Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Emmett

I 'm in the horse barn, shoeing all the damn horses because supposedly I'm the best at it. The horses are calmer when I do it. That's what Jude and my dad say. It's bullshit. I bitch about it, but I don't mind. I kind of like when it's just the horses and me. I play my country music, focus on my task, and it clears my head. Gives me a sense of accomplishment when I'm done taking the old shoes off, getting the hooves filed down, fitting them for their new shoes, and nailing them in. Sometimes it's nice to be alone with my thoughts.

I hear rustling behind me and groan. Someone is gonna bother me, and it better not be fucking Jude. He's been up my ass all week. Funny how he never wanted to show me shit until he got with his childhood best friend, and now they're expecting a baby. Now he wants to dump everything on me, right when I come up with a plan I know would kill it here.

I keep working to fit the horseshoes for my dad's horse, Legend. I always save Brutus for last because he's mine.

"There you are." Ben walks in. He's dressed in track pants and a sweatshirt. He coaches the high school football team, but they're not playing right now, so he decided to take on the track team as well. None of us Noughton boys are ones to sit around and do nothing.

"Where else would I be?" I go to the forge and put the horseshoe in to heat up the metal so I can mold it as perfectly as I can.

"I was looking for you." He pets Magnum, running his hand down his mane.

"Well, you found me." I keep working.

"I heard you showed Briar the studio yesterday. That you showed up at breakfast." He grabs a brush and brushes Magnum.

Ben doesn't work on the farm. Magnum is the only part of him down here. Even when he was younger, Ben never had to work the ranch much because he was so focused on football. Sure, during harvest and planting season, he helped. We needed as many hands as we could get. But since our family farm got bigger and started making a bigger profit while he was away playing professional football, he doesn't know much about what goes on around here.

"What's your point?" I peek up at him before banging the horseshoe into the right shape.

"Why were you there?"

I take the aggression running through my veins and try to cool it by dousing the horseshoe in the bucket of cold water, imagining it's my temper. The water splashes over the edge, and I continue to swish the shoe around, not wanting to have this conversation with him.

"Did Gillian send you?" I ask.

"No." He puts down the brush and walks back out of Magnum's stall, then sits on the bench in front of me, resting his forearms on his thighs. "But she is worried."

"She has nothing to worry about." I keep my head down because my brothers can call out my bullshit just as well as I can theirs.

"I've seen you look at her, Emmett."

Ben and I have never really fought. That was always more him and Jude, but I can feel an argument brewing between us.

"I'm not blind." I place the horseshoe on Legend and hammer it into his hoof, careful not to hurt him. "Just spit it out."

"I don't know the details, but something bad happened in Chicago. Briar's hurting, and she needs this time to recharge."

"And?" I move to Legend's next hoof to start the process over again.

"She's vulnerable. And we both know you're only interested in sex."

I glance up at him through my eyelashes. "I told you that you don't have anything to worry about."

"I want insurance on that."

I gently place Legend's hoof back on the ground and stand up straight. "I think you're forgetting that Briar is a big girl. Last I checked, she can make her own mistakes."

His eyebrows rise at the word mistake.

"Not like she'd regret being with me."

His eyebrows draw down, and his shoulders fall. "Cut the shit, Emmett. I'm here to make it worth your while not to lay a finger on Briar."

I step closer, crossing my arms. "Do tell."

He rises to his feet, but I've still got inches on him. The day my pencil mark on the wall was higher than his and Jude's was one of the best in my life. It's the little things, but being taller than my older brothers and seeing the irritation on their faces was epic in my world.

"You'll have my vote."

I tilt my head. "Excuse me?"

He runs his fingers through his hair. "You heard me. The dude ranch thing you want to do. You have my vote if you keep away from Briar."

Dad, Aunt Darla, and Aunt Bette became the owners of our farm after our grandparents died. Now, over the years, all the kids have been given their slice of the pie, so to get this dude ranch approved, I need at least eight votes, including mine. Ben is a huge vote, but he's the only one whose steady paycheck doesn't rely on the ranch. Like, be real—he has enough money from his football career that he doesn't have to work another day in his life if he doesn't want to. Of course, Dad would never allow him to sit around all day.

"Let me be sure I've got this right—you're going to give me your vote in exchange for me not touching Briar?"

Ben looks as though he's signing his life away, but he nods.

I click my tongue off the roof of my mouth. "One vote doesn't make it happen."

He sighs.

It's an easy deal to make since there's a lot against me when it comes to Briar. She hates me for one, and I doubt she'd ever entertain any type of arrangement between us, although I do catch her checking me out occasionally. Second, I made myself a deal a long time ago never to fuck anyone my cousins or family members are friends with, which was more a lesson learned than something I came up with on my own.

So I can play this multiple ways, but there's only one way that assures me Ben will not only vote for my idea but go to bat for me with my cousins. We have a big family meeting in two months to discuss what's working, what's not, and what we can do to improve the ranch. I plan on announcing my idea after I film a few more things on the ranch and see how many views I can get. Today, I was going to film myself putting new horseshoes on Brutus.

"I don't know, Ben. I mean, I feel this pull to her."

He growls. Literally, an animalistic sound rumbles up from his throat. "Don't play games."

I laugh because it's comical how protective my brothers are about anything that affects their women. I mean, can regular pussy really be that good?

"Help me get the votes I need, and it's a deal. I won't lay a finger on little Briar."

"Good." He holds his palm out to me.

"You better campaign for this idea like you're really behind it and not say some bullshit like ‘I told Emmett if he didn't go after Briar, then I'd help him get the votes.' I want real excitement."

He nods. "Fine."

"And Gilly Bean can't know."

His eyes narrow. "I'm not lying to her."

"I'm not asking you to lie. I'm telling you to keep it between us. She's not going to pry if I'm holding up my end of the bargain."

He spits again on his hand. "Fine. Now fucking shake on it."

"Say please," I say, delaying because I realize that maybe I should be offended by this whole arrangement. Am I really that bad of a choice for Briar that he's willing to do this? I may have my fun, but I'm not into dicking girls around and hurting them.

I shake my head to free all the insecurities inflicted on me by being the youngest, most "immature" brother, which is a role I play like a damn Oscar-award winner. They want it, they expect it, and I give it to them on a silver platter.

"Shake my damn hand," Ben says, low and growly again.

I spit in my palm and shake hands with him. Why did we ever think that sharing saliva made our promises to one another more binding? Kids are stupid, and apparently, we still are since we're continuing the tradition.

"Who do you want me to hit up first?" Ben grabs a towel off the bench and wipes his hand.

"The girls."

He groans, but I need the girls if I'm going to get eight votes. "Fine."

"Good doing business with you. Now get the fuck out of here so I can finish this job. You'll be happy to know that I have a date tonight."

"With your hand?" Ben asks, already walking backward out of the barn.

"With Briar."

His face falls.

"I'm kidding," I say. "I've never lost a bet, and I won't lose this one."

He nods a few times, but his expression says he's unsure.

I could do this in my sleep. I should draw up the plans for the dude ranch right now. This is a bet I'm gonna win, hands down.