“Goodnight, Spencer Blackwell.”

Chapter Twenty-One

I laid down and tried to sleep. I knew I was going to be exhausted the next day as it was, but I couldn’t keep my thoughts from straying toward Cricket.

I used to keep this obnoxious list of criteria for the girls I dated. I would often hang with my friends and we would amend it, sharpen it up, add a few things. I kept the list and used it, even after I graduated prep school. These were the basics.

1) She must be a minimum of five foot ten.

2) Her hair can never be cut above the shoulders.

3) No fatties, but she has to maintain enough curves to satisfy.

4) No smaller than a C-cup.

5) Private school educated.

6) She must run in our circle.

7) Minimum seventy-five thousand dollar vehicle.

Now for my more personal preferences:

8) Blonde.

9) Elegant features.

10) Perfectly symmetrical face.

11) Facial features must look balanced.

12) No nicknames.

13) Quiet.

14) No clingers.

I’d memorized the list. Oh my God, I thought, what a douche I’ve been.

Cricket had obliterated it, just annihilated my previous criteria. She only shared a few attributes on the list, but I’d discovered something that evening that startled me. It didn’t matter to me what I wanted before, because I somehow didn’t want that anymore. I wanted someone short, thin and wispy with chin-length dark hair. Someone with grit, with gumption, with personality, with character, with humor. Someone who represented feisty, capable and talented. Someone like Cricket.

Cricket was my new criteria.

I crossed my arms across my chest and fell to sleep with a stupid grin on my face.

“Well, she’s disgusting,” Piper said, filing at a nail.

“What?” I asked, spinning around in my stool to face her.

“This Cricket you speak of. She sounds dumb. She has no direction. She doesn’t want to stay at her grandparents’ ranch, but she’s too afraid to tell them so. She has no direction. She doesn’t share your dream. She’s not meant for you. Besides, she’s a frail little thing. Not very attractive, if you ask me.” My blood was boiling at a dangerous level. I found myself panting to control the anger. My fists coiled at my sides. “She’s going to take your money,” Piper provoked.

I unexpectedly launched myself at Piper and wrapped my hand around her throat. Her nail file rang out as it hit the tile beneath our feet.

“Take. That. Back,” I gritted.

My hand tightened and her face began to look purple but instead of desperation, Piper’s eyes delighted in mischief and she smiled. I removed my hand and sat once more to calm myself down.

“Sensitive?” she asked, catching her breath and leaning against the subzero in her ridiculous silk gown.

“Don’t ever talk about her like that,” I ordered, still trying to tame my temper.

Piper laughed.

“You’re losing sight of what you’re doing. You’re too distracted. You need to focus. Girls will come and go, but this opportunity you’ve been presented is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

My eyes narrowed on her. “How-how do you know about that?” I asked. “No one knows about that.”

Piper sprawled out over the large island and faced me, her crimson hair cascading all around her. “I know everything,” she whispered. She ran a hand across the flat of her belly and patted it once. “Like when I knew Bridge was going to get pregnant...I orchestrated it!” she giggled insanely. “Just like I knew your mama would always stay with your father because she’s too cowardly and lazy to create a new life for herself. She’d rather taint her children with your father’s vile influence than save their souls.” My teeth began to grit. “I know everything. Just like I knew that teller would offer her body to get a little piece of your fortune.” Her voice dropped to a murmur. “Like I knew you would take those photographs. As I said, I know everything.” She laughed. “It’s almost too easy. People make it way too easy. No one has conviction these days. It’s pathetic. It’s not even fun anymore.”

She began to cackle shrilly and it got louder and louder, so loud my eardrums felt like they would burst. I clasped my hands over my ears and shrank into myself. “Stop!” I begged. “Stop!” I yelled again. “Stop!”

“Stop!” I cried out. I shot up and sucked in a frantic breath, in violent need of oxygen.

My alarm pierced throughout the room and my hand trembled as it reached to turn it off. Sweet silence rang through my head once more. My body sagged against the wall adjacent to my bed as I tried to calm myself. I stared down at my hands and marked how badly they shook, stuffing them into my sides. My head lolled against the bottom of the window.

“Are you okay?” a groggy-voiced Bridget asked.

“Huh? Oh, yes, just a,” I swallowed, “a bad dream.”

She looked at me fiercely, a confused expression on her face. “That must have been one horrible dream.”

“It was nothing,” I told her, trying to smile.

I threw my legs over the side of my bed and stood. I needed to get out of that trailer. I needed to get to work. I needed...something.

As I brushed my teeth, I purposely thought of Cricket and her clever smile, trying to distract myself. These dreams were cutting too close. I hated them. I didn’t understand them and I wanted them gone so badly. I spat and rinsed, my hands still trembling, when a knock came to the door. Jonah, I thought, but when I opened it, I was surprised to see Cricket.

“Cricket? Everything okay?” I asked, letting her in.

She stepped inside and immediately I was calmed by her presence.

“Yes, it’s just, we’re seeing too many calves dead in the field.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, tossing on my jacket and hat.

“We’re not sure, but it’s spreading quickly and we’re afraid for the calves yet to be born,” she explained as I followed her out and down the steps.

“How many are dead?” I asked, curious, as we wound our way up the lane.

“Eleven,” she said, her breath billowing out in front of her. She looked nervous, her brows furrowed in concentration. “We’ve tried several different antibiotics so far, but we don’t have the right combination.” She seemed to be talking to herself then. “At first I thought it might be pneumonia and umbilical disease, but the antibiotics used to treat those aren’t affecting them.” She slammed a fist into her hand. “We can’t afford to lose any more.”

“Hey,” I said, touching her shoulder briefly and bringing her back. “We’ll figure it out.”

She nodded. “Ethan,” she began, making my stomach clench, “has been out all night with them with Jonah. He’s resting now. I told him I’d get you to help me.”

I bobbed my head, refusing to speak in fear I’d say something stupid.

“We can’t afford to lose any more,” she said gravely.

“Wait, with Jonah? Maybe I should drive Bridge up to the house.”

She dismissed me. “Oh, no, he’s still getting Bridget this morning.”

My eyes narrowed at her.

“Is he?”

“Yes,” she said matter-of-factly, deep in thought.

“Why does he do that for her?” I asked her.

She recognized my meaning and lifted her head cautiously. “Because Jonah is the nicest guy God ever made, Spencer.”

“I don’t disagree, but I believe he’s more motivated than that.”

She looked at the ground and tried to hurry before me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I snatched the back of her coat and brought her back. She looked up at me warily. “Cricket.”

“Honestly?”

“Honestly.”

She sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Bull!”

“I’m serious! He’s a very secretive guy sometimes. He hasn’t said anything to any of us, that I know of, but we can see what you see.”

I tugged off my cap and ran my fingers through my hair. Blond strands fell forward and almost reached the tip of my nose. I slicked it back and drew the cap back on. “Doesn’t he recognize that she’s pregnant?”

“He’s not an idiot,” she laughed. “Wanna know my opinion?”

“What’s that?” I asked, as we reached the carriage house. I didn’t know what we were doing there, but I opened the door for her anyway.

“I think he sees a kindred spirit in her.”

I snorted.

“What? Don’t believe me?”

“No,” I answered simply as we rounded several tractors with massive blades in front.

“Jonah’s a big guy,” she started and I laughed which made her grin. “Okay, a very big guy.

“The guy should be a freaking linebacker.”

“Exactly. He’s always been that large and to girls, that’s intimidating. In high school, he fumbled around like a goof, unable to control his massive frame. He’s always been lean, muscular, but it wasn’t until he hit his sophomore year, right about the time he became really interested in girls, that he became the Mister Universe we’ve all come to love. It didn’t help matters that he was shyer than anyone I’d ever met.”

I whistled low.

“Tell me about it. I would have to drag him around with me, practically speak for him if a girl was present.”

I laughed out loud. The idea of itty-bitty Cricket acting as bodyguard to Montana’s version of Tom Hardy was too hilarious.

“Shut up,” she said, fighting a giggle. “He’s a giant teddy bear and incredibly sensitive. I remember him telling me how he hated how people stared at him.”

“Ah,” I said, finally realizing what she meant. “The way the ranch stares at Bridge.”

“Exactly. Like she’s a novelty,” she said quietly. “He wants to shield her from all that.” She cleared her throat. “It doesn’t hurt that Bridge is Barbie personified, a virtual Miss Sweden.”

“Oh God, don’t say that!” I cringed.

“Sorry to inform you, Mr. Blackwell, but your sister is like liquid gold around here, pregnant or not. She may slip through their fingers, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to try.”

“Oh, jeez,” I said, wincing.

“And Jonah’s a gentle soul. He’s not going to rip and grasp at your sister like these other boys would. He’ll tenderly cup his hands and just wait for her to pour herself inside. He’s a patient guy.”

“Okay, just stop. Stop. The visuals you’re giving me are pissing me off.” She laughed loudly. “What’s so funny?”

“You. You’re funny.”

I pulled my smile to one side and raised a brow.

We approached a room with a glass door, incongruent with the rustic feel of the remaining carriage house.

“What is this?” I asked.

“This is an operating room. Occasionally we’ll have to do emergency C-sections.”