Tall Dark and Bossy: A Hate To Love Stand-Alone Romance Page 4

  “Maybe if you hadn’t spent so much time dancing with that little shit, Easton, I wouldn’t have had to drink so much.” His rough tone raised my hackles even more.

  And there it was. He was blaming me because I ended up on the dance floor with a seven-year-old. His excuse was laughable, except it angered me when he called Easton a little shit. She was anything but.

  “Isn’t that a mature thing to say? Easton is not a little shit. She’s a smart, witty, adorable kid who loves to have fun. It’s time for this conversation to end.”

  “Wait! I need my things.”

  “What things?”

  “You have my leaf blower, and I left a sweater at your place. Oh, and a toothbrush.”

  He wanted his toothbrush back? Oh my god! “Fine, you can pick them up any time. They’ll be on the front porch.”

  I ended the call with a sigh. A part of me wished he was here so I could punch him for saying those things about Easton. I’d known that child since she was born, and she’d never done a mean or underhanded thing in her life.

  I stiffened my spine and made the decision to move on. David was not throwing a rock in the middle of my road and his opinion of Easton didn’t matter. If he wanted to act like the douche he was, then fine. He could do it with another woman.

  Just so I wouldn’t dwell on what happened last night, I busied myself with chores. The house needed cleaning, which I had thoroughly neglected these past few weeks, and I was close to running out of clean underwear.

  Laundry was one of those things I didn’t mind. The scent of clean clothes usually spurred me into motion. House cleaning, on the other hand, was not my jam. I prayed for the day I could afford someone to come in and do that. I’d been with the law firm for over a year now, and they were doling out more responsibility to me. They’d told me countless times I was a valuable member of their team, so I hoped a raise was on the horizon.

  My arms were full of dirty clothes as I went to stuff a load in the washer when my phone rang again. After my arms were free, I looked to see it was David.

  Should I let it go to voice mail? I wasn’t in the mood to deal with him now. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the front door. I checked the peephole and there he stood. Dammit, I should’ve answered his call. I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t home because my car sat in the driveway.

  I composed myself and swung the door open.

  “Hi, I’ve come to get my things. They weren’t on the porch.”

  “Jeez, David, I’ve barely gotten out of bed since we talked.”

  The man looked terrible. Bloodshot eyes and unkempt clothing told me he hadn’t taken a shower yet. He was normally so put together, but not today. I was pretty sure his head clanged like a bell because he was squinting something fierce and rubbed his temples.

  “Can I please come in?”

  “By all means.” I moved aside, allowing him room to pass. Then he sat on the couch, but it was more like he fell onto it.

  “Hold on and I’ll gather your things.” I quickly found his toothbrush and sweater. Then went to the small storage shed in the back yard and found the leaf blower. When I came back inside, he was snoring.

  “David.” I kicked his foot. “Here are your things. You need to go home.”

  He blinked a half dozen times and I got the feeling he was trying to recollect how he got here. “Have you been drinking this morning?”

  “Uh, yeah, I had a beer. You know, the hair of the dog.”

  “You’d better get home then. I don’t want you crashing here.”

  “Why not? I won’t bother you.” He pouted like a kid.

  “No, and that’s the end of it. If you aren’t capable of driving, I’ll call a cab or an Uber for you.”

  His watery eyes narrowed. “You sure have turned into a bitch overnight.”

  Whoa, that was uncalled for. “I didn’t turn into a bitch. You disrespected me and made an ass out of both of us. Now, please leave.” I walked outside, carrying his precious items, in the hopes he’d follow. Then I put them in the driveway. When I turned around, I was alone. Fury rolled in and had me marching back inside.

  “David! Out, now.” My arm extended, pointing to the door.

  “Ugh, calm down.”

  “I want you to leave and if you don’t, I’ll call the police.”

  He laughed. The ass laughed. “That won’t work. Remember, I’m friends with everyone down there.”

  “That doesn’t matter when you’re breaking the law,” I reminded him.

  “What law? You opened the door and let me in.”

  “While that may be true, I’m now asking you to leave these premises. And if you don’t, I will call.” The phone was in my hand, and I was prepared to make the call if necessary.

  “Fine,” he snapped. “Be that way.”

  What way? All I asked was for him to leave and he wanted to sleep on my couch. He slowly rose to his feet and went to the door.

  “Of everyone I know, you’re the last one I expected to treat me this way.”

  I didn’t respond because that would mean another verbal clash. He finally stepped outside, and I closed and locked the door behind him. I was so happy I’d never given him a key.

  It wasn’t until I heard his tires squeal as he drove away that I breathed a sigh. I sat where he’d been and realized I was shaking.

  My phone rang again, and I was going to ignore it, but something made me look. It was an unknown caller, so I let it go to voice mail.

  I took out my David frustrations in cleaning. Every corner was mopped, dusted, or scrubbed until it gleamed. When I was done, I showered, and afterward I remembered the phone call.

  There was a message and when I heard his voice, I grinned. Stanton had called and left me the voice mail.

  Chapter Six

  STANTON

  With Stacey gone, I called it a night. The party held no interest for me any longer. The problem was sleep evaded me. No matter how many times I punched the pillow, there was no getting comfortable. I got up and paced, then read a book. As drowsiness hit, I tried again, but my eyelids kept popping open.

  This was extremely unusual for me as I wasn’t one to suffer from insomnia. Why was it every time my eyes closed, a vision of an auburn-haired beauty crept in? Try as I might, it refused to leave. Was I destined to focus on her until I got her out of my system? And what would that take? A quick fuck? A long, slow roll in the sack? Whatever it was, I had a bad feeling about it. I wasn’t anyone’s hero. To the contrary, I was more the villain. I discarded women like gum wrappers. But not last night. I’d ridden in on the proverbial stallion, ready to make her night a better one and save her from the clutches of her drunk boyfriend. Or former boyfriend. And I even had fun being an ass on purpose.

  What if she changed her mind about him in the morning? Realized he’d made a mistake and chose to give him another chance. Knowing him, though I really didn’t, he’d crawl back to her with his tail tucked between his legs.

  Well, fuck my life. That was the wrong idea to lightbulb my brain. It was already pinging with neurotransmitters, keeping me awake. And my stupid ass had to pull that thought up.

  The only thing left was to call her in the morning and check. If she’d relented and taken him back, then I’d have no choice but to move on. I’d never made a fool of myself for a woman before and I wouldn’t start now.

  This was the first time since my accident I prayed for the sun to rise. I thought back to those horrible days and how I’d processed everything. I’d hated the darkness. It had consumed me, body and soul. Guilt still stuck to me like glue—unrelenting and unforgiving. The sounds of shattering glass and crunching steel would awaken me at night, and I’d be covered in sweat, shaking from those terrifying nightmares.

  That awful cycle didn’t stop until it was discovered my car had been tampered with and the crash wasn’t in any way my fault. My guilt was never absolved, because when you’re the one behind the wheel, you always bear the responsibility. Event
ually, I was able to come to grips somewhat with what had happened. Those days of driving fast were over. I was now cautious and watchful when I drove.

  And now, here I sat, watching the horizon for some sign of light. My room became oppressive, so I dressed and took a walk on the estate grounds. The massive courtyard was now empty and cleaned, every sign of the party being swept away. My feet carried me to the stables, where the horses were stalled. It reminded me of Easton in here. She loved to ride. Ravina and Landry, my youngest brother, were the horse aficionados in the family. Tristian and I never much cared for it.

  I paid close attention to each of the dozen horses we kept, and they were all strong and healthy. Then I left and continued my walk of the grounds, something I hadn’t done in ages. There was a large pond on the property where Tristian and I would escape from our nannies and go fishing. We were terrible at it, never catching a thing, but those were great bonding days from our youth. The pond held great memories for me.

  The two of us clung together like vines. We were each other’s lifelines. Our mother didn’t give a damn about us, and our father was away all the time on business.

  Enough about that. I circled back toward the house at the first light of day and ended up in the kitchen. The staff had already stirred, and coffee was on. I grabbed a cup and went to the office to get a little work done.

  The thing about work … it took my focus off of the accident and time flew when I was in the office. When I glanced at my phone, it was late morning, and I was starving. A trip to the kitchen had my belly full in no time.

  Since it wasn’t early, I went to call Stacey, only I realized I’d never gotten her number last night. A quick text to Ravina solved that problem.

  She immediately called. “Why do you want Stacey’s number?” Her question was curt.

  “To call her, of course.”

  “Not a chance. She’s dating someone.”

  “Not after last night, she isn’t.” I explained what happened.

  “He did what? I can’t believe I missed that.”

  “Be glad you did. The guy acted like an idiot.”

  “Okay, you can have it as long as you’re not sweeping in to steal her away from him. I guess it’s okay to share it.”

  She texted me Stacey’s contact information. English had given it to her long ago in case of an emergency if she couldn’t find anyone to help with Easton. Stacey was her usual go-to person.

  When I phoned Stacey, it went to voice mail, so I left a message in the hopes she’d call me right back. Those hopes were dashed when I didn’t hear from her.

  This wasn’t something I was used to, so I busied myself with work again, until a little girl bounced into the office.

  “Uncle Stanton, you gotta come and ride horses with us.”

  Landry walked in behind her, and then Ravina.

  “I’m sorry, princess, I can’t ride. Remember my knee?”

  “I can kiss it and it’ll be better. Besides, you never come.” Her little pout made me want to chuckle.

  “You can ride Mouse. She only walks,” Ravina suggested. “Or do you have other plans?” She waggled her brows at me.

  “No other plans, but it’s been a long time since I’ve sat on a horse.”

  Easton grabbed my hand and pulled. “Come on. I’ll show you how.”

  I pushed to my feet and said, “Okay, but I have to change shoes first. I’ll meet you in the stables.” I knew I’d regret this tomorrow when my ass would be sore as hell.

  The only thing I needed were my riding boots, so I pulled them on, and was glad they still fit. How long had it been since I’d worn these? Ten years, at least.

  When I arrived at the stables, they were ready, and little Mouse was saddled.

  “Are you sure she can hold me?” I asked. “She looks like a Shetland she’s so small.”

  “Just get in the saddle,” Landry said. One of the grooms held the reins while I mounted her. She never budged. Then he handed me the reins and off we went. I stayed in the back as we walked, with Landry in the lead, Easton next, Ravina, and then me.

  We headed toward the woods where there were plenty of trails. Easton chatted nonstop as we went, talking about how much fun she had the previous night.

  “Ravina, I want to be a princess when I grow up.”

  “You already are. You’re my princess,” my sister answered.

  “Mine too,” I said.

  “I’m your princess, Uncle Stanton?”

  “Of course. Why do you think I always call you that?”

  “Cuz you like the word.”

  “Nope. Because you’re my princess.”

  “Yay,” she yelled. She pumped a fisted hand into the air.

  An hour later, my ass was screaming with pain. How had I forgotten the intense soreness you could get from a saddle? Why had I agreed to this? I squirmed and twitched in the seat, but comfort was nowhere to be found.

  “Hey, can we take a break?” I called out from the back.

  Landry stopped and turned his horse to face us. “Already?”

  “Yeah, I haven’t ridden in ages.”

  Then he and Ravina guffawed.

  Easton was clearly puzzled as she frowned. “What’s so funny?”

  “Uncle Stanton’s butt hurts.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s not used to sitting in a saddle,” Ravina said.

  “My butt doesn’t hurt. And Uncle Landry, you’re supposed to say bottom, not butt,” Easton scolded. “Mommy would get mad at you for saying that.”

  “Right, but you said it too.”

  Easton covered her mouth. “Oops.” Then she giggled.

  “He’s right. It’ll take an hour to get back and I want to put Easton through some exercises in the ring too,” Landry said.

  We took a water break and then I hinted at going home. I watched Landry help Easton down. It was more like she leaned over and fell into his arms as they both laughed. Ravina pulled out the water and we all drank our share. When it was time to get back in the saddle, I cringed, then winced. Tomorrow would be brutal.

  “Lead us home, big bro,” Landry called out.

  Every step Mouse took was like two knives shooting through my ass and thighs. I needed to get into better shape. This was ridiculous.

  I wasn’t paying attention because Mouse knew the way back to the stables, as many horses did. We were about halfway there, going through a field, when she reared up. It took me unaware and my loose hold on the reins did no good to control her. She reared again and I lost the reins completely that time. The third time, I lost my seat and crashed to the ground, my breath whooshing out of my lungs.

  When I regained my senses, it was apparent why the horse reared. There was a copperhead next to us and unfortunately, I had the rotten luck to land right next to it.

  “Don’t move.” It was Landry who spoke.

  I was still addled but knew enough to listen. Mouse refused to calm down and that’s when the damn snake struck. It got me in the hand and at first, I thought, it wasn’t so bad. That was until the venom hit. Searing pain tore through my arm as I tried to stand. Another thing got my attention at that point. My other arm hurt like a mother because I’d landed on it awkwardly. I prayed it wasn’t broken. That would be all I’d need.

  “Ravina, help me get him on the horse. We need to get him to the hospital.”

  Landry carried a rifle with him and shot the snake. I jumped at the sound as I didn’t know he was going to shoot. Piercing agony infused me and I didn’t know which way to turn. They hauled me to my feet and Landry ordered me to put a foot in his cupped hand. I was too dazed to argue, so I went along with it. Once in the saddle, Ravina grabbed the reins, telling me to hold on, and we took off in a gallop. This time, my ass didn’t bother me much. My hand and arm stole the show. I ground my teeth and prayed I wouldn’t fall off, because gripping the saddle horn was near torture.

  The circular drive came into view, and I wanted to throw up from the pain.
Lightheadedness took over but I was aware of getting into the car.

  Ravina was behind the wheel, and she was usually a careful driver, but not this time.

  “Don’t kill us on the way.”

  “He speaks,” she said, injecting a bit of lightheartedness into her tone.

  “Yeah,” I groaned, “but I want to get there in one piece.”

  “I promise to do that.”

  My head dropped back as I shut my eyes. As we made it around each curve, another moan escaped me as pain continued to rip through me. Any tiny movement was torment. We finally made it to the ER entrance.

  “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

  My sister dashed out of the car and disappeared inside the sliding doors. She came back, followed by two people pushing a gurney. They loaded me onto it and wheeled me inside.

  The first thing they did was draw blood. The doctor came in and asked about the snake.

  “Hi, I’m Dr. McBride. You’re positive it was a copperhead?”

  “Yes. I was eye to eye with the thing.”

  My sister came through with a picture she’d taken that I was unaware of.

  The doc examined it and said, “That’s definitely a copperhead. We need to know for antivenin purposes. So, here’s what we do. We’ll give you something for the pain and observe you for about twelve hours. The risk with copperhead bites is not death, but allergic responses, like anaphylaxis or compartment syndrome.”

  “And then?”

  The nurse came in and pushed something into my IV. Within seconds the pain eased.

  “If we find you aren’t allergic or don’t get compartment syndrome, you go home. I might add that compartment syndrome is relatively rare.”

  “What about my other arm?” I cradled them both against me.

  “That’s another story. We’ll need to get an x-ray to see what’s going on there.”

  “Another question. What’s compartment syndrome?” I asked.