by Paige Warren
“So you’re the one who has my boys tied up in knots,” he said as he moved into the room. He held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elodie.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, sir.”
He waved a hand. “None of that ‘sir’ stuff. Just call me Dad. From what Cody said, you lost your parents when you were young. I hope you come to think of me and Carol as…well, not a replacement, but secondary parents maybe?”
She smiled at him. “I’d like that.”
He nodded and ambled across the room, nudging Beau out of the way so he could pour himself a cup of coffee. The men in this family sure did love their caffeine. Not that she didn’t enjoy a cup of coffee every morning herself, but she’d watched Beau drain a whole pot by himself on the days he stayed inside to work on paperwork.
“Did Asher tell you about Gemma?” Dad asked, glancing at his boys.
“He mentioned she’d had some trouble,” Beck said.
“That sorry excuse of a boyfriend of hers beat the crap out of her, and not for the first time I’m guessing. I don’t know when she’ll decide enough is enough. That girl has fallen so far I don’t know that she can crawl out of the hell she’s in. It’s going to take a miracle.”
“Who’s Gemma?” Elodie asked.
“Our cousin,” Cody answered. “Our baby cousin.”
Beck snorted. “She’s twenty-three. She’s not much of a baby anymore. I’d still like to turn her over my knee and paddle her ass just to see if it straightened her out. I can only imagine what Aunt Peggy and Uncle Will are going through. She’s not just the baby of the family. She’s the only girl.”
“Maybe she just needs a little guidance?” Elodie said. “If she’s wild, maybe she feels she doesn’t have a choice but to continue as she started.”
Mom smiled. “That’s very insightful, Elodie. You’re going to make a great mother one day.”
The guys shared a look and a smile.
Mom looked at them. “Maybe one day soon?”
Elodie felt her cheeks warm. “It’s not definite, but there’s a possibility I’m pregnant. I haven’t had a chance to get one of those tests from the store yet.”
“Well, you let us know when you know for sure.” Mom smiled. “Just think, we could be grandparents shortly after the New Year. How wonderful!”
Cody squeezed Elodie’s shoulder. “We will, Mom.”
“So. When’s the wedding?” Mom asked.
“We were thinking Christmas,” Beau said.
“Actually,” Elodie interrupted, “with me possibly being pregnant, I was thinking August might be a better idea.”
“Goodness, girl! You’re going to melt!” Dad frowned. “Of course, I’m assuming you want an outside wedding.”
“Well, I had thought about it,” Elodie said. “But you’re right. August in Texas is way too hot for an outdoor wedding. There’s a small church in town that would do nicely. I only have one person to invite from my side, someone I went to school with when I was younger, so it’s really just going to be your family attending. And of course any friends the guys want to invite.”
“If you’re expecting, I don’t want you getting overly excited,” Beck said. “Maybe a small wedding would be the way to go. Just family and your friend.”
Elodie nodded. “I like that idea.”
Mom clapped her hands together. “So, do I get to help in any way? Since I didn’t have any daughters, and you’re taking on all of my sons, this is the only wedding I’ll get to participate in. Unless Gemma and her brothers let me meddle a bit.”
“I’d love your help!”
“I’ll plan a trip down to Grizzly Pines soon so we can go dress shopping.” Mom smiled. “We’ll make a day of it. Lunch, dress shopping, shoe shopping. Maybe find a place that handles invitations. Even if you don’t need a lot of them, you’ll want one as a keepsake.”
Elodie’s eyes widened. She had a feeling Mom was a whirlwind once she got an idea in her head. Already she was feeling dizzy from the ideas pouring out of her mouth. Not that those things didn’t sound fun, because they did, but she wondered if the woman had an off switch. Or maybe a slow-the-heck-down button.
“That sounds fun,” Elodie said. “I’m sure the guys would love to have you stay for a while. We have two spare rooms.”
“Pfft. I’m not cramping your style by invading your home. The local motel is plenty good enough for me. You’re still in the early stage of your relationship and need your space. I may be old, but I still remember what those first days were like.”
Dad arched a brow. “You mean something changed between then and now?”
Mom blushed.
Beau’s phone rang and he frowned at it. “I’ll be right back.”
Elodie watched him disappear out the kitchen door, but she could still hear him in the hallway. As Mom caught up on gossip with Beck and Cody, Elodie listened in on Beau’s conversation, even though she knew she shouldn’t. If he wanted her to know what his conversation was about, he’d tell her. Yet, she just couldn’t help herself. He’d looked worried.
“How long?” Beau asked.
Elodie strained to hear more.
“And she’s staying where? Why haven’t Aunt Peggy and Uncle Will gone after her? She needs to be at home where the family can take care of her.”
That didn’t sound good.
“Keep me posted. I’ll let everyone here know what’s going on.”
Beau stepped back into the kitchen and she caught his attention. He came to stand beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
He shook his head.
“Mom. Dad. I have some bad news.” He cleared his throat. “Gemma’s boyfriend did a number on her, bad enough that she finally decided she’d had enough and she moved out. Asher said she looks like she went a few rounds with Mike Tyson and lost. He tried to get to go to the hospital, but she refused, said it wasn’t as bad as it looked.”
“Well, I’m not happy that she’s hurt, but I’m glad she got out of there,” Mom said.
“Yeah, well, she didn’t go home like she should have. She’s holed up in some rat trap in Dallas. Asher said the whole place would blow over with a stiff wind. He said homeless men would probably pass it by even in the middle of a storm.”
Dad shook his head. “That girl always was stubborn.”
Elodie placed her hand over Beau’s. “Why don’t you go get her, Beau?”
“And do what, Elodie? She’s seriously messed up. It isn’t just that he beat the tar out of her. Asher said she’s been drinking heavily, maybe even doing drugs.”
“She’s your family,” Elodie reasoned. “You have an obligation to help her.”
“I don’t know, Elodie,” Cody said. “If she’s as bad as Asher says, I don’t know that I want her around you right now. Especially if you’re expecting.”
“But—”
“We’ll talk about it more after we go home,” Beck said, his tone brooking no argument from anyone. “If we decide to take her in, Beau can always come back and get her.”
Elodie sighed, knowing when she’d been bested. She wasn’t giving up though. If their cousin needed help, Elodie was going to make sure she got it. She’d hit rock bottom before and knew what it felt like when everything was hopeless and you had nowhere to go. She wanted to make sure Gemma knew she had a place to go, family that would support her, and a chance to turn her life around.
No matter what it took, she’d make sure her men saw things her way. Gemma would come to Grizzly Pines to live with them. Elodie might not know the woman, but she didn’t need to in order to feel her pain. She might not have experienced physical abuse during her life, but she’d had plenty of emotional abuse and knew it wasn’t easy to get away from that kind of life. The fact that Gemma walked away showed that she was strong, stronger than her family was giving her credit for.
It was time to start a checklist.
> 1.Pick up a pregnancy test
2.Get Gemma to Grizzly Pines
3.Buy a wedding dress
And…well, that would be a good start. She’d figure the rest out later. She had her whole life ahead of her. A good life, with men she adored and who adored her in return. That’s what was important. As long as she had their love, she could do anything.
THE END
WWW.PAIGEWARRENAUTHOR.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paige Warren spends her days weaving tales about alpha male cowboys and the women who love them. There’s nothing hotter than a man in tight Wranglers and a pair of well-worn boots. You have to admit, there’s something sexy about a man who knows how to use a rope!
A cat lover, she has more than one furbaby running around, keeping her company in the wee hours of the morning as she tries to find just the right way to say “His skin gleamed, the early morning rays caressing his sun-bronzed flesh, as he studied her from beneath the brim of his Stetson.” Or, you know, something similar.
When Paige isn’t doling out tons of affection on the furbabies, or slurping down a pot of coffee (yes! A whole pot!) so she can get in her daily word count, she enjoys reading and watching movies—romances, usually.
For all titles by Paige Warren, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/paige-warren
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
