Chapter Twenty
Tabitha
Sabrina”s eyes widen so much that I wonder if she”s having a stroke until she blinks quickly as if she”s getting grit out of her eye. Then my sister does a cartoon-like double take, purposely trying to look silly and exaggeratedly shocked. ”Tabitha ”don”t call me Tabby” Remington just gave someone permission to use her nickname. Wow, Spence, my sister must be totally in love with you.”
”I never said ”don”t call me Tabby.” I prefer my full name most of the time, that”s all. You, Mom, and Dad have always called me Tabby.”
”But the guys you dated never did.”
”So what?”
”Do I have to spell it out for you again? You”re completely in love with Spencer the Halfenaked guy.” She glances at the man in question. ”If you want to live up to your name and whip your shirt off, it”s fine by me.”
I groan and lift my gaze to the sky. ”Get a grip, Bree. When did you become a boy-crazy teenager? You”re too old for that.”
”Oh, you mean like how you”re too old to sing along with cheesy old eighties pop songs in your car at full blast.”
”It”s retro, sweetie.”
Spencer seems rather amused by our sisterly behavior. ”This is the first I”ve heard of Sabrina having a nickname. May I call you Bree?”
”Honey, you can call me anything you like. The cowboy who finally roped my sister deserves applause and a medal.”
This conversation is starting to annoy me. How did that happen? I”m the freest free spirit in our family. I guess I”m feeling territorial about Spencer. Maybe I should tell him how I feel---but not in front of my sister.
Sabrina starts walking again, leading us up to her little house. It”s pink. Thankfully, Bree has good taste and chose a pale pink shade rather than a gaudy color. She does know how to decorate a house. I have to give her credit for that. Sabrina is one of the smartest people I know, though she does a great job of hiding that fact. Well, people say that about me too. Bohemians tend to get a bad rap.
We aren”t goofballs. We”re just free spirits.
Spencer loves that about me.
As we halt at the front door, Sabrina turns toward us. ”Now, Spence, I know you like Tabby”s house. But mine is a little different.”
”Yes, I can already see that. Pink is a good choice for the exterior. It suits you.”
My sister beams at him. ”Thank you. I”m glad you like it.”
We follow Sabrina into the entryway, where she asks us to remove our shoes so we won”t ”soil the natural beauty” of the wood floors. Yeah, she always does that. My sister often walks around barefoot outdoors, after all. She is very talented at decorating her home, and I sometimes envy her for that skill. Sabrina can look at an empty room and envision exactly how it should be decorated.
When she starts talking about the architectural elements and the furniture, Spencer seems fascinated by it all. He praises Bree”s decorative choices, and she beams again. I haven”t seen her this animated in a while. Her divorce years ago had left her reeling for quite a while. Then her new boyfriend broke up with her a couple of months ago, and she hasn”t really dated since. I think meeting Spencer has changed her outlook. She doesn”t want my boyfriend, though. She wants a guy who”s just as wonderful as Spence.
Who wouldn”t? He”s a real catch.
Too bad his brother is already taken. Maybe Spencer and I can find a hot Brit for my sister among his bevy of friends.
Spencer turns in a circle, taking in the totality of my sister”s tiny home. ”You have a full kitchen with storage cabinets, just like your parents and Tabitha. A ceiling fan too. And you”ve got actual stairs leading up to your loft bedroom. The bathroom is remarkably spacious too. You”ve done a fantastic job, Sabrina.”
Yeah, my sister is now blushing.
Good job, Spence, you”re a sister whisperer.
Now that Spencer has visited all our houses, we go back outside and head to the semi-secluded area of the clearing where Mom and Dad are waiting for us. The shooting range has been set up. We”re ready to do some target shooting. Dad hands out noise-canceling earmuffs for everyone. I give Spencer a few minutes of training, showing him how to hold the revolver I”d suggested he should try first. It”s relatively small, almost a derringer, and doesn”t kick too much.
”How good are you at hitting the target?” Spencer asks. ”I”m sure I”ll need a great deal of practice to get anywhere near the center.”
Sabrina grins. ”Tabby never told you, huh?”
”Told me what?”
”My sister is a crack shot. She won five medals in junior competitions.”
Spencer”s brows hike up. He stares at me blankly for exactly three seconds. ”Why didn”t you ever mention that to me? It”s impressive.”
I shrug one shoulder. ”That”s a part of my past. I gave up competitive shooting a long time ago. Now, I just do it for fun. And to make Bree jealous.”
”Ha-ha,” my sister says. ”I”ll whup you today for sure.”
”Spencer hasn”t taken his first shot yet. Wait your turn, Sabrina.”
I show Spencer how to line up his first shot, then move behind him, out of the trajectory of his shot. He fires, and the slight kick surprises him. But he grins at me over his shoulder and gives me a thumbs-up signal, letting me know he”s happy with his first attempt. He didn”t hit the center of the target. But his shot did hit about halfway to the middle.
He holds one earmuff away from his head.
I figure he wants to talk to me, so I pull my muffs off.
”That was fun,” he says. ”I assumed I”d hit the tree behind the target. Didn”t do that badly, did I?”
”No, you did great. Now that you”ve gotten the feel of it, try again. You”ll be more relaxed this time.”
He nods and lines his shot up with the target, then squeezes the trigger.
We all clap and cheer. Spencer hit the inside circle, right on the edge.
Spencer makes three more shots until his revolver is out of ammo. Then Bree takes her turn, doing better than Spencer but not as good as the rest of us. When Mom has her turn, she hits the inner circle every time but can”t quite make it a bull”s-eye. Dad does just as well as Mom did.
Now, it”s my turn.
”You lot are highly skilled, for sure,” Spencer says. ”But I”m looking forward to seeing Tabby in action. Hit a bull”s eye for me, love.”
”I”ll do my best.”
After getting in my shooting stance, I line up my gun”s sight with the target. Then I take a second or two to relax. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Spencer watching me with rapt attention. I can”t hear what he says, thanks to my earmuffs, but he mouths words that I do understand.
Go, Tabby!
And he grins.
Then I fire off eight rounds in quick succession.
Spencer whips his head around to stare at me. ”You hit the exact center of the target seven times. Your eighth shot only missed by a few millimeters.”
My sister sets a hand on Spencer”s shoulder. ”Medal-winning markswoman, remember? Tabby has eyes like an eagle.”
”She does have that regal air about her, like a golden eagle sitting atop a mountain.” Spencer taps his chin. ”Actually, she”s more like Artemis, the Greek goddess who was a skilled archer.”
”That”s true. I guess Mom and Dad missed the mark when they named her Tabitha. She should”ve been Artemis.” My sister smirks. ”Then I could call her Artie.”
I shove two fingers into my mouth and blow. My ear-piercing whistle finally convinces my sister and my boyfriend to stop discussing which animal or goddess I most resemble. ”If you two are done, could we go back to Mom and Dad”s place and eat something? My tummy is rumbling.”
Sabrina seizes control of Spencer”s arm. ”Okay, Mr. Hotcakes, let”s go. Tabby gets grumpy when her blood sugar drops.”
”I am never grumpy, Bree. But you”re behaving like a horny teenager.”
Mom and Dad move between us, and Mom takes hold of Spencer”s hand. ”Come with us, dear. Our daughters might get into a catfight, and we wouldn”t want you to be injured.”
”She”s joking,” I tell Spencer. ”But I am feeling oddly territorial about you.”
His lips stretch into a self-satisfied smile. ”Never in my life has any woman started a fight to defend my honor. Go on and have a row. It might be fun to watch.”
Sabrina slings an arm across my shoulders and sighs. ”Time to bury the hatchet, don”t you think?”
”Fine by me. As long as you keep your grubby hands off my man.”
Bree crosses her heart with one finger. ”He”s all yours, Tabs. Should we hug it out?”
”Sure.”
I wrap my arms around Sabrina, and she throws hers around me. We slap each other”s back, then separate.
Spencer is staring at me again. ”You lot really are the most unusual family I”ve ever met.”
I hook an arm around his waist and whisper, ”But you kinda liked the idea of a catfight, didn”t you? To a man, that”s almost as sexy as two women getting it on.”
”Perhaps,” he murmurs. ”But the only woman I want to see naked is you.”
Mom and Dad lead our little congregation across the clearing to their house. My parents settle in on the sofa with Sabrina while Spence and I take the futon. We have a lively conversation about all sorts of things, from target shooting to the best restaurants in Asheville and, of course, England and Spencer”s family.
”When is your brother getting married?” Mom asks.
”In ten days. I”ll be flying home on the Friday before and then coming back to America the day after.”
”That”s not much time to be with your brother.”
Spencer shrugs. ”It”s better than nothing. I won”t be the best man, so my role in the ceremony isn”t vital, anyway.”
I turn toward him. ”Why aren”t you the best man? Kendall is your brother.”
”Yes, but Hugh is like a brother to him too. Kendall essentially raised Hugh after his father passed away.”
”But you”re his actual brother. Did Kendall tell you he doesn”t want you as his best man?”
”No, not in so many words.”
I cross my arms over my chest. ”In how many words did he say that?”
Spencer screws up his mouth and rubs his neck. ”Well...none, I suppose.”
”You should call Kendall and ask him about it.”
”Why?”
Sabrina clears her throat deliberately. ”Maybe you guys should go to Tabby”s house and talk about the wedding stuff in private.”
I veer my gaze to her. ”What happened to having a snack or something? I might pass out if we don”t eat soon.”
Yeah, that wasn”t the smoothest conversational transition. I can tell Spence is uncomfortable with talking about his brother”s apparent preference for Hugh, whoever that is. Maybe it does annoy me a little bit. How could Kendall not want his actual brother to serve as best man? Sounds like they”re close.
Luckily, both Mom and Sabrina get the picture. They go into the kitchen to whip up a pre-dinner snack to satisfy my rumbling tummy. Dad turns on the TV and starts watching a home repair show.
I glance at Spencer, about to suggest we go outside to have a talk about his brother. But I don”t get the chance.
Spencer whispers into my ear, ”Shall we go outside?”
”Yes, please.”
We amble out of the house, and I guide Spencer behind it to the little spot where a wooden swing has been set up. We sit down side by side, snuggled up, and for a few minutes we just rock the swing and listen to the birds tweeting in the trees above us. But finally, it”s time to have The Talk.
I rest my chin on his shoulder. ”Tell me about Hugh and Kendall.”
”Not much to say. Kendall considers Lord Sommerleigh to be his brother, and I”m just a bloke who happens to share his DNA.”