Goodbye Girl (Hidden Lane Ranch) Read online

  She pushed her way into my room and sat on the bed. “So,” She said, crossing her legs and propping her chin on fist. “How did it go last night?”

  I could feel my cheeks getting warm, remembering last night. I wasn’t one to kiss and tell, but it was obvious this family was close; secrets were probably hard to keep. “Good,” I managed to stammer. I had no idea why I was so shy about what had happened last night; I was a grown woman and not at all ashamed of my sexuality. I really liked these people though and didn’t want them to think less of me because I slept with Clint after only knowing him a day.

  She rolled her eyes and looked down to examine her nails on her right hand. “Please, I heard you when I put your bags in your room. Things had to go way better than ‘good’.”

  “Well,” I mumbled, totally unsure of what to say. Clint had probably seen them all already this morning and I had no idea what he may or may not have told them.

  “Don’t worry,” she said, waving her hand. “Clint didn’t say a thing. He was sorta late so he grabbed some coffee and headed outside. I’m sure he’s getting an earful from Wyatt though.” She stood up with a grin and glanced down at my stuff. “Come have some breakfast and then we can get a little work done. Then you can come back here and get settled a bit more.”

  I slipped into my sandals and Eliza looked down at them. “We have to get you better shoes. You can’t be running around this place in those things.” She pointed to her cowboy boots. “We’ll get you a pair of boots.”

  I shook my head and laughed. “Never in my life did I think I’d ever wear cowboy boots.”

  She winked at me. “You’re in Wyoming now, girlie. Better get used to it.”

  We laughed and headed out to the kitchen. Rachel headed into the office to make a quick call, leaving me with Clint’s mom. She was at the sink washing dishes. Embarrassment washed over me again; what had she heard from our escapades last night. Her eyes lit up when she saw me and I felt relieved.

  “Good morning, dear,” she said, wiping her hands dry on a dishtowel. “Coffee?”

  I nodded. “Yes please.”

  She nodded and grabbed a mug from the cupboard before pouring me a cup. “Cream or sugar?”

  I shook my head. “Black.”

  “A girl after my own heart.” She set it on the table and motioned for me to sit down. “Let me get you some breakfast. Eggs? Pancakes?” She walked over to the fridge.

  “Oh no, I’m good.” I didn’t want to put her out when it was clear everyone else was done with breakfast.

  “Nonsense,” she said. “You have to eat something.”

  I tried to think of something simple that wouldn’t require too much effort. “How about some toast?”

  “Perfect,” she said, pulling a loaf of bread from the pantry and walking over to the toaster. She put a couple of pieces in the toaster and pushed the lever down. “What do you think of this place?”

  “It’s beautiful. I love it actually,” I admitted, taking a long sip of my coffee. I closed my eyes in bliss; this was the best cup of coffee I’d ever had, even better than all the coffee shops I’d been back home.

  She smiled and looked out the window. “I came here with Clint’s dad after we got married. At first I wasn’t so sure ranch life would agree with me; I was a city girl too. I quickly learned to love the peacefulness and serenity of it all.”

  She took a drink of her own coffee. “It’s hard work though. Those boys and the ranch hands work long days in the summer and the winters here are tough, I won’t lie. If you had come here in January, I may have told you to run far far away.” She winked at me and we both laughed. Just like the rest of the family, I was quickly learning to love Mary; I’d missed having a mother figure in my life.

  My toast popped up and she put it on the plate. She brought it to me along with some butter and what looked like homemade jam. “Thank you,” I said.

  She sat at the table across from me. “Rachel, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” I replied, my heart suddenly beating hard in my chest. Was she going to ask me about Clint and last night? I began to butter my toast, trying to mask my nervousness.

  “How did you get that bruise on your cheek?” she asked softly.

  I stopped buttering my bread and put my knife down. While I was relieved she didn’t ask me about last night, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to talk about the bruise on my face either. I was speechless, unsure of where to start.

  “Was it a boyfriend?”

  I could see the concern in her eyes and while I was normally a pretty closed up person, there was something about this woman that made me comfortable enough to open up to her. “Yes, it was my old boyfriend.” I made sure to emphasize the ‘old’ part. I didn’t want anyone to think I was still attached, especially to that asshole.

  She reached across the table and took my hand. “Did it happen often?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  “No, this was the first and last time,” I said. I might as well tell her the whole story. I took a deep breath and started at the beginning. “My mom died six years ago when I was nineteen.” My eyes filled with tears, remembering that horrible day.

  She squeezed my hand. “Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry.”

  I gave her a half smile. “It was just her and I, so I was all alone. I’d been dating someone at the time and he sort of swooped in and took care of me. He became my family. Things were good for a long time. Then he lost his job and started hanging out with a different crowd. I had a feeling he was selling drugs and after awhile, I was sure he was also doing them. He became controlling and possessive. After my mom died, I swore I would never be with a man like that.”

  I stood up and went over to the window. “My mom was killed by her abusive boyfriend.”

  She let out a gasp. “Oh my God Rachel, how horrible for you.”

  I nodded, the tears rolling down my face now. “I made a promise to myself I would never ever be with a man like that. When he started to get like that, I made plans to leave him. The night I told him, he hit me. I waited until later that night and packed up what I could and left.”

  She got up from the table and came over to me. I turned around and she held my arms in her hands. “I’m proud of you.” She reached up and wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Your mother would be proud of you.”

  A sob tore from my throat and she pulled me to her for a hug. She smoothed my hair. “You’re safe here.”

  “Mom! What did you do to Rachel?” Eliza came into the kitchen, done with her phone call.

  I pulled away from her and wiped my eyes. “She didn’t do anything,” I laughed nervously.

  “Never you mind, Eliza,” Mary dismissed her daughter. She handed me a tissue. “We were just talking.

  Eliza narrowed her eyes suspiciously at us. “Riiight.” She came closer to me. “Are you ok, Rachel?”

  “I am, especially now,” I assured her. I really was ok for the first time in days, maybe even weeks. It felt good to tell Mary what had happened to me in Buffalo before I left. I didn’t tell her that when I left Seth, I’d taken about five grand from him. He was more than likely more pissed about the missing money than he was me leaving. There was no way he would find me here in the middle of nowhere anyway.

  “Well, I have to run to town to do some errands. Come with me?” she asked as she walked over to her purse.

  “Sure,” I glanced out the window and noticed Wyatt walking into the garage. Where was Clint? It would probably do me some good to get out of here for awhile so I wouldn’t obsessively watch for him. I wasn’t sure how things would be between us after last night. Would he act like nothing had happened? If I wasn’t here, I wouldn’t have to worry about it.

  “You girls be careful,” Mary said, going back to her dishes in the sink. She smiled at me and winked. I smiled back at her.

  “Yeah, yeah, Ma,” Eliza waved a hand at her mother. “Let’s go. Maybe we can do some shopping too.”

  We headed ou
t the door to her truck. I tried to casually look around to find Clint.

  “He’s way out in the fields,” Eliza said with a grin.

  My face felt warm with embarrassment. Was I that obvious? “What are you talking about?” I stammered.

  She laughed. “It’s ok. I could tell you were looking for my brother.” She started the truck and looked at me. “For the record, when he got up this morning, he was whistling and grinning bigger than I’ve seen in forever.” She put the truck in drive and started the drive into town.

  I settled back into the seat, watching the fields go by out the window. The past few days had been a whirlwind and my life had gone in a direction I’d never imagined. I was already in love with this family that took me in with no questions asked and, if I was honest with myself, I was starting to fall for Clint.

  Chapter 12 – Clint

  As I worked all morning, all I could do was think about Rachel. I didn’t just think about how hot and sexy she was and how she’d made me come harder than anyone ever had; I also thought about her laughter and the way she brushed her hair from her face.

  “Dude, wipe that fucking smile off your face. It’s disgusting,” Wyatt snorted as he walked up to me.

  “What are you talking about?” He was the last person I wanted to admit to that I was having feelings for this new girl that had come into our lives.

  “Your grin is so big I can see it from the house,” he teased, leaning against the tractor parked near us. “I brought you some water since you left the house in such a hurry this morning.”

  “You’re so full of shit,” I laughed and stood next to him. I took a long drink of the cold water he’d brought out for me. “Thanks, bro.”

  We sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the wind blow through the trees. “You like her, don’t you?” he asked.

  What did I say here? Did I tell him that even though it was crazy, I did really care about her? What if he told her and scared her off? I decided I’d just tell the truth. “I do,” I admitted quietly.

  “I could tell last night. Watching the way you two danced.” He turned his baseball hat backwards and turned to me. “What do you know about her though? You just met her.”

  I shrugged; maybe he was right, but he slept with anything that walked. I knew very little about her, but something deep in my gut told me she was the one I’d been waiting for since Hope left me. None of the rest mattered. “I don’t know much, but I know I like her. She’s funny, sexy, and smart. We have plenty of time to learn about each other.”

  He pushed himself off of the tractor. “She’s from back east right? Where was she going? Why could she just stop and settle here with us? Maybe she’s a criminal running from the cops.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “Seriously, Wyatt, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Does she look like she’s a dangerous criminal?”

  He held up his hands and shook his head. “You never know man. All I’m saying is be careful.”

  Maybe his suspicion of women and inability to really trust someone was the reason he couldn’t settle down with one woman. I thought he was just fond of the ladies, but maybe it was something deeper than that.

  “Point taken,” I said with a nod. “I’ll be careful - just for you, baby brother. Now let’s get back to work. Lunch is soon.”

  I went back to working on the fence that had my attention before my brother showed up and Wyatt stayed with me to help. We kept the conversation light the rest of the time, talking about baseball and other stuff. It wasn’t long before my phone went off with a text from Ma saying lunch was in ten minutes.

  “We better head up to the main house. Ma has lunch just about done,” I told Wyatt, wiping the sweat from my brow.

  “Good,” he said, clutching his stomach. “I’m starving.”

  We finished up a few things and he hopped on the four-wheeler he’d driven out to meet me. I got on the tractor and we headed back to the house. I got butterflies in my stomach the closer I got; I couldn’t wait to see Rachel again. I hoped things weren’t awkward and strained between us.

  I noticed Eliza’s truck wasn’t parked outside when we got there and my heart sank. What if Rachel was gone with her? I wouldn’t see her until dinner tonight.

  Wyatt reached out and smacked my arm. “Eliza’s gone. Are you worried she’s with her?”

  I grinned sheepishly and he shook his head. “Oh man, you’ve got it bad, don’t you?”

  I didn’t even answer him and headed inside. We were greeted with the wonderful smells of my mom’s cooking and my stomach rumbled. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled her fabulous cooking. Everyone was sitting down at the table already except for Wyatt and me.

  “It’s about time you boys get here,” Ma said with a grin and shooed us to our seats after we washed our hands. As I sat down, I looked for Rachel, but I didn’t see her.

  I dished some chicken up onto my plate. “Where’s Eliza?” I asked, trying to be nonchalant. Wyatt snorted and I kicked him under the table.

  “Ow!” he cried out muffled, his mouth full of food.

  Ma glared at both of us. “What is wrong with you boys?” She scolded. Neither of us answered and she turned back to her plate. “Eliza and Rachel ran into town for some errands and some shopping. She called to say they were going to catch lunch in town.”

  I tried not to hide my disappointment at not seeing Rachel but I was glad she and Eliza were getting along so well. “Shopping, huh? Oh boy,” I laughed. Eliza was a shopping queen.

  Ma laughed. “I know. They assured me they’d be back for dinner tonight. She said something about getting Rachel some boots or other suitable footwear for kicking around on the ranch.”

  My cock twitched in my jeans at the thought of Rachel in cowboy boots. There was nothing sexier than a hot sexy girl wearing cowboy boots. Maybe she’d have to model them for me later - wearing nothing else.

  “What are you grinning about?” Wyatt asked, nudging my elbow.

  “Oh nothing,” I retorted, hiding my smile. Maybe it would be worth not seeing her until tonight.

  The rest of lunch went by quietly, just talking about the weather. There was a storm predicted in a few days and we had to do the usual check to make sure everything was safe. We would be busier than usual to prep for it. Severe storms out here were nothing to take lightly.

  When we were done with lunch, everyone cleared out except for Ma and me. I usually helped her a bit with the dishes at meal-time, especially if Eliza wasn’t there.

  “I talked to Rachel a bit this morning before they left,” she said quietly.

  My heart started to race. God forbid they talked about the sex that had happened the night before. “Oh yeah, what about?” I asked as I brought some plates to the counter.

  “I’m not sure if it’s my place to tell you, but I asked her a bit about her past.” She wiped her hands on her dishtowel. “Just be careful with her. I know you like her, but despite her tough exterior, she’s actually pretty fragile underneath. Don’t toy with her and hurt her. And don’t push her. I’m sure she’ll tell you about her past when she’s ready.”

  I ran my hand through my hair. I wanted to press Ma for more details about Rachel’s past, but knew it didn’t pay. Ma wasn’t going to break her word to Rachel. “She told me her mom died when she was nineteen and before that it had just been the two of them, but that’s it.”

  She leaned her hip against the counter. “There’s more and she’ll tell you when she’s ready, but again, just be careful.”

  “I will, Ma,” I said, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I gotta get back to work. I’ll see you tonight. Call or text if you need me.”

  “See you in a bit,” she said, turning back to the mess in the kitchen.

  I walked out to the tractor, thinking about what Ma had said. Whatever had happened to Rachel in her past, I was determined that from now on, she would be safe and never hurt again in any way, not if I had an
ything to do about it.

  I jumped onto my tractor and drove back out to the fence. Once that was done, I had to try to get all the animals nearby so we could get them into the barns before the storm. It was going to be a long afternoon.

  ***

  There was so much work to do I didn’t even make it back to the house for dinner. I was bummed again I didn’t get to see Rachel, but there was just too much to do.

  It was dusk when I saw the light from a four wheeler headed my way. I was way back in the far corner of the property and wondered who would be coming out to get me now. I’d already let Ma know where I was and what I was doing, so what could be going on?