Chapter Fourteen

Emily sat on her couch and watched Rick and his older brother Weston wrangle over how best to install the super high-tech security system he’d insisted was necessary. Watching the two alphas go at in much the same way they always had let her know the chances of a quiet morning were just about nil.

Which wasn’t as disappointing as she might’ve guessed.

Maybe that’s what mind-blowing sexual relations did to a person. Smoothed out the rough edges and made the jagged parts a little less so. It seemed as reasonable an explanation as anything she’d come up with, and she decided to embrace it. If she didn’t, she’d be frustrated that he’d practically shadowed her every move for the last several days. A thing that was irritating, infuriating, and the tiniest bit sweet since she knew it meant he cared.

She ran her hand over Mabel’s back. Her dog wasn’t her usual perky self, and she had a feeling it had something to do with the Aussie mix currently residing at the shelter. Her baby had been out of sorts all week, and she knew it had nothing to do with her physical health. “I get it,” she said quietly against her dog’s ear. “Boys are always trouble, and there’s no way to get around it.”

“Did you say something?” Rick called out.

“No, I’m just discussing things with my dog.”

“Any brilliant insights?”

“Several.” Moving her dog off her lap, she stood and walked into her small dining alcove and studied all the gizmos on the table. “Is all this necessary?”

“Absolutely,” Weston stated firmly. “You can never be too secure, and considering someone already breached your perimeter, we’re adopting the ‘more is better’ attitude.”

Emily gave Rick a slow up and down. “Guess you’ve shared some things with your brother if he knows all about your breeching ‘ability.’” Laughing, she watched both men’s eyes pop. “What? That’s not what you were talking about?”

Weston let out a quiet laugh. “Damn, girl, you’ve only gotten better. I can’t imagine any one more qualified to put my sorry-ass brother in his place.”

“I’m not—”

“Just say thanks, darlin’, and leave it at that,” Rick said. “You just got the endorsement of a Texas Ranger, and in his small mind, there isn’t anything better.”

“Considering I was a Tier-One operator, you bet your ass it’s better.”

“And the only reason you need to keep reminding a man who spent ten years on the Teams of that insignificant fact is ’cause you’re the tiniest bit insecure.”

“I can turn around while y’all unzip your pants and measure yourselves, if that would help,” Emily commented as she made a pile of small wires. Seeing Rick’s arms open, she stepped back. “What do you want?”

“To love on my woman.”

“Does this mean you like my comments about your zipper?”

“I like your comments, no matter what they are,” he said as he pulled her into a hug.

“God will strike you down for a lie like that.”

“He means it, Em,” Weston said quietly. “You’re the only one that’s going to make any kind of peace possible for him. You got the key to his happiness in the palm of your hand, make no mistake about it.”

Emily huffed. “And if that doesn’t make y’all nervous, I don’t what will, since I’ve been plotting and plannin’ against him from the age of five.”

“That was just a side hustle to keep you distracted until it was the right time and place to take one another on.”

Emily glanced up and noticed Rick’s satisfied smile and bit back a sassy retort.

“Go ahead, Em. You’re going to burst if you don’t let out the quip,” Rick commented. “And I, for one, have no interest in seeing what that’s looks like.”

She waved her hands and plastered a smile on her face. “Nothing to see here, I’m a paragon of—”

“Smart-ass sass, fire, and all the good shit women from Texas are made of,” Weston finished.

Pushing herself out of Rick’s arms, she slid her hands down her hips and gave both men a wide smile. “Have I told you how much I missed you, Weston?”

“No, as a matter of fact, you haven’t.”

“Quit giving him one of your good smiles, woman,” Rick grumbled. “Those are mine, and I don’t plan on sharing them with the likes of him.”

“Don’t be silly. I can share them with whomever I like.”

“Uhhh, no, you can’t.”

Sliding into a dining room chair, she lifted an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

The sound of Rick’s teeth grinding filled the small space as he looked between the two. “Anything I say will be held against me, won’t it?”

“Of course,” Weston answered with a smirk.

Emily patted his hand and then turned to Weston. “So, how do you like being a Ranger?”

“Well enough,” he replied as he rolled a screwdriver in his hand. “But that may all change, since I just found out that I’m going to be trotted out like a damn show pony and have to do a dozen or so publicity events.”

“That sounds like your worst nightmare.”

“Why’d they choose you?” Rick asked. “You hate public speaking. You’d rather muck out stalls than stand in front of a crowd.”

“I’m guessing it has something to do with our last name. And believe me, I have done everything I can to get myself out of it,” Weston replied, running his hand along the edge of the table. “Apparently, the combination of my service record with the Marines and the big case I solved last month makes me”—he lifted his hand in quotation marks—“the only viable choice.”

“And you’re good looking,” Emily added. “The ladies will be swooning when they get a glimpse of that square jaw of yours.”

“Can someone just kill me now?” Weston groaned. “This is absolutely the last thing I want to be involved with.”

“Embrace the suck, brother.”

Seeing Weston’s handsome face scrunch up, she felt a stab of sympathy for him. “How long is your publicity duty supposed to take?” Emily asked.

“Not sure. I’m meeting with the department’s public relations person next week, and I’ll get the particulars.”

“Well, I wish you good luck,” Emily said firmly. “Do you think you’ll have time to find out who broke into my house before you go on tour?”

“Absolutely,” Weston answered. “Willy sent all the physical evidence from your house to our labs, and we’ll see if anything pops. I’ve made a few calls and am looking into the company the Pierce brothers are keeping. Give me a couple of days and I should have something to move on.”

“I appreciate it, Weston. I know you’ve got a full plate, and any little thing you can do will be helpful.”

“In the meantime, we’ll be peanut butter and jelly,” Rick said firmly. “Stuck together with no room for anyone to cause you harm.”

Emily leaned forward and grasped Weston’s hand. “Please, find out who did this as soon as possible, because having your brother trail me all over South Texas will not bode well for either one of us.”

“Will do, Em.” Weston glanced over at Rick and shook his head. “I suggest you do something about resisting your own worse instincts, so Em doesn’t find it necessary to do you some justified harm.”

“I’m…going to try.”

“Hallelujah,” she said as she lifted her hands. “We might make it to next week with all our sanity intact.”

“Lawd, woman, give me some credit. I didn’t follow you to every call you’ve had in the last two days.”

“Yes, dear.”

“If I pretend to believe your sincerity, will it get me any points?”

“It sure won’t make you lose any,” she replied with a smile.

“Then that’s winning, as far as I’m concerned.”

…

Aunt Pearl’s eightieth birthday was in full swing, and Rick guessed more than half the county was in attendance. There were two large tents filled with people celebrating a woman who was still hell on wheels and had more fun than people half her age.

Tapping his foot to the music, he glanced around and wondered where Em had gotten off to. He’d last seen her in the clutches of his mama and hoped it didn’t spell bad news. He hadn’t had the chance to update his mother on the latest developments of his and Em’s budding romance but was fairly confident that with her super-human gossip-gathering skills she was more than apprised of what was going on.

Letting out a frustrated groan, he watched his mama walk in his direction, sans Em. The woman had a determined smile lighting up her beautiful face, and that had never meant good news for him or his brothers. Giving her his own resolute grin, he held out his hand. “Hey, Mama, you put on another amazing shindig.”

“Thank you, son. Nothing better than having friends over to celebrate with good food and even better margaritas.”

“Did Daddy put the kibosh on the fireworks this year, or did you convince him it was a good idea?”

“I didn’t even bring it up, since the horses were out of sorts for a week the last time we lit up the sky.”

“Considering how much you love those animals, it’s not a surprise.”

She dropped her hand to Rick’s arm and smiled. “Speaking of fireworks…”

Inwardly groaning, he knew the speculative look in his mama’s eyes was trouble. “Are you pretending not to know every detail of what’s transpired in the last week?”

She sniffed. “I’m a woman with a full plate and don’t have time to listen to the gossip at the weekly Garden Club meetings.”

Throwing back his head, he let out a loud laugh. “You don’t need to listen to anything, since you’re the one who usually knows the most.”

“Well, in the case of you, I know very little since you haven’t seen fit to let your poor mama know a thing.”

He crossed his arms and looked across the patio and felt his heart stop for a second when he saw Emily in the arms of another man. “Why the hell is my woman dancing with Harlan McKintree?”

“I introduced them earlier and suggested they might find one another entertaining.”

Controlling every impulse in his body, he took several long breaths in and out. “Mama, you tryin’ to do me in the way the tangos in Ramadi never could?”

Celeste Blakely straightened her five-foot-one frame and folded her hands. “I love you with every bone in my body and want you to be happy more than anything. I’ve watched you stitch yourself back together in the last year and know that you’re ready for a big slice of happiness. What I don’t know is who you might want to have it with.”

Letting his hands fall to his sides, he rolled his shoulders. “You and I both know it’s always been Em.”

“Exactly what does that mean, son?”

“You want me to say the words out loud, don’t you?”

“Yes. I want you to let me and God know what you’re thinking.”

“I want…”

“Yes?”

“What you and Daddy have. A union strong enough to withstand anything that comes along, enough laughter to make the bad times bearable, and undying respect for one another.”

“Then I suggest you go and grab your girl before that rascal Harlan talks her into some kind of nonsense.”

“I’m the only one capable of that, but there’s no reason to let Harlan waste his breath.” He bent down and kissed his mama’s cheek. “Love you, ol’ girl, even if you give me more grief than I deserve.”

“Son, we both know I haven’t given you half of what the good Lord would deem fair.”

“Well, the good news is that I survived combat, so you have a real good chance of making sure to give me a full helping.”

“And don’t think I won’t make sure to do just that.”

He chuckled. “I’m goin’ to get my girl and twirl her around the dance floor, so she can see just how good a catch I am.”

“Son, there isn’t anyone better, and deep down, she knows that. Just give her a minute to come to that conclusion on her own. A woman likes to believe she’s the architect of her own fate, no matter how much the hand of God is involved.”

“Noted.” Taking a step backward, he gave his mama the grin that had always gotten him out of trouble and knew he wasn’t going to waste the second chance he’d been given.