Читать книгу Texas Rebels: Quincy - Linda Warren - Страница 11

Chapter Three

Paxton met Quincy at the front door. “Did you talk to Jenny?”

“What do you care?” Quincy walked toward the kitchen, but Paxton followed. Falcon and their mother were in the kitchen.

“What did she say?” Paxton kept on.

Quincy got a beer out of the refrigerator and twisted off the top with more force than necessary. “You have a phone, don’t you, Paxton? Why don’t you try using it to call her, the way you should have days ago.”

“Come on, man, get off my back.”

Kate Rebel turned from the sink. “Paxton, your father and I raised you better than this. Not calling Jenny was the coward’s way out, and I didn’t raise cowards. Tomorrow you will go over to the Walker place and you’ll apologize with your hat in your hand. Jenny has been around this ranch since you were kids and I’m really upset at the way you’ve treated her.”

“Mom, I couldn’t call her. She’d cry and I couldn’t handle that. Besides, I told her when we broke up we weren’t getting back together. I wasn’t ever going to change and she had to accept it. That was it for me. Jenny and I were over and I didn’t feel I had to call and explain when I fell in love with someone else.”

Their mother wiped her hands on a dish towel. “That may be so, but you still owe her an apology.”

“I’m not apologizing!” Paxton shouted. “You treat me as if I’m in grade school. I’m a grown man and Jenny and I had a relationship and we broke it off. Do you want me to call every girl I’ve ever dated to let them know I’m engaged?”

Falcon was sitting at the kitchen table and he rose to his feet. Quincy was on alert because he knew Paxton wasn’t going to get away with talking to their mother like that. They respected their mother. Always.

“I expect you to be a man and care about other people and their feelings, especially Jenny’s, since you’ve dated her since you were in high school. I know it’s been on and off, but that was because of you.” Kate shook her head. “I’m not going to talk about this anymore. You will apologize. That is my bottom line.”

“I’m not apologizing,” Paxton said again with anger in his voice. “And another thing, why can’t I sleep in the house with Lisa? Your ideas are old-fashioned and outdated. You have to start living in the twenty-first century.”

Their mother’s lips tightened into a thin line. “This is my house, and you will live by my rules. If you want to sleep with Lisa, you can sleep with her in the bunkhouse, but not under my nose, in my home. That was a rule your father and I made years ago, hoping you boys would grow up with morals and integrity. If you don’t respect that, you’re free to leave.”

“Maybe I should. You care more about Jenny than you do about your own son.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve had enough of your attitude.” Falcon stepped closer to Paxton. “Apologize to Mom this instant or I’m going to lay a whole lot of hurt on you. We all worked our butts off today to give you a party and this is how you thank us, by disrespecting our mother? You know better than that.”

“Shut up, Falcon. You’re not my father.”

That was when Falcon’s fist connected with Paxton’s jaw. Paxton staggered backward, landed against the wall and slid to the floor. He was immediately on his feet, ready to take on his older brother, who was now head of the family.

“Falcon!” their mother cried.

Quincy got between his brothers. “Enough. Go home to Leah, Falcon. I got this.” Since they still couldn’t take their preemie son out around people other than family, Leah and Falcon had taken turns coming to the party. Falcon had only been here a few minutes.

Falcon turned toward the back door at the same time that Eden danced into the kitchen. “Oh, there’s my daddy. Hey, Daddy, we’re having a party. Oooh.” Eden grabbed her head. “I’m floating.” She reached for the counter.

Eden was drunk. Before Falcon could get to her, Jude came into the kitchen. “Grandpa’s passed out, Quincy. You better check on him.”

“What’s going on in there?”

“Phoenix spiked the punch. Zane’s throwing up in the bathroom and I’ve got to go.”

Their mother threw up her hands. “Why can’t we have a party like normal people?” She went to the doorway and shouted, “Phoenix, get in here! And bring that punch bowl.”

“I’m taking Eden home,” Falcon said, placing his arm around his daughter and leading her toward the back door. “Let’s go home to Mama, baby girl.”

Eden leaned on her father. “I love Mama and Snickerdoodle. He’s so sweet. I... Daddy... Oh...” Eden ran into the utility bathroom and soon they heard her retching.

Phoenix walked in with the punch bowl in his arms. Falcon pointed a finger at him. “Your ass is mine in the morning.”

“What did I do?”

“You spiked the punch,” his mother told him. “And now Eden, Zane and Grandpa are drunk.”

“I told them not to drink it.”

Kate placed her hands on her hips. “How many times have I told you not to spike the punch?”

A silly grin split Phoenix’s face. “Well, Mom, I’ve lost track, but I haven’t done it for a while. Jenny put a damper on the party and I was just trying to liven things up a little bit, to get things going again. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody.”

“Pour that punch down the drain. I’ll deal with you later.”

“I’ll deal with you in the morning,” Falcon said.

“You’ll have to find me first,” Phoenix muttered under his breath, and Quincy had to give his younger brother credit for still cracking jokes when doom was about to rain down on him. Falcon was mad and everybody knew when he was to stay clear.

Rachel entered the room, followed by Egan. She looked at Paxton, who seemed to be holding up the wall. “Lisa’s looking for you.”

Paxton pushed away from the wall and walked out without a word to anyone.

“What’s going on?” Egan asked. “Why does Paxton have a bruise on his face?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Quincy said, figuring there had been enough excitement for tonight. If Egan found out Paxton had bad-mouthed their mother, Paxton would suffer another bruise on his head. Quincy was hoping he’d come to his senses and apologize before the party was over. If not, he’d have more than words for his brother.

Egan kissed his mother’s cheek. “We’re going home. I’ll be back in the morning to help with the cleanup.”

“Don’t worry about that. There’s enough of us here to take care of it. Spend your Sunday morning with your wife.”

“Ah, Miss Kate, that’s very thoughtful.” Rachel hugged her mother-in-law. “We’ll both be here because Egan wouldn’t be happy unless he was doing his part. And if he’s not happy, I’m not happy.”

Gabe, their uncle and his wife, Lacey, were the next ones to leave. Little by little, the party broke up. Since things had settled down, Quincy went to check on Grandpa, who was snoring into the sofa. He’d wake him up later. At the front door, Paxton and Lisa were saying goodbye to friends. Elias and some rodeo guys and a girl were out on the deck and Quincy could see things were getting heated. Elias was waving his arms. Quincy groaned and made his way to the deck.

“Party’s over, boys,” Quincy announced.

The rodeo guy glanced at Elias and then put his arm around the girl and they walked into the den.

“What’s wrong with you?” Quincy asked Elias. “You’re starting a fight in Mom’s house?”

“I danced with his girl, so what? She didn’t seem to mind.”

Quincy looked toward the sky. There had to be a full moon tonight because everyone was acting crazy. “Pick up some of these cans and let’s start cleaning up.”

Elias downed the rest of his beer. “You’re such a downer, Quincy. Do you ever have fun?”

That question was on his mind a lot lately. He was tired of being peacemaker in the family. Maybe it was time for him to let everyone handle their own problems.

“Life isn’t always about fun.”

Elias laughed. “After we get everything picked up, I’ll take you down to Rowdy’s for a beer and introduce you to someone who could change your mind in about fifteen minutes or less.”

“I’m not interested in cheap sex.”

“Who said it was cheap?”

“You’re an idiot.” Quincy went back into the den, and Lisa and Paxton were huddled together at the bottom of the stairs. Quincy could hear them as he made his way to the kitchen.

“Come on, Pax, your mom won’t know a thing. When she goes to sleep, just sneak into my room. I don’t understand why you didn’t come last night. I don’t like sleeping by myself.”

Quincy sincerely hoped Paxton wasn’t thinking of doing such a thing.

“Quincy.” Paxton caught up to him before he reached the door. “Please talk to Mom. She listens to you.”

“I can’t make her change her rules. There’s an easy solution to all this. Phoenix and Jericho can move into the house and you and Lisa can have the bunkhouse to yourselves. Everyone will be happy.”

Paxton glanced down at his boots. “Lisa thinks I live in the house. I haven’t told her I live in the bunkhouse when I’m home.”

“Have you told this girl anything about yourself?”

“Come on, Quincy. You know how it is. I met her at a party after a rodeo in Los Angeles. She’s an actress and I was blown off my feet by her beauty and I couldn’t wait to talk to her. When I did, it was bam—” he slammed one fist into the other “—love as if I’ve never felt it before. I wanted to spend every second with her. After two days, I asked her to marry me.”

“Where do you plan to live?”

“Man, I don’t know. I haven’t thought it through.”

“You better start thinking. She doesn’t seem like a girl who would enjoy following the rodeo circuit and sleeping in the back of a truck.”

“Mom would probably let us live here in the house. Lisa seems to like the house.”

“After what you pulled, you’ll be lucky if she still lets you live in the bunkhouse.”

“I know. I lost it for a minute. I’m just nervous about everything. I’ve never been this nervous in my life.”

Quincy felt a pang of sympathy for his brother. He’d gotten himself into a mess. “First, you need to tell Lisa about your living arrangements and talk about how she’s going to fit in with you riding the rodeo circuit. There’s very little work in Horseshoe for an actress. Second, you need to apologize to Mom profusely. And third, you need to apologize to Jenny.”

Paxton nodded as he followed him into the kitchen and apologized to his mother. He then asked if he could sleep in the house while Lisa was here and his mother said it was okay. He would have to sleep in the bedroom downstairs next to hers. Paxton frowned, but he didn’t say anything.

Quincy went to wake Grandpa, deciding it was time to let Paxton handle his own life. He had enough worries of his own. He’d hurt Jenny and that would weigh on his mind for a while. And his heart.

* * *

JENNY SAT ON the back stoop with a wine bottle in her hand. She tipped it up, taking a swig. She’d made a fool of herself tonight, and it was going to take a lot of wine to erase the memory of her standing in the Rebel den pouring out her heart to a man who really didn’t care.

Daisy, the family dog, hopped up on the step and sat beside her.

“Hey, Daisy, I made a fool of myself tonight. You know that feeling like when you chase that gopher into a hole and you start digging to reach her, but that gopher is long gone? I kept digging, Daisy, hoping to find just a little bit of emotion on Paxton’s face for me. There was none. And beside him stood this goddess with the most beautiful blond hair I’ve ever seen in my life. Can you believe that? He replaced me with a goddess.”

Daisy whined as if she understood every word. Jenny took another swig from the bottle. “You know, Daisy, looking back, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should have fool tattooed on my forehead. I clung to a fantasy in my head about Paxton. He was my soul mate, my dream come true because we met in school and became the best of friends. He was there when my mom died and I was there for him when his dad passed away. We needed each other. But he was on the rodeo circuit so much and around buckle bunnies and beautiful women. A lot of temptation. I truly believed, though, that he loved me. Now, how stupid is that? You tell me, Daisy.”

She drank more wine, and the beautiful blackness of the night around her felt as comforting as a warm blanket. Here, no one was gaping at her or thinking she’d lost her mind. Here, she was safe at home.

“And then there’s Quincy. Good ol’ Quincy. He’s loyal to a fault. I thought he was my friend and would stand beside me. We’ve shared as much as Paxton and I have and he let me down. Bad.” She drank the last of the wine and stared off into the night.

She was going to miss Quincy probably more than Paxton. She’d been waiting all her life for Paxton to come back and she’d just realized he was never coming home to her. Big moment. Big letdown. Big realization. She was comfortable with Paxton and she’d always known he was going to disappoint her, though with Quincy it was a shock, and that was why she was sitting here drinking wine as if it was Kool-Aid. It hurt that her friend Quincy had discarded her, too. Oh, well.

“Let’s go find more wine,” she whispered to the dog. She stood and swayed. “Maybe not.” Gingerly, she made her way inside, humming under her breath. Tomorrow started the rest of her life.

* * *

QUINCY AND ELIAS helped Grandpa up the steps and into the house. “I can walk by myself,” Grandpa complained.

“Fine,” Quincy said and let go. Grandpa staggered and caught the wall.

“Ready to let me help you?”

“You’re a pain in my ass, but you’re my favorite grandson.”

“Hey,” Elias said. “I’m standing right here.”

Grandpa patted Elias on the shoulder. “You’re my favorite grandson.” Grandpa had said that to all of them at one time or another. “Let’s go to Rowdy’s and get a beer.”

“It’s after midnight and everyone is going to bed, including you, Grandpa.”

“Spoilsport.”

It took him ten minutes to get Grandpa in bed. He called Elias for help to remove his baggy jeans and boots. They covered him up and walked out of the room with long sighs. It was a good thing they loved the old man or they just might choke him to death. He was that ornery.

“Did I tell you boys about the time I was in love with two women at the same time?”

Quincy and Elias stopped in their tracks. Neither wanted to listen to Grandpa’s stories this late, especially when he was drunk.

“Yeah, now go to sleep,” Quincy said.

They waited and soon heard snoring. They high-fived. Elias went into the kitchen and got a beer and Cheez-It crackers.

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“What?” Elias went into the living room, picked up the remote control from Grandpa’s chair, sat on the sofa and flipped on the TV. “After having to remove Grandpa’s pants, I need liquor, preferably something stronger. Sadly, this is all I have.”

Elias could hold his liquor better than anyone Quincy had ever met. Soon he would crash and they wouldn’t be able to wake him for several hours. Quincy shook his head and went outside to sit on the porch to de-stress from the night. Mutt was asleep in his bed and didn’t move.

Quincy didn’t even want to think about Paxton and Lisa. That was out of his hands and he wasn’t interfering. In the morning, Quincy knew Falcon would take a strip off Paxton and Phoenix. Their behavior tonight wasn’t tolerated in the family. And Quincy would somehow try to smooth the waters between the brothers, like always.

Running his hands up his face, his thoughts of his brothers faded and they turned to Jenny. She was the bright spot in his life. He knew the days she worked and the days she was off. When she was off, he always headed home early to be with her.

She would bring beer and peanuts. They’d sit on bales of hay and watch the paints and talk. He’d shared more with Jenny than with anyone in his life. His tour in Afghanistan he shared with no one, except Jenny. After his dad had died, Quincy had joined the Army, much to his mother’s distress. He’d had to get away. The ranch wasn’t the same without his father. He hadn’t been able to stay away, though, and after his tour he’d come home. There was no way to explain what he’d been through or what he’d seen. Jenny had just listened and that was all he needed.

Jenny’s mom had died suddenly when Jenny was in high school and she’d shared her deepest feelings and sadness about that time. She’d also talked about Paxton and her fear he was never going to settle down. Quincy had never offered advice about his brother, feeling it wasn’t his place. But they seemed to be able to talk about anything.

During the springtime, she was a lot of help when the mares gave birth. Since she was a nurse, she wasn’t squeamish and they’d sat many a night in the barn when a mare was having a difficult time.

His life would now change, and he would be lonely again, just like when he’d returned from Afghanistan. Jenny had filled that empty place in him and it was over.

So many times he’d wanted to tell her how he felt, but he hadn’t. Paxton was his brother and he would honor that, even when it hurt, like tonight. Jenny was free now and he was sure other guys would be knocking on her door. But he wouldn’t be one of them.

Looking up at a million brilliant stars, he whispered, “Goodbye, Jenny Rose.”