A Dark & Stormy Knight: A McKnight Romance (McKnight Romances)

by Quint, Suzie

  Saturday was especially trying, and by the time supper was over, Georgia felt as if she’d repaid her mother for every minute of distress she’d caused from her mother’s first labor pain.

  Sunday would be more of the same with the added bonus of getting her mother dressed for church in the morning, a chore made all the worse because she didn’t get her mother’s concept of church-chic.

  Every week after services, everyone was so solicitous, complimenting her mama in exaggerated detail about how much she’d improved since the prior week and talking to her as if she chose not to talk instead of couldn’t. Her mama was all smiles for them. It made Georgia want to shriek, “She’s not like this at home.”

  Saturday evening, as Georgia was putting the last of the supper dishes in the drainer beside the sink, her phone trilled. She checked the number, hoping it was Daniel, but the number wasn’t one she recognized. She answered to find Maddie on the other end.

  After they exchanged greetings, Maddie said, “I know this is last minute, but some of the boys dropped by, and I was hoping you might want to get out for a while. I could definitely use some more estrogen to counteract all the testosterone in this house right now.”

  “Well . . .” Georgia looked around. She could hear the TV in the living room, which meant her daddy was settled for the night. All she had left to do was to get her mama ready for bed, but that was an hour away. She’d planned to hole up in her room with the latest Courtney Milan romance, hoping it would transport her somewhere else, but the idea of physically transporting herself sounded even better. “Is Sol there, too?”

  “Yes, but don’t let that stop you. You can’t spend your life avoiding the rest of us because of him.”

  Maddie was right. And Georgia had overreacted about the car. Repressed guilt did that. The important thing was the car was fixed, which meant she could go wherever she wanted when her mama didn’t need her. “Will it be too late if I don’t make it for an hour or so?”

  “Oh, no. An hour’s fine.”

  Georgia could hear the smile in Maddie’s voice.

  “This feels like one of those get-togethers that’ll go into the wee hours,” Maddie said.

  “I’ll try to make it, then, at least for a while.” She made a mental note to stop off for a half rack of beer to contribute.

  An hour later, her mama was in bed, and Georgia bent to kiss her father’s forehead. “I’m going out, Daddy.”

  He caught her hand. “At this hour?”

  “I know it’s late. Maddie—Zach’s wife—invited me over for an impromptu get-together.”

  Her father tugged on her hand, and Georgia sat down on the edge of the green Naugahyde footstool.

  “How’re you doing? I mean . . . this is different, what with you here and Eden out there with her daddy.”

  Her daddy’s gentle concern touched her. “I’m doing okay. Eden’s happy at the ranch, and Sol and I are getting along. For the most part.”

  Her daddy nodded absently. “You be kind to him, Georgia.”

  What? Her father hated Sol. Okay, maybe hate was too strong a word. He didn’t like Sol. He never had. So when had he decided Sol deserved any consideration? Georgia opened her mouth, but her confusion had shut down the diplomatic section of her brain.

  “I know, I know,” her daddy said, reading her mind—or perhaps her face. “I ain’t never liked Sol much. I didn’t like the way he swooped in and tried to make off with my little girl.” He took a deep breath and let it out in one big heave. “But I’ve been watching him for enough years now and he’s steady. You could do a whole heap worse.”

  She didn’t wonder why this conversation was happening now. Her daddy wasn’t a fool. He’d have guessed where Georgia was the night she didn’t come home. “Not that I’m interested in getting back with Sol, but . . . has Mama changed her mind, too?”

  Her daddy snorted. “You’re mama ain’t never gonna change her mind. Sol’s a bull rider, and you know how your mama feels about that. I ain’t sure she’s ever even really seen Sol for who he is. Or his family either for that matter. She looks at him riding them bulls, and she’s ten years old again and finding out her daddy ain’t never coming home. You need to remember that her heart’s in the right place. She don’t want you getting hurt the way she did.”

  “I know.” And she did. She remembered the year her parents had split up. It felt as if the bottom had dropped out of her world. The things she’d thought were set in stone suddenly weren’t, and she hadn’t known how to fix it.

  On top of her daddy’s leaving, that was the year she’d gotten her period and breasts. The latter development had led to attention from the boys. So many changes had left her confused and vulnerable. More than anything, she’d wanted her daddy, and he hadn’t been there.

  So yes, she understood her mama’s fears. Understood and, to some degree, shared them because, even though her daddy came home, Georgia wasn’t sure she’d ever felt completely safe again. She never forgot that the trapdoor that had opened underneath her when she was twelve could open again when she least expected it. She’d learned, too, that some things, like marriages, never completely mended after a serious breach.

  She stood and kissed her daddy’s forehead. After all this time, she didn’t know why he’d decided to forgive his former son-in-law, and it didn’t change anything between her and Sol, but it made her messy, complicated life a little simpler, and she was all for that.

  ###

  “How’d you get such a houseful?” Georgia set the twelve-pack of Lone Star she’d brought on the counter in Maddie’s kitchen. Like so many country people, Zach and Maddie had little use for their front door. Everyone was parked near the back door that entered onto the kitchen, so that was where Georgia had knocked. “Who all’s here?”

  “Ah, more beer. Just what we needed.” Maddie shoved the half rack to the back of the counter. “Gideon and Ephram showed up first with a couple of six packs. They called Sol, I think. Then Jake’s on summer break from college, so he showed up with a girl.”

  Georgia and Maddie exchanged looks, complete with raised eyebrows. Jake always seemed to have a girl.

  “Barbie or Bobbie.” Maddie made a face. “Or maybe it’s Bonnie. Something that starts with a B. I can’t keep track of all the girls he dates.” She turned toward the fridge. Almost an entire shelf was dedicated to Lone Star. “I hope beer works for you because that’s all we’ve got, unless you want to drink one of Gideon’s Cokes.”

  “Beer for me.” Georgia peeked into the living room. Jake sat on the floor, his back against the far end of the couch. Between his bent legs, his girlfriend-of-the-hour leaned back against his chest. “Mothers should lock up their daughters when Jake’s around.”

  “The mothers probably would if they thought they’d have a shot at him. That boy’s got some serious pheromones going on,” Maddie said. “Have you noticed how he’s filled out? Even his shoulders seem broader. And I’ve only known him a little over a year.”

  Maddie was right. Jake had always been cute, but he was turning into something more. He was, oh Lord, a hunk.

  “I called Daisy, too,” Maddie said. “The testosterone was so thick in here, I nearly couldn’t breathe, and she’s old enough now to be included.”

  “So five of them, four of us.” Georgia grinned. “We can take ‘em.”

  Maddie laughed as she handed Georgia a longneck Lone Star. “I hope so. They’ve been shooting the shit, mostly about ranch stuff”—Maddie affected a yawn—”so I’m trying to shake things up a bit. Are you with me?”

  “Lead the way.”

  Daisy sat cross-legged on the floor near the chairs Ephram and Gideon had brought in from the kitchen. Gideon straddled his chair, his arms resting on the chair’s yoke. The only open spot was on the couch next to Sol. Gee, could they be any more obvious?

  As Georgia settled beside Sol, she considered apologizing for her harshness when she’d gotten her car back, but she knew she didn’t have to. As lo
ng as she pretended it hadn’t happen, Sol would let the whole thing die a quiet death. Georgia felt a little guilty; she owed him the apology, but experience told her that bringing it up could reignite the battle. It was easier—and safer—to let it go.

  “Okay, then.” Maddie sounded like she was picking up the thread of a conversation Georgia’s arrival had interrupted. “We were going to vote on playing Truth or dare.”

  Georgia felt her eyebrows go up. Was Maddie nuts? Georgia hadn’t been part of the McKnight clan for a long time, but she distinctly remembered that the boys were not above blackmailing each other with personal information. Their lives were a perpetual game of Truth or dare.

  “We can vote,” Ephram said, “but it don’t matter. We still outnumber y’all.”

  Maddie shot him an Oh really look with one dark eyebrow hiked. “Okay, all in favor of Truth or dare, raise your hands.”

  Georgia had promised her support, so she raised her hand, as did Barbie/Bobbie/Bonnie. Maddie shot a look at Daisy, who shrugged and lifted her hand.

  “Yup, that’s what I figured,” Sol said. “Five to four against.” He turned toward Ephram and started to ask a question, but Maddie apparently had a streak of bulldog in her. Hand still raised, she turned and looked pointedly at her husband.

  “Ah, no,” Zach groaned. He sighed heavily and, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, raised his hand.

  The objections came loud and fast, but Maddie just smiled smugly.

  “Turncoat,” Sol muttered.

  “So who wants to go first?” Maddie asked.

  “I’ll go,” Sol said, surprising not only Georgia, but from their expressions, everyone else in the room.

  “Zach. Truth or dare?”

  Zach laid his head on the back of the loveseat and stared at the ceiling. “Truth.” His tone was resigned.

  “When’d you get so pussy whipped?”

  Zach’s head snapped up. Then a little smile tugged at his lips. “When I stopped getting blowjobs from you, Sol.”

  And the crowd went wild, Georgia thought, adding her own color commentary.

  Maddie dug her elbow into Zach’s ribs hard enough that he flinched. When he looked at her in surprise, she flicked her eyes toward Daisy. Zach’s face flushed red. “Sorry, Daisy,” he said as his brothers finally quieted. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Don’t you do that, Zach.” Daisy looked around at all her brothers. “Don’t any of you curb your tongues around me. I’m a McKnight just like the rest of you. Don’t you dare make me feel like an outsider.”

  “We don’t mean—” Gideon started to say.

  “But you still do it. I’m not ten anymore. I know all about sex.”

  Several of her brothers made choking noises as if they wanted to protest.

  “She’s right,” Maddie said. “And I owe you an apology, too. Zach was just a little cruder than he needed to be.” She shot her husband a look that was part apology, part warning.

  Georgia could have told her she’d just thrown down a gauntlet. Someone, not Maddie’s husband, was about to test her tolerance for crude.

  “Okay, Maddie. Truth or dare?” Jake asked. Without waiting for a response, he asked, “Spit or swallow?”

  Maddie rolled her eyes but held her own. “Well now, what do you think? He voted with me, didn’t he?”

  The men whooped, Zach clearly winning points for marrying her.

  Daisy yelled Zach’s name over the noise, and everyone quieted to hear the next challenge.

  “Truth or dare?”

  Zach’s eyes shifted to his brothers then back to Daisy. Georgia could practically see him calculating the risk that Daisy would ask anything truly embarrassing.

  “Truth,” he said at last.

  Daisy grinned. “How does breast milk taste?”

  “Sweeter than cow’s milk,” he answered with a cat-ate-the-canary smirk and no trace of discomfort.

  Everyone laughed. The McKnight men were clearly having more fun than they’d expected to with this game.

  More questions followed. A few were borderline embarrassing, but mostly it was lighthearted fun. Only Daisy tried to change her mind when she heard her question, but Maddie ruled that could be done only if the asker agreed, which Gideon did so readily that Daisy decided not to risk it and answered the question.

  It was a good thing Maddie and Zach didn’t have close neighbors, or someone would have complained about the noise. Georgia expected Maddie to hush them, but when she mentioned it, Zach said their kids could sleep through an atomic explosion.

  “That’s handy,” Jake said. “‘Coz I’ve shared a motel room wall with y’all. Quiet, it wasn’t.”

  The guys all grinned.

  “Hey, Sol,” Zach called out. “Truth or dare?”

  “Truth,” Sol said without hesitation.

  “You gonna keep riding bulls ‘til you need a walker?”

  Georgia went still, her body instinctively knowing not to reveal her interest in the answer. If she hadn’t been feigning indifference, she probably wouldn’t have noticed that, across the room, Zach’s relaxed posture contradicted the sharp interest in his eyes as he gazed as Sol. What’s up with that? she wondered.

  “I don’t need a walker to ride bulls,” Sol said with a slight edge in his voice. “I only need to be able to sit.”

  Georgia’s heart sank a little. That wasn’t the answer she’d hoped for.

  “My turn.” Maddie leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. One of Zach’s hands rested on her back in a casual display of affection, comfortably owning that they belonged together. Maddie didn’t seem to notice. How would it feel, Georgia wondered, to have a partnership you could so easily take for granted? But then she noticed how intently Maddie was looking at her intended victim. This is about to get interesting.

  “Truth or dare, Gideon?”

  “Uh . . . Truth?”

  “Good. When I was pregnant with Abbie, you told Zach not to waste his time picking out boy’s names. How did you know we were having a girl?”

  Was this when she was supposed to leap up and stop Maddie from saying something stupid? It was probably already too late, but Georgia asked anyway. “Didn’t everybody know, Maddie? I mean, Sol told me the ultrasound said it was a girl.”

  “Yes,” Maddie said without taking her eyes off Gideon. “Everyone knew then. But Gideon said this two months before the ultrasound.”

  “Oh.” Georgia looked at Gideon, her curiosity piqued.

  Gideon took a drink of his Coke. “I didn’t know.”

  “So you were guessing?” Maddie sounded skeptical.

  “Well . . .” Gideon flicked the tab of his can with his thumbnail. “Not exactly.”

  “Then how did you know?”

  “Maddie, I don’t—” Zach started to say, but Maddie lifted her hand to stall him. She wasn’t going to let go of this.

  “How did you know I was having a girl?”

  “I didn’t know you were having a girl.” Gideon lifted his eyes from his Coke. “But I knew you weren’t having a boy.”

  Sol made a noise in his throat. “Is there a third option I don’t know about?”

  “How, Gideon?” Maddie asked again. “How did you know Abbie wasn’t a boy?”

  Gideon took a breath, cleared his throat, and said, “‘Coz I knew the baby clothes Mama was gathering together weren’t going to do you any good.”

  Maddie looked confused.

  “They were pretty much all boys’ clothes,” Ephram said. Which made sense since most of Ruth’s children were boys.

  Maddie’s face cleared of the confusion. Though she hadn’t moved an inch, she somehow managed to look like she was closing in for the kill. “Gideon, are you psychic?”

  He took a long pull off his Coke then let a beat go by after he swallowed. Two beats. “I think you only get one question.”

  Hmm. Maybe Maddie got only one question, but Georgia hadn’t challenged anyone yet.

  She opened h
er mouth, but Sol’s hand landed on her back.

  “Don’t,” he said in a voice pitched just for her.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t ask it. Gideon won’t make the same mistake twice, so unless you have a burning need to see him in his underwear, crowing like rooster, don’t do it.”

  Rats.

  “Hey, Ephram,” Zach said. “Truth or dare?”

  Ephram was twenty-one and the quiet one of the McKnight boys. Not shy exactly. Sol said Ephram liked to think things through before committing to an opinion. He was slouched in the kitchen chair next to Gideon, looking about as relaxed as anyone could without snoring. He shrugged at Zach’s challenge. “Truth, I guess.”

  Georgia leaned into Sol. “No one’s taking the dares. What gives?”

  “Are you kidding? Would you let any of them tell you to do something you couldn’t say no to?”

  Georgia glanced around the room then shook her head. In this crowd, having to crow like a rooster in your skivvies would be getting off easy.

  While she and Sol were talking, Zach had asked his question. Something about what Ephram had been doing the previous weekend that made him an hour and a half late picking Zach up from the stock auction.

  A stillness settled over Ephram that heightened everyone’s attention.

  “Was it a girl?” Zach asked.

  Ephram scratched an eyebrow. “Sorta.”

  “Sorta?” Zach repeated. He leaned forward. “What’s her name?”

  Ephram’s answer was slow in coming. “Denise.”

  “Denise Pettigrew?” Jake asked. “Wow. You’re shooting high.”

  Zach was grinning now. “Those older women can teach a young buck a lot of good stuff.”

  But Ephram shook his head. “No, not Denise Pettigrew.”

  “Not Denise Petti—” Jake sucked in a breath. “Don’t tell me it’s Denise Langley. Please don’t tell me that.”