I thought I’d have an hour or two before she woke to check on the fire damage and the work of my crews pulling up the stumps we can’t salvage. We lost several acres and I was ready to write the whole thing off until George texted about surviving roots.
We may be able to salvage something out of this mess and I made the decision to check it out, knowing I was leaving Evelyn behind. Never in my wildest dreams did I think my brothers would prank Evelyn.
And they definitely took advantage.
They should have introduced themselves. Instead, they toyed with my girl, letting her get close, put her hands on them, and… Okay, I can’t help but snicker here.
She’s one wild minx and not at all shy about going after what she wants. I wish I’d been in the barn instead of Cage. Listening to him tell me what happened, brings all kinds of dirty thoughts to mind.
She mentioned rope.
I kept things chill last night. Edging into more adventurous sex on the first date isn’t recommended. I usually take a few dates to feel a girl out. Now I know she’s thinking about it.
But so is Cage.
The fucker knows I like my sex dirty, but it’s not something I want to discuss with him.
“When exactly did you think it was appropriate to tell her you weren’t me?” I kind of want to pop him in the face. “Was it before or after she had a hand down your pants.”
Cage lifts his hands and takes two steps back. “First off, her hand wasn’t in my pants. She copped a feel, and it’s not like she gave me a lot of time to stop her.”
“I’m pretty certain Evelyn didn’t walk up and grab your junk.” Bastard should have said something. “I bet she hugged you first. You should have said something.” The way he won’t meet my eye tells me all I need to know.
“Fucker.” I take a swing at him, but he dances out of reach.
“Hey, she copped a feel of Brody, too. Don’t take out all your aggression on me.”
“You could’ve told her when she hugged you.”
“But she smelled so good. And it’s not like I hugged her back. Next I knew, she was squeezing my ass and copping a feel.”
“Asshole.”
“Sticks and stones may break my bones…”
“Shut the fuck up.” I jab my finger toward him. “And keep your hands off my girl.”
“Tell your girl to keep her hands off my junk and we’ll be good.”
I take another swing at Cage, but my heart’s not really in it. I need to find Evelyn and apologize. Not that I’ve done anything wrong, but apologizing up front tends to work best with women.
I dig out the carrot I’ve been hiding in my pocket and use that to lure Knight into his stall. Despite my desire to smooth things over with Evelyn, I don’t rush through taking care of my horse. Ten minutes later, I find her sitting on the front porch with her cellphone to her ear.
She lifts a finger telling me she’ll be right with me and continues speaking to whomever is on the other end of that phone.
“Yes, I’m at La Rouge Vineyards… No, you don’t have to do that… Okay, if you insist, but it’s not necessary… Do you need the address? You can Google it… Oh, okay, your driver has it? How long before you get here?” She leans back and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
My fingers itch to touch and smooth away what I can of what happened this morning.
Brody comes out. “Breakfast is ready.” He looks between me and Evelyn and huffs a low laugh.
“Met your girl earlier. She’s quite handsy.”
“That’s it.” I’m up in a flash.
My fist connects with his smug face before he can raise his guard. I get one or two hits in, before he fights back. We stumble back, off the porch, trading blows, while Evelyn pulls her feet up and tucks her legs beneath her on the lounger.
Her grip on the phone tightens, but she makes no move to intervene. That comes in the form of our mother who arrives in her little, red corvette stingray. It’s the car she and our father dated in back in the early seventies and she holds onto it, diligently maintaining it even as my brothers and I urge her to buy something more practical.
The engine cuts out and her crystal-clear voice pierces the air. “That’ll be enough, boys.” Her tone promises punishment and we snap apart.
Brody spits on the ground while I dust the dirt off my hands. We’re a mess, dirty from head to toe. Cage trots out from the barn and gives mother a peck on the cheek.
“Hey, mom,” he says.
“Don’t you mom me. Why are they fighting?” Her head swivels and her eagle eyes land on Evelyn who’s desperately trying to hide out on the porch.
Just what I don’t need.
“We have a guest for breakfast?” Her tiny fists go to her hips as she stares us down. “Brody, why didn’t you tell me? And the two of you are fighting?”
“Wrestling.” I stretch out my fingers and rub at my knuckles. I got a couple good hits in.
“Wrestling?” She looks between the two of us and I give Brody the eye. Our mother doesn’t tolerate fighting, and while we may be pushing thirty, we respect the hell out of our mother. “Is that true, Brody?”
“Yes, ma’am. Just a little fun.” He returns my look, letting me know we’re good.
My brothers and I settle most of our disputes with our fists. We’re well matched, literally, and it gets all our aggression out in the open where we can deal with it and move on. I slap Brody on the back and give mom a hug.
“Good morning.” I place a kiss on her cheek. Brody does the same.
She turns toward the porch. “And who is our guest?”
I take my mother’s hand in mine and lead her up the porch. “Mother, may I introduce Evelyn Thornton. Evelyn, my mother, Abbie La Rouge.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. La Rouge.” Evelyn stands and shifts awkwardly on her feet.
My mother wastes no time in pulling Evelyn into a hug. “Please, call me Abbie, unless you want me to call you Miss Thornton.” As my mother takes in Evelyn her eyes twinkle. “Now tell me, what were my boys fighting about?”
Before I can intervene, mom drags Evelyn into the house. She calls out over her shoulder. “You boys get cleaned up in the barn while Evelyn and I get to know each other.”
Well, fuck.
Brody laughs beside me. “Damn that was quick. She got her claws in your girl in two-seconds flat. You’re so fucking screwed. She’ll have you married with five kids before breakfast begins.”
“Asshole,” I say.
“Asswipe,” he replies.
“Come on, fuckers,” Cage says. “You know she’s not letting us inside until we’re cleaned up.”
We’re three grown-ass men trudging out to the barn to wash our hands before our mother allows us back inside my house. The irony is not lost on me.
I’m more reluctant than my brothers because Cage is one hundred percent correct. Our mother is a meddler and I need to get to Evelyn as fast as I can.
It’s too late.
By the time we return, my mother’s sharp gaze sweeps the three of us. I feel like I’m five again, caught with my hand in the cookie jar. Brody and Cage bow their heads. They know we’re all about to get dressed down by our mother in front of a guest.
“I know I taught you better than this.” She draws me into a hug.
My eyes grow wide because this is not a dressing down. She hands me off to the table, pointing to the spot next to where Evelyn sits. I’m silent as shit as she gets toe to toe with first Brody and then Cage. Her finger shakes inches from their noses.
“Now you two will apologize to Evelyn.” She gives a shake of her head and makes a tut-tut-tutting sound. “Teasing her like that.” Her attention swings to Evelyn. “I swear my boys have been taught better than this.”
I don’t know how my mother does it, but she never fails to draw out the truth from someone. She had Evelyn alone for how long? Five minutes? How did ‘Hello, nice to meet you’, turn into your sons pranked me and I accidentally f
ondled them?
Does my mother know what Brody and Cage did to Evelyn?
From the look in my mother’s eye I have no doubt Evelyn either told her, or she figured it out other own.
I reach over and grip Evelyn’s hand. “I’m sorry. I should have told you. In my defense, I was otherwise preoccupied.” This is the truth. We’d been going at each other like two horny teenagers. The last thing on my mind was my brothers.
“I suppose we’re still learning about each other. I’m sorry I got mad at you. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Well, I should have mentioned my brothers were staying here. They’re usually out of town. It honestly didn’t occur to me. In hindsight, I can see how it would’ve been very confusing, not to mention embarrassing, although…”
“Although, what?”
I lower my voice. My mother’s dressing down of my brothers continues not ten feet away.
“I kind of like where your head—and hand—was at.”
The first smile of the morning lights up her face. “I guess no morning special is on the menu.”
“Maybe a nooner?” I’m hopeful.
“Probably not.”
“Why not? We could head to the barn, try out a little rope work.”
Her flush is enough to melt my heart. “As much fun as that sounds, that was Prescott on the phone. They’re on their way from the airport and should be here soon.”
“Damn, that sucks.”
“Yeah, in light of this morning’s events, there’s something you need to know about Prescott.”
I’m all ears, but my mother’s dressing down is winding down. I thread my fingers with Evelyn’s and pull her hand up where I can kiss the backs of her knuckles.
“Tell me after breakfast.”
“Okay.”
Brody and Cage take their seats opposite us and my mother pulls platters off the stove and out of the oven. She didn’t cook the meal, but she’s going to serve it. That’s our mom, smothering every chance she gets.
“So, you live with your mom?” Evelyn says teasingly.
“Not at all, hun.” My mother answers for me. “It’s just temporary until we can get my cottage fixed up after the fire damage.”
Ah shit. Talk about a failure to communicate. I’ve yet to tell Evelyn about the damage La Rouge Vineyards sustained after that fire. It, along with the farms next to us, are what will take her arson arrest and make it a felony charge if she’s convicted.
Fuck.
“What fire damage?” Evelyn’s voice is soft, but cautious. She pulls her hand out of mine and clasps her fingers together in her lap. The whites of her knuckles show and I place my hand over hers in silent support.
“The fire burned for five days. It destroyed a lot of land and spilled into the valley. My mother’s cottage survived, but there’s damage we need to fix.”
“Is that all?”
“No. We lost several acres in the fire before we could put it out.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was more concerned about you, to be honest.” She needs to know what’s important. Land and buildings mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. I’m not ready to express everything I’m feeling just yet. We’re still getting to know each other. Case in point, my failure to mention my brothers and the subsequent shenanigans they pulled on her this morning.
To them, it is all in good fun. How many times have we played that prank on the girls we’ve brought home growing up, or the times we switched mid-date. It’s one of the reasons Mom is so pissed at Brody and Cage. We broke a lot of hearts in our youth and weren’t exactly respectful of the girls we fucked.
And I do mean to say fucked. I’m the only one to ever have a steady girlfriend. All the others were nothing more than conquests, something to pass the time. I’m not proud of this, but it’s the truth.
18
Evelyn
If I thought the bar was overwhelming, it doesn’t hold a candle to sitting down and having breakfast with Asher’s family.
Our relationship is what I’d call a whirlwind. We’ve skipped a lot and covered impressive ground.
Abbie La Rouge is a blast. I mean that in the best of ways, but it’s a bit too soon to lower my guard and relax. Yet, that’s exactly what happens.
She sent her boys to wash and drew the most embarrassing moment of my life from my lips, commiserated with me, then smoothed all the jagged edges as if they never existed. All before Asher, Brody, and Cage could dry their hands.
The woman is amazing.
We’re beyond all of that now and gather around, passing bacon, pancakes, and eggs down the table.
Like this is a normal occurrence.
But it’s not. I pass the bacon. Share the syrup. They treat me as one of their own, but I’m an outsider. Abbie refuses to allow me to feel that way. She’s already welcomed me into the fold, but she has no reason to do so. I’m a stranger, but to look at her, it’s as if I’m the long-lost daughter she’s always wanted.
Talk about big shoes to fill.
I’m drowning.
Asher piles his plate full with a stack of pancakes then sandwiches bacon slices between them.
“What are you doing?” My brows pinch together as I watch the carb overload and artery clogging event.
His cocky grin is back. “It’s more efficient.”
“More efficient how?” Healthy how?
“All the good bites in one.” He looks at my plate where I’ve barely touched the one piece of bacon and the small scoop of scrambled eggs I placed there. “Not hungry?”
I place a hand over my belly. Whether it’s nerves or something else, the thought of food is unappealing.
“Maybe later.” The food looks amazing, but there’s no way I’m getting any of it to stay down. Not only am I sitting across the table from his brothers, each of whom I’ve felt up, but his mother sits at the head of the table.
This is so far out of my comfort zone, I want to scream.
“You should eat, Evelyn.” His mother looks at my plate and shakes her head. “You’re practically skin and bones.”
I’m skin and bones because I watch what I eat.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Brody snickers across the table and Cage rolls his eyes. Asher places a hand on my leg as his mother gives me a look.
“Evelyn, and I mean this in the nicest way, please call me Mom or Abbie, but I prefer we stay away from ma’am. I’m not that formal and I hope you understand why that may be.”
Shit. Way to put my foot in my mouth. “I’m sorry, Abbie.” She smiles as I relent. “It’s just how I was raised. I mean no disrespect.”
“None taken, my dear. I appreciate the lessons your parents taught you, and I don’t mean to overstep, or diminish them, but I prefer to keep things more casual.”
“Abbie it is.” I give her a soft smile, letting her know her lesson has been received and acknowledged.
Somehow, being dressed down by Asher’s mom, rather than making me feel more distant, makes me feel closer to her than before. It’s as if we’ve crossed a line together.
As for the food, I consider myself to be athletic, although I do feel like I’ve lost weight. Under her admonishment, I finish off the eggs and force down the bacon. I should have a pancake with some of that amazing syrup they keep passing around, but my phone flashes with an incoming text.
I look up, apologetic. “I’m sorry, but that’s my lawyer.”
“Your lawyer?” Asher asks.
“Yes Prescott.” Didn’t I explain this to Asher? “He says they just turned down the lane.” I look between Asher’s brothers sitting opposite me, not entirely sure which one is Brody. I pick the one on the left and hope for the best. “Um, thanks for making breakfast. It was really good.”
Cage points to Brody. “You mean him.”
Shit. Wrong triplet. God, they’re nearly indistinguishable.
Brody chuckles. Abbie covers her mouth. And As
her’s body stiffens.
“Um, sorry. It’s pretty incredible how much the three of you look alike.” I turn to their mother. “Did you ever mix them up when they were little?”
I imagine a stressed and scatterbrained mother trying to keep track of three identical triplets. Put them all on a changing table, shuffle them around. How improbable is it to think she got them mixed up?
I would’ve confused them multiple times. How she kept them straight is beyond me.
Her laughter is soft, like the fluttering of butterfly wings. “Oh, so many times. I’m almost certain I got them sorted out though.” She lowers her voice and whispers. “I think. It’s all in how they’re circumcised.” She winks at me. “You know, one is clipped too short, one a little generous on the left, the other one….”
“Mom!” Brody rolls his eyes.
Cage gives a shake of his head. “Don’t listen to Mom. She never mixed us up. Especially me, since I’m her favorite.”
Asher and Brody exchange exaggerated moans.
“You’re not her favorite.” Brody punches Cage in the arm. “She just lets you think that because you’re too dumb to know the truth.”
“Right,” Asher jumps in. “I’m her favorite. That’s why I came out first. She wanted alone time with me before the two of you crashed our party.”
“What?” I look between the three of them. A smile fills Abbie’s face as she looks at her boys.
Asher explains. “I’m the eldest.”
“Like a minute or two really matters,” I say.
“More like two weeks.” Asher is quick to correct me.
“Is that even possible?” I’ve never heard of such a thing.
“Yeah, I was born two weeks before those two slackers. Like I’ve always said, Mom wanted time alone with her favorite son before the lesser sons arrived.” Asher puffs out his chest.
“Bullshit. She was eager to get rid of you and pop your ass out. She loves us more.” Brody is quick to engage. “That’s why she hung onto us.”
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