Chapter Nine Wade

CHAPTER NINE

Wade

W hen I get back into the silos office the next afternoon after a full day of phone meetings with our auction agent and a handful of suppliers, I'm ready for the day to be over. It's only 3:30, but after getting just a few hours of sleep and struggling to not give in to fisting my cock with Ivy's image in my brain, I'm wrecked.

There's a mug of strong black coffee on my desk.

"Saw you coming back. You look tired today, Chief," Ivy says as she gathers her things to go out and work with Haden and two horses. She's looking like a breath of fresh air in another pair of jeans and a flannel, tight and tucked in, her tattered cowboy hat over a long black braid that dances down her shoulder.

"Yeah … didn't sleep," I reply.

"That storm kept me up too." She smiles.

Yeah, the storm, that's what kept me up.

"Are you going to work with my horse?" Mabel asks from the silos door, making both Ivy and me turn to greet her in surprise.

"I am, and Cosmic too." Ivy smiles.

I look around for the adult that brought Mabel to us.

"Where's your—"

"Right here," Cole says, poking his head around the corner, dressed and ready for a shift as Laurel Creek's Deputy Sheriff.

"Gemma has to …" He looks down at Mabel then back to me. "Work. She couldn't pick her up from school. CeCe's on her way. Mabel's going to have dinner and sleep at their place tonight while I work, but she wanted to come to the barn to wait, if that's fine?"

"You can come with me," Ivy says, holding out a hand to Mabel.

Mabel's smile takes up her whole face and Cole breathes a sigh of relief,

"Thanks, guys. I-I wasn't expecting … I just can't miss a shift right now."

"It's fine, man. Mabes probably asked her mom to work so she could come hang with us and Nutmeg. Right, Mabes?" I ask, rustling her hair. She giggles in response and happily skips out of the barn with Ivy.

"She's not at work, I'm guessing?" I ask Cole when they're out of earshot.

"Fuck no, she just texted me an hour ago and said she went to Lexington with two of her friends and forgot she had to pick Mabel up today." He puts air quotes around forgot .

"You're a good dad. Fuck Gemma." I pat him on the shoulder. Cole's also a good cop and I know he's stretched thin right now. "We've got Mabes for you. Now go keep those streets clean." I grin, knowing his night will probably consist mostly of splitting up a few bar fights and watching Breaking Bad on the iPad he keeps in his sheriff's truck.

Laurel Creek is usually pretty quiet on a Wednesday night, or really any night.

"Fuck you," Cole says, sensing my sarcasm. "And thanks."

I nod and take a big gulp of my coffee before heading out to observe the training. But when I get into the barn, I can hear Ivy and Mabel talking from Nutmeg's row as they ready him, so I start unpacking a large order that must have just arrived and text some of the boys to come help me.

"When can I learn jumps with him?" Mabel asks.

"Well, he's not that kind of horse, but if you want to start learning that, I'm gonna bet we start that training in the summer when you're done with school. But it will maybe be Sam that does that with you or Dusty. That's their department."

I set my jaw involuntarily, surprised that I don't really like thinking about a time when Ivy isn't on the ranch.

"I think Sam won't come back," Mabel says.

"Why do you think that?"

"She has babies now."

Ivy laughs at Mabel's answer. "She does, but your Uncle Wade says she loves the horses and lots of mommies go to work after they have babies." A moment of silence passes. "Pass me the brush please, honey," Ivy says to Mabel.

"He likes to be brushed," Mabel says as she hands her the wide bristled tool. Mabel's little face is deep in thought from what I can see. "If she doesn't come back, will you stay?"

"Hmmm … well, that will be up to your nana and Uncle Wade."

"If you do stay, who will train the horses when you have babies? I like when you're here."

I smirk at Mabel's personal question. Kids have no filter.

I pull a box down from the pallet I'm unloading as I wait to hear Ivy's answer.

A long silence makes me lift my gaze and glance between the aisles at Ivy's face. Her eyes are distant. She forces her lips to turn into a grin.

"You don't have to worry about that with me, honey. The horses are my babies." She tweaks Mabel's chin and Mabel seems satisfied, but I'm not.

As I watch the two of them lead Nutmeg and Cosmic out of the barn like two peas in a pod, I can't shake the same feeling I had before. Ivy Spencer's layers run deep, and that mystery isn't really helping me to push her from my mind. In fact, it's making me think about her even more. I have no clue how to get through the next few months and keep things professional, but at this point? It's going to take a fucking miracle.

Twenty minutes later, my phone buzzing in my pocket pulls me from deciding between putting away the feed delivery and watching Ivy and Mabel work with Cosmic. For the klutzy way she handles herself, Ivy's sure a natural when it comes to working with the horses as she takes her time to teach Mabel how to run through some basic groundwork.

Two texts wait for me when I pull my phone out. One from Janelle asking me if I can change the roofer appointment I made for her today, and the other from the roofer.

JAKE PARNELL

I'm here Wade and Janelle isn't. Are you coming instead?

Fuck sakes, Janelle. I repeat the mantra, the day my name is off this goddamn house can't come fast enough . I type a quick on my way before I tuck my phone in my back pocket.

As I'm leaving the barn, heading over to tell Mabel she's going to have to come with me, I see CeCe pulling up the driveway.

Mabel skips over to give me a hug goodbye from where she was watching Ivy work. I approach Ivy—now mounted on Cosmic—and she trots over to me, guessing I want to talk. Fuck, she looks good up there. Her cowboy hat is letting just enough of the day's sun on her face to amplify her violet eyes. She looks at me expectantly as I just stand there dumbfounded, taking in how pretty she is.

"Boss?" she asks, the hint of a grin playing on her lips.

I blink and come back to the present from last night's dream, which is playing like a reel in my head.

"Uh … when those boys get here, get them to finish up what I was doing in stable four. Still two pallets to unload. I have to … take care of something."

Ivy nods. "That's why I'm here, Chief."

I turn quickly so I can avoid staring at the enticing way her body moves on the horse as she rides off.

I spend the next couple hours going over the roof job on my not-house with Jake and shooting the shit with him. We went to school together, so we always have lots to gab about. By the time we're done, we decide a drink and a burger is in order so we head to the Horse and Barrel and convince Cole to come meet us for dinner in the middle of his shift. Partway through the best burger in town, my phone is buzzing and lighting up on the table.

"Who's Trouble? " Jake asks, looking down at my phone as Nash slides into the booth with us.

Nash looks down at my lock screen and grins.

"Little late to be working, ain't it, Sarge?"

I give him a shut the fuck up look as he chuckles and then I check to see what Ivy is after.

TROUBLE

I've been doing some research on the auctioneer that's running the show in Nashville. If we want a yearling at the best price I think maybe we could offer him a little convincing. Now hear me out …

The fuck? I watch as the bubbles appear, then disappear for a moment as I hear Nash say to Cole and Jake, "Must be a work emergency." Dick.

TROUBLE

Nothing too unprofessional, maybe flash a grin or undo a couple buttons in the front row during the auction and we could distract him enough to get Rustling Winds for under a million.

What the fuck is this woman talking about?

There's not a chance you're doing any such thing to get a horse. We'll pay whatever we need to get the right yearling. And I don't think his wife would appreciate that.

TROUBLE

Oh no, Chief I didn't mean me, I meant you. And rumor has it his husband won't be there.

I scrub my face with my hand as I stifle a grin.

Cole whispers to Nash, "Must be a funny work emergency?"

Jake pipes in, "What the fuck am I missing?"

I continue to ignore them. Maybe it's because I like seeing her name light up my phone but I can't stop myself from playing back.

You trying to sell me out for a horse? I'm appalled.

TROUBLE

Just looking out for the ranch. Be open-minded, think about it. I don't condone doing anything wrong, just flirt a little. Harmless.

I'm a respectable man, stop trying to pimp me out.

TROUBLE

Yes sir.

I look up to find Nash sipping a bourbon and grinning at me like the cocky motherfucker he is.

"Got that work problem solved, Sarge?"

The rain is back as I hop into my truck over an hour later. I look out the windshield to see what kind of storm I'm dealing with. All I can think about is Janelle's roof holding up through it so I don't have to go back to her house tonight.

It's really coming down as I turn down the muddy drive to Silver Pines. The big house is eerie and dark with my mother gone. I'm just pulling into my own driveway when I see a shadow move on my porch behind the rail in my headlights.

I freeze then grab my full-size Maglite from the backseat; we've had coyotes and black bears in this area before and I'm not taking any chances. I stalk toward the front porch as the shadow moves again. Just as I'm about to go beast mode and start making all sorts of noise on the porch rail with the flashlight, I hear the tiniest, "Wade?"

I blink, then squint in the dark.

"What the—?"

I rush to flick the porch lantern on, only to find a damp and disheveled Ivy crumpled beside my front door in a wicker chair.

"I'm sorry … I just didn't know where else to go."