her out to feed the chicks, I reckon. You can go find her. I’ll see to the horses. I could use some time to myself anyway.”

  “You sure.”