Chapter Four
BOONE
After I took Verity to the doctor and she had all her tests, we picked up Duel, and I dropped her back home.
I called the office from my home phone since my cell was still at Booker’s, and Savannah answered. “Hey, boss. Jennifer told me you’d be out for a couple days.”
“Boss, again,” I grumbled, knowing that Jennifer, our receptionist knew nothing beyond the fact that I wouldn’t be at work, but I couldn’t tell Savannah any of the personal business. “Deke is having an influence on you.”
She chuckled, having fun razzing me. My affection for her and Deke got in the way of my grump. “Yeah, it was good to see him and Minnie.”
Deke and his older woman. I wasn’t one to judge. Hell, they were doing pretty good with their relationship, so I had no room to judge them anyway. “I should be there this afternoon. There are a couple of things I have to do before I come back. Is everything under control?”
“It sure is. Is everything all right, Boone?”
I thought about playing it off, but Savannah was a close friend as well as one of my staff. “Not really. Some personal issues that I won’t bore you with.”
Her voice softened. “You never bore me, Boone. Let me know if I can do anything for you. I mean that.”
“Thanks.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised later when both my brothers, River Pearl, and Aubree showed up on the doorstep.
Braxton grabbed me around the neck and practically strangled me. “I should deck your ass.”
“Look at that,” Booker said, “He’s really mellowing out. He didn’t say fucking ass.” He held out my phone. “Forget something at my house?”
I took it. “I have your bike and leathers.”
He lowered his voice, giving a sidelong glance to measure how far Aubree was from us. “I’ll get those later, but on the leathers…”
“Yeah,” I said knowingly, waggling my brows.
“As good as flowers, right?”
“Better.”
We bumped fists, and Booker grinned. “The womenfolk are going to discuss gallery stuff,” Booker said, “so that leaves us free to hash out the Santa thing.”
“No moonshine and boxing gloves,” River Pearl said, and Brax gave her a bland smile. “No, ma’am.” His tone was anything but cowed.
She narrowed her eyes at him, but he wasn’t affected. “Brax…”
Devilry glinting in his eyes, he said, “You’re getting really good with that death stare, woman, but you’ll have to go and take some lessons from Death himself to get me to change my mind about pounding some sense into my brothers,” he grumbled.
“There’s no need to hash anything out anyway,” Brax said.
“I’ll be the big, jolly guy. I’ve already told you I refuse to wear pointy shoes with bells on them. ”
Booker crowded Brax and me toward the sliding glass door while River Pearl narrowed her eyes on my brother. Talk about someone getting a pounding…and I believed that gal could do it.
“Let’s go out back,” Booker suggested, but I knew they wanted to talk to me, and it had nothing to do with Santa or his elves.
Braxton held River’s eyes and laughed softly when she set her hands on her hips, her eyes broadcasting her warning loud and clear.
They looked like they’d be breaking out boxing gloves any minute.
“Damn, I love that sugar’s sass,” Brax said with another low chuckle.
We grabbed some drinks and settled into chairs on the deck. “So, Boone. You enjoy driving us both insane,” Booker said, taking a pull of his drink.
“I know. But I couldn’t talk about it then. You should get that, Booker.”
He lifted his chin, his somber gaze connecting with mine, a wealth of compassion in his eyes. My brother knew exactly how I was feeling. I held his eyes for a moment, oddly bolstered by that one small exchange. I released a shaky sigh and got up, leaning my backside against the deck railing.
Booker nodded and said, “A whole lot of good that did me. But I get it, Boone. This hurts. Don’t make us break out the moonshine and the gloves. Aubree is as unforgiving of our drunk boxing as River Pearl.”
“She’ll get over it,” Brax said.
“I don’t want her to kill you, Brax. Who would cook Christmas dinner?” He gave me a mock laugh and the finger. “We worked it out last night anyway. Verity has been to the doctor for tests, and we’ll deal with it once we get the results.”
Booker looked at Brax and then they both looked at me. “Bullshit, huckleberry.”
“What?”
“Something else is going on. I can still feel it, and it doesn’t have to do with this baby stress and, I don’t mean to be insensitive about that, Boone. It must have been quite a blow…” Booker said, his eyes going thoughtful.
“Agreed,” Brax said, “and since I want to sleep tonight, spill it.”
“That’s it,” Booker said, sitting up straighter. “She didn’t tell you, and you feel betrayed because you thought there were no more secrets between you.”
Damn Booker and his sharp, intuitive mind.
God, I couldn’t believe how much it hurt. I blinked several times and looked away.
Booker made a soft, knowing sound and Brax said, “Oh Kee-rist, Boone.”
“Why can’t you just talk to her about it? Stewing about it isn’t going to help your relationship,” Booker said, “Remember, I’ve been there.”
Brax stood and stared at me for a moment, his expression intent; then he looked down at the deck, setting his hands on his hips.
“Yeah, listen to Booker. After all, it was only lil’ ol’ me who told him to fucking tell Aubree how he felt and, for the record, I told her off, too.
I think I was the one who saved their marriage. ”
Booker rolled his eyes, then nodded. “Yeah, the knucklehead has a good point,” Booker said.
“I know what it’s like to hide something from River Pearl.
” He looked up and his expression stark.
“Hell, I probably would still be doing it if she hadn’t pushed me.
But,” he glanced at Booker, “I also recognize that you have to come to terms with something this heavy on your own. I get it. She’s freaking out and, boy, do I get that, too.
Not being able to have kids when you want more that hits you in the heart, man. ”
His voice thickened, and he cleared his throat, “’Cause I freaking love Duel, and I wouldn’t object to being an uncle again.
You’re worried about adding to the mix, but don’t wait too long to get this out in the open.
These things can take on a life of their own, and, trust me, they grow faster in the dark. ”
He leaned back and released a big sigh. “I’m exhausted. How about we just pound each other for the Santa gig until one of us is left standing.”
Booker shrugged. “The bruises and contusions should be healed by Christmas.”
I was completely speechless. My brother, Braxton, the philosopher with his sage advice. I knew he was right, and I heard the emotion in his voice, so I knew he got it.
Booker chuckled. “Let’s go then, huckleberries. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Brax grinned, and they went down the stairs. “To be fair, let’s start in a wrestler-like circle. The last guy left gets to be Santa, and the other two have to elf around in pointy shoes with jingle bells on them,” Booker suggested with a wicked grin.
All of us laughed at that one. “Let’s stop elfing around then,” Braxton said.
I finally found my voice. “Hey, wait,” I said. “I’ve got a better idea.”
I went and rummaged under the porch and threw each of my brothers a water pistol. I had gotten a bunch this past summer for us to fool around with, and Duel loved them, but Verity had enough of us squirting each other in the house. She put her foot down and exiled them to the backyard.
“All right, you varmints. You’re either going to come dead or alive. Makes no nevermind t’me.” Booker widened his stance, gave us a Clint Eastwood squint. “Whichever it is. I still get paid,” he said, using a drawling sheriff’s voice.
“You ain’t taking me alive, copper, see?” Brax said channeling gangster Bugsy Malone perfectly.
“Everyone, set their phasers on kill!” I yelled. “The driest one gets to be Santa.”
“Charge!” Brax yelled and nailed me but good. We started to hide behind anything we could, plugging each other and whooping like a bunch of idiot kids on a sugar high.
As I was getting ready to shoot Brax right between the eyes, cold water exploded against my back, and I yelped like someone had really nailed me with a phaser.
I whirled around to find all three women standing there, but the culprit was Verity wielding the hose.
“Honestly,” River Pearl said. “You three are completely out of control.”
“Wild men,” Aubree agreed.
“A bunch of freaking Outlaws,” Verity added.
“At least they’re not all bloody,” Aubree said, her eyebrow cocked, eyeing Booker. “And I’m not sure if they got into any moonshine.”
Brax moved in, and Verity followed him with the hose. “Not another step.” Brax hesitated and slowed his prowling stance. “You gotta ask yourself. Do you feel lucky?”
I laughed, and she narrowed her eyes, never taking them off Brax.
With a bad boy grin, the gun’s tip swung until it was pointed directly at River Pearl.
“Reach for the sky, sidewinder. I done got the drop on ya. Now, little lady, drop that hose, kick it over here, and step away real slow-like, or the blonde gets it.”
Not moving a muscle, River Pearl leveled a look at Brax. “You might want to rethink that, Outlaw,” she said her tone very dry.
Then I saw the remote in Aubree’s hand. “Get out of the blast zone!” I yelled jumping away but it was too late. Brax shot River Pearl square in the face, and Verity let fly with the hose while Aubree depressed the remote to the sprinklers.
Water was everywhere, and our competition was completely ruined.