Restless Rancher Page 10

  He kissed it right off her lips.

  She’d put a lot into this project and wanted to see it through.

  He couldn’t blame her for that. “When you get back, this place might actually be habitable.”

  “Yeah.” Not much enthusiasm filled that word. “It’ll be nearly done.” Which meant she wouldn’t need to be here all the time.

  The thought didn’t sit well with him either. He looked down into her worried hazel eyes and offered something he hoped eased her mind and made her hurry the hell up and get back here. “We’re just getting started.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Sonya thought she’d gotten away without having a conversation with Roxy about her relationship with Austin. Apparently, only a plane full of people who could overhear them made Roxy hold her tongue, because the moment they walked in the front door of their cottage on the Wild Rose Ranch property and Roxy shut it behind them, she didn’t hold back. “What the hell, Sonya? Are you seriously seeing Austin?”

  Sonya rolled her eyes and let the sarcasm fly. “Every day since I arrived in Montana.”

  She didn’t want to have this conversation. What she and Austin shared, it was . . . different. Maybe even special. She wanted to hold it close for a while and not let anything touch it or mess it up.

  Roxy huffed out a frustrated breath. “What’s the plan?”

  Sonya set her carry-on suitcase next to the wall near the hallway and walked into the kitchen to get a soda from the fridge. “I don’t have one.”

  She liked that being with Austin seemed natural. Easy. Just the way it was without overthinking it.

  Roxy left her bag in the entry and came after her. “You don’t have a plan. I don’t believe it.”

  Sonya downed two huge gulps. She couldn’t believe how not knowing where this thing was going didn’t send her into a tailspin of worry. Just knowing she was going back to see him eased her mind. He’d made it clear he wanted her back. Immediately. It did her ego good to know he liked her enough to lay it out there like that. “You heard what Austin said. We’re just getting started.”

  “I found you in bed together with his hand on your—”

  “It’s none of your business. It’s my life.” Her breasts went heavy just thinking about how good it felt to have his hand on her. She wondered what it would feel like to have his mouth on her, too.

  “You work for me on this project.”

  That stopped her train of thought from chugging too far into Dirty Town and set off her anger. “I’ve done my job. You work with Noah. You’re partners. Don’t sit there and judge me for getting involved with Austin when you did the same thing.”

  “That’s different.”

  Sonya cocked her head. “Really? How is it different?”

  “Once you’re done getting the house and ranch set up, I’ll need you back here. What are you going to do, have a long-distance relationship?”

  “I didn’t realize I was at your beck and call. I guess when I quit my job to work for you I should have read the fine print that said you get to dictate how I live my life and who I get to see.” The thought of being away from Austin for any length of time made her stomach sour and her anxiety soar.

  Roxy leaned back against the counter and softened her tone. “I’m not saying that.”

  “No? You get Noah, a new home, and a new life, but I’m supposed to stay here and watch over what you left behind, so you can have your bright shiny future. You told me to come work for you so I’d have more time for myself instead of working sixty hours a week. You wanted me to have time to figure out what I wanted for my life, because yours is so great and you wanted me to find that for myself. But not in your backyard. Not with Austin. You want me, Adria, and Juliana to stay put, so you can have your life there without having to worry about us anymore.” The words, and that they might be true, hurt her heart and constricted her throat.

  Roxy rushed forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. “No. Stop this. That’s not what I meant at all. I love you. I love having you in Montana. Yes, I want you to be happy. I want you to find someone who sees how amazing you are and wants to spend his life making you happy. But Austin . . . he’s barely been able to take care of himself this past year. I think he’s coming around and taking charge of his life now, but the project is barely off the ground. Who knows what he’ll be like once the real work starts and he’s running that place mostly on his own until the business can afford to hire help. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Sonya put her hands on Roxy’s waist and set her away so she could look her in the eye. “I know you’re worried. We talked about your concerns before I ever met Austin. But then I did meet him. I see how much he loves that place, how dedicated he is to making something out of it and himself. His father tried to destroy him over that stupid piece of land. But Austin sees the chance he’s been given as a means to start over and do it right. I’m not worried about whether or not he can make that place profitable.” She pointed a finger. “You shouldn’t be either. He’s got the experience of working his family ranch and the mining business. When it was all taken away, yes, he didn’t know how to handle it or what to do when he sank all his money into keeping that place. But that stubborn streak of his won’t allow him to fail now that he’s got the means to make a go of the ranch.”

  Roxy squeezed Sonya’s arm. “And what about the two of you? As I understand it, his last relationship fell apart when his father kicked him out and he’s indiscriminately played the field since. How much of that had to do with his drinking?”

  “Aside from having a beer or two with dinner after he’d put in a twelve-hour day, I haven’t seen him overindulge. I don’t particularly care what happened with those other women. I’ve seen the change in him from the man you described to me, to the person I’ve seen him be with me.

  “He’s treated me with respect and kindness and shown his appreciation for my help. He didn’t take advantage of my attraction to him. He recognized, like I did, that there was something there worth exploring and we decided because there is a lot at stake to take things slow and get to know each other. That’s not a guy out to take what he wants. That’s a man who knows what he wants and is patient enough to work hard to get it because the prize is worth the effort.” She was worth the effort. No one had ever made her feel that way. And she didn’t know what to do with all the feels that burst from her heart knowing that.

  “You didn’t tell him what really happened with your mother.”

  Yeah, she’d held back some of the details instead of dumping that kind of baggage and trauma on him. “You didn’t tell Noah right away about your mother. When you did, look what happened.”

  “We fixed it.”

  “Well, Austin knows what my mother does for a living and that she’s had a rough life. For now, that’s enough to unload on him. If we become more than friends, I’ll tell him more.”

  “If you stay in Montana, you’ll have to make frequent trips to keep the books on the Ranch. Is it enough for you? You’re such a go-getter. I hired you so you could help me and quit that company because they overlooked you and took you for granted. I thought you’d look for a better job and find someplace that treated you right. What are you going to do on Austin’s ranch to fill the hours and give you the satisfaction you found doing the work you love?”

  Sonya wondered about that, too.

  “I just don’t see how this will work out in a way that will make you wholly fulfilled.”

  “Maybe it won’t, but I like him. He makes me laugh and think and want to get to know him better.” Just because she didn’t have everything figured out didn’t mean she had to give up Austin until she did. “He didn’t judge my mom. He wanted to know how he could help. He offered to come with me just so he could be here in case I needed cheering up.”

  “He did?”

  “He’s a nice guy, Roxy. He’s got a good heart. It’s been a long time since I felt this connected and attracted to and excited about a man all at o
nce. Maybe it won’t last through the project taking off. I don’t know. But so far I’ve found a lot of reasons to be with him and nothing that makes me willing to walk away without thinking I made a mistake and regretting it later.” She shrugged and gave up trying to explain herself or convince Roxy she knew what she was getting into and had faith it would all work out.

  Sonya had the same reservations as Roxy about work and her life. Right now, she liked what she was doing, even if in the back of her mind she knew eventually she’d want more than just a boyfriend and doing the books for the Ranch.

  Maybe she dug in her heels because Roxy warned her away, but Sonya had already made up her mind to see where things went with Austin. She liked him. And yeah, the guy wasn’t just good-looking, but built like a delectable soccer player, all lean sculpted muscle. Waking up in his arms this morning gave her all kinds of ideas about how good it would feel to get her hands on him and feel his body move against hers.

  She liked his golden hair and blue eyes and the way he looked at her. She liked the way he opened up and let her in. She wouldn’t say the last few days had been easy, but they’d been at ease with each other.

  “I need to see my mom.”

  Roxy grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving the kitchen. “I like Austin, too. If I didn’t believe in him, I wouldn’t have sunk a fortune into helping him. But the business is separate from him dating my sister.”

  Sonya got that. Roxy had always looked out for her.

  Roxy sighed. “I don’t want you to give up what you worked so hard to achieve just to be with him.”

  “I’m not doing that. If another job opportunity comes up that I really want, I will consider it, even if that means reevaluating my relationship with Austin. But let me remind you, we’re just getting to know each other. I don’t know how things will be or change over the next couple weeks.”

  Roxy touched her arm. “I don’t want you to get hurt, but I also want you to be happy. I saw the way he looks at you. I’m not surprised he sees how amazing you are.”

  She remembered Austin’s words and hope bloomed in her heart, letting her know how much she cared about what he thought of her. “He was talking about me?”

  “Yes.”

  It made her ridiculously happy. Which told her how much she liked Austin and wanted to see him again.

  Roxy let her arm go. “I’m worried about what happens if things don’t work out and how you’ll work together in the future. I’m worried about how it will affect my relationship with Austin and his with Noah. But if I set aside those worries, I can see you two happy together. I want that for you, Sonya. You deserve it and so much more. It was hard for me to believe I would ever find someone who didn’t get hung up on my mother and this place. If Austin is that person for you, great, but you need to tell him the whole truth.”

  Keeping secrets only lasted so long. They always found a way to come into the light. “It’s a little early to spill my guts.”

  Roxy eyed her.

  “I see how being completely honest brought you and Noah closer. If Austin and I make it to actually going out on dates and things heat up, I’ll tell him.” Not an easy conversation, but holding pieces of herself back would only drive a wedge between them.

  “He’s already curious.”

  “Who wouldn’t be? My mother is a prostitute with a twisted past. I told him my great-uncles attacked my mother and extorted money from her.”

  “That’s not the whole story.” Sympathy and fierce determination to put a stop to it lit Roxy’s eyes. “Let me call the cops, hire an attorney, and make them pay for all they’ve done.”

  “I’ll speak to her again, but you know her answer. She won’t testify against them. She can’t take the shame of it.”

  “It’s not her fault. She’s already living with the shame.”

  Sonya didn’t have to speak her agreement. They’d had this conversation among themselves and with her mother. Nothing helped. Nothing changed. Without her mother’s cooperation, her great-uncles got away with their heinous acts.

  Sonya set all that aside again. “Are you coming up to the mansion?”

  “Later. I want to check on the horses and talk to Adria and Juliana. They should be home from school soon.”

  Sonya headed out the door and across the pasture to the big house where men came to play out their fantasies. Well, she had a few of her own she’d like to satisfy in Austin’s arms. She hadn’t had sex in a long time. And she wanted to with Austin. She didn’t need Roxy or anyone else making it so complicated.

  Why couldn’t they keep things simple?

  He liked her. She liked him.

  What they did or didn’t do didn’t have anything to do with anyone else.

  Except it did, because their lives, the business, touched other people’s lives.

  She walked up the steps to the side door, rang the bell, waited for security to buzz her in, then went inside and up the back stairs to her mother’s room on the second floor.

  Big Mama and a man in tan slacks and a blue dress shirt stood in the hallway outside her mother’s door.

  “Ah, here she is.” Big Mama held her hand out toward Sonya. “Dr. Wilson just checked on June again.”

  “How is she, Doctor?”

  “Better than I’d expect from someone who’s been through what she’s been through.”

  Yeah, well, June had been down this road many times. “My mother is very resilient.”

  “I’m concerned that she’s compartmentalizing. She needs to face what happened, talk about it, so that she can heal. This environment will only traumatize her more.”

  Sonya and Big Mama shared a look. The doctor meant well, but he didn’t know June the way they did.

  “Thank you for taking care of her, Doctor. In any other case, I’d say you are correct, but it’s taken me a long time to understand my mother. She only knows this life because she was raised to believe this is what she was put on this earth to do.”

  Shock widened the doctor’s sympathetic eyes. “Well that’s just not true.”

  “That’s her truth. It’s what she’s been programmed to believe. What happened yesterday only makes her believe it more.”

  The doctor tried another tactic. “She refuses to report the incident.”

  “That’s her choice.”

  “But the police can’t do anything without her cooperation.”

  “I know.” Sonya touched the doctor’s arm to comfort him. “Thank you for caring.”

  Big Mama hooked her arm through the doctor’s and led him out.

  Sonya put her hand on the doorknob, sucked in a breath, plastered on a fake smile, and walked in to find her mother sitting in a chair by the window. Gorgeous legs poked out of the slit in the pink silk robe tied at the waist and draped over her full breasts. Her mother didn’t feel the need to cover herself or hide behind layers of clothes. She’d been taught long ago that her body was something for others to use.

  The sadness threatened to overwhelm her, but she kept the stupid smile on her face and tried to be strong for her mom. June didn’t need her sympathy, rage, or assertions that she knew what was best.

  June endured, the way she’d always done, because it’s the only way she knew how to survive.

  “Hi, Mama.” Sonya’s voice barely made it past her lips. She hated seeing the bruises on her mother’s thighs and around her wrists where her great-uncles’ tight grips left their mark.

  June’s head slowly turned from the view of the back garden and pool. The vacant look in her mother’s eyes brightened with recognition. “My sweet Angel, what are you doing here?”

  “I told you I was on my way.”

  “I told you it wasn’t necessary for you to come just for this.”

  Like what happened to her didn’t matter or merit Sonya dropping everything to come and comfort her mother.

  Sonya stood two steps away and held her arms out wide. June’s eyes filled with tears that streamed down her pale cheeks. She st
ood and rushed into Sonya’s arms and cried like a child who hurt and wanted everyone to know it.

  Sometimes Sonya felt like the parent. By fourteen, her mother had simply stopped maturing. She’d been raised by a mother too afraid to stand up to her husband, a father who didn’t spare the rod, uncles who took what they wanted by force, bending June’s will to their liking. Even her grandmother, who blamed and punished the child instead of the men she raised but couldn’t control.

  June had come into this world like every other child, filled with possibility. But her life had been shaped by pain and disappointment. Her sweet nature had been used against her. Her need to please and be accepted made it easy for her uncles to manipulate her into doing their bidding.

  Sonya hated them for abusing a sweet girl without an ounce of remorse or regret.

  One day, they’d get what was coming to them.

  And she hoped it was excruciating.

  Because holding her crying mother broke her heart and shredded her soul. It killed her to stand there, knowing she could do so much more, but not without hurting her mother further.

  June picked her head up off Sonya’s shoulder and wiped at her red-rimmed eyes and runny nose. “It’s silly to cry about such things. It’s not like I don’t have sex all the time.”

  Sonya contained her rage. “Mom, you know it’s not the same, so don’t make excuses for what they did.” It should surprise her that they had to have this talk at all, but it didn’t. She’d spent her whole life understanding that sex between consenting adults was normal and shouldn’t be judged. Yes, people had their hang-ups, but that didn’t mean you put your insecurities on others for indulging in what they enjoyed.

  She didn’t like what her mother did, but it was June’s choice. No one forced her to be here. She had the money to leave anytime she wanted to go. Sonya had encouraged her to do so many times to no avail. June simply found this to be the best alternative to what she’d known her whole life.

  June stepped back and wrapped her arms around her chest. The first sign that what her uncles had done affected her deeply enough she felt the need to protect herself in some way. “I’m not making excuses. I hate what they did. I hate it!”