by Carmen Cook
Brandon nodded. “It takes getting used to, but it’s not so bad. Still tough on the local kids from what I can tell, with not much to keep them occupied.” He started to pull a pitcher of beer and shot her a grin. “The Mom Squad still runs herd on everyone, only now Bethany is their ring leader.”
Regan couldn’t hold back a laugh at the idea of her friend being in the group of moms that used to make their lives miserable as kids. It had been impossible to keep a secret from that group. “That doesn’t surprise me. For all the trouble they gave her, they were incredibly supportive when Andy came along and Connor headed into the military.”
“They did the same for us, but I always thought that was more Bethany than anyone else.” Brandon had left Sapphire Creek on a football scholarship. Everyone was so excited for him, with the local boy making it big in the Pac 12 and the NFL looking at him hard. When he’d come home for spring break his senior year, everything had nearly fallen apart when his girlfriend Bree discovered she was pregnant. Rumors flew about her trying to trap him in marriage, but they’d shocked everyone when she decided to move to Sapphire Creek in order to be near Brandon’s parents and encouraged him to pursue his NFL career.
“Could be,” Regan agreed, leaning over and snagging a maraschino cherry from the bin behind the bar. “If anyone understood what was going on with you and Bree, it was Bethany. How are things going, by the way?” It was a touchy subject but she had to ask.
Brandon smiled as he turned the pitcher over to the waitress, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s tough,” he admitted. “Bree’s getting weaker by the day. The cancer is back. Courtney doesn’t really understand what’s going on.”
Regan grasped his hand. “If there’s anything I can do while I’m here, please call me. I don’t have a ton of oncology experience, but I’d be happy to help.”
Brandon squeezed her hand back, holding onto it. “I really appreciate it. If you’re still here come spring, I’m signing you up for the Bitterroot Tavern softball team. You can be our ringer.” A twinkle entered Brandon’s eyes as he shifted to lace his fingers through hers. “What can I get you, Gavin?”
Regan turned and saw Gavin standing next to her. He was staring at her and Brandon’s joined hands with narrowed eyes, which had her hiding her grin.
“Four Moose Drools,” he told Brandon before he swooped down and pressed a kiss to Regan’s lips. “Hey there. Missed you today.”
Regan heard Brandon laugh as he dropped her hand and turned back toward the taps. “You saw me earlier. What are you doing?” she asked Gavin, ignoring the fact that her heartbeat kicked into double-time with his kiss.
“Greeting you.” He leaned down and gave her another kiss, this one slower. Lingering.
Her toes curled and she couldn’t hold back the little sigh that escaped when he finally pulled back.
“Hi.”
“Yeah, hello,” Gwen said, waving her arm between them. “As much fun as it is to watch my brother make out with my best friend, I have a question.”
“What’s that?” Gavin turned and pushed his sister aside so he could haul Regan up against him. He acted as though it was completely natural for her to be held at his side. That little kernel inside of her, the one she’d thought dead and gone, sparked at his casual affection.
She didn’t need a man in her life. Any man. She’d made herself a deal when she finally left Todd that she wouldn’t put herself in the same position again. And here she was, not even unpacked and already tempted.
A fling, she reminded herself. The idea sounded better the more she thought about it. She deserved to have some fun and not feel guilty about it.
His thumb was drawing little designs around the top of her shoulder, driving her to distraction as they gathered their drinks and made their way back to everyone else. Gwen’s voice cut through her daydream and had her standing up straight, pulling slightly away from his warmth.
“You let Regan drive your truck,” Gwen accused when they sat down, sounding somewhere between indignant and awed.
Gavin blew out a breath and glanced at Regan. “You shouldn’t have told her that. We’ll never hear the end of it.”
“You didn’t tell me it was a secret.”
Erin, Bethany, and Chloe were watching the conversation volley between them. Even Muscles had joined them at the little table and shook his head.
“What?” Regan asked. “What am I missing?”
“It’s a big deal when a guy lends you his truck,” Muscles—Mitch—informed her, taking the beer that Gavin handed him, but setting it down without taking a drink.
“Why’s that?”
Muscles shrugged and Regan had to hold back a grin as Chloe practically melted into a puddle of drool at the movement. “It just is.”
Gavin dropped his arm from around her shoulders and snagged her hand when she started to step away. “It’s not a big deal to anyone but Gwen.”
“It is a big deal,” Gwen objected. “You practically yelled at me when I leaned on the thing that time at Mom and Dad’s. I want to drive it,” she announced.
“Not gonna happen,” Gavin told his sister.
“But you let Regan drive it and you weren’t even with her.”
“That’s because I like her better. Plus, she’s a better driver.”
Regan pressed her lips together, but she couldn’t help but allow the laughter to bubble out. “You’re so full of crap. You know nothing about my driving abilities. My car was crushed by a tree. For all you know, it was already full of dents.”
Gavin smiled at her. “Everyone’s a better driver than Gwen.”
They all erupted into laughter that had Gwen rolling her eyes. Regan reached out to take her friend’s hand. “That’s not true,” she told Gavin. “Gwen’s a fine driver.”
“She tried to avoid hitting a squirrel in the road and swerved into Mrs. Greyson’s prized begonias,” Connor told her.
“That was bad,” Gwen admitted. “It took me a full month to fix that flower bed to her satisfaction.”
“What about the time you forgot to put the brake on after parking with Josh Hamilton?” Bethany piped up. “Your car rolled backward for what must have been a hundred yards before hitting that tree.” Gwen shot her an annoyed look for the reminder.
“We all do stupid stuff when we’re kids,” Regan said, trying to remember when this had happened. She was sure she would have known about it when she lived in town, so it must have been after she left for college.
“It happened last summer,” Gavin told her, grabbing her wine and taking a sip.
“I still think we must have knocked the car into neutral while we were—” Gwen slid a glance at her brother. “Never mind.”
The laughter was contagious and soon everyone was laughing. “What about the time—”
“No!” Gwen cut Erin off with a mock glare. “No more examples. I get it. I’m a terrible driver. No one in their right mind would let me drive their truck.”
Gavin threw his hands in the air. “Tell me someone recorded that.”
Regan jabbed an elbow into Gavin’s side, but couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Chapter Eight
Regan hunched her shoulders against the wind as she and Chloe hurried to Chloe’s car. The icy breeze sliced through the valley and penetrated her coat, chilling her to the bone so she picked up her pace even more. Two blocks had never felt so long. She shoved her hands deep into her pockets and tried to quell the feelings churning in her gut.
She’d had fun tonight. It shouldn’t surprise her—these were her friends, after all—but the easy way they cared for each other made her realize how stark her life had been with Todd. How had she not known that he was isolating her? Why hadn’t she recognized that? Even when everything had fallen apart, she hadn’t come back to Sapphire Creek, at least not right away. Instead she’d taken off, bent to figure everything out before she let anyone know what had happened.
Where had that gotten her? Absolutely now
here.
Chloe stumbled and knocked into her, causing Regan to look at her sister. With her head down and shoulders hunched, Chloe looked so much younger than she had earlier.
“Are you okay?” Regan asked. “You’re quiet, which isn’t like you at all.”
Chloe glanced over and shrugged. “Just thinking.”
“About what?” When Chloe offered another shrug, Regan clenched her jaw. She couldn’t force this relationship, no matter how much she wanted to be a part of her sisters’ lives. It was going to take time.
Regan looked up at the sky. The stars were so bright. Completely clear over the shadows of the mountaintops, it was amazing how the darkness could sparkle. “You know,” she started, “it’s always surprised me, knowing that no matter where I was I could look at the stars and know you guys were seeing the same thing I was.”
She heard Chloe blow out a breath before tilting her own head back. They might have looked like fools, standing there in the middle of the sidewalk looking at the sky, but it didn’t matter. The tightness around Regan’s chest loosened when Chloe linked arms with Regan.
“I never blamed you, you know.”
Tears filled Regan’s eyes. “I was afraid you did,” she admitted.
“People go to college. It’s a normal thing to do,” Chloe said, shaking her head. “Why would you think you shouldn’t go?”
This time Regan shrugged. “You guys were so young.”
“Yeah, we were. But Regan, you didn’t adopt us. Mom and Dad did.”
Regan smiled at the memory. “I remember the day you guys came home. Do you remember?”
Images of four-year-old Chloe in mismatched clothes and wide eyes that seemed too big for her face filled Regan’s mind. She’d fallen head over heels for her new little sisters instantly, but Chloe had been slow to warm up.
Memories were obviously flooding Chloe, too, because Regan felt the shudder run through her. “I was so scared,” Chloe admitted in a small voice. “I’m always scared.”
Regan was stunned. “Of what? Why?”
Again, Chloe shrugged, but this time it was because she was searching for words herself. Regan waited. She didn’t know anything about her sisters’ lives before they came to live with them. Hadn’t thought much about it at the time. Now, it somehow seemed important.
“Everything has just always felt overwhelming,” Chloe said softly, her pink hair picking up the moonlight and making her look otherworldly. “Mom and Dad are great, but they’re so intense. I was just never sure where I stood with them, if they’d get tired of us some day and give us back.”
Regan closed her eyes. She knew all too well their parents could be overwhelming. She’d lived it her whole life, never good enough or smart enough. It was what drove her to accept a scholarship as far away as she could get when the time came. It had never occurred to her that her younger sisters, girls her parents chose to adopt, felt the same way. “Chloe—”
“Shut up, Regan,” Chloe interrupted as they reached Ollie, her ancient Oldsmobile. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” She wrenched the driver’s door open and tossed her bag in before turning back to her sister. “We all have our stuff, you know? You’re the perfect one who’s smart and athletic and everything. Becca is artistic and smart and interested in the same things they are. Me, I’m the screwup.”
Jerking the passenger door open so Chloe couldn’t hide from the conversation she’d started, Regan let out a squeal when she was yanked backward, landing hard on the pavement. She looked up to see Chloe scratching and fighting someone who was holding her, but the hand pressed against her face was muffling any sounds she was making.
Regan drew in a breath, prepared to scream to high heaven when a gloved hand covered her mouth, pressing so hard she had trouble breathing.
“Quiet,” the asshole ordered, shaking her so hard her teeth rattled. “If you cooperate, you won’t get hurt.”
Was this guy on crack? Cooperate with what? No way she was going to stand by and let them assault her sister. It went against every instinct she had, but she allowed herself to relax and nod as though she were agreeing with whatever the asshole said.
“Good girl,” he muttered, dragging her to her feet but keeping his grip tight. “Check the car,” he ordered someone. “It’s got to be somewhere.”
Regan squinted, desperately trying to make out Chloe and her assailant in the shadows. If only she could tell if they had weapons. Her heart was pounding so hard she could practically hear it and tears filled her eyes.
This couldn’t be happening. Not yards away from the bar where all her friends were still hanging out. Not in Sapphire Creek.
Before Regan could decide what to do she heard glass shatter and someone yelp.
“Regan, run!” Chloe shouted.
Feeling her captor shift his grip, Regan jerked her head back, hoping she broke his nose when she simultaneously stomped on his foot and elbowed him in the gut, knocking him to the ground. She wrenched herself free, rolled to her feet and tried to catch her breath, sucking in huge gulps of air. As soon as she could, she was going to scream. But first she needed to get to Chloe.
She rounded the trunk of the car and skidded to a stop as she watched Chloe bounce off the side of Ollie and hit the ground. “No!” she shouted, launching herself at the bastard who dared hurt her sister. The asshole flipped her off him as though she weighed nothing. She hit the pavement with a jarring thud. Shit, that hurt!
Regan felt someone tug at her arm and opened her eyes to see Chloe pulling on her. “Come on,” she insisted. “We need to get out of here. Can you run?”
“Yeah.” She could run. She had to run. “Where are they?” she whispered. The shadows in the parking lot obscured her vision.
Chloe peered over the top of Regan. “Back at the car.”
Pushing herself to her knees, Regan bit back a groan. Damn, she hurt, but she couldn’t focus on that now. “Ready?” she asked. They had one shot to get away. She didn’t want to think about what would happen otherwise. Regan rolled to the balls of her feet and saw that Chloe was crouched low, too. “Go!”
They took off, back toward the Bitterroot Tavern.
Regan’s pulse pounded in time with her feet. She didn’t think they’d ever reach safety when they rounded the corner and immediately slammed into someone.
Regan found herself on the ground again while Chloe fought like a banshee, screaming, scratching and cursing.
“Chloe!”
The shout pierced through Regan’s panic, enough for her to actually see who was holding her sister. “Mitchell,” she whispered.
“Are you okay? What happened?” Erin was with Regan, still on the ground.
“I’m so sorry,” Regan started to say, but panic set in when she realized where they were. Launching to her feet, she grabbed Erin and hauled her up too. “We have to get inside. They’re still out there.”
Mitchell didn’t waste a second as he shoved all three of them the several steps back into the bar.
Once inside Regan collapsed into a booth, with Chloe pushing in after her. “What happened?” Erin asked again.
Chloe shook her head. “There were men. At my car,” she told them, shuddering until Regan pulled her close, trying to rub some warmth into her limbs. “They grabbed us and searched my car.”
“Did they say what they were looking for?” Mitch’s voice was deadly as he stood at the end of the bench seats, caging them all in. The move made Regan breathe a bit easier. There was no way those men were going to get to them, not with Mitch standing there.
Chloe shook her head again. She was full-on shaking now and had wrapped her arms around herself. “There were three of them. I don’t know what they were looking for.”
Regan looked closer at her sister. “You need to call 911,” she ordered Mitch. “She’s going into shock.” He stepped back to make the call while she and Erin moved Chloe around to elevate her feet and try to get her warm.
Before she realized i
t, the rest of their friends were surrounding the booth.
“Are you hurt?” Gavin asked, squatting next to her seat. “Do you need a medic?”
“Mitch is calling them.”
“What happened?”
Regan quickly told them as she continued to watch Chloe. She seemed to be okay, but there was a goose egg on her head, probably from when the asshole threw her against the car, that had Regan concerned. Now that they were safe, Regan could feel her own adrenaline drop and the shaking start.
“This is all my fault,” Erin whispered, wringing her hands.
“What are you talking about?” Regan asked. “How can this be your fault? Where’s your other guard? Logan?”
Erin blew out a breath and looked at Mitch, who nodded. “Logan went to get the car. And it is my fault. We moved the rehearsals here because I have a stalker. I mentioned that.”
“They found the asshole in her house,” Mitch said. “We’re still trying to figure out how he bypassed the main security system.”
“That’s way more serious than you implied,” Regan accused, trying to fit in what the men at the car had said with Erin’s problem. It didn’t add up.
Before she could say anything else, Bethany interrupted.
“Are you sure they were adults? Not some teenagers looking for an easy score? There’s been a problem with petty theft lately, along with an increase in overdoses.”
This time Chloe snorted. “Do you really think someone would decide to break into Ollie? He’s older than dirt and worthless.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Regan said, trying to keep everyone focused. “These were definitely adult men. That one guy threw me off his back like I was a rag doll.”
A low growl came from Gavin, which had Regan blinking in surprise.
