“I’m thinking about it. Plus there are a couple hot drivers in this area. Something will work out.”
Charlie nodded. “You bet it will. People are always looking for a good mechanic—and a good fishing buddy.”
Billy lifted his beer. “You’re on.”
“Charlie!”
Roxie turned when she heard a familiar voice at the bar entrance. Excitement went through her when she saw Lexie, Cam, and Blaire. She’d only been away for a few days, but she’d missed her sisters something terrible. She’d spent over twenty-five years apart from them, but now she could hardly bear being separated.
Lexie hurried over to give Charlie a warm hug. “I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.”
At the bar, Roux dropped his pen onto the floor.
“Of course he’s here. He’s part of my family.” Roxie let out an ooof when a blonde streaked across the floor and squeezed her tight.
“Like me?” Blaire asked.
Roxie laughed and patted the youngest Underhill on the head. “Just like you, Sunshine.”
“And me?” came a low, mocking voice.
Roxie sneered. “Don’t push it, Hatchet.”
That actually got a smile out of Lexie’s boyfriend. He gave Roxie’s hair a tug before wrapping his arm around Lexie proprietarily. Her sister looked pretty tonight. She was rebelling and wearing jeans, and she’d let her hair dry into waves. They looked more alike than ever.
“Oh, my God,” came a voice from behind her.
“Oh, yeah.” The light bulb popped on over Roxie’s head. She had some matchmaking to do. Pulling Blaire along, she turned to Roux. He was staring like he’d never blink again. “Roux, this is Blaire.”
But the kid wasn’t paying attention to the cute blonde; he was gaping at Lexie.
Roxie looked back and forth between her sister and her new buddy. What the—? Oh, yeah. That’s right. She forgot sometimes that not everyone knew she was an identical triplet.
“Hey, Lex. Come over here.”
Lexie glanced away from her discussion with Billy and Charlie.
“This is my friend, Kanga.”
Lexie smiled politely. She stuck her hand out and, for a moment, Roux was frozen. When he moved, it was to latch onto her hand as if she was falling off a ledge.
A funny look crossed Lexie’s face, but her manners remained intact. “Kanga?” she asked.
He seemed nervous. “It’s Roux. She just made that up.”
Lexie tilted her head. “R-o-u-x?”
He nodded.
“x?” Roxie frowned. “Who spells a name like that?”
“Hi, Roux,” Blaire said with a smile.
Roxie rolled her eyes. How was any matchmaking supposed to happen if she and Lexie were gumming up the works? “Oh, that’s right, the French.”
“Go ahead and find a seat, Lex. I’ll bring over some drinks.” She caught her sister by the shoulder and pulled her away, making Roux finally let go of her hand.
He watched her leave, blowing off Blaire entirely. Roxie pouted. He really didn’t like blondes, apparently. He kept staring, even when Cam took a seat next to Lexie and draped his arm over the back of his chair. Dejected, Blaire followed her big sister and sat at the end of the table.
“Careful, kid,” Roxie warned under her breath. “Her boyfriend’s the possessive sort.”
“What?” Roux popped out of his trance. When he looked at Roxie, his eyes were bright.
“Lexie. She’s taken.”
“No, I…” Roux eased back onto his stool. There was energy crackling about him, the kind that was waiting for a spark. “I’m sorry. Anyone else from your family coming?”
Uh, like she was going to answer that question.
Roxie’s brow furrowed as her customer’s fingers drummed against the bar. The kid was a bundle of nerves. She kept an eye on him as she began to fill drinks. He kept casting glances over his shoulder. At one point, he reached for his phone, but then slid it into his back pocket. He seemed to be focusing on the empty end of the table.
Roxie knew when to trust her gut.
She filled a tray with drinks, but before she went to the table, she caught Skeeter’s eye. She tilted her head meaningfully in Roux’s direction. The bouncer nodded. He’d already caught the odd behavior. He moved away from the door and took a seat at the other end of the bar.
It put Roxie’s mind to rest. She was usually a great judge of people, and she liked Roux a lot. If she’d judged poorly, though, Skeeter would handle the situation.
The glasses on the tray tinkled as she picked it up, but before she could take a step, Billy was there. “Let me get that.”
She let out a puff of air that stirred her hair. “I’ve been doing this for a while, you know.”
“I know. Let me be the hero.” He pressed his mouth against her ear. “I’m hoping to get some tonight.”
She let out a snort. There was a very good chance of that.
She took a seat at the table as he served drinks to Lexie and her troupe. When he passed a Diet Coke to Blaire, he said something that made the cutie blush. Whatever it was, it didn’t embarrass her. She laughed and perked up. When he returned the tray to the bar, the blonde’s dreamy gaze followed him. Rude Roux was forgotten.
Roxie snuggled up to her dream guy when he returned. Billy grinned at her when she deliberately stroked his thigh under the table. “You’re frisky tonight.”
She squeezed his knee. “I’m hoping to get some, too.”
He chuckled, but the laugh cut off abruptly when she stroked a bit too high. Coughing, he caught her hand and made her play nice.
“When’s Maxie supposed to get here?” Lexie asked as she tucked her purse under her chair.
Maxie, right. Roxie fanned herself and glanced at the door. It really was too warm in here. “Should be soon.”
The billboard for The Ruckus had been important to them all. She remembered their escapade with all the laughing and screaming. She’d treasure those photographs forever.
“There she is,” Skeeter called from his post by the door. He was still keeping a watchful eye on Roux at the bar. “I see them walking down the sidewalk.”
It wasn’t but a few minutes later that Maxie and Zac walked in. Maxie gave a shiver and rubbed her arms. The fall-like weather was pressing inland. Her cheeks were rosy when she spotted them and waved.
Zac helped her with her jacket and pulled her close to warm her. She smiled up at him, so much in love it was clear to everybody in the room. His arm looped around her waist as they walked to the table.
“Hi, everyone,” he said as they passed the bar.
Roux turned slowly in his seat. Every fiber of his being was tense as he caught sight of Maxie, and Roxie went on alert. It was the Lexie thing all over again.
She signaled Skeeter, who was already moving towards the bar.
“Trouble?” Billy whispered into her ear.
“I don’t know.”
Maxie let out a squeal when she saw the two of them sitting together. She hurried over and enveloped them both in a hug. “I missed you so much.”
Roxie inhaled her sister’s fresh scent as she squeezed her back. “Thank you,” she whispered into her ear.
Without that phone call, she didn’t know if she would have gotten Billy back.
“Any time.” Maxie’s eyes were damp when she pulled away. She surreptitiously wiped at the tears. “We saw the remains of the billboard as we drove over the bridge. I can’t believe it’s gone.”
Roxie cast a glance at the bar. Skeeter and Roux were deep in conversation. With the jukebox and all the chatter about, she couldn’t hear them. She tried to read Roux’s lips, but she couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. “I blew it” or “I knew it.” Something like that.
Skeeter caught the kid by the elbow. Roux looked surprised, but when he turned it wasn’t to fight. “Don’t let them leave,” he said.
That was loud enough for everyone to hear. Maxie even glanced over her
shoulder.
“Whatever you do, don’t let them leave!”
Roxie started to get out of her chair, but by then the kid was darting for the door. Skeeter shrugged, lifting his hands helplessly. At least he hadn’t had to throw him out.
“I’ll keep an eye out, too,” Billy promised.
“Thank you,” she murmured quietly. He’d worked here. He knew how quickly things could spiral out of control if not contained, but she didn’t want anything to spoil tonight. She wanted to spend the time with her sisters and her family.
Her family.
She inhaled deeply, happiness running through her. Damn it, tonight should have been the grand celebration with balloons. And beer and streamers and teeny weenies. She was in the mood to party.
“That was one mighty billboard,” Charlie agreed, returning them to the night’s topic.
“Was it your idea or the Evil Twin’s?” Cam asked.
Roxie stuck out her tongue at him.
“Who do you think?” Charlie said with a laugh. “Whenever she got an idea in her head, I just stepped back and let her run with it.”
“It was good for business,” Roxie defended for the millionth time.
“And good for us,” Lexie interjected. She took Cam’s hand. “It brought us all together. Roxie and me. Cam and I. It started the events that led us to Maxie, too.”
Her train of thought hung out there, and Roxie felt validated. She wasn’t the only one who’d hoped it might lead to more reunions, but they couldn’t be greedy. She was more than happy with the way things had turned out, but she wasn’t giving up. They’d continue with their search. They’d find their parents or the reasons why they’d been given up. She’d get her answers, but they weren’t the most important thing in her life anymore.
Maxie smiled at the bartender as he gave her a bourbon. “Have you made any progress with the lead that clerk at Social Services gave you?” she asked.
Roxie shook her head. “I thought I would, but it hasn’t led anywhere.”
She played with her glass of beer and watched the liquid swirl. “I went to a psychic,” she finally admitted. “She told me I’d meet someone who would lead me to my past.”
Lexie leaned forward in her chair. “The psychic down in Boutique Village?”
“Yeah.”
“I knew you were eyeing that place. Why didn’t you take me with you?”
Roxie squirmed in her seat.
Billy bumped her with his shoulder. “Not as sly as you thought?”
“It was weird,” she confessed. She toyed with her coaster, thinking back to Ingrid and Moonlight. “It kind of freaked me out.”
She put down her beer when the goose bumps popped up all over again. “It was so intense, I would have sworn something was going to happen.”
“What did she tell you?” Lexie asked.
“Lots of things, but they were all vague.” Roxie bumped Billy’s shoulder back. “Except for you. She nailed that one.”
“Who? What? I plead the fifth.”
“She read my love line, Ace. She was very impressed.”
“Oh.” Billy leaned back in his chair and looped his arm around her shoulders. “She should be.”
Roxie rolled her eyes. Men!
“She said that my life keeps looping. I thought she meant how people from my past keep coming back. Like you two… She insisted it would loop again, that I would meet someone who was important, but I think she meant this guy.”
She caught Billy’s hand as it toyed with her hair. “You came back twice now.”
“And I won’t be leaving again.”
“No, you won’t.” Impulsively, she leaned over and kissed him. Right in front of her friends, family, and everyone. Maxie grinned, and Blaire let out a fluttering sigh.
When Roxie pulled back, she was grinning, too. “Let’s get this party started!”
A wave towards the kitchen brought out trays of food. Sliders and teeny weenies, potato wedges, and nachos. And beer, plenty of beer. The music was turned up, along with too many discussions to follow. Lexie asked Maxie about supplying flowers to a company event she was planning, while Zac asked Roxie about her trip. Cam was curious about the work Billy had done with the racing team and started commenting on a sound he was hearing in his car. Blaire was getting ready to play a game of pool with Charlie when Skeeter interrupted their happy get-together.
“Roxie,” the bouncer said sharply.
She knew that tone. It was enough to make her pull away from Billy and look to the door in concern. The bouncer had stood from his stool and was watching the street from the window. His shoulders were pulled back and his chest was lifted.
Trouble—and not the sexy kind.
Billy was out of his chair in an instant to help his friend. Roxie stood too, her chair sliding noisily against the wood floor. The door to The Ruckus opened, and she saw a flash of dark hair before Skeeter bar-armed whoever was trying to enter.
“We don’t want any trouble here tonight, Roux.”
Roux? He’d been gone for over an hour, maybe two.
“I’m not here to cause any,” her customer said.
“Yet you brought reinforcements.” Skeeter’s chin lifted. “Head along home now, kid.”
“No, no.” Roux sounded panicked. He’d been agitated all night, but the tone in his voice was sharp. Right on the edge. “At least let him in, man. You’ve got to let him in. For them.”
Skeeter held his ground when another voice came like ice.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Prickles caught the back of Roxie’s neck.
“Please.” Roux pushed at Skeeter’s arm. When it wouldn’t budge, he made one last try. “Roxie?”
Roxie felt the plea right down to the pit of her gut. By now, everyone in the bar was watching the door. She had no clue what she was supposed to do. Something was off here, very off. There was no way in hell she should let the kid back in, but something inside her…
She didn’t get to decide, because from out of nowhere, the guy with the icy voice took Skeeter out of the equation. One moment the bouncer was standing there, blocking the doorway, the next his arm was twisted behind his back and his face was pressed against the wall.
“Take your hands off my boy.”
“Hey!” Billy barked. He was already halfway across the bar, but he kicked it into high gear.
Cam and Zac were moving, too.
Roux squirted by and grabbed the tough guy by the back of his jacket. “Over here. Come on.”
Billy had the kid in a headlock before he could move. He dragged him back, out of the tough guy’s reach. “All right. Let’s all simmer down.”
By now, everyone in the bar was on guard. More than one biker was reaching for brass knuckles, glass bottles, or whatever else was at hand. Zac’s hand hovered over his weapon. As an officer of the law, he was never unarmed.
“Zac Ford, Indigo Falls Sheriff,” he identified himself.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Roxie yelled. Enough already. She was shaking as she moved to the center of her bar. She planted her feet, barely tamping down her anger. “This is my place, and I make the rules.”
“Roxie?” Roux’s voice was shaking now.
“Billy, let him go.”
Billy turned the kid loose, but he didn’t back off. Her lover came to stand at her side, arms crossed and bulging.
“And you, Chuck Norris.” Roxie nodded at the big guy who had Skeeter’s arm twisted like a chicken wing. “Back off.”
Never in a million years would she have thought that would’ve worked, but the tough guy was suddenly staring at her. Hard. Like she was an alien from another planet. He left Skeeter like he was a mere annoyance, and Roxie pushed back her hair in discomfort. Had she spilled beer down her chest?
She didn’t think so, because the man was looking at her face.
And she couldn’t look away. He looked like Roux, handsome as heck, but a bit older and a lot tougher. He was tall and mu
scled. His edges were rough, but there was something about him that demanded respect.
“Roxie?” Roux said again. He caught the guy’s arm, really only a pinch of his jacket. He pulled him a few feet closer. “I… I want you to meet my dad.”
His dad? What was it, show-and-tell day?
“Roxie?” the man repeated slowly. “Your name is Roxie?”
From the end of the table, Lexie let out a cry. Roxie jumped and Cam pivoted, but Lexie wasn’t hurt. She was staring at the stranger. Hell, everyone was. She was the only one who’d stood and pressed her hands to her mouth. Her face was chalk white.
Blaire touched her sister’s shoulder. “Lexie, are you okay?”
“Lexie?” Their visitor said her name sharply, awareness honing in. His gaze burned, and he took a step forward when he got a good look at her. Cam quickly stepped between the two.
Roxie’s weight went to the balls of her feet. Fight or flight was kicking in. She didn’t know what was happening, but a weird energy was crackling in the air.
The tough guy tore his gaze from Lexie and scanned the room. Everyone in the place froze, trying not to draw his attention. It was clear he was looking for something.
Something very important.
Roxie braced herself when that gaze landed on her again, but her knees went wobbly when that imposing gaze turned gentle for a second.
Gentle?
She reached for Billy. Her fingers snagged on the cuff on his wrist, and she clung.
Lexie let out another whimper. She took a cautious step towards the big stranger, but Cam held her back.
The icy visitor finally zeroed in on Maxie. She shrank back in her chair, her eyes going big. Roxie’s instinct was to step in front of her sister. To protect her.
“Maxie?”
Roxie’s head snapped back. He’d called her sister by her name.
How did he know her name?
Maxie nodded once, and the gesture seemed to break the intimidating man. He inhaled sharply and the tension raced out of his muscled body so quickly, he bent in half.
Lexie knocked Cam’s arm away and ran across the room. Right to the man. She crashed into him so hard, she nearly knocked him over, but he caught her to him. Pressing her face into his chest, she held him tight, sobbing.
“Oh my God,” the man said hoarsely. He clutched her and pressed his cheek to her hair.
Roxie Page 20
