9. Chapter 9
Rabble
T he next morning, Rabble, Declan, and Dash sat around the dining table at the bed and breakfast, which had not changed since as long as Rabble could remember.
The table had been built by Mrs. Basket’s husband, Charlie, the winter after they’d married and held the honored position as their dining table for their too few years together.
Imperfections aplenty marked up the wood—discolorations in the stain, indentations, and scratches.
For every scar or mark though, Mrs. Basket had a story to tell, lovingly running her fingers over each mark as she spoke.
Rabble had heard those stories repeatedly while working at the bed and breakfast. Whenever she echoed a certain story, Rabble never let on, allowing Mrs. Basket to relive the memories when she’d been happiest with her husband.
Now, the table seemed smaller, casework files spread across the wooden surface and three large men perched on the questionably rickety chairs.
Breakfast platters piled with eggs, bacon, biscuits, and skillet potatoes sat on the buffet table against the wall, empty except for a few crumbs.
No one would doubt that the three of them could put away a decent amount of food on a good day, but when Mrs. Basket made everything from scratch—well, it had been a long minute since any of them had enjoyed a good homecooked meal.
Seeing Mrs. Basket again had nearly brought Rabble to his knees.
Logically, he’d known she would age, but the increased wrinkles that pulled at her mouth and crinkled the corners of her eyes when she smiled almost bowled him over.
Just as beautiful as ever, she was the closest he had ever come to having a grandmother.
He’d asked about her health and hobbies and had a hard time not inquiring after every detail of her life while they caught up.
He’d missed her. Giving up Shiloh Hills had come with its downsides, and missing out on time with Mrs. Basket was one mistake he would never be able to undo.
Rabble checked his watch again, noticing the late hour, and tried to hurry their morning meeting along, knowing Mrs. Basket and Olivia would be in soon to clear away breakfast and prepare for lunch.
“She’s definitely made the place into a home,” Declan said, reporting on how Bekah was doing.
Claiming the house as her own, decorating and creating a home, was a small but vital part of the process as far as Rabble was concerned.
If the client never felt comfortable enough to settle into their new accommodations, they wouldn’t be able to pull off staying away from their old life for long.
Declan tapped his pen against the table. “And she seems genuinely excited about starting work with Elyza.”
Rabble hoped Shiloh Hills suited Bekah well.
The small town had some level of commerce that kept it from falling completely off of the map, but it was one of those hidden gems people didn’t tend to find unless they were looking for it.
The fact that Rabble could distance himself enough from some of his worst memories to view Shiloh Hills as promising spoke volumes about the town as a whole.
Bekah should be able to live a quiet and safe life there if she wanted to.
Rabble caught Declan and Dash glancing at each other again, the fifth time in half an hour.
Admittedly, his brothers had waited longer than he thought they would, and he commended their restraint.
Regardless, he could tell they were growing weary of his vague answers and half-truths about the woman from The Wild Bride on their first day in town.
He was also tired of tip-toeing around the topic of Skye, but how did he tell his brothers he had never been man enough to go after the only woman he ever truly wanted?
He was happy with his life now, wasn’t he?
They had plenty of work coming in and helped people who needed it.
He worked with the two best friends a guy could ask for and had relative peace.
So why had coming back to Shiloh Hills made him feel sick inside?
Why had the thought of seeing Skye made him so nervous and frustrated?
And why couldn’t he stop replaying the kiss he’d brushed against her cheek?
He knew why. Rabble just didn’t want to say the words out loud. The moment they knew, Declan would probably tell Rabble exactly what he was thinking while Dash would stay silent, his disapproval showing in his eyes.
Was he being a coward? One hundred percent yes. He didn’t doubt that. Still, he had never been cagey with his brothers before, and he wasn’t necessarily interested in starting now. “I’ve known Skye since we were children. She was my next-door neighbor.”
His sudden announcement hung in the air as silence fell.
The twins gave Rabble their full attention and respect as he outlined the basics of his time with Skye.
He didn’t get into too many details about his father, mother, or childhood, only that Skye had been an anchor in his otherwise stormy life.
“She was my sanity for the longest time, the only part of my life that made sense after my mom died.”
Silence.
Rabble tried to swallow past the lump in his throat.
“But her dad is—well, he’s a jackass. When she broke their house rules to stay with me, they forbade her from seeing me again, even though we lived next door to each other and went to the same school.
They finished convincing her she wasn’t worth anything unless she was perfect, and I made promises I didn’t keep…
especially when she needed me most.” The disgust was evident in his voice, and admitting his failure aloud made his stomach churn.
He glanced unseeingly at the reports in front of him.
Instead, he saw her standing behind the school building, the early morning light painting the sky in purples and pinks while he promised they’d go somewhere far enough away to leave behind the pain and anger of Shiloh Hills.
She’d been so radiant, so hopeful, looking at him with eyes full of trust despite the trouble he’d managed to get into in the last few years.
“That was then,” Dash said quietly, his deep voice rumbling, filling the space.
Rabble’s gaze snapped to him; he didn’t speak often, so Rabble listened when he did.
“This is now.” Dash shrugged.
Confusion rippled through Rabble. “So?”
Uncharacteristically serious, Declan answered for his brother. “I think what he’s trying to say is that you were both still kids then. You aren’t kids anymore, so what’s stopping you now?”
Dash cocked his head to the side incredulously. “That’s exactly what I just said.”
The twins left Rabble sitting at the dining table, warring with himself.
On one hand, he wanted to go after Skye, wanted to chase the dreams they’d had when they were those lovesick kids.
On the other hand, how could he face her, knowing how fantastically he had let her down, and ask for a chance this late in the game?
He hadn’t been a major part of her life since they were eighteen, and a lot of time and history had passed since then.
Their lives had diverged, and their experiences had shaped them, molded them, into different people.
And yet, even though Rabble considered himself a fairly smart person, he felt like the biggest idiot in the world. In some ways, he was still that eighteen-year-old kid who knew nothing of the world or himself.
With his mind spinning, Rabble quite literally felt dizzy. What in the world was he doing? Eight years. Eight damn years. Wasted.
Think , he chastised himself, forcing back the self-loathing to focus on his current problem.
He was a planner; that was what he did for work every day. He solved problems and developed solutions that benefited every party involved. Applying the same process to himself should come naturally, right?
Something that felt oddly like hope flickered in his chest.
Yet each time he thought about talking to Skye, about bringing up the past and the promises he broke, something inside him shrank away from the pain he knew it would inflict on both of them.
Mind occupied, Rabble left his truck keys in his room and hurried down the stairs.
He pushed through the screen door at the back of the bed and breakfast and soon found himself on the sidewalk.
With his hands stuffed into his pockets, he lumbered toward the warehouse where he planned to meet Skye again.
By the time he reached the building, he needed his thoughts organized, or he would quickly put his foot in his mouth. That was inevitable.
As he neared the warehouse, he’d worked up a decent sweat.
He hadn’t considered the heat, the distance, or the fact that jeans were not the best choice of clothing for a long summer walk.
At least the multiple garage doors were wide open, letting sunlight and a summer breeze stream in.
The massive space was busier with more parade trailers parked inside and outside on the grass and gravel.
Townsfolk milled about, chatting and trading equipment; the sound of power tools and sporadic laughter built into a cacophony of noise that drowned out all thought and reason.
Damn. The loud banging and constant hammering made him wince.
He glanced around, seeking Declan and Dash, each working on their respective floats.
They’d moved their trailers outside, as far onto the grass and away from the loudest sounds in the warehouse.
Rabble once again had to acknowledge how smart his partners were.
The freedom and fresh air they gained from their distance to the building was well worth the lack of electricity that far out.
His eyes scanned the back wall where Elyza’s trailer was truly stuck in the warehouse.
Trapped. His heart hammered in his ears, and he swallowed thickly.
Stealing himself, Rabble made his way through the tangle of air hoses for a variety of compressors running power tools, around trailers and large props for the parade, and through the crowds of people moving about their projects.
The noises bounced around the echoey space and made him jumpy.
Spotting Skye took longer than he liked.
With a paintbrush in hand, she sat atop a turned-over bucket at the back of their trailer and traced tiny, delicate lace patterns on the posts he’d put together yesterday.
He paused and watched as she focused on her task.
A cute little crease dipped between her brows as they furrowed slightly in concentration, and she silently mouthed the words to whatever song blasted from a large speaker across the room.
The care she gave each detail was remarkable. She was remarkable.
As he got closer, Rabble made enough noise so she could hear him over the din. Grimacing, he thought of the times someone had come up behind him without warning. Those memories were not some of his more pleasant ones.
Skye turned and asked, “Is something wrong?”
“What? No, why would anything be wrong?” he stammered.
“You’re frowning, again.” She gave him a pointed look, daring him to argue with her use of the word again .
Instead, he gave her a strained smile and opted for honesty. “The noise. I wanted to make sure you heard me coming so I didn’t sneak up on you. Not so good when it happens to me.” He grimaced, hating how vulnerable the admission made him feel, how exposed and weak.
Skye must have read what he wasn’t saying in the strained lines of his face and nodded, dropping the issue and returning to her tiny lace markings. Rabble gave a silent sigh of relief. That was a conversation he desperately didn’t want to have with her. Not yet.
He left her to her details and turned his attention to the low platform where the three brides would stand during the parade.
He let his mind wander as he constructed each of Elyza’s ideas for the float, Skye painting the entire time, pausing only to mark off each project from the checklist provided to them by Elyza.
At one point, Rabble practically begged Skye to take a short break and scarf down the sandwich Elyza delivered, along with a heap of praise for the work they’d done.
She’d agreed reluctantly, proceeding to eat faster than anyone he’d seen before, including his time in basic training.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed, both with the speed in which she finished lunch and the dedication she showed to each minute detail she included on the posts.
Dusk had fallen by the time Skye stood, slowly, arching her back to stretch the kinks out of her muscles.
Rabble tried, he truly did, not to let his eyes wander over her form as she reached toward the ceiling on her tiptoes.
His self-control slipped when her shirt pulled up, exposing a thin strip of bare skin at her waist.
Skye came out of her stretch and turned to greet several of her previous students who had come with their parents and were leaving for the night. The smile that lit up her face took his breath away, and he was moving before he knew what he was doing.
Rabble grasped Skye’s hand lightly and watched surprise and wariness war in her eyes. “Can we talk?”