Chapter 3
Thank god the pounding was on the door of his room and not in his head.
Though, to be fair, it’d been a long time since Decker had had a decent hangover.
With a grumble and a groan, and muscles that pinched and pulled as he rolled out of the single-person cot, he double-checked that he had on underwear and padded barefoot across the small bunkhouse room to the door.
The room had blackout blinds, thank fuck. But the lights in the hallway were LED and bright as hell. He winced while his pupils painfully adjusted.
Ryker stood on the other side of the door, a worried expression on his face.
“What?” Decker grunted, leaving the door open and sauntering back into his room. He was in nothing but boxers and dog tags. But it was his twin brother, so he could have been in less and still not given a shit.
Ryker followed him inside and closed the door. “Molly texted me.”
Even though he wasn’t hungover, the effects of over-indulging last night still had Decker in its clutches. But hearing Brendan’s wife’s name sobered him fully. He finished tugging on his white T-shirt and snapped his gaze up to his brother's. “What did she say?”
Ryker’s haunted expression sent a frisson of unease careening down Decker’s spine. “She’s got a stalker.”
Heat flashed through Decker's insides and up his neck. “What?”
“I got the text late last night, but was …” Ryker’s cheeks actually went pink, which was a surprise. “I was indisposed and too drunk to answer. I didn’t check my phone until this morning. I feel sick.”
“You’d have been too drunk to drive, anyway. Have you called her?”
Ryker shook his head. “Figured we’d do it together.”
Decker nodded. But then stopped his brother when Ryker brought out his phone. “All of us.”
Ryker immediately understood and shot off a quick text to their brothers.
Decker’s phone vibrated on his nightstand. Then there was a flurry of more vibrations from everyone’s responses.
A quick check of the time said it was eight in the morning. Not too too early, but for the morning after a wedding it was slightly unreasonable.
But this was Molly O'Shea. Brendan’s wife. Nobody would be upset at their summons, regardless of the hour.
He pulled on a pair of jeans, his socks and runners, then followed Ryker out into the hallway. They made sure they were quiet while passing the rest of the bedrooms in the bunkhouse. A few snores filtered out from behind closed doors, but otherwise, all was quiet.
The text said to meet in the tent, since it was away from the houses and RVs enough that they wouldn’t wake everyone.
Aaron and Colton were already waiting for them, and they could see Rob, Barnes, Asher, Nate and Cal trudging through the grass with the rising sun behind them.
Everyone greeted each other with grunts and tired eyes.
They took a seat around a big table .
Asher dragged a hand down his face. He had a new baby—Axel was only five months old—so he was extra tired. “What’s going on with Mol?”
Ryker glanced down at his phone and rattled off the message. “Hey Ryker. I’m really sorry to do this right now. I know you’re all at the wedding. I wish we could be there. But you’ve always said that I could call or message whenever. Well, I need help. I’ve gone to the police and filed a restraining order, but it’s not working. I’m scared for Sasha and for me. I briefly tried dating her soccer coach. It was great at first, but after a couple of months, he became really possessive and would demand to read my text messages and emails. He found an email from Rob and Skyler thanking us for the twin’s birthday presents and he lost his mind. Accused me of having an affair with Rob.”
“Jesus Christ,” Rob muttered.
Ryker continued. “He tried tapping my phone, and I found cameras in the house—even the bathroom and Sasha’s room. He’s been arrested, but he was released. He won’t leave us alone. We came home last night after Sasha’s dance recital to find Sasha’s cat dead and nailed to the side of the house. Sasha is terrified. The police have been notified again, but I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. Please help.”
You could cut the tension and fury around the table with a knife, it was so thick. If the air had a color, it would be flaming red.
Fists bunched on the table. Brows were pinched until they met in the center and scowls pulled down lips until everyone looked like a really grumpy old cat.
Decker cringed at the thought of Sasha’s cat and comparing all his brothers to grumpy cats. He should know better.
“I’ll go,” Aaron said first.
“ I will go,” Ryker said with a headshake. “You all have families and things to tend to. I’ve got no new missions on the books, and I’ve been meaning to check in on them. It’s been almost a year.”
Decker knew why it’d been almost a year, but he wasn’t sure anyone else knew, so he didn’t say anything.
Ryker lifted his chin at his twin. “Deck, you’re staying here to help Ash while Nate’s gone, right?”
Decker nodded.
“So it just makes sense for me to go,” Ryker said.
Decker lifted a brow at his brother, having a wordless conversation with him.
Ryker understood and responded with a barely noticeable shrug and head tilt.
“Nailed the cat to the side of the house. This is one sick fucker we’re dealing with,” Colton murmured, shoving his fingers into his hair and shaking his head. “Like, what the fuck?”
“I can fly you to Denver,” Cal said, offering up his helicopter.
“And we’ve got a jet just waiting for us at the airport,” Barnes added. “You’re welcome to it. It’ll get you to Jackson Hole in no time.”
Ryker nodded and thanked them both. “I need to get there yesterday .” Worry rolled off Ryker, and Decker clamped his hand on his brother’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I shot off a text to Molly this morning and she messaged back to say they’ve positioned a police car and cop in front of her house for now. But she didn’t sleep. And Sasha is devastated.”
“No fuck,” Nate muttered.
Ryker pushed to stand. “Well, I guess I better go pack.”
“I’ll go tell Hannah what’s going on,” Cal said. “Then we just need to drive to my place to get the chopper.”
“I’ll ride to the airport with you,” Barnes said. He also flew helicopters, but he was probably just coming along for support and to parlay the information about the private jet.
“You know that all you have to do is send out an S.O.S text and we’ll all be in Jackson Hole within the day, right?” Decker said to his brother, standing up as well.
“I know,” Ryker acknowledged. “Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that. But I know. ”
They filed out of the tent, all of them grim and filled with worry.
Molly was family.
Sasha was family.
Rob was her godfather, but truthfully, they all were her godfathers. They would do anything for that little girl. They would do anything for Molly. Brendan had been the salt of the mother fucking earth and not a day went by they didn’t all think about him.
Decker accompanied his brother back to the bunkhouse and stuck by him for support as he packed up his duffle bag.
He’d obviously spent the night with at least one woman, but chances are it was two. However, his room was empty, and the bed hadn’t been slept in, so he must have had his fun somewhere else.
He was packed up and heading to the driveway to meet Cal in under five minutes.
Neither Ryker nor Decker said anything as the gravel crunched beneath their shoes. They didn’t need to.
Cal was already at his truck.
A few brays from the barn and clucks from the chickens penetrated the quiet June morning. Dew hung heavily on tree leaves and clung like crystal Christmas tree ornaments from the blades of grass. It was a beautiful day, but a cloud of worry hung gray and heavy over all their heads.
Decker wasn’t expecting to see the rest of his brothers in the driveway to see Ryker off, but he also wasn’t surprised. They were a team. Always would be.
Nothing really had to be said, either.
No, ‘keep us posted’ or ‘let us know when you land.’ All of that was expected and known. They’d been teammates and, more importantly, friends—brothers—for over twenty years. It was second nature to touch base and let your team know you were okay.
Decker stepped in and hugged his brother. “Give Sasha a squeeze from all of us.” He was careful not to say to give Molly a squeeze, too. He knew how his brother felt about Brendan’s wife and would actively be avoiding squeezing her, even though he really wanted to.
Standing in the driveway, they watched as Cal, Barnes, and Ryker drove away.
“Sick motherfucker needs to be put down is what he needs,” Aaron said with an angry grunt as he spun around to head back toward the field where his family slept in the big RV.
“Well, Ryker will do what needs to be done and clean up after himself.” Nate was unsuccessful at stifling a big yawn.
They all parted ways, heading back toward their families and partners, all except Nate and Asher, who made their way to the barn. Decker followed.
“Just because we partied all night and want to sleep in, doesn’t mean the animals feel the same way,” Nate said, pulling open the side door to the barn only to be greeted by a cacophony of brays and whinnies from horses. He turned to Decker. “Guess you need to learn the ropes, huh?”
“Put me in, coach,” Decker said with a crooked smile.
And they did. He mucked stalls, fed animals, collected eggs, took horses out to pasture, dodged goats who wanted to pee on him and barely managed to avoid being sat on by the attention-whore horse Macklin.”
It was ten o’clock, and the farm was finally starting to rouse by the time he and the Harris brothers headed into the main house, smelling like hay, goat piss—because they couldn’t avoid it all—and manure. His belly rumbled with the need for a good breakfast, and a tear nearly crept out the corner of his eye when they entered the old farmhouse and the sizzle of bacon met his ears at the same time the familiar scent wafted up his nostrils.
The house teamed with life.
All the Young sisters were awake, as were their spouses, and parents. Everyone had congregated in the living room and kitchen. Tired eyes and messy bedheads greeted him from every side.
A military man himself, Pasha’s husband Heath, instantly knew something was wrong, and he lifted his chin at Decker and the Harris brothers. Rayma’s husband and Oona’s partner were brothers, and both were Canadian cops, so they tuned into the vibe right away, as well.
Decker, Asher and Nate tried to dismiss them, but it was to no avail and within a minute, they were relaying everything to the three men in one of the spare bedrooms down the hall.
“Get me his name,” Heath said. “My brother is a hacker. He’ll have everything on this guy pulled up in an hour. Down to how big his shits were when he was still in diapers.”
“How is that even possible?” Jordan, Rayma’s husband, asked giving Heath a strange look.
“You know what I mean,” Heath muttered, rolling his dark blue eyes.
Decker nodded and punched in a request for the guy’s name to Molly. He didn’t want to bother Ryker and go through one more channel when he could just get the information from the source.
Molly messaged back almost instantly.
Adrian Michael Huber.
Then she sent a picture, too.
Decker sent all of this to Heath, who shot it off to his brother.
“Chase is on it,” Heath said a moment later, his gaze fierce with conviction. “This fucker can’t hide.”
Decker and the Harris brothers grunted, then they all filed back out of the bedroom and into the house and chaos.
Even with the throng of people and roar or noise, it was like he had an uncanny sixth sense about Joanna or something. Because he felt her before he saw her. She was standing in the kitchen with Mieka and Pasha, laughing as she pushed scrambled eggs around in a big pan on the stove.
But she must have felt his eyes on her, because when she turned around, a beautiful pink flooded her cheeks.
Her smile was sweet. Almost demure. But not quite .
He knew she was staying in the old farmhouse, but for some reason he didn't expect to see her that morning. Maybe because after their moment on the hay bales, she’d bounced right back out onto the dance floor and continued to drink, well past Decker, heading to bed.
She looked bright-eyed and headache free, though. And more beautiful than he remembered.
After a buffet-style breakfast where everyone just sat where they could with a plate full of greasy breakfast goodness, the crowd dispersed. Some guests were heading home right away, while others took their time.
Kids wanted horse and pony rides. Then there was feeding the goats, the pigs and cows on the to-do list for the younger generation. And of course, taking down the tent and putting away all the tables and chairs.
Besides the slightly trampled grass, by the time they were done, you’d never really guess that there’d been a big wedding with loads of dancing less than twenty-four hours ago. It just looked like a big field again.
Decker said goodbye to his brothers as Aaron, Colton and Rob all drove away with their families.
Barnes’s wife, Brier, stuck around until Barnes and Cal returned, then they headed back to Cal’s with Hannah to stay there until their jet returned from Jackson Hole. They said they had nowhere to be, so they were just going to hangout.
Oh, to be billionaires without a care in the world.
Slowly, the numbers dwindled.
The Young Sisters had a tense relationship with their parents, so Mr. and Mrs. Young took their leave to the airport by mid afternoon. Eventually, it was just ranch hands, the Young sisters and their spouses and children (though, only Pasha and Triss had kids), Joanna and Decker.
It was easier to stay busy and avoid each other when there were so many people to come between them, but now that there were fewer people, it felt like they were constantly in each other’s orbit .
Not that he was complaining. But she seemed to almost be avoiding him.
It was four o’clock and Decker felt the pull of solitude. He lived alone, he often worked alone now. He was used to being on his own and he didn’t mind his own company.
Not that crowds necessarily bothered him, but he’d been around them for the last three days. He needed a breather. So he wandered out to the field where several horses lazily stood under the shade of a gigantic oak and munched on grass. He sprawled out on his back, hands behind his head, and stared up at the clouds.
He didn’t realize that Macklin was one the horses in the field, though, since Macklin wasn’t with the other three when Decker first wandered out there. But the big baby of a grown-ass horse came trotting over within five minutes of Decker laying down and tried to sit his big horse’s ass in Decker’s lap.
“You are not a Shitzu,” Decker said with a grunt, trying to shove the brute off him before he shattered Decker’s pelvis. “Macklin. Get. Off.”
But it was useless. The horse tipped his head back and leaned into Decker even more. It must have looked ridiculous. A thousand-pound horse sitting like a dog on Decker’s lap. If he wasn’t in so much pain, he’d laugh.
Someone else laughed, though.
And it was a beautiful laugh.
A throaty, feminine chuckle that made his dick twitch.
“Macklin, get off him, you silly goose,” Joanna said.
Macklin must have preferred Joanna to Decker, because as soon as she spoke, the horse scrambled to get up and go to her, where she was walking toward them in the field.
Decker groaned and stretched his legs. “Bastard might have broken my femur.”
“Who? This big baby? Never. He’s as gentle as a day-old lamb.” She stroked Macklin’s face as he slowly walked beside her, nuzzling her. “Aren’t you, darling? You’re just a big love bug. Wouldn’t hurt a fly, let along a big scary SEAL. ”
Macklin made a horse noise to agree with her.
“Thousand-pound wolf in sheep’s clothing, that one.” Decker stood up, admiring the way her lacy white dress with the small flowy sleeves hugged her body, accentuating her curves. Like last night, she let her long blonde curls drift down her back naturally. But unlike last night, she wasn’t wearing any makeup, and that’s when he noticed all the freckles across her cheeks and chin.
He wanted to kiss each and every one of them.
She and Macklin met him in the shade of the oak tree. He was sure he was just seeing things, but he could have sworn Macklin gave him some side-eye. Like he was saying, “She’s my woman, don’t come any closer.”
She batted long—but not fake—pretty eyelashes at him. “How are you feeling today?”
“Fine,” he replied, scratching the back of his neck. “You?”
“My head was a little sore this morning, but I popped a paracetamol and was fine within an hour.”
He nodded. Goddamn it, she was pretty.
Sun-kissed skin, rosy cheeks, unique blue-hazel eyes.
And he couldn’t forget the sounds she made when he got her off. Those were magnificent and noises he’d be recalling in the future for sure. Like when he was by himself with his cock in his palm.
“So um … about last night,” she whispered, nibbling on her bottom lip. “I was sad. Sad, but happy. Happy for my friend, of course, but sad for myself—you know, about my job and stuff. But I never meant to …” More pink infused her cheeks. “I hope I didn’t …”
A smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. He tilted his head a little. She was flustered, and he enjoyed it.
“I didn’t like …”
He lifted his brows. Waiting.
“I didn’t like force you to fingerbang me, did I?”
She was so fucking cute he could barely stand it.
“No, Joanna. You didn’t force me to fingerbang you.”
Relief creased her features. “Oh good. I know I propositioned you and you turned me down. Then I woke up knowing you’d fingered me, but I started to worry I like guilted you into it or something. It wasn't like a pity fingering was it?” She cringed. "Oh lord, please say it wasn't."
It was tough to keep himself from smiling too wide from just how adorable she was right now. “No. No guilting. No forcing was needed. It was totally consensual. I wouldn’t have stuck my fingers inside you if I didn’t one hundred percent want to. And it absolutely wasn't out of pity.”
She nodded and glanced away, still absentmindedly petting Macklin. “Good good. I didn’t think you would, but you know … our mind plays tricks on us when we’ve been drinking.”
“It can, yes.”
She was back to nibbling on her lip. He wanted to bite that lip himself. Taste it again. It’d tasted fucking delicious last night, but he wasn’t anywhere near satisfied.
“Do you remember what else I said to you?” he asked.
“You told me to quit my job.”
“I did, yeah. Anything else?”
She twisted those pouty lips in thought. “To be honest, the night is a bit of a blur. A great blur. But after we … you know … on the hay bales, things start to get fuzzy.”
“Right. Well, I told you I’d like to get to know you sober.”
She snapped her fingers. “Right! And that you don’t do one-night-stands. That you like to shag people you care about and have a connection with.”
“That’s right.”
“That’s really old school.”
“Is it?” His brows hiked up a little, and amusement prickled in his chest .
“It feels like it is. Sex is just … sex these days. A way to get your rocks off without risking carpal tunnel or waking up your roommate because your vibrator is too loud.”
Decker snorted. “I suppose it is for some.”
“But not you?”
“Not anymore.”
She gave him a skeptical one-brow lifted look. “You’re for real, aren’t you? You legit want to get to know me before we shag.”
“That would be preferred, yes.”
“And you’re staying here until Nate and Mieka get back from their honeymoon?”
“That was the plan, yes. To help Asher on the ranch.”
“And I’m staying to run the dance studio for Mieka.”
“I’m aware of that, yes.”
“So like … we’ll both be here on the ranch for two weeks.”
“That is my understanding, yes.”
“Were you this calm and annoying last night?” she asked.
His lip twitched. “Probably. I wasn’t drunk. Am I annoying?”
“Yes. But in an endearing way … kind of.” She turned to Macklin. “This bloke wants to get to know me before he shags me. Have you ever heard anything more absurd?”
Macklin made a snuffle-sound like he was agreeing with her.
“How about we go for a walk this evening?” Decker offered. “Down to the creek, perhaps?”
She eyed him suspiciously for a moment through a narrowed gaze, but then finally nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
“Great. I’ll come find you around seven-thirty.”
“Yeah … okay.”
They stood there in the field, staring at each other for a while. He was relaxed, Joanna, not so much.
“You uh, want to sit and stare at the clouds with me?” he finally asked, settling back down into the grass then reclining to his back. Macklin made a noise of piqued interest, like he was considering sitting on Decker again, but then he nuzzled Joanna instead.
She was quiet for a moment.
He’d closed his eyes since the sun had shifted and was no longer being blocked by a cloud.
But his SEAL ears kicked in and he heard her shuffle through the long grass toward him and, bringing the sweet floral scent of perhaps it was her shampoo or conditioner, she reclined down in the grass beside him, leaving a half-a-person width between them.
“Do you do this often?” she asked. “Lay down and do nothing.”
“Sometimes,” he replied, not bothering to open his eyes. “When I need to calm my mind.”
The clop clop of horse hooves on the ground growing nearer forced him to pry one eye open.
Macklin was standing at their feet, staring down at them.
“What do you want?” Decker asked him.
The big brown horse stood there for another moment, weighing his options—whatever they were. Then, like the idiot that he was who thought he was a lapdog and not a behemoth quadruped with metal shoes, he flopped down to his side and shimmied his way between them, shoving them further a part. He was like a toddler in his parents’ bed, kicking his father in the back until dear ol’ dad finally got the hint and went to sleep in the guest room.
Joanna laughed, but Decker was more than a little pissed.
“What the fuck, buddy?”
Macklin lifted his head and gave Decker the stink-eye.
“He just wants to snuggle,” Joanna said, stroking the horse’s neck.
“He knows exactly what he’s doing. Notice how his feet are pointed toward me ? That’s not a mistake. ”
She giggled again, and his ire eased slightly. Reaching across the horse’s wide neck, she beckoned. “Grab my hand.”
He did and together they laced fingers overtop Macklin’s neck as he tried to avoid getting a hoof in the nuts.
“I think you have competition,” she said, a giggle still in her voice.
“I think so.” He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Good thing this dumbass can’t fit in the bed.”
Her laugh was like music and it was a tune he knew he could easily listen to on repeat for the rest of his life.
Maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself. But something told him Joanna Fernsby was more than just someone he was going to get to know for two weeks. She was someone he was going to get to know for two weeks, and then keep for a lifetime. He just had to figure out a way to help her see it too.