Braydon (10 page)

Now that he was here, he wished it was as simple as keeping his foot on the gas and steering the winding road until he reached his own driveway. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. In order for him to get home, he had to pass his parents’ sprawling ranch house first, not to mention several of his brothers’ houses.

He wasn’t worried about his brothers. Not yet anyway.

No, right now, his focus was on his parents. Avoiding them after being gone so long would be one hell of a way to kick-start what he anticipated was going to be a really shitty day. In order to start off on the right foot, hopefully tempting karma to work in his favor, he opted to stop there first. If his mother saw his truck pass by without him stopping, his father would light into his ass as soon as the opportunity arose. It wasn’t like he drove a discreet Walker Demo truck like Ethan. No, his big-ass black four-door Chevy with the six-inch lift, blue flames, and chrome exhaust pipes was conspicuous at best. Which meant his parents would see him from ten miles away. Knowing his dad, a fly-by without stopping would garner an immediate ass-chewing. So, essentially, Braydon was just trying to save face.

It wasn’t because he was trying to stall for time.

Not at all.

A minute later, Braydon was walking through the back door of the big two-story ranch house that he had grown up in. The updated kitchen smelled like breakfast—eggs, bacon, and homemade biscuits—but it was clear his mom and dad had already finished and even cleaned up. The counters were spotless and there was a vase of fresh flowers sitting in the middle of the four-person table his parents now ate at. It was still sometimes difficult to imagine his parents only eating in the confined area. When he’d been growing up, their meals were shared at the giant dining room table his father had bought his mother. With nine Walkers in all, the small eat-in kitchen hadn’t been big enough to contain them.

“Anyone home?” he hollered as he walked into the main living room with its comfortable couches, his dad’s worn recliner, and the picture of him and his brothers mounted above the fireplace. It was the picture they’d given their mother for Mother’s Day last year.

But other than the same old furniture, all shiny and clean, Braydon found no one there to greet him. His parents weren’t there, which surprised him.

“They’re checking on the horses.”

Braydon glanced up at the stairs to see his cousin Jared making his way down.

Jared Walker, Braydon’s cousin on his dad’s side, looked as well put together as usual. He was sporting a navy blue Walker Demo polo, Wrangler jeans, boots, and his straw hat. Typical Walker attire for a workday. Not so much for a Sunday though. Braydon was about to ask if Jared was working weekends but stopped himself. He wasn’t ready to initiate a conversation that could easily go in a direction Braydon wasn’t ready to deal with. Instead, he opted for simple. “Thanks. I’ll check there,” he replied quickly.

“Hold up,” Jared said resolutely, catching Braydon before he could turn around.

Braydon closed his eyes for a moment. This wasn’t going to be good, and he knew it.

“You back for good?”

That wasn’t the first thing he expected Jared to say, but Braydon didn’t pause before he answered. “Don’t know yet.”

Jared grunted at that, his eyes narrowing on Braydon. “If you are, are you comin’ back to work, too?”

“If I stay, then yeah,” he said simply, waiting for Jared to jump his ass for neglecting his responsibilities all these months.

Jared must’ve realized what he was waiting for because he smiled. “You’re a grown man, Bray. And I’m not your father,” his cousin began. “Yes, I’m pissed that you disappeared, but we’ve been worried. Everyone, your brothers included, wants you to come back.”

Braydon nodded.
That’s it?

“Don’t worry; you’ll get your punishment when you decide. I’ll work your ass into the ground over the next few weeks. We’ve got some new jobs coming up and you’re just in time to get assigned to them.”

Of course he was. Although Braydon didn’t like the idea of putting in sixty-hour weeks just to pay Jared back for skipping out on him, he still smiled. “Thanks. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”

“Sure you will.” Jared laughed, surprising Braydon. He hadn’t seen his cousin laugh all that much back when he first got to town. The man had some serious personal issues, and from the few details he’d heard, Braydon didn’t blame the guy for being in a perpetual state of pissed off. So his positive, upbeat attitude was new. And a little disconcerting.

“I’ll be waitin’ for that phone call,” Jared said, clapping Braydon on the back and then making his way to the kitchen.

Braydon followed his cousin, but he didn’t stop in the kitchen; he continued out the back door. Another quick drive and he was pulling up to the barn where his parents kept the few horses they owned.

He was at the main doors when a loud gasp caught his attention, and he squinted into the shadows of the barn to see his mother coming toward him.

“Please, God, tell me you’re home for good,” she said as she walked right up to him and wrapped him in her arms.

“I don’t know yet, Mom,” he told her, hugging her in return. He wouldn’t lie to his mother, so if he said he would stay, he had to stay, and at the moment, he couldn’t commit.

“Boy,” his father greeted him as he ambled his way.

“Dad,” Braydon replied when his mother released him from her death grip.

“’Bout damn time.”

That was all Curtis said, which wasn’t surprising. Braydon knew his father meant every word he spoke, even when he didn’t talk in complete sentences, and Braydon felt his father’s unspoken relief to the depths of his soul. His parents were incredibly supportive of all their boys. Always had been, even when they didn’t quite understand or agree with one of their sons’ decisions.

“Sorry,” he began to apologize.

“Don’t you dare,” his mother told him. “You don’t apologize for doing what you need to do. We just . . . We just want you back home. And don’t think we won’t make an extended trip to Devil’s Bend if it’s necessary.”

“Tessa would actually like that,” he told his mother.

“I know. I’ve talked to her every day.”

Braydon didn’t doubt that one bit. Ever since Tessa had become a part of their lives, Lorrie spent plenty of time worrying about her. If you asked his mother why, she’d tell you that’s what she did. She loved her family. It was the most important thing to her, and to have the blessing of Tessa and her brothers had put a smile on his mother’s face.

“I just wanted to stop by to see you first,” he explained. “I’ve got to go talk to Brendon.”

Braydon noticed the look that his mother passed to his father, but before he could ask what that was about, his mother said, “Dinner’s at seven o’clock. I expect you to be there.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be there,” he assured her. He’d missed way too many Sunday dinners with his family. He knew he couldn’t get out of another even if he wanted to. So, for now, he was going to be in town for a little while at least.

For a brief few minutes, he talked to his parents about his drive back, how Tessa and Cooper were doing, and when he was going to make a decision on whether he was staying or not. It didn’t last long, unfortunately. The next thing he knew, Braydon was back in his truck, pulling onto the narrow drive to his own house. The one he shared with his twin.

The first thing he noticed as he pulled up to the rustic two-bedroom cabin that he called home was that Jessie’s car was out front.

His chest immediately ached and he absently rubbed it, hoping the pain would subside. Pushing open the door, he took a deep breath and resigned himself to what was to come.

“Braydon.”

He hadn’t even stepped foot on solid ground before he heard her voice. He turned, and there in all her astonishing beauty was Jessie, standing on the front porch, her arms wrapped around herself. She was still just as stunning as he remembered, standing there in a pretty little sundress and boots, her hair shining in the bright morning sun.

Three months without seeing her brilliant smile had been the equivalent of an eternity as far as he was concerned.

She wasn’t smiling now. Nor was Brendon, who was standing just behind her.

“Hey,” Braydon offered nonchalantly. Or so he hoped. He didn’t feel at all nonchalant. In fact, he was tense to the point that he wasn’t sure he could get his legs to work to walk toward them.

For all the time he’d tried to pretend he didn’t have feelings for this woman, he was finding it more and more difficult now. The fiery passion she had ignited inside of him had been stoked into a conflagration of anger and resentment that he found himself trying to hold inside for three painfully long months. But the anger wasn’t directed at her. It was all for the situation that the three of them had found themselves in. Some of the antipathy was directed at his brother, the man who had kept Braydon from loving Jessie the way he wanted, even if it hadn’t been intentional. But Braydon had yet to determine whether that was the case or not.

The same man who clearly was interested in another woman, but refused to allow Braydon to have Jessie for himself. And now . . . Now he didn’t even know if Jessie and Brendon had reconciled and maybe the two of them were together.

Fuck.

Not that he could change any of that.

Closing the door slowly, Braydon ignored his gear in the backseat of his truck. It was there if he decided to stay and it was there if he decided to go.

Walking up to the porch, he met Jessie’s pretty blue eyes. She’d been crying, he could tell. The thought made his chest clench painfully tight, but he kept moving. He couldn’t touch her. If he did, he’d be the one reduced to tears, and the last thing he wanted was to let either of them think he was affected by their relationship.

He had to brush by Brendon to get into the house, their shoulders bumping as he did. His brother didn’t say anything, but the tension radiating from him was powerful.

Today wouldn’t rate among the best days of his life, he knew that much.

But it was time to face the music.

JESSIE DIDN’T TAKE
her eyes off Braydon as he passed by her. She absorbed the massive sight of him, cataloging all the things she remembered as well as the noted differences in his appearance since the last time he was there. When his eyes met hers, she tried to read what he was thinking, but there was nothing reflected in the once-warm blue-gray depths.

No, this Braydon wasn’t the same man who’d left all those months ago. Where his quick humor and easygoing manner once were, there was something much more resigned.

She turned to face Brendon as the two brothers made their way into the house. He cast a glance back over his shoulder, signaling for her to follow. Intending to do as he’d requested, Jessie nodded and then took a step forward but stopped. She couldn’t do this. Not yet.

It was hard enough seeing Braydon. Harder than she had thought it would be. Talking to him would be damn near impossible.

So, instead of following them inside, she bolted to her car. Her key remained in the ignition, where she’d left it, and she sent up a silent prayer as she twisted her wrist, praying the damn thing wouldn’t decide to die on her today. A second later, the engine was humming to life, choking only once or twice before it was good to go.

Without looking up, she put the car in gear and headed back the same way she’d come nearly an hour and a half ago. The longest hour and a half of her entire life had been spent in silence with Brendon just a few feet away. They’d both pretended to be interested in whatever was on the television, but she hadn’t been paying much attention at all. Hell, he could’ve actually been talking to her, but she was so lost in her own thoughts, she had no clue.

It didn’t take long before she was pulling up to her little house—correction: Travis’s house. After turning off the engine, she yanked the keys out of the ignition and scrambled out of the car. She didn’t stop until she was safely inside the house, the door solidly closed behind her.

Why she was rushing, she had no idea. It wasn’t like Braydon was going to come after her. They were both probably relieved that she’d left, although now Brendon wouldn’t have anyone to blame for the events of the last few months.

Just in case, she flipped the dead bolt on the front door and tossed her keys on the small table close by before heading to the kitchen. The adrenaline flooding her system was the only thing that kept her moving. It didn’t help that she’d started to shake, her arms and legs trembling.

Probably not from adrenaline though.

When her cell phone rang a second later, she nearly came out of her skin. Jessie rushed back to the entryway, glanced down at the screen, and that was when she realized it was Kylie.

“Relax, woman,” she told herself as she hit the Talk button and greeted her sister.

“Just wanted to make sure you’re comin’ to dinner tonight,” Kylie responded, apparently too focused to apply the pleasantries that a phone call usually required. “I don’t appreciate you leaving, but I get it. I’m sorry if Travis scared you.”

“Braydon’s back,” Jessie said in a rush, not hearing most of what Kylie said.