“Where are you going?”
Gabriel could not look at her. If he did, he would give into temptation once again, and he would be forever lost. “I must leave.”
“But I thought…” she whispered.
Gone was her laughter. Her words were now laced with pain and confusion. It was the pain, pain that he caused that shot straight to his heart. Dressing quickly, he walked over to her and kissed the top of her head. “This was a mistake. It should have never happened. Please forgive me,” he said and turned toward the door.
He had almost made it out of the room before she stopped him dead in his tracks. “Don’t do this, Gabriel. I’m begging you. Don’t do this.”
With his back to her, he knew she could not see the tears that fell from his eyes. He said what he knew he had to because if he turned, he would never be able to leave her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, my dear, but thank you for your time.” And he left.
* * * *
He woke drenched in sweat, his heavy breathing the only sound in the room. Throwing the covers back, his hard cock begging for release, he knew nothing would satisfy him. Quietly rising, he walked naked into his bathroom and turned on the shower.
Stepping under the cold spray, he begged God for forgiveness, but he knew it was not God he needed forgiveness from. It was her.
Chapter Three
The house was dark when she entered. Quietly making her way down the long hallway, she prayed she would not wake them. Reaching for her bedroom door, she froze as she heard him speak. “Just what in the hell are you doing here?”
Slowly turning, she looked into the eyes of her brother. The one who raised her; loved her unconditionally. Nothing she could do could stop the tears from falling.
Oh, she missed him, needed him like she never needed him before. Dropping her bags, she ran into his arms and held him tight against her.
“Annie?” Jeff asked clearly worried as his arms tightened around her. “What’s wrong?”
“Just hold me, Jeff. Please just hold me.” She cried into her brother’s strong arms.
Now there were many things Antoinette Catherine Hicks was grateful for, growing up as the younger sister of Jeff and Caleb Hicks. Right now, she did not care about any of those things, just that her brother was holding her.
A lot had happened in her life lately, and she was still trying to come to terms with everything. So many things she could not talk with her brothers about, but one thing she could discuss with them was her decision to leave school and come home. She knew they were not going to be happy about it, but at this point in her life, she did not care. She needed to be home.
Mainly she needed to figure out what she was going to do next.
She knew Jeff desperately wanted to know what was wrong. She was glad he remained quiet. She couldn’t handle all of his questions right now. All she wanted was her bed and quiet.
Sniffling, she looked at her brother and said, “I needed that so bad. Thank you.”
“Annie, what’s wrong?” Jeff asked with a concerned look upon his face. She hated keeping things from him. He had done so much for her over her life. He was the best brother she could have ever asked for, but there were just some things that she refused to discuss with him.
She knew if she were to open her mouth, everything would spill out and then nothing would matter because Jeff would tell Caleb, and they would seek him out. She wasn’t ready for anyone to know what she had done. That night everything changed for her. She just needed time to figure out what to do next.
“Can we talk about it later? It was a long flight, and I’m tired,” she asked, picking up her bags.
“Sure, honey. Get some sleep. We can talk in the morning,” Jeff said, taking her bags from her and following her into her room. She watched as he placed her bags on the floor near her dresser and turned to leave her alone.
When he quietly closed the door, Annie threw herself on her bed and wept.
* * * *
The morning rays broke through the window and shined brightly on her face, waking her instantly. Moaning, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Smiling for the first time in months, Annie jumped from bed and quickly dressed. She knew if she hurried, she would catch her brothers before they left, and if she was lucky, she might just be able to ride out with them today.
As she walked into the kitchen, the delicious smell of fried eggs, toast, and bacon surrounded her, and her stomach growled suddenly.
“Smells good,” she said, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring herself a cup.
“Welcome home, Annie,” Janie greeted, and then asked, “Hungry?”
“Starving.” Feigning starvation, she grinned.
Laughing, Janie smiled and ordered her to sit. “Breakfast’s finished.”
Taking a seat, Annie asked, “So where are the buttheads?”
“Morning chores. They should be in momentarily. So how long are you here for this time, Annie?” Janie asked.
“No clue, that depends on my brothers.”
“Why?”
“’Cause I’m still trying to figure out how to tell them I dropped out of school.”
“What!” Two powerful, ferocious voices shouted behind her. Annie jumped in her chair and cringed. Slowly turning, she saw them. They were her two most favorite men in her world, but the look upon their faces was frightening to say the least. They looked ready to kill her.
“Hi, boys! Hungry?” Annie smiled, hoping her bubbly attitude would soften the blow.
“What the fuck did you mean, you dropped out?” Jeff asked, walking toward her, leering over her like some big hulk. “Don’t you give me any of your shit, young lady, and don’t even think about changing the subject. You’re supposed to be in Europe getting that stupid art degree. You know, the one costing me a small fortune.”
Annie winced. She had hoped this conversation could have waited, like when he had a few beers in him and he was in a better mood.
“Oh yeah, about that,” she began, with a snap of her fingers. “I dropped out.” She sneaked past him quickly, reaching the coffee pot and refilling her cup. She was so going to need another cup of java to get through this lecture.
“What!” His powerful roar vibrated off the walls, and for one second, Annie could have sworn she saw the windows rattle.
Annie just sighed, leaning against the counter, and waited. She knew without a shadow of doubt, soon, Jeff would totally blow his fuse, and a long tirade would commence. All she needed to do was ride it out. She would then smile and agree with what he said, and everything would go back to normal.
In the meantime, she would do what she always did and nod her head in agreement while ignoring everything he said. She didn’t have time to deal with Jeff’s ten-pound lecture right now. She had other things on her mind, important matters to tend to.
She had come home to talk with Gabriel. She was tired of waiting, and it was time to confront him.
She watched as Jeff stormed up to her and hovered over her, like a father scolding a small child. God, she hated it when he did that.
“Explain, now!” he yelled.
Looking up at the brother she had admired and loved her whole life, she did not know what to say to him. Regardless, she was going to disappoint him. She always had. Everything she had ever wanted, Jeff or Caleb made sure she got. If she wanted a new pony, Caleb would have it in the corral by the end of the week. If she wanted to learn to drive, Jeff took time off from the ranch and taught her. If she wanted to learn the piano, Jeff hired the best teacher around. The only problem was that once she got what she wanted, she no longer wanted it.
“It was boring,” Annie replied as emotionlessly as possible. She couldn’t tell him that the school had kicked her out because she missed too many days. He would blow a fuse. Then she would have to explain why she missed those days, and there was no way in hell she was going to open that can of worms yet. She was in serious trouble already with her school. She did not need her brothers
giving their two cents on the subject. Besides, she already berated herself for being stupid. She did not want their input!
“Boring? That’s all you can say, it was boring?” Jeff asked sternly. Annie knew she was in trouble the moment she saw that little vein on the side of Jeff’s head begin pulsing.
That was never a good sign.
“Jeff, I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t do it anymore. Do you know they had me drawing and painting dried fruit, buildings, and naked people all the time. After a while, it became tedious.”
“That’s art school!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Well, it was boring, so I quit,” she said nonchalantly with a wave of her hand. All she had to do was play the stupid, ignorant child for a little longer, produce a little bit of tears, and he would give in like always. She had perfected this role many years ago, and when in a pinch, it worked like a charm.
“I don’t see what the problem is,” Caleb said.
“Caleb, now is not a good time to bring up that conversation again,” Janie whispered not far behind him.
At that precise moment, Annie shouted, “Yes it is! I hated it! Caleb was right. I’m not going back, and you can’t make me.”
“Yes you are, young lady. Your butt will be on a plane this weekend,” Jeff said, seething rage.
“No, I won’t!” Annie shouted back, stepping right up to him.
“Enough. You boys grab your breakfast and get. Let me talk with Annie,” Janie said, stepping between her and Jeff, halting the argument that was seconds away from happening.
There were many things she knew she could get away with, but when it came to Janie Marie Hicks, the buck stopped with her. She had this innate ability to read her like a book and would just know the truth. There was nothing she could get away with once Janie was around. That was one of the main reasons she asked to go to school abroad. Annie knew if she stayed in Montana, it would not take Janie long to figure her out, and then her carefree life was over. Not that she cared, she did not, but she wanted to end it on her own terms, not by the hands of her sister-in-law.
When Janie’s eyes rested on hers, Annie did not dare speak. She refused to utter a single word and just looked down at the floor.
“Glad to have ya back, sis,” Caleb said, kissing her cheek and grabbing his sandwich before heading out the back door, oblivious to Jeff’s angry attitude.
Leave it to Caleb to ignore the obvious and thank god for that. Looking up, she saw that Jeff was still boring holes in her as Janie just grinned at her. She watched as her sister-in-law’s eyes scanned her body up and down. Then, as if she saw a fucking neon sign blinking on her forehead, Janie smiled.
Quickly moving away, she walked over to the back door and leaned against the doorjamb. This was not going to end well. She knew it. She needed to get out of here.
“I’ll just go. Let me grab a couple of things, and I’ll be out of here in a minute,” she said, walking past her brother.
A soft hand reached out and touched her arm. Annie looked up into Janie’s eyes, pleading for her just leave it and let her go.
“Jeff, can you give us a couple of minutes, please? I want to talk to Annie,” Janie asked quietly, never taking her eyes away from her.
“No! She is going to sit down and start talking. Seriously, Janie, this shit ends today. She is a grown woman, and she can’t skip through life as if it’s a fucking playground. She needs to grow up,” Jeff shouted furiously.
“I know that, sweetheart, but screaming at her isn’t going to solve anything. Please give me a few minutes,” Janie asked sweetly.
“Fine! But I’m not done yelling at her. Maybe you can talk some sense into her,” Jeff shouted and stormed out of the kitchen.
“Sit down, Antoinette,” Janie said, taking a glass from the cupboard and pouring orange juice.
Annie knew the moment Janie called her Antoinette, the jig was up. She was toast.
“So, how are you feeling?” Janie asked, taking the coffee cup away from her and handing her a glass of juice.
“I’m fine, and you?” Annie said, taking a sip.
“I’m good. So how have you been?”
“Good,” Annie whispered, taking another sip.
“You look good. You’ve gained a little weight. It looks good on you,” she said, eyeing her speculatively.
“Yeah, guess all those elephant ears are catching up with me. So what do you want to talk about, Janie? I have things to do today.” Annie said, looking at the glass in her hands.
“Oh, nothing. So tell me something. How is Gabriel?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
Annie looked up into her all-knowing eyes.
She knew! How in the hell does she know? Well I don’t have to admit shit. It’s nobody’s business. I just need to grab some shit and get the hell out of here, and stay very far away from these nosey people.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m going to town,” she lied, getting to her feet.
Annie almost made it out of the kitchen before Janie said, “Annie, be careful. Gabriel has something dark in him. He isn’t what he seems.”
Stopping for a split second, Annie looked down at the floor and silently cursed. “I know. I’ve always seen the darkness in him.”
“He’s worse. He changed after the McDaniels’ party. A lot has changed, now that I think of it. When Braxton informed Jeff that you were at the party, well, the change was more apparent. I heard he was at the party along with you. I’m surprised Jeff hasn’t figured it out. It wasn’t long after you left that Gabriel also disappeared. Oh, he pops up now and then, but he’s withdrawn, extremely moody in some ways, more so than he usually is, but now you’re home, I suspect things are about to get mighty entertaining around here. Just be careful, okay, unless you need my help. Then I suggest you tell me what happened at the party.”
“Fuck a duck on Sunday, Janie. You’re not gonna let this go, are you?” she muttered and turned to face her sister-in-law.
“I’m afraid I can’t. So talk,” Janie said, straight-faced.
Annie sat back down and proceeded to explain what happened that night in detail. She left nothing out, finally able to talk to someone. She was grateful for the release off of her shoulders. She knew the she was taking a chance by telling Janie, but she did not care. Just letting all of it go was worth it.
Finished, she watched as Janie processed all the information and sighed. “Your brothers are going to flip, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I need to figure this out. Right now, he won’t have anything to do with me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because of what Jeff said to him when I was seventeen. Jeff thought I went inside, but I didn’t. I was listening by the door. He made Gabriel promise to stay away from me, and Gabe did. I thought things had changed because of what happened at the party, but Gabe made it abundantly clear that things hadn’t.”
“I think you’re wrong, Annie. I would bet that Gabriel loves you dearly. You are so much younger than he is, and I would guess he probably thought he was doing the right thing by promising Jeff. I’ve seen the way he pays attention whenever the conversation turns to you. He cares,” Janie said softly.
“Yeah, well he has a funny way of showing it. He couldn’t even look at me after we had sex. He just got dressed and dismissed me as if I were one of his whores.”
“Annie, you have had time to process how you felt about him for years. Gabriel, on the other hand, had to hide and ignore how he felt. Add in the promise he made to your brothers and, well, I can assume that Gabriel is feeling decidedly conflicted right now. You both need to sit down and talk,” Janie advised softly.
Annie did not know what to think. She was more confused than before, but one thing she knew for damn sure. She refused to hide anymore. She had spent the last three months in utter pain. She missed him and needed closure. Either he loved her, or he did not, but she needed to know from him, not any
one else. That night at the party, Gabriel used her body then shut her out, not caring how she felt. She wanted answers.
She didn’t need his damn chivalry or false affection.
She wanted answers and wanted them now.
Chapter Four
The town of Treasure Cove was bustling with activity in preparation for the upcoming commencement ceremony for their local sheriff. With the constant snowfall making progress slow, Gabriel grinned as he watched patrons shovel and scoop snow at a furious pace.
If he were not in such a foul mood, he would be laughing.
“Hey, asshole! About time you fuckin’ showed up. Where in the hell have you been? Can’t you fuckin’ RSVP like a normal person?” The little hell kitten shouted, walking toward him with the sole purpose of berating him.
Gabriel had met some ballsy women in his life, but none compared to the vivacious, foul-mouthed Charlotte Brooks. Stunningly beautiful, her small petite stature never inhibited her from walking up to anyone and saying what was on her mind. Staring at her now, she looked ready for a Halloween party rather than preparing for a wedding.
Dear God, what the hell is she wearing?
“Good morning, my dear Charlotte. You look beautiful today,” Gabriel quipped, giving her the once-over along with his best award-winning smile.
“Bite me! I look like shit, and you know it. Where the fuck have you been?” she demanded to know, stopping right in front of him, hands on her hips, her head cocked back to look into his eyes.
“Baby girl, I’d watch that mouth. Gabe won’t think twice about whipping that ass,” Braxton said to his future wife.
“Leave her alone, damn it! She deserves an ass beating,” Jordan scolded Braxton as he, too, shoveled snow.
Looking down at the young woman, Gabriel smiled wickedly. “And it would be my pleasure.”
“Touch her, Gabe, and I’ll kick your ass,” Braxton said, continuing with his current job.
“I must say, Charlotte, that outfit is very fetching on you.” Gabriel grinned.
Gabriel's Heart [The Men of Treasure Cove 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4
