by Laurel Kerr
Josh ignored her threat. “The writer? The guy who actually walked away from the Great June Winters?”
“The very one.”
Josh whistled and then bobbed his head. “Once again, I bow to the master.”
June sighed. “I wouldn’t bow too low. He isn’t even unpacking his stuff. He told me when he left his duffel bag in my closet that he’s still planning on going back to London. That’s why we’re having a party in your honor tomorrow night.”
Josh blinked and then shook his head. “You’re going to have to walk me through that again. I’m out of practice following June Winters’s logic. I swear it’s harder than advanced calc.”
June bopped his shoulder again.
“You know,” he said as he rubbed his arm, “if you keep doing that, I’m going to turn black and blue. I’m a redhead. I’ve got skin like a peach. A white one.”
“If Katie catches you saying that, she’ll give you a bruise.”
“She’s got the hair and the temper, but not the complexion,” Josh said.
June rolled her eyes. “I swear you have the focus of a gnat. I have no idea how you managed to make millions.”
“Money is a great motivator.”
June gave him a mock glare, and he dropped his hand from his bicep. “Okay, you were saying something about a party?”
“I want Magnus to leave with good memories, so I thought I’d have a party and invite some of my favorite people. You’re my excuse.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“You can bring your tourist and her friends.”
Josh paused and then grinned. “Okay. Now you’re talking.”
“So, it’s all settled?”
“For me, but I don’t know about your Scot. He doesn’t seem the partying type.”
“I’m not planning a big, boisterous event,” June said. “I’m just going to have some close friends over—”
“And some random strangers,” Josh interjected.
June glared, and he held up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I’m not complaining.”
June sighed. “Josh, I really want to make Magnus’s time in Sagebrush memorable.”
Josh for once sobered, his snark gone. “Maybe just being with you is memorable, June. Did you ever think of that? Not everyone’s a social butterfly.”
June patted the side of his face. “Aren’t you just the sweetest?”
“I’m being serious, June. It’s like when you dragged Katie and me to parties back in college when we just wanted to play video games.”
“Says the man who now hobnobs up and down the California coast.”
Josh took another swig of coffee. “That’s business, June, and power. It gets old fast.”
June studied him closely as her fix-it radar started to tingle. “Are you happy, Josh?”
He paused with his coffee cup halfway to his lips. Bringing it back down to his side, he shook his head. “Uh-uh, June. I know that look. No meddling.”
“But if you’re dissatisfied with your life—”
Josh gave a bark of amused laughter. “June, we can’t all be as deliriously bubbly as you.”
“I am not deliriously bubbly,” she protested.
Josh gave her a sidelong glance before speaking with a high, exaggerated drawl. “‘Josh, dahlin’, problems are just bunches of lemons waiting to be made into lemonade.’”
June batted him again. “I don’t use clichés.” She paused, considering. “Well, at least not bad ones.”
“Enough arguing,” Josh said. “Tell me more about your moody Scot.”
June sighed. “I like this one, Josh. I really do.”
Josh studied her. “He doesn’t seem like your normal type.”
“He’s not,” June admitted, “but he’s just the sweetest man.”
“Are we talking about the same grump who told you to, and I quote, ‘Feck off’?”
June looked around the tea shop. The only patrons were Stanley and Buck, and they were too engrossed in their own conversation to pay attention. With her voice lowered, the two old-timers couldn’t hear if they tried.
“He lived on a small island with only his da growing up, so I think that’s why he doesn’t like crowds. I’m trying to change that.” Tracking down Magnus’s mother would help too.
Josh cocked his head and studied her. “Juuuune, what aren’t you telling me?”
June shrugged nonchalantly. “What makes you think I’m hiding something?”
“You have that look you get when you’re about to meddle.”
“I don’t meddle. I fix things,” June said.
Josh snorted. “That depends on your point of view. What are you planning to do to the poor man?”
June swung her eyes around the tables and chairs again out of an abundance of precaution. When she spoke, she dropped her voice even further. “I’m in the process of tracking down his mother. He doesn’t have any family to speak—”
“What the hell, June!”
Buck and Stanley’s heads popped up like prairie dogs. Drat. Both men swiveled in their direction. Josh went to speak, and June waved at him to keep his voice low.
“June, I’m telling you right now. You don’t want to do that.”
“Shh,” June hissed. “This isn’t the place to talk.”
Josh crossed his arms as he used his considerable height to tower over her. “You brought it up.”
“But you’re the one who drew the attention of Sagebrush’s biggest gossips.”
“Fine, but don’t do anything stupid until you’ve had a chance to talk with me. Believe me, you’re going to want to.”
* * *
Magnus sat at one of the tables June had left up for the party. Around him, people chatted. June stood in the thick of it, her bonny lips open in a hearty laugh. The sound tinkled in his direction, washing over him. She was in her glory, a brilliant, shining sun holding the gathering together, giving it life. Aye, she was a braw lass, and he could watch her for hours.
He took a drag of the craft IPA that June’s friend Josh had brought from California. It was hoppier than Magnus liked, but it wasn’t rubbish either.
He saw June grab the elbow of her friend and then tip her head in his direction. Magnus barely suppressed a groan. The hen had shown a surprising amount of restraint by not forcing him into the middle of the festivities. It seemed his reprieve had ended.
Josh made his way over to Magnus’s table, two beers in hand. He slid one in Magnus’s direction before sitting down. “June thought you might need another.”
Magnus snorted. “M-m-m-more like she thought I needed the company.”
Josh didn’t react to Magnus’s block, so he figured June must have prepared him. Hell, she’d probably sent her friend over so he could practice stuttering openly.
The man laughed easily at Magnus’s comment. “That’s June for you.”
“Aye,” Magnus said, and an awkward hush fell over them.
“June tells me you’re a writer,” Josh said.
“Aye, and you?” Magnus asked even though he already knew the man had started his own IT security company. Listening to the Californian explain his job would be better than talking himself.
“I build firewalls and shit like that. When they don’t work, I hunt down and stop hackers,” Josh said. “It’s like being a bounty hunter without any blood, guts, or danger.”
Magnus snorted in amusement, but it wasn’t long before another wave of uncomfortable silence hit. Magnus took a sip of beer, and Josh drummed his fingers on the table. June glanced in their direction and made an encouraging motion with her fingers.
Josh turned to Magnus again. “I think that means we’re to keep talking.”
“Aye.”
Josh paused and then gestured toward Magnus with the neck of his beer
bottle. “So, I see June’s been working her magic on you.”
“Come again, now?” Magnus asked as protective rage roared through him. Was the manky bastard referring to the fact June was sleeping with him?
Josh chuckled. “You can relax. I wasn’t talking about that. June’s like a sister, and the less I know, the better. I was referring to your new look. You’re less hairy than the last time I saw you.”
“I thought Americans weren’t b-b-b-blunt,” Magnus said.
Josh laughed again and took a swig of beer. “I’m a bit of a douche. Ask Katie or June or, better yet, Bowie.”
Magnus gave a short nod. He wasn’t sure if he liked this man, but at least he wasn’t boring. Unlike ceilidhs, American parties didn’t have much entertainment other than drinking and blethering. If Magnus had to pass the time with someone, Josh wasn’t the worst bloke.
“June’s good at it,” Josh said.
Magnus turned to him in confusion, and Josh clarified. “Giving people makeovers. Hell, you should have seen what I looked like before she got her hands on me. I was a mess. Katie too, but don’t tell her I said that.”
Unease slipped through Magnus. Although he’d cut his hair and trimmed his beard at June’s suggestion, he didn’t like the idea of her molding him into someone different. And he liked it even less if he was just part of a pattern. Katie had also mentioned to Magnus that June was good at makeovers.
“Yep,” Josh said, oblivious to Magnus’s tension. “Our June likes her projects.”
“P-p-p-p-projects?”
“Back in college I was a complete dork, not just a geek or a nerd, but a certifiable dork. I had trouble talking to anybody, let alone girls. Katie…Katie was easy. She was like me, a geek. June was Katie’s roommate, and June took pity on both of us. She changed both of our lives, but especially mine. I had shit for confidence. I never could’ve gotten clients if it hadn’t been for June. Plus, I look a hell of a lot better.”
A cold, sick feeling twisted through Magnus. Luckily, he’d learned early to hide his emotions. Josh seemed to have no idea of the maelstrom he’d stirred up.
“Did you d-date?” Magnus asked, pleased with how steady, how normal his voice sounded even with his slight stutter.
“June and me?” Josh leaned back in his chair. “Naw. She intimidated the crap out of me when I first met her, and then she became like family. She’s got a big heart. She can’t come across a problem and not try to fix it. It can drive you batshit crazy, but she’s normally right in the end.”
Was that what Magnus was to June? Just some damn problem? A fucking project?
It made twisted sense. Lasses as bonny as her didn’t shag ugly munters like him. All her poking and prodding didn’t mean shite. She was just trying to repair him like some broken-down tractor.
* * *
“I think that went well.” June sank into one of the chairs across from Katie. Bowie had his arm slung around his wife’s shoulder, while Josh sat next to June. Everyone else had left, and Magnus was upstairs watching Nan.
“Except for when the friend of Josh’s date brought along Clay Stevens,” Katie said.
June sighed. “I know. I thought Lacey Montgomery was going to spit nails.”
“Well, Clay is a bit of a dick when it comes to her wolf-rehabilitation project,” Bowie pointed out.
“Isn’t he the son of the guy who scammed the town?” Josh asked. “Sagebrush’s Bernie Madoff?”
June nodded. “Lacey’s parents lost their life savings, and her daddy had a heart attack right after.”
“Shit,” Josh said. “No wonder she can’t stand Clay Stevens.”
“At least they steered clear of each other tonight,” Bowie said.
“I don’t know,” Josh said. “The fireworks might have been interesting.”
“You are incorrigible,” June said.
Josh gave her a shit-eating grin. “Yep, and I’ve got no plans to change.”
“Thanks for talking to Magnus,” June said. “I hope he had a good time. He seemed distant when he went up to sit with Nan.”
Bowie shrugged. “He’s a quiet guy, June. I wouldn’t read too much into it.”
Josh rolled his eyes. “June’s got it in her head she should track down his mother, which I think is a shitty idea.”
Bowie’s body stiffened, and he turned to level his gray eyes on her. “Didn’t he say in his books his mother abandoned him?”
June nodded. “But we don’t know why she left. She may have had a good reason. His daddy sounds like a horrible, horrible—”
“I don’t care how bad his father was, June, or even if his mother felt she had no choice,” Josh said. “Magnus is not going to appreciate you digging into this.”
“Josh is right,” Bowie stated stiffly.
“But—”
“June,” Katie broke in softly, her brown eyes concerned. “I think you may want to listen to the two former foster kids on this. Some hurts go beyond fixing.”
“Still,” June continued to protest.
“Fuck, June,” Josh said, “you’re going to make me go there.”
“Go where?” June asked in confusion.
“My mom left me at a bus station when I was six,” Josh said. “If any woman who I dated tracked her down, I’d never speak to that person again.”
Shock washed over June as she studied one of her closest friends in the world. “I thought you ended up in foster care because your mom was dead.”
Josh shook his head. “I let you think that, June, because I was afraid you might pull a stunt like this.”
Unbelievably hurt, June swung her gaze toward Katie. “Did you know?”
Josh answered for her. “I swore her to secrecy, so blame me if you’re going to get pissed off.”
“I see,” June said shakily. She pushed back from the table, feeling as unsteady as a landlubber during a squall at sea. She was the duct tape, the one people came to with their problems. People didn’t hide things from her. They didn’t exclude her.
“June,” Katie said, her chair squeaking as she clamored to her feet, her hand supporting her pregnant belly. June could see the sympathy in her friend’s cherubic face. Katie hadn’t meant to hurt her. Neither had Josh. But they had.
June plastered on a smile, because that’s what she did. She smiled. “It’s okay, really. I understand. I do like to stick my nose in other people’s business. I get that.”
“Fuck, June,” Josh said as he stood as well. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Then what did you mean, darlin’?” June asked, keeping her voice soft and steady…sweet, even.
“You said you really like this guy, and I don’t want you to blow it. And if you do this, you will. Hands down.”
June swung her eyes toward Bowie. He’d also risen and looked like he was trying to fade into the wall. “What do you think?”
He swung his gaze toward Katie, and June stepped forward. “I’m not asking your wife, honey. I’m asking you.”
Bowie rubbed the back of his head, his gray eyes steady. “Magnus is an intelligent man, June. He’s got money and resources. If he wanted to track down his mother, he would’ve done it.”
“And how would you feel?”
“You want the honest truth?” Bowie asked.
“Yes.”
Bowie sighed, long and hard. “If my mom was still alive, and Katie contacted her without my knowledge, I’d feel like a camel had kicked me right in the heart. It’s difficult putting a past like that behind you, and this could undo a lot of things he worked hard to resolve.”
June sank back into her seat. “I screwed up, didn’t I?”
Her friends rejoined her at the table. Katie reached forward and grabbed her hand.
“Not necessarily,” Josh said. “How far have you gotten in your search?”
“I emailed her last night,” June said in a small voice.
Her three friends exchanged glances. June gave an uncharacteristic groan and dropped her head to rest it against the scarred wooden table. She wasn’t used to feeling like this. Except with Nan’s health, she never second-guessed herself.
“Maybe you have the wrong person,” Katie said gently as she patted June’s hand.
“Or she won’t respond,” Josh added.
June lifted her gaze to study them. “What if she does? What if she wants to talk to Magnus? Would I have a right to keep that from him?”
“Well,” Katie said, “I guess you’ll have to wait and see what happens. You’ll know what to do.”
“Clearly, I won’t,” June said glumly.
“We’ll all be here,” Katie promised.
“I might need y’all,” June admitted, not realizing how soon that would be.
* * *
About an hour later, June finally made her way up to her rooms above the tea shop. She found Magnus asleep in bed. He had Nan’s monitor on the nightstand, his laptop resting on his stomach. Realizing he must have dozed off while writing, June gently removed the computer. She snuggled down against him, but sleep evaded her.
June was not accustomed to guilt, and the nasty emotion threatened to chew her up from the inside out. The longer she cuddled next to Magnus, the worse it got. Unable to withstand it, she slipped from their bed and padded to her computer. Powering it up, she debated what to do. Maybe she should email the woman and say it was all a prank. It might not be the most genteel solution, but then June would never know if she’d contacted the right person. Then she’d have nothing to confess to Magnus.
Sighing, June opened her account and saw it: an email from Mady Budge. A sick feeling sprang up in her heart and crept through the rest of her body. Swallowing against the pressure, she scanned the note. She read it twice and then collapsed against the chair.
She’d found the correct Mady Budge, all right.
June glanced over at Magnus. He slept so peacefully, so quietly. He’d done so much for her and her nan, and she’d wanted to give him something in return. Instead, if Josh and Bowie were right, she may have just triggered a tsunami designed to destroy his well-ordered life.
