Twenty-Three

J

o tapped on the open doorway of Wade’s office. “Y’all about done in here?”

Micah and Wade looked up from the blueprints stretched across Wade’s desk. They’d sequestered themselves here as soon as cleanup from Sunday’s lunch started.

Cleanup was done. Mrs. Connor had taken Lala with her, and the rest of the family had dispersed to their own abodes in search of a nap before tonight’s service. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to sneak in a little time with Micah before his next work week started.

Wade began rolling the building plans. “Yeah, we’re done. What’s up?”

Instead of responding to Wade, she looked at Micah. “I know you need to get home, but I wondered if you’d help me with something. I bought a timer for my backyard spigot, and I can’t get the faucet cap off. It shouldn’t take but a minute.”

Wade butted in before Micah could answer. “What do you need a timer for?”

“You know how Chase planted the flower garden in honor of Pop? I plan to do one for Ma.”

Micah stepped closer and wrapped his arm around her. “I’ll be happy to take a look at it.”

She could seriously get lost in those blue eyes of his. And she wanted to kiss him. All. The. Time. Even now, she felt herself leaning that way. Then Wade spoke up, reminding her that he was there.

“I’ll go with you. We can take the Gator.”

Like they needed a chaperone. Then again, maybe they did. Her stupid word-vomit from the other night came to mind. I wish you could stay here all night. Gah. Her brother’s presence would at least keep her from a repeat like that. Right?

It made her sick to think of how many times she’d said that to Tage and meant it that way. It had just rolled off her tongue to Micah, whom she never would’ve made a suggestion like that to. She’d been eaten up with guilt since. Guilt that had started with Belva’s reminders.

Wade headed out and Micah held Jo’s hand as they followed. When they got to the back door, Micah stepped in front and turned his back to her. “Hop on. I’ll carry you.”

“Really?”

“What? You think I’m not man enough to carry you.”

“Oh, I know you are, but we’re not teenagers.”

“Why do teenagers get to have all the fun?”

No arguing with that.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him and he took off at a jog. Spontaneous, joy-filled laughter rang out. Had she ever felt this happy before? This relationship she was forming with Micah should have happened before Tage. Instead of Tage.

Micah stopped next to the passenger side of the two-seater ATV. “My lady, your chariot awaits.”

She slid from his back and climbed into the bed of the Gator. “You sit up there with Wade. I’ll be fine back here.”

Wade’s Australian Shepherd, Merle, stepped next to the ATV wagging her backside, waiting to be lifted in. Gray now colored her long muzzle and around the top of her mismatched eyes.

Wade rubbed the top of her head. “Not this time, girl. Stay here and guard the house.”

She ran after them for a few steps then turned back toward the barn where her bed awaited her.

There had been talk of getting a new pup, but nothing had come of it yet. They’d gotten Merle right after Pop died. It somehow seemed weird that the next one would come on the heels of Ma’s death.

After a short, bumpy ride, they pulled around to the back of Jo’s house and hopped out. Wade got to the spigot first and put in his best efforts on the faucet cap to no avail. “What did they put this on with, superglue?” Wade looked up at her, face red and brows bunched. “Got a wrench?”

Jo smirked and patted his shoulder. “Sure. You take a rest, old man, while I get that for you.”

She sashayed off and gave one saucy look at her glaring brother before entering through the back door. He deserved her teasing. What was he trying to prove anyway? She’d asked for Micah’s help and Wade had stepped in acting all macho, which wasn’t like him at all. Maybe he was going through a mid-life crisis.

Or maybe it’s the burden of family responsibility since Ma’s death.

The thought halted her trek to the garage. She gripped the back of the couch next to her as memories washed over her. Taking care of farm and family, Wade had stepped into a large pair of boots when he took over the responsibilities their daddy left behind.

Technically, he was head of the family now. But they were all grown, and his role hadn’t really changed with Ma’s death. That didn’t mean he wasn’t feeling it. They were all adjusting, and this was a good reminder to take it easy on each other.

A flash of red had her looking out the picture window across from her. A red Audi slowed, then turned into her drive. Sweat popped out on her skin followed by a chill. She was going to be sick.

This could not be happening. Tage Buford was about to ruin everything. What were the chances of her getting rid of him before one of the guys came looking for her? She scrambled for the front door and by the time her trembling fingers fumbled with the locks and got the door open, Tage was already on her porch.

He gave her that smoldering grin that used to get her every time. This time it made her stomach churn. If she threw up on him, would he leave?

“What are you doing here?”

He stopped short at the growl in her voice. “I just came to check on you. You haven’t been answering my texts. I was worried about you, babe.”

She gritted her teeth. “I’m not your babe, and you can’t be here. You need to leave. My brother is right out back.”

Tage leaned against the porch rail with his arms crossed like he had no intention of leaving. “So. I’d like to meet him. You know I’ve always wanted you to introduce me to your family.”

That idea sounded even more ridiculous now than it had when she’d been madly in love with him. Had she been in love with him? She filed the question away to ponder on later. Right now, she only felt disgusted with him and with herself for ever falling for him in the first place.

“Trust me, my brother will not be as enthusiastic about meeting you as you seem to think. You need to leave.”

“Let me guess. Your whole family still thinks you’re pure and innocent. I think it’s time they saw the real you.”

Wade finding out about the real her would be bad, but she was his sister, and he would still love her. Micah was a different story. The thought of what he’d think of her if he knew about her past made her want to curl up in a ball and cry.

She swallowed that emotion and glared at Tage. “What do you hope to gain from this? Do you want my family to hate me? Because that’s not going to happen. Do you think they’ll think favorably toward you? Because they won’t. What good could them knowing about you possibly serve? You need to leave. Now.”

“Baby, I don’t care what they think about me. But if they knew the truth, we wouldn’t have to hide anymore. You’d realize that it’s me you need in your life, and you’d stop throwing up this roadblock between us.” He pulled away from the banister but thankfully didn’t come any closer. “I understood you not wanting your momma to know and stayed away out of respect for her, but she’s gone now. You’re a grown woman. Your siblings shouldn’t have any say over how you live your life.”

Her panic had been escalating with every minute that passed, knowing it brought closer the chance of Micah and Wade entering into this meeting. Closer to them finding out the truth about her. But knowing Tage had been circling around like a vulture waiting for her sweet mother’s death brought out the red-hot rage in her.

“I’m going for my daddy’s gun. You’ve got about two seconds to get off my porch and into that fancy car of yours. Then you’d best head back down that dirt road like your tail is on fire and you better not come back here again.”

He had the audacity to laugh, which only fueled her anger. “Do you realize how much of a redneck you sound like, talking about I’m going to go get my daddy’s gun?” He rocked his head from side to side and made a face as he mockingly threw her words back at her.

She hollered out as she turned her back and headed for the coat closet behind her. “I’m about to show you just how rednecked I can be.”

Jo opened the closet door, stepped inside, and reached for the shotgun hanging above the doorframe. Her satisfaction at seeing that her actions had sent Tage to the yard was short lived when he took a step back in her direction.

“Jo, put the gun away. We both know you’re not going to use it. You love me and we will get back together, so cut the act and let’s talk this out.”

“Is that what you tell your wife every time she threatens to leave you?” Jo cocked the gun and aimed just above his head. “This is the last time I’m going to tell you to get off of this property and don’t ever come back.”

Micah followed Wade around the side of Jo’s house. He wanted to go faster, to take the lead, but Wade had been on some kind of power trip today. Micah decided to let him at it until Wade figured out whatever was going on in his mind.

Things suddenly sped up to a pace that had his head spinning.

He saw the red, Audi TT RS parked in Jo’s drive that he didn’t recognize. He heard Jo yelling at the stranger in her yard to leave and never come back. Next thing he knew Wade was catapulting over the porch banister like he was in the Olympics. Then a gun went off, sending Micah and the guy in the front yard to the ground.

He looked up to see Wade with a shotgun in hand and he and Jo were looking up at the gap at the edge of the porch overhang.

Jo gestured to the damage. “I had this under control until you came in with your machoism. Just look at what you did to my house.”

Wade ignored her and took a step toward the edge of the porch. He glared down at the man in the yard. “I don’t know who you are, but my sister asked you to leave. I suggest you do as she asked.”

Micah jerked at the sound of someone running up behind him. It was Chase coming to check out the commotion. All the color had drained from his face as he look back and forth between Wade and the stranger. Micah imagined he looked the same as he refocused on the scene in front of him.

The man in the yard propped his hands on his hips as he addressed Wade, but his gaze never left Jo. “I’ll tell you who I am. I’m the man your sister has been secretly having an affair with for the last four years. Oh, and did I mention, I’m married?”

Micah’s knees almost buckled at the sucker punch those words delivered. His mind flashed back to his momma, crying for days after finding out her new man that she’d thought might be the one was a married man. But that relationship had lasted a month at the most and his mom had broken it off as soon as she found out.

Jo had been seeing this man for four years? How could that be justified?

The man pointed at Jo. “You wanted to play rough. Is this rough enough for you, honey? Come see me after your family rejects you now that they know their sister isn’t all she claimed to be.”

Jo stood there pale-faced with her eyes stretched wide. He’d seen the look on family members of those who’d passed on unexpectedly. He could relate. He’d just witnessed the death of the happy state he’d found himself in lately along with his dreams for the future that had been part of that package.