“It’s good to see your reflexes haven’t slowed, but who’s the piece of ass, did you send her home?”
Alex clenched his teeth. Calling Janie a piece of ass was worse than calling her a chick. “She’s not a piece of ass and no she’s in the shower.”
“That’s Mrs. Fortenberry,” Maggie said as she crossed the room to get something for whatever treat she was making for Dave.
“Mrs. Fortenberry? You got married and didn’t tell me?” Dave pinned him with a suspicious look.
“It was going to be a surprise.”
“I’m surprised all right.”
“You’re not the only one.” Alex tried to turn things on his brother. “You weren’t supposed to be here for another couple weeks.”
“Job got done. We got sent home and released for some R&R early.” Dave shrugged.
“Let me grab some coffee and we can go sit down. Maggie will bring this to us when it’s ready.” Alex snagged a cup from the cabinet and filled it, glancing over at his brother. “Want some?”
“Sure, why not?”
Alex filled a second cup, handed it to his brother then headed for the breakfast nook. “Come on.” They sat, setting their mugs on the table as they got comfortable. “What have you been up to?”
“Same as ever.” Dave leaned back in his chair and eyed Alex for a moment. “You on the other hand have been up to something different. Where did you meet her?”
“Online.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. He’d found the agency online, and they’d sent her to him.
“You did online dating?”
“I didn’t say that. I said I met her online.”
“How long have you known her?”
“Long enough.”
“How can you be sure she’s not after your money?”
“I just know.” The agency had assured him that none of their ladies were gold-diggers. They didn’t know what kind of men they were being set up with, only that they were being sent to someone who would marry them. For some, that’s all it took. He wondered, not for the first time, what had prompted Janie to sign up, to look for someone else to find a husband for her, especially after the horrors she’d seen growing up with arranged marriages.
“I’m not so sure.” Dave looked at him with narrowed eyes.
“She’s never, ever asked me to buy her anything. Anything.” He turned and looked out the glass that surrounded half the table. “She makes me feel whole again, Dave. When she looks at me I don’t feel scarred anymore.” He turned back to his brother. “I don’t feel like the monster I was afraid I’d become.”
Dave sighed and watched him for several seconds. “How can you be sure it’s not an act to get to your money?”
“She’s got scars of her own. Not physical like mine, but they run just as deep.” She hadn’t told him, at least not with words but he’d seen it in her actions the day before.
“From what?” His brother scowled.
“That’s her story. I’m not telling it for her.” Alex shook his head. “Tell me about your latest assignment.”
“It was shit. Then the shit hit the fan.”
The brothers talked and caught up while they sipped their coffee and waited for breakfast. Alex couldn’t help but wonder when Janie would get there.
Chapter 18
Janie waited until the rapid thundering of her heart had calmed before getting up. Between being startled awake by Alex’s movement, finding a stranger standing in her bedroom and the kiss that made her want to drag her husband back into the bed with her, it took a few minutes. In the bathroom she looked at the tub a moment, thinking how amazing a hot bath with a nice book sounded, but not now. Instead she went to the shower and turned it on. Once she’d adjusted the temperature and found towels she stepped under the steaming spray and stood there a moment. The hot water cascaded down her back and legs, easing some of the soreness from muscles unused to the kind of exercise they’d gotten the night before.
A smile crossed her face as she remembered the way he’d made her feel. After a moment of enjoying the slick heat of the water, she picked up the shampoo and make quick work of her shower, making a mental note to ask Mrs. Barrett for a few things, like hair conditioner and her favorite lotion. Things that women use and men don’t often think about. When she was done she wrapped one towel around her hair and another around her body then opened the closet door. She hesitated just a moment before stepping inside and grabbing clean clothes and her bag of toiletries and retreating to the safety of the bathroom.
Ten minutes later she made her way down the back stairs, in search of Alex and his brother. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the idea of meeting his brother. Would he approve of her? What would Alex do if he didn’t? Would he send her back?
She followed the sound of men’s voices and laughter and found the two of them sitting at the table she and Alex had eaten dinner at the night before. She stood for a moment in the doorway, watching them a moment before they noticed her. There was some resemblance between the brothers. They had the same nose, the same eyes. But their smiles were different, and it wasn’t just because the right side of Alex’s mouth didn’t move as easily as she was sure it once had. Their jawlines were different and where Alex had short cropped dark hair, his brother’s was light. So light, that with as short as he kept it, he almost looked bald.
She smiled as she watched the two of them laughing and teasing each other. It made her miss her own siblings and the way they’d cared for each other. A single tear leaked from her eye and she caught it before it could fall.
The movement caught Alex’s attention and he turned, his smile changed as he spotted her.
“Sweetness, come meet my brother.”
She wasn’t sure why he kept calling her that, but the nickname made her stomach flutter and heat spread through her body, so she didn’t complain. She stepped in the room and went to his side, Alex wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close. She couldn’t help dropping her hand on his shoulder and looking down at him. She loved the way he made her feel safe, even when meeting someone as important to him as his brother.
“Dave, this is Janie, my wife.” Alex squeezed her waist. “Sweetness, this my brother Dave.”
“Nice to meet you.” She extended a hand in his direction.
He took it and shook but she sensed something wasn’t quite right. She didn’t know what, but he seemed suspicious.
“There’s coffee in the kitchen.”
“No thanks.”
“Then here, have a seat.” He released her and pulled the chair next to him out for her.
“Don’t let me interrupt you catching up.” She sat down. They didn’t resume their conversation, instead Dave looked at her.
“Where are you from?”
“I grew up in Texas.”
“What part of Texas?”
“A little town a couple hours from Waco for most of it, then Dallas.”
“How did you meet my little brother?” She hesitated a second, looking to Alex to see how he wanted this answered. Telling his brother about the agency was frowned on and might cost her big as she’d signed a secrecy agreement when she’d signed on with them.
“Hey,” Alex said. “You’re not going to grill her. I already told you we met online.” He scowled at his brother while his hand covered hers and squeezed just enough to reassure her. She was saved from having to say anything by Maggie coming in with two plates full of eggs, sausage, and potatoes.
“Oh, Mrs. Fortenberry, I didn’t know you were in here, I’ll be right back with a plate for you.” Maggie disappeared back into the kitchen and came back a couple moments later with cart with another plate, several servings of what looked like coffee cake, an insulated pitcher Janie assumed was coffee and two carafes of juice as well as several small glasses. Once the cook disappeared back into the kitchen, Alex spoke up.
“We were planning to take a quad out so I can show Janie around. Want to come?”
“Show
her around? Hasn’t she seen the place?”
“No, actually she just got her yesterday.”
“And you’re married already?”
“We are.” Alex shot his brother a look that made Janie cringe inside. She certainly didn’t want a look like that aimed at her. “I knew before she landed that I love her, I wasn’t going to wait any longer to make it legal.”
Janie didn’t let her hope soar when Alex said he loved her, she knew he was only saying it for his brother’s benefit. He couldn’t possibly mean it. She might be falling for him already, but it was too soon to hope he could return her feelings.
Dave shook his head and muttered something, the only word she caught was ‘mistake’. Her stomach dropped, and she pushed her half-full plate away. She couldn’t eat any more, not when Alex’s brother thought she was a mistake.
“You all right?” Alex looked at her plate then at her.
“I’m fine, just full.”
“If you’re sure.” He gave her a doubtful look then asked if she was ready to head out.
“Any time you are,” she said with a smile.
He looked down at her bare feet under the table.
“You’ll need tennis shoes, and maybe a jacket. It’s cooler here than you’re used to, and we’ll be moving, sometimes at a pretty good speed.”
“You planning to go like that?” she poked him in the side of his bare chest, reminding him that all he wore was a pair of sweatpants.
He shot her a lopsided grin. “Guess I should get dressed too.”
“I need to change before we head out anyway.” Dave looked at the two of them. “Meet up in what ten, fifteen minutes? Front door or the barn?”
“Give us fifteen. We’ll meet you at the barn.” Alex glanced at Dave, but kept his attention on Janie as he stood and pulled her to her feet. “Come on.” He hurried her up the stairs and she suspected he had more on his mind than just getting dressed.
Chapter 19
Twenty minutes later, Alex led Janie out to the barn behind the house. Dave was all scowl and bluster, but Alex didn’t care. He’d talked Janie into a quickie before they’d gotten dressed and hurried out and the flush on her cheeks made dealing with his brother’s displeasure worth it. After fetching the keys from the tack room, he tossed one to Dave and climbed onto the other and fired it up.
“Climb on behind me,” Alex told Janie. “Hold on tight. We’ll get moving pretty quick, and the terrain can get a little rough.”
“Not even gonna let her have her own?” Dave taunted.
“She’s never been on one before much less driven one,” Alex shouted back. “You’re just jealous that I’ve got someone clinging to me and you don’t.” That shut his brother up. Janie’s arms wrapped tight around his waist, he turned back to check on her. “You good?”
She responded with a quick nod and he hit the gas. They took it easy out of the barn and out to a nearby empty pasture then they laid on the speed. Playing games that brothers play they turned in circles and bumped along the field. After a little while he stopped and looked at Janie. He didn’t think her smile could get any bigger.
“Want to try?” he offered.
Her eyes went big. “I don’t know if I should.”
“Come on, give it a try. Hop off and slide on in front of me.”
“Really?” Excitement lit her eyes and his heart leapt at the sight.
“Really.” He waited while she climbed off, then scooted back on the seat to make room for her. He loved having his arms around her as he taught her all the controls. “Ever ridden a bike?”
“A—a couple times, but it’s been a really long time.”
“That’s okay, it steers like a bike,” he gave it a little gas and turned the handle bars to show her. “See.” Then he leaned back. “Now you try. Light on the gas, remember the harder you push it the faster you go.”
Janie hesitated then they jerked forward. She pulled her hands away as if burned. Without her thumb on the gas, the ATV rolled to a stop.
“I’m sorry.” Her words were rushed, as if she thought he was going to be angry.
“It’s okay. Try again. Easy on the gas. Push the lever slowly.”
She leaned forward and tried again, this time they still jerked forward, but not as hard and she didn’t pull away, instead she held on and they kept moving. It took her several tries, but she got the hang of it enough that he climbed off and told her to go for it on her own. She made several circles around him before venturing a little farther and a bit faster. The grin on her face made him happier than he could remember being in a long time. He didn’t know exactly when but knew it had been before that IUD had gone off, leaving him scarred and several members of his unit dead. Shaking his head, he pushed thoughts of his grim past out of his head as he enjoyed watching Janie become more confident in her ability to control the bike.
Dave pulled up beside him and sat astride his own ATV as they watched her. She raced away then turned and came back a couple times.
“Did you warn her not to turn going too fast? That these things roll easy?” Dave asked over the low rumble of his quad.
“No, I didn’t think about it,” Alex’s gaze never left Janie. He saw it coming before it happened. It was almost as if Dave’s question had triggered it. Her laughter carried to him on the wind as she turned the quad and two wheels came off the ground. “Shit.” Alex was running before the bike stopped rolling. Janie was lying in the foot-tall grass, not moving.
His heart stopped in his chest as he reached her side and found her eyes closed.
“Janie, are you hurt? Did it roll over you?” He looked down her body searching for signs of blood or dirt, anything that would tell him how she was.
“I’m still trying to decide.” Her eyes were still closed.
“Decide what?”
“If I’m hurt. I don’t feel hurt, but it might be shock.”
“Did it roll over you?” he asked again, not sure if she’d heard him the first time.
“No. I jumped as soon as it started to roll.”
His whole body sagged with relief. She might still be hurt, but it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as if the several hundred-pound machine had rolled over her.
“I’m okay.” She started to get up. Alex offered her his hand and pulled her too her feet.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
She flexed several joints experimentally then nodded. “I’m good. I’ll probably feel it later, but I’m not seriously hurt.”
“Good. Let’s get back on.”
She eyed the ATV for a minute.
“Maybe I’ll just walk back.”
“Nope. It’s more than two miles back to the house. You can’t let one accident stop you.” He went to the quad, grabbed the handle bars and rolled it back onto its wheels. “Come on. You’re driving us back.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” She looked from it to him and back again.
“I do. Come get on.” She hesitated another minute and he thought she was going to refuse, then she started moving. She came close, then got on. He climbed on behind her.
“Good girl,” he murmured in her ear, then gave her directions on how to turn the engine off, it had stalled when it rolled, but the key was still on, then restart it. She drove carefully all the way back to the barn, but by the time they got back she wasn’t afraid it would just roll on her with no reason.
Chapter 20
By the time they got back to the barn, her heart had stopped thundering in her ears every time she touched the handle bars, but she still wasn’t entirely comfortable driving the four-wheeler. If such a little vehicle scared her so bad, how much worse would it be with a car? She didn’t want to think about it. She pulled the bike up in front of the barn and slid off.
“Why don’t you head back up to the house, we’ll put these away and be right behind you.” Alex dropped a quick kiss on her cheek.
“All right.” She went back to the house. Not sure what to d
o, she made her way to the media room and turned on the TV like Alex had shown her the night before. She was still flipping through the guide, trying to find something to watch when Dave’s voice startled her. She jumped as she turned toward him. He stood leaning in the doorway, one hand propped against the other side of the jam.
“You know, I’m still not convinced you’re not after his money.”
“What money?”
“Play ignorant all you want, where do you think this came from?”
She didn’t have an answer for him so she ignored him, turning back to the TV.
“Hey, I’m not through.”
“Aren’t you? You’ve just told me I’m only here for your brother’s money.”
“I wasn’t finished.” He took a deep breath, then continued, “Like I said, I’m still not convinced you’re not after his money, but after what I just saw I’m not sure I care anymore.”
“What do you mean?” He was talking in riddles and she wished he’d just spit out whatever he was trying to say.
“Hey, stop blocking the door.” Alex’s hand poked his brother in the ribs from behind. Dave dropped his arm and stepped into the room, letting Alex in. He looked at Janie, then to Dave and back again. “What’s going on here?”
“Your brother was just telling me how he thinks I’m only interested in your money.”
“That’s not what I was saying.” Dave sighed.
“Just what the hell were you saying then?” Alex strode over to where Janie was sitting on the sofa and stood beside her, one hand on her shoulder.
“I was saying that after what I saw I don’t care if she is just here for your money.”
“Say she’s after my money one more time and we may come to blows,” Alex growled.
“That’s not what I was trying to say.” Dave scrubbed one hand over his face. “Fuck, I screwed this all up.”
Billionaire Bachelor: Alex (Diamond Bridal Agency Book 8) Page 7
