I snorted. “The whole town knows what Brent gets up to,” I said. “But no, I’m not dealing. I’m not even smoking weed anymore.”
John looked conflicted at that. “To be honest, and you know I don’t condone drug use, but you were a lot mellower when you were smoking weed. There was less of this trying to prove yourself, like with the bull.”
I frowned and looked away from him. “I wasn’t trying to prove myself,” I muttered.
“Showing off, trying to prove yourself — it’s all the same, isn’t it?” He shook his head. Then, he grinned. “So, how’d you do, anyway? I assume you blew Brent out of the water?”
I laughed. “Yeah, I held my own.”
“Bet the ladies were impressed.”
“They were impressed, all right.” I frowned. “I didn’t end up going home with anyone, though. I started thinking about my dad and what he would have said about me getting on the bull like that, and I guess you know where those kinds of thoughts led me.”
John winced. “You feeling okay today?”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” I said, even though thoughts from the night before were still weighing heavily on my mind. But John didn’t need to know that. I shrugged. “I’m just trying to keep busy and forget all about it, you know? It’s fine, though.”
“Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?” he asked. “Vanessa will be back home from college this afternoon, and I remember how well the two of you used to get along. Maybe it would be a good distraction.”
“She’s coming home already?” I asked in surprise. I had known that she would be coming back home soon. John had mentioned it in passing a few weeks before, but I’d expected her to hang out around her college town with her friends a little longer.
John raised an eyebrow at me. “Yeah, she’ll be home for the whole summer. I thought you guys would still be in contact with one another.”
I ducked my head and shrugged awkwardly. “We had a bit of a falling out. You know that.”
“So, you don’t want to come over, then?” He gave a meaningful look toward the fence. “It’s all about mending fences, you know.”
I burst out laughing. “Is that why we’re doing this today?”
He shrugged. “It needed to be done anyway, but I saw how stiff you were this morning. The fence probably could have waited another day or two.” He gave me a stern look. “But I don’t want you riding that bull again until you’re healed up, do you hear me?”
“Aye, aye, captain,” I said, sketching a mock salute. I paused, looking out over the ranch, where Vanessa and I had spent a lot of time together before she’d gone off to college. “I’ll see you for dinner tonight,” I said quietly.
“Good,” John said. He cracked a smile. “Now get off my land.”
Chapter Four
Vanessa
I dug through my closet, wondering what I might have left behind that would be appropriate for dinner that night. Everything I’d brought home in my suitcases seemed too boring and plain.
Not that I was trying to impress anyone. It was just going to be Dad and Trethan and me.
God, why had he invited Trethan to my welcome home dinner?
I knew he and Trethan were close these days, ever since Trethan started working on the ranch, but he had to realize there was some history there. Trethan and I had been close once, but there was a reason I’d been avoiding him on trips home ever since I’d started college.
Still, for some reason, I found myself wanting to wear something that Trethan might appreciate. Maybe something that accented my body a little better than what I usually trudged around in. I tried to shove the thought of impressing Trethan away. It wasn’t going to do me any favors in the long run, though seeing lust in his eyes, or at least a little bit of appreciation for me, would have been amazing.
It was ridiculous, though. I had moved on from Trethan. I had dated other men in college, and objectively, I knew I couldn’t end up with Trethan, even if I still had feelings for him. He was so messed up, in so many ways, and I knew that I could do better than him. Just like Julie said.
I wondered if I was only telling myself that, though, trying to convince myself of the truth of it.
I shook my head and decided to just throw on something casual. I grabbed a summery dress that I’d owned for years, one that they’d both seen me in a dozen times, and pulled it on over my head. Then, I tousled my hair a little and made my way downstairs.
“There you are,” Dad said when I made it downstairs. His eyes were twinkling. “I thought we were going to have to send a search and rescue party.”
I laughed. “I just wanted to get a little unpacking done before dinner,” I lied. I glanced past Dad’s shoulder to where Trethan was standing, having just finished setting the table. “Hi, Trethan,” I said, hating how lame I sounded.