Jesse’s grin didn’t budge. “I’ve heard the phrase kissing cousins for years, and never thought how much fun it could be.”
“What do you want, Jesse?” Gabe all but snarled the words.
Allison hid her amusement as Jesse deliberately leered in her direction.
“Is that an open-ended question?” Jesse backed away as Gabe advanced. “Kidding. Man, you two are going to be a blast to rag on. I’ve never seen him with such a short fuse. Well done, Allison, you’ve managed to rile up the good kid on the block.”
Gabe tightened at that jib, and suddenly the teasing wasn’t as funny anymore.
“What do you want, Jesse?” she asked. The sensation of possessiveness and wanting to protect—it wasn’t unfamiliar, but she hadn’t expected to feel it for Gabe.
All Jesse’s mockery vanished. “Gabe, favour to ask. Lend me your truck.”
“Oh God, again? Use Joel’s.”
Jesse pretty near scuffed his feet in the leaves underfoot like a little kid. “Can’t.”
“Can’t? Did the two of you both bust up your vehicles the same day? I don’t believe that. What’s happening?”
Jesse dropped his mouth open and widened his eyes innocently. “Nothing, I need to get to Drayton Valley tonight, and I don’t want Joel to know. Come on, I’ll make sure it’s full when I bring it back.”
“What the hell you up to?” Gabe poked him in the chest. “Keeping secrets from your twin just screams you’re pulling a fast one.”
Jesse continued to bullshit for a while, not saying much of anything, while Gabe did his best to cajole the information out of him.
Listening to the cousins ramble back and forth was another wonderful addition to her already great morning.
Returning to Rocky for her mom’s sake had been impulsive. Total fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants move, and only now was she aware of other positive effects. Being around familiar people who all had the same kind of goals as her—there was something energizing about it.
Coming home for her mom had meant coming home for herself far more than she’d imagined, and she’d noticed it, even in just a few days.
Gabe still had his arm around her, and he reluctantly released her to dig in his pocket. “Fine. Stop whining like a little girl and get out of here. Only no using purple fuel in her.”
Jesse snorted. “Did you hear? Cousin Anna caught Steve with a tankful.”
“Oh sheesh. Really? Buttbrain.”
“Yeah, she wrote him up too.”
“She ticketed her own brother? God, I love that woman.”
Allison laughed with them. Seems there was always someone trying to get away with using the cheaper ranch-supply gas. And someone was always getting caught. Purple dye was hard to explain away.
Gabe tossed over his keys. Jesse snatched them in midair and retreated, flicking a finger to his hat at Allison. “I’ll see you guys on Friday at Traders?”
Gabe nodded. “We’ll be there.”
Jesse rode off in a cloud of dust as Allison and Gabe gathered their things and got back in the saddle.
“Ready for more exploring?” he asked.
She nodded and kicked Patches lightly, urging the horse up and back into the wide-open spaces of the fields. The scenery around them bursting with energy, the man riding beside her comfortable and everything at peace. A brief moment of respite in the middle of the whirl of life.
Allison soaked in the sensation as a buffer against the tough moments she knew had to be coming.
She nudged Patches alongside Hurricane, and Gabe looked up expectantly. “Okay, let’s talk about long-term plans for your ranch.”
He grinned, and the rest of the morning fell away in easy companionship.
Chapter Eight
Gabe pulled up to his parents’ house and hopped out of his truck. Thursday morning had vanished before he knew it, and he still wanted to track down his father before the day was over.
Damn man seemed to be hiding, which normally wouldn’t be an issue. Keeping lots of distance between the two of them was usually a good thing. But now that he needed to talk, Ben was nowhere to be found.
Gabe shoved open the front door, calling as he burst in. “Ma, you seen Ben this afternoon?”
No answer from his ma. The kitchen smelt wonderful as usual, and the oven was hot, crowded with pots for dinner. But there was no sign of either parent.
He stepped out the door off the kitchen and spotted a batch of bright colour over in the garden. His boots left imprints in the soft new grass as he shortcut across to where his ma was working a hoe.
She smiled at him as she leaned on the tall wooden handle. An oversized set of gloves on her hands and a huge pair of rubber boots on her feet, she looked like any of a hundred other ranch women out planting their gardens. It was such a familiar sight.
He had to make sure they didn’t lose the land. No matter how much work it was. This was home.
“You seen Ben lately?”
She pushed a loose hair out from in front of her eyes, frowning for a minute. “I guess I did. He came out of the house about fifteen minutes ago and headed that way.”
She pointed toward the back of the barns, and he waved and took off. He had no more time to waste. Practicing on the donkey—those days were done. Now that he’d had a chance to brainstorm with Allison, there were things they needed to start doing right now. Getting Ben on board was the only way to keep the momentum going.
After Allison’s inspiration? He was ready to take on anyone. There was no way that Ben could dismiss these ideas.
Five minutes later he discovered Ben standing on the edge of the dugout beyond the barn.
He forced the words past his suddenly dry throat. “Got some interesting information for you.”
Ben turned, his brows furrowed together. “What you doing here?”
“Wanted to talk. You got a few minutes?”
His father grunted.
“I took Allison out for a ride the other day, to show her the land.”
Ben scowled harder. “You really marrying that woman?”
“We’re engaged.”
“You knock her up?”
Not only was his father an ass, he had yet to catch up with the twenty-first century. “No. That’s not a reason people get married anymore.”
“Well, she sure the hell must have some excuse to be willing to get tied to a loser like you.”
Gabe pulled in his temper. “This isn’t a discussion about Allison and my relationship. I wanted to let you know she had some great ideas for the ranch—you do remember that she works in the industry. She’s a highly respected consultant.”
Ben crossed his arms. “If she’s willing to get hooked up with you, I’m not sure how highly respected the woman could be. Doesn’t get any from me.”
Gabe chose to ignore the stupid comments and press ahead. “We can make a few changes and start increasing our profits. Aren’t you at least interested in what she had to say about that?”
His father stepped closer. “I’m not interested in a woman coming and telling me how to run my place. I don’t care to hear any ideas from some high-strung pup who can’t keep his responsibilities in line and has to go chasing a skirt to find a way to become important. Is that why you hooked up with her? So people in this town might finally respect you? It’s not going to happen.” Ben spat to the side. “The only reason I don’t kick you out is you at least have the guts to halfway do your job on a daily basis.”
Gabe held in the words he wanted to scream. To tell his father to shove the ranch up his ass, and that Gabe was leaving and never coming back.
The same thing tied his hands as had made him return years ago.