Page 82 of Enticed
“When we got home, all hell broke loose,” Jasmine said, and my chest constricted. There was so much pain in her voice, and her eyes went glassy. “Dad punched Gabe, called him names, and accused him of manipulating and using me. But that’s not what happened,” Jasmine rushed to add.
“I know, sweetheart,” Rose said, squeezing her hand affectionately.
“He fired Gabe. He told him never to come back and to stay away from me. He threatened to shoot him.” Jasmine’s voice cracked, and Rose pulled her into a hug. Once she regained her composure, she continued, explaining how Elwood tried to strong-arm her into staying away from me and how she chose to leave despite his threats.
Rose shot to her feet, nearly knocking over her chair. “I oughta disinherit that big, dumb oaf,” she said with a snarl. I’d never seen the tiny bespectacled woman angry before, but it was terrifying. “That boy must’ve forgotten who owns that land and his precious ranch.”
“What?” Jasmine and I asked in unison. We shared a shocked expression, our gazes bouncing between each other and Rose.
“Gigi, what do you mean you own the ranch?”
“Technically, your grandfather left the business to your father, but I maintain ownership of the land and everything on it. It won’t pass to him until I’m gone,” she replied haughtily.
“I-I had no idea. I thought my parents owned it all.”
“Some things are in their name, like the vehicles and equipment, but every structure and every acre of land belongs to me. Even the house is technically mine. He might own the horses, but I own the barns and the pastures they live in, and if he wants to keep using them, he better pull his head out of his ass.”
Rose pulled out her phone, tapped on the screen a few times, and held it to her ear. A moment later someone picked up, and with her jaw set in determination and a familiar fire blazing in her eyes, she made a simple demand. “Nash, take me home. I’ve got a can of whoop ass with your dad’s name on it.”
Nothing happenedfor a solid forty-eight hours. Rose and Nash both had Jasmine’s new number and were keeping her updated. Rose had gone home and tore Woody a new asshole. He’d tried to defend himself, but Rose, all five feet of her, stood toe to toe with her six five son and read him the riot act. She’d been furious over him trying to interfere in our relationship and even more angry about him essentially kicking Jasmine out. She’d given him two days to mull everything over. He had until Friday afternoon to make his move before she went to her lawyer and started shaking things up. He used up every last minute he had before knocking on my door.
There was a mixture of apprehension and barely restrained rage on his face when I opened the door. “Elwood,” I said in greeting. Jasmine immediately scrambled to her feet and crossed to me. She stood in front of me, planting herself between me and her dad. Pain flashed across his face.
“Jasmine.” His voice cracked with regret.
“If you’re here to threaten Gabe again, then you can leave,” she said, planting her hands on her hips. My chest swelled at her protectiveness, but I didn’t want her getting between me and her father if he was thinking about throwing another punch. I was about to grip her by the shoulders to move her out of the line of fire when he winced, and shame flashed over his features.
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“Then why are you here? If you’re going to try to convince me to come home, don’t waste your breath.” She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and stared him down. My little menace wasn’t pulling any punches today.
Woody shook his head, and his eyes filled with remorse. “I came to talk to Gabe, man to man. You’ve made it clear that he is going to be part of your life, and since I don’t want to lose my daughter, we have to find a way to coexist.” His eyes misted over, and his throat bobbed with a rough swallow.
“If I let you in here, can you remain civil and keep from pummeling my boyfriend’s face again?” she asked and he flinched. Instinctively, I reached up and brushed the bruised skin covering the side of my face. I wasn’t sure how he hadn’t broken my cheek or jaw when he hit me. It felt like Barry Bonds had swung a two by four at my head.
“That was a … regrettable choice. I assure you it won’t happen again,” he said earnestly.
“Fine,” she agreed and stepped aside. We made room for Elwood to enter, and I shut the door behind him. Jasmine clung to my side and looked at her father expectantly. “Okay, talk,” she prompted, and I fought to stifle a laugh. Even in the face of turmoil with her hulking father’s intimidating presence looming over us, she was still just as stubborn and full of fire as she’d always been.
“I’d like to speak to Gabe in private,” he replied, pleading in his tone. She began to shake her head, a refusal on her lips, but I held up my hand.
“It’s okay. He and I need to hash this out, just the two of us,” I said.
“But what if he—” she began to argue, but I cut her off, sliding my hand along her jaw and cupping her face.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured her, then placed a soft kiss on her lips. Woody shifted uncomfortably on his feet, and since I wasn’t willing to test his restraint, I released her and motioned him to follow me. “Let’s talk outside.” At least if he tried to murder me, the neighbors would be able to hear my screams and call for help.
We sank into the patio chairs on my back porch facing each other. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. “When did you develop feelings for my daughter?” he asked, staring at the ground. His voice was even, but his shoulders were tense.
“Honestly, I think it started the day I came back to town.” His gaze snapped to me and filled with a mix of shock and suspicion. “I ran into her at the bar while she was out celebrating her birthday with her friends.” I filled him in on the drink spilling incident and how I’d questioned her about him knowing where she was and how she’d set me straight. His expression remained stoic, but there was a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. He’d raised her to have a backbone, to be the stubborn, independent woman she was, and it pleased him to see how he’d succeeded. Except now, he was on the receiving end and didn’t much care for it.
“I don’t even want to ask this next question, but I need to know. It’s eating me up inside,” he began, any traces of humor vanishing. “Were you ever attracted to her before? Did anything ever happened between you two when she was a min?—”
“No,” I said definitively, cutting him off. “Never. The thought never crossed my mind.”
“Not even when I had my accident and you came back to help run the ranch? She was seventeen,” he reminded me.
“Absolutely not. She was a devastated and heartbroken girl. I barely even saw her then. But, Woody, she’s changed so much in the last four years. I didn’t even recognize her at first. I just noticed she was an attractive, carefree young woman who was having a good time. When I realized who she was, I was wracked with guilt. I felt like the biggest slime ball who ever lived,” I admitted.
