Page 68 of Redemption Ridge Vol II

“And we’re done paying for their mistakes. Let me worry about the situation with Seth. You concentrate on healing.” Rueben reached over and covered Keegan’s hand. “I’m so damn proud of you. Fuck, you were amazing in there.”

Keegan’s cheeks turned rosy. “It felt good to stand up for myself.”

“So just think how much fiercer you’ll be by the time the trial rolls around.” Please don’t let it be two or three years. “You’ll shred those dickheads on the stand.”

Keegan’s smile lit up his face and cleared the hurt from his gaze. “Hell yeah, I will.”

“Let’s go get an ice cream cone before we head back to the ranch.”

“This day calls for a double scoop,” Keegan said.

The ice cream parlor was teeming with teenagers since the local schools had let out the previous week. Rueben sent Cash a quick text to update him while they waited in line. Keegan chatted about the different flavor combos while he recalled feeding Seth butter pecan ice cream in bed. Rueben had teased him mercilessly about liking old people’s flavors and called him abuelo, the Spanish translation for grandpa. That resulted in Seth proving just how young and virile he truly was, and Rueben learned butter pecan ice cream tasted so much better on Seth’s tongue.

Keegan nudged him with his elbow. “Your turn, Rue.”

“Two scoops of butter pecan.”

They sat outside beneath an umbrella and ate their ice cream in silence while teenagers filed in and out of the parlor, laughing and joking with one another.

“Were you ever that innocent?” Rue asked Keegan on their way back to the truck.

“No. You?”

“Nope,” Rueben said without hesitation. Then again, he remembered little about his life before the age of ten. Trauma had that effect on people.

Keegan looped his arm through Rueben’s. “We can’t turn back the clock. We only have right now. Let’s not lose another second to wallowing.”

“What do you have in mind?”

Keegan turned the ride back home into a karaoke session. They turned up the radio and sang along to the music. When his favorite Dua Lipa song came on, Keegan cranked the radio up louder and said, “There’s your girl.”

As much as he loved Taylor Swift, no one made him dance like Dua Lipa. They sang along with her “New Rules,” and Keegan looked pointedly at him during some moments. Rueben had no desire to get over Seth, so he’d answer his calls, let him in, and happily get under him again.

They approached the curve that nearly claimed Rueben’s life, and he couldn’t help tensing his fingers around the steering wheel. He still had nightmares about going airborne over the edge of the steep hill. Reuben relived every bone-jarring second of crashing his way through the smaller trees before slamming into an oak that was thick enough to support the weight of Cash’s truck. The only thing that prevented a full-blown panic attack each time he drove this stretch of road was to remember the way his sexy sheriff had come to his rescue. Seth had just left the ranch and was driving toward Rueben when he’d careened over the edge. Seth slid and tumbled his way down to the truck and stayed with him until help arrived. Rueben had been half out of his mind that night, but Seth’s steady gaze and calm voice let him focus on the feel of the powerful hand holding his. Every time the tree creaked, Rueben would flirt with Seth to distract himself, and Seth flirted right back. It could’ve been a ploy to keep Rueben calm, but he was half in love with Seth before the rescue crew carried him up the mountainside on a backboard. He blamed adrenaline for his infatuation and racing pulse every time Seth came near, but the feelings kept getting stronger. It took weeks to wrap up the investigation, which allowed the Carsons to flee and avoid arrest. Since the crew was in danger, Seth spent a lot of time at the ranch, and it became obvious that he returned Rueben’s interest.

And they’d spent one glorious weekend together after the Carsons’ arrest before reality intruded. He had to believe those two nights and three days weren’t the last he’d get to spend with Seth. Then again, everyone he’d loved left him in one form or another. That reminder kept him silent for the duration of the trip home. Sensing his mood, Keegan turned the radio back down and quietly sang along. Tyler and Owen were waiting for them when they pulled up next to the barn. The guys were headed to Denver for the weekend to attend a Kenny Chesney concert and were probably eager to get on the road.

Keegan hopped out of the truck and hurried to them for hugs. Rueben didn’t hear their conversation, but it was brief. Keegan was practically bouncing with nervous energy or sugar overload from the chocolate lover’s ice cream combo he’d chosen. He’d probably hit the bags and crash afterward. Rueben needed a quiet space to decompress. Tyler and Owen rounded the hood of his truck and stopped by his door. He kept his gaze out the windshield but rolled down the window.

“What did he do?” The growl in Tyler’s voice was more kitten than tiger, but Rueben loved his loyalty. He also didn’t need to ask who Ty was talking about because there was only one person who could rattle Rueben this way.

“It’s what he didn’t do.” Rueben didn’t recognize the weariness in his own voice. He didn’t do poor, poor pitiful me.

“Okay. What didn’t Burke do?” Owen asked. His growl was all tiger.

“He was there for the meeting, though I’m not sure why. Burke sat in the prosecutor’s office like a silent sentinel and looked right through me. He acted like we’d never kissed and that he didn’t know the way I—” He stopped and shook his head.

Tyler reached inside the truck and squeezed Rueben’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me too, Rue,” Owen said. “Maybe it’s time to move on from him.”

Rue met their gaze, and determination sparked in his soul. “Are you kidding me?” He smiled at the men he loved like brothers. “It’s time for me to show that stubborn mule that I’m the keeper. Now, go on and get. Enjoy your weekend, and be careful.”

Tyler and Owen exchanged another glance, earning a scornful snort from Rueben.

“I mean it, punks. I’m fine, or I will be once I put together a plan to get my man back.”

“If you’re sure,” Tyler said, backing away.