Legends: Ben (Legends of Fire Creek #4)

Chapter One

Ben Weston was already making his way to the front door of his house before he heard the short knock against the wood.

Swinging the door open, he felt a powerful wind blow past him into his home.

He thought the gust sounded a lot like his five-year-old nephew Jax, but the force moved too fast for him to be sure.

“Jax Moore, stop running and show some manners, or you can forget about a bedtime story tonight.”

Reagan Moore stepped into Ben’s house, her expression stern as she yelled after her son.

Her shiny dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, which swung against her back when she moved.

Her angular features bore no makeup, but her high cheekbones and wide eyes needed no enhancement.

Even dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and leggings, Reagan was breathtaking, far too pretty to saddle to his oldest brother Jackson, but he and the rest of their family were glad she was.

Since coming into their lives, Reagan was a fixture they wondered how they ever lived without.

And the fact that she was a good mother to his nephew only gave Ben one more reason to adore his sister-in-law.

Jax paused only for a second in his frantic search of Ben’s house.

The six-year-old had Reagan’s dark eyes but Jackson’s coloring and stocky build.

Even at his young age, Jax showed signs of being tall and husky like his father.

He had the wherewithal to look sheepish as he apologized for his lack of manners.

“Sorry, Uncle Ben. Hi. Where is he? I don’t see him. I can take care of him, Uncle Ben. I really can. Is he here?” Jax spoke with the same exuberance he had with doing anything. The little bundle of energy may look just like Ben’s brother, but Jax’s temperament was all his own.

Reagan sighed as she looked up at Ben in resignation. “I should never have told him why we were coming. He’s been talking about Ziggy nonstop since he got up this morning.”

Ben chuckled. “You can’t blame him for being excited. He’s been wanting a pet since he was old enough to say the word. I wish you’d let us get him one.”

Her stare turned into a glare. “No way. That boy can barely concentrate long enough to make it through the school day. I won’t have him forgetting to feed his pet or take it outside to do its business. He needs to be a little older before we add any animals to our household.”

“Here he is!” Jax shouted. “I found him!”

The little boy appeared from the back of the house, staggering under the weight of a massive cat.

Its hind legs and tail trailed along the floor since the Maine coon cat was as big, if not bigger than, the little boy.

To the cat’s credit, it didn’t seem to mind that Jax dragged it from room to room.

Reagan called after him. “Jax, put Ziggy down gently before you drop and hurt him.”

“Okay.” Jax attempted to lower the cat to the ground, and the cat helped him out by wiggling out of his arms until it landed on all fours.

“I still can’t believe you adopted that beast,” Reagan murmured.

Ziggy walked over to rub against Ben’s legs, purring as it moved. Ben’s hand stroked the thick fur, a pretty blend of white and gray unlike any cat he’d ever seen.

“Sometimes I can’t either,” he admitted.

Ben ran the Fire Creek Hardware Store, and he’d been working the front counter one afternoon when a customer came in asking to post a notice about a litter of Main coon cats he was giving away.

Ben had been surprised when she said she wasn’t selling the expensive breed.

She only wanted to find the kittens good homes.

Without knowing anything about the breed, Ben agreed to take one and let his customer choose which. That’s when Ziggy came into his life.

He'd considered himself a dog person until he learned more about the cat.

With his travel schedule and unpredictable personal life, the cat proved to be a decent companion.

Ziggy was low-maintenance and even-tempered.

When Ben had to be gone for more than a day or two, his family checked on the furball occasionally, and the rest of the time, Ziggy was content to keep to himself.

“I appreciate you checking in on Ziggy for me while I’m gone.”

Reagan watched Jax drag one of the cat’s toys along the floor and then laugh when the cat pounced on it.

“No worries. Melody told me he was easy going, so I figured this would be a good lesson in responsibility for Jax.”

Melody was married to his brother Luke and was Ziggy’s regular pet sitter.

But she’d woken that morning to find a sick child.

His nephew Dylan was running a fever, so Melody was at the pediatrician with her son.

He didn’t hesitate to reassure her he’d find someone to care for Ziggy while he was out of town, but Melody had already reached out to Reagan to help out.

Ben pointed toward the kitchen. “Let me show you where I keep Ziggy’s food.”

Quickly explaining the workings of the automatic feeder that kept Ziggy’s water and food bowl full, he also showed her where the bags of his food were kept.

Depending on how long he’d be gone on his trip, Reagan may have to replenish the feeder, and he didn’t want her having to search for anything.

He also showed her how to empty the waste from the self-cleaning litter box.

“Too bad they don’t make all of this automatic stuff for babies. It sure would have come in handy when Jax was born,” she mumbled.

Ben laughed. “Speaking of baby, you hear anything from Mel about Dylan?”

“Yeah, the doctor said it’s nothing serious. A virus of some kind that’ll run its course.”

Ben stood behind the kitchen island, leaning against the sink as they talked. Reagan bent at the waist to rest her crossed arms on the counter in front of him. Her dark eyes studied him intently, and he waited for her to say whatever was on her mind.

“How are you doing?”

He smirked. “I’m good. How are you?”

She scowled. “Be serious. I know how cases involving children twist you boys into knots.”

Ben and his brothers had been known as the boys since they came to live with their mentor, English Barlowe.

Even now that they were grown men, they couldn’t escape the moniker given by the folks in their hometown of Fire Creek, Alabama.

Long ago they had learned not to care about the nickname, but escaping the effects of their pasts wasn’t as easy.

They all came to English from broken homes, bringing more baggage than a bachelor like English would want to take on.

But take them in English did, and he taught them how to be men, how to fight for the underdog, and how to never let anyone take advantage of them.

As a former operative for the Central Intelligence Agency known as Legend, English’s work wrecked his attempt at being a husband and father, and he walked away from his family then to protect them from any blowback from his work.

He atoned for his choice when he left the CIA by using what he learned as Legend to help those who couldn’t find help through traditional means.

As the boys became old enough to understand English’s off-the-radar work, they joined him as the next generation of Legends.

Ben and his brothers were business owners, but they routinely accepted cases involving people who needed help, sometimes individually and sometimes as a team.

When the cases involved children, it was hard for Ben and his brothers not to be reminded of their own difficult upbringings. They’d learned to push their emotions deep down where they didn’t affect their work, but those memories were hard to escape.

“I’m fine, Ray. And if I’m not, I know who to call. At this point, I’m not sure there’s even a case here. I figure I’ll go to Georgia for a few days, sort it all out, and be back before you have a chance to miss me.”

Reagan sighed. “Our client is very convincing, and I don’t know why, but I believe she’s right. Something is off about the boy and his father. If the man is abusing his son, I hope you bury him.”

Ben appreciated the heat behind her words. “I’ll be thorough. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. You just watch my cat and keep my brothers out of trouble.”

Reagan rolled her eyes. “Like that’s even possible. But at least I have help now since Luke and Easton have married Mel and Bailee. Speaking of marriage, I met someone the other day who I think would be perfect for you.”

Ben narrowed his eyes. “You sure it’s murder mysteries you write and not those cheesy romance novels? It seems like you always have love and matchmaking on the brain.”

In addition to managing the incoming requests for the Legends’ help, Reagan was also a successful author of intriguing whodunits which kept readers on their toes and guessing until the very end.

Reagan straightened her posture and pointed an accusing finger in his direction.

“I’ll have you know that many of those romance novels are very well written and contribute to a multi-million-dollar industry.

So check yourself before you call them cheesy.

And there’s nothing wrong with a little romance.

Your brothers found it. I think you’re past due to find yours. ”

His sister-in-law had a point. He and his brothers never imagined settling down with families of their own, but then Jackson met and married Reagan.

Luke found happiness with Melody, and Easton fell in love with Bailee.

He even suspected English was starting to romance their family friend, Becky Lathan, who was one of the people English helped back in the day.

But romance wasn’t for Ben. He was content with the life he had.

He was close with his family, and his nephews filled any need he had for kids.

His freedom was something he treasured. He answered to no one and did just what he wanted.

There was something to the semi-solitary life, and he wasn’t willing to trade it in for something else, even if he was happy to see his brothers start families.

“I appreciate your concern, but I have no interest in falling in love. And I can find my own dates. I’m too busy right now for more than that, so even if I agreed to let you set me up, I would only be wasting your friend’s time.”

Reagan sighed. “You know I love you, Bear. You deserve someone who appreciates the kind of guy you are.”

He smiled at her use of the nickname she gave him because of his considerable size. “What kind of guy am I?”

“Successful. Kind. Hot. You know, all the things,” she answered nonchalantly as Jax came tearing through the room with Ziggy hot on his heels.

“Jax Moore, stop running through the house!”

“Yes, ma’am,” the little boy called, slowing his pace to a half-walk, half-run.

Reagan shook her head as if saying without words that her son was hopeless. “If I had half of his energy, I could take over the world.”

Ben chuckled. “Like you couldn’t do that anyway.”

She pursed her lips as if considering Ben’s remark. “Very true. Anyway, time to go, Jax!”

“Aww, Momma, can’t I play with Ziggy a little longer?”

“Nope. Uncle Ben has to get going, but we’ll be back later to check on Ziggy. You can play with him then.”

“Okay. Bye, Ziggy.” Jax enveloped the cat in a hug, and Ben tried not to laugh at how Ziggy looked ready to run. Jax then hurried over to wrap his arms around Ben’s legs. “Bye, Uncle Ben. Be safe.”

The two words were something his family had gotten into the habit of saying to each other, and the words coming from his nephew tugged at his heart. He lifted Jax into his arms to hug him back.

“Thanks, buddy. You be good and help out your momma.”

“Okay.” Jax wiggled out of his uncle’s arms. Ben lowered him gently to the floor and watched him run ahead to the door.

Ben stopped them before they stepped outside. “So who’s the friend you wanted to set me up with?”

Thinking she had him on the hook, Reagan’s eyes lit up. “She’s the new librarian. I met her when Jax went to a story time the town library was having. She’s very cute. Petite. Sweet. Has a great sense of humor.”

“I know. I’ve dated her already.”

Reagan blinked in surprise. “You did?”

Ben nodded. “Not long after she moved to town. We went out to dinner twice. She’s pretty and very nice. But she smacks her lips while she eats because she chews with her mouth open.”

He knew the trait was a particular pet peeve of his sister-in-law, so he waited for her to digest the information.

“Enough said. Come on, Jax.”

Ben waved after them as they headed to the car. He was pleased that he had effectively shut down Reagan’s matchmaking for now. He had a feeling the reprieve wouldn’t last long, but he wouldn’t worry about it. He had a case which needed his attention.

He went to grab his bag holding enough clothes and essentials for a few days away from home.

He needed to get on the road if he was to make his meeting with the client — a school teacher who suspected a little boy in her class of being abused by his single father.

The authorities investigated and determined there wasn’t enough evidence to prove abuse, but the teacher felt certain something was wrong.

She was worried for her student, and he suspected the teacher tugged at Reagan’s heartstrings with her story.

As the mother to a son, Reagan didn’t have it in her to dismiss the teacher’s concern as quickly as local law enforcement had.

After Reagan briefed him on the case, he wasn’t so sure the authorities missed anything.

The teacher had been in the game long enough to know the signs of abuse, but Ben already suspected she was wrong in this case.

His brother Luke had hacked the system and secured the report on the investigation.

After looking it over, Ben discovered the authorities had been thorough.

Deep down, Ben felt they should have turned down the case, but he wasn’t about to argue the point with Reagan. If she wanted him to look into it, he would sacrifice a few days to satisfy her concerns.