“Alex,” Lacey cried, “this is too much. We can’t accept these. We don’t need them.”
Alex ran his hands down his face to hold back his growing annoyance. “I don’t know anyone who needs them more. Look at what’s happened around here recently. When Jerrod fell through the porch floor, when Jenna got sick at a friend’s house, it could have happened anywhere. There’s a chance that next time, we’d have to call 911. Do you realize how much faster we could have gotten to Jerrod when he was struggling with that calf in the lake? We’re lucky they didn’t both drown. I was able to call you when I found him because I had a phone in my pocket. These are all on the same plan I already have. Think of them as farm equipment, just the same as the truck or the tools. Businesses everywhere use them. Why can’t you just enjoy them?”
“Hey,” Jerrod exclaimed, “this thing gets internet.”
“We aren’t used to so much extravagance, Alex.” Lacey set the box on the table, as though she was afraid it would break. “We don’t have much, but we get by.”
“I don’t want you to get by,” Alex bellowed. “I want to make your lives better. Why can’t these kids have the things that other kids all over the country enjoy-hell, take for granted?”
“They aren’t like other kids,” Lacey shot back. “I’m trying to raise them with good values. I don’t want them to be like the spoiled brats they see on TV. Not everything can be made better by throwing money at it.”
“These are good kids, smart kids. They work hard. They deserve a few basic conveniences.” He’d succeeded in calming his voice if nothing else. “If it seems like I’m throwing money around, maybe it’s because there is so much to catch up on around here. I’m not taking a damned bit of it back. You should learn to accept things more graciously and take a step into the twenty-first century. Dammit, you tell me you want more, but when I try to give you things, it’s still not enough.”
“Oh, look,” Jenna squealed. “I just sent a text to Jerrod.”
“When I said that, Alex, I didn’t mean I wanted your money. I’m not a gold-digger. We did just fine before you came here.” Lacey leveled narrowed eyes on him. “And, we’ll do just fine after you leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m a permanent part of this farm now, so get used to it.”
“Does that mean I’ll also have to get used to Donna Sullivan?” Lacey’s question shot out like a poisoned dart.
“What does my receptionist have to do with anything? She works for East Coast L.D., not the Double J.” Alex stood and took his plate to the sink. “I’ll unhitch the trailer so you can give me a ride home.”
****
Lacey turned the key in the big, new truck and felt the powerful engine catch on the first try. The rumble, though barely audible, sent a thrill through her body. It was a nice truck. And how many times had she wished for her own trailer?
She’d given up on wishes a long time ago, but now, it seemed that Alex was making a few of them come true.
Her biggest wish was for him to come home, and here he was.
Why was she being so contrary? Would it be so bad to try to trust him one more time?
She pulled out onto the highway. Several times in the first few miles, she looked over to the passenger side. He sat slumped in the seat with his legs stretched out and his head against the window. He nervously bit a fingernail as he watched the landscape pass. Lacey made her decision.
She pulled into the side road that lead to the old clearing and stopped. Their special spot was only a few yards away, but the truck was too big to pass through the overgrown path.
Alex slid up straighter in his seat and looked around. “What are we doing here?”
“I’ve been meaning to look around and see what would have to be done to clean this place up. Don’t you think it would make a nice picnic spot?”
“Oh,” he mumbled. “I guess so.”
Was that a look of disappointment? Lacey opened her door and stepped to the ground. “As long as we’re here,” she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to him, “there’s something I’ve been dying to do.”
Alex’s face lit up. “I’m right behind you, sweetheart.” As the buttons gave way on his own shirt he ran behind her to their private haven.
It had been difficult for Alex at first. He’d wanted to keep Lacey turned away from him, but she’d have none of that. She stopped, stood and turned here side to him, naked as the day she was born.
“Can you see all the little stretch marks on my hips and under my belly?” She grazed her fingers over her hips up her sides.
“Yes. What does it matter? They’re your little badges of courage. I intend to lick every one of them at some point tonight.”
“You aren’t repulsed by them?”
“No, of course not.” He smiled wickedly and knelt in the grass. “Standing there, like a pagan goddess, you’re just making me want you more.”
She turned toward him. “My hips are wider. My breasts and belly are softer.” Her fingers traveled gracefully under her breasts and continued up to lift her hair off her neck.
Alex rose up on his knees as if to beg. “You’re killing me, woman,” he groaned.
Lacey lifted a finger and turned it in the air. “Turn around.”
“You don’t want to see that, Lacey.” Misery etched his face.
“I showed you mine, now you show me yours. No more secrets. No more hiding.”
He slowly obeyed. Still kneeling, he turned his back to her. She wanted to cry when she saw the scars that sectioned and marbled the left side of his back, but she wouldn’t allow herself to do that to him.
His hands were clutched behind his head and his shoulders were slumped forward like he was waiting to be beaten. She’d never seen such a frightened gesture from such a brave man. It had been hard for him to do as she’d asked, exposing his greatest insecurity. She wanted to show him that he’d never have to hide anything from her again.
He caught his breath as her lips moved gently over his shoulders and down his back. Dampness glistened in his eyes as his hands relaxed and he turned to her.
They both knew it wasn’t their first time, but their encounter was better earned this time. They’d both been through hell and had come out on the other side.
Maturity had taught them to appreciate the little things-the texture and taste, the scent and sight of each other, the sound of their name from the other’s cries of ecstasy. Under a full moon, over soft grass, they became one again.
****
Three hours later, Lacey snuck into her quiet house and took a warm shower. She changed into her nightgown and brushed her hair.
Her new cell phone had been left on her dresser. She picked up the small gadget to inspect it. When it rang for the first time, she nearly dropped it. It rang twice more before she figured out how to open it.
“Hello?”
“I just wanted to tell you that supper, and everything, was wonderful tonight, thank you.”
“I enjoyed it too,” she replied.
“Good night, Lacey.”
“Good night.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alex was coming through his back door after his Saturday morning run. A long cool shower and a glass of iced coffee were his only other plans for the morning, until his cell phone rang. He mopped the sweat from his face with a dishtowel, and then tossed it in the general direction of the laundry room. He could always let the call go to voice mail, but what if it was another Double J disaster? He was quickly learning that anything could happen at the farm at any given time. He’d never let Lacey hear him say it, but he wondered how they’d survived so far.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Alex. I was wondering, how much money do you have?”
Alex hadn’t thought to check the caller ID, but he recognized Jerrod’s voice immediately. “I couldn’t say right offhand, but I could put you in touch with my accountant, if it’s important to you.”
“You’re a funny guy
, Alex. What I meant was, do you have any cash on you?”
“I keep a few bucks around. Why do you ask?” Alex replied.
“I’m tapped and I didn’t want to ask Mom for ten bucks. She thinks I’m in town to skateboard, but I want to do something she doesn’t know about.”
“I so hope you’re not asking me to be an accessory to a crime.”
“No, I just wanted to do something on my own. She’ll be surprised, but she’s not going to shoot me or anything.”
“Okay, what do you have in mind?”
“I want to get a haircut, a real one. These curls are too girlish and they’re hell to deal with, out in the heat.”
Alex scratched his chin. “You know, I feel the same way about this beard and I could use a trim. Let me jump through the shower, and then I’ll meet you at Westin’s Barber Shop. Give me twenty minutes.”
Jerrod was pacing the sidewalk, looking as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair factory. Alex was willing to bet that the only haircuts he’d ever had were done with his mom’s sewing scissors. Women didn’t understand the anxiety a boy could have about his appearance. A boy Jerrod’s age didn’t bitch about his hair. That would be much too wimpy. But he was ready to start making a good impression for the ladies. This new concern may have been spurred on by Jenna’s attraction to the Taylor boy following on the coattails of Lacey’s and his new relationship. He’d just have to teach the kid how to cowboy-up a bit.
“I don’t really know what to ask for in there.” Jerrod lamented. “You don’t think they’ll do something weird to me do you?”
Alex ruffled the boy’s curly mop of hair for the last time. “Don’t worry, kid. The Westin brothers were the only ones to touch my curly locks until the Navy got hold of me. Now if you want to talk about bad haircuts, you should have seen me then. I’ll handle this.”
“I’m not going to have to wear hair gel, am I?” Jerrod was actually sweating.
“I wouldn’t recommend it. To be honest, it’s an itchy, sticky mess under a hat in the afternoon sun.” Alex opened the door and led Jerrod inside.
“As I live and breathe.” Carl Westin grinned. “It’s Alex Benson, all grown up. I’m not going to have to bribe you with a lollipop this time, am I?”
“That happened one time when I was three-years-old, Mr. Westin,” Alex reminded him. “I found out that lollipops and flying hair clippings don’t make a good mix. You can trim the sides and back close, but leave it a bit longer on top. About an inch and a half would be good. Use scissors, not clippers. I’d also like to get rid of this beard.” He turned to Lloyd Westin. “Give my buddy, Jerrod, the same, minus the shave.”
They each sat in chairs and had nylon capes snapped out and placed around their necks.
“You sure you don’t want me to buzz this boy bald, like some of them rap singers do?” Lloyd chuckled.
Jerrod had a look of shear panic in his eyes.
“Not unless you plan to clean up more than hair under that chair,” Alex told the barber.
Carl Westin leaned Alex’s chair back and placed a hot, damp towel over his face to soften his beard. After a few minutes, the bell over the door jingled.
“Hey there, Sport,” the newcomer said. “Are you going to be ready to be on my team this year?”
That scratchy voice seemed familiar.
“I’ve been practicing all year, Mr. Walker,” Jerrod said.
Alex peeked out from under a corner of the towel. An old high school buddy of his stood beside Jerrod. He pulled the towel off and hung it over the arm of the chair. “Nate Walker, how are you doing, man?” They shook hands. “I didn’t know Jerrod played sports. What do you coach?”
“Mr. Walker teaches calf roping for the junior rodeo,” Jerrod answered instead. “In December, I’ll be old enough for the advanced competition.”
“It’s hard to believe so much time has gone by since the year these kids were born,” Lloyd Westin recalled. “That was the worse Christmas the people in this town can remember. We thought we were going to lose them all. That Lacey Carlyle is one strong woman.”
Nate Walker cleared his throat loudly and gave Lloyd a stern look.
“No need to talk about such things in front of the boy,” Carl Westin whispered to his brother. He had Alex’s face smoothly shaved with a few swipes of his straight razor. “We just count our blessings and move on.”
“Well,” Nate said, “we’ll be starting practice next month. I know I should wait until Jerrod turns thirteen, but the competitions begin in January. Truth be told, he’s probably ready now, anyway.”
Alex leaned his head forward while Carl made short work with his scissors.
Nate must have made a mistake. Jared couldn’t be thirteen in December. That would place his birth only five months after he’d left for the Navy. He’d taken Lacey’s virginity the month before that…hadn’t he? He was only eighteen at the time. Could he have been that naïve?
He’d calculated the dates several times over the last month. If the twins were his they wouldn’t be thirteen until March or April of next year.
Was it possible that Lacey had already been pregnant their first time together? She would have told him, wouldn’t she? Could that be why she’d never tried to find him?
No, the kids were too small to be thirteen. But he didn’t really know much about kids. Jerrod had told him he was the smallest kid in his class, just like he’d been.
She hadn’t looked pregnant. She didn’t even have a boyfriend back then. Could something have happened to her? How could he just come out and ask her a thing like that? She might be hiding something she’s ashamed of, something too hard to talk about.
She’d told the kids that their father was her one true love. Had she lied to spare them an ugly truth?
It was time to get to the bottom of this, once and for all.
Carl Westin wiped the remnants of shaving cream off Alex’s ears and removed the cape. Lastly, he brushed the loose hair clippings from his neck.
“There you go, Jerrod.” Lloyd had gone through the same routine at the other chair. “How do you like it?”
“I like it fine,” Jerrod said. “What do you think, Alex?”
Alex nodded without really looking. “It’s fine. Grab your skateboard and I’ll take you home. I’ve got business to discuss with your mother.”
Alex pulled a fifty-dollar bill from the wad of money in his pocket and handed it to Carl.
“You only owe us thirty bucks for both haircuts and the shave.”
“Split the change.” Alex was already through the door.
Jerrod did as he was told, wondering what he’d done this time. Alex was obviously bent out of shape about something.
Once they’d left town, Alex finally spoke. “You were born on Christmas?”
“Christmas Eve,” Jerrod answered.
“Exactly how old are you right now?”
“Well, I don’t have a calculator, but I’ll be thirteen in five months, give or take a few days, hours, and minutes.”
The rest of the ride was silent and tense.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lacey was doing paperwork when the screen door slammed. She recognized the heavy, rapid footfalls going up the stairs. Jerrod was home and he was upset about something. His bedroom door slammed.
“Jerrod, is everything all right?” she called from the foot of the stairs.
When there was no answer she walked up a few steps. “Jerrod, come down here right now. I want to know what’s going on.”
“I do too, Mom,” Jerrod replied through his closed door. “But I’m not coming out of this room until the first snowfall.”
“For heaven’s sake, this is Florida. You’ve never seen snow.” Lacey climbed the rest of the way up the stairs. “How’d you get home from town? You were supposed to call when you were ready to be picked up. I didn’t hear a car pull in.”
“Alex’s BMW is a lot quieter than the old trucks around here.”
&n
bsp; “Alex is here, now, why? What happened?” she was getting frustrated, hollering at a closed door.
“I don’t know,” Jerrod bellowed. “I’m just tired of the grown-ups around here acting so weird. Alex is mad about something and I didn’t do anything.”
“Well, what did he say?”
“Nothing, he just got all weird and asked me about my birthday and stuff.”
Lacey’s heart leapt into her throat. It was too late to break it to him gently. He’d found out on his own. No doubt, he was furious.
“I think I know what the problem is. I’ll take care of it. We’ll all sit down and talk about it in a little while. Just come out of there.”
“Nope, I’ve had enough.”
Lacey had had enough too. “Jerrod, if you don’t open this door, I swear I’ll take it off the hinges.”
The door swung open, revealing a red faced, short-haired Jerrod. “It’s not locked,” Jerrod shouted.
Lacey threw her hands up to cover her gasp. “What did you do?” Then she looked at him closer and smiled. “I like it, it looks nice.”
“Forget the hair. I want to know what I did wrong.”
“It’s nothing you did. I’m the one in trouble this time.” When Jerrod’s lips tightened and his eyes narrowed, she added, “Everything is going to be fine. Alex and I just need some time to talk about a few things.”
****
“What a wonderful surprise!” Cheryl Benson exclaimed through the receiver of Alex’s cell phone. “Your father is going to be so disappointed he wasn’t here to say hello. We’ve tried to call, but your home phones been disconnected and it seems your office has moved.”
“Yes, Mother, I know. I moved with it. You should have tried my cell phone.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that.” She gasped. “Those things are so expensive. Where did you move to, darling? I hope it’s not too far away.”
“I moved back to Indian Lakes.”
“What in the world for? It’s such a tiny little town, no culture, no ambiance.”
“It was good enough when we were growing up,” Alex replied. “I have a great house in the middle of town and I’ve already run into a lot of old friends.”
Twice the Trouble Page 14
