by Wilder, L.
“What do you mean?”
“Have you not noticed how these people are looking at us like we have three heads or something?”
“Oh,” he scoffed. “Don’t worry about them.”
“How am I not supposed to worry? They look like the kind of people who’d shoot first and ask questions later.”
“That’s because they are, but that’s a good thing.”
“And how is that a good thing?”
“You gotta think … these people live up here for a reason. They don’t want to be around other people. They like their privacy, and when outsiders come poking around, they feel threatened and take matters into their own hands.” He shrugged as he continued, “Once they realize who we are and that we’re staying out at Jed’s place, they’ll see we don’t mean any harm and they’ll ease up a bit. Besides, it’ll be nice to have them keeping an eye on things. If someone comes snooping around, these folks will be the first know about it.”
It was clear that Gunner had his own set of concerns when he said, “I haven’t seen any cable lines for miles. Do they even have TV up here in these parts?”
“He had a satellite, but I’m not sure if he still does,” Murphy answered from the front seat.
“What about Internet?”
“I’m sure he does, but we’ll see when we get there.”
Gunner slumped in his seat as he stared out the window and said, “How do these people survive without internet or TV?”
Jackson laughed as he answered, “I’m sure they make it just fine, and if I had to guess, I’d bet they’d say they don’t need such luxuries.”
“TV is not a luxury, Riggs,” T-Bone argued. “It’s a fucking necessity.”
Murphy patted him on the shoulder as he said, “Don’t worry. I’m sure he still has that old VHS player you can borrow.”
“VHS? What the hell?” Gunner complained. “I didn’t know those things were still around.”
“He might even have some old cassette tapes you can listen to.” Murphy teased him.
T-Bone shook his head as he looked out the window and said, “I’m good with anything but fucking banjo music.”
Like they could read his mind, they all smiled wide as they started to hum the infamous tune from the movie Deliverance. As they strummed their imaginary banjos, their humming got louder and louder. When the melody finally stopped, they all burst into laughter, making it clear that they were all very amused with themselves. I, on the other hand, didn’t find it nearly as funny. The memory of that movie gave me the creeps, especially considering where we were. Thankfully, as we continued up the mountainside that apprehensive feeling started to fade, and it completely vanished when we pulled into Jed’s driveway. His enormous ranch-style home was nestled in a thick of maple trees with a large pond in the front yard. There were large barrels filled with bright yellow flowers cascading down the front porch and an old rope swing hanging from one of the trees. It looked so inviting, unlike Jed himself. Wearing a pair of oversized, worn-out denim overalls, Jed stood on the front steps with a shotgun in one hand and a pipe in the other. He remained standing there until we’d parked.
When T-Bone and Murphy got out, he walked over to them and asked, “You boys have a good trip?”
“Yes, sir. We did,” Murphy answered. “We appreciate you letting us hang out at your place for a while. I hope we aren’t putting you out.”
“Not at all. You know you’re welcome any time. The missus loves it when you boys come down for a visit.” He glanced behind him, making sure she wasn’t close by when he said, “She’s been on my ass all morning about all kinds of nonsense. Maybe she’ll settle down now that you’re here.”
“I hope for your sake you’re right.” T-Bone chuckled as he said, “Cause we all know … when the wife’s not happy, nobody’s happy.”
“You ain’t lying there, son.” Jed glanced over at our SUV and the one the prospects’ drove, which was parked behind us as he said, “I’m sure you’ve got a lot to unload. Why don’t you head on up and get settled? We’ll have dinner ready in a couple of hours.”
“Dinner? You didn’t have to do that,” Murphy told him. “I hope you didn’t go to a lot of trouble on our account.”
“Hell, no. I didn’t go to any trouble at all … Now, I can’t say the same for Sue Ellen. She’s been cooking for two days.” His brows furrowed as he whined, “Damn house has been smelling all kinds of good, but she won’t let me have so much as a bite of any of it.”
“Oh, man.” Murphy chuckled as he said, “Well, you’ll have to make up for it tonight at dinner.”
“Damn straight. We’re eating high on the hog tonight!” He smiled wide as he patted his round belly. “Now, you boys get a move on. I’ll be ready for some grub soon.”
“You got it.”
Once they were back in the SUV, we all headed up to the cabin. Despite its close proximity to Jed’s house, it was completely camouflaged from all the dense surrounding trees, making it feel even more secluded as we made our way up the steep drive. When we finally made it up to the cabin, I was tickled to see that it was unexpectedly more beautiful than Jackson had described. I loved everything about it, especially the porch that overlooked the stream. I could see myself sitting out on the swing, drinking my morning coffee as I listened to the birds chirping in the trees. There were three full stories with an outside balcony on each, and two chimneys with clouds of smoke billowing from the top. As soon as we got out of the SUV, T-Bone took Crow and Rider, two of the prospects, to check out the grounds. I was still trying to get used to the whole “protective-brother-club thing,” but I had to admit that I found comfort in knowing they were all there to watch over us. While we were waiting for T-Bone to finish up with the prospects, I looked over at Jackson and said, “This place is unbelievable.”
“I hoped you’d like it.”
“I don’t just like it. I love it.”
He smiled as he said, “Wait until you see the inside.”
By the time I got Tate out of his car seat, T-Bone had returned, and once he’d assured Jackson that everything was fine, I followed Jackson into the cabin. Just like he’d promised, it was amazing. The living room was enormous with a gorgeous fireplace and a leather sofa with a matching love seat. As I stood in the middle of the room, I could see the other two floors above me through the open stairwell, which made the room feel even bigger. While it was beautifully decorated, it wasn’t overly done, and there was still a very masculine feel to it, especially with the large deer head that was hanging over the mantle and the chandler made of deer antlers hanging from the ceiling. “You were right. This is amazing, but it seems strange that a place like this would be out here in the middle of nowhere. I guess Jed’s one of those men who likes his privacy.”
“That he is.” Jackson chuckled.
“Well, this place must’ve cost him a fortune.”
“Yeah, that’s Jed for ya. He’s always wanted the best of the best.” Jackson motioned his hand towards the stairs and said, “You and I will stay up on the third floor. Jed set up a crib in the room next to ours for Tate, and there’s a full kitchen and bath up there, too.”
“Okay.”
Noting my apprehension, he asked, “Is everything okay?”
“The cabin is perfect, it really is … but we’re so far away from everything. What if something happens? How will the police be able to get to us—”
“We’ve got it covered, Reece. Not only do we have the best security system around, but Jed will be watching things from his place while Murphy and Gunner help me keep an eye on things here.”
“And if someone does show up? What happens then?”
His tone was firm and full of confidence as he said, “Then they’ll be handled accordingly … probably with a bullet in their head.”
“Umm … okay.”
“We’ve got this, beautiful.” He leaned towards me, and after a quick kiss on the lips, he said, “Now, why don’t you take Tate upstair
s and check things out while I help the guys unload everything from the SUVs?”
“Are you sure you don’t need any help?”
“We’ve got it. You go get settled.”
I nodded, then headed upstairs to see where we would be staying. Just like the rest of the house, the decorating was modest and comfortable. The bedroom had a king-sized bed with a large dresser on one side of the room and a sofa on the other. There was a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, and an outside door that led to the balcony. The bathroom had a walk-in shower and a whirlpool tub with a door that led into Tate’s room. His room was the smaller of the two, with a crib and a rocking chair. When I spotted a chest full of toys, I took Tate over to check it out. As I opened it, I smiled at Tate and asked, “What do you think? Pretty cool, right?”
He wiggled against me as he babbled, “Down.”
As soon as his feet hit the floor, he started digging around in the toy box, pulling out everything that interested him. In no time, he had a pile of trucks and trains scattered around him, and he completely forgot I was even in the room. When Jackson walked in with our bags, Tate held up one of the trucks and proudly said, “Wook!”
“Cool truck you got there, buddy.” Jackson set our bags to the side of the door, then went over and sat down on the floor next to him. “What else do you have here?”
“Car.” Tate picked up one of the little cars as he said, “Wed one.”
“I see that.”
Tate handed it to Jackson. “You pway.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
I watched as Jackson toyed with the tires for a moment, then reached for one of the trains that was laying next to him. “Are there any tracks for the train?”
Curious, Tate got up and started digging around in the toy box once again. When he found several pieces of track, he handed them to Jackson. “Here.”
Jackson took them from Tate and quietly started putting the pieces together. Seeing that they were both entertained, I picked up a couple of our bags and said, “I’m going to take our stuff into our room and start unpacking.”
“Want some help?”
“I’ve got it. You two have fun.”
I watched them for several moments before heading into the bedroom to put our things away. I placed the luggage on the bed, and as I unzipped Jackson’s bag, I realized it was the first time I’d ever actually lived with a man. I had no idea how it would all work, but for some strange reason, I wasn’t worried. I looked forward to having this time with Jackson, and I hoped that it would lead to more time with him in the future. When I finished putting our clothes away, I walked over to the door and listened as Jackson talked to Tate. My chest tightened with guilt as they bantered back and forth. Being a father came so natural to Jackson. He was so sweet to Tate, so loving and tender, and if I hadn’t been so stubborn, he would’ve been in his life from the very start. Tate would’ve known what it was like to have a father, to know the kind of love that only he could give, and I hated that I had a part in keeping them from being together. I knew there was no way I could make up for what I’d done. I just hoped that the time would come when Jackson and Tate would be able to forgive me for the mistakes I’d made.
I was still standing there listening to them play with the toy trains when Gunner shouted, “Riggs!”
Startled, I stepped out in the hall and listened as Jackson answered, “Yeah?”
“What’s the Wi-Fi password?”
“There is no password.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously. Think about it. Out here, there’s nobody close enough to steal access.”
“I guess I hadn’t thought about that.” He was silent for a few seconds, then he shouted again. “Yo, Riggs!”
“Yeah?”
“You about ready to head over to Jed’s?”
“I think so,” he answered. “Let me check with Reece.”
“I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Well then, let’s move it! I’m hungry enough to eat a horse,” T-Bone bellowed.
Jackson chuckled as he told him, “We’ll be down in a sec.”
As soon as I grabbed Tate’s diaper bag, I turned and started for the door. I’d just stepped into the hall when I spotted Jackson coming out of Tate’s room. He had Tate propped up on his hip, and they both smiled when they saw me. Jackson glanced over at the diaper bag and asked, “You got everything you need?”
“I think so.”
“All right then, let’s go grab us some grub.” Jackson looked down at Tate and asked him, “You ready for some grub?”
Without skipping a beat, Tate replied, “I unt gub.”
“You got it, buddy.”
I followed them downstairs and out to the SUV. After we all piled in, Murphy drove us down to Jed’s, and just like earlier, Jed was waiting for us on the front steps. As soon as we got out, he waved us forward, rushing us inside so we could eat. We’d barely made it to the porch when the heavenly scent of fried chicken and fresh biscuits began to tease my senses, making me think of my grandmother as I entered the house. I wanted to take a moment to look around their beautiful living room, but Jed wasn’t having it. He’d waited as long as he could stand, and he let everyone know it. “Food’s on the table! Last one sittin’ is eating out in the barn!”
Jackson and the others acted like a group of unruly children as they barreled into the dining room like a herd of bulls, and there was even a little pushing and shoving as they made their way to their seats. Once they were settled, they looked over to me standing in the doorway with my hands on my hips. I gave them a scolding look as I asked, “Really?”
“Sorry, Reece. When it comes to Sue Ellen’s fried chicken, we can’t seem to help ourselves,” Murphy explained.
“It’s all right, dear.” A woman’s voice called from behind me. When Sue Ellen walked by me and into the room, I was surprised to see that she was dressed quite differently than her husband. She was all dolled up with a floral-printed dress and pearls, and her short gray hair was styled with perfect little curls. She had on just enough makeup to add color to face and lips. As she placed the platter of fried chicken on the table, she smiled and said, “I raised a house full of boys. I’m used to it.”
The guys were practically drooling as they all chimed in, “It’s looks great, Mrs. Sue. You’re the best.”
“Well, I hope you boys enjoy it.”
Once I’d gotten Tate situated in his highchair, I sat down next to Jackson. When the guys started passing the food around, Jackson reached for Tate’s little serving tray and asked, “What about the big guy? What should I get him?”
“He won’t eat much. Maybe a biscuit … a few peas and a bit of mashed potatoes,” I suggested. “I’ll let him try a little of my chicken.”
Like he’d done it a thousand times before, Jackson filled each of the little compartments with food and sat it in front of him. “Here you go, buddy. Here’s your grub.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Tate grabbed the baby spoon I’d brought him and started toying with his peas. They weren’t the easiest for a toddler to manage, but after several tries, he actually got several into his mouth. He continued to try a few more times, but eventually moved on to the rest of the food on his plate. Once I saw that he was managing just fine on his own, I made myself a plate. As I sat there eating, I looked around the room and watched as the guys interacted with each other. It tickled me to see how they laughed and carried on, telling their tall tales and teasing one another about silly mistakes they’d made. As I continued watching them, it became clear to me that these men were truly family. They might not have been bound by blood, but they were brothers just the same.
17
Riggs
One Month Later
The sun was just starting to filter through the window when I rolled over and found Tate wedged in between Reece and me. He was sleeping soundly with his arm over his head and his leg draped over Reece’s waist. It wasn’t the first time he’d
found his way into our bed, and something told me it wouldn’t be the last. He had us both wrapped around his little finger, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d loved every moment that I’d shared with him, and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. I felt the same way about his mother. As I lay there staring at them both, I found myself wondering what things would be like for us once we’d left the cabin. Reece and I both had places of our own, but neither one of them was suitable for raising a family and I wanted that. I wanted a place where we could be happy—a place where we could share our lives together and expand our family. I wanted to put a ring on Reece’s finger and to give Tate a brother or sister to grow up with. I wanted it all, and I wanted it sooner than later.
I was still lying there next to them when Crow came in from doing his night watch. As soon as he walked through the door, I heard T-Bone ask him, “Did you check the perimeter?”
“Yep. All the way to the east bank like I always do.” With the open floor plan of the house, I could hear every word echoing up the stairwell as he continued, “Everything looked good.”
Over the past few weeks, we’d established a meticulous surveillance routine. Every twelve hours, we would rotate to our assigned area where we would stand guard until it was time for the next person to take over. At times, the perimeter checks and hourly check-ins seemed tedious, but we had to stay vigilant. It was the only way we could ensure Reece’s safety, so I was pleased to hear that Crow hadn’t come across anything suspicious. I was about to pull myself out of bed when I heard T-Bone reply, “Good. Grab a bite to eat and then get you some shut eye.”
