Gage

by Tess Oliver

  She hesitated.

  “I’m not trying to put the moves on you, I just thought since I live so close. Your grandfather always had my number just in case. It came in handy when he was having health problems.”

  She pulled out her phone. She grew quiet as she punched in the number.

  “If you don’t want it—”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s just when you brought up my grandfather and his health.” She put the phone away and stroked Ranger’s head. “Once my mom stopped coming to see him, I basically lost contact with him. I’d call him every once in awhile, but I know he wanted me to visit. I was always too busy. I was a terrible granddaughter, and he still left me everything.” Her voice broke.

  “Which proves you weren’t a terrible granddaughter at all. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left it to you. I’m sure he’d be proud of what you’re doing now.”

  She turned toward me. “I’m sorry I called you a grizzly-shaped mountain man.”

  I laughed. “Trust me, Hollywood, I’ve been called a lot worse.”

  chapter 13

  Summer

  Curse you, Mr. Dayton, you incredibly hot physics teacher. Damn you and your opposing forces. Aside from a few meltdowns when the dishwasher flooded the kitchen and a tiny, insignificant fire broke out on the stove, everything had been moving sweet and smoothly like cool cream in hot cocoa. The tartan fabric and lighting fixtures were perfect, and they added just enough splash to the place without replacing any of its rustic charm.

  Maxwell’s new menu, and the promise of a Friday night band, had brought people in all week, and it wasn’t long before I realized that we needed a full-time bartender. I soon found that there were few qualified people within a hundred mile radius. I thought I’d hit the jackpot when a skilled bartender named Louie, who had been wandering the country looking for himself, stopped in to eat. Louie decided to stay. He did great the first night. So great that he apparently decided he had pocketed enough money between serving drinks to take off and keep looking for his elusive self.

  Rita decided to try her hand at bartending, something she’d done a lot for my grandfather, and so I interviewed people for a server position. With the pickings slim, I ended up hiring an eighteen year old local named Daisy, who had the figure of a Barbie doll, and who tended to be completely annoying for a good part of the day. But she had a lot of energy.

  Friday night finally came. A steady stream of customers had been walking through the doors since we’d laid the dinner menus out. The Rambling Rustlers would be arriving soon to set up their instruments. Maxwell was shouting orders to Hector, and the pots and pans clanged with the music of a bustling kitchen. Kristina, Daisy and I waited tables while Rita worked the bar. It was all going smoothly, and I was floating on a glowing beam of sunshine. Which, of course, meant that a black cloud of some sort was near. Or maybe this time, I’d skirted Newton’s stupid law.

  Rita and I nearly crashed into each other as I attempted to squeeze past her to fill some water glasses. “Your granddad would be proud, Summer.”

  “I think so too. I’ve worked at a lot of restaurants, and I don’t think I’ve ever been at one that did this much business in one night. That band must really be something.” I glanced toward the door. I hadn’t meant to stare or have a reaction, but I hadn’t seen Gage all week and the sight of him walking through the door caused me to do both. Very little got past Rita, and she picked up on it.

  “Even covered in sweat, dirt and timber shards, he steals a girl’s breath away, eh?” She dropped a cherry in a rum and coke and handed it to a customer.

  “I think it’s just his size,” I said in a silly attempt to explain my reaction.

  She laughed. “Sure.”

  Kristina showed Gage to a small table in the back. He glanced around the room as if he was looking for someone. For a brief second, I let myself imagine that it was me he was searching for, but a girl sat down next to him.

  I picked up the tray of water glasses and headed out to the dining room, this time almost crashing into Daisy, who’d been hustling across the floor enthusiastically. “Can you switch me to table thirteen?” she asked.

  I’d finally memorized the table diagram, and I knew table thirteen was where Gage and his date had just sat. “Why do you want that table?”

  “Are you kidding? Did you see who just strolled in? Shit, the air around the path he just walked is warm from his hotness. Gage Barringer is here.”

  “You’re a little young for him. Besides, he’s with a date.”

  She waved her hand. “She’s not a date.”

  “The serving plan stays as it is,” I said as I pushed past her with the tray.

  I carried the water toward his table. His companion hopped up and walked away. Gage looked up at me. The pendant light illuminated the dark rings under his eyes and the bone weary expression on his face.

  I placed a glass of water in front of him. “I owe you a pitcher of beer. The steps are so tight now I could jump up and down on them if I wanted.”

  “I’ll take that beer.” He glanced around. “You did a good job in here, Summer.” Even the sound of his voice was weighed down with fatigue.

  “Thanks.” I stood there speechless, which was so out of character, it almost scared me. I hurried off to get his pitcher and realized that in the length of time it’d taken to have that short conversation, my heart rate had increased to an alarming pace and my hands shook, which was definitely not good for waiting tables.

  I placed the beer on the table and was about to attempt another conversation with him when Rita called me back to the bar. She was holding the phone. There was nothing positive about her expression.

  “You’d better take this,” she said grimly.

  “Shit, here we go, Newton, you brilliant bastard.” Rita creased her forehead at my strange comment. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Miss Donovan?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is David, the guitarist from the band that’s supposed to play tonight.”

  “Oh my god, don’t say supposed to. The place is packed with people waiting for you guys to play.”

  “Well, we can play, but our singer, Rose, had a family emergency. She’s heading to the airport right now to fly to Kentucky.”

  “Crap.” I looked around at the customers. They were talking animatedly, sipping beers and shoveling in sliders as if they might jump off their plates. “Don’t you have a backup singer?”

  “She’s out of town too. Besides, her voice isn’t really strong enough for a big crowd. And from the sound of it, there are a lot of people there.”

  “Yes, people who came to hear you play. You’ll have a singer. Just get over here and start setting up before the natives get restless.”

  He laughed derisively. “We can’t just have any old body sing. Our band has a reputation to keep up.”

  “Yes, and that reputation is on the line here because it will be you canceling out, not me. I promise the singer will be all right.”

  He paused. “Fine. We’ll be there in thirty.”

  Even though I hadn’t changed Daisy’s table, she’d taken the liberty of getting Gage’s order while I was on the phone. She strolled past me with the order slip.

  “What are you doing?” I asked sharply, with the boss voice I seemed to have suddenly discovered.

  “You were busy,” she said.

  I wasn’t sure if I was more pissed at her for ignoring my directions or because now I needed an excuse to go over and talk to Gage. I walked toward his table anyhow. The pitcher was already half empty.

  He lifted his glass. “Thanks. Anytime you need me to pound some nails in, I’m your man.”

  I smiled. “You look extremely tired.”

  He nodded. “Actually, Hollywood, you look pretty beat yourself. Maybe we should both go home and fall in bed, preferably together, and even more preferably naked.”

  “Either fatigue has made that beer go straight to your head, or a week in the mountains
has made you horny.”

  He emptied his glass and placed it hard on the table. “Or both.” His tired and slightly drunk gaze floated down my body. “But you forgot the other option.”

  “Other option?”

  “Could be the booze, or the long work week or maybe it’s just the sweetly curved girl in front of me.”

  I walked away to hide the blush in my face. I grabbed the plates I needed from the window and delivered them to the table of four, two girls and two guys, who’d come in the past three nights. They were on a road trip from New York, and their car had needed some repairs before they could continue on their journey. “You guys aren’t getting tired of this place yet, huh?”

  “Nope. The food’s great,” the guy named Dylan said. He was trying his damndest to grow a beard. He’d promised, Ginny, the girl next to him that he’d shave once they reached California. The night before, I’d given them a list of sites to see there.

  “Will the band be arriving soon?” Ginny asked. This road trip had been her first vacation without her family, and she seemed to be loving her newfound freedom.

  “They should be here soon.” In the middle of my answer, something had caught her attention. I glanced back as a tall, handsome man with light hair and the same confident posture as Gage, strolled though the restaurant. He headed straight to Gage’s table.

  Rita was already on her way to the table with another pitcher and a broad smile. “Rita, where are you going?”

  “Just a quick personal delivery to table thirteen.”

  “That is a mighty popular table tonight. Who is that with Gage?”

  “That’s Seth Barringer, Gage’s brother. He’s sort of the lighter, easier going version of Gage.”

  The audience was growing, and suddenly a knot tightened in my stomach. I had not sung in front of a crowd since the recording contract disaster. I returned to the bar, where Kristina was picking up drinks.

  “Kristina, do you think you and Daisy will be able to handle the dining room floor once the band gets started?”

  She looked slightly taken aback by the question. “Uh, sure. Most of the crowd will be watching the band by that time anyhow. Are you leaving? Where will you be?”

  “I’ll be here, but I’ll be on stage.”

  I shuffled away leaving her slightly stunned and completely speechless.

  chapter 14

  Gage

  Seth plopped into the chair across from me and stretched out his legs.

  “I thought you’d moved your flight to Saturday.”

  “You never read your text messages, do you?” He helped himself to the beer. “I sent you one this morning to let you know I’d gone back to my original plan of getting in today. We finished the job early, and I was bored.” He threw back the beer. “So, here I am.” He sat up. “Damn, is it the lighting in here that is making you look like shit, or is that natural?”

  “That’s natural, and thanks.” Summer walked across the room carrying a tray, heavy with plates of food. She was really something else. I’d been teasing her about this whole thing being too much for her, and she’d proven me completely wrong.

  Seth twisted back to see what had caught my attention. He spun back around. “Who’s the white blonde sweetie with the great body?”

  “That’s Russell’s granddaughter, and the new owner of the Raven’s Nest.”

  “You’re kidding? That’s her? Nice. She—”

  I kicked him under the table. “Shut up, she’s coming this way.”

  Summer placed my plate in front of me, and as usual, Seth made no attempt to hide the fact that he was checking her out. She smiled shyly at him.

  “Summer, this is my brother, Seth.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Seth.”

  “Pleasure is definitely mine,” he said.

  “How many Barringer brothers are there?”

  “Just three,” Seth answered. “Luke is my twin. Not identical though. Complete opposite in fact. He’s more dark and serious like Gage here.”

  “Yes,” I interrupted. “Seth is the family jester. Nothing serious about him.”

  “Not true.” He sat forward and grinned. “I take it very seriously when I’m talking to a beautiful woman.” He leaned his head to the side. “Is that a dragonfly on the side of your neck? Lucky bug.” He jolted as my foot made sharp contact with his leg. “I’ll stop talking now because I’m getting kicked with steel toed boots.”

  “Good idea,” I said.

  “What can I get you, Seth?” Summer asked.

  “I’ll have the same as him.”

  A cheer went up in the restaurant. The band walked inside with their instruments.

  “I better see if there’s anything they need,” Summer said. “Nice to meet you, Seth.” Her long legs carried her away.

  This time Seth kicked me. “Holy shit, Bro. You want that girl.”

  I turned to face him. “So?”

  “No, I mean, you want her. I haven’t seen an expression like that since I saw Luke with Angel. He always looks at her in that same, ‘don’t know what the hell just hit me’, way.”

  “You’ve been breathing oxygen through a tank too long. How is the underwater welding thing going?”

  “Smooth way to change the subject.” Seth’s face tightened to a serious expression, rare for him. “Day before yesterday, had a guy, a friend of mine, panic twenty-three feet under when the air in his line started stuttering. Shot to the surface too fast. Gas bubble pushed against his spine, and he can’t move his legs. He’s still in the recompression chamber. Don’t know if the paralysis is permanent or not.”

  “Dangerous fucking job, Seth. Thought you were going to look for something else.”

  “Yeah, someday. Besides, look who’s talking? Speaking of dangerous jobs, have you talked to Luke? I told him he should move from DEA agent to a detective’s desk. Seems a heck of a lot easier than Special Agent.”

  “Yeah, I think, just like us, trying to outrun danger makes his work day go faster.”

  The band was testing out their sound system. Seth slid his chair around so he could watch them set up. “Hey, where’s the singer? I haven’t seen her, have you?”

  “Maybe she hasn’t arrived yet.”

  Kristina’s white teeth sparkled as she came across the room with a smile and Seth’s food.

  “Hey, Friday, how’s it going?” Seth asked.

  “It’s going great.”

  “How do you like your new boss?” Seth never minced words. He’d always been a straight to the point guy, a trait that had irritated me as much as it had gained my admiration.

  “Summer is awesome. Couldn’t have asked for a better manager.” Her long lashes dropped coyly. “Unless, of course, Gage would have taken the place over.”

  “That’s all right, Kristina,” I said. “I’ve accepted my fate. I don’t know if I would have liked running this place anyhow.” I looked over at Seth. “It lacks that possibility of a grisly death.”

  Kristina looked puzzled, but she pushed the comment aside. “What are you two going to be up to while Seth is visiting?”

  Seth leaned back and turned to face me. “Yeah, host, what are we going to be up to?”

  “I’ve got shit to do at the ranch, and you can help me.”

  “Now what kind of vacation is that?”

  I shrugged. “Luke and Jericho tuned up the dirt bikes last time they were here. You could ride.”

  “Sounds better than shoveling horse shit,” Seth said.

  “How is Jericho?” Kristina asked. Jericho had been the first guy since her husband to catch her interest, but the idiot had decided she was too good for him.

  “Last I heard, he went back to the Bedlam MC. I guess they’re trying to clean up their reputation some.” I looked at Seth. “I invited him out here, so you two can race. He’s fast. Could be faster than you.”

  Seth laughed off that comment. “I hope he gets his ass out here then. I’d love to go a few rounds and throw some Montana mu
d in his face.”

  Kristina shook her head. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  Seth glanced over at me. “I thought Summer was your waitress. Did I scare her off?”

  “Probably.”

  “Must have poured on too much of the Barringer charm.”

  “Yeah, that was it.”

  The crowd pressed closer to the small, makeshift stage as the band took their places. The singer’s microphone was set up, but there was no singer in sight. “I wonder where Rose is,” I said.

  Then the roar of voices seemed to drop to a low, curious rumble. Seth and I got up and walked closer to see what was going on. Summer had walked onto the stage. She’d taken off her apron, and she’d pulled her pale hair loose from the rubber band.

  “She’s a singer?” Seth asked.

  “It’s news to me.”

  She said something to the band and then turned on the microphone. “Hello, everyone. Unfortunately, Rose was called out of town on a family emergency.” A deep groan rolled through the crowd.

  She glanced at the band. “Play Landslide first. I need something slow to warm up.”

  The voices grew in discontent, and they drowned out the first few guitar notes. I realized that I was nervous for her. I didn’t know if she was doing this out of desperation, but I was sure the audience, who’d come here to listen to the band, weren’t going to be kind. At first, she seemed tense, and her voice was so quiet it couldn’t be heard. But then the more it traveled through the speakers and toward the crowd, the more people stopped talking and listened. Several lines into the lyrics, the audience had grown so quiet, you could hear beer foam fizzing in their glasses.

  “Holy shit,” Seth whispered. “You didn’t know she could sing like that?”

  I couldn’t pull my gaze from her. As spectacularly pretty as she was, her appearance dimmed in comparison to the sound coming from those amazing lips. “She never said a word about it.” I stared over the heads to the stage. She was thin and frail and out of place between the instruments and the gruff looking musicians, but her voice was so powerful, it seemed that everyone in the room had been knocked senseless. Including me.