by Sharon Sala
"It will be all right," she said softly. "We'll have this place back to normal before you know it."
Breath caught in the back of Royal's throat as the scene before him suddenly blurred. He didn't look at her and couldn't bring himself to acknowledge her presence. Her tenderness was his undoing.
We? She said we?
He gave her a quick glance, nodded and looked away. The task of putting everything back to rights didn't seem as insurmountable as it had moments earlier.
"What do you want me to do first?"
Royal turned, and the urge to take her in his arms made him weak. He managed a grin.
"Hell, honey, even I don't know what to do first."
"Then we need to make a list," Angel said. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
She went into the house and came out with a pad of paper and a pen.
"Let's start with a tour," she suggested. "When you see something that needs to be fixed or replaced, I'll write it down. Then we'll go from there."
She looked up, waiting for his approval. "If that's okay with you," she added.
Royal hugged her. He knew it could be a mistake, but he didn't give a good damn. He'd made plenty of mistakes in his life, and if holding her this close was going to be another, then so be it.
Angel was taken unaware, but before she could think what to do, he'd let her go and turned away. She stood in silence while her heart hammered wildly against her chest, then watched as he bent to lift a small piece of corrugated tin from the flower bed and toss it over the fence.
"Machine shop roof," he said shortly, and turned to see if she was following. "Angel."
She blinked as if coming out of a trance, then managed to answer.
"What?"
"Machine shop roof. Write it down."
"Oh … yes," she said, and so the morning began.
By noon, the rural electric company had restored power and the phones were working. An insurance adjuster had come and gone, giving Royal leave to commence repairs. One of Royal's friends was a roofer, and he'd come within an hour of Royal's call. They were both on the roof assessing the damage to the house while Angel waited below. The inconsistent murmur of voices could be heard inside the house, and she knew Roman was on the phone talking to a contractor regarding other repairs. As she stood at the foot of the ladder, she heard a car coming down the drive. She turned to look.
It was a black pickup.
And just for a minute, her heart stopped. She was halfway up the ladder and heading for Royal before it dawned on her what she was doing. She stopped in midstep, took a slow, deep breath and made herself go back the way she'd come. By the time she reached the ground, the pickup was parked. The man who got out wasn't wearing a bead, nor was he short and skinny.
Well over the age of seventy, he rolled when he walked and was so bald that the sun reflected off of his head when he took off his hat. He gave her a wink and a grin, then glanced at the roof where Royal and the insurance adjuster were standing.
"Been up there long?" he asked.
"A while," Angel said.
"Then they oughta be just about through."
"Yes, sir."
He smiled and offered his hand. "Name's Waycoff, Dan Waycoff. I guess you'd be Royal's new housekeeper."
Angel nodded as her fingers were engulfed by a large, callused palm.
"I neighbor the Justice ranch to the west. Real pleased to meet you," Waycoff said. "Been tellin' the missus that little Maddie is gettin' to be a handful for one man to handle alone, what with her startin' to school and all this fall."
"Yes, sir," Angel said.
"Hope you'll be happy here," Waycoff said. "Royal's a good man. Ain't many like him left in this world."
"That's true," she said, and looked up. To her relief, the men were coming down.
She held the ladder until they were clear, then started to make herself scarce. Royal stopped her with a look.
He was weary. She could see it in his eyes. And there was a smudge of dirt along the edge of his chin that she wanted to wipe away. Instead, she stood, waiting for him to make the first move.
Royal sighed, wishing he could call back that moment this morning when she'd taken him by the hand. He could still remember the softness of her skin and how firm her grip was. In a way, it was indicative of the woman herself. At first glance she seemed small and helpless, but he'd seen firsthand the strength, both mental and physical, that she continued to exhibit.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
She started to lie, then knew it would serve no purpose. "Yes."
To her surprise, he grinned and tugged at her braid. "Then what are you waiting for?" He pointed at Dan Waycoff. "As soon as I get rid of this squatter, we're going to town to eat lunch."
Waycoff laughed. "You mean I'm not invited?" he teased.
Royal grinned. "Not unless you've taken a vow of fasting."
All the men, including Waycoff, laughed.
Angel smiled. She supposed it was a joke between old friends. Then she remembered that the man who was coming to replace the glass in the windows had yet to arrive.
"But what about the glass man," she said. "Shouldn't I stay and…"
Royal frowned. "Hell, no. I've already talked to him at length. The place is a mess. I told him to fix it. If he can't find the stuff that's broken on his own, then he doesn't need to be here. Now go do whatever you need to do, and tell Roman to finish what he's doing if he wants to come, too. We're leaving in five minutes."
"Yes, sir," she said, and started up the porch steps.
Royal frowned. She'd done it again.
"I thought I told you to quit calling me sir."
Angel turned. Her voice was steady, but there was an edge to it he didn't miss.
"When you quit giving me orders, I'll quit calling you sir."
Then she went inside, leaving him standing in the yard to make what he chose of her answer. He was muttering beneath his breath when he suddenly remembered he wasn't alone. He rolled his eyes and turned around. Both men were grinning.
"Quite a little lady you got there," Waycoff said.
Royal snorted. "She's something, all right, but I'm not sure lady is the right word. She doesn't pull punches, and the hell of it is, most of the time she's right."
Waycoff slapped Royal on the back. "Then you better be watching your backside, boy, 'cause that there's the kind of woman you don't want to play loose with."
Royal glared. "I'm not playing anything with her, including loose, and I'd better not hear anything to the different," he warned.
Both men looked suitably chastised and got to the business at hand. The roofer left with a promise to be back early tomorrow, and Waycoff left a couple of minutes later, after having delivered the news that his wife was bringing them food for their supper.
As the last man drove away, Royal felt the burden of rebuilding had lightened a bit. Plans were in motion. Decisions were being made. And friends were coming through for him in every way.
* * *
The main street of Alvarado was busy. Royal circled the block twice before a parking space became available. He wheeled to the curb, parked and pocketed his keys as he helped Angel out of the cab. Roman got out on the passenger side, and together the trio entered the local café.
The noise level was just below a roar. To Angel, it seemed that the customers all knew each other and no matter where they were sitting kept a running conversation going between bites.
Royal spied a table being vacated and started across the room with Angel behind him and Roman bringing up the rear.
It didn't take long for Angel to be noticed. A stranger's face was always fodder for comment, and when she was keeping company with one of the area's most eligible bachelors it was worth remembering. Royal felt the stares and knew, when the laughter shifted to whispers, that it was probably about Angel. He stopped at the table and pulled out her chair. She hesitated, then quietly took her seat. Roman dropped into the chair opposite hers an
d reached for the menus propped between the napkin holder and a bottle of steak sauce. He handed one to Angel with a wink, opened his own and began to read.
Royal lowered himself into his seat, grunting as his muscles protested. Angel heard him and looked up.
"I think I have some aspirin in my purse."
Because it was second nature to deny anything regarding weakness, Royal started to argue. But she'd offered without malice or jest, and his macho was just about gone, thanks to last night's wind.
"Don't mind if I do," he said shortly, and held out his hand, watching as she shook three tablets into it. When the waitress brought glasses of water and left with their orders, he downed the aspirins in one gulp.
"Hey, Angel."
She looked up.
"Thanks."
"It was nothing," she said.
"You noticed," he argued. "That's something."
Roman eyed his brother, then Angel, then his brother again. "Have I become invisible?"
Neither answered him.
Roman grinned. "Now I know how a boar hog feels about tits," he drawled.
Angel frowned. Royal narrowed his eyes to a condemning stare.
"I don't get it," she said.
"Damn it, Roman," Royal muttered.
But Roman wasn't through having fun at his brother's expense. He and Ryder had endured enough bossing from Royal through the years to last several lifetimes, and seeing his brother tied up in knots over a woman was too good to let pass.
Roman leaned forward. "Tits on a boar hog—out of place and completely useless?"
Royal's face turned dark red. Angel could tell his well-frayed emotions were about to explode. The urge to protect him came out of nowhere, and she reached across the table to Roman, her fingers curling around his wrist. She was smiling, but her grip on his arm was not friendly.
"Royal is your brother. And since I have no siblings, I can't say I know what sibling rivalry is like. But I don't like being the butt of jokes between you two. Added to that, you don't know how close you came to losing him last night. But for the grace of God and Royal's refusal to quit on us, you could have been planning his funeral today, not helping him clean up. So I suggest you shut up." She picked up her purse. "Now if you'll both excuse me, I'm going to powder my nose. When I come back, I expect peace and quiet at this table. If I have to eat my meal alone to get it, then I will do so. Do I make myself clear?"
Suitably chastised, Roman managed to nod.
It was hard to say who was more shocked, Royal or Roman. They sat in total silence, watching as Angel made her way through the maze of tables to the rest rooms near the front door. Anger was evident in the force of her stride. For a minute, neither of them moved.
When she'd lit into Roman, Royal had been too surprised to speak. Now he felt as if he'd been sideswiped. His ears were ringing, and he wondered if his face was as red as it felt.
"Well, damn," he said softly, and looked at his hands because looking at his brother was impossible.
Roman took a deep breath and grinned. "You're done for," he said softly.
Royal focused immediately. He spit his words out in short, angry jerks.
"Roman, just for once, like she said, will you shut the hell up?"
Roman lifted his water glass, making an anonymous toast, and took a deep drink.
"What was that all about?" Royal muttered.
Roman's grin widened. "Just drinking to your health. Like the lady said, I'm damned glad I'm not planning your funeral."
Royal leaned forward, making sure their neighbors at the nearest table didn't overhear what he said.
"If you don't shut that smart mouth of yours, you'll be worrying about your own funeral, not mine."
Roman laughed and drained his glass. Their food—and Angel—arrived at the same time. They ate their meal in total silence.
Angel was still shaking when she laid down her fork. Her plate was empty, and she had no idea what she'd just eaten. Her head was spinning, and all she could think was, What have I done? It had taken all her willpower to come back to the table and face them. She'd made a fool of herself, but she knew in her heart she would do it again. In her entire life, she hadn't admired many men. But after last night, Royal topped that short list by far. He'd put himself at risk time and again for her and Maddie. The way she looked at it, she owed him a debt she could never repay. Speaking up on his behalf was little reward, but it was the best she could do.
The waitress laid their bill at the edge of the table. Royal was reaching to get it when Roman slipped it from beneath his fingers.
"This one's on me," he said. "I'll meet you at the truck."
Royal nodded his thanks as Roman got up and headed for the cashier. He took a deep breath and ventured a look at Angel. She was fiddling with her purse and looking everywhere but at him.
"You ready?" he asked.
To his surprise, she met his question with a straightforward gaze.
"Yes."
He hesitated, distractedly chewing on the edge of his lip. It had to be said. There was no use waiting.
"Uh, Angel."
She froze. Oh, no. Here it comes.
"About earlier…"
She waited. All she could think was, Please don't fire me.
"It wasn't necessary … but thanks."
She went weak with relief. "It was no big deal. Just something I needed to do."
That was something he understood.
They exited the café, and the sultry air enveloped them. Angel dug in her purse for her sunglasses as Royal unlocked the truck. A few yards away, three men were leaning against the side of the building beneath a tattered awning, taking the offered shade for themselves with no regard for passersby.
"Hey, Justice," one of them called.
Angel looked up as Royal turned. She could tell by the expression on his face that he wasn't pleased to see them.
"Duke," Royal said, acknowledging the other man's presence as he sauntered toward them.
Duke looked from Angel to Royal and back again. The smirk on his face aggravated Royal even more.
"Well, now, I heard you got hit pretty hard last night," Duke said.
"We're still standing," Royal said shortly, and wished Roman would hurry.
Duke nodded and grinned at Angel. "You ain't too choosy about the company you keep, are you, darlin'? When you get tired of old Justice there, you come on into town and give me a try. I'm real partial to brown-eyed señoritas."
Angel froze. It wasn't anything she hadn't heard a thousand times before, but for Royal, once was obviously too much. One second Duke was grinning at her and the next he was sitting on the sidewalk with his hands across his face. Blood was oozing between his fingers, and there was a stunned expression in his eyes.
"Well, hell, Justice, I think you broke my nose."
"And you're damned lucky that was all I broke," Royal said softly. "She works for me, and she's proved herself to be a damned good friend, which is a whole hell of a lot more than I can say for you. And if I hear of you, or anyone else, saying anything off-color about this woman, that won't be all I break. Do we understand each other?"
Suitably corrected, Duke sat quietly, holding his nose and afraid to so much as look in Angel's direction.
But Royal wasn't through with him yet. "Don't you have something you'd like to say to Miss Rojas?"
Duke nodded, dripping blood all over his shirt and pants. "I'm real sorry, ma'am."
Angel stared in disbelief. Before she could answer, Roman came out of the café and stopped in midstride.
"What the hell happened?" he asked.
The two men who'd been standing with Duke shrugged. They wanted no part of Duke's folly.
Roman headed for Royal. "Is everything okay?"
Royal gave Duke one last look. "It is now," he drawled.
Then he turned, yanked open the door to the truck and stepped aside, waiting for Angel to get in. She slid into the middle of the seat, then watched as Royal c
ircled the truck while Roman crawled in beside her.
"You okay?" he asked.
She arched an eyebrow and nodded as Royal slid behind the steering wheel. The door fell shut with a thud. There was a long moment of silence while Royal fumbled with the keys. Angel sighed. There was no use waiting. It had to be said.
"Uh … Royal."
He paused without looking at her.
"Yeah?"
"It wasn't necessary … but thanks."
He jammed the key into the ignition. "It was no big deal. Just something I needed to do."
Angel laughed.
The sound of her laughter was balm to his soul. Royal looked at her and grinned.
The shared moment bonded them in a way nothing else could have done. Resisting the urge to trace the smile on her lips, he started the engine.
Roman stared at them both as if they'd suddenly gone mad.
"Have I missed something?" he asked.
"Yes," they said in unison.
He waited for an explanation that never came. "Well, then," he finally mumbled. "That's what I thought."
Angel was quiet all the way to the ranch. Satisfied with listening to the two brothers talking, she let her thoughts go free. It wasn't until later, when Roman and the workmen were gone and the sun was starting to set, that she realized it was going to get dark. And that meant going to bed. Without Maddie to lie between them, where would she sleep? Her mattress had been ruined by the rain, and Maddie's was still filled with shards of glass. Tomorrow new ones were being delivered, but tonight, the only place still in one piece was Royal's room … and Royal's king-size bed. Before her worry could fester, she heard a vehicle coming down the driveway. Royal was at the barn feeding Maddie's cats. She went to the door and recognized the black pickup from earlier in the day. That would be Dan Waycoff's wife with the supper she'd promised, Angel thought.
Hurriedly, she brushed wayward strands of hair from her face and smoothed the front of her shirt. There was no way to look good after a day like today. She'd been up to her knees in mud and water, and there was a small tear at the hem of her shirt from some of the branches she'd carried away. She sighed, hoping Mrs. Waycoff wasn't big on first impressions. When the woman crawled out of the truck, Angel began to relax.
