by Cee Bowerman
MACE
Conner Brothers Construction,
Book 3
Cee Bowerman
Property of CLBooks, LLC
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
All rights reserved as this is the property of CLBooks, LLC and Jessica Johnson Photography.
No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without express written permission of the author.
Cee Bowerman Book List
Texas Knights MC
Home Forever
Forever Family
Lucky Forever
Texas Kings MC
Kale
Sonny
Bird
Grunt
Lout
Smokey
Tucker
Kale & Terra (Novella)
John & Mattie
Bear
Daughtry
Conner Brothers Construction
Finn
Angus
Mace
A quick note from the author….
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoy Mace as much as I enjoyed writing him. There are some twists and turns in this one, and some old friends from around Rojo.
Thank you so much for the love and support you’ve shown me and my stories. I appreciate your kind words more than you can ever know, and love to hear from you.
Have a wonderful read, enjoy some new names and some old ones while you take a little time in Rojo, and then let me know what you think on FB when you’re finished.
Cee
1.
“Angus is the grumpy Conner.”
Mace
REBA
“You did great,” I told my friend Lena as I handed her a bottle of water. “Getting stronger every day.”
“You’re the devil,” Lena growled at me. “You know that, right?”
“I’ve been called worse.”
“Oh, I’ve got worse,” Lena laughed. “There are so many things I could call you right now.”
“How about you join me for a coffee instead?” I smiled. “You’re my last appointment of the day.”
“Let me see what Mace has going on,” Lena said as she slid off the table. I handed her crutches over and waited for her to get adjusted before I started walking toward the door of the therapy room. “Have you met Mace yet?”
“Which one is he?” I chuckled. “Tall, redheaded, handsome, and bearded?”
“Uh, yeah,” Lena laughed as I held the door open for her. “Got it on the first try.”
“Maybe I’ve met him? I’m not sure which ones I have and haven’t met. I know Angus on sight now and Finn, of course. I can’t tell Tavin and Chess apart, but I know them.”
“It’s hard with those two,” Lena agreed. “I still have problems sometimes. I’ve got to run to the bathroom. I’ll meet you in the waiting area.”
“I’ll grab my bag,” I told her as we parted ways.
I walked down the long hall to the staff breakroom, my sneakers squeaking on the shiny tile. Once inside, I opened my locker and glanced into the small mirror hanging inside the metal door. My hair was still good and I had at least a little make-up left from this morning. I shrugged my jacket on and grabbed my purse before I shut the locker door and spun the dial on the lock.
“You’re done for the day?” Carol, one of the other physical therapists on staff here, walked toward me carrying a bag from the deli just up the street. “I’ve still got three more!”
“Half day today,” I explained. “I’m going to take some time to myself before I get the kids.”
“Sounds good,” Carol nodded. “You don’t do that often enough.”
“I scheduled it today and swore to myself I wouldn’t do anything productive for at least four hours,” I laughed. “I might just go home and take a bubble bath. Whatever it is, I’m going to do it in peace and quiet.”
“Have fun!” Carol called as I walked out of the breakroom.
I guessed it wouldn’t be so much fun as it would be just relaxing and shutting my mind off for a little bit. I had a million things I could be doing with my time, but I’d promised myself I’d let them go just for a few hours so I could recharge my battery with some relaxation.
I turned the corner and walked out into the waiting area looking for Lena. I didn’t see her, but I did see her boyfriend’s brother, Angus. I thought she had mentioned another name, but figured I must be mistaken. I’d met Angus before when he’d brought Lena to other appointment.
“Hello there, Mr. Conner.” I smiled as I walked up to him. “Would you like to go and get coffee with me and Lena?”
“I’d love to.” He tilted his head and stared at me for a second. “But I don’t think we’ve met.”
“We met last week when you brought Lena in,” I reminded him.
“Reba!” I heard Lena coming toward us on her crutches so I turned around and smiled at her. “I see you’ve met Mace.”
I spun back around and stared at the man I had been talking to.
“Mace?” I asked. “I thought you were Angus.”
“Yeah,” the man smiled. “That happens a lot.”
“Twins?”
“Of course,” Lena snorted. “All of Finn’s brothers come in pairs. It’s damn hard to tell the difference at first, but Mace and Angus are a little easier than the others. Angus has a black bead braided into his beard. Mace doesn’t.”
The man reached up and grasped his beard at his chin and pulled it down straight.
“I smile more too,” he explained. “Angus is the grumpy Conner.”
“And which Conner are you?” I blurted, staring into his gorgeous brown eyes.
“The handsome one that gets to have coffee with two beautiful women today.” He smiled as his eyes held mine.
“I like you already,” I laughed. “How about we meet at the bookstore? We can get a coffee and when we’re done, I’ll find something new to read.”
“Sounds good,” Lena smiled at me. “I’ll let Finn know where we’re going and he can pick me up when his meeting is over.”
“I’ll see you there, non-grumpy Conner.” I tried to flirt but just sounded lame.
“It’s a date.”
◆◆◆
MACE
“I haven’t laughed this much in ages,” Reba held her belly with one hand as she wiped the tears from her eyes with the other. She and Lena had been cackling for at least ten minutes and with everything each one said, they both erupted all over again.
“I wish I didn’t have to go,” Lena wiped her eyes and sighed. “Finn should be driving up any minute now and we need to stop at the store before we take the twins home for dinner and bathtime.”
“Oh, that’s too bad, I’ll walk out with you.” I started to get up but Lena was insistent I stay.
“No!” Lena shook her head. “I can do this by myself. You two stay and enjoy the rest of your time.”
“Let me at least walk you…” I started to argue, but Lena put her hand up to stop me.
“I need some independence, Mace. Even if it’s just a short walk to the front of the store,” Lena smiled as she patted his arm. “Please?”
“Of course,” Mace nodded. “Holler if you need me, okay?”
“Will do,” Lena nodded.
Reba and I quietly watched Lena gather her bag and crutches before she stood up and headed toward the front of the bookstore.
“It goes a
gainst your grain to let her try, doesn’t it?” Reba asked me with a smile.
“It does, but not just because she’s struggling. I’ve had manners drilled into me since birth that say I should walk her to her car. But as far as her injuries go, I’d pick her up and carry her around if she’d let me.”
“She’ll never get better that way though,” Reba shook her head. “It’s a good thing she’s so driven. Otherwise, Finn and the rest of you would do everything for her and she’d never get better than she is today.”
“She says you’re the most evil creature on the planet and curses you all the time,” I laughed. “She respects you and considers you a good friend though.”
“I’m glad she and I are friends.” I smiled.
“You mentioned your kids?”
“Yes,” Reba nodded. “I’ve got two of them.”
“Boys or girls?”
“One of each. My son is seven. He’s a little brain in training, reads all the time. And not just little kids books. My daughter is younger and she’s already a handful. Couldn’t sit still to read a book even if you promised her a pony.”
“A wild one, huh?”
“Stubborn. Driven. A little bit crazy.” Reba laughed. “She’s alot like me.”
“Do you two butt heads?”
“Oh, yeah.” I watched Reba’s smile and saw that there was pride on her face for her little girl. “We’re going to fight it out for years to come. I can already tell.”
“My mom and my sister, Bellamy, fought all the time, but they were the best of friends through it all.” I smiled at the memory. “Man, they could yell.”
“I’ve still mostly got my bluff in with Vada, but there are times she gets a little too big for her britches.”
“And she’s how old?”
“Six.”
“Irish twins?”
“Yes, but only because Vada was early. Her original due date was a few days after my son’s first birthday, but she came in early December instead.”
“She’s always been a little wild then?”
“Oh, good God, yes,” Reba laughed.
She started telling me a story about her daughter and it was hard for me to concentrate on her words. Her face was so expressive and her eyes twinkled with laughter as she spoke. I wanted to run my fingers through her curly hair, but knew that would be a bit forward since we just met. When Reba paused her story, I snapped back to attention.
“I’m sorry. I’m probably boring you.”
“No!” I shook my head. “I got sidetracked watching you. You’re a beautiful woman, but when you talk about your kids, you just light up.”
“Thank you,” Reba blushed. It was the cutest fucking thing I’d seen in a while.
“Can I take you to dinner sometime?”
“Um, sure. Yeah, that would be nice,” Reba nodded. “Oh, damn!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve got to go! We’ve spent the whole afternoon sitting here!” Reba twisted around in her chair and pulled her jacket on. “I need to get my kiddos.”
“Can I have your number?”
“Yes.” She smiled at me as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. As she rattled off the number, I entered it into my phone, glad I had a way to contact her now. “It was so nice to sit here and talk to you, Mace. Thanks for this.”
“The pleasure was all mine.” I smiled back. “I had no idea that picking Lena up would lead to such a great afternoon.”
“I’m sorry to rush off, but I can’t be late.”
“Not a problem.” I stood up when she did. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Thank you,” Reba smiled. “Are all your brothers such gentlemen?”
“Yeah. Mom wouldn’t have had it any other way. Neither would Dad.”
“That’s nice.”
I put my arm out as if I was escorting her somewhere fancy and she laughed before she linked arms with me. Rather than stay that way, she let her hand slide down my forearm until we were holding hands. I realized that what had originally started out as a joke while I tried to escort her to the door had turned into pure electricity. When her hand touched mine, I felt it all the way up to my shoulder.
“I’ve had such a wonderful time, Mace.”
“We’ll have to do it again sometime soon. And don’t forget, you promised me a date.”
“I did,” Reba laughed.
“I’ll send you a message and we’ll figure out your schedule. You just let me know what works for you.”
“Okay, cool. I’ll have to find a sitter and all, so that can be an issue.”
“Just as long as I get to see you again.”
“This is my car,” Reba said as she stopped beside a small SUV. “The mom-mobile.”
“Precious cargo and all that.”
“Yeah,” Reba said shyly.
I wanted to kiss her but didn’t want to risk her running away because I was being too forward. We’d met just a few hours ago and really didn’t know much about each other. Instead, I used her hand to turn her toward me and reached up to cup her cheek in my hand.
“Goodbye, beautiful lady,” I said quietly. “I’m glad I met you today.”
“I’m glad I met you too.” She blushed again and this time I got to see the full effect. The freckles on her nose stood out when her face got pink and I saw that her eyes were twinkling with her shy smile.
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay,” Reba whispered as she let my hand go. “Bye, Mace.”
“Goodbye, beautiful.”
◆◆◆
“Why are we outside Angus’s house at the ass crack of dawn?” I grumbled as I hunched my neck down into the warmth of my hoodie. “I’m almost out of coffee.”
“It’s a surprise,” London said from in front of me. “Violet said he wakes up every morning at this time, no matter what.”
“Yeah, we all do,” Royal told her. “But we don’t usually stand outside in our fucking pajamas.”
“Stop bitching,” Tavin snapped. “This is gonna be worth it.”
“Holy shit,” I whispered. “Look at Violet.”
“Damn,” Ronan whistled. “She’s all dressed up. What the fuck is she doing?”
“There’s Angus!” London whispered. “Oh shit! He sees her!”
I watched as Violet dropped down to one knee and held a box up a small box as she spoke to my twin.
“She’s proposing?” I whispered. “Holy shit!”
“Oh, my goodness,” London sobbed. I watched Tavin put his arm around her shoulders and pull her close.
Inside the house, I watched my twin brother’s face light up and then heard his booming laugh. He picked his girl up over his shoulder and then slapped her on the ass. He saw us as he turned to go back down the hall toward the bedroom.
Our entire family, except for the still sleeping twins, was outside his picture window cheering him on. All of us were excited, whistling and clapping, and we watched Angus take a small bow before he walked down the hall toward his room.
“Holy shit.” I was still smiling. “That was great!”
“I’ve got more coffee and some donuts at my place,” Tavin told our group with a laugh. “They’re not going to come out of there for a while.”
“She’s getting married!” London squealed as she and Liberty held hands and jumped up and down.
I watched the sisters celebrate, both of them with tears running down their cheeks.
“Well, that’s two down,” Royal laughed. “Who’s next?”
“Are we taking bets?” Finn asked as we walked across the yard to Tavin’s door.
“Royal,” Lena nodded. “I think it’s going to be Royal.”
“Nope.” My brother shook his head. “You’re gonna lose this one, Lena.”
“Well, who do you think it will be?”
Royal and Ronan’s heads swiveled in unison to look over at Chess. He didn’t even argue, just shrugged his shoulders and smiled at the two.
&nbs
p; “Definitely Chess,” Finn smiled. “How are things going with Lily, anyway?”
“She’s currently not speaking to me, but don’t let that interfere with your betting. I’m a patient man.”
“Hmmm.” Lena looked around the table at all of us as Tavin moved around refilling everyone’s coffee mugs. “I’m going to change my bet.”
“To who?” Finn asked her as he set the baby monitor down on the table in front of him and reached for a donut.
“Mace.”
“Mace? Really?” Ronan laughed. “He’s almost as bad as Angus when it comes to wooing women.”
“And Angus is getting married,” Lena reminded him. “Apparently, this set of twins has some game.”
“And you’re saying we don’t?” Royal asked, his eyes narrowing.
Lena pursed her lips and shrugged.
Royal glanced over at me and I shook my head. I didn’t let him know I’d met a woman yesterday who I was positive was the funniest and most beautiful woman in Texas. Hell, maybe even the entire continental US. No sense in having all of them bet on me.
“My money’s on Tavin or Chess.” I glanced over at London, Violet’s little sister, and winked. She smiled at me and then glanced up to see Tavin staring at her with a funny little smile. “I’ll say Tavin for $50.”
“Big baller,” Chess teased. “I’ve got myself for $50.”
“Charity of the winner’s choice?” Lena asked, used to our gambling. She enjoyed it when we made bets and liked to make sure we weren’t just tossing money back and forth. Instead, we donated it to a good cause and just kept the bragging rights.
“I’ll take Mace for $50,” Lena smiled at me. “Don’t let me down, big guy.”
“I’ll do my best,” I told her with a grin.
2.
