Chapter 12 Michael
MICHAEL
“Hey ho!” Krista called out as she walked into my house like she owned the place.
She would come right to the kitchen, bypassing the living room and both bedrooms in search of me. I knew this because it was early in the morning, and she never did anything without her caffeine fix. So, even on this cold day, she wouldn’t hang out by the fire first.
I grabbed a second mug for coffee and poured her some, sliding it across the counter as she walked into the kitchen. “Please, come right in.”
Smirking, she wrapped her hands around the mug and inhaled the delicious scent of coffee before taking a sip. “Mmm, that’s the good stuff.”
Her long brown hair was flattened by the hat she wore, but it curled over her shoulders, resting on the perfectly designed cowgirl outfit she’d picked out for the day. My sister was not afraid to get dirty, but she always dressed like she was about to meet the future Mr. Krista Parker.
“What? Why are you staring at me?”
“Nothing,” I shook my head, holding back my laughter. “Just good to be home.”
“You were laughing at me.”
“I was admiring the way that you can make ranching look like a beauty competition.”
“Well, not difficult to do now that we’re no longer a proper ranch.” She said it with no heat in her words, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t upset about how everything went down.
“Are you mad?”
She shrugged, her eyes turning sad. “In some ways. I definitely don’t miss the long days of moving the herds. And Jeff and Liam pretty much handle the horses now.”
“You don’t ride anymore?”
“Oh, no,” she smirked. “I still ride. I just don’t handle the stalls.”
“And I’m sure they gladly allow you to do whatever you want.”
“Well, I handle the cabins, which is not my dream job. I never thought I would be cleaning up after someone else,” she grimaced. “But it’s not the worst thing in the world.”
“How’s it really going?”
She rolled her eyes at me, setting down her mug. “Wow, you come back after years of being gone, and just have to know everything.”
“So, sue me. I’m curious.”
“You mean, you want to know if there’s anything you need to fix.”
I shrugged, but said nothing else.
“Well, don’t worry. Liam’s got it under control.”
“He just got out of the hospital.”
“And yet, he’s still the same controlling ass—”
“Ah!” I stopped her before she could say something she might regret.
She quirked an eyebrow at me, smiling coyly. “I was going to say, he’s still the same controlling associate he’s always been.”
I smirked at that, taking a sip of my coffee. “Sure, you were. And Jeff?”
“He does whatever Liam tells him to.”
“No, I mean…how is he? I mean, he’s his usual self, pretending everything’s fine, but…”
“Oh, he totally still blames himself for the shit with Austin and Clay. But you know Jeff.”
I did know him, and that’s what worried me. What was really going on with him, and why hadn’t he come to me if he needed help?
Right, because I hadn’t been around. I’d been so caught up in my own shit that I hadn’t bothered to think about how anyone else was.
“So, is Liam talking to you yet?” she pried.
“A few grunts here and there. I was gonna stop over there today and see him.”
“I wouldn’t bother. He’s moping.”
“About?”
She quirked an eyebrow at me, and I immediately understood.
“After he got out of the hospital, he went to see Bailey and explained to her why he did what he did. And she basically told him she could never forgive him.”
“So, it’s over,” I sighed.
That really sucked. There wasn’t a time I could remember from our childhoods that Liam wasn’t one hundred percent over the moon for Bailey. He just never let her see it.
“And you, big brother?”
“What?”
“Well, you’ve grilled me about pretty much everyone else, but you haven’t said a word about yourself,” she grinned. “Mr. Hero of the world.”
“Hardly,” I huffed.
“That’s not what I heard. According to Mom, you saved everyone.”
“I was involved. I didn’t single-handedly do anything. And Blake was a big part of that.”
“You know, I like her.”
“Yeah?” I grinned. “I figured you might.”
“So, wedding details. What can I do to help?”
My smile instantly faded as I remembered my last conversation with Blake. “Uh…I’m not sure. We haven’t told her family about the baby yet.”
“Chicken shit,” she coughed out.
“I’ve already met her brothers, and I wasn’t at all intimidated, even though it’s clear they’re very protective of her.”
“But now?”
“Well, now I’ve knocked up their baby sister. And she may have told me stories of what they did to her high school boyfriend.”
“Oh, come on!” she laughed. “You can handle them. Look at you! You’re like a huge robotic soldier!”
Okay, I was slightly offended by the description. I was far from robotic.
“Rip the band-aid off, brother.”
“Yeah,” I grumbled, taking another sip of my coffee.
“It won’t be as bad as you think. If anything, delaying is making it worse.” Her eyes skimmed over my body speculatively. “What’s with the all-tan getup?”
I grabbed the book and plopped it down in front of her. Her eyes widened comically as she snatched it up and flipped through it.
“No way! You joined the department?”
“Today’s my first day.”
“But…why? I thought you were going to help around the ranch!”
“Well, there’s not a whole lot for me to do. And this is Liam’s thing. I needed to find something else to do.”
“So, you joined the department?” Scoffing, she tossed the book back at me. “Not cool. I can’t have my brother ruining my fun. It’s bad enough that Mav does that.”
“It’s not like I joined a cult.”
“No, it’s worse! You’re going to be able to write me tickets!”
“And get you out of them,” I grinned.
That stopped her tantrum. “I hadn’t really thought of that.”
“Well, don’t get too used to it. You have to use your powers wisely. Besides, it’s my first day. If you go out and get arrested today, there’s not much I can do about it.”
She waved me off. “I’ll need some time to think before I get arrested. Anyway, I have another plan in the works at the moment.”
“Yeah? Anything good?”
Sliding off the stool, she headed for the door. “Oh, it’s really good. I’m setting Jeff up on a date.”
Groaning, I knew this was gonna go south. “Krista, don’t do it. I know you think you’re good at this—”
“I am!” she said indignantly, slipping into her boots. “Besides, I chose someone really great for him.”
“Who?”
“I’m not telling. You’ll only try to talk me out of it.”
“Because it’s a bad idea.”
“It is not! Trust me, I’ve hit the nail on the head with this one.”
Snatching my coat, I pulled it on. “That’s what you said when you tried to set me up with Betty Lou.”
“Hey, she was nice.”
“She was. She was also twice my age!”
“Well, I thought some experience might be good for you,” she smirked.
“Just don’t do anything until you talk to me. If Jeff kills you, there’s not much I can do to reverse his decision.”
“Look at you, already talking like a cop.”
“Hardly.” I leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Be good.”
“Yes, Dad.”
I growled at her, not that it did any good. Krista always did whatever she wanted, and damned everyone involved.
“Aren’t you going to say goodbye to Blake?”
“She’s sleeping.”
“And?”
“And I don’t want to get kicked in the nuts this early in the morning.”
I shut the door behind me and breathed in the cold mountain air. The sky was painted various shades of pink and purple this morning, with a twinge of orange in the sky. We were going to get storms.
“Hey, I forgot to tell you,” Krista grinned, turning to face me as she walked backward. “Mom called one of her family dinners for tonight.”
I stopped in my tracks and frowned. “And you’re just telling me this now?”
“I always save the best for last.”
“Shit,” I murmured under my breath. That could only mean one thing. Ma was planning something.
I nodded to Bea as I walked into the station, setting a muffin down in front of her to tempt her to my side. Not that she was against me. Bea had always loved me, and I intended to keep it that way.
“Blueberry?” she questioned.
“Is there another kind?”
“Michael Parker, are you trying to flirt with me?”
“Flirt?” I laughed. “No, but staying on your good side is something I intend to do for as long as I work here.”
“Well, then I guess you’ll want to know that Maverick is up to something.”
“Yeah?”
“I would guess the usual hazing that comes with any new job. And since you’ve both known each other for so long, I can only imagine what he’ll get up to.”
I should have known that joining the sheriff’s department wouldn’t be so easy. Of course, Mav would screw with me.
“Thanks, Bea.”
“Any time. You know, The Daily Grind has the most delicious mocha.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I winked as I headed back to Mav’s office.
I strode through the brick police station that used to be the city hall when this town was first incorporated.
It still had the same thick wooden beams strung from one end of the ceiling to the other.
When I was a kid, Liam and I had a bet on who could walk all the way across the room without falling down.
Of course, as soon as we got up there, the sheriff caught us and made us get down. It was still a bone of contention between us.
I didn’t bother to knock as I entered and dropped the law book down on the table. His eyes flicked up to mine in question.
“Don’t tell me you read all that.”
“Every last word. Got it all memorized.”
He carefully picked up the book and flipped through it. “All memorized, huh?”
“Go ahead. Quiz me.”
I took a seat as I waited for him to find the perfect question.
“Tell me about the assignment to light duty,” he asked, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
I sat back and let it fly. Little did he know that memorizing shit was one of my specialties.