Page 5 of Boy Next Door at Mountain Creek Ranch
“Honey?” Mom calls over to us. “Are you going to introduce us to your friend?”
“She knows who you are,” I groan under my breath.
“I can go.”
"No, I don't want you to," I admit, surprising both of us.
Beau smiles brightly at me, and suddenly I don't feel nervous any more. He takes my hand in his, and it fits perfectly. I turn, and we both walk back towards my family. The only one without a shocked look on their face is Harper, who's grin probably rivals mine, and my two nieces, who don't know any better.
"What the hell is this?" Jameson asks, looking down at our hands.
Before I can say anything, Nash slaps him on the back of the head.
“Language.” He gives a quick look at his girls.
“Mom. Dad. Everyone. This is my friend, Beau.”
No one says anything for a moment. I’m sure there was a simultaneous sound of brakes squealing in their heads at this admission by me. Harper suddenly pushes her way in front of my brothers.
“Nice to finally meet you, Beau.”
“Ma’am.” He nods at my mom and then at my dad. “Sir.”
She smiles at him, but my dad's expression matches that of two of my three brothers. Nash reaches out his hand to Beau. I knew if any one of my brothers were able to set aside this stupid feud, it would be Nash. Even though his expression says that he's not entirely made up his mind on the situation yet. He's only making an effort for me, and I love him for it.
“Are we all just going to accept that a Montgomery is standing here trying to get into Willow’s pants?” Jameson asks.
Beau's grip on my hand tightens in anger, but he doesn't say anything. At the same time, the whole family erupts in disgust at what Jameson just said before unleashing their own opinions on what’s happening. It’s like the tap of animosity turned on, and all of a sudden, everything they were thinking, it comes pouring out.
"This was a mistake. I'm sorry," Beau says, pulling his hand from mine and walking back to his truck.
I can’t blame him for wanting to leave too. Some of the things being said about Beau’s family is more than I want to hear, and they aren’t my family.Myfamily is the one saying them. I've never been so disappointed with all of them.
“Beau!” I run after him. “Wait up. I’m coming with you.”
4
BEAU
Neither one of us say anything as I pull out onto the road from Mountain Creek Ranch. I’m upset, but I know I shouldn't be. If the tables were turned and my whole family had been there when Willow showed up, it would have turned out the same way. Dean spent the next hour after Willow had stopped by, listing off all the things he hated about the Holloways. If I'm honest with myself, if it weren't for Willow, I'd probably have said the same thing.
“I’m so sorry about what happened back there,” Willow says, breaking the silence.
I look over at her in the passenger seat. The look of concern on her face has any resentment I was feeling disappear.
“Don’t be,” I tell her. “Did we honestly think that us becoming friends would be taken well by either of our families?”
“Friends,” she says the word like it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. “Is that what we are?”
“It’s a good start.”
“Okay.” She smiles. “Where are we going,friend?”
"I hadn't thought about it. I just started driving. I wasn't thinking too much about where we were going. Other things on my mind and all."
“Well, since the sun is going to set in the next half hour, maybe you want to head up to Peterson Pointe.”
I hadn't been up there since high school. The memory of the last time I went has me wincing inwardly at the unfortunate night. It happened not long after I lost Willow as a lab partner and was reassigned with Josie Anderson. She wasn't shy about her feelings about me, and I was a horny teenager.
