I also owe it to his entire family to face them and their farm. The first place I felt I could do better was learning more about the dairy.
“Well, look what the cows brought home,” Rita teases, and I turn in the booth to see Canyon and Blade enter after a set of women. I swallow the bite of burger, now a lump in my throat, and turn back to Rita.
“Excuse me a second,” I say, sliding out of the booth. The women have gone left, making it clear they didn’t enter with the brothers, who only held the door open for them. When I approach the younger Eatons, they still, crossing their arms and spreading their legs as if they are taking a stance and blocking my exit. The position is similar to bodyguards I’ve had to talk my way through in order to get into a club and scope out who was hanging out with whom inside. But I’m not that person anymore.
“Hi, guys.” I give them a weak wave. “Can I buy you guys a beer or dinner maybe?” I point toward Rita. “My friend and I are just having a burger.”
Blade doesn’t say anything while Canyon takes a second to assess me. “You doing okay, Scarlett? Feeling okay?” His eyes lower for my belly, and my hand falls there out of habit.
“I’m good, Canyon. Thanks for asking.” I peer around him, obviously looking for the third part of this brother trio. He couldn’t be home waiting on me, could he?
As I glance around Blade, he shifts right, preventing me from seeing the door.
“What . . .” the frick is this?
“How about that beer, Scarlett?” Blade asks, his voice straining as though he’s protecting something or rather someone.
“Sure,” I say, dragging out the word. “Join Rita and me.” I step aside so Blade can pass me, and as he moves forward, I slip behind him, heading out the front door of the Goat, and find Bull in the parking lot in Louisa Miller’s arms.
17
Stood up
Bull
I’m so tired.
It’s been a long day after fighting with Scarlett, fixing fences, and reflecting on my dad’s advice, and the last thing I wanted to do was go out for a beer. In fact, I’d been hoping to sit at home and wait on Scarlett. She’d obviously been back as my front porch was decorated like something out of a home and garden magazine. Flowerpots. Candleholders. A welcome sign. The burst of color was all Scarlett, and my insides did a little line dance of relief.
“She planted flowers.” Canyon clarified after picking me up and taking an appraising look at my front porch.
“Well, she put them in pots.”
“What’s the difference? It’s a sign of permanence,” Canyon stated as we drove to the Mountain Goat, a less touristy, more for locals spot owned by Otto Rossi. Speaking of permanence, though, Scarlett’s car was not parked by my truck despite the fact she’d been back.
“Just a quick beer,” I warn my brothers as we pull into the gravel lot of the bar. As Canyon is the driver, I trust him to exit us early tonight. Only as soon as we are crossing the lot, the crunch of running feet over gravel catches my attention, and before I can turn around, two arms wrap around me from behind. Two female arms.
“What the—”
“Bull, I haven’t seen you in forever,” Louisa Miller whines at my back. The truth about Louisa and me is I’ve known forever that Louisa had a crush on me. She wasn’t even subtle about it, and something told me to stay away from her. When I saw her that time in the tractor supply store, and she flirted hard, she’d somehow worked us into a dinner date. Eventually, I’d chickened out of dinner with Louisa, opting for a coffee date instead. After my one-night stand, the guys were pushing me to get back out there, and I’d proven I could do it—spend one night with a woman and walk away. However, I hadn’t really proven anything. Or maybe that the universe is talking, hinting that the one-night stand had more in store for me than one night. I hadn’t been able to forget Scarlett, and now we had months to learn about each other because she was having a kid.
We would be joined for eternity as parents. It was a commitment I separated from marrying her. But my fear was, if Scarlett left, another man would step in, sweep her off her feet, and want to take care of her and Sprout. I did not like that idea, not one bit.
“Hey. Louisa,” I stammer, working at the arms wrapped around me like a coiled rope. Instantly, I smell the alcohol wafting off her. She’d arrived with two friends, and I nod at them once I have Louisa free from me. One of her friends says they’ll head inside for a table.
“Just give us a second. I’ll be right in,” I tell Canyon, whose eyes narrow at me before leading Blade behind Louisa’s friends.
“Louisa, I’m sorry I didn’t call again.” It’s a long-overdue apology after cutting our coffee date short and ghosting her afterward. Caught up in Scarlett, I hadn’t given Louisa another thought. I’ve had a lot on my mind. Still, wanting to do the right thing, I needed to apologize for my behavior.
“You could make it up to me,” Louisa flirts, reaching for the button closure of my shirt and giving it a playful tug.
“Louisa, I’m with Scarlett.”
“After what she did to you?” Her playful expression shifts as if she’s fighting something distasteful in her mouth. She actually pouts, reminding me of her young age.
“Yes.” Despite what Scarlett has done to me, I’m still with her, if she’ll still have me. Cupping Louisa’s shoulders, I press her back from me again but quickly release her. Her eyes glance up at my face.
“Well, that happened fast.” The bitter undertone is not settling well with me. Louisa and I shared one coffee, and I don’t owe her an explanation about my complicated relationship with Scarlett.
“It was great to see you again,” I say, trying to remain polite while cutting off the conversation.
“If you’d ever like to get coffee again, or anything else. We could have a drink inside . . .” She points over her shoulder to the front door. Swaying on her feet, I’d say she might have had a few already.
“Louisa, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Coming here tonight suddenly feels like the worst idea, and I’d be turning on my boot heels for the truck if only I’d driven.
“Friendship hug, then,” she squeals. Throwing out her arms, she steps into my space and wraps them around my waist again. Natural instinct has me giving her a tepid pat on the back before looking up to find Scarlett watching us.
“Scarlett?” I did not see her car in the lot. Then again, I hadn’t thought to look. Releasing my arms from Louisa, she slides to my side, keeping her arms around my waist.
“Oopsy. She caught us,” Louisa mewls like a spoiled teen, and the color in Scarlett’s face turns to ash. She turns back for the door while I rip myself free of Louisa, no longer feeling sorry about that coffee date gone wrong.
“Scarlett,” I call out, following her retreating back. Once inside the dim-lit bar, my eyes need a second to adjust from the bright evening outside. Scanning the place, I easily find Scarlett by that gorgeous hair and step over to the booth where Rita sits across from her.
“That is not what it looked like,” I blurt.