The Texan Meets His Match (Lake Howling Book 2)

by Vella, Wendy

  If she’d really wanted to cut Cooper off, she wouldn’t have kept the same phone, but Ethan didn’t point that out. She wasn’t ready to hear that yet. He picked her up and settled her on his lap.

  “Ethan, we’re at your sister’s wedding!”

  “Everyone’s either drunk or too tired to care, Annabelle. Relax. I want to hold you, comfort you like you’ve been comforting me all weekend.”

  She didn’t struggle; instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. It felt natural and right for him to have her in his arms, and she had to be comfortable with him or she would never have allowed it.

  “How about I take the next call and talk to him if you don’t want to, just to make sure he’s doing okay? I know that even though you’re not taking his calls, you’re worrying about him.”

  “I am,” she sighed. “I lie awake at night wondering where he is and if he’s alright. I have these visions of him lying on a street somewhere calling my name and I’m not there. But I can’t expect you to do that, Ethan, and it would probably freak Cooper out anyway.”

  “Let me dance with your girl, nephew.”

  Uncle Mitch was standing before them looking bright-eyed, which told Ethan he’d been into the whisky, but he still was steady on his feet and would be a total gentleman to Annabelle.

  “You want to dance with him, honey?” He kissed her forehead.

  “Of course. He’s the most handsome man in the room, after all.”

  She climbed off Ethan’s lap and he instantly missed her. She placed her hand in Uncle Mitch’s and then Mitch led her to the floor. Ethan watched her for a while, and then picked up her phone when it started to ring and headed outside. Once he was out there he answered it.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Annabelle was tired. It had been a long day, in fact a long weekend, and after telling Ethan about Cooper and howling like a baby, she was exhausted. These last few days had been packed with more emotion than she would normally experience in years.

  “Thanks, darling.”

  “Thank you, Uncle Mitch.” Annabelle kissed his cheek then started back to Ethan. He wasn’t there, so she picked up her bag and went to find him, just to make sure he wasn’t going another round with Brad or his father. She walked through the room smiling and nodding, but not stopping until she had searched every corner. Brad and his father were in here, but not Ethan. Frowning, she headed for the doors that led outside, passed through and went out into the cool Texas evening air.

  She found him talking into her phone.

  “What are you doing?” She reached for it, but his fingers wrapped around her wrist and held her there until he’d finished, which he did with the words, “I’ll call when we get there.”

  “How dare you!” Annabelle tried to snatch the phone out of his hands, but he held it above her head.

  “Shut up and listen to me.”

  The seriousness of his tone stopped her. “What’s wrong?” Annabelle whispered as her body filled with dread. “Was that Cooper on the phone?”

  “It wasn’t Cooper calling you. It’s some friend of his named Johnnie Bills.”

  “I know him. He worked with Cooper when he first went to Vegas. But why is he calling me?”

  “Because he thinks Cooper’s in deep trouble and using too much and that it’s all going to end badly very soon if we don’t get him out of Vegas.”

  Annabelle could feel the color slowly draining from her face as Ethan spoke.

  “He’s piled up huge debts, and Johnnie thinks that the people he owes will come after him soon if he doesn’t start paying them off.”

  “H-how much?” He wanted to lie to her, she could see that. “The truth,” she said. “I want to know the truth, not a version that you believe I need to hear.”

  “One hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

  The words were delivered in a calm, composed tone, but it didn’t matter to Annabelle; had they been yelled from the rooftop they would have still impacted her the same way.

  “Steady, Annabelle.” She felt Ethan’s hands on her arms. “Breathe for me, honey, in and out. That’s good, keep it up.”

  The buzzing in her ears began to ease as the breath whooshed back into her lungs, and with it the anger.

  “That selfish, stupid idiot!” she thundered, pushing Ethan aside. “How the hell am I supposed to come up with that kind of money when just paying my mortgage is a huge goddamn effort?” She walked away from him, anger clawing at her throat as it waged a war with the fear inside her.

  Dear God, what would happen to Cooper if she didn’t pay?

  “Annabelle—”

  “How long do I have to pay?” she said, cutting Ethan off.

  He stood where she’d left him, watching as she paced. “I don’t know. Johnnie couldn’t get that information out of Cooper. Your brother just told him the amount and has been going in and out of consciousness ever since.”

  “Why hasn’t he taken him to the hospital?” Annabelle demanded.

  “Because Cooper just bails as soon as he’s coherent. He runs away from the hospital.”

  Annabelle had dealt with all kinds of things in her life, a drunken uncle, brothers with attitude, men trying to get their hands on her, but this whole business with Cooper was something else entirely. It had thrown her badly, because she couldn’t seem to fix it, couldn’t make things right. As a nurse, she understood what Cooper was choosing to do to his body, and how hard it would be for him to stop, and as a sister, the thought of him suffering and in pain was killing her.

  Before, when she’d known what he was doing, Annabelle had made contact with him often, and he’d always replied, which told her he was at least coherent. But since she’d cut him off, fear and worry had been eating away at her from the inside. She had battled to push it aside, told herself it was his choice to do what he wanted to himself, but Cooper had still been in her head every minute of every day.

  “I need to get to him, Ethan. I have to go to Vegas now, tonight.” She turned away from him and started to pace. “If I can get him home, he’ll be safe, and then I can start planning to pay off his debts.” Annabelle started to work the process through in her head. “I’ll sell the house, but that will take time. Until then I can earn some money at the tables, enough to keep whoever he owes at bay until I can pay it all back.”

  “Tables?” Ethan had moved to stand behind her so that when she turned, she walked into him.

  “What?” She pushed against his chest, but he just grabbed her hands.

  “What did you mean by ‘earn enough at the tables’?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Annabelle wished she had kept her thoughts in her head, because no one knew what she had done to survive and she’d wanted it to stay that way.

  “I’m not letting you go until you tell me.”

  “Ethan, please. I need to work out how I’m going to get a flight to Vegas and then come up with the money to get Cooper out of there without someone realizing it. I don’t have time for explanations now.”

  “I’ll pay the money, and we can work out the repayments later.”

  He said it calmly, as if she was borrowing money for milk and bread.

  “No way.” She tugged on her hands, but they were manacled beneath his. “I already owe you more than I can repay.”

  He pulled her in to his body. “I have the money, Annabelle. It’s just sitting in an account gathering interest.”

  “How much money?” she whispered, and then realized how awful that sounded. “Don’t tell me. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “I have ten million invested.”

  Closing her eyes, she slumped forward onto his chest. “I can’t even write that amount on paper. I wouldn’t know how many zeros to use.”

  “Nine of them,” he said, slipping a hand under her hair and cupping the back of her neck. “Let me help you, Annabelle.”

  “No.” Shaking her head, she tried to pull out of his arms, but he wouldn�
��t release her. “This is my debt, not yours. I’ll find a way to pay it, find a way to talk to whoever Cooper owes money to, and work out a repayment schedule.”

  “They’re not a bank, Annabelle, they’re drug dealers. Underhanded low-life scum who prey off people who are down on their luck like your brother.” Ethan was holding her away from him now, his face lowered, eyes intent on hers. “You can’t just walk up to them and say, ‘Hi, I’m Cooper’s sister. I’ll start paying you a little bit every month, until the debt is paid off.”

  “I have to try!”

  “If you think I’m letting you near anyone like that, then think again,” he said through his teeth.

  “You can’t stop me! I don’t answer to you, Gelderman!” Annabelle wrenched out of his arms and stumbled backwards before she steadied herself.

  “In this you will answer to me, because I’m not letting you out of my sight until both of us arrive back in Howling.”

  “I have to go to Vegas, Ethan, and you can’t stop me.” Annabelle’s heart was racing as Ethan closed the distance between them. “Please don’t try to stop me,” she begged him.

  “I’m not stopping you, because we’re both going to Vegas,” he said.

  “No, we’re not. This is my problem, not yours.”

  “Too bad. I’m coming, and you need to put aside your pride and understand that I’m your best shot at getting your brother back to Howling.”

  Annabelle walked away from him again, took a few steps into the cool night air and tried to think, to breathe and clear her head. Looking across the rolling lawns in front of the club, she thought that this was wealth that she’d never known, would never know and had never wanted, until right now. Now she could handle being wealthy, because she could pay Cooper’s debts and he would be free again, and she wouldn’t be endangering Ethan’s life in any way by doing so.

  “I have to make a few calls before we can leave. Set things in place so that when we touch down in Vegas everything will be ready for us,” Ethan said.

  Annabelle rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the ache that had started there. She knew she shouldn’t allow Ethan to come with her, that she should insist that this was her problem, but the thought of having him at her side while she went through this was such a relief. Ethan was right: he was her best shot at getting Cooper home, so she’d be an idiot not to take his help.

  God, she was frightened. What if they didn’t reach Cooper in time? What if… No, she couldn’t think about that.

  “I-I can’t say no to you anymore, Ethan, because I have no other means available to me, and C-Cooper’s life is at stake.”

  He just stood silently watching her.

  “Will we get a flight tonight?”

  “That’s one of the things I need to check out.” He was so calm, when every part of her body seemed to be twitching.

  “Okay, w-we need to do this, then. Tell me what I should do, because I seem to have lost the ability to think,” Annabelle said, the panic inside her making her voice sound high-pitched.

  “The first thing I need you to do is trust me. Can you do that?”

  She nodded as he closed the distance between them. “I’ve always trusted you.”

  “Now, that makes me feel good,” he said, cupping her face. “I need you to know that I’m going to do the best I can for Cooper, honey, okay?”

  “I’m so sorry that this has happened.” Annabelle whispered the words into his chest.

  “It’s not your fault.” She felt his lips on the top of her head. “Our families are just screwed up.”

  His warm arm around her waist was the only thing keeping her anchored as they walked back inside. She managed to smile and talk to people as they said their goodbyes, and the entire time Ethan kept her attached to him. If he didn’t hold her waist, he had her hand, and she did nothing to pull away. If she was anchored to him, she wouldn’t fall apart.

  “We’ll be leaving this evening, Mother, Father,” Ethan said, facing his family before they left the reception. “Annabelle has had a call from her family, and we have to return immediately.”

  She saw no concern on E.G.’s face as he looked at her, but Ethan’s mother touched her hand briefly and she offered a small smile. “I hope everything will be alright, Ms. Smith.”

  “Thank you, and thank you for your hospitality,” Annabelle said.

  “I’ll see you in a few weeks, Annabelle,” Taylor said, hugging her. “I’m coming to Brook, and Ethan’s taking me on a scenic tour,” he added, shaking his brother’s hand.

  “I just have to talk with Uncle Mitch now,” Ethan said as they walked away from his family. “And then we’ll go back to the house and get our things before we head to the airport.” He pushed her gently into a chair after he’d spoken, then disappeared into the guests, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

  What were they walking into in Vegas? Would Ethan be safe? She shouldn’t be letting him do this for Cooper. Surely the risk was too great. Dear God, if anything happened to him, how would she live with herself?

  “Whatever you’re thinking, stop it now,” Ethan said when he returned.

  “It could be dangerous. I can’t let you take this risk.”

  “Well you’re not taking it without me, so what’s it going to be?” He stood before her, legs braced, hands on his hips as he looked down at her, and she’d never wanted anything more than to stand and curl into his body and ask him to make the fear go away. Instead, she took the hand he held out to her and together they left the reception.

  The drive to the house was quiet, and she used the time to regain her composure, push all the worry into a place at the back of her head and focus on what had to be done. She couldn’t help Cooper if she fell apart.

  The guilt was riding her. Guilt over ignoring her brother’s phone calls when he had needed her most. None of this would have happened if she’d just talked to him.

  When they arrived back at the house, they packed their things, and Annabelle cleaned off her makeup, then pulled on jeans, a sweater and boots. She went through each task methodically, and then, picking up her bag, she left the room.

  “Ready?” Ethan stood with his bag in hand, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, ready to leave.

  “Yes.” Annabelle followed Ethan from the room after a final look around. She’d never come back here, she knew that, but wasn’t unhappy about that fact. This house was sterile and filled with anger, and she didn’t want to experience that again, even though it had been here that she’d realized how she felt about Ethan.

  She’d seen a different Ethan here, the man who was vulnerable and gentle. He’d shared his past with her, and so much more. They’d made love, and Annabelle had never felt so much emotion at the hands of another before. But she couldn’t think about that now, and maybe not ever, because tonight everything had changed. Tonight she had to save her brother.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Ethan saw the car waiting for them as he landed the helicopter. Annabelle had been silent since leaving the reception and he could feel the tension coming off her. Throughout the entire flight her hands had stayed fisted on her thighs, her eyes forward, her body rigid, and he could only imagine the thoughts that were churning around inside her head.

  He hadn’t told her everything that Johnnie Bills had told him, but the bag of money he knew would be waiting for him on the plane would take care of Cooper’s debt and the threat hanging over his head.

  “We’re going to get in that car now,” he said after they’d climbed out of the helicopter. She nodded but said nothing, just took the hand Ethan held out to her and gripped it tight.

  They drove a short distance to another hanger, and he got out when the car stopped, taking her with him.

  “Why are we here?” She was looking at the long, sleek jet in front of her.

  “Uncle Mitch is lending us his jet to get to Vegas quicker.” Ethan kept her moving as she tried to stop walking by placing a hand against her spine. “It’s easier than waiting
for a flight, and we may need to use this to get Cooper back to Brook.”

  “People lend shoes and jackets, not jets.”

  Her voice wasn’t the usual sassy Annabelle; this one was high-pitched and panicked, and Ethan wanted to pick her up and hold her close, telling her it would be okay. He had no idea what state Cooper was going to be in. They’d deal with that when they found him, but Bills had said it wasn’t good.

  “My father has a jet, as does my uncle, and most of my relatives. It’s the way it goes when you have as much money as they do.” He urged her up the steps, and inside the plane, where the pilot was waiting.

  “Mr. Gelderman, welcome aboard.”

  Ethan shook his hand. The other one he kept on Annabelle’s shoulder.

  “We’ll be taking off soon, so if you would find your seats and fasten your seatbelts, please.”

  Ethan watched Annabelle look around, eyes wide as she took in the soft cream upholstery and expensive fittings, and he wondered just how many more shocks she could take tonight before she broke. In fact, he wanted to hear her yell and curse; he loved that she didn’t have the same filter that others had and simply said exactly what she was feeling. Right now she was contained, thoughts shut off in her head behind that closed expression on her pretty face. Even her movements were controlled and economical, none of the long-limbed grace he was used to.

  She found a seat by the window and slid into it. He took the one beside her and they silently clicked their belts into place.

  “You going tell me you’re going to die again?” he teased her, hoping she’d respond; instead, she gave him a shake of her head and turned to look out the window.

  “The flight will take just over two hours, so maybe you could try to sleep while I make a few calls.”

  “Don’t baby me, Ethan. I can handle this, just like I’ve been handling everything for years.”

  He was pleased to hear the snap in her tone. Anger was better than the icy chill she’d just used on him.

  “On that subject, what did you mean when you said you’d earned money at the tables?”