by Carrie Elks
“The kind I’m not stupid enough to say out loud within distance of your brothers.” He slid his arm around her waist. “Let’s do this.”
“Are you afraid?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
“But you made those jokes about them cutting your balls off. And asked me all those questions about them.”
“I’m interested in them, because I’m interested in you,” he said, as though it was obvious. “And it’s hard to be scared when I don’t actually care what they think of me. Except if it influences how you feel about me.”
Becca flushed, hoping he thought it was the warm spring breeze rather than his words that were affecting her this way. He looked amazing today, wearing a pair of jeans and a pale grey sweater that was tight enough to show the lines of his muscles through the knit fabric. His dark hair was tamed, though some locks were lifting in the air as the wind blew in from the fields. But it was the smile on his face that made him look so damn delectable. She was getting used to it now.
Nobody else has ever made him smile this much. His mother’s words echoed in her head. She loved that she was the one who made him happy. The one who took down his defences until he was almost exposed.
Almost. If only he’d let those last shields dissolve.
As he opened the door to the restaurant, the loud echo of voices and laughter spilled out, along with the delicious aroma of food. The restaurant was built on the site of an old cottage where Logan’s wife, Courtney, once lived. It was a low, cosy building, keeping with its heritage. No fuss, no glamor, just good company and great food.
“From the earth to the plate,” Daniel murmured, reading the information on the wall. The menu was designed around the crops and livestock grown on the farm, changing seasonally to provide nothing but the most delicious meals.
“Logan doesn’t like to do things halfway.” Becca smiled. “Remind you of anybody?”
“No.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Nobody at all.”
“You made it,” Courtney said, walking over to them with George in her arms. He immediately reached for Becca, babbling something that sounded like her name. Becca lifted him from Courtney, and kissed him on the cheek, laughing as he pulled at her hair.
“Courtney, this is Daniel Carter,” she said. Daniel reached forward to shake Courtney’s hand. “And this is George.” She turned to him and he swallowed hard, as though surprised at the sight of her with a baby in her arms.
The moment passed as the rest of her family joined them, and she introduced Daniel to Aunt Gina and her dad, and then her brothers and their partners in turn. Mia’s sons, Michael and Josh, were at the table, leaning over Michael’s phone, as they watched something on the screen. Presley and Marley were fighting over a toy one of them had stolen from Maddie’s bag of entertainment, neither of them willing to give in. She could tell from Daniel’s shifting eyes that he couldn’t keep up with them all.
She hadn’t noticed how loud and overwhelming her family was, until she tried to see it from somebody else’s point of view. She tried not to compare it to the elegant ball Daniel’s brother had thrown. There were no screaming babies, no sister-in-laws squeezing Daniel into a bear hug, and no brothers giving him the third degree in Charleston.
Just a brother he couldn’t stand and an ex that made her jealous. Becca couldn’t help but think she’d gotten off lightly compared to him.
“We should sit down,” Gray said, after they had all shaken Daniel’s hand. Logan had closed the restaurant for the evening – wisely deciding not to antagonize any of his customers by having them spend time in the midst of a Hartson family get together.
Becca slid her hand into Daniel’s and squeezed it. He squeezed back, and she felt it again. The connection, the need. “You can sit with me,” she told him.
“Oh no, we’ve got the guys at one end, the girls at the other.” Gray gave Daniel a smile. “That’s not a problem, is it?’
Daniel seemed unperturbed. “Not at all.”
Becca gave her eldest brother the stink-eye. “Be nice,” she warned him.
“I always am.” With a lopsided grin, he walked over to where Cam and Logan had taken a seat, Presley and Marley on their laps, still fighting.
Daniel kissed Becca on the cheek, and George grabbed his nose. “Stop worrying,” he said softly, tickling George under the chin. “I promise not to die from Hartson overload.”
“If they get to be too much, send me a signal.”
“What kind of signal?” He grinned.
“Send me a text. Or scream. Whatever.”
He laughed. “Go sit with your family and have fun. I won’t need to text. How bad can it get?”
“Bad. Very bad. I’m going to owe you big time.” Becca grimaced.
“Then I look forward to claiming my favors.” He kissed her again, and walked to the table, looking as casual as could be.
A complete contrast to her body full of nerves.
“Let me take this guy,” Courtney said, lifting George from Becca’s arms and sliding him into a highchair, grunting as she tried to fasten the straps around his wiggling body. “At least dinner will be fast. Logan told the chefs he wants it to be done in an hour, otherwise the kids will start to go stir crazy. And by the way, your boyfriend is gorgeous.”
“I’m not sure that he’s my boyfriend,” Becca murmured, a frown pulling at her lips.
“Of course he is,” Maddie said, sitting on Becca’s other side. “Do you see the way he keeps looking at you? Oh, I remember the days when it’s impossible to keep your hands off each other.”
“To be fair, you and Gray still can’t keep your hands off each other,” Becca teased. “Remember the last time I babysat? I found you guys half naked in your car, your ass pressed against the horn.”
Courtney spluttered out her water. “Man, I would have paid money to see that.”
Van laughed, too, though she was looking a little green. Becca hoped the second trimester treated her better than the first.
“Tanner can keep his hands off me for the rest of our lives,” Van said, as though she could read Becca’s mind. “I can’t go through another pregnancy like this one.”
“I’ll make you another carrot cake tonight,” Becca told her.
“And this is why I love you.”
Logan had wisely decided on a family-style menu, putting various dishes on the table for them all to help themselves, rather than wait for everybody to make up their minds and order. Beautiful buttermilk chicken nestled against creamy mashed potatoes, along with steak fillets and fries so crisp you could hear them crackle as you pushed your fork into them, and so many veggies it looked like a harvest table.
The family dug in, laughing and joking as they ate, the men drinking beer and sodas as the women – minus Van – sipped wine. Every now and then, Becca would look over at Daniel to check that they hadn’t killed him.
So far, so good. She liked him alive, with his balls intact, thank you very much.
And then dinner ended, and Gray stood, a mischievous look in his eye.
The meal had passed without any big surprises – and more importantly, without any punches and with his balls still intact. Daniel looked across the table to Becca, who was laughing with her aunt and one of her sisters-in-law, baby George once again nestled against Becca’s chest.
A weird shiver snaked down his spine at the sight.
“Okay,” Gray said, standing with a grin. “It’s football time.”
Daniel looked around for a television.
“Now?” Maddie said, looking up from where she was trying to entertain her twin sons. “But we’re eating.”
“We’ve finished. A little sport will help the digestion, right?” Gray looked at Cam, who nodded, a smile playing at his lips.
“Sounds good.” Cam grinned, looking at his twin.
“I’m up for it,” Logan said, stretching his arms. “All these months of throwing hay have to have been good for my fitness. How about you, Ta
nner?”
“Sure.” Tanner stood, rolling his shoulders. “Who doesn’t like football?”
Then they all turned to look at Daniel, who was watching them with a bemused smile. Everybody stopped talking, their eyes on him.
“No.” Becca was the first to speak. “No way.”
“What?” Gray said, his voice light. “Daniel, you know how to play football, right?”
“I played a little at school.” This was a set-up, plain and simple. A way for Becca’s brothers to get him alone. He had two choices, say no and look like an idiot or say yes and look like… an idiot.
But at least he’d be an idiot who didn’t back down.
“Great. Hey, Michael,” Cam said, looking at his step-son. Becca had told Daniel that Michael was only fifteen, but he already looked like a man. “You playing? That way we can go three against three.”
“Sure.” Michael nodded. “If you guys can keep up with me, let’s do it.”
“Can I play?” his little brother Josh, asked. “Please?”
Gray exchanged a look with Logan. “Maybe later. We don’t want you to get hurt.”
What kind of game were they planning? Maybe it wasn’t a game, but more of a test.
To see what kind of man he was. Whether he was worthy of their sister. Part of him was pleased that they took her happiness so seriously. The other part? The part that hadn’t picked up a football in about ten years? It was slightly more concerned.
“You don’t have to do this,” Becca said. “We’ve had a nice meal. We can all go home and relax.”
“It’s fine,” he reassured her, trying not to smile at her obvious distress. “I’m happy to play.”
Logan walked into the kitchen and came out carrying a ball and a duffle bag, as though it was normal to keep sports equipment in his restaurant. Daniel followed the five of them out of the door, noticing they were all wearing athletic shoes.
A spontaneous game of football? Sure. Tell that to the judge.
Logan led them to an empty field about a four minutes walk away, with a makeshift goal at either end. “We need to pick teams.”
“I’ll take Daniel and Cam,” Gray said. “You can have Michael and Tanner.” He looked at Daniel. “No tackling, no kicking. We throw and we score touchdowns. That’s it.”
“Sounds good to me.” Especially the no kicking part.
They started off with a warm up, Logan throwing the ball to Michael, who threw a hard lob at Tanner. The youngest brother dodged to the left, avoiding the catch, and they all laughed loudly.
“Hey, take it easy. I’m not the guy messing around with Becca,” he complained.
Gray shot his brother a dark look. “Just catch the damn ball, Tanner,” he muttered, picking it up and throwing it to Cam. The ex-professional football player caught it easily, then turned to Daniel with a speculative glance.
“How hard should I throw it at you?” he asked Daniel.
“As hard as you want.” He wasn’t backing down. And he wasn’t going to dodge it. They wanted to test him? Fine. He’d take a beating if he needed to.
Cam’s throw was fast and pointed. The ball careened toward Daniel, who shot his hands up, wincing as the heavy leather slapped against his skin. A smile tugged at his lips as he caught it, and Cam gave him an unsmiling nod.
One brother down, three to go.
“Okay, we’ll start,” Gray said, handing them each a handkerchief. “Your flags. Put them down the back of your pants.”
“We’re playing flag football?” Daniel did as he was told, placing the fabric square into the gap between his waistband and back.
“Cam played professionally. Logan nearly did. If they tackle you, you’ll feel it. Instead, we take the flag and that means you’re down.”
“Or I take the flag,” Daniel pointed out, “and they’re down.”
“Touché.” Gray nodded. “Now let’s play.”
Ten minutes later, Gray’s side was winning by six points. Michael and Cam were pretty much leading each team. Logan was doing his best – though you could tell by the way he ran that he had a bad knee. Tanner wasn’t really bothering, having too much fun making his brothers shout at him. Gray was good – but no match for Cam and Michael.
As for Daniel, he was just glad for all the boxing and running he did. He wasn’t the most skilled footballer, but he could keep up.
He was throwing the ball to Cam when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. At first he thought it was a flock of birds, swooping down to eat seeds from the earth. But then the flash got closer, the pink color becoming clearer, and he frowned, calling out to Logan who looked to see what was up.
“Oh shit. The pigs.” Logan’s eyes widened. “How the hell did they escape their pen?”
Cam hadn’t noticed, as he was too busy making a run for the goal, Michael fast on his heels. But Tanner had. He’d stopped running, and was staring at the oncoming stampede with his mouth open.
Daniel had always thought pigs were slow, lazy animals. But the twenty or so beasts running toward them looked fast, their trotters kicking up dust as they ran past the goal and a surprised looking Cam, heading right toward where Logan, Daniel, and Tanner were standing.
“Hot damn.” Tanner turned on his heel and started to run, squealing louder than a pig ever could.
Logan swallowed hard. “We gotta turn them back,” he muttered. “Before they reach the road.”
“How do we do that?” Daniel asked.
“We run at them.” Logan spoke through gritted teeth.
Daniel lifted his gaze to the pigs. Their bodies undulated as they ran, their curled tails bobbing. They were closer now, their mud-covered bodies looking menacing as they continued their onslaught across the grass.
“You ready?” Logan asked.
Not at all. But he wasn’t backing down either. “Sure.” His heart started to hammer against his chest. The closest he’d ever come to a pig was on his breakfast plate.
“Okay, let’s run,” Logan shouted, and Daniel took off, running straight toward the oncoming pigs, his lungs protesting at the sudden burst of energy. As he got closer, he could see their beady eyes and their twitching snouts. A few of them stopped running and looked up at him expectantly.
But there were more behind them, their pink bodies still hurtling across the field. One of them was heading straight for him, and Daniel had to dodge to the left, his shoes sliding against the muddy field, making him slip and fall to the ground in a puddle of mud.
That’s when he heard the laughter. Five deep chuckles coming from a few yards behind him. Groaning, Daniel rolled to his knees, wincing as he looked down at his mud-coated jeans. When he lifted his head, he saw Becca’s brothers and Michael standing in a group, as Logan gently turned the pigs around and directed them back to the end of the field.
Gray wiped his eyes and walked over to Daniel, offering his hand to pull him up. “You really ran at them, man. I’m impressed.”
Daniel stood, dusting himself off, though it was a futile gesture. He was caked with mud. “Thanks. Just trying to help.”
Cam walked over, and shook his hand. “You’re okay,” he mumbled. “I like you.”
Tanner was still laughing loudly. “Jesus, Becca’s going to kill us all.”
In the distance, Daniel could see one of the farm hands ushering the pink horde through a gate. So it was a set up.
“No hard feelings?” Logan asked, slapping Daniel on the shoulder. “We just wanted to see what you were made of.”
“I’d say he’s made of steel, with a little kick ass thrown in,” Michael said, grinning. “I like him.”
“I like him, too.” Tanner nodded. Then they were all slapping Daniel on the back, and he felt like he’d completed some Labor of Hercules. Proved himself worthy for the princess, gotten the respect of his fellow warriors, and ended up caked in mud and pigshit.
Great.
“Uh oh.” Gray looked over Daniel’s shoulder. “Busted.”
Da
niel turned to see Becca storming up the field, followed by her sisters-in-law, carrying their children. Aunt Gina and Becca’s father must still be in the restaurant.
“This time, I really recommend running,” Logan murmured. “When Becca’s pissed, it’s a scary sight.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“My brothers are assholes. All of them. I’m so sorry.” Becca winced at the memory of Daniel running at the pigs while the four of them watched, laughing their ugly heads off. “I can’t believe they planned that all out. I’m going to kill them all very slowly. And record it with my camera so I can relive the excitement over and again.”
Daniel rubbed his damp hair with a towel. “It’s fine. It was kind of funny if you think about it. And I suffered worse at prep school. Not to mention college.”
“Yeah, but you were a kid then. They’re all grown men now. Or they were. I don’t know what they’ll be once I chop their balls off.”
“You’re kind of hot when you’re angry, you know that?” He brushed his lips against hers. “Now relax. I’m clean, I’m fine, it’s all good, apart from a bruised ego. And that’ll heal fast.”
“Maybe I could massage it better.” She gave him a tentative smile. They’d driven straight to his place from the farm, as he needed fresh clothes and a shower. She’d fumed all the way, imagining painful ways to exact her revenge on all four of them. She’d let Michael off this time – she knew Cam had led his step-son astray.
“I’m all for some therapeutic relief.” Daniel winked.
She exhaled softly. “I think you deserve it after what I put you through.” She wasn’t sure she’d actually get over it. “It’s mortifying.”
“Come here,” Daniel said softly, tipping her chin until her gaze met his. She tried to look away, but he leaned forward, until all she could see was him. The warm smell of soap and shampoo wafted from him, his t-shirt and sweatpants soft as his body touched hers. “I’m not angry. I’m not fed up. You’re worth a hundred stampedes from the pigs. If I had to do it again to be with you, I would.”
The intensity of his stare made her chest ache. He was overwhelming. Not just in how he looked or smelled or felt, but because of who he was. She’d won him over, somehow or other.
