Chapter Three
~Beckett~
The walk from the fire station to Branch and Brew, the cider brewery owned and operated by Beckett’s younger brother Felix, was only about half a mile long, something Beckett had always appreciated. Normally, he would make short work of the distance with his long legs. Today was no different. Even though the walk was brief, it did afford him the opportunity to stretch his muscles after an intense post-shift workout. The last forty-eight hours had been uneventful as far as calls went, so Beckett had decided to burn off his restlessness with an extended lower body workout. The squats, lunges, and deadlifts that would build up his strength also had his legs feeling more like blooming gelatin than their usual hard steel. The sore, wobbly muscles he was currently working with would be worth it in the end. They were nothing an early lunch at Branch and Brew wouldn’t fix.
A full meal wasn’t usually on offer until later in the evening, but Beckett knew that if he showed up hungry, Felix would fix him something to help rebuild the brawny tissue he’d just torn to shreds. With the exception of the eldest, Aiden, a man who was grumpier than a bear woken up mid-hibernation, all of Beckett’s brothers were friendly enough. Felix was by far the most open and welcoming of the bunch. Despite his propensity to nerd out about cider, his baby brother was all easy smiles and patience, something that made his work as a brewery owner that much easier.
Branch and Brew had started as a side project of Felix’s when he was a teen, determined to put his brain and love of apples to good use for the family. After his first batch of cider was a hit at the local famer’s market, their dad had invested a little more capital into Felix’s blossoming business. Soon enough, there was so much demand for his cider that the purchase of a brick-and-mortar operation downtown became the next logical step. It was not the only bar in Applewood, but it was by far the most popular, especially with tourists who would come to sample fresh cider.
Beckett’s chest puffed up with pride as he considered all the hard work his little brother put into his business venture. Felix knew from a young age exactly what he wanted to do, just like Beckett had, and made it happen. He and his brothers had been fortunate in that regard, being driven and going after what they wanted. They hadn’t all wanted the same things, but being good at whatever they chose to do was something they had in common. Even so, each brother had naturally fallen into a respective role over the years.
Felix had always been the youngest and smartest, experimenting and coming up with his own cider recipes, using them to start a business that brought people together. Nate had always been a leader, determined to make a difference through public service and continuing that journey by becoming Applewood’s youngest mayor at the age of twenty-eight. Travis was the most like their father. The middle child and peacemaker, who loathed drama and people in equal measure, loved the apple orchard more than anything. He had always been the one who wanted to continue caring for the farm to preserve the family legacy.
Aiden, the oldest of the five siblings, was a world-class chef. He left their small town when he was eighteen. Though he returned to Applewood occasionally, he spent most of his time cooking in various Michelin star restaurants around the world. Aiden was as determined as the rest of the brothers, only he had been so singularly focused that it had turned him into a bit of a cantankerous asshole. That didn’t make Beckett love or miss him any less. Like his brothers, Beckett’s role had also become clearly defined. The townspeople and his family referred to him as a hero, but he didn’t really see himself that way. Beckett just liked helping those who needed it. He didn’t require any kind of glory that might come with it, preferring to just keep his head down and get the job done.
A smile pulled at Beckett’s face as he thought about his brothers and how lucky he was to call four of the best men he had ever met family. Their parents were also just about the best damned role models a kid could ever ask for. Nolan and Cora Kemp were probably the most caring and affectionate people you would ever meet, and that kind of influence definitely rubbed off on the boys. Well, some more than others, but even though a few of them might have prickly exteriors on occasion, they hid a warm, gooey center.
Beckett was more of a “wears his heart on his sleeve” kind of guy, not bothering to try and hide his emotions. His parents had always talked at length about openly expressing themselves, not keeping their feelings trapped inside them, and that had really resonated with Beckett. Emotions weren’t something to fear or hide, but something to embrace and speak about as often as needed. It worked out well for Beckett when those feelings were more positive, though even he could admit that was difficult to do when they were less so.
Normally, Beckett was a pretty happy guy, so negative emotions didn’t come around often. Lately though, it had been happening more and more. Despite having a wonderful family and plenty of friends at the station, he grew lonely. His loneliness had started to creep in little by little, winding its dark tendrils around his heart and taking root. While his social life was doing just fine, Beckett’s romantic life was practically on life support. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to find someone. He even went so far as to make the long drive to Seattle to meet people. Even there, he never felt anything beyond a fleeting attraction and gratitude for a moment of good company.
Beckett hadn’t felt that flutter in his chest, that tingling of awareness all throughout his body like he had since the storm. That night, as bolts of electricity lit up the sky and every fiber of his being, he’d known exactly what his life’s purpose was. He hoped to find love a bit later in his life. Beckett wasn’t so naive as to think it would happen at first sight of someone, but the inklings of it would, and he had never even had that. Unless, of course, he counted the other day as he drove along Main Street.
Watching that woman dancing and singing wildly, with so much fervor and a carefree attitude, had been like watching that lightning storm. Everything around Beckett brightened and his body came alive. Suddenly he could feel every beat of his heart against his ribcage, every hitch of his breath and squeeze of his lungs as he witnessed something so absolutely incredible. The strands of golden hair waving in the breeze and the long lines of the woman’s slender body moving to and fro caught his attention first, but what held it was the look of rapture on her face. She had bright eyes and a wide smile, moving with so much freedom and joy that Beckett couldn’t help himself from bopping his toes and drumming the steering wheel as he watched her.
When the music ended, Beckett clapped automatically. It had been a shame to see her raptured expression turn to one of shock, but Beckett wouldn’t change his actions for the whole world because when she turned to face him, he had gotten a good look at her. Whoever she was, she had been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The pink tint to her cheeks as embarrassment settled in accented her already stunning good looks. Beckett was about to ask for her name when one honk ruined the rest of his day. The wild woman drove off, and he went to the store to do the shop for the station, cursing the timing of it all.
He smiled and huffed as he recalled the incident. Then he turned the corner and walked up to Branch and Brew. The white brick exterior and large windows shined brightly against the mid-morning sun, nearly blinding him as he reached for the door. When the handle wouldn’t give, he peeked inside, noting the empty wooden tables and chairs. That was to be expected given that technically Felix didn’t open for another few hours, but his brother had always come in early despite that. He scanned the front room. There was no sight of him there either. Nabbing his phone, Beckett started to text him when he looked across the street and saw the man in question strolling his way, juggling an apple crate and large grocery bag in his arms.
“Felix,” Beckett called, waving.
Felix nodded at him as he started across the street, but Beckett was no longer paying attention to his brother. As he stopped waving, he spied a mass of spun gold attached to the same gorgeous face he saw the other day. A five-alarm fire could have broken out around him and he wouldn’t tear himself away. The wild woman he’d just been thinking about was waving at him. Had he conjured her with his thoughts? He liked to think so, but before he could do anything about it, she spotted Felix and smacked her forehead, peering down in embarrassment as she scurried away.
“No, wait!” Beckett called after her. His feet were moving before his brain had sent the signal to chase her down, but Beckett only got five feet before a hefty bag was being shoved in his arms.
Beckett tore his gaze away from her retreating form to glare at his brother. “Help me with this, will you?” Felix asked, flustered and out of breath.
“Give me a second,” Beckett commanded impatiently. His eyes darted back across the street, moving up and down the stretch of sidewalk as he desperately searched for her, but his Wild Woman was nowhere to be found. “Shitballs.”
A mother pushing her toddler gasped at his cursing as she passed them, and Felix punched Beckett in the arm as he smiled apologetically to the woman. “Watch your pottymouth, brother. This is a family-friendly community,” he scolded Beckett. Turning, his brother opened the door to the bar and gestured for Beckett to head inside.
“Fuck off,” Beckett muttered. With one last glance around, he kicked a stray rock into the gutter, lamenting his lack of a second chance as he followed Felix. At least she was still in town. Did that mean she wasn’t a tourist? Maybe he would get lucky and catch her a third time. Beckett grasped onto that thin shred of hope and with a sigh, heaved the grocery bag on top of the bar. One peek inside had him smiling as he spotted the pound of beef, hamburger buns, and a brick of cheddar among other things. “Did you get this to make yourself lunch, or did you know I was coming?”
Felix ran his hand through his shoulder-length, sandy hair as he shrugged. “The first, though I had an inkling you might show up.” He reached underneath the bar to grab a glass, filling it with water before sliding it across the bar to Beckett. “Mom still keeps your shifts posted on the fridge. When I saw yours ended this morning, I wondered if you might not show up for something to eat.” He smiled as he poured himself some water and took a large gulp. “You’d think they didn’t feed you at the station or something.”
Felix nodded at the grocery bag, grabbed his apple crate and started back toward the small kitchen. Knowing the drill, Beckett grabbed the ingredients and followed along. “They feed me, just not nearly enough.” Between all the working out and training he did to keep his body in tip-top shape for the job, he required a lot of calories to keep himself going. Even considering the fact that they all rotated cooking during their shifts, the probie’s meals in particular left a lot to be desired. “Banks hasn’t quite gotten used to feeding a group of two-hundred plus pound men yet. Can you believe he made oatmeal for breakfast using nothing but water? Soggy oats aren’t nearly enough to keep my energy up. He didn’t even have the good sense to toss us some blueberries or anything until we reminded him.”
Felix pushed through the kitchen door. “It’s too bad you don’t have two good legs and could’ve gotten your lazy ass over to the fridge to get them yourself,” he snarked. Dropping the crate filled with apples gently onto the ground, Felix speared him with a glare as he grabbed the groceries from Beckett’s arms. “You better not expect me to serve you with a smile when you have that kind of crap attitude.”
After flipping his brother the middle finger, Beckett helped him start prepping the food for their lunch. “You know it’s not like that. The probie has to go through all the same shit the rest of us did or he’ll never learn.”
During the first six months at the fire station, Beckett had been the only one allowed to clean the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the trash bins, as well as the person who cleaned the gear and washed the fire engine. The chief at the time even demanded that Beckett learn to replicate his mama’s favorite biscuit recipe and serve it to him with honey butter. All of that was in addition to all of his other duties. He remembered feeling more tired at that point in time than he had in his whole life.
Beckett may not have seen it then, but he knew now that the trial by fire prepared him for the challenges he would sometimes face on the job. “It toughens you up.”
Felix waved off his declaration as he started to add spices to the ground beef. “That’s what you guys used to tell me when we would play hide-and-seek in the orchard and you would purposefully leave me out there for an extra twenty minutes after you all had gone inside.” A withering look was shot Beckett’s way. He winced at the memory of how they’d often treated their little brother like an afterthought. “It was a dick move then and pulling that probie shit is a dick move now.”
“Maybe,” Beckett admitted. Walking over to the sink, he wondered if Felix was right, and as he started washing lettuce and tomatoes, he felt a bit guilty for having Dale do so much. Peeking over his shoulder, Beckett smiled sadly at his little brother. “Hey. Sorry for leaving you out there back then. It was a dick move.”
Felix nodded as he formed the meat into patties and dropped them on the hot grill. “Thanks, but it’s okay. I know you guys did it because you were just jealous that I was Mom and Dad’s favorite.” His eyes twinkled merrily and he ducked quickly when Beckett tossed a tomato scrap at his head.
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Beckett grabbed a cutting board and started slicing the veggies, saliva pooling in his mouth as the smell of the grilled, seasoned beef permeated the air. “We all know who the real favorite is.”
Felix’s clear blue eyes met his as they stared at each other for a beat. “Travis,” they said in unison before chuckling. The man may be a bit of a recluse, but there was no doubt in any of their minds that he had always been the favorite of the five of them, the son who would continue his parents’ legacy on the farm. The pressure of maintaining that legacy was something Beckett had never wanted for himself and was happy to leave to his younger brother.
When the two of them finally sat down for their meal, Beckett bit into his giant burger, enjoying the feel of the hot juices as they slid down his throat. “Damn, kid. This is pretty tasty.” It wasn’t just the extreme hunger talking either. Even if cider was his real passion, Felix had seasoned and cooked the beef to perfection.
Felix rolled his eyes at the “kid” remark, but even at twenty-five he was still like a kid to Beckett, especially when he did things like that. “Of course, it’s tasty. Aiden isn’t the only one who knows how to cook.”
“Damn right, he’s not.” Their older brother may be a star chef, but the rest of them still followed their mama around the kitchen from time to time when they were little, learning everything she was willing to teach them.
It was the same out in the orchards with their dad. With five boys underfoot and a farm to run, neither of their parents had the time to deal with loafers. As soon as they were able, the boys helped make family meals, prune trees, and harvest the apples. They all still helped with the annual harvest as much as they could, though tourists did most of the job for them now. Any apples that didn’t get pulled for selling at the family’s own small storefront got plucked and bought by people coming to Applewood to spend a day on one of the farms. Despite the town name, it wasn’t just apples that grew there, but also peaches, blueberries, and flowers. Each one added its own unique charm to the community, but apples were what Beckett’s family knew best.
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Beckett nodded over to the sign on one of the windows. “You think you’ll be able to actually join us for trivia night this time? You know we’ll never win without your science knowledge.” Felix was a wiz when it came to the subject, one Beckett only knew well enough to get by on his job. “We got our asses handed to us last week.”
Nate covered history and politics, Travis reluctantly joined in from time to time, contributing his knowledge of anything he’d gleaned from all of the books he read. Beckett covered sports. Aiden would have been a great addition with his knowledge of all things food, but he was unavailable. His brother wouldn’t be caught dead participating in something so fun. The man was wound tighter than a steel drum and liable to snap any moment. Though some fun would do him a world of good, Aiden would have to be dragged into it kicking and screaming. Felix’s best friend Autumn joined in occasionally as well but spent most of her time chatting with his brother instead of playing.
Felix’s sigh cut into Beckett’s thoughts of their other trivia compatriots. “I hope so. Lottie can handle the bar on her own, but I don’t feel right leaving her for long stretches.”
Felix’s expression as he spoke was indecipherable, giving Beckett an opening to tease him. “Does little Felix have a crush?” He very much doubted that Felix had a thing for his employee, but then again the only thing Beckett knew about his brother’s love life was that it went about as well as his own.
Felix tossed a fry at Beckett, the golden stick grazing his arm with a smattering of grease before it dropped to the cement floor. “I think you have me confused with our other brother.” Beckett’s brow furrowed, but Felix spoke before he could get in on the gossip. Rumors and hearsay were the lifeblood of any small town and it might make him no better than the old biddies who gathered at the coffee shop down the street, reading the town newsletter and spreading rumors, but Beckett couldn’t help it. He liked to be in the know. “I just want to be a good boss. Mom and Dad put a lot of faith in me, in addition to a chunk of what could have been an early retirement. I don’t want to let them down.”
Clasping him on the shoulder, Beckett smiled. “You won’t. They’re already so proud of you. I’m sure they’ve told you a thousand times already.” Their parents had never been shy with praise. Though they never gave it when it wasn’t warranted, they always heaped it on the boys when it was. They told Beckett they were proud of him anytime he managed to make it home for a family meal. He knew they did the same for all his brothers.
“They do,” Felix admitted, biting into his burger. “Doesn’t mean I still don’t want to work hard. You get it.”
Beckett did get it, but lately he wondered if maybe he hadn’t let his parents down in another way. They’d never been overly vocal about wanting grandchildren, but he could see the glee on his parents’ faces and the twinkle in their eyes when families came to the farm. Beckett didn’t want children of his own out of obligation, but it did add a bit to the pressure he had already put on himself for wanting them. He was thirty-two, so there was still plenty of time for all that, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever get there. Finding someone who sparked his interest hadn’t been easy, but Beckett didn’t want to settle for less just to start a family. Besides, after his second run in with the wild woman from a few days ago, at least now he knew that sparks were a definite possibility, and absolutely something worth waiting for.