“Hey, Jim, could you take a look at this?” Brody leaned over the table, staring down at the plans.
“That’s a hell of a lot more than we discussed. We’ve already poured the foundation and put in the subfloor for extending the living room and adding a bed and bath.”
“Yeah, I know. But I’ve got two daughters and I’m hoping a couple more kids in the future.” Rain would kill him for talking out of turn, but he needed to make a home for all of them, and that meant working with Jim to get it done.
“Everybody in town’s talking about you coming home and finding out about the girls. Can’t believe Rain would keep something like that from you?”
Brody ignored the tone, and what Jim was thinking and insinuating. “How long do you think it’ll take to make these changes?”
“Six months at the earliest. Probably take a year.”
“That’s too long.” Brody stood to his full height and flexed his ankle and bent his knee to stretch out his sore hip and thigh.
“You’re talking about practically building an entire house here, Brody. The cabin will stand as the main entrance and room, but the rest is like tacking on a house to a box.”
“If you hired subcontractors for the electrical and plumbing, hired on additional men for the construction, can you cut that six months in half?”
“Brody, you’re talking a lot of men and a lot of money to get it done that fast.”
“I’ve got the money. You hire the men and get started right away. I want to see some real progress on this by next week.”
“I’ll need an architect to look at this and make up some real plans.” At Brody’s glare for the added time it would take to wait on a set of blueprints, Jim added quickly, “I got a friend who owes me a favor. It’ll cost you overtime for him, but he can probably have the plans drawn up in a couple days. A project this big, you want it done right. Besides, that will give me enough time to set up the crews we’ll need to get this done in the time you want. Not to mention lining up all the permits.”
“I guess that will have to do.” Thinking of the aesthetics of the inside and out, he added, “Have the architect call me. This is the basic plan I want, but I’d like his take on making the place look good. You know, change the feel from a cabin to a nice home.”
“He’s done some real nice work using natural stone and timber from the area. I think he can take this and spruce it up, give it that real custom feel.”
“Perfect. Listen, I’ll be in and out over the next couple of days, but you need to be gone by five tomorrow. Rain is coming out to talk, and we need privacy.”
Jim raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing smile. Brody dismissed both. He wasn’t about to tell Jim Rain planned to ream his ass for what he’d done. And tell him about Roxy. It still nagged at him his daughter was terrified of her own mother. Yet, even he had a hard time thinking of Roxy as Autumn’s mother. He didn’t see any of Roxy in her, only the kindness instilled in her by Rain.
“We’ll be out of your way. So, have you heard from Roxy?”
“No,” Brody replied. He hoped he never saw her again.
“Man, she was out for your blood when she found out you left town. Then, she found out she was pregnant and told everyone you’d be back to marry her. When she found out Rain was pregnant too, man, she went nuts. A few of the guys at the bar had to stop her from trashing her place one night. Said she was breaking dishes and tossing furniture, out of control and in a rage.”
“That’s Roxy,” Brody said, frowning, “ever the reasonable one. She was pregnant and in a rage, not thinking a damn bit about the baby she was carrying.”
“That’s not the best part,” Jim said, his delight in telling Brody the sordid story clear to see. “Roxy found out Rain hired a private investigator to track you down. She cornered Rain in the grocery store in front of God and everyone. They were both about five, six months pregnant at the time. Roxy shoved Rain up against the freezer doors and held her there with her arm across her throat.”
“What the hell!”
“I know. She was right in Rain’s face demanding she tell her where you were. She screamed that Rain found you and you’d pay for leaving her with your brat. Her words, not mine,” Jim added. “Roxy said there was no way in hell you were going to knock her up and marry Rain and have the perfect family. When Rain said the detective tracked you to Arizona but lost you, Roxy got really pissed and swore if Rain didn’t tell her where to find you, she’d get rid of the baby, she’d make sure of it.”
Brody’s gut tightened at those damning words. Even though Autumn was alive and well, a chill ran up his spine, thinking of Roxy that far along, making sure she lost the baby.
Jim’s silence told him there was a hell of a lot more to the story. “What did Rain say about that bombshell?”
“Nothing. Her whole face turned red. She shoved Roxy back and slapped her. I swear to God, the crack of her hand on Roxy’s face was like a gunshot echoing through the store. Everyone gasped. No one moved. Rain pointed her finger in Roxy’s face and told her if she did anything to the baby, Rain would kill her.
“Now, about this time the store manager is moving in to put a stop to the whole scene. Can’t have two pregnant women fighting in the freezer aisle. Anyway, Roxy tells Rain if you want the baby, you have to pay big time. Rain got real close to her, said something no one could hear, and Roxy smiled in a real nasty way. She walked right out of the store with that smug look on her face she always got when she got over on someone.”
“What did Rain do then?”
“Ballsy chick that she is, she finished her shopping. Manager asked her if she needed any help, and she just rolled her eyes. Never seen anything like it, I’m telling you.”
“Do you know what Rain said to Roxy to get her to back off?”
“Nope. No one does, though everyone speculated for weeks. Roxy walked around town happy.” Jim eyed him, his meaning clear. Roxy was never actually happy. Which could only mean one thing. Something had finally gone right in Roxy’s world and it linked back to Rain. So what had Rain said to make Roxy happy? And why the hell would Rain do anything to make Roxy happy after what happened between the two of them?
Jim continued: “What’s even more strange, the day Roxy left the hospital after giving birth, the nurse who wheeled her out said she thought someone was coming to pick her up. Instead, when they got to the curb, there was Rain sitting in her car, Dawn in the backseat, and another baby car seat right beside her. Rain got out, took the baby from Roxy, put her in her car, handed Roxy a duffle bag, and drove away. They didn’t say a word to each other and Roxy handed the baby over like it was nothing. Roxy got in a cab and left town. At least, that’s how the nurse described it to everyone down at the diner.”
“So, no one knows why Roxy handed over Autumn to Rain?”
“Rain never said a word. She’s just been raising her like her own. Oh, people still talk, but Rain’s never said one way or another what actually happened and why. Didn’t she tell you?”
“Not yet. But she will.” So far, nothing added up, and he had a lot more questions to ask.
“You should ask her what happened a couple years back. The girls were about three. Roxy suddenly came back to town. No one had really heard from her in years. She looked down on her luck, which seemed strange seeing as how she still owns the bar her daddy left her and collects rents on the two apartments upstairs. Anyway, she came back to town and made some sort of commotion at Rain’s place when she went to see Autumn. The neighbors called the police because of the ruckus, but Roxy was already gone by the time the cops arrived. The next night, early in the morning really, the cops had to go back. No one knows why. Then Rain went out of town for about five days. No one has seen Roxy since. Some even think Rain might have gone after her and killed her, though that’s just crazy talk. The bar manager says he talks to her about the business and rents, though she doesn’t call often.”
“You sure know a lot about what’s been g
oing on between Roxy and Rain.”
“Small town, man. Everyone talks. You’ll see. Everybody’s talking about you coming back and showing up at Rain’s last night. Since nobody got shot, people are figuring you two are keeping things civil for the kids. Hell, man, no one would blame you for being pissed she kept the kids from you all this time.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Well, once Owen came back to town, we were all sure he’d tell you about the kids and you’d come back. Owen mentioned to Bill Radley at the real estate office that Rain told him not to tell you. After the thing with your dad happened, no one wanted to bring up Roxy with your brother.”
“What thing with my dad?”
“Well, he was drinking at Roxy’s place before he ran himself off the road. Everyone knew how you felt about her allowing him to drink as much as he wanted without the bartender or Roxy cutting him off for his own good. Anyway, I don’t think anyone really put it together anyway. Except maybe me, since I was there that night.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It was the same night Roxy came back to town and there was that trouble at Rain’s place. Roxy was in the bar that night. A real slow night, only a few of us at the bar and tables. She took your old man aside, sat with him in one of the back booths, both of them drinking from a bottle of whiskey.”
“Roxy was drinking with my father.”
“Looked real intense if you ask me. Your father outpaced her, she seemed to pour two, three for him to her one. He was wasted. Strange thing was, the more your father talked, the angrier she got. Finally, she dragged him out of the booth and shoved him out the door. He laughed at her the whole time, said something that really set her off, and she tossed him out.
“He was still laughing when he drove away. I went out to see if I could stop him, but he took off. Didn’t hear until the next afternoon that he’d had an accident. I’m real sorry, Brody. If I’d caught up to him, I’d have driven him home.”
“It wasn’t your fault. The old man drove home countless times from the bar. He had more trouble driving sober than he did drunk,” Brody added to take away the sting to Jim’s guilt.
“That’s for sure,” Jim said on a laugh.
“Did Owen know Roxy was with Dad that night?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t come back to town at that point, except to take care of your father’s arrangements. Seems to me he came back for good not long after.”
“Because he found out about the girls,” Brody said, mostly to himself.
“Could be.”
That was the real truth of his brother giving up his lucrative job at a big law firm. He’d come back to look after Rain and the girls in his absence. Hadn’t Rain said Owen had been a better brother than he deserved? Well, here was the hard truth. Owen gave up another life to come back here and watch over Brody’s family. But why? He could have kept in touch with Rain by phone, come for visits to see the girls. Something else happened, and every time he came to a dead end, Roxy was right there waiting for him. Everything revolved around her. His father’s death, Autumn ending up with Rain, his brother coming back to town.
Brody sent Jim on his way, telling him to have the architect call to go over the details of the new construction. He still had Roxy and Rain on his mind when he drove into the parking lot at the electronics superstore in Solomon. Frustrated, he walked into the store knowing he wouldn’t get answers to his questions until he had Rain alone tomorrow night. Well, he might not get his answers, but his girls would get new computers and games to play. He owed them seven years of Christmas and birthday presents, and this was a good start.
Chapter Twelve
* * *
BRODY PULLED UP behind Rain’s old Jeep Cherokee. It probably ran as well as the day someone else drove it off the lot. An excellent mechanic, Rain would make sure the engine was in top form, even if the paint was worn and scratched from use and time. A good car for her and the girls, but he could do better by her. He would do better by her, but first he had to get her back. Then, he’d spoil her the way he’d always dreamed of doing.
Stepping down from his truck, he noticed two things. Everyone in the bleachers stared at him, and two little blond haired angels ran toward him, screaming “Dad!” Unable to contain the smile on his face, he came around the front of the truck and took a few quick strides before both girls launched themselves into his outstretched arms and he scooped them up.
“How are you, Autumn?” He kissed her on the forehead, then brushed his nose to hers.
“I’m good. You came,” she said in a cheerful voice.
“Of course, I came. I said I would.” Turning to the other beauty in his arms, he asked, “How are you, Dawn?” Giving her a kiss and a rub of his nose, she giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.
“Good. Mom is over there getting set up. She said you’re taking us out to dinner after practice.”
“I sure am.”
“Pizza and ice cream?” Dawn asked, smiling mischievously at Autumn across his shoulders.
“Sure,” he said, unsure if he was agreeing to something he shouldn’t. Then again, what kid didn’t like pizza and ice cream?
Brody walked with the girls in his arms over to Rain. God, she was beautiful. Wearing a pair of tight black leggings, her old softball jersey, and her hair tucked up under her old ball cap, streaming out the back in a long ponytail, she was a sight. Slim and lean as she always was, he had a hard time imagining her pregnant. If he hadn’t seen the photos, he’d never guess she’d carried his child. Didn’t that thought just do something to his insides every time he imagined her round with his child tucked under her beautiful heart.
“Hi, Rain.”
“Aw, are they for me,” she said, smiling. “You shouldn’t have.”
He couldn’t help himself; he laughed, and damn if it didn’t feel good. This was the wisecracking, fun-loving Rain he remembered and had missed so much.
“I’m glad I did,” he teased back with an underlying seriousness. The truth of the matter was that he was happy to have both the girls, despite the circumstances.
Rain’s ready smile told him she intended to make this evening easy. As much as he wanted to get to the bottom of the situation with Roxy and Autumn, he much preferred this lighter version of Rain to last night’s hostile one. Bringing up Roxy now would only set off Rain’s temper.
“You two need to get your gloves and ball caps. We’ll stretch before we practice.”
Brody set the girls down, straightening out and wincing from the pain shooting up his leg and hip into his back.
“Will you play catcher for us?” Dawn asked, hopping up and down on her toes in front of him.
Brody wanted to say yes immediately, but there was no way he could crouch on his knees with his leg in such bad shape. No amount of pills would help that kind of pain.
“Your dad isn’t able to bend down like that, Dawn. Remember, we talked about your dad’s injury. His leg isn’t healed enough for playing sports. Besides, here’s Uncle Owen.”
Brody thanked Rain with a halfhearted smile for preparing the girls for his inability to do some things. His leg just wasn’t strong enough for much more than getting him around. He worked on his physical therapy, and it was getting better, one irritatingly tiny step at a time.
“Owen plays with you guys?” Brody couldn’t hide his annoyance that his brother could do something with his girls he couldn’t.
“He’s been helping me out the last two years.”
“Hey, Brody.” Owen walked up. “I’ll get them started.” He kissed Rain on the head as he passed, smacked Brody on the back with a hard thud, and walked on by.
“Why does he constantly do that?” Brody asked through his teeth.
“Before you came back, he did it because he loves me and wanted me to know he cared.” Her eyes went soft as she glanced at Owen gathering up the girls.
“Now that I’m back?” Brody asked, knowing he wo
uldn’t like the answer.
Her eyes met his and the corner of her mouth turned up. “Just to piss you off, because you’ve made it clear you don’t like him being affectionate toward me.”
“I don’t want any man but me kissing you.”
Completely ignoring him, she bent and took out a bottle of water and a granola bar from her bag. “You’re limping more today. I saw you take your pills before you got out of the truck. You shouldn’t take them on an empty stomach. Drink this and have something to eat.”
Touched, he took the water and food. “You taking care of me, Rain?”
“I’m taking care of my children’s father.”
“I’m him. He’s me. You used to take care of me all the time.” He tried to pull her back to their past, the place and time when they were happy. God, he missed that, wished he could snap his fingers and have it all back.
“That’s me. Always taking care of everyone.” He caught the trace of resentment in her voice. That little dig cut all the way to his heart. No one took care of Rain, but she’d taken care of the girls and the mess he’d left behind.
“I have to get the girls started.”
She walked away and Brody stared after her. Good coming or going, he thought. Following the sway of her hips, he made his way across the field, gave each of his daughters a kiss on the head, a brush of his nose, and headed to the bleachers to watch.
As he advanced on the seats, he scanned the area, the top of the snack shop building, and the restrooms. No sniper. Why would there be? Just little girls playing ball, but Brody’s instincts went on full alert, and he didn’t know why. Vulnerable out in the open like this. Perspiration broke out on his face and his anxiety kicked in. While he scanned the outskirts of the park, everyone in the stands watched him. Comical the way they stared from him to Rain and back again, like watching some tennis match. Only they were trying to figure out what was going on between him and Rain. He wished he could figure that out himself.
The Return of Brody McBride Page 12
