“Come on, slow poke.” Liz turned and flashed him a smile.
A strong breeze had kicked up and Liz fussed with her hair. Springtime on the island was beautiful, but the weather was unpredictable at times. Bannock watched as the plane came to rest and a crew rushed out to chock the wheels. Inside the plane, Bannock could make out a couple of people shuffling around through the tiny side windows. He was only aware of one person arriving tonight and wondered who else was on the flight.
The island to Bannock was not only home, but a place he was charged with the safety of the residents. In years past, he and the police force had dealt with a few criminals seeking a hideout on the island. He was always on guard and leery about most tourists, especially some of the wealthy and well to do that visited.
With the island becoming a mecca for the rich and famous and more so since the Palace Resort and Spa was built, he wasn’t looking forward to the new addition the resort was building, at all. Bannock was simple and led a moderate lifestyle. He bought a small cottage with a large yard in an area just outside of downtown. There were no expensive luxury cars parked in his driveway and he definitely didn’t have an ocean view either. His parents on the other hand lived more extravagantly now. With the island growing as well as their business, Garrison’s Grocery, the three of them knew well how to enjoy the spoils of their thirty years of hard work. His grandparents, Dean and Jillian Wyatt, built the grocery nearly sixty years ago. It was a family business and one he was expected to take part in, but after working during his youth at the store, he wasn’t overly ambitious about taking it over one day. His parents weren’t particularly happy with his occupation and he often heard their annoyance concerning his decision. Bannock decided long ago that his younger brother, Luke, should do the honors, be the good son and take over the store.
The door of the plane finally opened. Two men on the ground waited as the stairs descended to the ground. A man inside exited while carrying a suitcase and a smaller bag. He stopped at the bottom and waited. Bannock eyed the man for a moment. He didn’t look like he could be an attendant dressed in a dark suit with a white button-up shirt underneath. He damn sure wasn’t the pilot. Bannock noted he was still in the cockpit with his log opened up, pen in hand. Did Liz’s niece come with a guest?
A woman came into view and began taking the steps cautiously. Her long hair whipped up in the current of gusting wind. Bannock couldn’t tell much about her in the dim light. She stopped at the bottom and accepted the luggage the suited man carried out. They talked for a moment and she hugged him before he reboarded the plane. Liz bounded out and rushed across the pad with her gray hair taking a beating. When she reached the woman, she pulled her into a tight hug.
Bannock realized he wasn’t being very gentlemanly and began walking toward them to fetch the bags. As he walked up, he noted the beautiful face of Liz’s niece. Her hair was flaming red, long and blowing in the wind about her face. “I’ll take your bags, ma’am.” He reached for her suitcase and motioned for her to give him her smaller bag as well.
She offered him a nervous smile. In the moonlight, he could see that her eyes were puffy and red, either from lack of sleep or crying. He motioned for them to follow and set out ahead of them. Behind him, Bannock could hear Liz chattering. Her excitement always seemed to put her mouth into overdrive. He smiled and opened the door for the terminal.
“Thank you, Bannock.” Liz smiled with her arm wrapped around the waist of her niece and entered.
When the door closed behind them, the noise and the rushing wind quit, leaving both women’s hair a mess. Liz smoothed hers back. “You’re finally here.” She pulled Reece into another hug.
Bannock stood and waited for all the hugging to end. He noticed Reece’s expression seemed surprised and noted how she hesitated when returning the gesture. She looked unsure and timid, as if she didn’t know Liz very well. It was then that he realized he hadn’t ever heard the red-headed beauty speak a word, not one. With the light inside, Bannock could see her face better, and although the woman was quite striking to look at, he realized without a doubt Reece had been crying excessively for a long period of time. Her bright green eyes lifted and welled up with more tears when she looked at him. He averted his gaze, not being one who enjoyed emotional scenes or crying females.
Liz let go of Reece and held her out at arm’s length. “My, my, what a gorgeous woman you grew up to be.”
Bannock turned his attention back to the women to see what Liz was commenting about. Reece offered a small smile and her cheeks lightly blushed as she looked at the ground. The woman was indeed gorgeous. She was tall, lean, and fit. Her jeans molded around her ample hips and snuggly hugged her long, slender legs.
As Liz appraised her niece, Bannock continued to take her in. More than anything, he was watching her body language. She was uncomfortable and nervous, avoiding eye contact and shifting her gaze. Something wasn’t quite right, but Bannock tried to convince himself that first impressions weren’t always correct. Whatever was going on in this young woman’s life, it weighed heavily on her mind. He suspected maybe she had a bad relationship and she was here in order to heal her broken heart.
“Oh, where are my manners?” Liz turned around with Reece’s hands in hers. “Reece, darling, this is Officer Garrison. He works at the station with Luther.”
“Nice to meet you.” Reece extended her slender hand and shook his. Her voice was light, almost a whisper.
“Same here.” Bannock let go and adjusted her bag on his shoulder. “Come on and I’ll take you ladies home.”
At his car, Bannock opened the back door for Reece. Before he could get to Liz’s door, she had already opened it. He walked around and got in and chastised Liz. “Now Miss Liz, we talked about the door. If my mother catches wind of this, I’ll receive a talking-to over it.”
“And I told you, your mother is too old fashioned. I should talk to her.” Liz grinned.
“That won’t be necessary. Just allow me to get your door next time.” He winked at her and she laughed.
“Okay, sweetie.”
As Bannock backed out, he tried not to look in the rearview mirror at Reece, even though his mind pushed him to do so. Bright green engaging eyes stared back at him for a moment before turning to look at Liz who had turned in her seat to talk to her. The woman was still nervous. He couldn’t put a finger on it and began to shuffle around the facts in his mind and wondered who the man in the suit was that got back on the plane?
“Where to, Miss Liz?” Bannock asked as he exited and turned onto the main road leading back to town.
“Home. Luther and Jed better have dinner for us when we get there. Those men, I tell you, I wouldn’t trade ‘em, but today, they are testing my patience. They can also go and retrieve my car as well.”
The Wyatts’ place wasn’t far, and in minutes, Bannock pulled up in front of the house that sat on the top of a sloping hill. He got out and carried Reece’s luggage up for her. She thanked him and avoided eye contact, looking down at the ground while waiting for Liz to direct her inside as if nervous to do so without say so.
“Thank you again, Bannock. You sweet boy.” Liz smiled and kissed his cheek. “I’ll send an extra pie over Friday for your trouble.”
“Thank you, Miss Liz. Nice to meet you Reece.” He nodded curtly and turned to head back down the stairs. Dane, his roommate, had more than likely made it home by now and would be wondering where he was. The two had become close friends over the last ten years since Dane moved to the island. They had plans to grill steaks and he thought maybe he should have called to let him know he’d be running late. If the situation wasn’t so impromptu, he would have, but with Liz, they always were. That was fine by him as long as he got those pies.
Bannock pulled into his driveway and noticed Dane was already home. The smell of charcoal burning filled the air with its aroma as he got out of his car. His stomach growled and he remembered he missed lunch. “Dane?” he called out as he entered and
hung his hat and gun belt on the hook by the front door.
Dane came out of the kitchen with a beer. “Hey, thanks for the call.” He smarted off and walked back into the kitchen.
Bannock followed. The smell of food made his stomach grumble. Dane was a great cook. Being from Texas, he came from a southern style with southern cooking. Bannock personally had never been to Texas, but could appreciate and enjoy the style of the food. “Mmm, I smell fried okra.”
“Yeah, good stuff.”
“Sorry I’m late.” Bannock opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer for himself. “Luther caught me on my way out.”
“Another honey do?” Dane chuckled and turned the okra in the skillet.
The bottle hissed when Bannock twisted the cap off. “Yeah. Liz said he’d have to pleasure himself the rest of the week.”
“Blackberry pie?” Dane grinned, knowing the going rate for favors.
“Oh, yeah.” Bannock leaned over and picked up a handful of okra, tossing them one at a time into his mouth. “Damn, these are good.”
Dane continued his task, turning the frying okra in the pan. “So what was the honey do this time?”
“Oh, funny thing. I had to take Liz to the airport to pick up her niece.”
“Niece?” Dane turned with a questioning brow. “I didn’t realize she had a niece.”
Bannock swallowed a large drink of his beer and cleared his throat. “I didn’t either.”
“And?” Dane’s curiosity began to rise. The pool of eligible females on the island wasn’t large. In fact, it was small, not counting vacationers. Dane sampled them a lot in order to keep his libido in check, but what the man desired was a wife.
“And what? I couldn’t tell much about her by meeting her once. She doesn’t say much.”
“Seriously?” Dane pulled the rest of the okra out and drained it on paper towels. “A new woman steps onto the island and you aren’t even a little excited?”
Actually, Bannock held no excitement at all. Any thoughts about women at all conjured the memories he had suppressed to rush forward. Two years ago while he was stationed in Afghanistan, he received a Dear John letter from his fiancée. As it would seem, she couldn’t wait for his return, broke off their engagement, and promptly married some rich tycoon that had been vacationing on the island. Where she landed after she left was anyone’s guess.
They had dated in high school and broke off their relationship when Bannock joined the Army. He and his buddy Jackson Stone enlisted at the same time to see what else besides their small island existed. They also felt they owed their service and time.
On leave a few years later, Bannock and Jenny hooked up for two weeks. He remembered it was the hottest adventure he’d ever been on. After being in the desert for the better part of a year beforehand, any sex, he decided now, would have been eventful. He asked her to marry him before he left. She vowed to wait for him, but letters and an occasional visit home weren’t enough for her. She couldn’t wait for him, her love not strong enough to weather the storm.
One damn year, he shook his head thinking about it. One year and before he was finished, she sent him a letter, the dreaded Dear John letter that any soldier hates to receive when so very far from home. Jenny had been his only beacon of hope that kept him going. He looked forward to every letter, every care package. Then it came, that damn letter.
Jenny admitted she could wait no longer and had taken up with some businessman she met at the resort on the island where she worked. She had apologized, stating that the man was her true love. Bannock felt she could have been more honest and just leveled with him. Jenny craved money, lots of money. It was no secret and why he ever fell for her charm still bothered him. He really believed they would have had a happily ever after. He also dreamt of the day his discharge paperwork would be issued so he could get home and marry her. He dreamt of a monogamous relationship, not like the ones on the island, just one man and one woman. Growing up with two fathers and one mother had its perks, but for him, he couldn’t really see sharing a woman with anyone. He tended to lean on the selfish side.
When the dust settled and Bannock was discharged, he returned to Sunset Point. Outside of the island, he had little family and friends. It just seemed logical to stay where his roots were planted. At the time, the island police force was in need of new officers. That was another plus to return.
Coming back had been difficult and not without pain and the reminder of what he had lost. After a couple months back home, he had ventured out very little until his buddy Jackson suggested he get off his dead ass and forget about it all. They got together and had one too many beers. Bannock ended up running into Dane again and got his very first tattoo. The two had met years earlier before Bannock enlisted. Dane was an easygoing kind of guy and a hell of a lot of fun to hang out with. Since that night, he and Dane hit it off, becoming fast friends and eventually roommates.
The last year had been tough, but Dane’s friendship was Bannock’s savior. Although he had other friends, he and Dane just clicked.
* * * *
Lane couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Liz had not one, but two husbands. What was wilder was the fact the men were brothers and shared her. Lane watched them, unable to concentrate on her meal. Her appetite for food waned nearly thirty-six hours ago. As she scooted around a couple of spears of asparagus, she wondered how she could possibly eat the offensive vegetable. Hate didn’t cover how she felt for asparagus, but felt obligated, since the Wyatts were nice enough to take her in.
“So, Reece, I was thinking I’d take you on a tour of the island tomorrow and show you around. Do you think you’ll be up for it?”
“Yeah, sure. Thank you,” she replied before poking a section of the veggie in her mouth. It’s carrots. I love carrots. She thought while she chewed. Either the trick worked, or she couldn’t really think of the taste because she was so caught up with the unconventional marriage before her. Jed and Luther seemed to get along well, which was interesting since she and her own siblings tended to argue when in the same room for more than an hour together.
The resemblance between them was subtle. Lane already learned that Luther is the Chief of Police and Liz is the Mayor, but was curious about Jed. He seemed more refined than Luther with his suit and tie, more a white collar than blue. She wanted to know so much about these people, but couldn’t make her tongue work or find a way to lead into conversation with them. Normally Lane was a chatterbox and couldn’t seem to shut up at times, but now, she couldn’t decide whether she was shell-shocked or completely stunned.
“Reece, your mouth is hanging open, dear. Is there something you want to know?” Liz smiled and speared a chunk of meat and popped it in her mouth.
The woman was breathtaking for her age. Lane dared not guess, but the silver hair was a dead giveaway. She wore it well. Her bright green eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. She took care of herself by looking at her figure. Lane could only wish to look as fabulous when she achieved Liz’s age. “Um, I think I’m a little speechless right now.” She found her voice and made an admission.
“I understand.” Liz’s eyes lit up with a broad smile curving her lips upward. “It’s very simple really.”
“It, it is?” Lane glanced back at Liz, then to Luther and Jed.
“Mmm, yes. You see, we are only one of many couples on the island. Our philosophy is different here, as we don’t subscribe to the common notion one person can only love one person. This island was built generations ago by those who wanted to love freely, not subjecting their hearts to the hate of the outside world.”
“So, lots of people on the island are married to more than one person?” Lane’s eyes darted from Jed, to Luther, then back to Liz. “Isn’t that polygamy?”
Jed belted out a laugh. “That term doesn’t exist here, sweetie. I know it does in the States where you’re from, but here, we celebrate life and love, no matter how many partners are involved.”
“I don’t know about
all that celebrating life and love bullshit,” Luther piped in “You two are a pain in my ass.”
Jed laughed again and Liz began to giggle. Lane nervously laughed, unable to keep from joining in.
Liz patted Luther’s hand. “You love us and you know it, Luther. You cranky old codger.”
“Well, I will say it’s never boring. Never, never boring.” Luther picked up his glass of wine and proposed a toast. “To Reece. May her stay be enlightening, eye opening, and a happy one.”
“Here, here.” Liz grinned and lifted her glass.
Jed picked up his glass. “Just keep an open mind.”
Lane couldn’t keep the goofy grin off her face. She never had a father really, so seeing one woman adored by two men began to warm her heart. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She lifted her glass and wiped a small tear as emotion took over.
“Aww, honey. Why are you crying?” Liz leaned over and rubbed her arm.
“Life, everything, I guess. You all are taking me in when I had nowhere to go.”
“Don’t get all sentimental on us,” Luther started. “We’re just good people with crazy ideas and one big-ass bed.”
Lane sipped her wine with a chuckle and took the scene in. The trio smiled and laughed, content to be together. They each played their own part, but not one above another, she noticed. It was a partnership built on love and trust. However crazy it seemed when she first arrived, all of a sudden it didn’t seem so odd anymore.
“Sweetie, you look very tired. Let’s get you into a hot shower and off to bed. A girl needs her beauty sleep.” Liz stood and offered a hand.
“What about the dishes? I should help.”
“Oh, no you won’t. The boys can handle them.” She turned and looked at Luther and Jed. “Can’t you, boys?”
Luther stood with Jed right behind. “Yes ma’am.” They both sounded off simultaneously.
Lane wasn’t sure how long she was in the shower, perhaps a half hour. In that time, she allowed the spray to wash away the filth she perceived to cover her skin. The stress melted away and washed down the drain. Like it or not, she was stuck there indefinitely and knew that all the crying in the world wouldn’t change the fact. That is, unless she was crazy enough to go back home and try to resume her life. Ingrid’s expression as she lay dead on the floor reminded her that for now, she was in the best place she could be.
Tattoos and Cupcakes [Sunset Point] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 3
