The Monkey Jungle (The Bennt, Montana Series)

by Taylor Ryan

  “If that’s what your waffle did to him, it should be outlawed.” Garth quipped, remembering she’d warned him about her family and that damned waffle. Mary Kathryn sent him a dark look to indicate he wasn’t helping.

  “Alison, go see what’s going wrong with Henry,” Mary Kathryn instructed. She patted Alison’s hand. “When he acts like a brat, he’s usually deeply upset about something.”

  “Spank him,” Garth said under his breath.

  “Careful,” Mary Kathryn whispered loudly in aside. “She might.”

  Garth’s brow creased. “I didn’t need to hear that.”

  Alison didn’t move, glancing uncertainly between her father and Mary Kathryn. “He’s worried about you, Mary Kathryn,” she finally blurted out. “But he won’t tell me what it is he’s concerned about, not really. It’s making him crazy!”

  Mary Kathryn immediately went on the defense, her eyes bright with suppressed amusement. “Whatever is making him crazy it is not hereditary, Alison, so he didn’t get it from me. No matter what he claims about my mental state.”

  Garth laughed. “Mary Kathryn, you make me crazy.”

  “Dad—” Alison wailed. “Knock it off.”

  “Suddenly it’s about her,” Garth said to Mary Kathryn, ignoring his daughter.

  “There’s no talking to either of you!” Alison’s chair scraped back and she flounced from the kitchen.

  “That was badly done of us.” Mary Kathryn sighed without regret. “Thank goodness they’re gone. Your fish is cooked perfect. Flaky, light and simply wonderful. You certainly know your way around a skillet.”

  “You really went fishing all last week and turned them loose?” Garth tried not to smile, knowing why she had been disappearing. She wanted him!

  “I was training them for you.” She laughed as she raised her wine glass to toast her jest.

  Garth waited until she set the glass down, leaned sideways and grabbed her forearm. He tipped her chair over. He held her until she was three inches from the floor then dropped her, chuckling as she went down with a surprised squawk, the chair tumbling over and banging behind her.

  Mary Kathryn gaped up at him from the floor. “What did you do that for?”

  “I’m in training. Does anything hurt?” he inquired innocently as she climbed to her feet and righted her chair.

  She glowered at him warily as she rubbed her bottom. “I’m not sure yet. I’m still in shock.”

  “Well, if it does, no matter what time, day or night,” he said soberly, his voice lowering, husky. “Let me know and I’ll kiss it. Make it better. Every single sweet soft inch that I hurt, I will make better.”

  Her cheeks pinked, then her eyes darkened.

  He met her fascinated, intrigued consternation, his expression warming as his water glass rose, mimicking her toast. “Like I said, training. Next time I open my mouth and shut you down, feel free to scold me until I’m laughing so hard I can’t stand up. Mary Kathryn, close your mouth, you’re making the fish jealous.”

  “Mom, I’m sorry.” A sullen Henry stalked into the room before Mary Kathryn open her mouth. Henry peered suspiciously from his mother to his future father-in-law. “I’ve been stressed lately.” As if that excused everything, Henry sat down, picked up his fork and proceeded to finish his dinner, regaling them with how he liked the style of thick shirt Garth was wearing, effectively bringing the intimacy he’d interrupted to an end.

  Chapter Sixteen

  THE NEXT MORNING MARY KATHRYN came down the stairs, instantly searching for Garth. Upon seeing the couch empty she looked about, finding him standing in the doorway of the downstairs half-bath. Her feet propelled her toward him, her expression intent.

  Garth’s head cocked toward the stairs, hearing Henry and Alison talking as Henry’s bedroom door opened. He glanced at Mary Kathryn to find her eyes riveted on his mouth. Without a moment’s hesitation he dragged her into the small room, kissing her before the door even closed. One hand turned on the faucet as he pushed her against the sink counter.

  The fiery exchange quickly became more passionate. He picked her up without moving his mouth from hers and sat her on the counter. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he kneaded and squeezed her bottom, molding her against him.

  A quick rap on the door brought them out of the heated exchange. They stared blankly at each other as the door opened, hitting the wall with a loud bang.

  “Oh!—uh—sorry!” Henry’s knowing scowl belied his apology. “I didn’t know you were in here.” He took in Garth’s tousled hair and his mother’s flushed face as she slid off the sink. “Alison is using the upstairs shower... Do you mind?” With a imperious wave of his hand Henry indicated they vacate the room.

  When neither moved Henry simply joined them in the tiny space. reaching behind his mother he turned off the water. His impatient significant glance at the toilet caused Garth to stare disbelieving at the younger man.

  Mary Kathryn’s color remained high, her eyes glittering with temper as she lifted her chin. Meeting Henry’s gaze levelly, she slid off the counter, out of Garth’s arms and stalked from the room. Henry needed strangling. What if she’d really been using the bathroom? Her outrage knew no bounds at his audacity.

  “The lock is, uh—broken,” Henry barely concealed his triumph as Garth followed Mary Kathryn. Mary Kathryn pivoted and pinned her son with a glare that should have caused him to slink away.

  Garth paused mid-step in the doorway, then heaved a sigh as he stepped out of the room, muttering, “So what else is new?” It appeared the younger man was going to do everything he could to see they couldn’t spend time alone together. The lock hadn’t been broken yesterday.

  Mary Kathryn opened her mouth to berate Henry. Before she could Henry slammed the bathroom door, leaving them standing in the living room staring bemusedly at one another. They heard the toilet flush. A moment later Henry joined them. He closed the door with another resounding bang, daring them to challenge him.

  “Garth,” he snapped, “Alison wants you to come with us when I take her to work. We’ll be leaving in twenty minutes.” Henry didn’t give Garth a chance to respond. “Mom,” he said, “I’ll take the grocery list from the fridge. Can I have some money? We’ll stop at the market on the way home.”

  Mary Kathryn’s passion enhanced flush subsided, but she was still under the influence of the kiss, and reeling from Henry’s rudeness. She raised a helpless hand even as Garth shook his head.

  “I’ll buy,” Garth said. He made to step toward Mary Kathryn, but Henry waxed dramatically: “Did you watch sports news last night, Garth?—how ‘bout them Raiders, they looked great in training camp... They’re sure to be in the playoffs. Let’s check the grocery list and figure something out for dinner.”

  The only one of the three truly who felt awkward was Henry. He was babbling. Mary Kathryn was helplessly enthralled by the hungry look in Garth’s eyes. He was devouring her. Henry gave her a nudge toward reality. “Anything in particular you want for dinner, Mom? Pasta, pizza? Homemade chili? Or you could give up a bag of those Jumbo Prawns you’ve got stashed. Or steak and potatoes, you know how I love potatoes. Or, how about meatballs? Meatball sandwiches.”

  Mary Kathryn tore her gaze from Garth’s, snorted disgustedly in Henry’s direction and made for the stairs. She felt like she was in a loony bin. Henry had lost his mind. It was like living with an angry eight year old. He wouldn’t have been blathering if he didn’t feel some shame.

  She felt Garth’s gaze boring into her back. Henry began questioning Garth about the boots Garth was wearing and how Garth should get a set of colorful laces because it was all the rage.

  Henry never left Garth alone for the rest of the day, monopolizing Garth’s time and patience, he kept his mother and Garth apart by being underfoot. He chattered and flitted about like a demented, nervous monkey.

  Garth began tormenting him by touching Mary Kathryn whenever the opportunity rose. With his eyes lingering on her, or a hand on
her arm, or his fingers brushing hair over her shoulder, Henry became increasingly restless, even sweating when Garth said he didn’t want to go with him to pick up Alison after her evening shift at the pizza parlor.

  “B-but she wants to take you out and buy you a drink!” Henry exclaimed as he loaded the dishwasher, the plate he held banging loudly against the bowls already loaded.

  “You’d better go, Garth,” Mary Kathryn observed her son, “or Henry will let Alison walk home.”

  Garth absorbed the idea, seeing Henry’s fists clench. The younger man was odd, that was for certain. “I’ll go,” he saw instant relief on Henry’s face. “But I’ll drive.”

  “But I want to drive,” Henry pressed his luck.

  “Obviously Garth doesn’t want to get stuck in a bar with you two,” Mary Kathryn peered at her son with interest. “If you want him to go with you, I suggest you let him drive you.” She exchanged a smile with Garth that caused Henry’s face to flush. He dropped another plate and her gaze shot to him.

  “I’ll see you when you get back,” she said to Garth, seeing Henry rescue the now chipped plate and cringing at his carelessness.

  “Alison is getting off work about now,” Garth glanced at his watch. “I’ll pick her up myself.” He didn’t wait, striding for the door, telling Henry he could finish cleaning up the kitchen while he fetched Alison. Mary Kathryn followed him, aware Henry dogged her heels.

  “There’s a special on television,” she told Garth. “Would you like to watch it with me when you get back?”

  “I’d like that. What is it?” Garth paused at the door, glancing significantly at the mutant-faced Henry.

  Mary Kathryn followed his gaze, her own condemning her son. “It’s about adult children and the parents who suffer them.”

  “Mom!” Henry took it like a slap in the face.

  Garth laughed, deliberately leaning down and kissing her mouth. “Sounds great. I’ll pick up some popcorn and we’ll make a night of it.”

  “I wanted to watch the baseball game!” Henry whined.

  “Go finish the dishes,” Mary Kathryn ordered, stepping away from Garth.

  “I thought you said Alison wanted to go out?” Garth’s question caused Henry’s feet to shuffle.

  “I like buttered popcorn,” Mary Kathryn said quickly, knowing it wasn’t worth an argument. “Alison prefers kettle corn.” She touched Garth’s arm. “See you in twenty.”

  “I’ll go with you, Garth!” Henry didn’t give either of them a chance to protest, opening the door wide. “You finish the kitchen, please, Mom. We’ll get the popcorn—oh, and Alison.” He waited impatiently for Garth to go out the door, shutting it in his mother’s bemused face.

  * * * * *

  It wasn’t a show about annoying adult children as she’d claimed. Garth sat in the second easy chair, Mary Kathryn across the end table from him. Alison took up most of the couch, snuggling with Henry. Henry had neatly disposed Mary Kathryn from the sofa when they’d come in; asking his mother to microwave the popcorn, he and Alison promptly plopped themselves on the sofa when she’d gotten up.

  When Mary Kathryn had come back from the kitchen with two steaming bags of popcorn the only seat available was her chair. She passed Henry his popcorn, snatched the remote from him and changed the sports highlights to the show she wanted.

  “A lottery show, Mom?” Henry scoffed as he delved into the bag of kettle corn. “Alison, grab me a soda, would you?”

  Alison jumped to her feet and trotted obediently for toward the kitchen.

  “She’s been on her feet all day, Henry,” Mary Kathryn objected quietly, wondering what Garth thought about his daughter’s subservience to her son. She didn’t like it, what must Garth be thinking? Kids were supposed to grow up in college, not backslide. “Henry,” Mary Kathryn said, “Alison worked all day. You should be waiting on her.”

  “Nah,” Henry waved a dismissive hand. “She likes doing things for me.”

  “Sure she does,” Mary Kathryn rolled her eyes toward the ceiling as she tucked her feet up under her bottom. Henry was in for a rude awakening when Alison came to her senses. Her sarcasm went right over Henry’s head.

  “Oh!” Alison exclaimed at the television when she came back into the room, passing her father, who thanked her, then Henry, who didn’t, their sodas. “I love these shows,” she exclaimed. “The horrible things people do to each other for money. It’s better than fiction.” She said to her father, “Did you hear about the lady in California who murdered her husband when he only won ten thousand dollars? It was crazy.”

  “Totally,” Henry made room for Alison to put her feet up when she sat down beside him. “Ten thousand dollars won’t buy anything,” he said. “The guy should have spent it on the way home, then his wife wouldn’t have had a reason to kill him. If I ever win the lottery I’m going to buy his and her Porches,” he stroked Alison’s leg. “Then a chain of franchise restaurants, a yacht, an apartment in Manhattan and nightclubs in every major city in the country. I’ll travel around and party in them. I’d buy my own plane too. Hire pilots—put them on salary so I can go anywhere I want, whenever I want.” He glanced at his mother. “What would you do, Mom?”

  “Live it up,” Mary Kathryn vowed. “Take a six month Alaskan cruise. Spend the other six months fishing new rivers and creeks. I’d buy myself a Rolls Royce, hitch it to a land yacht and tour the country so people could look at the Rolls. Most people have never seen a Rolls,” she explained to Henry.

  “What’s a land yacht?” Alison piped up.

  “A motor home,” Garth smiled at his daughter, who laughed.

  “Shush, ya’ll,” Mary Kathryn tugged her lap blanket over her knees. “This particular show is about a group of office people who won 212 million dollars and how it changed their lives.”

  “It wouldn’t change my life,” Henry declared with relish, then promptly contradicted himself despite his earlier musing what he would do if he won. “I like Crystal, fast cars and speedboats. I’d buy a formula race car! And I’ve a few friends from college who have real potential as rap stars. I’d finance them in a second.” He added with gusto, “I’d set up my own record label, White Trash Rap.” He smiled happily when Alison laughed.

  “What about your career goals, Henry?” Mary Kathryn earned herself a dismayed frown from her son.

  “What would you do, Dad, if you won a lottery?” Alison asked, missing Henry’s sudden consternation with his mother.

  “Buy Henry his own house,” Garth winked at Mary Kathryn. Her hand clapped over her mouth to stifle her amusement as Henry huffed indignantly, “What’s that supposed to mean, Garth?”

  “Shhh, be quiet,” Alison ordered when Henry started to say more. “The show’s coming on.”

  Garth tossed popcorn at Mary Kathryn. She grinned as she caught one and popped it into her mouth, batting her lashes at him.

  Henry watched them more than the show as it progressed, becoming more and more grim as they flirted across the end table. He remained silent while they talked about the lottery winners during commercials.

  “Well,” Mary Kathryn said when the show ended, “two people dead and twenty others flat broke and in debt. That was informative.” She rose, Garth following suit. “Out of all those people,” she said to him. “Only one managed to keep her life together.”

  “More proof sudden money does buy hit men, not happiness,” Garth commented lazily. All he wanted to do was get Mary Kathryn alone for five minutes. Five minutes wasn’t much to ask. Neither of them had really paid attention to the show.

  “I don’t agree,” Henry said. “Just because things were difficult for those people, didn’t mean they were unhappy! Those shows only focus on the negative. All the stuff the winners bought—it must have been great. And their kids had a blast. Like I said, those shows only focus on the negative.”

  “Tell that to the ones who lost everything,” Mary Kathryn muttered. “One dead with a drug overdose. The other murdered by
his wife. The list goes on and on.”

  Alison and Henry rose from the couch. Garth held out a hand toward Mary Kathryn. “Stay and watch the news with me,” he invited.

  “No!” Henry’s loud rejection caused them to look sharply at him. “I-uh, Mom,” he said, trying to cover his awkwardness. “I-um...you, uh, you smell funny.” He continued lamely, “You need a shower. And you look tired. You should go to bed and get some rest.”

  “Good Lord! I stink and I look tired?” Mary Kathryn sniffed the air. “Do I smell bad?” she appealed to Garth, who leaned toward her, inhaled deeply and shook his head, causing Henry to exhale noisily.

  “You smell terrific,” Garth assured her. “I like your perfume.” He inhaled again. “And your hair smells like a clean mountain air and meadows.”

  “That was mean, Henry.” Alison peered at Henry interestedly. Henry blushed, his lips tightening. “I meant,” he corrected, “her perfume bothers me.” As if to prove it he coughed into his hand then rubbed his eyes as if they itched.

  Mary Kathryn eyed him disbelieving. “I’ve had this perfume three years, Henry. If it bothered you, why didn’t you say something before?”

  “I’m saying it now.” Henry’s color deepened as he continued the lie, daring her to object. “Go take a shower!”

  “Henry!” Alison exclaimed, shocked.

  “I just don’t know who you are anymore, son.” Mary Kathryn looked at him suspiciously. Her expression softened as she turned. “Goodnight, Garth. I would love to watch the news with you,” she quipped cheekily, “but apparently I’m being sent to my room.”

  “Because you stink,” Garth’s answering regret was a devastating smile. “And you look like you’re a tired thirty instead of your usual thirty.”

  “I knew I liked you.” Mary Kathryn beamed her pleasure before turning a caustic gaze to her son. “Did you hear that? I’m a sexy thirty year old. Even tired, sexy implies no stinky...”