Читать книгу No Getting Over A Cowboy - Delores Fossen, Delores Fossen - Страница 10

CHAPTER FOUR

“HAVE YOU LOST your sonofabitching mind?” Garrett asked his brother the moment Roman answered the phone.

“Some would say that I never had a mind to lose, sonofabitching or otherwise,” Roman calmly answered. “And now that we’ve gotten the profanity out of the way, I guess you’re calling about the widows?”

“You bet your ass, I am.” Garrett wasn’t through with the profanity just yet, and he shut the door to his office just in case some of those widows were around to hear him chew out his brother. “What the hell were you thinking when you told Mom she could let those six women stay here?”

“I was thinking the same thing I’m thinking right now with you. What’s the fastest way to get this person off the phone? Because I don’t have time for this. I’ve got a business to run, and I’m stomping out fires left and right while raising a tweenager with a bad attitude.”

That was the pot calling the kettle black. Roman had had a bad attitude since birth. According to their mother, when he’d come out breech, he’d immediately kicked the doctor in the balls.

Garrett wasn’t completely immune to Roman’s problems. Yes, his brother had them, but at the moment so did Garrett. “You need to call Mom back and tell her you made a mistake, that the women can’t stay here.”

“Now, you see, that would take time because Mom would plead her case for the women. I’d have to dig in my heels, and that would only make her plead more. That would then lead to multiple phone calls, and if she didn’t get her way, she’d show up here. Like I said, I don’t have time for that.”

Garrett was glad he’d shut the door because he cursed some more, throwing in some really bad words and insults. He cursed again when he looked out the window and saw some of the women pulling into the driveway behind the house. They had already started to arrive. And the first person out of the SUV was Nicky, of course.

“If you don’t rescind your offer, it’ll result in multiple phone calls from me,” Garrett threatened. “And at least one ass-kicking visit. I’m still your big brother.”

He couldn’t be sure, but he thought Roman chuckled. “Look, think of this as getting a lap dance. Just sit back, relax and enjoy it.”

That was the worst advice in the history of bad advice. “I can’t enjoy it. There’ll be six women in the house and a toddler. I can’t go to Z.T.’s place because it’s a crime scene.”

“Yeah, Sophie just called and told me all about that. Seems I can’t get off the phone today with people in my gene pool.”

“Well, you’re staying on the phone with me until we get some things straight. Do you have any idea how crazy things are here right now?”

Roman huffed. “I have an inkling. Sorry about the crime scene, the widows, the toddler and the inconvenience this will cause you and those plans you have to extend the ranch. But I’m not rescinding the offer because (a) it won’t be for very long, (b) Mom said some of the women don’t have any other place to go and (c) you can move to the guesthouse if you want to get away from them.”

“Sophie has her office in the guesthouse,” Garrett quickly pointed out. As CEO of Granger Western, she had an office in Austin, a huge one, but since getting engaged to Clay, she spent far more time at the ranch than she did in the city.

“Sophie’s not using the bedroom in the guesthouse since she’s sleeping at Clay’s. So, there’s your solution. Sorry that I can’t fix the delay on the ranch improvements, but it’s my guess that Clay’s not going to let you bring in digging equipment until he’s processed the scene.”

Roman was right about that. Nothing anyone could do about it. That still didn’t soothe Garrett any. There were only a few things he could control in his life, and the ranch was one of them. At least he had been able to control it until today.

“My advice?” Roman went on. “Since Nicky’s there, burn off some of your orneriness by having sex with her.”

That brought on more cursing. “How’d you even know Nicky was here?”

“Mom and Sophie told me. Plus, I ran into Nicky a few months ago at a rodeo in San Antonio, and she asked about Z.T.’s place.”

Garrett couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “A few months ago? You’ve known about it all this time?”

“If you were an engine, I’d say you were about to blow a gasket. No, I didn’t know she wanted to lease the house, but she did ask about it. Apparently, she’s always had a soft spot for the place.”

Hell. He hoped that wasn’t because she’d lost her virginity there. But what else could it be? He didn’t like the answer that came to mind.

“Did you take Nicky to Z.T.’s?” Garrett asked, and even though he didn’t add it, Roman knew what he was implying.

“No.” Roman stretched that out a few syllables. “You have a dirty mind, you know that? I liked Nicky, and I always felt a little sorry for her.”

“Because of what happened between me and her?” Garrett didn’t let him answer. “I’m tired of explaining myself when it comes to that. I met Meredith and fell in love with her. What was I supposed to do—stay with Nicky just because we’d had sex?”

“Again, you’re in dirty-mind territory. I didn’t feel sorry for Nicky because of what happened with you two. It’s because she always had this sad look in her eyes. Even before you, she had it. It reminded me of a wounded bird.”

Garrett tried to think back to those days, and yes, Nicky hadn’t always been the happiest of people. He always figured that was because she had seemed so anxious to get the heck out of town. His classmates had fallen into two categories—those who were planted in Wrangler’s Creek and those who thought it was a smelly Texas armpit. Nicky had fallen into the latter category. At least he thought she had until today.

“By the way, Mom’s matchmaking with Nicky and you,” Roman went on. “If you want to ease your suffering and rile Mom at the same time, then just start seeing one of the women in town. Sophie said half the eligible women in Wrangler’s Creek want to have sex with you. Half of the ineligible ones, too.”

Good grief. His sister and Mom were regular chatterboxes today. “No, those women want marriage and commitment. You’re the one they want to have sex with.” Roman couldn’t argue with that, and Garrett gave it one more try. “Will you call Mom?”

“I will if and when you break your sexual dry spell with Nicky.” And with that, Roman hung up.

Garrett stood there, staring at the phone, and he considered all the bad things he would like to do to his brother. He didn’t want any word of what Roman had said to sink in, but Roman was right about one thing. He was ornery and had been since this whole mess with Meredith. A shrink would probably tell him that he was depressed about failing.

The shrink would be right.

The shrink would probably also say that he was overcompensating for that failure by throwing his heart and soul into the ranch.

The shrink would be right about that, too.

At least there was no need for therapy now since he’d diagnosed his own problems. Too bad, though, that there wasn’t an immediate fix for this shit storm.

Garrett shoved his phone back in his pocket and started gathering up his things from his desk to take to the guesthouse. There wasn’t a box, but the trashcan was empty so he used that. He also grabbed his spare jeans and shirt from the closet, and he draped those over his arm. He kept a clean set there just in case someone dropped in for a meeting. Of course, he’d have to eventually go to his room and pack some toiletries and other clothes, but that could wait.

“I’m busy,” he snarled when there was a knock at the door.

But it opened anyway, and Sophie came in. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm.

“Failed marriage. The six widows in the house. The dead body. You had to put your extension plans for the ranch on hold.” By answering that seriously, Sophie was adding her own sarcasm. “You haven’t had sex in months.”

“I’m not talking sex with you. Just had a little chat with Roman about that very subject.”

She flexed her eyebrows. “I would have thought you already knew about the birds and the bees.”

He was so not in the mood for her attempts to cheer him up. Garrett intended to wallow in it while he came up with a fix for this. “Don’t you have some other place to be right now?”

Sophie gave a smile that only a kid sister could have managed. “Nope.”

“Well, I do. I’m moving to the guesthouse. That means you’ll be inconvenienced until those women leave.”

She shrugged, started to help him gather up his things. “FYI. Mom’s trying to hook you up with Nicky.”

Apparently everyone in the known universe was aware of that. Well, maybe everyone but Nicky. Maybe if he mentioned it to her, she’d go running. It was worth a try anyway.

“Mom thinks you and Nicky have this permanent spiritual bond since the two of you had sex,” Sophie continued. “I told her if that were true, then Roman would have spiritual bonds with half the county. She didn’t like that.”

“I’ll bet. How the heck did she find out about Nicky and me anyway?”

“Gossip. She has selective acceptance when it comes to the things she hears, though. If it’s about me having sex, then it’s a vile rumor. If it’s about you, then it’s true. She believes you’ve had sex with the other half of the women in the county that Roman missed.”

“Not even close,” Garrett grumbled. He tossed his laptop charger and some files onto the stash, then added his laptop on top of the pile.

“It was pretty sucky, though, what you did to Nicky,” Sophie added.

Garrett lifted his head, looked at her. Or rather glared at her. “How do you know what I did to Nicky?”

“Please. I’ve got ears, and I might be four years younger than you, but I still heard the gossip.”

Yeah, and he was betting none of that gossip had painted him in a good light. Not that it should. But there were things about that whole encounter that the gossips hadn’t known.

Well, one thing anyway.

But Garrett didn’t intend to share that with Sophie.

Grabbing the filled trash can, Garrett headed out. Part of him felt like a riled kid who hadn’t gotten his way and was now running away from home. But it was more than that. He wanted his privacy, didn’t want to have to face anyone new who would give him “poor pitiful Garrett” looks.

Sophie picked up some of the books on his desk and followed him out. Maybe to resume a chat he in no way wanted to resume. In fact, right now he needed to focus on work, and that meant contacting the work crew and rescheduling. Contacting Clay, as well, to find out if he had a timeline for this investigation. Also calling the cattle broker to postpone delivery of the Angus he’d bought.

He encountered no widows along the way, but as soon as Garrett made it to the backyard, he spotted Kaylee. Hard to miss her since she was right there just a few inches from the steps, and she was holding a cicada shell in her hand.

“Boog,” she announced. Clearly, she wasn’t a squeamish kid since the shells always looked a little creepy to Garrett. “Mama twit puking.”

“That’s good.” He heard himself say the words, but it didn’t actually register in his head. But what did register were some bad flashbacks. Bad because they were good. Memories of Meredith being pregnant. Of the ultrasound where he’d first seen his daughter.

Oh, man.

It felt like a punch to the gut, and Garrett had to get out of there. He needed to get behind a closed door so he could stuff all of these emotions back down. No way could he deal with this now. Maybe not ever.

He hurried past Kaylee only to encounter another obstacle. Nicky. She was lugging a suitcase that she’d apparently just taken from her SUV.

“Sorry if Kaylee was bothering you,” Nicky said, and it seemed as if she was about to walk right past him. But then she stopped, maybe because he looked as unsteady as he suddenly felt. “Are you, uh, going to throw up or something?”

Hell. He must have looked really bad. So bad that Sophie took the trash can from him. “I’ll put this stuff in the guesthouse,” his sister offered. She headed that direction, glancing back as if waiting for him to follow. And he would have, but Nicky stepped in front of him.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Nicky pressed.

“Fine. I’m just busy. How about you? Kaylee said you quit puking.”

She nodded, mumbled something under her breath that he didn’t catch. What she didn’t seem to realize was the effect her daughter was having on him. Thankfully, Kaylee hurried into the house, babbling something about showing off the boog. Too bad Nicky didn’t go with her.

“Yes, the puking seems to have run its course,” she explained. “I told you I didn’t have the stomach for bones, blood and such. Not for puke itself, either, which was why it went on for a while.” Nicky paused, took in a weary breath. “Look, I know we got off to a bad start, but I’m asking you not to fight the lease.”

Even though it was hard to think, Garrett forced away the flashbacks. He managed it, sort of, and came up with one argument he hadn’t given her yet.

“You really want to live in a house where someone died?” he asked.

Nicky shrugged. “Your great-grandfather died there. So did his wife.” She looked reasonably strong about that until she shuddered. “But yes, this does creep me out. It’s one thing to have your great-grandparents die there, but this guy might have been murdered. In boxers with hearts on them.”

Yeah. That’d been disturbing to Garrett, too. “Underpants like that suggest a lover’s tryst.”

She made a sound of agreement. “Or maybe he had bad taste in boxers. Or he could have just run out of clean undies and those were his last option.” She stopped. “But you’re right. It feels tryst-y. Which, according to Loretta, points to your Aunt Matilda.”

“Loretta told you about her?”

She nodded. “While I was puking. It’s possible I missed a word or two of what she was saying, but I caught the gist. Your aunt had h-o-t p-a-n-t-s, and I don’t think Loretta meant they were really short shorts.”

“No,” he had to agree. Even though Garrett had never met his great-aunt, it was unsettling to think she could have killed a man. That “unsettling” wasn’t limited to just her though. “I’m holding out that the guy died of natural causes.”

Nicky smiled. “And here I didn’t think you were a rose-colored-glasses kind of guy.”

Her smile quickly faded. Probably because she remembered there wasn’t much to be happy about. But while it lasted, he got a glimpse of the cute flute player she’d once been. In those days, she’d been a looker. Still was. And Garrett hated to notice that the years had settled nicely on her.

It was definitely time for him to get the heck away from her.

He stepped around her to do just that, but Nicky blocked his path again. “Please don’t fight the lease,” she repeated. “I sold my house to pay for the rent and expenses on this place.”

“You sold your house?” he questioned.

She nodded. “It really wasn’t a home where I wanted to stay. I’d planned on selling it anyway, but I need to give this a try first. I made a promise to these women that they’d have a retreat here on the ranch. I just hadn’t counted on the retreat coming with so many...obstacles.”

She looked him straight in the eye when she spoke that last word. Yes, he was an obstacle to her, but he wasn’t the only one.

“You should know that my mom is playing matchmaker,” he informed her. “That’s the real reason she agreed to lease the place to you.”

Nicky didn’t hesitate in nodding. “I know. That’s also why she hired me to do some legal work for her.”

Garrett frowned. Again, this was news to him. And confusing since they already had a family lawyer. “What kind of legal work?

“She’s redoing her will. Not a standard will, either. It’s complete with elaborate funeral details and her obituary. She says it’ll take weeks, maybe even months to finalize.”

Yeah, definitely matchmaking. He could add another chat with his mom to his to-do list. He had to nip this in the bud before it bit him in the ass. He didn’t want his mother throwing him together with Nicky—and Kaylee.

Nicky lifted the suitcase onto the bottom step, and Garrett didn’t miss the slight grunting sound she made. The grunt got louder when she hoisted it to the next step. With eight more steps to go, she was going to give herself a hernia before she made it to the back door.

Of course, he helped by carrying it up all the steps and onto the porch. Thankfully, the suitcase had wheels so she shouldn’t have any trouble getting it inside. After that, though, she was on her own.

“You’re leaving?” she asked, tipping her head at the clothes he had draped over his arm.

“Moving to the guesthouse. I figure the house will get pretty crowded what with Mom, our housekeeper, a toddler and six widows.”

Nicky got a strange look. A cross between “deer in the headlights” and “oh, crap.”

“About that...” she said.

But that was all she managed before he heard sounds he darn sure didn’t want to hear. Car engines. And they were all converging on the house like some kind of funeral procession. Garrett watched as they drove in one by one, and they just seemed to keep on coming. Trucks, cars and SUVs. Someone even drove up on a motorcycle.

“About that,” Nicky repeated. She opened the back door, pushed in her suitcase. “There are more than six of us.” And she ducked inside.

For a few seconds Garrett was stunned into silence. “How many more?”

“Twelve. Maybe thirteen. Fourteen, tops.” Nicky walked away, repeating the biggest lie of all. “You’ll never even notice we’re here.”