"Yeah, I know, right?" Mandy agreed. "Redwood Falls will always be home, but it's a different experience in a major city."
While Hannah and Ava listened, Katie nodded her head and took a sip of her Diet Coke. She set the glass down and took a deep breath. "Mandy--"
Katie paused and the other girl watched her intently from across the table. "Yes?"
"I want to tell you how sorry I am--"
Her words were cut off when Mandy interjected, "Don't you dare. Don't you dare apologize to me. I wasn't hurt and you're not to blame anyway."
Katie worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "I feel like it's my fault."
"It's not. Hannah and I didn't go through even half of what you went through and the last thing you need to do is apologize. Right, Hannah?"
"Right. I already told her that," Hannah said with a worried tone.
Mandy smiled at Hannah and Katie could tell the girl was trying to change the direction of the conversation, and she was grateful. "I can't believe that Josh was there to rescue us both."
When there was a moment of silent agreement around the table, Ava said quietly, "Josh is quite the guy."
Katie quirked her lips in a small smile. "I'm pretty sure we're all in agreement about that."
Mandy looked across at Ava. "So let's talk about something more pleasant. Tell us about your amazingly hot brother."
Katie was relieved when color highlighted Ava's face; the poor girl almost spit her drink out. "Yuck."
Katie laughed. "It may be yuck to you, but trust me, the girls here in Redwood Falls think your brother's hot."
Ava rolled her eyes. "Ty's been in North Dakota for a couple of months now already. He got a job fairly quickly, and he was living in one of those man camp things. But he couldn't stand living there so he saved his money and bought a travel trailer. He's doing pretty well. He's making good money and he's saving most of it, from what I understand."
"Does he have a girlfriend?" Mandy asked, a bit slyly.
"I don't think there are many women up there where he's at. It's mostly oilfield workers really. If he's found anyone, he's not talking about it, at least not to me." Ava glanced at Hannah. "Has Josh mentioned anything? Does he know if my brother's found a girl?"
Hannah shook her head. "Not that I know of. All Josh has said is that Ty is making shit-tons of money."
Mandy snickered. "Too bad I'm in Texas and he's up there. I always wanted to go out with him."
Ava rolled her eyes again. "You and everyone else." And then Ava and Hannah shared a look. "Except for Hannah, that is."
"Hey," Hannah complained softly.
Mandy grinned at Hannah. "Don't worry. We all know that you can't see past Josh."
Katie felt both amusement and foreboding when Hannah looked only slightly disgruntled as she answered, "Well, I can't and I'm not going to apologize for it."
Chapter Three
Redwood Falls, The Bar M Ranch
It was two in the morning when Zach pulled into his parents' driveway. He'd been out of the country for almost two months, and when he'd picked up his car at DFW, he'd had every intention of driving to his apartment. But when he'd hit the Interstate, in a move he couldn't explain, he'd boarded the freeway in the direction of Redwood Falls.
Home.
His body and soul ached for the Bar M Ranch.
Not even bothering to grab his carry-on from the backseat, knowing that his stepmother kept everything he'd need in his old bedroom, he let himself into the house on silent feet. It was his intention to slip into his room without waking anyone, but as he walked past the media room, he saw a light shining from the door that stood ajar.
He walked inside and found Hannah curled up on the couch with her cell phone in her hand. She was smiling at whatever she was reading and as he watched her silently from the doorway, she clearly began answering the last text she'd received.
"Hannah," he announced his presence in a low-pitched voice.
Startled, she jumped an inch from her seat. "Zach!"
He strolled into the room and reached down and hugged her. "Hey."
She hugged him back. "When did you get back?"
Zach glanced around the darkened interior of the room. "My flight got in around midnight."
"Cool. I'm glad you're home." Hannah's phone vibrated and she glanced down.
He snickered at his sister's so obvious inattention. "Sure you are. Who are you texting?"
She didn't even glance up. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she questioned sarcastically.
The animation on her face as she read the text had Zach asking, "Is it a boy?"
Hannah rolled her eyes without looking away from her phone. "He's not a boy, he's a grown man. And I met him on the Internet," she teased. "And he's forty-five years old."
Zach ignored her baiting. "Is it Ava?"
She shrugged. "Sure, we'll say that."
"Seriously, is it a guy?"
She looked heavenward in exasperation and continued keying.
"You shouldn't be hiding in here at two in the morning texting boys," he couldn't help remonstrating.
She glanced up at that. "I'm not hiding. Mom and dad aren't even here. You're acting as if I'm committing a federal crime. I'm almost eighteen, Zach. If I wanted to do something wrong, there's nobody here to stop me. Lighten up."
"Where the hell are they?"
"They had to go to Shreveport again. Something about grandma's will."
Fatigue from the long flight and drive began wearing Zach down. He was punch-drunk already and needed some serious sleep. "All right. I'm going to bed."
Hannah looked down at her phone again and said distractedly, "Try to be quiet."
"What for?"
"Katie's asleep in the guest room."
A wave of heat spread through Zach's veins and grabbed him by the throat. "Fine," he answered as calmly as he could. The exhaustion he'd been feeling a second ago disappeared in less than a heartbeat. He wasn't going to get a damn bit of sleep knowing that girl was in the house.
He was almost to the door when Hannah said, "And can you make an attempt to be nice to her in the morning?"
His footsteps stalled and he turned to face his little sister. "Why wouldn't I?"
Hannah was finally looking him in the eye, giving him her full attention. "I don't know. Because her last name's Turner?" She asked him softly and knowingly.
Zach had no clue how to answer Hannah, he knew he'd been guilty of treating Katie poorly in the past, so he simply dipped his head in agreement and walked away, shutting the door as he left the room.
The house was a split-floor plan, with his parents' suite on one side of the house, and all the other bedrooms on the other. As Zach walked down the hallway toward his bedroom, he passed Hannah's room and then his footsteps stalled in front of the closed door to the guestroom.
Without realizing his intent, he put his hands flat on the door and held them there, as if he could see inside the room through touch alone. As he lingered in the hallway, he knew it was only his imagination, but he swore he could smell Katie's soft scent as it drifted in the air. His cock twitched and grew in his pants as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
She was always there. Always there in the back of his psyche. Months would slip by but she was always there. Out of his reach, but someone he badly wanted to touch. Someone he badly wanted to own.
He inhaled raggedly. He was about to turn and leave when he heard the whimper. It was just a small sound, but it jerked him to attention and snapped him from the lethargy that had held him in its grip.
As he listened, he heard the sound again, only this time stronger, and the whimper became a wail of distress. The high-pitched sound was an inarticulate, mournful cry, and it was laced with such suffering that Zach didn't stop to think. He twisted the knob and pushed the door open, and as his sight adjusted to the dim interior of the room, he closed the door behind him and unerringly made his way to the side of the bed.
Katie looked small and helpless as she lay in the center of the bed, the sheets a tangled mess around her. Her head thrashed from side to side on the pillow. "No, no, no," she whimpered.
Zach sat down on the edge of the bed and very gently, gripped her hand with his. "Shh. Katie, wake up, sweetheart," he murmured, trying to rouse her from the nightmare but not wanting to startle her into full wakefulness.
Her body stiffened at the sound of his voice. "Noooooo," she cried, the word grief-stricken.
"Katie, wake up, baby." He gently shook her. "You're having a bad dream."
Her body jerked. "No. Stop. Please, stop."
"Katie!" Alarmed, Zach shook her harder until abruptly, her lashes lifted and she stared straight into his eyes.
She visibly swallowed and glanced around the room with a haunted look before her eyes found his again. She grimaced and inhaled deeply. "Zach?" she whispered.
He ran his hand up and down her arm in a light caress. "Yeah. You were having a nightmare."
She sucked in another breath, and then, to his utter amazement, with a quick, jerky movement, she jackknifed into a sitting position and threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him. She moaned softly again and his arms wrapped around her with no input from his brain. He held her for a moment, giving her what comfort he could while his body splintered with the pleasure he felt at having her in his arms.