Chapter Two #2
honest with herself. “What have you heard about the Kent brothers?”
“Bay and Shane? They’re real quiet. They keep to themselves
a lot, but they seem nice. When Will and I first started the business, we got a
flat.” Bobby frowned. “We’re better with engines. Anyway, they were on their
way into town and stopped and taught us how to change the tire. Bay said the
inside could use some work. He’s the one who told us rich people who need
drivers like amenities. He suggested the snacks and that the LED lights would
make it feel like a club.”
That was kind of them. It didn’t answer her question. “My
brothers told me they’ve been friendly.”
“I wouldn’t call them unfriendly. They’re like most
cowboys,” Bobby explained in a cheerful tone. “They come out to the town
parties, though. Usually with the group of hands from the G. They always offer
to help out. I like them. Especially how they whip Max up in a frenzy.” He
sobered. “Sorry. I bet you don’t like that part.”
Her brother could handle himself and usually deserved it.
But he wasn’t answering her question, and she should probably know that a
seventeen-year-old boy who’d spent his whole life with his nose in a book
wouldn’t get the subtleties. “Bobby, are they dating anyone? According to my
brothers they’ve been active, if you know what I mean.”
“I do not. I mean, they seem fit, and I suspect they get a
lot of exercise out at the G.”
She bit back a groan. “Max calls them walking STIs and said
Doc better have upped his orders for penicillin.”
“Why would he order penicillin? Doxycycline is the
recommended antibiotic for most sexually transmitted infections,” Bobby
replied.
“I don’t want to know how you know that, do I?”
He grinned, and she wondered if she’d ever been that young.
“It was a Jeopardy question. I’m going to be a master one day. But now I
understand. You like them.”
“I don’t like them. I don’t know them.” She liked how they
looked. She was on the fence about how they made her feel. In one way it was
good to have a little bit of a libido again.
It was bad that it was the only thing she could think about.
Those men and their big hands and broad shoulders and the way they looked at
her like they would eat her alive and she would thank them for it.
“All right. I’ve listened in a bit and I think they used to
visit that guesthouse at Stef’s often. I’m not supposed to know about it. My
mom says it’s like a reading room or something, but I think it’s probably a
weird sex thing. She prays for Stef a lot.”
No one ever said he wasn’t smart. “It’s definitely a weird
sex thing. So they go there often?”
Bobby shrugged. “They spend time out at Stef’s, but from
what I’ve heard through the grapevine, Bay spends time in the studio working on
art stuff and Shane plays Xbox. He even invited me and Will to play with him
this weekend because they have time off and Bay wants to work. Stef has weird
treats. If he’s there someone brings us a plate of all these meats and fancy
cheeses. If Jen’s in charge she tosses us a couple of bags of chips, and once
she made us pizza rolls. I like it when Jen’s in charge.”
She would never turn down a nice charcuterie, but she could
see how it wouldn’t be the hungry teens favorite since she was sure those
cheeses weren’t anything so ordinary as cheddar. Stef would bring out the
stinky cheeses. She wondered how Bay and Shane reacted to those. She would bet
those cowboys were more chips and meat stick guys. “So there are no rumors
about them having a girlfriend?”
“Nope. And Mel certified them alien free when they took the
jobs on the G. He gave them the pamphlet about what to look out for if they
don’t want to end up as an incubator for an alien species.”
She bet that had gone well. It was something to hold onto.
If they were awful to someone as kind as Mel, she could easily shove down her
libido. “Did they laugh in his face?”
Bobby’s head shook. “No. They thanked him and promised to be
careful. Shane went out to one of Mel’s alien towers because Stef thought the
ladder was rusty. Hale did the actual welding part, but Van was working so
Shane offered to be an extra set of hands.”
So they weren’t assholes.
It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to be here for long. She
had a meeting with Gemma tomorrow and would have a better handle on what to do,
and in a couple of weeks she would hopefully be right back to her old life.
Did she want her old life?
“I like them,” Bobby admitted. “But I do worry they’re in
some kind of trouble. Though it seems to have passed.”
“What else do you know?”
Up ahead she could see the lights of the neon sign that
pointed customers to Hell on Wheels. It was an odd bar, set in amongst the old
pines and aspens. It was a place her brothers had told her she shouldn’t come
to because nothing good ever happened at Hell on Wheels after…well, ever. She
would bet they didn’t want her coming here because Sawyer’s fry cook wasn’t
married to Rachel’s best friend.
“I don’t because they’re not talking, but from what I can
tell they left their old jobs at Kingman Ranch quickly, and right about
Christmas. That’s when they showed up on Stef’s doorstep, and he got them on at
the G. But I happen to know Jamie and Trev weren’t looking for new hands.”
So they needed work, and Stef made it happen. “That’s a big
ranch. Kingman, that is. I wonder…” She sighed. Kale Kingman had three lovely
daughters. She bet she knew what happened. But she wasn’t about to go into that
with Bobby. He was pulling up to the bar. She grabbed her bag. And a packet of
peanut butter crackers. She’d tipped well. “Well, thanks so much for the ride.
I’ll give you a five-star rating.”
“Any time, Brooke.” He winced as he corrected himself. “I
mean except for when we’re in school or if it’s too late or when we’re in
church. I told Mom I thought God would want us to save money for college, but
she said if God wanted us to go to college, there would be one in Bliss. She’s
in denial.”
Brooke leaned forward. “Bobby, you know you have to go. You
and Will…you’re too smart to stay here. It doesn’t mean you can’t come back. It
doesn’t mean you don’t love your parents and your home. It simply means that
there’s a big world out there, and you owe it to yourself to chase your dreams.
I know that your parents might not want you to leave.”
Bobby put the car in park and turned in his seat. “They
think we should stay and help with the house. Maybe get jobs at one of the
ranches or in town. But I want to study physics. So does Will. We want to know
what makes the stars work. My mom said I should leave everything to God, but
why can’t she see that science is just a way to understand God?”
She reached out and took his hand. “Sweetie, you can love
your parents and follow your own road. I know it’s going to be hard to leave
them, and they might be angry, but you owe yourself more. If you need help with
money…”
“Miss Leal helped us sign up for the SAT last year and we
scored almost perfect. She doesn’t think we’ll have problems with scholarships,
and she’s helping us apply for them. My mom doesn’t even know we’re National
Merit Scholars.”
She felt so much for him. How many of her friends had been
weighed down by guilt for wanting to leave their small towns? Some parents
viewed it as a betrayal. “You stick with Miss Leal and know if anything goes
wrong, we’ll bully Seth Stark into paying for all of it. We won’t even have to.
I’ll go to Georgia, and she’ll be happy to start a scholarship fund. You’re
going to do great things, Bobby Farley.”
He gave her a watery smile. “Thanks, Brooke. That means a
lot coming from you. Everyone’s real proud of you.”
She had to force that smile to stay on her face. She
sniffled and gave him one last squeeze. “Thanks. Now let’s talk about what a
real limo driver should do.”
He gasped. “Shit…I mean, uh, shoot. I’m supposed to open
your door.” He unhooked his seat belt and then glanced back. “Oh, I think he’s
got it.”
She turned and the door was opening, and there was a big
cowboy standing there. Bay Kent. He looked down at her with seriously gorgeous
eyes and held out a hand.
“Miss Brooke,” he said in that low, slow drawl that seemed
to have a direct line to all her pink parts.
They were here. Right here.
Dark hair that peeked out from under his Stetson, and
emerald eyes that seemed to glow in the low light. Shane stood behind him, and
in the shadows. She wondered which one was older. She didn’t know how they’d
grown up or what got them into ranching. Or how Bay discovered art and what
moved Shane, but she suddenly wanted to, and that was so dangerous.
It was right there on the tip of her tongue to yell at Bobby
to drive and fast.
Why was it dangerous? It wasn’t like she was going to fall
in love. She’d never been in love before. She’d kind of given up on the idea.
So why was her heart racing? Oh, yeah, it had been a while.
They were gorgeous men, and hadn’t she kind of always wanted to know what it
would feel like to have two men pleasuring her?
She took Bay’s hand and let him help her out. Bay stepped
back and glanced inside, with its pillows and LED lights and snack trays.
He leaned over and gave Bobby a thumbs-up. “Looks good in
here, Bobby. I like the lights. Very cosmopolitan.”
It wasn’t, but it didn’t have to be.
Shane tipped his hat. “Miss Brooke.”
“Just Brooke.” His stare practically singed her. “I should
go inside. I’m meeting some friends. Thanks for the chivalry.”
She turned and walked inside and felt their eyes on her
every step of the way.
It was going to be a long night.
* * * *
Bay watched her from across the bar. She was in the
back by the new pool table where they now had what the barkeep called a party
room.
He’d been coming to Hell on Wheels off and on for years. It
was a place he felt comfortable in because it was an old-school, no-frills bar