Cowboy 12 Pack
Page 156
“It came as a shock.” Understatement.
“Well, see, that’s the thing. We’re not alike at all. What I’m into is nothing like Isaac. He’s a good Dom. He’s into caring and pleasure and protecting. When I went to him and asked him to do a scene with me, he turned me down. He was nice and concerned, mainly for you. But he begged me to let go of my pain fetish and get into something that would be good for me. I didn’t listen. I thought he was too tame for my tastes. Although, he is the powerful one in the community, Isaac McCoy is well respected and admired. He polices the clubs in his own way. That’s why Ajax has it in for him. Isaac got him expelled and banned for doing things to others like he did to me.”
The more Noah heard, the deeper the hole in the pit of his stomach felt. God, Jacob was right. He’d done it again. He had needlessly hurt someone he loved just because he thought he was so perfect. “Harper, I’m sorry…about a lot of things.” He wasn’t ready to start dating her again, but he didn’t want to lose touch with her, either. “Can I call you?”
“Oh, yes. Please do.” Her face brightened, completely changed and he realized she thought he meant for a date.
“Just friends for now, Harper. I want to take it slow this time.” That still sounded more hopeful than he intended, but that was how it came out. It felt right.
“Friends is more than I ever expected. Thank you.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and it was déjà vu all over again. That old black magick was back at work.
*
“SOMEONE GET THE damn phone,” Aron yelled from the living room. “I’m trying to memorize my wedding vows!”
Libby rolled her eyes at Jessie. “My beloved bellows.” She skipped over to the landline and picked up the receiver. “Tebow Ranch. May I help you please?”
“Yes, you can. I was hoping you’d answer.”
“Isaac! Are you all right? Where are you? If you don’t come to my wedding, I’ll never let you live it down.” All of that was said in a rushed, exasperated breath.
She was relieved to hear his familiar chuckle. “I’m fine. I’m in Houston and I wouldn’t miss your wedding for the world.”
“Thank God! Let me get Aron.”
“No!” The word was said quickly and with no room for misunderstanding. “I don’t want to talk to him.”
“Oh, yes you do, Isaac. Everything is all right. Come home. Avery told us how the cow ate the cabbage. You should have seen her. She defended you, took on the whole lot of us.”
“Is she there?”
Libby paused, hating to be the bearer of bad news. But, what had he expected? “No, she left and went home.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“No, I’ve been pretty busy with the wedding plans.”
“Of course you have.”
“When are you coming home?”
“I don’t know, Libby.” She could hear the sorrow and uncertainty in his voice. “But, I’ll be at the wedding. Okay?”
“Oh, Isaac, we’ve got to get past this. Family is too important. Please?”
“Give me time, Libby. Give me time.”
*
“I DON’T KNOW why I’m going. It’s just going to hurt.” Avery talked to Tricia as she dressed for Libby and Aron’s wedding.
“That lawyer you’re going with is sex on a stick. At least you can look at him.” She held out the dark red, velvet dress that Avery had bought special. “I can’t wait to see you in this. Put it on.”
“Zane just asked me because Aron told him to. He admitted as much. He said he was protecting me till Isaac got home.” She pulled the dress over her head and covered up the decadent underwear she had talked herself into wearing. It was part of her bordello wardrobe, as she called it. “I don’t know why I’m dressing up. Poor Zane can’t even see me.”
Tricia grinned with a naughty thought. “Oh, Honey. I’d love to be his personal braille project. He could feel of me all he wanted to. By the time he got through, he’d have a pretty good idea of how I looked, and I’d be happy.”
“Tricia!” Avery laughed. “Do you have a crush on Zane Saucier? I didn’t know that!”
Flopping down on the bed, Tricia clasped both hands over her heart. “Crush? Maybe. Definitely lust-struck. Have you seen his shoulders?”
“No, I’ve been a bit busy lusting after Isaac to notice anyone else. Should I wear my hair up?” Avery picked it up and swirled it around. “Probably not. I look like I’ve got on a Hawaiian headdress.”
“Your hair is your crowning glory. I bet Isaac loves it.”
“I don’t think Isaac loves anything about me.” She started attacking her hair with a vengeance. No matter how hard she brushed it, it just bounced back into those useless ringlets. “You know what I really think? I think Isaac just felt sorry for me. Tricia, I can’t tell you how I ran after him. Looking back on it, I was pitiful. No wonder he kept pushing me away.”
“Nonsense.” She sounded so sure of herself at first, and then her voice dropped. “I don’t think guys have hot passionate affairs with women they feel sorry for. Isn’t it impossible for them to, you know, get hard, if they’re not into you?”
At her uncertain tone, Avery whirled around. Tricia had always seemed light years ahead of her in experience. “Are you a virgin?”
Tricia set straight up and shushed her. “My goodness, Girl! Why don’t you take an ad out in the paper?”
“How is that possible? You’re so self-assured and popular and…worldly?” Avery was stunned.
“I was a theatre major.” She stated that fact as if it explained everything. The doorbell pealing caused them both to giggle. “The hot hunk has arrived.”
At least their conversation had taken her mind off of her troubles. “This conversation is not over.” She hugged her friend. “But thanks for coming over and keeping me company while I dressed. I’ll let you know what happens, or do you want to hang out here and wait for me?”
“Nope.” Tricia pulled herself up. “But, I will go and let Mr. Cutie in. Don’t tell him I have the hots for him. Last week I delivered a balloon bouquet to his office, but I don’t think he knows I exist.”
‘He will after tonight,’ Avery silently promised her friend as she followed her to the door.
*
CROWBAR PICKED THE lock of the McCoy’s hunting cabin. “I’ll deliver her to you as soon as I can,” he promised his cousin. “Do you think it’s wise to be messin’ with the McCoys like this? Have you seen them? They’re huge!”
“Of course I’ve seen them, you moron. I beat the hell out of the younger one. He’ll think twice before he comes after me again.” They went in and Crowbar helped Ajax set up the portable tower that he would use once he got his hands on McCoy’s woman. The right woman this time. That was where his dumb cousin had come in. Crowbar wasn’t real smart, but he did what he was told. “Do you have the hood? We need McCoy’s hood if this is going to work.”
“Yes, I have it.” He pulled it from the inside pocket of his jacket. “The last time I cleaned Isaac’s playroom, I took it. It wasn’t hard. He keeps it out in plain sight.”
“I knew he would. It was custom made. If you’ll look, their brand is in the forehead like the mark of the beast, damn T in a rocking Bow. I had seen him wear it too many times. I knew he would still have it.”
“She’s a nice girl, Ajax. I don’t like this at all. Levi has been good to me, and I hate to disappoint him.” Crowbar was tired of being Ajax’s lackey.
After he readied the cuffs and the chains, Crowbar got up from his squat to find Ajax looming over him. “Go over there and watch for her. She’ll go to the bathroom and when she does, approach her. You’re about the same size as McCoy and in that hood and cape, she won’t know the difference. She’ll follow you anywhere. You know the score, Retard. Anytime, you don’t want to follow my orders, I’ll chain you to the back of my pickup and drag your ass all over the county. The only parts of you they’ll find is what they can scrape off the highway.”
The maniacal gleam in Ajax’s eye told Crowbar that he was cold enough to carry out his threat. It didn’t matter that their mothers were sisters. This man would kill him and never look back. “Do you understand me?”
“Yeah, I’ll do it.” He didn’t have a choice.
*
“I CAN’T BELIEVE that tomorrow will be Sweetest Day.” Libby fitted herself as close to Aron as possible. “It seems like I’ve waited forever to marry you.”
“The only reason it’s the sweetest day is because you’ll finally, legally, belong to me.” He kissed her temple. “You don’t know how I thank God every day that you’re healthy, you’re having my baby and I have the privilege of calling you mine.” Libby smiled secretively. Tomorrow she would tell Aron that there was going to be two babies, not one. Two little boys. Two more McCoys, God help the world.
“Keep your eyes open for Isaac. He promised he would be here.” She glanced around, spotting Avery sitting with Zane, Kane and Lilibet. “Avery’s here. She sure does look sad.”
“Hopefully, all of this will right itself as soon as Isaac comes home. Our job is to convince him that this is his home. We want him here and we don’t care what he and Avery do in the privacy of their own bedroom, or in their playroom, or club, or wherever in hell they choose to make one another happy.”
Libby went up on tiptoe and spoke so low only he could hear. “I’ve been reading up and I sure would like to try a little of that. I think you’re already a Dom and I sure do enjoy you taking me hard. Could we play like that a little? Please, Sir?”
Aron felt his manhood turn to stone. “Little Girl, you sure can make me hard. You could make me beg without even trying. In other words, you tell me what you want and I’ll turn the world upside down to make it happen.”
She rubbed her body against his, discretely. No one knew what they were doing but the two of them. “I want what you want. I want to please you,” she purred.
“Hot damn!” Aron growled. “How long do we have to stay at this damn party?”
Libby laughed. “Just a little while longer, but when it’s over, I’ll make you a very happy man.”
Aron believed her.
*
“AREN’T THESE THE cutest things? Cady made them and they’re filled with delicious homemade pralines.” Avery held up the net and lace bags of praline confections that Cady had made for each guest. They were part of the place settings and Avery had claimed hers and had already torn a tiny hole in it and indulged.
“My favorite New Orleans delicacy. I can smell them. They remind me of home.” Zane picked up one. “And I can feel the delicate handwork that she put into them. Cady went to a lot of trouble.” He laid the bag down and patted her hand. “Do you want to dance? Kane and Lilibet will stay on the dance floor a while. Lilibet loves to dance. Look at her. Kane’s a lucky man.”
Avery looked over at the dance floor and then at Zane with admiration. “You know I forget you can’t see. You know so many things that a blind person shouldn’t. How do you do that?”
He threw his head back and laughed. “A man has to have some secrets.”
“I hear so many wonderful things about you. I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to have so many good, faithful friends.”
Zane laughed again. “Really? Because I’m a blind man?”
“No,” she replied sweetly. “Because you’re a lawyer.”
“Oh, I like you,” he observed honestly. “Isaac is a very lucky man.”
Avery stopped smiling. She looked down and didn’t reply.
“Avery, look at me.” He paused. “Do it. I’m very perceptive. I’ll know.” She did as he asked, marveling that he wore no dark glasses, nor did his gaze appear blank or unfocused. To look at him sitting there, you’d never know he lived in a world of darkness. “Isaac will return, and when he does, he’ll grab you up, hold you close and never let you go.”
“I hope he does come home. His family needs him.” Was all she said. “Zane, my partner Tricia is a very sweet and lovely girl. She’s also a great admirer of yours.”
“Oh, she is …is she? Well, I’ll just have to SEE about that,” he teased.
“You do that,” she countered. “I’ll put in a good word for you.”
*
LADY WAS HUNGRY. Not just for meat…that was good, but there was always meat to be had. Her masters ate meat all the time. And her Nate always made sure that she got her share. Sneaking sandwiches to bed in the middle of the night was their favorite part. It was her job to make sure all the crumbs were cleaned up off the covers. Looking for a friendly face, she moseyed through the crowd. No one paid much attention to her. After all, she wasn’t very big. Someday, she would be tall enough to reach up on the table, and then she had plans. The other day she’d jumped up in the chair and that made grabbing a snack so much easier, but Nate had pulled her down and told her they had to be good or she’d be sleeping in the barn. That was okay. Her boy gave her plenty of bites under the table.
Under the table was fun. Nate slipped her treats, but so did all the others. It took all the attention she could muster to keep up with the hands sneaking under the tablecloth. Sometimes, she just had to make herself eat another nibble because she didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.
The people were hopping around and holding on to one another. Sometimes they seemed so silly. Lady watched the humans for a few minutes, but that wasn’t what was on her mind.
Oh, yeah. She could smell it. Dessert.
Now, all she had to do was look cute and hope someone gave her a bite.
Ah, there was someone she knew. Another female, one she hadn’t seen in a few days. Maybe, if she smiled she would get lucky. Sidling up to her side, Lady smiled. It always helped to smile, and holding up a paw could seal the deal.
“Lady! It’s so good to see you.” Avery patted her head.
Time for a whine. Licking the lips couldn’t hurt either.
“Are you hungry? Do you want some candy? I’ll share. It’s not chocolate, so it won’t hurt you.” She held down the treat and Lady grabbed it.
Wow! That was one of the best things she’d ever had in her mouth. I want another one!
“You have a sweet tooth, don’t you? Here’s one more, but that’s all. I don’t want to make you sick.” Avery gave her another tasty morsel.
“Are you feeding the dog, Avery?” Zane asked.
“Yes, this is Nate’s dog.”
“I almost brought my guide dog, but I opted for my trusty cane, instead.”
“You seem so self-sufficient, it’s like you have built in radar.”
Lady opted to put a paw on her knee. Affection never hurt.
“You’re a sweetie. Aren’t you?
Yes, I’m a sweetie. And I want more candy. Maybe, if I sit up and look cute.
“Begging isn’t going to help. I’ll give you another after a bit. Zane, I’m going to the restroom.”
“All right. I think I’ll go speak to Joseph. Could you spot him for me and point me in the right direction.”
It wasn’t hard to find Joseph. All you had to look for was a crowd. He was such a celebrity, even in his hometown.
“He’s behind your right shoulder about twenty feet away. I’ll take my stuff and meet you over there. Okay?” She gathered her candy and her bag. “Lady, do you want to walk with me?”
Yeah, why not. I like you, Avery. You’re nice.
Lady followed Avery through the crowd, hoping she’d drop one of those candies. That’d be nice.
*
AVERY MADE HER way to the bathhouse. The McCoy family had thought of everything. It wasn’t a great distance back to the main houses, but having bathrooms and showers near to the pavilion was definitely handy. It reminded her of the rest stops on interstates, except this was much nicer. A steady stream of people made their way back and forth. It was dark, but security lighting was everywhere. Despite Zane’s good company, she couldn’t help but miss Isaac. Disappointment made her heart hurt. She rea
lly thought he would’ve shown up tonight. Noah had really hurt him. Avery was surprised that the family had wanted her here tonight. When she and Zane had arrived, Noah had made a point to come and apologize to her. He’d been very nice, and she had been gracious. But she wasn’t the one he needed to apologize to. It was Isaac who had been wronged. If Avery could have turned back time, she would have. Maybe if she had told him what a good man she knew he was it could have made a difference.
“What in the world?” Avery stopped in her tracks. “Isaac!” There was no one else he could be. He wore his costume, the one he’d shown her and told her it was reserved for special occasions. The cape and hood made him look dangerous and mysterious and when he lifted his gloved hand and beckoned her to him, she almost broke into a run. He was back! And he wanted to see her!
*
WHERE ARE YOU going? Lady kept up. Don’t go over there. We don’t know that man. And he doesn’t smell right. He has family smells on him, but he’s not family. Stop! “Woof! Woof!”
“It’s all right, Lady. It’s Isaac.” She ran up to him and when he held out his hand, she slipped hers into it. “I’m so glad you’re back. I missed you.”
“Is that Isaac in that get-up?” Jessie, who was coming out of the bathhouse walked up and gave him a quick hug. “I’m glad you’re back. You remind me of Zorro. All you need is a hat.” She didn’t delay. “You two have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. ’Course that leaves it wide open.”
Isaac tugged on her arm and she followed. “Where are we going?”
Lady growled.
“You don’t have to walk so fast. You know I’d follow you anywhere.” He led her off the trail and into the darkness. “Ouch! A stick got me.” Avery stumbled, trying to keep up. And when Isaac jerked her deeper into the thicker trees, she knew something was wrong. “You’re not Isaac, are you?” Her voice rose. A scream trembled on her lips, but the man jerked her up against him and covered her mouth with his leather-clad hand.
“Shut up! If you’ll cooperate, maybe we’ll both get out of this mess alive.”