“My mother always says drinking just makes you more inclined to do things you secretly want to do when you’re sober,” I said primly. Then cautiously, I asked, “Is this about what happened last fall? With Aiden and your wife… I mean,ex-wife?”
“No. I… I know that wasn’t… intentional,” he admitted, not quite meeting my eyes. “This is about the bullshit I heard from your lawyer tonight. He showed me the papers about your claim on my land.” His gaze swung back to me. “I love that land. I love that orchard in particular. And I know that’s no excuse for…” I waved a hand. “For being threatening. I know a man my size should be more careful. So I’m sorry for that. But I’m not giving up my orchard.”
I hadn’t felt physically threatened by him at all, despite him being twice as big as I was. In fact, my only thoughts about his size were… erm… really, disconcertingly positive ones.
Fortunately, I managed not to blurtthatout.
“Wait, when did you hear from Stephen?” My brain felt like a clogged filter, struggling to process. “What claim? Why would I want your orchard?”
“For money? For revenge? Why does anyone do anything? Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“But I don’t! I haven’t spoken to Stephen Fox in weeks. He never calls, he never writes, he just…bills.”
Webb stared at me for a long, long moment. His jaw worked side to side. His eyes flared. Then he dropped his head and raked both hands through his dark hair.
“Jesus fuck,” he groaned succinctly. “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”
I nodded.
So while I kept my mouth occupied with my Rusty Spike, Webb told me what he could remember about papers and wills and hedgerows, spongy moths and Friendship Agreements, and centuries of apple tithes based on the size of his “fruitful harvests.” By the end, I was horrified.
“I wouldneverwant your tithed apples,” I assured him. “And you can have the orchard, if it turns out it’s mine. I’ll sell it to you for a dollar. Heck, you can have some of my land, too. Help yourself.” I swept out an arm magnanimously.
“Fuck that. I don’t needpity,” Webb grumbled. “I’m just saying, you don’t steal another man’s legacy?—”
“So. Let me understand.” I dried my eyes with one hand and held up the other for silence. “You don’t want my lawyer to claim the land for me.”
“Hell no. It’s my family’s land. Always has been.”
“M’kay. So you want me to ask Stephen to stop investigating?”
He hesitated. “No. You need a title so you can sell or whatever. I’m not asking you for any favors.”
“Right. So if he finishes investigating and it turns out itismy land… you don’t want me to give it to you for free either.”
“No,” he repeated for a third time. Then he hesitated again. “Wait. You’re making it sound weird and unreasonable.”
I propped my chin on my fist. “Are we sureI’mthe one who’s doing that?”
“It just would’ve been easier if no one had ever brought it up.” Webb must’ve realized he sounded like a petulant kid because he sat up straighter and blew out a breath. “You make shit… complicated.”
“But if we were friends…” I leaned across the table and grabbed Webb’s hand impulsively. “When things got complicated, we could put our heads together,” I slurred with drunken sincerity. “Anduncomplicate’em.”
Webb snorted. “You’re like a motivational poster with arms and legs, Luke Williams. Don’t you ever get tired of acting so fucking cheerful?”
“Freakin’ exhausted!” I wiped away the last of my stupid tears and grinned at him. “But I can’t help it!”
Then Webb laughed out loud. And for a single drunken minute, it felt like things between us were starting to calm down…
But they were just heating up.
CHAPTER FOUR
WEBB
Damn,Luke Williams was hard to dislike, once I got over hating him.
“Hockey… is like life,” Luke informed me, sipping on a Rusty Spike with his dark hair standing on end and his cheeks flushed dark pink.
