Then, I thought about how I was going to tell Ellie that our mother had called again, saying that she wanted us to come visit her so she could apologize. Quickly, I pushed that last thought out of mind.
I kissed Ari’s head and gave her a hug.
“We better go. I’m sure Josh and Heather are probably going out of their f**king minds, wondering why we dared to leave them alone.”
***
We got dressed, jumped back into the truck, and got back on the road. Ari talked nonstop, and I just smiled the whole way. My baby was happy, and that made me happy as hell. Now, I just had to get her to stop talking about going riding. I was scared to death that she would have another accident.
“I’m gonna ride, Jeff, I can’t live my life scared to move, and you shouldn’t want me to.”
“I don’t want you to, baby. It’s just, god Ari, if anything ever happened to you or the baby, I would never forgive myself. If I could, I’d put your ass in a bubble and lock you away for the next seven months.”
“Ha-ha, very funny. It’s going to be fine. I promise to stick to the older mares or Big Roy.”
“Big Roy, just stick with him.”
Ari laughed and grabbed my hand.
“Okay, babe, I’ll only ride Big Roy.”
***
When we pulled up to the house, Heather and Josh were talking, sitting next to each other on the steps. That has to be a good sign. Heather stood up and gave us a total go-to-hell look. Okay...maybe that isn’t such a good sign.
“Where the hell have you two been?” Heather asked.
Ari walked up to her and smiled.
“Sorry, y’all. Jeff had to make a quick pit stop.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he did,” Josh said as he punched Jeff in the arm. “Horny bastard.”
“Oh my god, Josh. Really?” Heather said as she started to follow Ari into the house.
“Dude, am I right?”
I smiled and winked at him.
“See, I know you. It’s about damn time you got here though. I was running out of stuff to talk to Heather about.”
Heather turned around and gave Josh the finger before she walked inside.
“Still nothing?” I asked.
“No, to be honest, I’m not really trying anymore. I mean, I’m with Lynda now, and I’m just trying to get back to being friends with her. That’s all. It doesn’t have to be awkward for any of us, like it was earlier today.”
“Josh, hold on a second.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him aside.
“You have to know that Heather is absolutely devastated about what happened. From what Ari told me, she only slept with Jerry that one time. She has this crazy f**ked-up thinking about letting you in and then you leaving her like her parents left her.”
Josh looked down at the ground and then back up to me. His eyes glazed over, and I knew he was fighting back tears.
“I can’t do it, Jeff. When I walked in and saw that guy there, what happened between them hit me hard. I knew in that moment that I couldn’t do it anymore. She’s so worried about me leaving her, but it’s her who left me, Jeff. I need someone in my life that’s going to trust me and not worry all the time if I’m going to cheat or leave her or whatever other fears she might have. I can’t do it. I’m doing most of the business at my dad’s now, and I really think I could make this business grow even more. I need to concentrate on that, and Heather needs to work on finishing school. I think we are on the paths we are meant to be on.”
I looked at him and shook my head. “Do you really believe that load of shit you just spit out, dude?”
Josh sighed and turned to walk into the house. “I have to, Jeff. It’s the only way I can get up every day and move on.”
Ari and Heather were in the kitchen, laughing, and of course, talking about what to wear to tonight’s barn dance. I smiled when I saw Ari leaning up against the counter. She looked beautiful. Her skin looked like it was glowing, and her smile lit up the whole room. I was going to have to keep her pregnant often because she was even more beautiful carrying my child.
Josh and I sat in the living room and talked about the wedding. When I looked up, my breath was taken away. Ari was standing there, wearing a Longhorn T-shirt, blue jean shorts, and a pair of Longhorn cowboy boots. I let my eyes travel up and down her body.
Fuck me. She’s so damn beautiful.
“Those shorts are too short, Ari.” I tried to hide my smile when she raised her eyebrows at me.
“Um, no, they’re not. Sorry, I’m gonna wear the shit out of this stuff until I can’t fit into it anymore.” She gave me a wink and came over to sit on my lap.
I looked into the kitchen and saw Heather getting out a Diet Coke from the fridge. Then, I glanced over at Josh, who must have seen her the same time I did.
I almost felt like I should walk over and shut his mouth for him. Heather had on a white tank top, blue jean shorts, and a pair of pink cowboy boots. How two girls can wear just simple shirts and shorts and look so good was beyond me.
“Close your mouth, Josh, unless you want to catch flies,” Ari said.
Josh snapped his head over to Ari and looked dazed for a moment or two. Just then, his cell phone went off. Ah, the bitch must have some kind of radar, she sensed him looking at Heather.
Josh pulled out his phone and looked at it, frowning
There was no way in hell he was happy with Lynda. I could tell just by his reaction to her call. She was f**king nuts, jealous as hell, and I had a funny feeling she was playing around behind Josh’s back.
He got up and walked outside before he answered it. I looked at Ari who, was also frowning. She stood up when Heather walked into the living room.
“Y’all ready to go?” I am so in the mood to go to a barn dance,” Heather said as she smiled at Ari and me.
“Well then, let’s go. I talked to Gunner a little bit ago, and he and Ellie will just meet us there.”
***
By the time we got to the barn dance, Heather and Josh seemed to be getting along as friends. I even heard them laugh a few times. Ari looked over at me and smiled. I knew what she was thinking, and I was a little less optimistic.
As we walked toward the barn, I saw Garrett and Jack were talking to a couple of older guys, and Emma and Grace were laughing with a group of women. Gunner came walking out of the barn with three beers in his hand while Ellie carried two. Gunner handed me one first and then gave on to Josh. Ellie tried to hand to Heather.
“No, thanks. I’m only drinking Diet Coke tonight,” Heather said.
Ari let out a laugh and looked at Heather.
“You’re such a good friend to only drink soda because I can’t drink!”
Heather smiled just a little. “Not really, sweets. I stopped drinking last summer.”
Josh’s head snapped up to look at Heather, who was now looking down at the ground.
Garrett walked up and slapped Gunner on the back. “I can tell you that if I had all these beautiful women standing around me, I sure as shit wouldn’t be standing out here, all just staring at each other.”
“You heard the man. Take me in there and swing me around that dance floor, Jeff, before I find me another cowboy to do it,” Ari said with a wink.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said as I took Ari’s hand and led her into the barn.
Just as we walked in, Jason Aldean’s “When She Says Baby” started up. I spun Ari around before we took off two-steppin’. I’d never been with a girl who could dance to every kind of music out there. Girl sure as hell knows how to two-step.
I looked over to see Gunner and Ellie laughing as they danced right by us. Gunner gave me a wink and then he leaned down and kissed the shit out of my baby sister. Bastard.
Then, I saw Jack and Grace. I smiled when I thought about how happy Gunner was to have his parents living on the ranch. The plan was for Gunner and Ellie to finish building their house, and then Jack and Grace were going to move into the cabin. Jack seemed so happy and at peace, and I knew he loved working with Gunner on the ranch.
“Do you see Garrett and Emma dancing?” Ari shouted.
I shook my head and looked around. Just as I spotted them, Garrett was spinning Emma around. They looked so damn happy. I glanced down at Ari, and she smiled. I knew she was thinking the same thing I was.
“Do you think they still keep a quilt in their truck?” Ari asked before she started to laugh.
I threw my head back and laughed along with her. “I bet they do, baby. I bet they do!”
***
After two hours of dancing, drinking, and laughing my ass off listening to Garrett and a few other old timers talking, Josh, Gunner, and I were sitting at a table looking out on the dance floor.
Ari, Ells, and Heather were all dancing to Chris Cagle’s “Let There Be Cowgirls.” Damn. My dick was getting hard just watching Ari. I loved the way she threw her head back every time she laughed or the way her damn body moved to the beat of the song. I had to adjust myself and look away. I glanced over at Gunner and had to smile. It was a good thing that bastard was married to my sister, or I’d be kicking his ass right now because of the way he was looking at her.
I looked over at Josh. Poor stupid bastard was just staring at Heather out on the dance floor. I really felt bad for him, but I wasn’t really what to do for those two.
“How are the wedding plans coming along?” Gunner shouted in my ear.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Holy hell, the wedding plans. I cringed, just thinking about it.
“Fine.”
Gunner and Josh both started laughing.
“Just fine? Come on, dude. You can give us more than that,” Gunner said.
I let out a sigh and looked around. Ari’s parents weren’t there, but I swore I wouldn’t put it past her dad to have spies follow my ass around.
Josh got up and moved to the other side of me. “What the f**k are you looking around for?” Josh said as he looked around. “Is it top-secret shit?”
“I’m just putting this out there; I wouldn’t put anything past Ari’s dad. I can’t tell you how many times that man has threatened my life. He refuses to let us pay for any part of the wedding because according to him, ‘His baby girl will get the wedding of her dreams.’ I’m responsible for the honeymoon though. If I don’t make it special, he has threatened to cut off my dick.”
Josh and Gunner both laughed again.
“It’s not funny. F**ker scares the shit out of me.”
Josh took a long drink of his beer. “As he should. I swear if I ever have a girl, I’m gonna threaten any man who comes in contact with her until I’m too old to know any better.”
“I gotta agree with Josh. I’d be the same damn way if it came to my girl,” Gunner said.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess. Anyway, the plans are going good. I think they’re pretty much done with it all. Jenny is amazing, and she’s really done another fabulous job with everything.”
Gunner said, “I tell ya what. Ari couldn’t have picked a better place. When I took Ells to the Mansion at Judges’ Hill for her birthday last year, it was breathtaking.”