Chapter Five #3
“I’m not going anywhere,” Bay said in a deep, no-nonsense
tone. “Look, I wish Shane was here because he’s way better at this part than I
am.”
“There is no part, son,” Rye began.
Bay held up a hand. “Don’t. I am not your son, and don’t use
that word on my brother. This is the part where I explain to you that I’m
taking Brooke out of here. I can do that in a civilized way by waiting for
Shane to return and packing her up in our truck. Or I can have her get dressed
and I’ll carry her out of here, but what I will not do is allow you to make her
feel like shit when she’s already going through a tough time.”
“That is not what we’re trying to do,” Rye argued.
Bay pulled her hand into his and brought it to his lips.
There was such certainty in his eyes. Like he could handle this. He wanted to
handle this. “Go get dressed. We’ll find a place to stay. You and me and Shane.
I got some money saved. We’ll check into the motel until we find a cabin to
rent.”
“Okay.” The word was out of her mouth before she could think
about the wisdom behind them. Was she going to play house with Bay and Shane?
It would annoy the hell out of her brothers. They’d been watching her. She knew
they’d done it because they were worried, but they hadn’t even asked her before
they’d started spying.
Yes, that was why she was doing this. It wasn’t about the
way they made her feel the night before.
What was she doing? She should tell Bay this was all a
mistake. She could apologize to her brothers and promise not to cause any more
trouble. They weren’t monsters. They were good brothers. They were just… It
wasn’t fair that they would spy on her and not give her any space to figure
things out on her own.
They still viewed her as a child, and maybe they always
would. They were her safety net.
“I can take you out myself if you don’t go,” Max promised.
She stepped in front of Bay. No one in all of her years had
been willing to take her brothers on for her. Her dating life had been almost
non-existent when she lived here in Bliss, but the two guys who had asked her
out had told her they couldn’t handle her brothers.
What if Bay could?
“You are not going to touch him,” Brooke vowed. “We’ll be
out of here as soon as I can pack up.”
“That is not what we’re saying…” Rye began.
Paige watched the whole awful scene play out with wide eyes.
“Momma’s going to be real mad.”
Max moved to stand by his brother, and she prepared herself
for the worst. “You need some space, little sister?”
Something eased inside her. “I do. I thought I could get it
here, but I can’t.”
Rye looked to Max, and they seemed to have one of those
psychic conversations they had all the time. She often wondered what it felt
like to have someone who always knew what you were thinking. Always was
connected to.
Bay’s hand came down on her shoulder, silent proof that he
was there.
It was supposed to be a crazy one-night stand. He was
supposed to be disposable, a conquest of sorts. Evidence that she could go wild
from time to time. He wasn’t supposed to make her feel…safe.
“Go talk to Marie,” Max advised. “Or Stella. I don’t know if
anyone’s staying in the apartment above the café right now. I think the Texas
crew’s cabins are all open. She’ll give you a discount.”
“But I don’t want my auntie to leave,” Paige protested.
“Momma don’t want her to leave neither.”
“Paige,” Brooke admonished.
Paige shrugged and sighed. “Momma doesn’t want her to leave
either.”
Rye picked her up. “Your aunt will be back. She needs some
time.”
“Like a time out? I don’t like those.” Paige wrapped her
arms around her dad’s shoulders. “I don’t think we should put Aunt Brooke in a
time out.”
Oh, but she could use one.
“She’s not in trouble,” Rye said, his expression grim. He
looked over at Brooke, his eyes on the hand on her shoulder. “Take the Jeep.”
“I’m not taking the Jeep. You might need it. I’ll be fine.
We’ll wait for Shane.” It was weird for things to be so awkward. This was her
home, and it suddenly felt like it wasn’t.
Rye started to argue.
Max held up a hand. “She’ll figure it out, and if she needs
us, she’ll call.” He turned to Brooke. “I’m a phone call away. Maybe when you
feel comfortable we can have a family dinner.”
“We’ll be there,” Bay offered.
Oh, that seemed like a bad idea.
Max looked like a man who’d caught something in his
well-laid trap. “Excellent. Then we’ll discuss setting it up later. We’ll make
sure the kids are all in bed so we can have a nice long get-to-know-you session
since you’re apparently getting married.”
“Max,” she began.
“Oh, no, sister. We’re rolling with it for now.” He winked
her way. “Honestly, I’ve always worried that you never push back. This is a
good bit of rebellion since I’ll do anything you need me to do so you don’t
make the horrible mistake of marrying beneath you.”
Rye seemed to pick up on Max’s vibes. “Yes, I think a nice
formal dinner would be a good way to welcome those boys to the family. Suits
and ties?”
“Absolutely,” Max agreed.
“Wait. What?” Bay suddenly didn’t sound so sure of himself.
“I thought we were running away.”
She sighed because they couldn’t. As upset with them as she
was, they were her brothers, and she had walked right into their trap.
* * * *
Shane wondered if this was a trap of some sort.
He stood in the middle of The Trading Post, the basket in
his hand filled with two pounds of bacon and another dozen eggs because it
looked like the Harper brothers could eat. He was still surprised Brooke hadn’t
woken up when they invaded this morning. She’d managed to sleep through Max’s
interrogation as he downed the bacon. Shane had taken it as a good excuse to
avoid Paige Harper’s cowboy boots. He hoped Bay’s shins survived the
experience.
Oddly, though, it wasn’t the Harper brothers he thought
might be the trap. Nope. It was the twenty-something young lady in barely-there
jean shorts, a crop top, and a cowboy hat covering her blonde hair. She was
pretty, but he wasn’t interested.
Despite the fact that he was a somewhat attractive young
man, he didn’t actually get hit on often.
Was she hitting on him? Or simply lost in the weirdness that
was The Trading Post. It wasn’t a regular grocery store. It was an all-purpose
store that sold almost everything but feed and heavy equipment. Marie had put
that thought out there and found herself on the receiving end of an aggressive
prayer circle led by Pastor Dennis of the befittingly named Feed Store Church.
So The Trading Post only offered everything else and stayed far from what Marie
called the feed racket.
Maybe Miss Forgot That Shirts Usually Had Bottom Halves was
confused and looking for direction.
“I’m having such a hard time,” she confessed. “My sister
sent me to get bacon, but I don’t cook. Is that a good brand?”
It was a brand. He wasn’t sure which brand since it
was marked with a generic label that simply said bacon. And one of them had an
obviously hand-done sticker that said a pig died for your breakfast. Yeah, Nell
was definitely here.
The blonde had cornered him in the cold section. It wasn’t
like there weren’t other people in the store she could have asked, including
some incredibly competent-looking women. Laura Kincaid-Briggs was shopping with
her daughter following her around with her own tiny cart. He’d noticed Gemma
Wells talking to Teeny when he walked in, and Nell Flanders was protesting
right outside. Though he suspected she wouldn’t help the young woman find
bacon.
Nell might protest him if she knew what he was buying. He
should get some fruit, too. To cover up the bacon.
“Uhm, hello,” she said, sounding the slightest bit
aggrieved.
He didn’t usually hear that tone in a woman’s voice until
he’d done something weird or his brother started talking about the mating
habits of obscure sea creatures. She’d asked about the bacon. “It’s the
cheapest they have.”
Honesty. It mostly repelled everyone. Especially women
looking for a date.
Would it repel Brooke? He was worried he was going to drive
back and find Bay walking along the highway because her brothers had kicked him
out. Brooke could wake up and realize all the mistakes she’d made the night
before.
Her green eyes went wide. “Oh. I suppose that’s good. You’re
frugal.” She picked up two pounds and put it in her basket. “I don’t even like
my sister, so why would I get her the good stuff? We’re staying in a cabin down
by the river. We’re here for a couple of days while my brother-in-law goes
rafting. Do you live here?”
“No. I think only Teeny and Marie live here since Logan
moved out, but that was years ago. And they technically live in the valley. I
think the only thing that lives here is the lowest prices in the valley, but
they’re also the only store in the valley, so I wouldn’t make too much of it.”
She snorted. “No, silly. I meant here in this town. It’s
called Bliss, right?”
He was such an idiot. He spent too much time with his
way-too-literal brother. “Oh, no. I don’t technically live in town. I work on a
ranch, and it’s a couple miles outside, though Bliss is the closest town.”
She smiled brightly and moved in closer. “Really? So you’re
a cowboy?”
“I’m a ranch hand by profession,” he replied.
“Tell me something, Shane. Have you ever rodeoed? I have a
real thing for rodeo cowboys.” Her voice had gone low and husky.
He tried to take a step back but ran into the dairy case.
“Uhm, I did some calf roping in my time. Solo and on a couple of teams. I rode
bulls until I realized I didn’t want to have arthritis in every bone in my
body. You know that’s rough on a man, and there’s no real need to do it. Like
calf roping is necessary at times. Personally, I say if that bull doesn’t want
to be ridden, we should respect his boundaries.”
She stared at him for a moment like he’d said something
dumb, but he’d actually thought about this. There was a reason to ride a bronc.