River's End: River on Fire Part 2

And Joey was okay with everything until he decided to come back home to stay. He was tired of searching for his path in life, and grateful for all of his adventures, but now he was ready to come home. To his home. To live with his family and stay there.

But as soon as he returned, they weren't there any longer. The house he grew up in was empty. Each brother now lived in his own personal house, which they built by the river, and even Joey had one. But that was not a real home for Joey. Everything he so fondly remembered shifted and morphed while he was gone in the Army. He didn't fully comprehend the extent of it until he came back. All the recent changes uprooted the previous life he remembered.

Now, he had a whole new life. He had his own house, which most guys his age would have envied. It belonged solely to him, alone. He answered to no one, and continued to receive the unconditional love of his family, which he adored. He ran the resort, being his own boss, and answering only to Jack, and even that was sporadic.

Joey spent his days doing anything from the necessary paperwork to managing the few employees hired for the upkeep, care, and service of the resort, to the fun, exciting things like river rafting with clients. It was a good set-up, but he still missed the old ways sometimes, along with the ceaseless comfort of knowing the ranch belonged just to them, their loyal fortress against the outside world. Now Erin and Allison and Kailynn had to be considered and taken into account when any decisions arose. It was fine with Joey, and he liked all three of them, but it was also different. It surprised Joey to realize how well Jack nearly kept him and his other two brothers so sheltered, almost in a time warp here for so many years. They handled everything without changing anything, and that was something that became engrained inside him. Joey hated change.

Picking up the pen on his desk, Joey twirled it through his fingers while scouring the most recent invoices from the vendor for the cafe and another who supplied trinkets for the gift shop. Who knew Joey had a knack for that too? He managed it all flawlessly. His friendly personality allowed him to handle any conflict or unruly guests with an easy smile and courtesy that masked his stern strength. No one walked over Joey, although they might not realize it until after having a confrontation with him. In contrast, his three brothers would merely restate their demands or walk off. Unfortunately, they lacked any real skills in handling the guests or the staff.

Joey had the whole resort under control, except when it came to h.o.r.n.y, under-aged girl guests. Brianna was a new one for him. Sure, plenty of daughters, wives, and even a grandma (once) hit on him but rarely were they as persistent as Brianna Starr. In a matter of only four hours, the total length of time she was on the ranch, Brianna managed to display her fervid l.u.s.t toward him in no uncertain terms. He was so tired of it.

It all started when he was under the age of consent, in fact. Being the nave recipient of inappropriate pa.s.ses from women who were far too old for him, Joey was well-acquainted with the protocol. He was blessed (or cursed) with a face that women often compared to movie stars or models; and Joey exploited his undeniable a.s.set for years just to get laid. But now? He'd grown rather tired of it. A sense of boredom now accompanied such mindless activities. Sure, women, or in this case, girls, still thought he was red hot.

s.e.x had all become so mechanical to him. His face was no longer an a.s.set to him anymore. All it did was draw more women to him, yet not one of them ever meant anything special; likewise, neither did he mean anything to them. He worried that his personality was phony and shallow, as his handsome face easily seduced the wrong women who liked him for all the wrong reasons. His brothers spent the last decade of his life teasing him over how "pretty" he was. He used to laugh at it, enjoying all the attention he got from girls in high school and later, women after he entered the Army. But now, it didn't seem quite so funny. In fact, it was annoying as h.e.l.l, and even prevented people from taking him seriously. At twenty-six years old, he survived his four years in the military and finished with a respectable performance. He ran the entire resort and yet, he still felt like the pretty, little brother, the family joke, and an amusing novelty.

Now, however, he wasn't a joke anymore. He wasn't irresponsible with women nor stupidly infatuated with them. He was smart enough to perform his job successfully without having to restrain any urge to flirt with women. Despite his best intentions, he often found strange women flirting with him during his most n.o.ble attempts at being professional; and all that did was further enhance his reputation with the ladies. Sure, he was a Rydell, and had the job because of his heritage and genes. But he could also do the job, and do it better than anyone else; at least, that's what he truly believed. But why bother seeking perfection? Who the h.e.l.l ever noticed? He mentally shook it off as he continued to wade through the basket of paperwork on his desk. At least Brianna's mom didn't seem overly interested in his f.u.c.king "pretty" face. She almost seemed to detest the way it caused her daughter to respond so fervently. She was the one reason he had to look forward to the next day; not the crazy-hot, young girl, but the mother who so desperately was trying to conceal her emotions as well as her reactions.

It was a long night. Brianna locked herself in the room she privately claimed as hers for the vacation and her cacophonic music nearly drove Jacob and Hailey out onto the deck just to speak and hear each other amidst the incessant pounding in the cabin. Hailey brought plenty of groceries, enough to last for at least a week, and she set about unpacking her luggage before tending to the family's essentials. She cooked dinner for Jacob and herself, which they ate together at the picnic table out on the deck that overlooked the restless river. Clear water rushed below them before swooping into foamy rapids. She gulped internally while picturing herself riding the crests of such daunting waves in nothing more than a little rubber flotation device. But after observing Jacob's reaction to her plan, it was well worth her effort to ignore her fear and march onward, despite her risk of doom and heartache.

Jacob was nearly bouncing like a ball on the wooden seat. He had the same color of hair and green eyes as hers, and his were bright with excitement now. He was pretending to glide up and down the water b.u.mps in his imaginary boat. Accurately imitating the noises of splashing water and guttural sounds, he made it seem as if the waves were exploding all over them as he pretended to row the craft while dodging errant logs and other invented obstacles on his terrific adventure. With a sigh of pure pleasure, Hailey leaned back and enjoyed the sight of her son acting so happy and carefree. Recently, he was mostly serious and quiet. Rarely disrespectful or even difficult, his clammed-up silence was even sadder for Hailey than if he exploded with anger at her.

She and Jacob finished their dinner and decided to walk the grounds. They saw several gravel paths that wove around the place like a huge spider web. Some led down to the river, others to volleyball courts, basketball hoops and even an impressive jungle gym for kids that had its own climbing wall. Jacob ran off and stayed there for a long time, easily joining the game he spotted some kids playing. Hailey scoped out the pool and couldn't wait to relax beside the inviting water. Eventually, Jacob wanted to go back to the cabin and curl up in one of the overstuffed chairs with his handheld video game. Hailey begrudgingly let him although she worried that he gamed an awful lot. It had become his private sanctuary and escape for the last two years. She had no idea if it were ultimately right or wrong for her to allow, but since it helped him deal with the discomfort of the situation, what else could she do?

The main Rydell house sat elegantly in the distance, a beautiful beacon poised amidst the large mountains rising behind it and bathed in the subtle, fading tangerine colors of a perfect sunset. A soft breeze, much cooler than the day's heat embraced her and she breathed in the rich scent of pines. Closing her eyes, Hailey willed her daughter to briefly disappear from her thoughts if only just for a few moments. The fragrant, soft aromas and the cool breeze replenished her sense of sanity after suffering so long under the stress, anxiety, chaos, change and insanity that only a divorce can create so epically in a family.

"Pretty, huh?"

She whipped around, her eyes fluttering open. There stood Joey, the check-in boy and occasional river raft guide. Standing a few feet back from her with his arms crossed over his chest, he wore the same short-sleeved, blue polo shirt with the name Rydell River Resort neatly st.i.tched across the pocket, just over his heart. All the employees were required to wear them, making the staff easy to spot for help or information. Like the other employees, he had on the same khaki shorts as them and a pair of bright white tennis shoes.

That was where any resemblance to the rest of the staff stopped. His blond hair, just a little too long on top, was tousled around his forehead in a careless flop. His big brown eyes were fringed in dark, sweeping, long lashes. He wasn't smiling now, and his square jaw and perfect nose, which was a little too small, were no less shapely or manly. In short, he was breathtakingly handsome, having a face that was fit to be painted. It was almost dangerous to look too long at him, like staring too long at the sun. But he wasn't just hot, as Brianna saw him; no, there was an enduring beauty visible in him that almost hurt, and seemed otherworldly, especially in a man.

Hailey shoved her hands into the pockets of her jean shorts-which were certainly not the cheek-hugging, glimpse of a b.u.t.t crack style that Brianna wore. Hailey shuddered at the image of her b.u.t.t hanging out of those, and gross was only one unflattering adjective she could think of to describe it.

"Yes, that house really is something. It looks almost like it's a part of the land but just as regal as a king lording over his empire. Was it built recently?"

He stepped closer. "No, the Rydells have lived there for at least a century."

"They actually lived there?"

"Up until about a year ago, yes, there was always at least one Rydell living there. It was our family house."

"Our? You're-"

"Joey Rydell. The youngest brother."

"Oh, I didn't realize that. So this place is your home?"

"Hard to believe for most people. I know; but yes." He approached her then, a.s.suming her conversation was granting him permission to come closer. He must have been simply pa.s.sing by when he spotted her. She stood somewhat transfixed with her eyes closed, and her face up to the sky. She was trying to forget her problems and find a way to meditate. Her goal was to alleviate the deep knots in her muscles as her brain panicked whenever she envisioned how she could manage to raise her two kids. She was essentially alone now, and their emotional problems were taking over her life and previous sense of well-being. She could only wonder what the future had in store for all of them. But what if Brianna... No. She had to banish the defeatist argument that seemed to stream through her head in an endless loop. She couldn't solve it tonight. She turned towards Joey.

"Why do you say that?" She heard something in his tone that caught her attention, launching her beyond her own personal concerns. His tone sounded bitter.

He shrugged. "The same reason your daughter was after me. I don't look the part, I guess. If you met my brothers, perhaps you'd understand."

He knew it? He knew that he was essentially a walking statue of Michelangelo's David in the flesh? She'd seen it once, years ago, at the Academia Gallery in Florence. They went there on business for her ex-husband's company. While sightseeing, she encountered the enormous, marble statue of a naked man looming before her. Huge was an understatement, since it stood at nearly seventeen feet high and seemed to be made purely from the rays of white sunlight. It was impossible for her not to stare in awe at the exquisite beauty and form. Ironically, she didn't fail to notice that mostly women were lingering around it, absorbing... all of it, almost totally entranced. It was exactly how Joey appeared to the opposite s.e.x and probably the same effect he must surely have made on them.

Hailey dared not believe that his brothers could have been more handsome than he was. Surely, there was no living man she'd ever met who was as perfectly proportioned as Joey, or as pleasing to her eyes as he was before her now. "Do your brothers look like you?" She inquired hesitantly.

"No, more like cowboys who have been hanging around here for the last century. Except for Shane, who looks like a biker? Naturally, that's because he fixes and rebuilds motorcycles over there in that shop."

A small smile twitched on her lips but she bit her cheek to suppress it. "No, you don't appear anything like a typical cowboy."

He rolled his eyes, but seemed to like her for not dwelling on his physical beauty. It would have been weird and odd for her to have done so. And so unappreciated by him. She sensed he definitely would not have welcomed her ogling him. Or anyone else in fact, especially her very attractive young daughter. That was good and her esteem for him rose along with her opinion, which impressed her far more than his looks, alone, could have ever elevated him. "So... you just looking around?"

"Yes, my son and I already hit all the sports venues and tried out the equipment. He's tired now and staring at his video games. I was just..." Trying to forget my life, my husband, now ex-husband, and my daughter, who wants to screw the man I see standing before me.

"You seem as if you're lost in deep thought."

Shrugging, she dropped her fatigued body down onto the bench next to the path, since it was right behind her. The benches were conveniently scattered at predetermined intervals all over the grounds. That was no surprise since there were so many panoramic vistas to observe, from the river to the mountains to the verdant fields and grazing horses. She could see the house, and the tall mountains behind it, while further on lay the green fields of alfalfa and shady spots under trees where tiny herds of horses cl.u.s.tered.

"Trying to forget my life. For merely five minutes."

He indicated the seat next to her. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

She shook her head no. And she didn't mind. He was young, so there wasn't a spark of flirtation between them. He was just... someone not connected to her life's struggle. That could be comforting too sometimes.

"So is it working? Forgetting your life for five minutes?"

"Not particularly well. But maybe after a few weeks here, it will improve."

"We've heard that more than once."

"What's it like living here? Do you ever get stressed?" She exhaled a long sigh before breathing in the fresh, clean, sweet, country air.

"Like living in real life and not taking a vacation, that's how."

"Good point. I suppose you must hear that question a lot? Does everybody who vacations here simply a.s.sume you don't have any real problems?" She was actually referring to his youth and beauty, as well as living in this utopian place.

"I do get asked that a lot, yes. But as you are currently experiencing, stress is still stress even in the prettiest spot."

She closed her eyes and leaned back. "But there is a lot to be said for the peace and quiet of this place. Being a new place for me and not the house I once shared with my-" Her eyelids suddenly flipped open. "I keep doing that. I keep calling him my husband. We've been divorced a year now and still it pops out even though he's marrying someone else." She glanced down at her phone to look at the time. "Well, actually, he's already married to someone else."

Joey dropped his gaze to her hand and her phone before returning to her face with a look of real surprise. "What? You mean today? He remarried someone today?"

"At five o'clock. Yes, I'm sure the ceremony must be over."

"Okay, then that's legitimate, I suppose, for you to be feeling like c.r.a.p. Is that why..." His voice trailed off.

Sighing internally, Hailey nodded yes. That was why her daughter kept acting out and behaving so outrageously like a snotty brat towards her and even Joey.

"Why Brianna was so horrible to me? Yes."

"That must be tough on both of your children."

"It has been. After years of us fighting on and off, we entered complete withdrawal and began enduring our lives in near silence except when we were talking about the kids or the household. We were roommates basically. Not surprisingly, he, Brent, found someone else. His physical trainer. She is blonder, younger, and a seriously hot fling that quickly turned into pa.s.sionate love before leaving me and living with her, so... today, they are legally married."

"No tears?" Joey asked after a p.r.o.nounced pause as if she were letting the magnitude of her words sink in. Why did she even tell him that? It made no sense. She usually kept mostly all of her thoughts concerning that to herself. Why would she tell some random young man who worked at the resort where she was staying? Well, the obvious reason was... he was physically there, sitting right next to her on the bench, in the evening twilight while her ex-husband was remarried in another state although her kids, his kids! were not invited. Now, one of her kids was h.e.l.l-bent on full-fledged rebellion while the other worried her because he was so sad. Why did she so freely unload her thoughts? Because this person, this stranger... simply asked. Being asked so personal a question seemed way too intimate for her to ignore.

"I've shed so many, I could have filled an ocean by now. I think I grieved over my failed marriage and loss of love and all that. But I'm not done yet; the family we broke up and what it's done to my kids still bothers me. Everyone tries to tell me it's not my fault, and that kids are resilient and they'll be fine... but aren't those all just shallow plat.i.tudes? n.o.body knows or can guarantee that anyone's kids will be 'fine' after such a major trauma. You know, sometimes kids are never fine, no matter how much you love them and understand them and support them and try to do right by them. Sometimes... whatever you do is just not enough. And that's not acceptable to me. How can I justify sitting back and throwing my hands up in frustration, as if whatever will be will be? I'm constantly being told not to worry, not to stress out, and I do everything I can... but I can't control their futures or their lives... What a f.u.c.king cop-op. I'm their mother. If I don't stress out and worry about them and try my best to help them, doing whatever I can for them, then who the h.e.l.l will? Them? They are innocent children. They don't have the maturity or emotional finesse, much less the reasoning skills of adults. Even Brianna. Sure, she looks centerfold-worthy, but she's just a little girl all dressed up. She's still trying to make sense of the family that is now gone and no longer around her. The familiar sense of security that she once knew helped her make sense of the world. Of course, she's mad at me, since I played a huge part in destroying that for her. Of course, she's rebelling. Of course, I'm the one who should fix it, or at least try to..."

Her voice rose as she spoke. All of her previously contained pa.s.sion, anxiety, worry, and concern collided in her tone and she began to sound angry as if she were yelling at Joey for her perceived problems. As if he were the one who caused them, or tried to ameliorate them with ba.n.a.l plat.i.tudes. She ended her inflamed speech and shook her head, dropping her eyes down and staring at her hands in her lap. She started picking the cuticles around her short, chewed nails. Not the most attractive sight were her hands.

"I'm sorry. I had no right to unload all of that on you. You were just being polite. I... I think I'm more emotional about tonight than I intended to be."

He shrugged. "You don't have to apologize. I think, well, that is, I'd like to believe that if I had any kids, I'd feel the same way about them. Being unconcerned, or blase, or not getting worried? Now that I couldn't respect. I admire your pa.s.sion because I can plainly see how much you care and want so much for them."

"Please don't add they'll be fine because they have me. It doesn't help. Having me by their sides doesn't remove all the bad events that can happen in life and have already happened to them. Don't diminish their trauma with-"

"More plat.i.tudes?" he interrupted.

She nodded, biting her lip, and then shook her head. "Yes, exactly. I'll bet you're sorry now that you stopped to talk to me."

He stretched one leg out. "I have never been married, or even had a long-term relationship and I have no kids, but I really hate hearing plat.i.tudes after a crisis. I have endured loss, although it was different, so I can relate."

"What loss? You mean, your mother?"

His smile appeared quickly and vanished as he shifted slightly to face her a little better. "I don't have any 'mommy issues' if that's what you're suggesting. I didn't choose to talk to you because I missed out on that. I lost my mother and my father. Same time. Same age. Same day. When I was five, they were both killed in an auto accident. I was raised by my much older brother, Jack, and his wife, Lily. They loved me, and their two sons became my younger siblings. Despite being my nephews, they were more like my brothers than my three older ones. Jack was a good dad, and Lily was a good mom. I was okay. But she died when I was fifteen of a heart condition that went mostly undetected until it was too late. That was so sad for me, and there was a lot of grief in my heart. But I still had Jack, and his sons, as well as my older brothers. Not your traditional family, no, but I had their unconditional love and support."

"Why did you want to talk to me tonight?"

His shoulders rose and fell. "You looked a little lost standing there. I was pa.s.sing by, and thought I'd ask you why."

"That's it?"

He smiled. "That's it. What else could it be?"

"Mommy issues."

"You're not old enough to be my mother." He chuckled, his smile easily amused.

"No, I'm older," she emphasized in case he missed that fact. Something about his tone was unnerving and soon had her squirming. Had he really stopped to chat because he found her... pretty or attractive or something? No, her brain shied away from that angle. No. They weren't like that. Sitting together and discussing their lives was merely the benign encounter of two strangers. Sometimes it is easier to talk to a stranger because they have no emotional interest or investment. That was it.

He tilted his head a fraction of an inch. "Fine; you're older. But that doesn't preclude us from having an intelligent conversation, does it? Well, that is, unless you don't find me intelligent or understanding. Do you feel like you're talking to your fifteen-year-old daughter or something?"

Her forehead wrinkled in confused surprise. "No. You don't. Not at all. I do find you perfectly intelligent and very understanding. And I should shut up now and behave like the guest and stranger that I truly am."

"Well, if our brief conversation made you forget tonight and your ex for five minutes, what harm did it cause?"

She sighed so deeply, it ruffled her bangs. "It did, actually. It did make me forget and even sparked my interest in something besides my own nagging gloom. I'm sorry about losing your parents, but seriously impressed by your brother who did what yours did."

"Yeah? Me too. It was a problem for a while, but we worked through it."

Lulled into conversation again, she found her tongue asking without her permission, "A problem? How?"

"When I was about twenty, I couldn't figure out how to act like a grown-up around here. Jack had always been my father-seriously, he was my dad-and then we were suddenly supposed to be just brothers. Nearly equals. I was close to inheriting my share of this place, and yet, he was still my main authority figure. I didn't know how to ease into the transition. It caused some strife. It even made me leave for a while, but in the end, I think that was the only solution for me to get through it."

"Where did you go?"

"The Army."

Something rippled through her whole body. Surprise? Respect? He just might have been a lot more than just the seriously handsome exterior he presented to her. "That's a real commitment."

"Best thing I ever did; although I didn't want to make a career out of it. You know? Just needed the boost so I could learn how to become my own man and clear up the confusion of who the h.e.l.l I was. Not only regarding this place, but also in relation to my brothers, Jack and even my so-called nephews, who felt more my brothers as far as our ages were concerned."

"Have you figured all that out now?"

"Yeah. For the most part. I have."

Darkness was quickly descending. "Well, Jacob will be scared and start to worry if I don't get back soon. I'll see you tomorrow then. Thank you...yes, I'm very glad you stopped to speak to me tonight."

Standing up, she did not fail to notice that he politely stood up too. She put her hand out to shake his and he responded in kind. "It was my pleasure. I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Starr."

The words were balanced precariously on the tip of her tongue. She nearly automatically replied, Call me Hailey, but for some reason, she restrained the initial impulse. Maybe because she wanted to maintain the proper boundaries? The pretense? Well, he was in his twenties and she was definitely not. So not in her twenties.

Tomorrow... She liked the feeling that word evoked. She was actually looking forward to tomorrow and seeing Joey-no, it was probably just the excitement of river rafting. She would be learning something new and unexpected and adventurous, which she so rarely encountered during the course of her "real" life.

Chapter Three.

JOEY RYDELL WAS MUCH hotter than Hailey first realized.

She lost all perspective the next afternoon when they sauntered up to the log house to find him and check in. And there he was, dressed in attractive swim shorts that skimmed his knees; they were dark in color with white stripes. His skin glistened and his tan glowed. Being shirtless, Hailey could observe his chest rippling as he moved all around. She was tongue-tied, intimidated, and almost embarra.s.sed to dare to make eye contact with him. He was an untouchable, the most popular guy at the high school or a movie star, walking through a crowd of ordinary people, while she felt like the peon nerd or doting fan. It must have been somewhat embarra.s.sing for him to see her, much less, be around her.

Especially seeing how Brianna strutted and preened, so much his physical equal, despite her age, which tainted it with an ick! factor. Brianna wore a swimsuit that cut her b.u.t.t cheeks practically in half, not quite as much as a thong, but definitely not full coverage either. Her bouncy b.o.o.bs could still sit on her chest without any support of a bra and now they spilled over the cups of her strawberry-colored swimsuit. Teasing her hair and using makeup, she tried to appear closer to twenty than her true age of fifteen. Hailey didn't approve at all of the outfit, but bit her tongue, knowing the battles she fought had to be picked carefully and with special consideration. Priorities. Clothes that revealed too much were low on her list at this point. That's because the list was so d.a.m.n long.

Hailey wore her green and black tankini. It was as matronly as the name sounded. She also wore a baseball cap with her hair threaded through the back in a ponytail and sungla.s.ses. Her eyes were far too sensitive to sunlight nowadays to risk going without them in this blaring hot sun. It nearly fried them at ninety-three degrees already. Not a cloud in sight, just a forever expanding cerulean sky. Hailey wore no makeup, but lots of sunscreen. She had earned a respectable tan that began at her chest and continued down her arms and legs, ending at her shorts and upper arms. So in a swimsuit, her tan was just weird. Some might have called it a farmer's tan or a red-neck's tan.

Joey, however, had smooth skin and an even tan to match his toned, defined muscles and general body fitness. His blond hair s.n.a.t.c.hed the sunlight in flashes of honey and gold. Covering his eyes were mirrored aviator gla.s.ses, and Hailey thought he should go out and start playing volleyball with Tom Cruise, like that scene from Top Gun. The comparison came so quickly and easily to Hailey that she sighed, eyeing her daughter, who most likely would have missed any reference to the early eighties film. Then again, Joey most likely wouldn't have heard of it either. Nonetheless, for Hailey, it remained a favorite.

Joey ambled out of the house when he apparently spotted the Starr family coming up. He pointed towards one of the outbuildings and they met him there. Filled with rafting equipment galore, there were also ice skates, sleds, and a plethora of other recreational gear and supplies. Even climbing gear was available.