Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Reagan
“You wanna go out?” I asked Copenhagen when I forced my tired body out of bed at first light. I grabbed Lynx’s T-shirt and pulled it on.
Lynx was still asleep, his breaths even, the hard lines that had been around his eyes last night gone.
Smiling, I pulled the door closed, hoping he could sleep a little while longer. We hadn’t slept much last night, but for some reason, that didn’t seem to matter to me. I felt lighter this morning and I knew why. It was my heart. It was no longer heavy.
“Come on, boy,” I urged Copenhagen, leading him to the front door.
I stepped outside onto the porch, my gaze straying to the rocking chairs sitting there. I moved to the closest chair and sat down while Copenhagen sniffed around. Pulling my legs up, I tugged the shirt over my knees, covering myself completely.
The cool morning breeze caressed my skin and I heard the cows in the distance. A rooster crowed from somewhere down the road.
I sighed, enjoying the moment.
This was what contentment felt like.
It wasn’t something that I was used to. Not in this capacity anyway.
Sure, I'd been happy from time to time. I loved my bar, loved my family, but I had never felt as though I truly belonged.
With Lynx, I felt that.
In fact, I felt everything with that man. Safe, loved, cherished even.
Copenhagen found his way back to the porch, curling up beside my chair as we sat there in the quiet of the morning.
I had no idea how long I'd been out there when I heard the screen door squeak behind me. I glanced over to see Lynx leaning against the doorjamb, his eyes on me. Without his shirt, the man looked like the bad boy everyone knew him to be. But I knew a side of him they didn’t know.
The sweet, kind, gentle man who … loved me.
“Mornin’,” I said with a smile.
“Mornin’.” He still looked tired.
“You okay?”
He nodded. “Please tell me you have coffee.”
The way he said it sounded like a plea. As though he wasn’t going to make it through the next few minutes without it.
“I actually don’t.”
His eyes widened and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Launching out of the chair, I skipped over to him, going on tiptoe to kiss his mouth. “But we can change that right fast. Just let me get dressed and we can go to the diner.”
Lynx glanced down at his watch, then back up at me. He smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
I went to move past him, but he grabbed me around the waist and spun me around.
“Although I might have a little time to spare.” He pulled me into him, burying his face in my neck. “Because Lord have mercy, woman, seein’ you in my shirt…”
I laughed, unable to help myself.
“Later,” I said, playfully pushing him away. “First coffee. Then work. Then…”
“So mean,” he grumbled, laughing into my neck.
Yeah, so I could totally get used to this.
Turning to head to my bedroom, I was pulled up short when Lynx reached for my hand. Once again, I was pivoting around to face him.
“I’m never gonna get dressed if you don’t—”
“I love you,” he rasped.
My heart turned over in my chest. A full flip, which stirred the butterflies in my belly.
“I love you, too,” I whispered back.
“Makin’ sure you know I meant what I said last night,” he clarified.
I nodded. “I know.” I did. Again, I wasn’t sure why that was, but I believed him.
“Good.” He released my wrist. “Now go get dressed so I can get my coffee, girl.”
Laughing, I raced to the bedroom to find clothes.
Half an hour later, after we took Copenhagen over to the store, Lynx and I were sitting in the diner when Amy and Wolfe walked in.
“Well, if wonders never cease.” Wolfe’s smirk said as much as his statement.
He was giving Lynx a hard time already.
Wolfe pulled the chair out for Amy, and I greeted the other woman, noticing she was as pale as she had been the night before.
“Everything okay?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
Amy nodded.
Concerned, I shot a look at Wolfe. He shook his head slightly, as though telling me he couldn’t fix the problem. And I could only assume he had tried.
“The usual?” Donna asked us as a group, passing over a cup of coffee to Lynx with a grin.
“The usual,” we all said at the same time.
The woman disappeared. I had to wonder if Donna would ever stop asking, simply bring us the usual. One day, I figured, it was bound to happen.
“What’s goin’ on?” Lynx asked, leaning back in his chair, his booted foot resting against me.
I liked that he wanted to touch me. It was a comfort I hadn’t known before.
“Not a whole helluva lot,” Wolfe answered.
I could see the tension in Wolfe’s shoulders. It was clear he was trying to look more relaxed than he was.
“Is there a problem?” Lynx asked, sitting up. Obviously, he’d picked up on it, too.
Wolfe shrugged. “Not sure. Travis asked us to meet him over here. Thought he’d be here by now.”
That got everyone’s attention and all eyes narrowed on Wolfe.
“Seriously. He didn’t say what he wanted to talk about; he just wanted us to be here. He asked me to keep Rhys away, though.”
I frowned. “What? Why?”
Wolfe shot me a look, but I couldn’t quite decipher it.
“Because he’s the sheriff,” Lynx added softly.
My eyes widened.
If they didn’t want my brother here because he was the sheriff…
The bells over the door jingled and all eyes swung over to the door.
Looked as though I wasn’t going to have to speculate anymore.
The man of the hour had just arrived.
Lynx
“Trav,” I greeted as my cousin pulled a chair over to our table.
I was surprised to see that he was solo this morning. At the very least, his husband was usually by his side. And the lack of his significant others had me on edge before the guy even got his ass in the chair.
As everyone waited for Travis to sit, the tension in the small space ratcheted up a few notches. The conversations around us continued, but they seemed to be a million miles away as the four of us focused solely on the big man joining us.
“Is there somethin’ wrong?” Amy asked, her voice low, brittle.
“Actually…” Travis said, glancing around as though he was making sure no one was close enough to hear. When he turned back, his expression was somewhat somber. “I got some news this mornin’.”
“News?” I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that.
Travis placed his arms on the table and regarded each of us. He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. “I’m only gonna say this one time, and then no one is to ever talk about the subject again. Understood?”
I nodded along with Wolfe. I noticed Amy and Reagan were just staring at the man.
Travis’s eyes cut to Amy. “There is no longer a situation that you have to worry about.”
Her eyes widened.
Travis continued. “From this moment on, you are free to live your life, to never have to look over your shoulder.”
“What happened?” Amy inquired, her eyes wide, her face pale.
Travis shook his head. “I don’t know and I don’t wanna know.
Neither do you. But the source I received it from is legitimate.
” Travis reached out and touched Amy’s hand.
“No matter what you hear or read, I want you to understand one thing. If you hear nothin’ else I’ve said, I want you to understand this. ”
Amy nodded, her eyes wide as she waited for him to continue.
“You’re safe,” Travis said firmly. “Completely and totally safe.”
I watched, my heart breaking when Amy dissolved into tears. Wolfe instantly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, brushing his hand down her hair.
Reagan reached over and took her hand, as though she needed to touch her. I linked my fingers with hers and squeezed gently.
Travis sat back, glanced over at me, then Reagan.
“Someone’s makin’ an anonymous donation to the rebuilding of your bar.
Don’t ask questions, just move forward as you were.
” Travis jerked his chin toward Amy. “And any extra money, I suggest you donate to a college fund when these kids decide to have a baby. It doesn’t make up for … what happened, but it’s somethin’.”
I nodded. I got it.
I might be a redneck, but I damn sure wasn’t a dumbass.
“And tell Rhys I’m sorry I had to exclude him. I think he’ll understand.”
He would. Even I knew that much.
“Now, if you don’t mind,” Travis said as he got to his feet, “I’m gonna get outta your hair so you can have breakfast.”
As though she heard my suggestion, Donna appeared with four plates of food, setting them down before scuttling off to another table.
Travis reached down and stole a piece of bacon off my plate.
“Hey! Them’s fightin’ words, cuz.”
Travis laughed, slapping me on the shoulder.
Amy lifted her head, wiping her eyes and laughing when she noticed what had happened.
“So, we good here?” Travis asked after tucking the chair back at the vacant table.
I met Wolfe’s gaze and we both nodded.
There was no need for questions.
The answer said it all.
Rhys
I peered up from my computer at the knock on my office door.
Leaning back in my chair, I motioned Reagan to come inside.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to hide my curiosity at seeing my sister in my office. I couldn’t even recall the last time she’d come to see me.
“I just wanted to drop by,” she said sweetly, easing into the chair across from me. “Wanted to see how you’re doin’.”
I chuckled. “You wanted to see how I was doin’?”
“Yes,” she said haughtily. “Is that a crime?”
“Not the last time I checked, no.”
“Good.”
Her eyes instantly dropped to her lap and I knew she had something on her mind. She wouldn’t have come to see me otherwise.
“Spill it, Reagan.”
When she lifted her gaze, she was smiling.
I wasn’t sure when the last time was that I'd seen a genuine smile on her face. I liked it there.
“I wanted to let you know that me and Lynx are…”
I lifted an eyebrow. “You and Lynx are what?”
She shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know what we are right this minute, but we’re somethin’.”
Reagan laughed and the sound was enough to erase the fake scowl I'd plastered there a second ago.
I leaned forward, resting my arms on my desk as I regarded her. “Are you happy?”
“More than I’ve ever been.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“Hey, that’s my line.”
“It’s a good one,” I agreed.
“True. It is.” Her smile brightened even more. “I’m not sure why I wanted to tell you, but I thought…”
Once again, I waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, I filled in for her. “Don’t worry about Mom. She’s always gonna be the way she is. She never liked Billy when y’all were together.”
“No, but she always insisted I stay with him.”
“Yeah, well. She’s not all there when it comes to relationships, Reagan. You know that. But deep down, she wants you to be happy.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“She does. We all do.” I sat up straight. “And you know what? We’ve all known that Lynx had a thing for you all these years.” Before she could say anything, I waved her off. “The past is the past. Your mistakes and his. Those are all behind you. The only thing that matters is movin’ forward.”
“Did you know he’s helpin’ to rebuild my bar?”
“I did.” I leaned back in my chair again.
“He came to me the mornin’ after the explosion.
Told me what he wanted to do.” Taking a deep breath, I resigned myself to admitting the truth.
“Lynx is a good guy, Reagan. Sure, he’s rough around the edges, and he gets on my last damn nerve with all the fightin’, but he’s a good guy. Y’all are good for each other.”
I noticed tears welling in my sister’s eyes.
“I love him.”
“I know that.” I had always known that. Yes, she might’ve fought her feelings tooth and nail, but to anyone with eyes, it had been obvious.
“Okay, Mr. Know-It-All. Then I’m not sure why I even came to see you,” she said, laughing.
When Reagan stood, I stood. “Because I’m your brother and you love me.”
“I do not,” she countered. “I tolerate you.”
That made me laugh.
“Okay, well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, Sheriff.”
“That you have. I’ve got shit to do.”
“Yeah?” She peered around my office. “Like what? Play solitaire on your computer?”
I jerked my eyes back to my computer screen. No way could she see it.
Reagan laughed loudly. “Oh, shit. I was kiddin’. But you are, aren’t you?”
I pointed toward the door. “Get outta my office, woman. Before I lock you up for bein’ a pain in my ass.”
Still laughing, Reagan threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “I’m happy for you, too,” she said softly. “And as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
Yeah, I had to agree on that one.
Poking her in her side, I laughed. “Now get outta my office.”
“Okay, okay.” She backed up. “I’ll go.”
“Hey, Reagan,” I called after her when she stepped into the hallway.
“Huh?”
“Be good.”
“I’ve been good my whole life,” she retorted. “Now that I’ve got Lynx, I’m thinkin’ I wanna be bad for a while.”
I jerked my finger toward the door. “Go away.”
Reagan laughed, then spun on her heel and waved over her head.
I couldn’t help but smile. I truly was happy for my sister. Lynx Caine was a pain in my ass, there was no doubt about that, but when it came down to it, I knew the man would take care of her the way she deserved.
And she definitely deserved it.