Captivated (Whiskey Run Book 2), page 1
Captivated
Whiskey Run
Hope Ford
Contents
1. Heather
2. Brett
3. Heather
4. Heather
5. Emma
6. Brett
7. Emma
8. Emma
Epilogue
Epilogue 2
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About the Author
Captivated © 2021 by Hope Ford
Editor: Kasi Alexander
Cover Design: Cormar Covers
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
1
Heather
The bus hits a pothole, and I jerk awake. I can’t believe I fell asleep on a two-hour bus ride, but I’d been exhausted. The sign says Whiskey Run, and I smile at the quaint looking town. It looks like the bus is going to drop us off right in the middle of downtown.
The driver stops, and I get up, waiting for the others to get up too, but then discover that I’m the only one getting off at this stop. Maybe I should have picked Jasper. It was the same amount of money, but I liked the name of this town better. Obviously, my instincts are not very good if a busload of around forty people are going to Jasper instead of Whiskey Run. I grab my bag, thank the bus driver, and take a step off the bus. There’s another sign in front of me, and I almost get right back on the bus. It says Whiskey Run, Home of Blaze Whiskey. Picking the town that makes my father’s favorite whiskey is definitely a bad omen. But before I can change my mind, the doors shut behind me, and the bus takes off.
I don’t have any money and don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve never had a cell phone, and I left most of my things behind except grabbing a few changes of clothes and my toothbrush. All I know is I need a shower and would love some food, but the first item of business is to find a job.
I walk toward the center of town and stop to stare up at the Sugar Glaze Bakery sign. I do know how to bake so maybe, just maybe, they could be hiring.
I inhale deeply as I walk in, and my stomach grumbles at the same time. The woman behind the counter smiles real big at me, and I automatically smile back. “Hi. Uh, my name is uh, Heather. Can you tell me if you’re hiring?” The fake name sort of just comes out. I may have the police looking for me and if I use my real name, they’re going to find me fast. I obviously didn’t think this through though. How the heck am I going to get a job with a fake name?
“I’m sorry, sweetie. We’re not hiring.”
I smile and thank her. I turn to walk out the door and she stops me. “Try over at Red’s Diner. They may be hiring. Ask for Violet.”
“Great. Thank you so much.”
I walk down the sidewalk and spot the diner. It’s a decent size restaurant and looks to be busy. All I can do is hope and pray they’re hiring.
I swing open the door, and the bells above the door ring. It seems like everyone in the restaurant turns to look, and I barely stop myself from running back out the door.
“Have a seat anywhere you can find one,” a woman at the counter hollers at me.
I walk up to her. “Excuse me, are you Violet?”
She looks at me as if she’s trying to place me. I could tell her to give up, there’s no way she knows me. I’ve never been out of Mutton Hollow before. I’ve definitely never been to Whiskey Run. “Yeah, I’m Violet.”
“Hi. I’m Heather Bates. I went to the Sugar Glaze Bakery to apply for a job but they weren’t hiring. They suggested I come here.”
She’s about to tell me no. I can feel it, heck, I can see it in the downturn of her face. “Well, Heather, it’s nice to meet you. Have a seat. What can I get you to eat?”
I look at a woman’s plate down the counter from me. I can almost feel my mouth watering. It pains me to say it, but I do it anyway. “Oh, I’m not going to eat.”
But Violet doesn’t seem to like my answer. “I’ll be running around, and it will actually make me feel less guilty during our talk if you are eating than just sitting here waiting on me. What about a burger and fries?” Before I can even answer her, she asks another question. “You want everything on it?”
I stare back at her, unsure of what to do, but my goodness a hamburger sounds good right now. “Uh, no onion.”
“I got it. And a milkshake too? You like strawberry?” she asks as she writes it all down on the pad in her hand.
I nod, and she walks away to put the order in. “I’ll be right back,” she says over her shoulder.
I look around the restaurant. I haven’t been in one since I was sixteen, and it doesn’t seem like things have changed a lot. I look around at the people all laughing and talking. Scanning the room, I stop on a man that is eating by himself just a few booths away. He’s handsome. Probably the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. Mid-thirties and I’m assuming a cowboy by the hat he’s got on the seat next to him. I raise my eyes from the brown Stetson, wanting to get just another look and my eyes find that the owner of the Stetson is staring back at me. His eyes are a light blue, but they seem to darken as he stares back at me. I slam my mouth shut when I realize it’s hanging open and turn real quick to stare at the plastic mat in front of me. I pick up the napkin and start tearing it into tiny pieces—anything to keep myself from looking at him again.
Eventually, Violet joins me. “So what are you doing in Whiskey Run?”
Honest. I need to be honest with her, well as much as I can be. “I’m looking for somewhere... to live. I needed to move, and I ended up here.”
“What kind of experience do you have?”
I shake my head. “Not any. I wasn’t allowed... I never had a job before, but I’m a fast learner and a hard worker.”
The man from the booth gets up and puts the hat on his head. I can see him without even turning my head, but I try to keep my eyes trained on Violet. I can’t help but wonder if he’s heard our conversation. I chance a look at him and right then, I know he has. There’s definitely pity on his face. And I hate pity.
2
Brett
I came into town because I’m sick of my own cooking. I burn toast and everything else. Well, I am over it. I needed something besides butter noodles, especially since the last time I made those I burned them. I swear I can still smell them in my house.
I’m eating the apple cinnamon Blaze cake that Red’s Diner is famous for when the woman comes in. She’s definitely not from around here. I’ve never seen her, but how I know for sure she’s new is that everyone in their booths turn to look at her and not one person says hi. In Whiskey Run, everyone sort of knows everyone, so she’s definitely an outsider.
She’s nervous, and even though she looks clean, she’s still rumpled. Her jeans are short, like maybe at one time they fit her, but not really now. She’s beautiful in a sweet kind of way. She’s small, probably doesn’t even come up to my chest. And she’s young. Really young from the looks of her. But of everything, it’s her eyes that capture me. She has the most defeated look on her face. I want to look away, but I can’t. I listen to what she and Violet are talking about and find out she’s needing a job. I’m not worried. I know Violet Jennings. She takes in everyone and everything and does anything for this town. There’s no way she’ll turn down the woman, not when it’s so obvious how much she needs the help. I walk up to the counter and I’m captivated by the woman. It’s like I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s pretty, and just one look at her brings out every protective bone in my body.
I do my best to ignore the woman sitting at the counter. I hand my card to Violet. She’s looking between me and the woman, and I know I should be worried by the look she’s giving me. “How you doing tonight, Brett?”
“Good,” I grunt, thinking the faster I get out of here, the better off I’ll be. But when I make the rough sound, the woman jerks and wraps her arms around her middle.
I frown as I look at her. Oh hell no. She’s scared too.
“Hey, Brett,” Violet starts. I drag my gaze from the woman and look at her. “Are you still hiring for a housekeeper and a cook out at the ranch?”
I shake my head side to side quickly. I know exactly where she’s going with this, and I don’t want any part of it. “I never was hiring.”
But in true Violet nature, my negative response doesn’t even stop her. “Well, I can just imagine how long it’s been since it’s been cleaned.”
“I clean it.” I shrug.
“You’re a rancher. You don’t have time for that. Well, my friend here is new in town and she needs a job. Unfortunately, I don’t have any openings, but I talked to her and I think she would be perfect for what you’re needing.”
I’m about to tell her no, just as the woman in question jumps up. “I can’t... I can’t go to his ranch.”
I watch her closely. She really is scared. I clench my fists at my side, wondering who in the world has hurt her and where the asshole may be right now. “What’s wrong with my ranch?”
The woman blushes prettily. “Nothing. I’m sure it’s a fine ranch.”
I snort. “It’s not. It’s falling down around me. But you’d have food and shelter. You would just have to cook for me and two other guys. Maybe clean a little bit. I won’t be able to pay you a lot, but you’ll get room and boar
The woman was shaking her head, ready to say no the whole time I was talking—until I said the word safe. It’s then she stopped shaking her head.
“But I don’t know you,” she half whispers.
Violet jumps in, and it’s almost like I forgot she was even standing there. “I can vouch for him. He’s sort of grumpy, but he’s a good guy. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
She seems to be weighing her options. She pulls her shoulders back and lifts her chin. “I don’t know how else to say it, but I have to ask. Have you ever hit a woman?”
I jerk back, this time fully offended. “Fuck no. I’d never raise my hand to a woman, and I’d never let it happen around me either. I promise if you come work for me, you won’t have to worry about that.”
Eddie the cook walks up beside Violet and hands her a to-go bag and a Styrofoam cup. She hands them both to Heather. “Here you go, honey. Have Brett bring you to come see me the next time he’s in town.”
The woman looks at the food in her hands, up at me, and then at Violet. “How’d you know I’d need it to go?”
Violet just shrugs her shoulders, but I catch her knowing look. “I wasn’t positive, but I was pretty sure.”
She thinks she’s matchmaking again. She’s been known around these parts to set a couple up before, but she’s definitely lost on this one. I’ll help the woman out and give her a job, but that’s it.
“All right, you ready... I don’t even know your name.”
She looks up at me. “My name is Emma... Uh, Heather.”
I’m confused, but I just nod. “All right, let’s go grab your stuff. See you, Violet.”
“Thanks, Violet,” Heather says.
“Is your car here?” I ask her as I open the door for her to walk through.
She doesn’t even have to duck to fit under my arm. “No, I don’t have a car.”
I’m sure there’s a story here, but the way she’s clammed up since we left Violet, I don’t think I’ll get it tonight. I point to my truck and follow behind her. When we get to the passenger door, I open it for her and offer to hold her things while she climbs in. She struggles a little bit, but once she’s seated, I hand her her food and drink. “Go ahead and eat.”
“I don’t want to eat in your truck,” she says, as she eyes the bag in her hand.
“You’re fine. I do it all the time. I’m going to put your bag in the back.”
I walk around to the driver’s side and put the bag in the backseat as I climb in. Already, she has the bag open and is eating her food. I don’t comment, because I don’t want her to stop. She’s obviously hungry.
3
Heather
I don’t know what I’m thinking. I can’t believe I went off with some strange man in his truck. And I’m going to his house. Of all the stupid things, this one takes the cake. “So who all lives at your ranch?” I ask him.
“Me, Raymond and Peter. Raymond and Peter live in the bunkhouse.”
“So it’s just you in your house?”
He pauses for just a second. “Yes – well, you and me now.”
I suck in a deep breath and start to panic. “Let me out. Please, let me out,” I beg him. I need to go, I need out. I start to jerk on the car door, and he pulls to the side of the road in a fast stop that no doubt leaves skid marks on the road. I open the door and jump out, my hands over my head, pacing back and forth. No doubt he thinks I’m a lunatic, but I don’t care. How could I be so stupid?
A warm hand on my back has me spinning around and backing up at the same time. I trip over my feet and Brett catches me before I fall. He has concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
I nod, frozen.
He notices the way my body tenses, and he pulls me up and lets go of me.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
I shake my head side to side. “I shouldn’t have come to your ranch.”
He’s gruff and probably offended as he tells me in a thick voice, “It didn’t look like you had a lot of options.”
I get mad because he’s right. I hate not having options. It’s like I’ve never had them my whole life and now look at me – I still don’t. I’m away from my father and still can’t make my own choices.
I wait for Brett to get in his truck and drive away. I can’t blame him if he does. This is definitely more than what he thought he’d be dealing with tonight. But he surprises me by standing right next to me. No pressure, just letting me breathe.
“Why do you not want to go to my ranch?”
I mean, hello. Isn’t it obvious? “Because I thought there would be people there. I didn’t know I’d be there with you and just you,” I ramble.
He shakes his head and laughs. “Is that all you’re worried about? Look, Heather, you seem nice enough, but really I just need someone to clean my house and cook something edible. You don’t have to worry about me coming on to you or anything like that. You can even lock your door at night.”
I still don’t know what to think. He’s right. I don’t have a lot of options, but that doesn’t mean I want to take the wrong one.
He holds his hands out to me, palms up. “Look, I’ll be honest with you. I used to be in the rodeo. I broke a few bones, doctor told me I shouldn’t compete anymore, so I took the money I won from all the competitions and bought the ranch. I was engaged to be married and she left me at the altar. I wasn’t good enough for her, she wanted out. So see, I have no interest in getting with another woman. Plus, you’re not really my type.”
He’s saying exactly what I need to hear, so I don’t know why his words hurt me, but they do.
“I didn’t think I was. I’m sorry. About your fiancée and well, for causing problems. I’ll work hard, and I know how to cook and clean.”
He shakes his head. “You’re already hired, Heather.”
“Right. Gosh, I’m sorry. You must think I’m a lunatic.”
He walks over to the truck and opens my door. “So what do you say – you coming? I can’t just leave you here. You can go to the ranch or I’ll take you back to town – it’s your choice.”
And it’s like he said the magic word. Choice. It’s my choice. Town or ranch. I haven’t had a choice in a long, long time.
I don’t know if he realizes how much his words affect me, but just the fact that he’s giving me a choice is a big deal to me.
“Ranch... if that’s okay.”
Brett
“Sounds good,” I tell her.
She gets into the truck, and even though I want to reach for her and help her in – I don’t. She’s small and has to pull herself up, but I just wait until she does and then I shut the door.
I jog around to the driver’s side and get in. “You good?” I ask her because I don’t want a repeat of her trying to get out of a moving vehicle.
She nods, and I put it into drive and take off. It’s in my nature to mind my own business, but today I want to know it all. There’s obviously something or someone that she’s running from. But I can’t ask her about it. I have a feeling that she’s on edge right now, and what if she doesn’t wait until I stop the next time she decides she wants out of my truck?
Neither one of us speaks.
I feel a little guilty. I lied to her. I am attracted to her, but there’s no way I’ll ever do anything about it. I’ve learned my lesson on that front.
We get to the ranch, and when we pull in, she sits up in her seat, peering out the window. It’s dark except for the floodlight that comes on, lighting up the small house and barn.
“I warned you that it’s not much to look at,” I remind her.
She swallows, and I grab her bag and meet her at the front of the truck. She’s looking all around, her eyes wide as she follows me.
Walking in, I see the odd pieces of furniture that don’t match and the drab walls that need paint, and I wince looking at it. I clear my throat. “That’s the doors to the bedrooms. Yours is on the left. Here’s the bathroom.” I point to the door between the two bedrooms and then around us. “Kitchen and living room.... I know it’s small, but like I said...”
