Hang Tough (28 page)

Then his phone did buzz with a text message. He said, “Excuse me,” and strode away from the table.

Jade waited by the hostess stand. Her eyes lit up at seeing him.

Everything in him settled. This woman was his future. She was joy and sweetness and kindness. Loving and smart and understanding. She got him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Hey. You ready for the trainwreck that is the Hale family?”

“What's going on?”

“I'll explain later.” He set his hand in the small of her back and directed her to the back of the restaurant.

Neither his brother nor his dad stood when Tobin and Jade reached the table.

He comforted himself with the fact that his mother would've been appalled by their lack of manners.

“Jade, this is my father, Dan Hale, and my oldest brother, Driscoll. This is my girlfriend, Jade Evans.”

“She ain't white,” rolled out of his dad's mouth.

Jade patted her face and her hair. “Omigod, I'm not?” She gaped at Tobin. “Did you
know
this about me?”

“Yeah, darlin', I did.”

“And you like me anyway?”

“Very much.”

“Oh. Well then. We're good.”

Tobin pulled out his wallet. “It was an enlightening conversation if nothin' else.”

Driscoll's judgmental gaze winged between Tobin and Jade. “I thought you said your girlfriend was staying for dessert? Now you're takin' off?”

“We have more important things to do than sit here and listen to a pair of windbags pass judgment and gas.” Tobin floated a fifty-dollar bill on the table. “That oughta cover my portion.”

His dad dropped his elbows on the table. “Now wait just a damn minute. You invited
us
. You said
you
were payin'.”

“You thought asking to meet you here meant I was paying for both of your dinners?” He snorted. “Hardly. When I said I'm paying, I meant for my own meal. I didn't expect you to buy mine.”

“That's a shitty trick,” Driscoll snapped. “Letting us order—”

“What you ordered went in your belly, not mine. And besides, Dris”—he hated that nickname—“I live in a rental trailer and I'm nothin' but a lowly hired hand, right? I've gotta budget my money a lot tighter than two fat-cat landowners.”

He draped his arm over Jade's shoulder and didn't look back.

J
ade had to go upstairs because watching Tobin pace was driving her crazy.

His nerves didn't surprise her; he was a bit more high-strung than most people noticed.

But she noticed everything about him.

Everything.

She loved everything about him.

Now she had what she'd always wanted: A happy life doing the things she loved without living up to anyone's definition of success but her own. Even though she and Tobin had only been together a short time, in her heart and her soul, she believed this love would stand the test of time. They'd already become more to each other than they'd known they could be. And it made her a little giddy to think this love would continue to expand.

“Jade? Baby, they're here.”

She reached the bottom step just as Streeter and Olivia came through the door.

The first thing she noticed was that Streeter resembled Tobin more than his dad or brother did. He looked a little gaunt—understandable given what he'd been through the last eight months.

Olivia clung to her father, her face buried in his neck so all Jade could see were two tiny brown pigtails sticking up.

Tobin rested his hand above Jade's behind as he steered her closer. “Streeter, this is my girlfriend, Jade Evans. Jade, Streeter.”

“It's good to meet you,” Streeter said.

“Same here.”

Olivia lifted her head and stared at Jade.

Jade said, “Hi, Olivia.”

“Can you say hi, honey?” Streeter urged Olivia.

She shook her head and burrowed back into him.

Streeter tried to set Olivia down and she shrieked. “This ain't gonna work. She's a little monkey today.”

“Under normal circumstances I'd say we could deal with it another time, but sorry, bro, that ain't the case.” He squeezed Jade's shoulder and pulled her a little closer. “Jade's my life now. We have to make decisions about our future. So you can trust that whatever you say won't leave this room.”

After a bit, Streeter sighed. He said, “Understood.” Then he perched on the edge of the recliner.

Olivia let her father maneuver her around—as long as there wasn't more than a foot's distance between their heads.

Tobin directed Jade to the couch and sat beside her. “So Renner offered you my job.”

“A version of it anyway. I wouldn't be full-time. He doesn't want to hold you back from doin' what you need to do, but he doesn't feel comfortable just cutting you loose.”

“Sounds like him. I'll be blunt, Street. How can you support yourself and a kid on part-time wages?”

“I always did my part on the ranch. Not bragging to say I worked harder than either Dad or Driscoll because it's the truth. They turned
nasty after Danica . . .” He stopped and cleared his throat. “When I had other responsibilities and wasn't there all the time doin' their work. They started giving me reminders that I'd be expected to make up for the hours I missed. Which they never did if
they
missed time. It was getting to be unbearable. The week before Danica's life insurance policy cleared, my paycheck was a quarter of the amount it should have been. When I asked why, they said it was an actual accounting of the hours I'd worked and that's how I'd be paid from there on out.”

Tobin's entire body went rigid. “Those bastards.”

“I quit on the spot.” A smile ghosted the corners of his mouth. “Of course, that was before I knew how hard jobs were to come by. It's worse when you're a single parent, sole provider and sole caretaker.”

“I don't even know what the hell to say to you,” Tobin said quietly.

“No one does.” Streeter folded and refolded the hem on Olivia's dress. “My life ain't the same as it was a year ago. Most days I don't remember that guy I used to be. Dad and Driscoll—their way of dealing is to tell you to suck it up 'cause we've all got problems. They're gruff and self-centered. They don't understand I'm not ‘babysitting' and I'm all Olivia has. Every bit of her care falls to me for the long term. Olivia acts out. Some of it is her age. Some of it isn't. I don't know which is which, but it's up to me to figure it out.

“And I sure as heck can't do that where everyone in town knows the ugliness my wife left us with. People I barely know whisper when we walk into a room. Olivia isn't Olivia Hale. Now she's referred to as ‘that poor little girl.' Makes me freakin' nuts. People I've known my whole life act as if they have a right to ask whatever inappropriate question that pops into their fool head. I can't live like that.” He briefly closed his eyes. “I need to get out of the area and start over where what happened isn't common knowledge and openly speculated about in the local diner. Isolating Olivia isn't the answer. There's a child therapist in Casper who we've met with
several times and I have high hopes we're on the right track.” He kissed the top of Olivia's head. “The insurance money is payin' for all of that. Which is ridiculous and sad and just plain pisses me off because the only reason Olivia has to go into therapy is because of what her mother done.”

Jade ducked her head, to hide her tears. This poor family.

This is your family now too.

Streeter sighed. “I've always been a ranch hand; I don't know how to be anything else. It seemed like a sign when I found the therapist in Casper and then I heard you were leaving your job. Muddy Gap is a helluva lot closer to Casper than Saratoga is. Still . . . I debated before I applied. Renner said hirin' me was all dependent on you.”

“No pressure,” Tobin muttered.

“You heard the negative. Now here's the upside. Job sharing would let us both do what we love. I agree with Renner that you wouldn't have stuck around this long if you hated it. Splitting the workload would let you explore other options and let me get my sh—stuff together as far as Olivia. You could get to know your niece. Hell, Tobin, we could get to know each other again.”

“I'd like that.” He cleared his throat. “Where would you live? The foreman's cabin?”

Streeter shook his head. “A trailer would work better. Olivia needs her own room.”

“Will that give you enough room for all your stuff?”

“I got rid of most of it in the move after the funeral. But if I get the job I'd insist on Dad and Driscoll handing over the livestock that belongs to me. So I'd need to lease a parcel or two for that.”

Tobin studied him. “You wouldn't have an issue with taking orders from your younger brother? I recall that's been a problem in the past.”

“I disagree. We ain't really ever worked together. Dad and Driscoll didn't want your input before or after you graduated college. I had no
opinion one way or the other since I had my own shit to shovel. As far as the work and how things get done . . . I learned Dad's way, T. I never thought that was the
only
way.”

Olivia had started to get restless. Streeter stood. “We'd better git before the total meltdown hits. Thanks for talkin' to me, Tobin. I hope this works out for us some way.”

Jade wasn't surprised when Tobin acted noncommittal. “Renner will be in touch. Drive safe.”

“Nice meeting you, Jade.”

“Likewise. Take care. And if you need anything . . . I don't know how I can help you, I just know that I want to.”

When Streeter said, “You're the first person who's said that to me that I actually believe means it,” Jade's heart broke all over again.

Jade left Tobin alone to think.

She walked out to the garden. Twilight was her favorite time of day, when the soil still held the heat of the sun's rays, perfuming the air with that loamy scent. When the plants were bouncing back from hours in the sun and soaking up water from the irrigation system. Although she hadn't started these plants from seedlings, she had a sense of accomplishment they were thriving under her care.

What would it be like to plan out a growing season? Would the connection to this chunk of earth get stronger with each passing year? Or would the rose-colored glasses come off and it'd become another chore?

Being born and raised a city girl, Jade wondered whether a life rooted so deeply in the country would lose the charm. If she'd miss the conveniences and choices of living in a metro area. She knew she'd miss her parents, but she also knew they wanted her to spread her wings.

Maybe they just hadn't expected her to fly so far away.

Jade heard Tobin's boots shuffling across the yard. She loved being so attuned to him. She turned to watch him walk toward her, and. immediately that overwhelming sense of elation filled her. This wonderful man was hers. She was his. There was no question they'd both do everything within their power to keep this level of connection to each other. And if she had to work three part-time jobs to build a life with him, she'd do it. She knew he'd do it too.

She took off at a dead run wanting to reach him as fast as possible.

Laughing, he caught her in those big strong arms of his and crushed her against his chest. “Hey. What a great welcome.”

“I'll do that every night if you want.”

“Oh, I want.” Without setting her down, he angled his head to gaze into her eyes. “I don't even have to ask, Jade. I know how you feel about me. It's right there every time you look at me.”

“Was there ever any question?”

“Only why you'd hitch your wagon to a guy who's maybe got one horse here, and one horse there,” he joked.

“As long as you let me sit beside you in the wagon, I'm good with it.”

He rested his forehead to hers.

“What did you decide to do about Streeter and the job-sharing situation?”

“I'll try it for a while and see how working part-time at both places works out. As much as Renner doesn't want to just cut me loose, I don't want to just walk away either. The position LME offered is a great opportunity, but the company and the work is a huge unknown. Maybe easing into it is the best way to see if it's what I even want.”

Jade grinned and kissed him. “I'm so relieved to hear that.”

“You are?”

“You were torn and it ripped me up. Now you can have both worlds, because there's no doubt in my mind you need both of them to make you happy.”

“
You
make me happy.”

“So finding a place to live in Muddy Gap would be ideal, but we'll likely need to check out the listings in Casper too.” He set her down and smoothed his hand over her head. “This all seems surreal.”

“It does. But it also feels right.” She stepped back. “Tell you what, if you can catch me before we get back to the house? I'll remind you on my knees how real this is.”

And when he caught her within the first twenty feet, she didn't mind
losing.