Brothers

by Tess Oliver

  "You sure did," I sobbed. I took the edge of my shirt and tried to wipe away some of the blood from his mouth.

  Zach walked over and lowered his hand to Jesse. He took it, and with some effort, he sat up. Jesse shifted his jaw from side to side. "That beefy fucker has a powerful right hook."

  Tim pushed to his feet, looking out of it, but then that was sort of his usual look.

  Zach pointed down at Jesse. "Hey, you big ugly ball of clay, did you do this to his face?"

  The obvious challenge seemed to put some wind back in Tim's sails. He straightened his big shoulders, but his smug grin was thwarted by the deep cut in his lip. "Sure as fuck did." He pointed to his flattened nose. "He did this to me."

  Zach walked toward him. "Yeah? Looks like a fucking improvement. But, what the fuck, let's put another Coltrane stamp on that mug." Zach's fist flew so fast and the impact was so explosive with blood and the sound of cracking teeth and bones that it took me a second to believe it happened. Tim crumpled like a big balloon losing all of its air.

  Bobby had come to enough to begin a belly crawl across the dirt toward his discarded gun. His right arm looked loose, as if it was no longer attached. Which, in a sense, it wasn't. Zach walked past him and picked up the gun long before Bobby reached the end of his painful journey. I had to admit it was awesome seeing the man suffer.

  Zach walked toward Bobby. It was clear that he wasn't done with him.

  Jesse had been leaning on me, but he regained his balance. "Zach, wait. I haven't had a crack at him yet." He took a few wavering steps and then marched toward Bobby. Bobby sat up and scooted back on his ass as Jesse approached him.

  Jesse crouched down next to him and pointed at me. "You see that angel standing there? If I ever catch you even ten fucking miles from her, I'm going to kill you." Jesse shot an elbow back into Bobby's face. He fell back and covered his nose, writhing in pain.

  Sirens sounded in the distance.

  "About fucking time," Zach said. "I called them on my way around the back of the property. I was pulling up to the house, and I saw this ugly scene unfolding. I decided to circle around back. Surprise attack."

  I ran to him and hugged him. "I'm so glad you came back home. In fact, your timing couldn't be better."

  "I'll say. I needed to do a little thinking and soul searching."

  "Jesse thought maybe you were visiting an old friend, and—"

  Zach rubbed his swollen knuckles as a faint smile turned up his moustache. "Yeah, I was doing some of that too."

  I took Zach's hand and led him to where Jesse was standing. Then I took hold of each of their hands.

  "Hey, Jesse, how did you know to come back?" I asked.

  Jesse wiped the blood off the side of his mouth with his thumb. "Sherry, of course. I reached Sundance's place, and Sherry called me looking for you. She said you weren't answering your phone and she was worried. So I raced back."

  A sad and weary bark rattled the shed door. Poor Bear had long given up on getting free from his cage. We'd forgotten all about him.

  "I wondered where the hell our wolf was when all this was going down." Zach walked to the shed, and Bear came bounding out. Both bloodied and half-conscious men stirred when they heard Bear bark.

  I hugged Bear. "I was afraid they'd hurt him, so I locked him in the shed."

  The police pulled up to the property, and Zach went to meet them.

  "Fuck," Bobby growled. "Why'd you have to call them?"

  "Think they know about the liquor store robbery?" Tim asked.

  "No, you fucking idiot," Bobby snarled. "Why the hell would cops know about a robbery?"

  I couldn't hold back a laugh.

  "Shut up, Joelle. This is all your fucking fault," Bobby sneered at me. His angry tone brought Bear to my feet. Bear sat and showed his long fangs to Bobby.

  "Bobby, I hope you spend the rest of your fucking life being as miserable as I was living with you these past few years."

  I turned to Jesse and used my thumb to wipe some of the dirt away from his bloodied face. "Let's get you an ice pack."

  "I think your kisses will feel a lot better than ice."

  I took his hand. "You think? Let's go see if that's true." I took his hand and we walked to the house.

  30

  Zach

  I held the bowie knife Jesse made in my hand. Everything about it felt smooth and solid. It was a beautiful blade. "Knew you had it in you, Jes."

  "Thanks. It just took focus, and I finally figured out how to find that."

  I got up from the table. Joelle was pushing her bike across the yard to the shed. "Something tells me it has to do with that beautiful girl who just got home."

  "Yeah, I figured it was time to grow up. Not that I'm planning to be old and boring like you, but I think it's time to slow down on the partying and other stupid shit."

  I put my plate in the sink. "Is she still planning to move out?"

  "Yeah. It'll give her some of that independence she craves. She's renting Kathy Young's back house. It's close to Sherry's shop."

  "That's convenient." I pointed to the bowie knife. "Get that thing packed up good, so you can ship it off. It'll be a nice piece for the guy's collection." I headed out the back door. It had been a week since Joelle's creepy ex had shown up at the house. It turned out the police were looking for them for robbing a liquor store on their way to Tanglewood. Bobby would be going away for a long time. It seemed Joelle finally felt truly free of the jerk. At the same time, the complicated relationship the three of us started had come to a smooth end. Joelle had picked Jesse, and while there was plenty of pain in that conclusion, it was the right ending for the story.

  I headed into the shop to straighten things up and get ready for my next order. I heard the patter of Bear's paws and Joelle's footsteps behind me. She walked over to the stool at Jesse's work table and sat down.

  I picked up the broom. "Hey, Slick, how was work?"

  "Good. Sherry was kind of distracted all morning, which made me nervous because I thought she was going to make some dire prediction. But she seemed to be better after lunch. What's your next project?"

  "A dagger, believe it or not. I'm not sure if the guy just wants it to be cool or if he's planning to use it for self defense. Not my place to ask. I just make it. Looking forward to it though. I haven't made a dagger in awhile." I stopped sweeping and leaned on the broom. "Joelle, you don't have to move out. I mean, I hope you're not leaving because of me."

  "No, not at all. I just need to experience what it's like to be on my own. Even though, I'm sort of cheating because I have you and Jesse close by. But I need this."

  "I understand. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't me."

  Bear's head popped up with interest as Jesse stepped into the shop. He had a stunned look on his face. "Uh, Zach, I think you should come outside. There's something you need to see."

  "Can it wait until I'm done cleaning up?"

  Jesse shook his head. "Nope, it can't wait."

  I looked at Joelle, who shrugged in confusion.

  I lifted a brow at Jesse as I walked past him. "This better be worth it," I muttered as I reached the open door of the shop. I stepped outside. I glanced up toward the trees, assuming some wild creature had wandered into the yard. But then a sound behind me, made me turn back toward the house.

  I had to wait for my breath to return before I could speak.

  "Sage."

  "Hey, Zach." Sage had her hands pushed into her jeans, and she shyly lifted her shoulders.

  It had been four years, but everything about her was as familiar as if I'd just had her in my arms seconds ago. I'd been so focused on Sage, so stunned at seeing her, I hadn't noticed the movement behind her.

  A tiny hand gripped the side of her leg and then small feet shuffled around her. A boy, not more than three or four, stepped into view. My mind dashed back to the photo album Joelle had carried up from the cellar. I was looking at the same blue-eyed, blond haired kid from the picture
. But that couldn't be. There was no fucking way.

  Sage gazed back at me with green eyes, those green eyes that I'd thought about every day since she left. Every bit of hurt and regret I'd felt after losing her resurfaced.

  I couldn't ignore the obvious anymore. I looked down at the little boy, who was hugging a stuffed dinosaur with one arm as the other remained wrapped around Sage's leg.

  "Zach, this is John James."

  It felt as if she'd lobbed a cannon ball at me with her words. I, once again, tried to remember how to breathe. Only this time, when I sucked in air, a lot of anger and disbelief came with it.

  I looked at her. "You had a baby, my baby?" I heard the words as they left my mouth, but I was having a hard fucking time believing they were real.

  "I didn't know I was pregnant until after I left," she spoke quickly. Apparently she was going to try and explain the whole fucking thing in seconds, but it was going to take a lot longer than that.

  I stood there feeling as if someone had drained all the blood from my body. My stomach knotted with anger and disbelief. I fished the keys from my pocket and marched past her.

  I climbed into my truck and tore out of the driveway without looking back. I couldn't look back.

  31

  Zach

  I tossed another stone into Deadman's Gulch and watched it sink below the frothy surface. I wished I'd brought my bike along. A fast, hard ride down would have helped. Wrapping my head around Sage coming back was nothing compared to wrapping my head around the surprise she’d brought with her. None of it was making sense to me.

  I'd walked off like an asshole, but I needed time to absorb everything. Hell, I just needed to catch my fucking breath.

  "Thought I'd find you here," Jesse's voice crawled up the hill and through the trees. It was probably the first time we were both standing on the trail instead of racing down it on our bikes.

  I sat on one of the trees along the trail that had fallen years ago and had been relieved of its bark and sap. It was so smooth and brittle from weathering, even the insects and forest animals had abandoned it.

  Jesse leaned his hand up against a tree and stared down in the gulch. "Shit, I guess I've never really taken a good long look at those rocks. That would fucking hurt."

  I picked up another stone and tossed it into the rocky ravine. "If you were lucky, you'd die before the real pain started."

  My brother looked over at me. "Maybe you'll have to slow down on daring bike races now that you're a dad."

  I shook my head. "Fuck. What the hell was she thinking?"

  "I think you're going to have to ask her that." Jesse joined me on the tree. "You know, for the longest time, I used to ask that question about Mom. What the hell was she thinking walking away from us, from Dad? I knew she hated it here, but how the heck did she just walk away from her family? After Sage left you for a life away from Tanglewood, I remember thinking the same thing. How the hell did she just leave Zach behind? She left just like Mom. But then I started peeling away the lies I used to tell myself to feel better about Mom leaving. She never loved Dad. She was here, living the life of a wife and mother, but it was all an act. She left with hardly a glance back, other than those stupid, annoying phone calls we both try and ignore." He stretched his legs out and leaned back on his hands. "But you know what? The thing with you and Sage—that was different. She loved you, just like you loved her. She was ready to try more of the world and you were bound here. Whether that was a good thing or not, you stuck it out here because of Dad, because of the Coltrane name."

  I looked over at him. "You been rehearsing that long?"

  He bobbed his head side to side. "Nah, just on the way over here." He got up. "I've got everyone in the car."

  I peered up at him.

  "And now Joelle and I are going to take my nephew, John James, out for ice cream and you're going to stay here and let Sage tell you whatever the heck she came here to tell you. But I'm just going to warn you that I'm already getting pretty damn fond of saying the phrase my nephew."

  I got up and followed him down the hill. My stomp off and pout session had been brought to an abrupt end by none other than the younger brother, who I'd been telling to grow up all these years. Guess I'd finally gotten through to him. Smug ass that he was.

  I stopped high enough on the trail that I could see down to the car. Joelle was in the front seat, and I could see Sage in the backseat. John James was too little to spot inside the car. John James. She'd named him after our great grandfather. I was in the middle of wondering why Sage had made that decision when she stepped out of the car and stopped my thoughts and, once again, my breath.

  It had been nearly four years since I last talked to her, since I last held her, since I last kissed her. I'd assured myself that it was over, that I'd pushed her from my mind for good. Then Joelle handed me that damn prom picture, and I knew I'd just been lying to myself. Sage was never completely gone. Our connection had been too tight. Even more than I'd realized. Fuck, now that was a royal understatement.

  Sage tucked her short black hair behind her ears as she strolled toward me. Her bright green eyes sparkled out from creamy, flawless skin. I could never get enough of her silky skin. There was a place on the back of her shoulder that I loved to kiss, whenever I had the chance. I used to complain that I hated winter and the sweaters she wore because I could never get to that spot.

  Sage stopped just a foot away, closer than we'd stood in four years. I almost wanted to reach out and touch her just to make sure she was real. Below, Jesse's car sputtered as he pulled away.

  "Jonny is already nuts about his uncle. And Joelle. Wow. I never thought Jesse would find someone to tame his heart." She paused. "And from what I've heard, she stole a bit of yours too."

  My eyes widened. Then it all fell into place. "Sherry, of course. Have you two been talking all these years?"

  Sage shook her head. "No. When I left Tanglewood, I knew it would be easier if I had a clean break. It was the only way I could try and start a life without you. Sherry found my mom's email address and wrote her. Then she called me."

  "Why?"

  "Zach, if it's easier that I leave, I'll take John James back home. I live just a few hours north. We've got a crummy little apartment, but I have a job and a few friends." She shrugged. "Turns out the rest of the world doesn't have any greener grass than Tanglewood."

  I crossed my arms for no other reason except I couldn't decide whether to grab her and hug her or shake her good and hard. "Why didn't you tell me? Fucking hell, Sage, why didn't you tell me?"

  Her eyes filled with tears. "Because you didn't follow me. I was sure you would." A short, sad laugh followed. "For some damn reason, I'd convinced myself that I was more important to you than this town. And then when I found out I was pregnant, I thought if I told you, you'd feel obligated. I didn't want that. I didn't want you to feel obligated to follow me. I just wanted you to follow me because you loved—"

  I reached for her and pulled her into my arms. "How could you ever have questioned it? You know I've loved you since—I can't even fucking remember a time when I didn't love you, Sage." I covered her mouth with mine.

  32

  Joelle

  Three months later

  Sherry was helping put the final rhinestone pins in Sage's hair.

  I looked past the two of them into the mirror at the bride's reflection. "Sage, you look stunning. Zach is going to have a hard time remembering his vows."

  "Thanks, Joelle." Sage lifted her hand. "Look, some of the shaking has stopped. Maybe I won't fall completely apart after all. Joelle, can you go out and check to make sure that Zach got Jonny dressed? I kept having nightmares last night that the two of them showed up to the wedding in ripped jeans and dirty t-shirts."

  I laughed. "I'll go check right now." I walked through the kitchen and stopped to make sure the pies I’d baked were out of Bear's reach. The dog was busy with a beef bone. He was going to be confined to the house for a few hours
, so Jesse decided Bear needed something to occupy his time.

  It was a perfect summer night on the mountainside. Jesse and Zach had strung lights around the entire yard. Even the shop and some of the pine trees on the hills were decorated.

  I stepped outside, but not too far from the house. Most of the town had arrived to watch the first Coltrane brother get married. John James Coltrane, great-great grandson of the town's founder, had become in instant celebrity. And Jonny was eating it up.

  Zach walked up to the steps with his son on his shoulders. Their bond had been instant, and they were adorable together.

  I laughed. "With both of you wearing the same suits and ties, Jonny looks like a mini version of his dad."

  Zach looked down at the flouncy pink summer dress Sage had chosen for the bridesmaids. "And you look like pink candy floss. Beautiful."

  I held out the edges of the dress. "I think we made the right choice. But the bride will definitely be the show stealer."

  Zach took a whiff of the fragrance coming through the kitchen. "Those pies smell good. What kind are they?"

  "Lemon chiffon. I've been wanting to bake them for a long time." I held back my smile. "Where's Jesse? I haven't seen him in his suit yet."

  "Last I saw, he and Sundance were in the shop sneaking a beer."

  I kissed Zach's cheek. He stooped down so I could give Jonny a kiss too. "I'll go make sure they are staying out of trouble." I headed across the yard to the shop and stepped inside.

  Jesse looked up. My heart always skipped a beat when I saw the man, but he looked positively swoon worthy dressed in a suit and tie.

  "Whooee," Sundance howled, "look at that beauty in the pink dress." He tilted sideways to get a look at my legs and howled again. "Best damn pair of legs in Tanglewood." The comment earned him a knuckle in the shoulder from Jesse.