by ML Nystrom
Betsey clapped her hands. “Lord have mercy! That’s good news!”
Stud was both relieved and irritated. It sounded like the doctor was disappointed there wasn’t more injury. “Yeah. She’ll try harder next time,” he said drily.
The doctor cleared his throat and continued.
“She is concussed, but her pupils are normal and her responses are good. She has a severe laceration on her left thigh, but not as deep as we originally thought. The stone did not pierce the main artery. A few other smaller cuts and scrapes, but nothing serious. She’s being stitched up and will need to stay overnight for observation, but I’m relatively sure she can go home tomorrow.”
Home. Stud thought about it and turned to Betsey.
“Give her my room at the Lair. Only makes sense. Her house is not set up for this, her family obviously can’t take care of her, and you’ve got too much happening between the club, the bar, Brick, and Blue’s shit with Jonelle. Plus, you’re still working on Kat and Mute’s wedding.”
“All that’s true, darling.” Betsey blinked. “And I was thinking the same thing about the Lair, but lettin’ her use Table’s room since he left for Asheville this morning. He decided to go back to his grandma’s place for a bit for some help with the baby and to get his head together. He won’t be back for a while and that leaves us a space to use.”
“No,” Stud said firmly. The thought of Eva in Table’s room and ultimately in Table’s bed, even if she was alone in it, was completely repugnant to him. It was not going to happen.
“But if you ain’t got a room, where you gonna sleep? And who’s gonna take care of Eva when I cain’t?”
Stud loved that about Betsey. Always ready to help someone, club or not.
“I still have a condo out in the big development, the one I rent out all the time to tourists, but this week it’s free and I can take it off the rental site for a while. I’ll make the commute if I need to, or stay in whatever guest cabin in the compound is open. Eva will be better off in the main lodge with more people around. As far as taking care of her, I plan on doing a lot of it.”
Betsey pursed her lips, lowered her chin, and looked at Stud with both eyebrows raised. Brick called it her mama bear face. She crossed her arms in front of her body and spoke in a low don’t-mess-with-me-I’m-serious voice. “You’re a growed-up man and a good one, Stud, but I do got eyes in my head. I ain’t seen you like this over a woman before, and I’m sure as the day is long, if it were Nikki or that new girl Bambi in there, you wouldn’t be out here walking up and down like a bad-tempered bull. I reckon you got some feelings for this girl, and if that is true, then I’m happy for you, but I’m gonna have my say in that this ain’t no episode of Stud’s angels where you need a blonde, brunette, and redhead chasing after you. I’ve spent enough time with her to know Eva ain’t no woman who’s gonna chase any man. Table was right interested and would’ve been good for her, but that’s out now. If you’re gonna step in, by all means, but you just make sure this ain’t no pissin’ contest ’cause Table stepped in first.”
Stud met Betsey’s look head on. Her words made him furious. This was his business, and she had no right telling him how to handle it. But this was Betsey and he knew that when it came down to brass tacks, she had his back. The club was still tight no matter what.
“Nikki is out. She needs to be gone for good from the Lair. Last few times I’ve seen her she’s been more than drunk. She’s been tweaking on something, and anyone in this club knows that’s not done here out of respect for you and your house.”
Betsey relaxed her posture and face.
Stud kept his eyes steady on hers. “Bambi is of legal age but still way too young to be around us. She’s more fascinated with the club than with me. Been with more than just me as well. She thinks life’s a constant party and if she’s not careful, she’ll end up like Nikki. She’s still a good kid and could use some mama love.”
Betsey nodded, taking the hint.
Stud kept his voice even, but there was a core of steel in his tone. “As far as Eva is concerned, that’s my business and no one else’s.”
Eleven
I clicked the remote, changing channels rapidly on the ginormous Lair television. Daytime talk shows, news feeds, soap operas, even cartoons flashed by, but nothing held my interest. I couldn’t work the site for obvious reasons, I couldn’t walk too far as my ribs and leg would protest loudly, I couldn’t swim in the pool because of the stitches, I couldn’t sleep because for the entirety of my life, I’d gotten up at the butt crack of dawn for work or school or both. Bleh! It was only one week after my fall and for the first time ever, I was bored. Not just bored. Bored!
I huffed and tossed the remote to the side. Sesame Street was the show the TV had landed on and a couple of colorful puppets were singing about being friends. All I heard was blah, blah, blah. I rested my head on the back of the couch and closed my eyes, tuning out the high-pitched voices of the children’s show.
My da and Connor had come by the hospital when I was getting out and brought me to the Lair. Patrick and Angus had visited me as well, bringing me a butt ton of flowers, and telling me how sorry they were. This was the most contrite I’d ever seen them. Garrett and Owen told me when they came by that Connor had reamed Patrick and Angus’s asses hard enough, they probably would be feeling it for months. I didn’t care at first and was angry as hell at them, but they seemed to be genuine in their remorse about what happened. Patrick and Angus not giving me shit was completely foreign to me. They didn’t even try to joke with me about laying out of work because of the injury, which made me wonder if they were feeling all right.
I spent two days in the hospital before getting sent “home” to the Lair. I wanted to protest loud and long, but knowing Connor’s position and Da’s stubbornness, I didn’t have a chance. Not to mention Betsey insisted I stay there while I was healing. I was put in Stud’s room and tried to protest loud and long again but was overruled. I thought Table’s room was open, but Stud informed me rather firmly that it had been reserved by another club member.
It bothered me more to be in his room because I knew what he did in the bed that I was now occupying. Could I say why? Probably not. Stud’s activities weren’t my problem. I wasn’t involved and didn’t want to be involved. But still, picturing him in the room, naked in all his mouthwatering glory, touching, tasting, kissing and— Gah! Fuck my life!
“Tired or bored?” I heard a soft voice say. “Since it’s before nine, I’m guessing bored.”
I lifted my head and opened one eye. Kat, the club’s unofficial nurse and soon-to-be bride of Mute, the official club bouncer and chief badass, had arrived along with Molly. These women were definitely the elite among the club women, and I liked them a lot.
Kat motioned for me to stand up and slip down my super loose lounge pants. These were ones I made that had little cartoon ducks on them. What can I say? The fabric was on clearance at the time. I grimaced at the painful pull in my leg before I sat back down. I was sure I presented a lovely picture, sitting on the couch in a fluffy white robe with duck pants around my ankles. Thank God no one else was around. If Patrick were here, I’d already be posted on Facebook as a meme!
She changed the dressing and smeared some white goop over the stitches to keep them from itching so bad.
“The wound looks really good. I can’t believe how fast you’re healing!” she remarked, taping another gauzy square over the crusty, gooey mess.
“That looks good? You’re out of your mind!” I laughed, then winced as my ribs caught me. “Shit! Not fast enough though! Damn, I hate being like this!”
“I don’t blame you, sugar,” Molly sympathized. “This one time when Cutter was younger, he laid down his bike and messed up his leg. Bad, and I do mean bad! Broke the big bone and cracked the two little ones. He’s got enough pins in him to set off airport alarms.”
“Femur, tibia, and fibula,” Kat absently informed as she finished up with me. “How
did he manage to break the big one and only crack the bottom two?”
Molly threw up her hand and shook her head. “I don’t know how that man manages to do half the shit he does, but let me tell you, I almost became a widow when he was down.”
My eyes got big. “He almost died from a broken leg?”
She laughed and shook her head again. “No, sugar, I almost killed him myself! What a bear!”
She pitched her voice low and gruff. “Molly, bring me the remote. The big one. No, the other big one. Molly, bring me some ice cream. Not that stuff, I want the good stuff. Molly, my back itches. Damn, woman, trim your nails or leave me some skin. Molly, what’s for dinner? Don’t want meatloaf, want ribs. Molly, I need another movie in the Blu-Ray. Not that one.”
She rolled her eyes and ran her hands over her head. “’Bout drove me insane! I’d slip him a couple of those Tylenol PMs once in a while to knock his ass out! Only way I got any peace some days.”
They stayed for quite a while, talking and gossiping with me like we were old friends and I wasn’t just there as the inconvenient guest. I had a blast. Girl talk was fun, and I could see how great and solid the sisterhood between these women was. All of the old ladies seem to work this way here. Truthfully, I was a bit jealous—this was something I’d never have with my brothers. Yes, we were family and loved each other, but it was just not the same thing.
The pain meds were hitting me and I was starting to drift off when Kat stood up. “I gotta get going. My shift starts in an hour and I need to run a few errands before heading over.” She offered me a hand. “Here, I’ll help you back to the room.”
“I got her,” a deep voice uttered, making all three of us jump. Stud came around the back of the couch and set a pair of large cardboard boxes down on the flat coffee table. EVA’S STUFF was marked across one and CACTUS was marked across the other. I had been complaining about having nothing to do except binge-watch Netflix. When Stud was at the Lair, he spent his time with me watching TV as well. We had been back to what we were before the pool party and my accident. We bantered and discussed different actors, films, likes and dislikes, and whatever else came up. As much as I liked the company, that shit was still getting old. I was used to being active, and the enforced bed rest was driving me crazy enough, I asked Stud to sneak in my sewing stuff just as soon as he could. I needed something to occupy by hands before I went totally bonkers!
He bent over and slipped his arms under my legs and behind my back. “Nice duck pants, Cactus. I think I got everything you asked for, but you can check the boxes later. You’ll go out like a light once you settle back in the bed,” he said, grunting a little as he lifted my weight carefully. I was not a little woman and I knew it was taking him some effort to lift me, however, he did. My ribs protested a bit, but his careful handling helped.
“I can walk, you know!” I snapped a little testily. His clean scent teased my nostrils and I so wanted to lay my head on his shoulder and burrow into him.
“Not necessary and the less stress, the faster you’ll heal,” he said, walking down the hallway. I waved at the departing ladies as they called out their goodbyes. I was very aware of the power of the man holding me so close. And even more aware that he had a bird’s-eye view of my boobs as the robe gap showed I was wearing only a thin tank top underneath. It was hard to put on a bra with my bruised ribs, so I had gotten into the habit of leaving it off. I supposed I should have felt uncomfortable or intimidated, but really, I felt… well, I felt warm, secure. Like I was protected. I was sure the happy pills the doctor had prescribed had something to do with the warm and fuzzy feelings. It was weird but temporary, so I’d just enjoy it while I could.
My head did drop down to his shoulder for a moment before he placed me on the bed and slipped his arms out from under me in a slow caress. He pitched a blanket over my legs before sitting next to my hips and placing his arm on the opposite side, effectively caging me in. He leaned over me and stroked my hair back from my face with a light touch that framed my cheek. My lady parts were singing, and my head was spinning with confusion. Nope, just the happy pills. Nothing more.
“I got your stuff and made sure no one saw your machine or your materials. Connor helped me get it all together and out. I don’t think they would have noticed anyway since they are working nearly round the clock to stay on schedule. It’s supposed to rain tonight so Patrick and Angus want to come up here and hang with you for a bit later. Is that okay? Personally, I’d still like to punch both of them out for putting you in this situation.”
His fingers kept stroking through my hair. It really felt good. Not just the attention, but the fact he had considered my wishes and done what he could to fill them. That seldom happened in my life. I hummed at the thought of Stud kicking my brothers’ asses.
“If you ever do, I wanna front row seat. It’s okay with me if they come up later. It’s kinda weird not seeing them every day.”
He kept stroking. “You’ve got a real eye and an incredible talent for design. The bar you made for Betsey is beautiful and the inspector said the work was top notch. From what I see, you’re way underappreciated by your father and your family. You work nonstop and take a lot of abuse for it when plenty of other companies would give their eyeteeth to have someone like you on their crew. The accident was senseless and could’ve easily been prevented if any one of your brothers would have stepped up to the plate and done their job. I cannot figure out why you stay.”
His question was valid, and I’d be lying if I didn’t ask myself that every time Da had a fit or Patrick and Angus pranked me. I was drifting pretty hard under his hand and my eyes were closing. “I don’t have a deep-thinking answer for ya. It’s jus’ my family. S’all I know, and it’s all I’ve ever known.”
His hands felt wonderful and I could have stayed there forever under his gentle touch. “Go on and sleep, Cactus. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
I vaguely felt his lips press to my forehead before I was out.
Twelve
I’d been at the Lair for nearly three weeks, when Connor came to talk to me. Betsey had insisted that I stay there instead of moving back into my tiny house to finish my recovery. I’d always been a fast healer and was getting around pretty well. My ribs no longer hurt, and my leg was better although it still ached when I pushed it too much.
Connor looked like warmed-over shit. I knew he was pushing himself hard to finish this job as Da had overbooked us again. Since I’d been down for the count for the last month and a half, Connor had called in a few temporary helpers despite Da’s protest about paying more people. Connor managed to overrule him, but I know the budget was tight and even though we weren’t hurting financially, we still didn’t have a giant pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
“We have to split the crew for a bit, a stóirín,” Connor said, his tone and stance serious. He sounded tired, probably from working too many hours and dealing with Da’s recent screw-ups. I got the feeling this was another one. “We’ve pushed as hard as we can, but the job in Wilmington overlaps this one by about a week. We need to send a couple of us to the new location to get set up and started, chiefly Da and I. We have enough tools to divide among the two sites for now. Patrick, Angus, Owen, and Garret will stay here and finish. Da and I will go to Wilmington to set up. I’ve already made some inquiries about temp help to at least clear the new job site, but the budget is very tight and doesn’t include money for hotel rooms. You’ve got another week or two before you’re cleared for work again, and you’ll still not be at full capacity for a while yet.” He jammed a hand over his long face with an air of defeat floating around him. “Ah, Christ, it pains me to ask this, but can me and Da take your house to Wilmington and use it until the others get there with the RV?”
I sat back in the bed. My house? Really? My sanctuary, my space, my stuff, my secrets? My brother wanted me to give that up? Rage flew through me and my head throbbed. How dared he even ask that of me?
“Am I supp
osed to bunk in the RV?” I croaked. My head really did hurt.
Connor shook his head and gave a grunting laugh. “You’ll stay here. Betsey overheard me an’ Da arguing about this and she said you’re to stay put until you were ready to go. I may be able to argue with Da, but there’s no way I’m gonna take on that woman. You can take the train or bus out to us in Wilmington in a couple of weeks. We should be well ready for you by then.”
He looked so tired and overwhelmed, I softened. I knew he was dealing with so much bullshit and splitting the crew didn’t help. It really was time for Da to retire and let Connor take over. He’d been wanting to expand for years, hiring different people, sending out multiple crews on jobs, subcontracting when possible, making life a little less hectic and a little easier on all of us, but until Da forgot his blasted stubbornness, he was stuck. More than once, I thought Connor would just quit and go do his own thing. I think he stayed on all these years because of our crazy brothers and me.
“Yeah, I guess you and Da can take my house.” I took a breath to calm down. “Just please—you know—”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, knowing what I was saying without me saying it out loud.
“I didn’t realize how many hours were in a day until I was forced to sit for so many of them,” I said casually to the other ladies. I was sitting at the Lair a week after the RV rolled out with my brothers. By some miracle of nature, they had finished the River’s Edge job earlier than expected and left just as soon as they could. Connor and Da were already setup in the North Carolina coastal city of Wilmington and anxiously awaiting their arrival. Connor was texting me daily with updates and asking about my health. Molly, Kat, and Tambre were hanging out with me, oohing and ahhing over the short stack of lap quilts I had folded and piled on the coffee table in front of me. Sometimes they came in shifts, and sometimes all together.
