“Get dressed. We’re going out.”
“Why the hell are you in my room with my Av’ry?” He reached out and knocked Lane’s shoulder.
“Watch it. I’m still your three-quarter brother. I can wipe the floor with you if the occasion arises.”
“Give it a shot,” Gabe said. He fell into the wall and held his head.
“You’re a stubborn drunk. I came to see if you’re okay, wise guy.”
“You’re my dad’s brother’s…your dad’s my dad’s brother’s dad…my dad’s my uncle…I’m your dad’s brother’s…”
“Maybe it’s best you sleep this off,” said Lane. He turned to me. “I’ll see if Tessa wants to kill a few hours and tour the mountains. We can meet at the diner for supper. She’s been telling me all about my mom. He’d want to hear this stuff if he was sober.”
“I’m not stubborn,” Gabe blurted.
“This place smells like cat piss. The least you could do is treat your girlfriend to a decent room.”
Gabe slid down the wall and grunted. “Say howdy to Deliah Remington.”
“Don’t piss upwind,” Lane replied. Then he set a hand on my shoulder. “Get him back to normal and text me.”
“I don’t hate you too. Yeah, I do,” Gabe said as the door slammed.
When he stood up, the sheet fell. He stumbled on the fabric, dove into the bed, and face planted in the pillow.
* * *
“At least I won’t turn into an asshole like you and Caleb,” Gabe grumbled. He rested his head on the wall and wouldn’t take off his sunglasses.
“Shut up,” Lane snapped. He was sitting beside Gabe in the booth at the diner to make sure his brother didn’t run off. “Hear her out. She wants to explain.”
Tessa approached the table and observed Gabe. He didn’t lift his head. Lane stood politely and motioned for her to sit down. She set an envelope on her placemat.
“I had no idea Judson suspected until he approached me at your mom’s memorial. Then he showed up at Red’s.”
“He was wearing an old T-shirt from your place,” I commented. “I couldn’t figure out his connection to you and then I heard Meggie call him Lefty.”
Gabe lowered his glasses on his nose and glared at me as he grappled with the fact that I knew more than I let on.
“Gabe, Judson didn’t know you were his. Dad didn’t know,” Lane said.
“Why did their mom marry Mr. Halden?” I asked.
“Sara’s parents—their grandparents—adored Joel. He was ambitious and smart,” Tessa explained. “He wanted to jumpstart their failed oil business when he left the Air Force. Sara wanted to please her folks. Things had been bad for years after the bust. Judson was sly and charming and a lot of trouble. Boy, he was a handful from what I remember.”
Lane coughed into his knuckles. “Sure Caleb’s not his too?”
“Judson was around when HalRem started to take off. He and Sara managed to hide around you boys. They met at my place occasionally when you were very young. Sara knew Joel suspected something was going on between her and Brigg Barrett. It was less complicated to allow Joel to believe it was Barrett she was seeing. She couldn’t admit she was in love with his younger brother.”
The waitress set a mug of coffee in front of Gabe. Then she reached behind her and grabbed a basket of bread off the counter. I helped myself to a slice of bread. I hadn’t eaten anything besides snacks from the drugstore.
“You knew Judson was Deliah’s father when she was born?” I asked.
“No. I assumed she was Joel’s since he stepped in and took care of her financially. Like I said, she never admitted Judson fathered any of the kids until Eli was killed.”
“I’m not so sure I’m sold on my mom’s word at the moment,” Lane said.
Tessa took a sip of water and continued.
“When she moved to Memphis, she cut ties with Judson. He was involved with y’all all along. Deliah would have had questions about the Halden family had Sara allowed him in her life. She’s a smart cookie. There was always the chance she would notice the resemblance.”
Gabe rubbed his temples and set his sunglasses on the table. “That’s bull. I don’t buy any of this. Where’s the proof?”
Tessa unraveled the clasp on the envelope and set two documents in front of Gabe. I watched his forehead crumple. He ogled the top sheet and then shuffled the bottom onto the top and tightened his eyes.
“What is it?” Lane asked. “Mom’s will?”
Gabe lifted his gaze to Tessa. His expression was unreadable.
“I’m afraid not. We’ll go over that when we get back to Williston. I’m sorry I waited to share this with you.”
Lane leaned over Gabe’s arm to read. “Gabriel Judson Halden?”
“All my freaking life I thought my middle name was Joel.”
“You’ve never seen your birth certificate before?” I asked. Boys were so oblivious.
“Of course I have. I’ve had it my whole damn life. I took a copy to the DMV, but I never looked at it. I had no reason to question who I was.” Gabe’s scowl extended into his body language. He slumped in the seat.
“Judson is recorded on both of these,” Lane said. “Mom listed him as Deliah’s dad too.”
“Meggie’s been looking for that.” I pointed to the Shelby County birth certificate.
Gabe shook his head back and forth in slow motion. He couldn’t stop rubbing his jaw. I wasn’t sure if he was freaking out inside or taking it all in stride.
“I held onto Deliah’s. I’ve been trying to figure out how to help y’all without bringing more disruption into her life. I found these in your mom’s security deposit box.”
* * *
Gabe’s pouting mood was contagious. He refused to go home when Lane and Tessa left after dinner.
“You’re free to go,” he said. He was sitting in the only chair in the motel room. It was the middle of the night. I was wide awake, watching him read.
I sat up and drew the top sheet over my shoulders. “I don’t need your permission to go, but I’m not leaving you here.”
“The lieutenant knew all along. All these years he was on a power trip to mess with me.”
“That’s not true. Did you hear anything Tessa had to say?”
“Most of it. Don’t mean I believe it,” he said.
Gabe was crankier than a baby on an overnight airplane flight. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was still hung over.
“That’s your right, I guess. Why can’t we go home?”
“Go back to sleep, Av’ry,” he said.
I slipped out of bed in my underwear. I stood in front of him, and he trapped me with his legs. He was wearing only jeans.
“Your father…he said he was happy you were working hard. He said he was delighted.”
Gabe made a grunting sound in his throat and grabbed my hips. “You’re not a very good liar.”
“I don’t know what to do with you.”
“I’ll show you,” he grumbled as I ran my hands around his neck. He stood and carried me back to the bed.
“How long are you planning to live here?”
“I don’t even know where we are.” He let me down and stuck his pinky under my bra strap and pulled it down my arm.
“We’re in big sky country. Tell me why we can’t go home? Are you afraid to see your father?”
“Aw jeez, Av’ry. I don’t wanna play twenty questions. I wanna play something else.”
“Fine, truth or dare?”
He rolled his eyes and fell onto his back. “I’ll play, but only because you’re in your underwear.”
“I dare you to pack up your stuff and take me back to Williston.”
“No.” He pushed up on his elbow and rolled to his side. He ran his fingers through my hair and pulled it off my face. He wrote two words on my forehead with his fingertip.
“What did you just write?”
“Nothing. How did your face get all marked up? I deserv
e to know. You know everything about me.”
I sat up and crossed my legs. “Why does everybody care so much about that?”
“Because it was amusing and vulgar and kind of a turn on. Tell me or we’re never going home.”
“First promise we’ll leave in the morning, and then I’ll tell you.” I folded my hands and made a praying pose under my chin.
“Maybe,” he said. It sounded closer to yes than no.
“What do you think happened?”
Gabe lifted his forehead. “I think you pissed off the wrong guy.”
“The wrong guy and his swim buddies. But he was the one who made up the rumor. He had it bad for me, and I wouldn’t give him what he wanted.”
“What was his name?”
“Gabe, I’m not telling you. What are you going to do? Beat him up?”
“I’m gonna hunt him down and destroy him.”
I huffed and fell over beside him. I threw my leg over his knees and set my ear on his chest. “I didn’t even tell you what he did and you want to murder him?”
“Yup.” Gabe’s eyes thinned with revulsion. His heart rate sped up in my ear. “I’ll chop off his balls and tie them to my bumper.”
I lifted my head and stared into his lovely hazels. “I sort of did that.”
He raised his brows with admiration.
“We’ll go home in the morning,” I whispered smugly.
“Remind me never to cross you,” he whispered back.
* * *
The light was on in Meggie’s office when we reached the farmhouse. The crisscrossing of tire tracks in the snow reminded me of one of my sister’s finger paintings. Pickups and HalRem trucks packed the driveway. Gabe had been in a funk the entire drive to Williston from Montana. He wouldn’t talk about his father or Judson.
“This is just like Central New York weather. It looks like somebody has a snowmobile.” I pointed to the tracks as he wedged his truck between two others.
Gabe pointed to the office. “He’s in there,” he said.
“Or it could be Josh playing video games.”
He stuck his nose up to the office window. The door opened and the bell rang. The sound reminded me of summertime, and a rush of fluttery butterflies twitched in my stomach.
“Gabriel,” said Mr. Halden. He lifted his HalRem cap and ran a hand through his hair.
I took Gabe’s hand for his own protection. I wasn’t expecting him to confront his father in a calm or collected manner.
“Save it,” he replied.
“She wanted out of the marriage. I thought she wanted to be with Brigg. Nothing’s changed,” said Mr. Halden. “Nothing has to change in our family.”
Gabe scrunched his nose and grimaced. “Keep telling yourself that, sir. Everything’s changed. You can’t take back twenty years of lies and act like nothing happened. It’s not the same. It never will be. You had Meggie. Mom was forced to leave.”
“No, son. You need to hear me out. Brigg and I go way back in Texas. When I was stationed in North Dakota and first discovered Williston, he followed me. He was acquainted with your mom before Meggie was in the picture.”
“At least I don’t have to obey you. I’m not sticking around here.”
“Nothing changed for me, Gabriel,” Mr. Halden repeated. “You’re still under contract, if that’s what you’re referring to.”
He kicked his boot into the snow. “You’ve got a screw loose!” Gabe shouted. He wrenched his hand from my grip and pointed. “You knew everything all along. You didn’t want the embarrassment or a scandal to hurt your precious corporation. That’s why you always go on about family values and loyalty. If you say it enough, people just might buy into it. Not me.”
* * *
Lane stopped by to check on Gabe when he didn’t show up for work for a second day in a row. I couldn’t get him out of the bed. He sulked and slept and slept and sulked. My cabin fever had become unbearable, yet I couldn’t fathom leaving him alone in his miserable state.
“This is amazing. Gabe’s Pop-Tart and frozen burrito menu grew old fast,” I told Lane as I dug into my sandwich on the couch. “You don’t have to stay. He’ll wake up for a few hours. Then he’ll eat, read, and mope. He says he’s leaving town again.”
“I took the day off to decompress. Sometimes I feel myself turning into the lieutenant. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have a care in the world,” said Lane.
He sat down on the coffee table in front of me.
“Does Caleb have a tattoo?” As soon as I asked the question I wished I hadn’t.
Lane made a face and laughed. “No. Not that I know of. Where did you hear that?”
There was a knock at the door. Deliah peeked in. “I knew you were here,” she told Lane. “Has anyone ever heard of child neglect? You can do hard time for leaving me alone and not feeding me.”
“How did you get here?” I asked.
“Josh drove me. He came to play Xbox in the office so Meggie won’t get on him to do his homework. Is Gabe alive?”
Caleb snuck in behind Deliah. He didn’t even knock.
“Who’s your daddy?” he said as he tugged on one of his sister’s pigtails.
She climbed onto a kitchen stool. “I’m an orphan, duh. Legally, I can marry Josh. Not that I would.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to Caleb. “Why are you here?”
“Meggie wanted me to check on the house to see if the contractor is ready to meet with the building inspector.”
“Has Judson been around? I was hoping he’d talk to Gabe,” I said.
“He disappeared. He doesn’t want any kids,” Deliah answered. She spun on her stool until Lane stopped her from flying off.
“He’ll come back,” he told her. “He came out here for a good reason. Actually, I’m pretty sure now it was two reasons.”
“Doubt it was for us,” Deliah replied. “He’s a bounty hunter. He goes everywhere.”
Caleb flopped down on the cushion beside me. “Do you even know what that is?”
“Yeah, he tracks them down and collects the bounty.”
“He’s a bail agent. He hunts fugitives,” Caleb said.
The bedroom door appeared to shut on its own. Lane raised his eyebrows at me. “I think sleeping beauty just woke up. Drag him out. Since we’re all gathered, I got something to show y’all.”
I stood up and Caleb grabbed my hand. He held on tight. “Go kiss it and make it all better.”
I twisted my neck and glared at his hazel eyes. Loudly I said, “I don’t know why your family puts up with you.”
“Same reason you do, legs.”
I wrenched my arm from his grip and headed to the bedroom. Gabe started the shower the moment I entered. When he finished in the bathroom, he took a seat beside me on the bed and toweled off his head and neck.
“Who ordered the family reunion?” he asked as he listened to the chatter in the living room.
“It’s more like an intervention.”
“Why’d you let Caleb in? I’m sick of his ugly face.”
“They’re all worried about you. You’re turning into a hermit. All you do is read books.” I waved a hand at the wall he had built with paperbacks.
“I do other things,” he said with a smirk.
“You don’t go to work,” I replied and stood. “Or leave this place.”
“Tell them to get lost so you can take a nap with me.”
I made an annoyed face and walked to the door. Gabe jumped up and closed it so I wouldn’t step out. He trapped me against the wall. I inhaled the fragrance of my new shampoo on his hair.
“Get dressed and come out.”
“This is me dressed,” he said into my neck in a breathy way. He made me look down at the towel draped around his hips.
I ducked and slipped out of his cage. Then I yanked his plaid pajama bottoms out from under a pile of clothes beside the bed and tossed them at him. “These are clean.”
Gabe dropped the towel and then pulled on the pan
ts. He lifted his gaze to see if I was watching. I was.
“Anything else?”
My face split into a smile. When he walked to me, I stepped back. My head hit the wall, and I set my palms against his chest. I studied the faint freckles around his nose. “A shirt. A better attitude. A kiss.”
I wanted the kiss first.
Gabe stared at me for a beat and then leaned in to tease. He kissed the side of my mouth while pressing his leg into mine so I couldn’t escape again. He pulled at my bottom lip and turned his tease into a full-blown make-me-forget-my-name kiss.
“That’s a good start,” I whispered as my heart rate returned to normal.
I took Gabe’s hand and pulled him into the living room after he found a package of fresh undershirts on the floor and finished dressing. He fell onto the couch beside Caleb and pulled me onto his lap. Lane stood at the end of the coffee table with a briefcase in front of him. He held a stack of papers in his hand.
“Are we getting initiated into a club? Should Mona Deliah take the minutes?” Caleb asked as he popped open the last can of Coke.
Lane handed Deliah a stack of documents. “Take one off and pass it around.”
Caleb lifted the Coke can in the air. “Ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall.”
“I’m pretty sure the lieutenant held this up in court and challenged Tessa on being the executor. Mom’s lawyer passed away, and there was no way to prove who her executor was. I suspect dad was trying to get a copy before we did to see if there were any bombshells.”
“Bombshells in this family? That’s a hoot,” Caleb said.
Gabe pointed to his glasses on the table, and I picked them up for him. He set them on the tip of his nose and flipped through his packet so fast I couldn’t read a word.
Caleb read his and folded it in half like he was going to make a paper airplane. He set it on the table, threw his legs over the arm of the couch, and flipped himself over the side.
Nobody said anything until Deliah finally piped up. “Tell me what it means? Why’s everybody so quiet?”
Caleb rested his hands on the back of the couch behind her and leaned in. “Little sister, I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.”
Stubborn Truth (The Stubborn Series Book 3) Page 23
