Bourbon Harmony (Bourbon Canyon) by Walker Rose

Author:Walker Rose [Rose, Walker]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LE Publishing
Published: 2024-10-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Rhys

June’s laughter filled the kitchen. Fuck me, having that sound in my home was a pleasure I had never imagined. I’d loved her laugh before. It was as melodic as her singing, always had been. Hearing it now hit differently. She had options and she’d chosen them. I had encouraged her to. But this house was mine, and she was also choosing to be here.

The moment was bittersweet. She wasn’t mine, but the days were so much brighter with her than without.

I poured her a vodka and orange juice. “You are not the reason I don’t have Copper Summit in the house.”

She put her hand on her chest and gasped dramatically. “Are you saying that seeing a bottle of Copper Summit wasn’t so torturous that you couldn’t have it under the same roof?”

I poured myself the same drink and left the bottle in the middle of the table with the OJ. “If that was the case, I’d have had to move from Bourbon Canyon.”

A beat of sadness went through her eyes before they sharpened. “Kirstin?”

“It would’ve been disrespectful when you’re tied so closely to Copper Summit.” Kirstin already had enough to deal with when it came to my baggage. “Now, there’s just no good time for a drink. This shit’s ten years old.”

“Daddy used to say the best spirit is the one you enjoy with family and friends.” She took a drink, holding the glass loosely. Her other arm was folded over her belly, and she had her bare feet kicked up on the chair next to her. Long strands of brownish and blue hair hung from the knot she’d tied it in. “So old vodka is the best vodka.”

“That’s not a saying.” How easy would it be to scoot to the chair next to her, lift her feet and put them in my lap? I could rest my hand on her shins and we’d just talk, like we used to.

“We’ll make it one.”

We. The vodka warmed the cool path the juice had left. The heat went straight to my groin. Waking up to her had been like falling further into a dream that felt so real. I’d woken up to the woman I had thought would be my forever. The last fifteen years had fallen away. For a moment, I was submersed in the fantasy that we’d gotten married. This was our house. She’d tucked our girls in bed.

Somewhere in Costa Rica, Kirstin’s eye must be twitching.

I loved my daughters, and I wasn’t wishing away my marriage. I just wanted . . . something different. A woman who was mine and who loved those girls more than anything.

She swirled her glass, relaxed in her chair. “So. Tell me about your life.”

“You’ve been seeing it.”

“What’d you do . . . after?”

“Worked.”

She stared at me, expectant, continuing to rotate her glass.

“Dad’s health was a roller coaster until it wasn’t. I thought the ranch was doing fine despite a few dry years and shitty market prices, but Wren was worried. The girls came along and I got busier.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.