Hope Against Hope: The Hope Brothers Series (11 page)

After a few minutes, I broke through the trees and into the clearing that held LaCroix’s old farmhouse. I came up along the back of it, and as we rounded the corner to reach the front, I felt Cherokee tense up slightly.

“What’s up, boy?” I whispered, looking around. At first I didn’t see him because his horse was grazing on the other side of the house, but when I spotted Beau sitting on the old porch swing, I sighed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, it’s you!” I exclaimed.

“Hey, Georgie. Wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he said.

“Just out for a ride,” I replied.
Damn, he looks good
, I thought. He was wearing his usual tight jeans and boots, but just a black t-shirt, which showed off his biceps so well that I almost couldn’t look at him.

“Wanna join me for a bit?” he asked, gesturing to the empty spot on the swing next to him. “I got a few beers up here. Thought it was a nice day for a ride myself, and Buck agreed. We ended up here.”

“I come here all the time,” I said, hopping off Cherokee, and leading him over to the field where Buck was grazing. I joined Beau on the porch and as soon as I sat down, I realized my palms were sweating and my heart was racing.

Why was I having this reaction around Beau Haggard, of all people, all of a sudden?

He handed me a beer and I popped it open, taking a big gulp, and putting the can to my forehead.

“It’s so hot today,” I said.

“Yep.”

We sat silently, the silence growing more awkward with each second until we both began to speak at once.

“So did —,” he began

“Have you —,” I interrupted.

We both stopped and laughed, our eyes crashing into each other for the first time, as I somehow found the strength to look at him. Our laughter faded away and we were left again with awkward silence, only this time, neither of us could look away.

I swallowed hard, the waves of shyness, uncertainty, and lust washing over me all at once. Visions of tearing Beau’s clothes off flashed through my mind, and I was certain I blushed as I tried to blink away the delicious images.

What was wrong with me? Beau Haggard was just being nice. He could have any woman in town he wanted, he certainly wasn’t interested in me.

Of course that was it. He pitied me - it was something I had seen in every person’s eyes who looked my way since my parents died. That was why he was being nice to me.

“So,” he began again, “did the Chief say anything else about the fire?” His eyes were still peering into mine, and it took all my strength to form words.

“No, just that they’re going to start an investigation,” I murmured.

He nodded.

“That sucks that happened,” he said.

“Yeah. Luckily, there wasn’t anything valuable in there.” I tore my eyes away and took another drink of beer.

“I remember when you and Ruby used to sneak drinks of everyone’s beer, and look at you now,” he said. “Guzzling like a pro.”

“Guzzling?” I said, feigning shock. “I do not guzzle. I’m a lady. Ladies sip.”

He laughed, his laughter echoing through the trees deliciously. I looked over at him again.

I shuddered as his eyes trailed over my body, before he slowly nodded and looked into my eyes again. Shocks of pleasure tore through my brain.

“Yep, you’re a lady,” he said softly, a sly grin spreading across his face.

I blushed again, thankful for the sweltering heat that hid my embarrassment.

“You’ve definitely grown up, Georgia,” he said even softer, so softly I almost didn’t hear him.

“I guess so,” I replied. “We all did.”

“We sure did,” he nodded.

“I guess we had no choice, huh?” I asked.

“I think some people choose not to,” he said, and I knew he was thinking of Lee, but I didn’t say anything. Thoughts of Lee were the last thing I wanted. This feeling of just sitting with Beau was intoxicating, and I wanted nothing to ruin it, even if I knew it would never amount to anything else.

“I guess so,” I replied. “How’s practice going? You ready?” I asked, trying to change the subject away from Lee.

“I guess so. It’s hard, you know? Competing against your brother.”

“Well, you hold your own, Beau,” I replied.

“That’s not what I meant. I mean…” his voice trailed off and he looked away.

“Oh. You mean because they died?” I asked softly, suddenly understanding.

“Yeah, it feels wrong, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it. But you know what? If you didn’t compete, then it would feel wrong to Crit. He wouldn’t want anyone giving him any advantages out of pity.”

“It’s not pity.”

“Well, isn’t it?”

“No, Georgie. It’s respect.”

“Respect. Right,” I replied, trying to wrap my head around it.

“Well, I know Crit real well, and I’d bet that the last thing he would want is for you to pull out on his account.”

“I know. I was just telling you how I feel,” he said, laying a hand on my knee.

“I see,” I replied, staring down at his hand. It was such a casual gesture, and yet my body was responding so strongly to it, that I almost couldn’t breathe.

“Georgie,” he whispered. I couldn’t look back at him. I felt his eyes on me, and I felt like if I looked at him one more time I would surely melt.

“Yeah?” I asked, without looking up at him. He wasn’t about to let me off the hook.

“Georgie.” His voice was more demanding now, which only served to shot even more shocks of pleasure right to my gut.

I gave in, raised my head, and when I met his eyes, I thought I would die at the look in them. Beau’s blue eyes were always soft and gentle, but this time there was something else there - desire. I couldn’t deny it, and why would I? Because I was terrified? That was a good enough reason, wasn’t it?

I didn’t know what to say. Or, how to respond. I sat silently, looking at him, and when he slowly began to inch towards me, I froze. When his lips met mine, they were soft, yielding, warm. His touch was heartbreakingly gentle and delicate.

And then it was over. As fast as it had begun.

He pulled away and I looked up at him again.

“I don’t know what’s happened, Georgia, but I can’t stop thinking about you,” he whispered, his gentle eyes peering into mine questioningly.

“Oh,” was the only word that escaped from the hurricane of feelings that were storming inside of me.

“I reckon the last thing you need is another Haggard brother giving you grief,” he drawled, as my stomach dropped. “I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut.”

“You Haggard boys have trouble keeping secrets, don’t you?” I said, a grin spreading over my face. Was I flirting? Had he really just kissed me?

“I reckon we do,” he said, laughing as he sat back on the porch and took a drink of his beer. I was grateful for the respite from his intense energy and I looked around for the horses, who had wandered off to the back of the property and out of sight.

“We’d better get the horses,” I said.

“Sure, sure,” Beau said, standing up and downing his beer before walking down the porch steps.

I hesitated, enjoying the view his tight Wrangler’s provided. What was it about Wrangler’s that turned the sight of a man’s ass into an instant fantasy?

My hands flew to my lips as I followed him.

Did Beau Haggard really just kiss me?

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

“Finn, we gotta talk.”

“Aw, fuck,” my little brother replied. He was shoveling shit out of Moses’s stall when I walked up. He loved that horse more than almost anything. “This doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s not,” I replied, leaning against the wall of the barn. Finn threw the pitchfork on top of the pile of manure in the wheelbarrow and began wheeling it out of the barn. I followed him, second guessing myself the whole way.

Maybe I was wrong. Surely, I was wrong. Hell, I’d better be wrong, or Lee was going to be in some serious shit this time.

I was half-afraid that putting it into words would make it real, and so I had finally come to the conclusion that I would talk to Finn, and Finn alone. Nobody else knew Lee better than the two of us.

“Well, spit it out, don’t just stand there like a mule with his tail caught in the door.”

“What?” I shook my head, grinning at my little brother. He was growing up into a good man, and I was real proud of him. He walked a pretty straight line, and was always the first to help our folks out when they needed it. And he was filling out too, I noticed. His biceps bulged under his shirt as he easily emptied the heavy load onto the pile.

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend yet?” I asked.

“There aren’t too many girls in this town, Beau,” he replied.

“Are you kidding? There’s lots of them.”

“Let me put it another way, Beau. There’s not too many girls in this town that you or Lee haven’t already torn through.”

“Oh. Right.” He had a good point.

“Yeah,” he replied warily. “So what do you want to talk to me about?”

“Alright, yeah,” I continued. “It’s about Lee.”

“Of course it is. It’s always about Lee. Everything’s about Lee.”

“Listen, I’m gonna tell you somethin’, and you gotta promise to keep your mouth shut. Can you do that?”

“Of course I can!”

“Finn…” I warned. “It’s serious. You gotta promise.”

“Yeah, yeah, what the fuck man?”

“Alright. I think Lee may have set that shed on fire.”

“The Hope’s shed? Why the hell would he have done that?” he asked, his voice rising.

“I don’t know. Revenge? Ignorance? He’s a fuckin’ hell-raisin’ hillbilly that doesn’t know right from wrong? Why does Lee do anything?”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why do you think it was him? He’s never done anything like that before.”

“No, maybe not, but have you seen him lately?”

“Not in a while, no. But that don’t mean nothin’, Beau,” he argued. “I ain’t seen old man LaCroix in a while, neither, but that don’t mean he started that fire, either.”

“Finn, last time I saw Lee, he threatened to set the whole town on fire. He was pissed, because I told him what Georgie said.”

“Fuck Lee. He’s all talk. I really doubt he set that shed on fire, and besides, he’s long gone, Beau. And don’t you think he’s in enough trouble already? You go around spreadin’ tale that he did it, and it’s not gonna end well for Lee. Or anyone, for that matter. Not to mention Mom and Dad.”

“I know that, Finn. That’s why I’m only talking to you! You think I’m out blabbing my mouth to everyone?”

“I don’t know but you seem to be getting real friendly with Georgie lately.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I growled.

“Nothing. Just sayin’,” he shrugged.

I opened my mouth to say something else, but snapped it shut quickly. I didn’t know what to say about Georgie. Was I getting friendly with her? Hell, I guess I was.

I’d done nothing but conjure up the memory of the feel of her lips on mine since I’d seen her yesterday. I don’t know where the impulse to kiss her had come from, or opening my stupid mouth and telling her I was thinking about her, either. Somehow, just being around her lately seemed to turn me into the hungry, lustful, horny teenager of my youth with no control over his actions or words.