Stubborn

by Jeanne Arnold

  I tucked my dress under my legs and settled on the edge of the mattress. The graduation frame slid off and made a soft landing on the rug. I angled sideways and scooped it up, accidently popping the back out of the frame. Folded papers slipped out and disappeared under the bed. I dropped to my knees and hunted for the items. I gathered them into a pile and rested on my haunches.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to be as ladylike as possible. Some papers flew out of the frame. Here.” I handed them over my shoulder.

  Lane sat on the bed and held them in front of his eyes. “I need my glasses. Contacts bug the heck out of me in this heat. Can you read that? What’s the date? When was this?”

  He handed back a piece of faded newsprint. The microscopic date was difficult to read.

  “It’s not clear. The edge is torn. Can I open it?”

  He gestured with his chin and sifted through the other papers.

  “DWI Youth Pardoned,” I read aloud.

  Lane’s brows wrinkled. “Does it say who the youth is?”

  I focused and read on. “Unnamed minor, speculated to be son of Benjamin’s lone millionaire, Joel J. Halden, retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force.”

  I stopped reading and silently mused if anybody actually knew when he crossed from millionaire to billionaire.

  “It was Eli,” he stated in a somber tone. “He was the youth with the DWI.”

  Lane extended his hand. I got up off the floor.

  “There was another accident?”

  “Yeah.” He frowned in thought and shifted his eyes to me. “It’s not supposed to come out.”

  Nearly whispering, I asked, clueless, “What do you mean?”

  “This happened a long time ago. But when Eli was killed last fall, my dad made me swear I wouldn’t tell my brothers. Eli was involved in a bad accident when he was seventeen. He wasn’t drinking, but he hit a car. The cops gave him a breathalyzer and the results came back inconclusive. He’d been getting in a lot of trouble after our mom lit out. He wasn’t exactly squeaky clean back then. The man in the car was paralyzed and later died because of his injuries. My dad spent tons of money on lawyers and got my brother a clean record.”

  “Gabe doesn’t know?”

  “Naw. It’s better this way. He looked up to him, never knew Eli struggled. If he knew Eli was living with that guilt over the accident, over a man dying all those years ago, it’d kill him. My dad won’t let this get out. That’s why he won’t go after Hunt Barrett. If he opens an investigation, Hunt’s family will do anything to make it look like Eli had a past record and run his name through the dirt.”

  Lane leaned back on his elbows the same way Gabe did.

  “Hunt was plastered. He should be rotting in prison for what he did. He got Jordan Halverson to lie and say it was Eli driving. She’s a wicked girl, only after money. Gabe was with Eli the entire night up until he left with Hunt and Jordan. Eli left his glasses at home that day. He and I have degenerative eye problems and we can’t drive without glasses. It’s impossible. He would never have gotten behind the wheel, especially at dark. Plus, Gabe swears to holy hell and back that he didn’t see Eli take a drink.”

  “I can see why your father’s so strict. Gabe said he doesn’t care about the accident. He’s pissed at him for not going at Hunt with a loaded gun.”

  “I’m stuck in the middle,” Lane griped. “I get my dad’s logic. What’s done is done, why drudge it up? But then Gabe’s still thinking nobody gives a damn about Eli or how he died. My dad doesn’t want all of us to go through any more pain.”

  “And then Gabe goes and gets his face in Hunt’s business because of me. Great. That’s why your father was upset with him. I get it now.” The revelation made my skin crawl.

  “Hunt’s a tyrant. He and his intimidators are always looking for a fight. He’s got money and clout and an ego like nobody’s business.”

  “So do you,” I stated the obvious. “Don’t you? I don’t mean the ego part.”

  Lane blew a hard breath. “I guess, but my dad’s a military guy and he doesn’t like things done ass backwards. He’s tighter than bark on a tree. We don’t throw our name around or we get crap for it. You see where he makes the boys live. I just got myself out of there, no offense to Meggie. I love her to pieces.”

  “I won’t say anything,” I told him with ambiguous feelings.

  “That was Caleb who called. He saw Gabe drive out of town. He’s following him.”

  I straightened up. “Not to hurt him? You have to stop him.”

  “He’s just following him home, Avery. They wrangle like that all the time. It’s nothing.”

  My stomach overturned. I hadn’t intended for Gabe to jump on Caleb. I thought they could talk or something. But what did I know about boys?

  “How am I going to get home? It’ll take days to drive. If Meggie finds out Gabe left me here, she’ll flip. Where did Molly go?”

  “I know where Molly is. I’ll drive y’all back to Williston in my version of a Texas Cadillac.” He said this, making it sound as if it was nothing to go out of his way and drive twelve hundred miles north. “Most of the guests left. My dad took off. Caleb saw his chopper in the distance. He up and leaves when he can’t handle us. He’s not the same since Eli died.”

  * * *

  I rode in the backseat of Lane’s Ford Expedition next to the prized guitar and listened to the tires splash through puddles, remnants of a flash storm we fortunately missed. Molly sat in the front seat with Lane. It was hard to get to sleep at first, but I managed to nap for a few hours with my face pressed against the window, while I imagined I heard giggles and whispers coming from the front.

  Lane nudged me in the parking lot of a Nebraska motel. I awoke to his hazel eyes peering at me over the seat, and for a second, I thought he was Gabe.

  He jingled a key in front of me.

  “I got you girls a room. I’m next door if you need anything.”

  I pulled Molly’s bag out from under Gabe’s duffle and handed it to her. I had packed his belongings and his speeding ticket. I also snuck a T-shirt out of his bag and slipped it into mine for safekeeping. Molly and I didn’t discuss what happened between the brothers in Gabe’s bedroom. Though she brushed off Caleb’s flirty antics without any cares, we had one thing in common. We were both hypnotized by those darn Halden hazels.

  When I woke up restless in the middle of the night thinking about Gabe and his kiss, Molly wasn’t in her bed. I assumed she was outside calling Caleb. Secretly I pined for Gabe to check up on me or apologize. I had no such luck.

  * * *

  I walked into Meggie’s kitchen a little before ten at night, after two days of driving, and found her sitting in an old rocker with her feet propped up on a kitchen chair.

  “Hi, kiddo. What do you think of my chair?”

  I set my tired gaze on her belly. It looked bigger than I remembered.

  “How was the ride? I see the boys left you behind. What’s all that about? Gabe’s been back for hours. He said you drove with Molly.”

  I hurried to return a phony smile. She didn’t need to know everything. “Sorry I didn’t call. Mr. Halden sort of kicked the boys out.”

  “Sit ’n spill. I wanna hear everything.” She crossed her ankles on the chair and pursed her lips in waiting.

  “They got in a fight with each other and left me and Molly.”

  I was still irked about being left behind after what happened between Gabe and me. However, when I thought about Gabe being left in the dark about Eli, my heartstrings tugged.

  “This is exactly why I was hesitant. Your mom would have my butt if she knew. Was there any fooling? Were they behaved at the wedding? How was Gabe’s driving?”

  Yes. No. And bad.

  She made a tsk sound as she studied my expression.

  “They behaved. Gabe did. How are you feeling?” I asked. I fully intended to divert the inquest.

  “Oh, I’m just fine. Thank you,” she
told me in a totally normal voice and then got all serious in a flash. “Now back to you. I want some answers.”

  “I met Mr. Halden. Man, he looks just like them. I can’t believe they all have the same eyes. How do you know him?”

  Meggie perked up. “What did you think of him?”

  “He’s pretty handsome for an old guy.”

  She gave a hearty laugh and slapped her leg.

  “He wanted to know how you were. And then he said some weird stuff.” I stifled a yawn and stretched my arms.

  Meggie’s shoulders stilled. The air changed. “Like what?”

  I exhaled sharply. “He said you were getting evicted. Is that true? Where are you going to live?”

  Meggie scowled. “It didn’t happen yet. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve got all these guys depending on me. I’ll make it work.” Her brows wrinkled deeper, contradicting her words. “What else did he say?”

  I scratched the top of my head. “Um, that he offered his help...and you’re stubborn.”

  “Oh my word!” she wailed as she held her heart. A blush painted her cheeks.

  “How do you know him? I heard you on the phone once. You called him Joel.”

  Meggie fanned her neck with a napkin.

  “I board some of his employees, plus the boys. He’s offered to help me out. I’m having some issues with a certain someone he knows, and he thought he could help. But I don’t want his help,” she said sternly.

  “Why are you getting evicted?” I asked again. “Why don’t you want his help? He’s like a millionaire, I mean a billionaire. You should see that house. They have a maid and a butler and a groundskeeper and a driver. It’s out of this world crazy. I never in my life saw a place like that. It was beautiful, Aunt Meggie. Lane said they have a helicopter and a private jet!”

  Meggie looked at me wearily. Her voice thickened. “It’s not that easy kid. Taking help like that doesn’t fix anything.”

  I could see she was clearly unimpressed. “Why not?”

  “It’s a long story,” she told me. “Mr. Halden’s money can’t shorten the story. He thinks he can solve everything by waving his wallet and some pretty green bills. I’ve got a rental agreement that should stand up in court. I’m going to fight this one out myself.”

  “I’m going to help you,” I stated and got to my feet. I pushed my elbows back and yawned. I didn’t want to see Meggie homeless and pregnant. I didn’t want Gabe to have to move back to Texas with his father.

  “Does this have something to do with the fat envelope in your office?” I slid my chair across the floor, sat on the edge, and butted my knees up to Meggie’s rocker.

  “Yep. You betcha. You’re very perceptive for a kiddo.” She closed her hand over mine. “Here’s the short of it. Hunt Barrett’s been buying up land and minerals from unsuspecting land owners, deceiving people left and right. He slithered his way into the local nursing home to go after the old folks. Mostly because he’s a coward. Mrs. Johansson, my landlord, she’s been in the assisted living facility for years. I’ve been renting from her since her husband passed away. Apparently, Hunt swindled her into leasing her minerals for pennies and then offered her a nominal fee for the surface acres. She took the offer. He conned her into thinking it would be in her best interest to free herself of the property. I was planning to offer her ten times as much. I’ve been working with the bank on securing a loan.”

  Hunt Barrett was the devil. “Are the minerals the oil underground?”

  Meggie nodded. “Exactly. And more valuable than the land if you have oil or gas fields. But that’s not what I want the land for. I’d like to keep up this business. These guys need a place to live. And yeah, royalty checks would make life a little easier, but that’s not my intent. I’ve seen what having everything can do to a person. I like to work for my living, if you get me. Get some sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

  In my exhausted state, I didn’t bother to disagree.

  I lugged my bag, Gabe’s bag, and the guitar up two flights of stairs and dropped them at my door. Depleted in every way possible, I entered. The room was steamy, but I didn’t care. All I wanted was a good night’s sleep in the closest thing to my own bed. I grabbed Gabe’s yellow shirt from under my pillow where I left it and headed to the bath. After I had washed Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and a little bit of Oklahoma off my face, I collapsed on top of my covers and burrowed my wet head in my arms. The light was still on. I didn’t care.

  Normally, I would have snuck a look out the window at Gabe’s truck, but I wasn’t in the mood.

  A light tapping disrupted my drowsy thoughts. It grew louder, faster. I rolled over and picked the strands of damp hair out of my mouth. A red HalRem cap was hovering outside my window. I started to the window with uncertainty, my heart beating faster with each step. The hat came off the head and the tapping grew louder.

  Gabe was trying to break into my room. I slid the window open.

  “Impersonating Spiderman?” Nothing else came to mind.

  “Impersonating me?” he responded when he spotted my shirt. His shirt. He let his eyes climb slowly to my face.

  A chill crawled up my back. What on earth was he doing? I was mad at him. “How did you get so high? What are you standing on?”

  His broad shoulders blocked the downward view.

  “Meggie left the ladder in the grass. I’ve been eyeing it for like a week. I always wanted to scale a house,” he said, slightly winded. “She thinks one of us is gonna paint the house.”

  “Yeah well, she said I was never to let a boy climb in my window—so I have to go.” I pushed the window onto his fingers.

  Surprise flashed in his eyes. He laughed a shaky laugh.

  “Aw c’mon, Av’ry. You know you want me to come in. You don’t want me falling to my death,” he wheedled and pressed his nose against the glass like a puppy dog.

  A gust of warm wind rattled the windowpane. I lifted the glass a fraction and slunk away to observe.

  “It’s hotter than the hinges of hell in here. You live like this?” He climbed in barefoot.

  Like I had a choice. I didn’t like the heat one bit.

  “Meggie doesn’t check on you or anything. Does she? I’m in deep with her already.”

  I shook my head in awe that he scaled the house to see me.

  “She’s not thrilled you abandoned me five states away.” I slipped back onto the bed. “Or that you’re so quick to fight everybody.”

  He tugged the shade down. My eyes followed as he tiptoed stealthily to the door and slid the bolt across the top. Then he turned but said nothing.

  The pounding in my chest and ears started to wind up when he flashed a shrewd grin. I wasn’t entirely certain what he was planning, but I had a good guess.

  “I’m done fighting. I’m sorry I left you,” he offered in a slow drawl.

  He took two steps toward me.

  “Easy Texas. Sit over there. We’re going to talk about some stuff. You can’t just climb up here and think I’m going to be all happy to see you.”

  I held my reprimanding tone and did a good job disguising the fact that I was ecstatic he was in my bedroom and trying to apologize. My insides jumped around like acrobats on steroids.

  Gabe settled on the ground where he was and crossed his legs into a pretzel. “Talk,” he said and leaned back on his elbows. “No time like the present.”

  “How come you only have one black eye?” I was kidding, but I had to know. I crossed my legs like he did and stretched the shirt over my knees.

  He laughed. “You should see him. You thought we looked alike before. I think I broke his jaw.”

  I twisted my features. Caleb sort of deserved it. He had it coming for a while.

  “You need to keep your hands to yourself. Being a hothead gets you nothing but grief and stab wounds.”

  Gabe’s expression softened. “I don’t wanna keep my hands to myself all the time,” he said cheekily. “And I’m all heale
d.”

  He lifted his shirt. He had a habit of doing it. His eyes flickered to my face and then rested on the door. I tried to avert my eyes, but it was way too difficult.

  “Yeah, keep watching the door. She might walk right in. Any minute,” I whispered. “She’s a trained soldier, you know.”

  Meggie was sharp, but it was late. We were being quiet. I settled back on my pillows and rubbed my tired eyes. Finally, Gabe straightened his shirt after showing me enough skin to make me blush.

  “Can I come up there? This floor is hard. You’re not being a good host.”

  I was way too tired to protest.

  “I missed you. I beat up my brother for you. Don’t I get some kind of reward?”

  I tried not to laugh.

  “What drugs are you on? I thought if I told you what he was doing, you’d talk to him—not kill him.”

  Gabe grabbed my leg and yanked me off the pillows. One of my hands seized the hem of the yellow T-shirt to make sure it stayed where I wanted it to.

  “What are you doing?” Why did I have to be so tired?

  “Nothing,” he told me. “You were way too far away.”

  I curled into a ball and closed my eyes. “I’m tired. Be careful on the ladder.”

  Gabe tickled my foot. I jolted, but he held onto my ankle with a firm grip. “You’re kicking me out already? What about my reward?” he asked.

  I opened my eyes and considered his handsome face. “There’s a bag of kisses over there. Help yourself. I have to close my eyes.”

  * * *

  The morning breeze was remarkably pleasant. It was early bright. I didn’t recall leaving the window open, or pulling up the shade. My legs were hanging off the bed because something was taking over the bottom half.

  “Finally,” exclaimed Gabe. “I thought you were pretending to be Snow White.”

  “Why are you still here?” I asked groggily. “Are you looking to get kicked out of the coop?”

  My eyes followed his as he stood up and stretched his hands as high as they would go. Then he slapped his toned chest. His shirt was in a ball on the ground. I liked it exactly where it was.