As soon as he thought of it, he knew it would never work. He’d only opened the Lubbock clinic to make sure he had enough steady income coming in every month. The folks in Whiskey River were good, hard-working folks, but the town wasn’t large enough to support a full-time vet practice. He’d have to spend his days making house calls throughout the county, driving hundreds of miles a week. The Lubbock clinic was a compromise that had worked up until now. He could put all of his efforts into it and likely thrive, but the thought of staying away from Whiskey River made him sick.
He finished up the afternoon, seeing patients without his assistant, then closed the clinic and headed to his apartment. Alex had been giving the MacAllens space and had been spending his nights in his Lubbock apartment. It felt more bare than ever, the empty walls mocking him, the sparse furnishings reminding him that it wasn’t his home. It was somewhere he came to rest, to wait for the next day.
He’d never felt such acute loneliness as he did when he sat at the empty kitchen table and stared out the window into the setting sun. Alex knew he should eat, that he should find something to fill his hours, but his appetite had disappeared and he had no will to do anything but sit and remember.
The night of Brenne’s graduation party, when he’d fantasized about the taste of strawberry on her lips. The night of the bonfire, when he’d seen the shadows of firelight flickering against her bare skin. Every time they’d made love and he’d lose himself a little more. And all the little times in between. The laughs. The comfortable quiet moments. The way she gave him a slow smile and crooked her finger when she wanted him.
My wildcat.
He started at the sound of someone pounding on his apartment door. Alex stood and headed to the door, swinging it wide. He wasn’t surprised to see Jameson standing outside, his face craggy like a mountainside. Without a word, he stepped aside, allowing him entry.
Alex had no idea what would happen next. He might try to knock my block off, and he’d have every right to. I’ve been a complete asshole. And a bad friend.
Jameson let himself into the little kitchen and headed for the cabinet above the fridge where Alex kept his liquor. He pulled down a bottle of expensive tequila and two shot glasses. Sitting, he opened the bottle and filled the glasses.
Alex sat down across from him and reached for one of the glasses. He drained it in a quick motion, the burning liquid hitting the back of his throat and making him want to cough. Jameson did the same thing, slamming the empty glass back onto the table.
Alex waited for him to say something, but it was a while before Jameson opened his mouth to speak. “How did we get here?” he asked, his voice laden with bitterness.
“I fucked up,” Alex said, owning up to his multitude of mistakes with one simple admission. “I’m sorry.”
Jameson stared at him. “We’ve been best friends since we learned how to crawl. If any bond could be thicker than blood, it’s the bond of friendship we share. Or so I thought.” His scowl showed him just how much Jameson was suffering. “You broke that bond.”
“I never intended to hurt anyone.”
“Who gives a fuck about what you intended?” Jameson roared. With a sudden angry movement, he swept the shot glasses off the table. “You went behind my back to sleep with my little sister. Not once, but scores of times apparently. Then you looked me in the eye and said you’d keep an eye on her, keep her safe by employing her. But that just entangled her further in your web, didn’t it?”
“I’m not some kind of evil spider,” Alex replied, some heat in his tone. “I wasn’t lying in wait to take advantage of your sister. One night, we were both at the same party celebrating the big conference win, and it just sort of happened.”
“And then it happened again, and again,” Jameson growled, his hands clenched into fists. “That’s my sister we’re talking about. You were supposed to be better than that!”
“Well you know something? I’m not better than that!” He rose, his voice rising with him. “I thought I was better, thought I wasn’t the type to let down a friend, but I’ve learned some things since I’ve been with Brenne, and one of them is that she doesn’t appreciate the way you guys box her in and try to control her.”
“What are you talking about?” Jameson stood, his muscles rigid, his face like ice. “You think we could control Brenne? She’s always done whatever the hell she wants!”
“You’re saying having me hire her wasn’t trying to control her?” Alex paced the small confines, his temper rising. “Remember, I went to high school with you and the majority of your brothers. I saw the way you’d close ranks around her. How many boys did you scare off in the parking lot when she wasn’t looking?”
“You expect me to just stand around when trash tries to date my sister?” Jameson’s voice was gruff.
“Every guy out there isn’t trash. Brenne thinks you take it too far, and I have to agree.”
Jameson rushed him, grabbing him by his collar and slamming him into the wall. “I think I haven’t taken it far enough, especially with you. You broke my sister’s heart and drove her into the arms of that two-legged bank account. I oughta beat the devil out of you!”
“Do what you have to, but that’s not going to change the truth. Your sister deserves to be happy, but if you MacAllen brothers keep standing in her way, she’s going to have to cut you out of her life to have one.” Alex stood up to his friend. He didn’t care if Jameson hit him. He might deserve that. But his friend had to know that he was damaging his relationship with his sister, and she wouldn’t stand for it forever.
“You think you make her happy? She’s been pouting into her peas for the last two days.” Jameson released his hold on Alex’s collar and turned away, some of the anger going out of his voice. “You not only seduced my sister, but you broke her heart.”
Jameson threw himself back into his chair and picked up the tequila bottle, taking a draw straight from the bottle. He coughed, then cursed, and slammed his hand on the table. “No one wants my sister to end up with the wrong man. If you think you’re the right one, then you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
Alex sat, then reached out for the tequila. Jameson handed him the bottle, and he took a drink. “She doesn’t want me.”
Jameson gave him a hard look. “You’re going to make this right. You say my sister deserves to be happy, then you get your ass over there and make her happy. Or there is going to be hell to pay.”
CHAPTER 38
BRENNE
Brenne stared at the ceiling above her bed and watched the shadows form as the sun began to set. She’d gone straight to her room from the dinner table, a dinner she’d failed to eat, and now she was waiting for night to fall to begin another long night of solitude.
I’m not fit company for anyone anyways.
Lou had called earlier, asking if she wanted to come over and watch one of those god-awful reality shows about a guy handing out roses to ladies who pretend to date him or some such, and Brenne told her that it sounded worse than dental surgery.