The Luxury of Being Stubborn (The Stubborn Series Book 4)

by Jeanne Arnold

  I didn’t answer him.

  “I drove her truck up to the yard. It won’t take long,” he added.

  I opened the door and stared at him. He had his hands on the top of the door frame. I pushed on his chest to get him to move, but he didn’t.

  “Who’s in a mood now?” he asked as I passed under his arms and walked down the hall.

  “Knock, knock,” Caleb said from the door. “I don’t mean to interrupt your squabble. I need to borrow a pair of jeans or two. Meggie pushed the lieutenant in the lake, phone and all. Your little sister tossed my jeans in after him.”

  “We don’t have any,” Gabe said and turned his back on his brother. It was true. All of our clothes were in the wash at Meggie’s.

  “Legs, I’ll take a dress. Or a towel.”

  “Get lost,” Gabe said. “She’s mad at you.”

  “So now you want to defend me,” I said as I brushed my hair out.

  Caleb pressed his nose into the screen. “I gotta meet Molly in five minutes, and I can’t show up like this.”

  I opened the door and let him in. He was barefoot. “Are you two together or what?”

  He raised his eyebrows and didn’t answer.

  “You’re only hurting yourself if you push Molly away. Lane’s over his disappointment,” I said as I twisted my hair into a bun and checked my reflection in the kitchen window.

  “What makes you so sure?” he asked.

  “He and Erika are a thing.”

  Caleb ran his hands through his wet hair. “No shit. She didn’t say anything this morning when she rolled over.”

  My mouth fell open as I searched for a response that would make him go away forever.

  He flashed a cunning grin. “Legs, you’re so gullible.”

  I stormed at him, and he bolted outside, slamming the screen door, leaving wet footprints on our floor.

  “If you’re done playing with him, I could use that ride,” Gabe said as he walked out the front door.

  * * *

  Meggie’s house looked abandoned. There were folding chairs all over, balloons on the floor. I made sure to be quiet when I snuck upstairs to see if my mother was awake. Her bedroom door was closed, so I cracked it open and checked on her but decided not to wake her.

  Gabe went around looking for his guitar case when it wasn’t where he left it. I found him in the basement.

  “How did that get down here?” I asked when he set it on the pool table and opened it.

  “Meggie put it down here so I’d see it when we picked up the laundry.”

  He shut the case when he was satisfied no one had manhandled it. Then he turned around and grabbed me.

  “We have to get back to the party. Nobody knows we even left,” I said.

  “I told Meggie,” he shared as he brushed his lips over my forehead. I looked up, and he reached for my face and kissed me with his warm lips. It was more than welcome. It was overdue.

  “Please don’t ever go to jail again,” I whispered into his lips. “I can’t erase the picture of you in handcuffs. Twice now.”

  “I’d love a picture of you in handcuffs. Right here on the pool table.”

  I rolled my eyes as I ran my hands under his shirt and held his lower back. “In your dreams, inmate.”

  “I’m dreaming right now. Feel free to wake me up.” He lifted me onto the table so we were eye to eye.

  “We have to go.”

  “You’re no fun,” he said childishly.

  Gabe lugged the laundry to the car, and I closed the kitchen window in case it rained. That’s when I saw the feet sticking out on the porch.

  “Why are you still here?” I asked Travis where I found him resting on an old tool box. He was watching Gabe load his car.

  “How did he get out of jail?” he asked. “I thought they all got arrested.”

  “They did. But Judson bailed them out, and then the charges were dropped. We’ve been at the ranch for a while. Everyone’s swimming. Why don’t you go over there? Deliah would like that.”

  “I couldn’t. I’ll wait for her here. I need to make a formal apology.”

  “Travis, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

  He hid under his HalRem hat. “I told you what I did. They got arrested because of me.”

  The boy was stubborn as heck. “Douglas pressed charges to get back at Lane,” I told him.

  He peeked out from under the bill of the cap. “I encouraged him by telling people and embarrassing him.”

  Gabe honked the horn impatiently, and then he revved the engine like he was angry. I shook my head at Travis. “He did it because Lane is seeing your sister. You had nothing to do with it.”

  Travis tried to stand up, but he’d been sitting in the same place for hours. I gave him a hand.

  “Go find Deliah and wish her a happy birthday. It would make her day.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a shy grin. “I’ll do that right away. See ya.” He didn’t ask for a ride. He just took off running.

  Gabe honked again. I headed to the Mustang and leaned into the driver’s side window as a van pulled into the driveway behind me. I shielded my eyes when the sun made a brief appearance from behind a cloud.

  “Hi, Shelly,” I said as she climbed down from the high seat and walked toward me with a present in her hand.

  “Deliah’s party got moved to Gabe’s ranch. They’re all at the lake. If you take the path past the cabin and the lodge and turn, you’ll hear everyone.”

  “I wasn’t invited. I just wanted to bring this over. She’s my truly, dearest, bestest friend. I wanted to get her something.”

  “You should go to the party,” I told the petite girl.

  “She said she doesn’t want to be friends.”

  “She lied because she’s afraid to lose you as her best friend when you move. I promise she isn’t mad. She doesn’t know how to handle you leaving. That’s how much you mean to her.”

  Shelly looked confused. “I’m not moving. My mom got promoted to superintendent, and she’s going to have more control and make lots of changes.”

  “That’s awesome,” I told her. “Deliah will be thrilled you’re staying. That’s the best birthday gift ever.”

  “Better than eye makeup?”

  I hugged her. Then it occurred to me that Rachel Merriweather would always have a home in Williston.

  “You think she’ll be happy to see me? Is Caleb there?” Shelly asked. “I better go.”

  She ran back to the van. Her mother waved and honked. I watched them leave, and Gabe pulled up beside me.

  “I think I just made Deliah’s day,” I said as I silently congratulated myself on a job well done.

  “I thought you already did that with the bag of fake boobs.”

  “She’ll never forget it if Travis and Shelly are both at her party.”

  “Then she won’t miss us,” he said.

  “Maybe I should take Meggie’s truck back in case Joel leaves her there.”

  Gabe leaned his elbow out the window and tapped the roof with his fingernails. “I’m leaving.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you there,” I said as I pulled Meggie’s keys out of my pocket and turned around to head for her truck.

  “No—you won’t see me there.”

  I turned around. “Why?”

  “I’m hitting the road.”

  I set my hands on his car and bent over so I could see his face. He was wearing his glasses, and the car smelled of peppermint gum. “Are you…what are you planning?”

  “Get in.”

  I walked around the car as he revved the engine. I quickly opened the passenger door. My purse and my bag were on the seat.

  “Gabe, what are you doing with these?” My bag hadn’t been unpacked from our trip to Oklahoma.

  “Shut the door.”

  I sat down and did what he said. He spun the tires as he pulled onto the road and accelerated so hard my whole body was pinned to the seat.

  “I’m going to Texas.
Looks like you’re coming with me.”

  “When did you decide this?”

  “Sitting in jail. Hashin’ out the truth about Jud and the future with my brothers.”

  “What about the party and Deliah’s cake?”

  “You sound like a four-year-old I know.”

  “What about our clothes?”

  “Av’ry, you just watched me put everything we own in the trunk.” He took his focus off the road and cocked an eyebrow at me. “I’m fine if you never wear any of it.”

  “What about work? Do we have money?”

  “If you want me to work at Halden Tower, shuffling papers for the rest of my life—I’ll have plenty of money.”

  “Who are you? This is crazy talk.” I leaned away and studied his expression. “You’re full of surprises today. You want to work there?”

  I was so happy I could hardly sit still.

  “I’ll agree to give Jud and the pipeline business a try when I get back,” he said with a peaceful calm and a sweet hint of Texas drawl. “I’m not gonna succumb to the rat race until I get out of here for a few weeks and do what I planned to do all along—take you on an anniversary road trip.”

  I subtly tapped my feet up and down with excitement.

  “My parents won’t be happy I’m taking off.”

  “I just told your dad. He gave me a list of rules,” Gabe said and made a humorous face.

  “You can finally go see your brother.”

  He reached across the console and stopped my knee from bouncing. “Yup. Have you ever been to Devils Tower?”

  Acknowledgments

  To coffee, the magical elixir, for making this book possible. More importantly, to my husband and children for your constant inquiries, patience, input and unwavering support as I was permanently belted to the table in front of my laptop, writing, editing, revising and ordering takeout.

  To Jennifer, my editor, for being my trusted ally in publishing. I’m super appreciative of your friendship and your sharp (new) eyes for finding and correcting the bugs in my books.

  To my readers for following the Stubborn series and continuously asking for more. You make me want to write in my sleep.

  This book was written during one of the hardest times of my life. The diagnosis and loss of my mom to ALS changed me beyond words. My mom taught me to never give up. She gave me the ability to move forward and persevere. She wanted me to keep writing…and so I will.

  To family, friends, even complete strangers who I grew to know as extraordinary people, who surrounded my family with love, kindness and strength during this time, I am eternally grateful.

  About the Author

  Jeanne Arnold is an author of young adult and new adult novels. She lives with her family in Central New York. Visit the author at www.jeannearnoldbooks.com to find out more about the Stubborn series.