Serious Cowboy (Cowboys of Duncan Ranch #2)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Aaron drove to work with the biggest transportable mug of coffee he owned. Despite this, he remained a bleary mess. Still, once there at the ranch, having something physical to focus on helped.

It was while working on some machinery inside the barn that he caught sight of Brock approaching Bryce on the front porch. From where they were, he couldn’t hear what was being said, but based on the eldest Duncan brother’s stiff posture and the abrupt moroseness of Brock, the latter didn’t like what he was told.

Good.

Aaron had gone to Bryce in person himself to explain the verbal altercation they’d had. What had stunned Aaron was the ranch owner’s response.

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Bryce had muttered. Aaron had peered at him, his eyes raised. Bryce only shook his head. “That one’s been on his way out for a while. He doesn’t keep up with his responsibilities as it is, and now this? I’m glad you got rid of him.”

“So, he’s still fired?” Aaron hated to ask, but he had to know.

“Oh, yeah. And he won’t be hired back. Not here and not likely anywhere around here. There are plenty of other ranch hands that don’t cause such trouble.”

At least that much had been a relief. Not that Aaron had doubted that he would be backed up—Sam would do it in a heartbeat—but he hadn’t been as certain about Bryce. It was good to know that all the Duncans would stand with his decisions once he made them.

Regardless, as the afternoon progressed toward the evening, he found himself yawning uncontrollably. He hadn’t slept enough last night to get him easily through today, and even doubling his caffeine intake only perked him up by the tiniest degree. It’d been as he’d been wrapping up his duties when he’d received a text from Joy.

He’d felt a swirl of emotions upon seeing it. Gladness to hear from her. Worry about if Wayne had shown back up. Appreciation that she’d been thinking of him like he’d been thinking about her. Then, he’d read the message.

Joy: We need to talk.

Aaron’s only serious relationship had been with Joy herself, yet he’d been around the block enough to know that those words didn’t usually end in the best of results. He’d used them himself anytime any of the ladies he’d spent casual time with had attempted to turn their no-strings-attached dating into something more. They’d known the deal the second he’d agreed to go out with them.

He didn’t do serious. Not at all.

Except with Joy.

Yet here she was using that ominous phrase. He tried not to jump to any conclusions. Nothing good could come of that.

Aaron: Sure. What about?

Joy: I’d rather tell you in person if that’s all right.

To quote Lewis Carroll, this was only getting curiouser and curiouser.

Aaron: Anytime and anyplace.

Joy: How about the Sip ‘n Shop at six? My parents picked Kara up from school today.

At least that was one thing off his mind. Kara would be safe with her grandparents.

Aaron: I’ll be there.

Somehow, despite Joy working a mere block away from the diner, Aaron still managed to beat her there after his drive in from the ranch. He ordered a soda to keep him going, but his exhaustion was currently taking a backseat to his nervousness. What did Joy wish to talk about? And why wasn’t she there yet?

When she bustled in, he heaved a massive sigh of relief. At least until he detected the graveness of her features. She looked as if she’d just attended a funeral, and his stomach flipped upside down at the sight.

“What is it?” he asked her straight away. No use beating about the bush.

“I…” she faltered, which put him right on edge. “I have to break up with you.”

For a split-second, he was eighteen and heartbroken all over again. But then, he pushed his reaction to the side.

“Why?”

“Because of the divorce.” She proceeded to explain all the ins and outs of her rationale and specifically what the lawyers had told her.

Aaron could see that she had her reasons, the best of reasons, yet that didn’t make it hurt any less.

“It probably won’t be forever,” she interjected encouragingly, reaching out for his hand only to draw that hand back without making any sort of physical contact. That hurt, too. Way more than he felt up to admitting. “And I hope you know I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t necessary. I care about you. And the last thing I want to do is tear us apart, but…”

She trailed off, but he knew what she would say. What she’d already said. Yet understanding her motivations did nothing to quell the sensation of his heart being sliced in two. Worse, this was all too reminiscent of his past with her. A past when he’d loved her, and she hadn’t loved him back. Not the way he’d needed her to.

And even though that might not be the case this time, this all just… reeked of a repeat.

“Yeah, well,” he spoke up for the first time in what felt like an hour. His throat felt as if he’d coiled up some sandpaper rough side out and swallowed it. “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

“I don’t want to, though,” she whispered, and it nearly broke him. His eyes burned and a fist-sized ache of physical pain blocked his breathing passages.

So, he jerked to his feet. A server was heading in their direction, making him grab his wallet. He left behind some bills to cover his soda and whatever Joy might order, then eyed the exit. He couldn’t bear to glance at the woman seated across from him right now.

“You and Kara take care,” he barely managed before hightailing it for the door.

He had entered his truck and hit the road using sheer muscle memory and had driven for fifteen minutes before realizing where he was even going. Only at that point did it click that he’d been on his way to Billings this whole time.

Suppose it made sense. He needed to hash out his gnarled thoughts with someone he trusted, and that’s where his parents were. It was also where Sam was, even if he was indisposed at the moment. He had far greater worries than Aaron dared lay at his feet.

So, it was to his folks’ house that he traveled. Which made it twice as ironic when he caught sight of Sam’s new SUV in the parking lot on the way, the man himself glancing up with a big bag of food in his hands and spotting him.

After that, Aaron had no choice but to pull in.

“Newbie,” Sam greeted him warmly, his tone the polar opposite of Brock’s. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask the same of you.”

This barbecue joint wasn’t all that close to the hospital, even if it did give off an aroma that had Aaron been in the right state of mind would’ve called to him like a siren. But Sam gestured between the restaurant and vaguely east, where the hospital lay.

“Oh, this place has Whitney’s favorite barbecue sauce and fried pickles. And thanks to your folks bringing her meals from here, she’s now begun to crave it like she’s still pregnant.” Sam chuckled.

“So, the babies…”

“They’re holding their own. Better than that, actually. They came off oxygen today.”

Aaron gripped his arm, feeling the first honest to goodness smile come to his face since… everything.

“Oh, man, that’s wonderful.”

“It is. Colby James and Faith Margaret are strong little tikes, after all. As Duncans, they’d pretty much have to be.”

Aaron stared at Sam in surprise. He and Whitney hadn’t disclosed the babies’ names to the ranch employees yet.

“You named them after your mom and dad?” He bet Jim and Maggie were bursting at the seams with pride.

“Seemed fitting. Just keep those monikers to yourself. Only the family knows them so far, and we want to make a more formal announcement once the babies are home.”

“You know I will.”

“I know.” It was then that Sam glanced down the road, apparently taking note of the fact that Aaron hadn’t been driving to the hospital. Or to that specific eatery. “Visiting the folks?”

Aaron dropped his gaze. As much as he’d love to confide in his boss and friend, he knew Sam didn’t have the bandwidth for his complex love life—or lack thereof—not even with the good news.

“Sure am. Need to do it more often. Or that’s what they’re constantly telling me.”

“A good idea,” Sam’s gaze was knowing, however, as if he sensed that something more was going on with Aaron. “We’ll catch up later?”

“Absolutely.”

They parted after that, Sam eyeing him a bit pointedly.

Yet despite how much Aaron needed to discuss the jumble he was facing, once arriving at his parents’ residence, he shot the breeze with empty small talk for a solid twenty minutes. Even then he wouldn’t have gotten down to brass tacks had it not been for his mom. She rooted around for the real cause of him darkening their doorstep as effectively as a gofer.

“Aaron, what a welcome surprise.”

And…

“Haven’t had you just appear like this in a long, long while.”

And…

“Your color is off. Are you feeling all right?”

All her prodding was like a dam springing a leak in a vulnerable spot. Eventually and inevitably, the structure had to give way.

“No,” his voice left him at a rasp. “I’m really not all right.”

He proceeded to explain everything that had been happening between him and Joy. Not that they didn’t already know she was back in town and that they’d rekindled their friendship.

Or at least, that’s what he assumed they thought. Turned out he was wrong about that.

“Figured it’d be something like that,” his dad said on a sigh. “Something about you and Joy.”

“What do you mean?” Aaron croaked out.

“Well, things were bound to ultimately come to a head, weren’t they?” His mom moved to stand behind his dad’s chair, her hand on his shoulder. “Once you became close to her again, we knew you’d offer her your heart, even if she didn’t offer you hers.”

How had they known that when he hadn’t?

“You’ve been attached to her since you were a boy, son,” his dad grimaced at him. “For better or worse.”

How interesting that his father would choose to use a phrase most often referenced when two people pledged their lives to one another. Something Joy had done with Wayne rather than him.

“Am I being stupid?” Aaron asked abruptly. “Spending time with her after all these years? Devoting myself to her?”

“Oh, honey…” This time his mom’s hand went to his own shoulder. “You can’t help it. Sometimes love is complicated. Sometimes it’s simple. For you, it’s just always been Joy Taylor. And it looks like it will continue to be.”

“Even though it’s apparently never going to actually happen between us,” he added, his sore throat making his tone a little bitter.

“You don’t know that,” his dad countered. “She didn’t say she didn’t love you this time. She just said she needed to cool it until the legal proceedings were done, right?”

“What she said was that she had to break up with me.”

“ Had to,” his mom echoed. “Not wanted to. Right?” Joy had specifically said she hadn’t wanted to. But Aaron only nodded. “I would say that’s a sign to not throw in the towel, then. Not yet, anyway. And you sound like you and her little girl were getting along well, too.”

“We are… were.”

“I say hang in there, then,” Mom reiterated.

His dad was the one to nod now. Only his could be considered one of encouragement.

“But divorces can go on for years,” Aaron told them as if they didn’t already know. They had a lot more life experience than he did and had known plenty of couples whose marriages hadn’t lasted the test of time. “Particularly when they’re messy.”

Besides, it seemed that Wayne would be doing his dead level best to make this one as lengthy and as messy as humanly possible.

“Then you’ll have to decide whether waiting for her and her daughter is worth it or not,” His mom wrapped up everything as if in a neat little bow. As if there was anything about this situation that was neat or wrapped up.

“Should I?” he asked her, despite her just having declared that the decision was up to him. “Should I risk it?”

“We can’t answer that,” his dad said. “But you’re not a kid like you were originally with Joy. You have more wisdom, more understanding. What I suggest is that you measure all the pros and all the cons. Then, after sitting with that for a good long while, go with your gut.”

“But my gut has done nothing but churn ever since she told me we had to part ways.”

His dad stood and patted his back. “Just give time, Aaron. Sometimes, the only thing you can do in circumstances like these, is give it time.”