He grabbed the box and set it on the dash. Then he pulled my leg so I slid enough that he could grip my foot. He reached for the other, but I scooted toward the door and bent my knees.
“What do we have here?”
“Your hands are freezing!” I tried to kick him. He was stronger than I was and held my legs.
“These aren’t knee socks,” he said running a hand up the side of my thigh. “They’re leg socks.”
“They’re called stockings.” I laughed. “Nylons. Pantyhose.”
“Pantywhat? I like ’em.”
“I bet you do. Now stop it. Remember my leg is prone to breaking.”
I let him fix each of the boots on my feet and tried not to laugh as everything he did tickled.
The truck door flew open, and my head fell out into the frigid cold. Gabe pulled me into the truck.
“Get lost,” he said.
Deliah pushed on my shoulder as I tried to sit up. “I need a ride to the memorial. Hurry up, it’s cold. Meggie and Joel are fighting.”
“That wasn’t the case last night,” Gabe said under his breath.
Judson was standing behind her wearing a suit and a cowboy hat. He looked like a relaxed version of Mr. Halden. “I believe your sweetheart here is the point of contention,” he said leaning in. I slid over. “Morning news ran another feature on the fresh-faced gal with the megawatt smile. Y’all saw the newspaper article.”
“The reporters don’t even know who she is,” Gabe snarled. “They’re calling her a traitor.”
“I can’t believe this is happening to me.” I covered my eyes. “What’s your father going to do?”
“Don’t worry about him,” Judson told me. “He’s got a PR militia to handle flub-ups like this one.”
Gabe took the empty boot box and dropped it behind the seat. His uncle set Deliah’s guitar case on top of Eli’s case. Then he pulled his head out of the cab to watch a stretch limo pull into Meggie’s driveway.
“Maybe my brother and your auntie will make up in style like swanky folk do,” Judson said. “I gotta see a man about a horse. Meet up with y’all at the church.” He slapped the roof and walked toward his rental truck.
“Promise you won’t let your father send me home when he sees the news,” I said as soon as Deliah leaned the other way to gawk at the limousine. “I need to show off my boots.”
* * *
I marveled at the vastness of North Dakota in winter and witnessed the explosion of oil wells at every turn. Oil traffic seemed to be bumper to bumper no matter where we went. It was no surprise Gabe drove like a bandit on the rare occasion the roads permitted. We were the first to arrive at the prairie church where he parked in the rear. Mr. Halden had arranged to plow the front lawn into a parking lot. Deliah and I took cover from the wind under the front porch while Gabe and Judson collected the guitar cases. I was still debating if I should get his uncle alone and ask him what he was doing in Deliah’s drawer.
Candles stood at the end of each pew, and a small stage was decorated with flowers. A life-size portrait of Gabe’s mother as a young adult was mounted on an easel beside a collage of photos from her life. Gabe said she was the last Remington of her generation. She had no siblings or cousins.
“Now that’s how I remember her,” Judson said as he walked in behind us. Either his lead foot was heavier than all of the Halden’s feet combined, or he abandoned his business in town to arrive when we did. He turned to Deliah and held her chin. “Dang, you’re a portrait of your ma. It’s like I’m looking right at her.”
“Did you know her well?” I asked. Nobody ever had much to say about Gabe’s mother.
Judson stared at the portrait and nodded his head. “Sure did. My older brother snagged the prettiest gal in all of North Dakota. That’s before he met your auntie.”
“Uh, actually he was two-timing them both at the same time,” Gabe pointed out.
“Love and crazy go hand in hand,” said Judson. He looked my way and caught my eye and winked.
I wasn’t sure if he was trying to be funny or trying to win me over with his charm so I wouldn’t call him out about his snooping episode. I returned his stare with a look that told him he had some explaining to do.
“It’ll bite you in the ass one of these days and you won’t know what hit you.”
Deliah peeled off her mittens and scarf. “It already bit a big hole in Gabe’s brain,” she said. “Lane’s going to give a speech. If anyone has a story to share, they can talk after we play our songs. We’re having a luncheon afterward. Then me and my brothers will take our mom’s ashes to a special place when the snow melts. I don’t know where, but it will be our secret.”
Gabe bent down and opened his guitar case. He didn’t seem to notice I was circling the entryway rug, getting used to my cowboy boots. It was all I could do to avoid thinking about the news article or grilling his uncle.
“Don’t hold your breath. Nobody’s coming,” Gabe told her. I was relieved when he took his guitar and sat in the corner to tune it. I worried he would run off. His ominous mood had kicked up a notch.
Thirty minutes later the church filled up. Judson waited outside for the limo to arrive and then escorted Meggie and Emmie to shelter. Josh wasn’t with them. He had been doing everything in his power to avoid his father. Meggie introduced me to guests who worked with Mr. Halden or went to school with Sara Remington. I found it odd that nobody seemed to care that my aunt and Gabe’s father had an affair while he was married to Gabe’s mother. My life was so boring back home.
Mr. Halden stayed in the limo to address an urgent work matter. He took his seat beside Meggie a minute before Lane began his eulogy.
I saved Molly a seat at the end of my row on the opposite side of the aisle from the family. “Deliah looks cute in my clothes,” she said. “I still can’t believe she’s here. I’ve known the boys for half of my life. To think they had a sister by their parents all this time.”
She started crying after Lane spoke about his mother and growing up in Texas. I handed her a tissue.
“It’s not because of this day. I mean I’m sad for them…I’m just emotional about everything, Avery. I cry when the light turns green. I cry when Lane forgets to put a straw in my pop.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got a lot to cry about these days too,” I said as I applied a new coat of lip gloss.
She laughed through her tears, and her belly shook. “Yeah, I’m sure Mr. Halden saw the news by now. I don’t envy you.”
“Some of these people have been eyeballing me. I want to shout that it was all a misunderstanding. At least Mr. Halden hasn’t heard about Gabe’s arrest. This has been the craziest week. I thought we left all of the drama back in Texas.” I leaned in and stated as softly as I could, “I wish HalRem would disappear.”
“Forever,” she added.
“You and Lane seem happy.”
“Oh, Avery, it’s so good right now. I don’t want anything to mess it up, ya know?”
I nodded. I knew who she didn’t want messing it up.
“Do you want to get married now?”
She sighed. “Not particularly. But I’m open to what happens. I can’t predict how things will turn out.”
“Well, I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. I know I can’t have a future with Caleb. When I caught him with Jordan Halverson, I was sure of that. Then Lane was there telling me he loved me. He’s such a good guy. He and Gabe are a lot alike. They both look amazing in a suit.”
I sighed loudly and watched Gabe take his place on the step beside Deliah. I was without a doubt deeply in love with him. Every time I looked at him I needed to touch him. “He sure does.”
Molly chuckled and wiped her eyes. Then she took a bite of a cracker from a bag she pulled out of her purse. “Lane is so sexy. I just wish he was a farmer or a teacher.”
“Gabe would make a good dad,” I said.
“Do you hear us?” she asked in a whisper. “This is so not appropriate
for us to talk about here.”
I bumped her shoulder and let my gaze land on her baby bump. “I missed you. I don’t have anyone that understands this world like you do.”
The strum of a guitar made me look up and catch Deliah whimper into her sleeve while Gabe began to play. Realizing she was upset, he stretched his arm across the makeshift stage and took her hand. He murmured something to her that made her smile. She sat up tall, dabbed her eyes, and lifted her guitar to her lap. They played in harmony as if they had played together for years, uniquely sharing the same style and fluidity. An effortless expression of their loss flowed through the music. Just like the first time I heard Gabe play—I was awestruck.
As he played on, his expression grew intense. He used his whole body to perform. I willed him to look up, and when he did, his hazel eyes stopped my heartbeat long enough to raise the hairs on my entire body. His gaze held mine until the song ended. It was as if he was speaking to me. He blew my mind with his talent. It wasn’t enough that he fit the suit like he did.
The congregation, particularly Molly, was affected by the guitar tribute. A silence of voices and a murmur of sniffles resonated through the archways. As the piece ended, gazes were glued to the sibling duo. Deliah set down her guitar and stood up abruptly.
“Tessa!” she cried as wind shook the church. The girl jumped down and scurried toward the visitor in the back row. She flung herself into the woman’s arms and sobbed. “My mom’s really gone. She’s not coming back.”
Mr. Halden grabbed the microphone. All of the guests fixated on his Texas dialect. I didn’t exactly hear what his father said because I was too busy watching Gabe. He was quick to jump off the stage and hike down the aisle after his sister.
“Avery,” Deliah said. Teary-eyed, she waved her arm above the guests. I stood and stepped around Molly and then joined them to say hello. “Tessa came.”
“Bless your heart, Deliah.” Tessa said. “Sara was my dearest friend, and you know how much I care about you. I wouldn’t miss this.”
She handed Gabe an envelope and gently placed her hand over his in a warm gesture. She had three more in her other hand.
“These are for y’all. When you have questions, don’t hesitate to holler, you hear?” Then she drew her eyes to the back of Judson’s head and squared her posture. “I see your uncle showed up.”
“Keep this in your coat,” Gabe told me as he passed me the envelope.
We took a seat on a bench. After Deliah slid in, I followed. I watched Gabe text Lane while his father continued to speak at the podium.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Fine,” he hissed as he alternated typing with his thumbs and patrolling his eyes over the back of everyone’s head. I didn’t see Lane anywhere, but I watched Judson get out of his seat and approach Tessa. She shook her head as if she didn’t want to talk. When he forced the conversation, she held up her hand to silence him. He reminded me of Caleb when he pestered me. Tessa’s expression grew cross. He backed away.
Before I could point out their awkward encounter, Gabe stood and walked to the back door just as Lane slipped inside, stomped the snow off his feet and brushed his shoulders clean. Judson joined the boys, and they huddled together in a private discussion. Then they looked up and threw their focus onto the people.
Mr. Halden succeeded in keeping the guests’ attention with a story about how the Remingtons started in oil.
“What are they doing?” Deliah whispered as she watched her brothers.
I waved Gabe back with my finger and tugged on his jacket until he sat down. He brought the scent of lemon drops with him. “Did something happen outside?”
He scowled. “We’ve got a problem. And the press is camping out here. Lane counted ten vans on the road. He saw two news choppers flying over.”
The mix of hard candy and Irish Spring was enough to make me want to press my nose into his neck and inhale. I shook off my dreamy thoughts and stopped myself from whispering my ideas about sneaking off to be alone.
“Your father won’t make eye contact with me. He knows about the protest story. Molly saw me on the national news. My mother’s going to flip out when she sees me on TV all the way back in New York. Are there reporters inside the church?”
“Over there,” he said as Deliah leaned in front of me to eavesdrop. “White hair, leather jacket. If the lieutenant sees him—” He ran a hand over his chiseled jaw and gestured.
I straightened my back and studied the guests in front of me. “I’ve seen that guy before. He was at the grocery store when you got arrested. He’s a reporter?”
Gabe addressed me. “You’ve seen him?”
“He grabbed my arm when you were beating on that car after the paint incident. He knows you?”
Gabe stood. Neither of us was getting the answer we wanted. “He touched you?”
“Shhh. Who is he?” I asked.
He waved Lane over. “She saw him at Albertsons. He freaking touched her.”
“You saw Brigg Barrett at Albertsons?” Lane stuck his face in mine. “He must be living here.”
I nodded in slow motion and tried to place the name. “Is that man Hunt Barrett’s father? I thought the family was long gone and Hunt was locked up. Is he looking for a fight?”
“You bet your ass he’s looking for more than a fight,” said Lane under his breath. “Brigg Barrett and my mom were a thing, remember? We heard it all back at the cabin in Texas. He’s got some nerve coming here.”
Deliah repeated his name under her breath as if it was a tongue twister. I bit my nails and waited for the program to end, curious if my fate in North Dakota would soon be overshadowed by Hunt Barrett’s father causing trouble.
Everyone gathered their coats as Mr. Halden wrapped up his speech. “It means a great deal to my children that you came to help us say goodbye to their mother. Unfortunately, we have a situation outside so y’all please share in some coffee and pastries, sit tight, and keep warm until I give the okay to leave.”
Lane grabbed Gabe’s arm and pulled him into the aisle. “Is he crazy? He can’t take people hostage.”
The brothers slipped outside as their father marched after them. I stood up to look for my aunt as everyone made their way to the refreshments. Meggie handed the baby to Molly. She hurried to the door and called Mr. Halden’s name, but before she stepped outside, she asked Tessa to keep Deliah inside.
I grabbed my jacket and ran after Meggie. The sun blinded me along with a wicked gust of arctic air.
“Stay inside,” Gabe told me as the cameramen and newspeople rushed from their idling vehicles to the porch to escape the wind.
Meggie clutched my arm. “I wasn’t at that protest,” I told her loudly. “I promise I had nothing to do with it.”
“Lieutenant Halden!” shouted a reporter. “Can you give us a statement?”
“Joel, for god’s sake!” Meggie yelled into the wind. “Why now? Why here?”
Mr. Halden raised one hand in the air and held his cowboy hat on with the other. He looked into the closest camera. “Excuse me. Y’all are imposing on a private affair. Would y’all be so kind as to leave at once? This is my property.”
“Do you have a comment regarding your family’s association with local oil protests? Are you aware that your youngest son was arrested for assaulting a demonstrator?”
Meggie stepped forward and closed her coat. Two men holding video cameras on their shoulders moved in to film her.
“You might want to get your facts straight,” corrected Mr. Halden. “My youngest was not arrested under any such circumstance.”
I glanced at Gabe and he shrugged.
“Do you condone the violent act, sir?”
A newswoman piped up, “Lieutenant Halden! Is it true all of your sons quit the oil business?”
Gabe’s father didn’t break his stock-still posture. He was not going to answer.
“That girl there. The pretty one with the long hair.” Another reporter pointed a
t me. My heart pounded inside my chest. I tried to swallow, but I couldn’t. “She’s the one who runs with the clean energy crowd. She was protesting against water contamination on Halden-Remington land. What do you have to say about that?”
Mr. Halden turned and found me shivering behind Meggie. “As records state, I have not, nor will I ever drill on established farmland or residential property. And rightly so, I’m predominantly fond of clean energy myself. Aren’t we all?”
“How can you justify allowing her to be part of your oil empire when clearly her agenda is to work for the other side?”
“Do you need me to repeat myself?” he asked even-toned. “This young woman whom you’ve inaccurately and falsely targeted—has no agenda regarding oil that I’m aware of.”
Was he protecting me? I wanted to run inside and get warm, yet I was willing to freeze in order to witness history in the making.
A newsperson shouted from the crowd. “Miss Ross? Miss Ross?”
A man wrapped in a scarf stepped up to the porch. “What is your involvement with the clean energy coalition? Were you brought here to infiltrate the Halden-Remington organization by forming romantic connections with each of Lieutenant Colonel Halden’s offspring?”
“Shut the hell up!” Gabe yelled. “Av’ry’s not with those screwballs.”
Judson took hold of Gabe’s arms as he was about to take a flying leap off the porch.
“The footage of the girl protesting is everywhere,” shouted a woman with a microphone. “They’re using her as the face of their movement. How do you feel about that, sir?”
Mr. Halden extended his arm in Gabe’s direction. “Again, you may want to get your facts straight before you perpetuate rumors and slander a young woman you know nothing about.”
“Are you Gabriel Halden? How do you justify your brutal retaliation of the—” a reporter began to ask.
“This is not the time or place to harass my family. I would appreciate it if you would vacate the area. The police are en route,” said Mr. Halden.
Stubborn Truth (The Stubborn Series Book 3) Page 7
