Page 45 of Red Hot Rancher

Brigit typed in her reply. No.

She didn’t write, I told you I’d tell you when I heard. Every day for the last two weeks, Mom had been sending the same question like it was a compulsion. Mom was just a little excited. Such a good position. Oh, you’d be perfect for it. I can just picture it.

And there it was. Mom’s unfailing confidence in her ability. Mom’s unshakable faith. She was the reason Brigit worked so hard.

But it’d been a month since the trip to Minneapolis. The person she’d interviewed with said they had several applicants and some were flying in from out of state, one was even international, and they weren’t going to offer the job to anyone before Christmas—which had been last week. No other places had called offering her an interview, but her inbox had filled with a few variations of Thank you for your interest in this position. We’re sorry to say… She’d applied to five more jobs, and with more reluctance than she cared to admit, she’d widened her search to other cities as well.

“Ready already?” Caleb sauntered into the room after his shower, a towel slung low over his hips.

She was dressed, but she wasn’t ready. Justin had asked them to go with him to the bar for New Year’s Eve. He probably wanted them as a buffer to the insanity Maisy had infused into his life. She was pregnant—the positive test had been shipped express to the house. Brigit had signed for the package.

Then there were the phone calls. And messages. And pages of texts. Justin had been imprisoned on the ranch for the last month and he wanted to go out. Brigit and Caleb had decided to make that happen.

She had no desire to get caught in the crossfire, but this wasn’t about her. It was about her twin and he’d done so much for her. Besides, she couldn’t escape the feeling that somehow she’d disappointed Caleb in Minneapolis. He hadn’t said anything—and she’d asked. He wasn’t acting differently, but there was a heaviness in the air between them. A separation, even though they were closer than ever.

“I’m ready.” She wore a combination of the clothes she’d worn in the Cities and the ones she’d bought. Same old sweater but new leggings and boots.

Caleb was the same. Shiny hair slicked back, and the sides freshly shaved. Instead of a black T-shirt, he wore a red shirt emblazoned with a fire engine in red, white, and blue. She could pick him out of a crowd, but she’d always been able to do that.

Justin hopped in with them on the way into town. Caleb was driving his truck. Less conspicuous for Justin that way.

Brigit buckled herself in. “Not planning on making any more babies?” His situation was no joke, but she used humor to get Justin through these dark days.

Justin snorted. “Not in Moore anyway. I feel like I’d endanger any woman I looked at.” He was only half joking. “And I have to prove I’m a daddy in the first place.”

The parking lot of the bar was packed. Caleb took a loop around looking for Maisy’s car.

“I don’t see it.” Justin peered out the window. “I think we’re good. For now.”

“Let’s go ring in the new year,” she said. Her stomach fluttered. She hadn’t been out much since returning to Moore. Once in a while, she’d gone out with Oliver and hated every minute. He’d been determined to play the golden boy come home again, when really they’d only moved back because it was the last option. And there was always the risk of running across Caleb and reminding herself of the heartbreak that never faded.

She and Caleb hadn’t done more than grab a quick lunch or supper. They were both trying to save money and were perfectly content to curl up on the couch and watch TV.

Justin’s troubles had only made her leery of running across Maisy’s spies. She had a pack of them spreading lies in order to recruit townspeople to her side. It was a small town. Her friends and family would track and report Justin’s whereabouts and who he was talking to.

Once they were out of the cold and in the loud bar, she spotted her cousin Aaron. His wife Dalisay was next to him and his friend Lucas sat across from them. When Aaron saw them, he waved them over.

Lucas stood to pull another table over.

Aaron gave her a hug. “I think we’re the only Walkers going out to ring in the new year.” He grinned at his wife’s baby belly. “At least this year.”

She smiled back, ecstatic for them. “You’ll be glad to be stuck at home. How are Jackson and Nicolas?”

“Giving Mom more gray hair. Come on. Have a seat.” He didn’t bat an eye when Caleb draped an arm over the back of her chair.

An hour of stories and gut-busting laughter flew by. Brigit had killed off a beer and a couple glasses of water. She leaned over to Caleb. “I need to use the restroom.”

“Want another drink?”

“Yeah, I’ll take another beer.” All three of them were going light tonight. Caleb was driving, and Justin wanted to be prepared for a confrontation.

She got up to find the bathroom and he went to the bar. The night was fun, but she stayed in the bathroom stall a few extra minutes to soak up the muffled silence. There was a time when a noisy bar had been the best bar. It wasn’t just Minneapolis. Her tastes had changed.

She must be getting old. Or too used to enjoying a quiet ranch.

After finishing, she headed out. Turning out of the hallway, she nearly ran into the lone occupant of the first table outside the restroom entrance.

“Oh, Brigit.” Maisy’s painted red lips pursed.

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