Heather's Challenge [Cattleman's Club 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Jenny Penn

  “Now, now, honey. I’m sure Alex had a good reason for trying out a different church.” His dad shot Alex a pointed look, clearly expecting that good reason to be forth coming immediately.

  “It’s Heather Lawson’s church,” Alex stated simply, erasing every bit of his mother’s outrage and silencing his sister’s laugher with that revelation.

  “Well, now…” His father glanced at his mother who was beginning to beam with satisfied pride at Alex. “Isn’t that good news, honey? Our boy has finally come to his senses.”

  “Yeah, right.” Sandy snorted. “Like he’s going to give up his club—”

  “What club?”

  “Sandy,” Alex growled, warning her against going into any of those details. She seemed to realize that she’d spoken without thought and quickly corrected herself.

  “Excuse me, I mean the harem of women who surround him daily to tie himself to a pudgy little homebody like Heather Lawson.”

  “Heather is not pudgy,” Alex snapped, feeling his temper flare at Sandy’s condescending assessment of not only him, but Heather as well. “She’s soft, and sweet, and—”

  “And your brother has been in love with her since he was, like, seven years old,” his father finished off for him, giving Alex a solid swat on the back. “Congratulations, son. It’s about damn time you came to your senses.”

  “Yeah, and she must have lost hers,” Sandy muttered, not nearly as pleased by the news as their parents.

  Then again, Heather and Sandy had never really gotten along. Alex figured that was mostly his fault. After all, as his sister, Sandy had always been loyal to him, siding with Alex in the long running war between him and Heather, and unlike his parents, Sandy knew all the details of that war.

  “Because the last time I checked, she hated your guts and was more than willing to use you for her own purposes,” Sandy pointedly reminded him. “Or have you forgotten how things ended the last time?”

  “That’s enough, Sandy,” their mother snapped, her tone warning her daughter that that subject was closed. “The past is in the past. This is God’s day, a day of forgiveness, a trait your brother has obviously practiced.”

  “Fine.” Sandy held her hands up in surrender. “I’ll let it go, for now, but don’t expect me not to say ‘I told you so’ when the time comes.”

  “Sandy!” Their mom swatted at her to stop before turning her frown upside down and back on Alex. “I’m so pleased by this. I didn’t even know the two of you were dating.”

  “We’re a little beyond that,” he assured his mother, neatly skipping over answering the question implied in her comment. “In fact, we’ve even started talking about…setting a date and getting started working on a family.”

  “Oh, you did not!” Sandy’s shocked explanation rung out loud in the kitchen as his mother gasped, tears forming in her eyes. Everybody ignored his sister as his dad leaned forward to give another few pats on the shoulder.

  “Well, I say, that’s great news, son. Great news, indeed!”

  “It’s excellent news!” His mom sniffed, jumping out of her seat and rushing around the table to come and hug him. “I’m just so happy for you…and Heather. She’s a wonderful woman.”

  “She’s a prig,” Sandy cut in, not that anybody paid her any mind.

  “She’s going to make you a wonderful wife.” His mom straightened up to gaze dreamily down at him. “And you’re going to make a wonderful father.”

  “Thanks, mom, but we haven’t made it official and I want to do that part right, so...”

  “You want your grandmother’s ring?” His mom’s smile couldn’t get any bigger as she nodded. “Of course.”

  “No!” Sandy shot out of her chair, drawing every eye to her as she spread her arms out in a dramatic gesture. “No! You are not giving Gran’s ring to that—”

  “That what?” Alex prompted when Sandy cut herself off, knowing damn good and well how that declaration had been about to end, but she didn’t take him up on the opportunity to piss him completely off. Instead his sister straightened, glaring up at him.

  “Never mind,” Sandy snarled. “You do what you want.”

  That was just what Alex planned to do.

  Chapter 21

  Nobody ever followed his plan, and nothing ever went according to them. Sometimes Konor didn’t know why he bothered to make them in the first place. It didn’t even matter that this time he’d thought he’d bested fate by making the simplest plan possible.

  All Alex had to do was attend church with Heather and, yet, somehow he’d ended up engaged to the damn woman. Not that it was all Alex’s fault. It had been Heather’s idea, which would have been reason for celebration he didn’t suspect she’d just been mouthing off.

  Konor had grown to realize that Heather was prone to be impulsive. So was Alex. It was a dangerous combination, but he told himself that there was reason to hope, though. After all, Alex had talked about marriage and having kids without choking, panicking, or even hesitating. That alone was telling, wasn’t it?

  Konor sighed, unable to escape the voice of reason assuring him that the entire situation was a disaster. An absolute disaster, and it only got worse as the day wore on and the news spread. Everybody had questions and Konor spent more time explaining that he didn’t have any answers than he did swinging a hammer.

  Despite all of that, Konor still had had a great day. It had been like a glimpse into his future, and he couldn’t have been more satisfied with what the years to come held. Never much one for church or worship, he realized as the day wore on that he’d failed to understand the payoff for putting in a few hours every Sunday. For that time, a man earned a place in a community, which was not unlike being a fireman. In fact, one of the reasons that Konor had always loved his job was that it gave him a family to belong to, to rely on, to be a part of.

  There was no denying who the leader of this family was—Ralph. Thanks to him, booths were built, tents erected, attractions and banners all prepped. The only thing Ralph didn’t do was ask Konor about what had happened at the church. Then again, he’d been there.

  Taylor hadn’t, and he did have some questions. He waited, though, until they piled back into his grandfather’s truck before asking any.

  “So,” Taylor began, leaning forward to drape an arm around the back of Konor’s seat as Ralph pulled out of the park’s parking lot. “Is the sheriff really marrying my mom?”

  Konor had known that was coming, but still hesitated, not certain what to say. All he managed to come up with was a smile and a shrug.

  “It’s complicated.”

  He knew the minute he said the words that they were the wrong ones, but he couldn’t take them back and he didn’t have anything else to offer. So he suffered Taylor’s scowl as he plopped back into his seat with a look that assured Konor he just violated the buddy code and turned into an adult.

  It had been bound to happen one day. After all, he was an adult, and Taylor was a kid, which meant he knew how to sulk. The fact that he was Heather’s kid meant he knew how to do it well. Thankfully, Ralph was still on his side.

  Konor shared a look with the older man as he pulled into the bakery’s shared parking lot. It was close to empty, just like the bakery. It filled up quickly, though, as the rest of the workers who had helped set up the fair poured in for the promise of a free meal of chicken salad sandwiches and chips served with all the sweet tea anybody could drink.

  Konor ate three while throwing back at least a gallon of tea. He didn’t really count or measure. Instead, he relaxed and enjoyed the meal and the company. Pushing nearly half the tables together, they ate as one big, noisy group. He was accepted without hesitation by everybody but Heather.

  She kept throwing him uncertain look and Konor could almost read the worried thoughts swirling behind those chocolate eyes. She still thought this was all a con. She didn’t understand, but she would. There was no joking when it came to marriage. At least, not for him. This is what he’d been
missing…missing most of his life. Hell, he’d only first realized what family could really mean when he’d met Alex.

  The Kranes had taken him in, accepting him like a son, and despite a small infatuation that had occurred at the beginning, Sandy had ultimately accepted him like a brother. They were that close, which was just why Konor knew how much Sandy hated Heather and that she’d never before come to the Bread Box.

  Not until that Sunday.

  The only thing that could have set her off like that was Alex. Konor didn’t know what he’d done or said, but clearly his best friend had been up to no good. Whatever he had done, Alex would have to be dealt with later. Right then, Konor had to stop Sandy from screwing up everything even worse.

  Leaping out of his seat, Konor abandoned Ralph, Taylor, and everybody else as he rushed to intercede. He could feel their curious looks glancing in his direction and plastered a smile on his face as he latched on to Sandy and turned her into a quick hug.

  “Sandy!” He greeted her with an enthusiasm that hopefully masked his panic because Konor’s heart was pounding right then. “How good to see you. It’s been a while. Why don’t we sit down?”

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Sandy huffed as she shoved out of his arms to shoot Konor a dirty look. “I just saw you, like, two days ago at Mom and Dad’s.”

  “That was a good time.” Konor let Sandy step back put didn’t drop either her arm or his cheery tone as he steered her into a booth. “We should all do that again.”

  “Do you realize that you are babbling like an idiot?” Sandy asked, torn between disgust and confusion. “Is this some kind of stroke or something? Do you need me to call you an ambulance?”

  “No, and neither do I, or Alex, need you screwing things up for us,” Konor snarled through his smile as he pitched his tone low and all but shoved her into the booth. He slid into the seat beside her, assuring she couldn’t escape.

  “Oh, I should have figured.” Sandy heaved a heavy sigh, settling on disgust. “You’re planning on marrying the fat bitch, too.”

  “Don’t call her that.” Konor fought back the thread of violence that tensed all his muscles, forcing himself to relax enough to grind out the rest of his reprimand.

  “Look,” Sandy leaned in close, dropping her tone to a more soothing, coaxing sound. “I get it. You two share everything and you both want…her, but you have to trust me, this isn’t going to work out.”

  “It will.”

  “No. It won’t,” Sandy countered. The panic and fear as clear in her tone as the helpless anger was in her gaze. “Or don’t you remember what happened last time?”

  “I remember.” Konor also knew that it would be pointless to argue with her about the past.

  Sandy and Alex might have their moments, but in the end their loyalty to each other was absolute. It was that depth of affection that Konor tried to take advantage of.

  “And your brother is a good enough man to have forgiven her.”

  “Bah!” Sandy spat, unimpressed by his logic. “He’s obsessed. It’s not healthy, and Heather is taking advantage of the situation. She must be stopped.”

  “Please.” Konor had never begged anybody for anything, but in that moment, he knew of no other way to stop Sandy from destroying the fragile bond that they’d only begun to build with Heather. “Don’t.”

  “Good evening, welcome to the Bread—”

  Konor closed his eyes, his heart freezing as Heather’s cheery greeting came to an abrupt halt. There was no mistaking the tension that filled the pregnant pause, or the animosity that brittled Heather’s tone.

  “—Box. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No, but you can give me a moment of your time. I think you and I need to talk,” Sandy stated with enough malice to make Konor flinch.

  “Fine.” Heather clicked her pen closed and shoved her order pad back into her apron, her smile tight and full of vinegar. “You want to do this in private?”

  “No,” Konor jumped in, shaking his head at both ladies. They were like cats, bristling and circling, reading to rip the fur right off each other. It would be less likely they would give into those primitive urges in public, not that either one of them paid him any mind.

  “I think that would be for the best,” Sandy agreed with Heather before both women turned pointed looks at him.

  Konor crossed his arms and settled back against the booth, refusing to move and allow Sandy to escape. Of course there were other ways for her to gain her freedom. For a long moment both women glared at him, clearly seething but he didn’t flinch under their disapproval. Instead he smiled and waited for them to get the message and come to their senses.

  Apparently, though, coming to any sense wasn’t on the schedule and he really should have known not to tempt Heather with such brash behavior. After all, she’d proven that morning just how she responded to such direct challenges. This evening was no different.

  Without a word, she stepped up to grab onto the table and pull it clear of the two wooden benches that bordered it, creating the booth that Sandy was trapped in. The heavy metal legs of the table scraped over the floor in a grinding squeal that had every eye in the room turning in their direction. Conversations stalled before turning into a smattering of snickers as anticipation rose right along with Sandy. No doubt everybody expected a scene—a big one.

  The sense of expectancy thickened in the air as Sandy stepped around Konor to come nearly face to face with Heather. Heather stepped back, gesturing for Sandy to precede her as she held a hand out toward the kitchen doors. With her chin held high, Sandy sashayed down the aisle and Heather would have fallen in step behind her if Konor hadn’t hopped up and latched onto her elbow.

  He drew her in close, keeping his voice low as he offered her the one grim reminder that he thought might help ease the strain pulling her features taut. “She’s Alex’s sister and she’s just worried about him. You know how that goes.”

  “No.” Heather glanced up at Konor with a look that about broke his heart. “I don’t.”

  “Then pretend,” Konor urged her, knowing that beneath all the attitude both Heather and Sandy were good women with good hearts. “Pretend, and remember that’s she’s just the kind of sister you’d want watching over Taylor.”

  That had Heather stilling, her eyes flashing with irritation. “That’s low.”

  “Yeah, it is,” Konor freely admitted before shrugging. “It’s also the truth. I’ll get the table.”

  Stepping away from Heather, he released her to focus on pushing the table back into its position between the benches. When he looked up next, she was gone and Taylor was watching him with big, worried eyes. Things were getting out of hand.

  * * * *

  Heather found Sandy waiting for her just inside the kitchen’s double doors and gestured for her unwanted guest to follow her back to the small desk buried in the rows of boxes and crates. The towering walls of cardboard and wood afforded the small office area at least some privacy. She sensed it would be needed for the coming confrontation, and Heather wasn’t wrong.

  “First, let’s be clear,” Sandy started in almost immediately. “I don’t like you.”

  “The feeling is mutual,” Heather assured her, though in truth she didn’t know enough about Sandy not to like her, but the very fact that the other woman didn’t like her seemed a good enough reason to agree.

  “And I curse the day my brother ever met you,” Sandy continued on, paying Heather’s agreement no mind as she appeared to work herself up as continued on. “You are the worst thing that has ever happened to him. If it wasn’t for you, he’d probably be happily married by now instead of running around with all those hussies up at his club. You ruined him.”

  “Well then, why don’t you go tell him that?” Heather shot back, not sure why Sandy had, running to her in the first place.

  “Don’t you think I have?” Sandy flushed bright red as she began to all but shake with her anger. “Like he ever listens to a
nybody.”

  “Like he ever listens to anybody,” Heather muttered to herself, thinking that Alex only listened when he cared to. “The man is bullheaded and stubborn enough to teach an ox a few things about the subject. He’s also frustrating, maddening, and too arrogant for his own good.”

  “Then why the hell are you marrying him?”

  “Who said I was?”

  “Don’t even bother with denying it,” Sandy spat. “I was there when Alex asked our mom for her mother’s ring. I know you two have discussed the matter and that he plans on making it formal soon. If you have a decent bone in your body, you’ll say ‘no’.”

  Those revelations coming on top of each other left Heather reeling. Alex had asked for his grandmother’s ring? He actually planned to propose? Was the room really spinning?

  It certainly felt like it. It also felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest. Heather couldn’t seem to catch her breath and stumbled backward until her knees bumped into her chair. She sank down into the seat while Sandy continued to lord over her.

  “But we both know you won’t, don’t we?” Sandy gazed down at her in pure loathing. “After all, we both know how you like to have your cake and eat it, too.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Spare me your lies.” Sandy cut her off. “I know what you did, how you betrayed my brother. He was in love with you, and you broke his heart!”

  “That’s enough, Sandy.”

  That sharp reprimand had both women glancing up as Alex strode toward them, a fierce expression darkening his features. He looked pissed and as sexy as ever. Heather stared helplessly at him, feeling emotions that she’d blocked and ignored for too long overwhelm her defenses.

  He’d been in love with her?

  Heather had never dared to believe that, but there was no denying the conviction in Sandy’s tone, or the desperation tightening her features as she turned on her brother.

  “No, it isn’t!” Sandy cried out, tears beginning to glisten in her eyes as she reached out to grip Alex’s shirt in her fist in a vain attempt to shake some sense into him.