Jacqui and her men had been given a table close to the door of the restaurant, so they could meet and greet their guests as they arrived. Traffic had certainly been steady. Jacqui was glad she’d worn her Nikes.
Will and Norm looked at each other, both clearly surprised by that. “How did you figure that, Dad?” Will asked.
“Because you and your cousin were always so inseparable.” Erica Kendall, Will’s mother, answered. “That never changed, and as you grew into young men, we all realized that you might resemble your paternal grandfathers in more than just hair color.”
“You can’t see the difference now, of course,” Derek Kendall said to Jacqui. “But in our younger years, my brothers Keith and James and I were blond, whereas our brothers Preston, Taylor, and Charles were dark-haired, like our fathers were.”
Brothers, not half brothers. Jacqui wasn’t the least bit surprised there was no qualification between the New York Kendalls and the Texas ones. Family was family and that was that.
Just the senior members of the family—all six of them—had traveled to Lusty for this engagement party, being held for them at Kelsey Benedict’s restaurant, Lusty Appetites. They’d arrived later than they’d anticipated, due to the unpredictable weather in the Midwest. They’d only had time, they’d said, to drop their bags in their rooms at the New House, and come to the party.
They’d arrived en masse with Samantha and her husbands. Both Erica and Norm’s mother, Sabrina, had hugged her enthusiastically.
Daughters were as rare to the New York Kendalls as they were to the Texas ones.
“The rest of the gang will come to the ceremony,” Keith, Norm’s father, said.
“Once things settle down,” James Benedict said, “you’ll have to sit and tell us all about how that little bast…um, fugitive, Rick Wilde, was apprehended.”
Lynn, James’s wife, gave his arm a light swat. “Really, darling, maybe Jacqui doesn’t want to rehash that particular moment in time?”
Jacqui grinned. “I really don’t mind. And it was quite a scene. No pun intended.”
They all laughed at that. Then Erica put her arm around Samantha. “It’ll be hard, knowing I can’t just jump in the car and come visit my son. But I’m so glad you have family nearby.”
“Mom.” Will leaned in and kissed his mother’s cheek. “You can always come and visit, any time. And I’m sure we’ll come to New York, too.”
“I may need moral support if that’s in winter,” Jacqui said. “I think they want to teach me how to play ice hockey.”
“We’ll save you,” Sabrina said.
“Mom! Whose side are you on, anyway?” Norm’s look of disappointment didn’t fool anyone.
“My new daughter’s side, of course. There aren’t many of us in the family, so we women have to stick together.”
“Amen.”
Jacqui giggled, because she, Samantha, Erica, Sabrina and Lynn had all said that together.
“Now.” Derek rubbed his hands together. “Where are these cream puffs I’ve heard so much about from my nephew Henry? I swear, he elevates them to near divine heights in his e-mails. He even said they’re better than Taylor’s scones.”
“I don’t mind saying that they are, indeed,” Taylor said.
“I think Tracy was forewarned, because she told me she made double the usual amount for tonight,” Jacqui said.
With final hugs and a promise to chat, the older Kendalls moved off. Jacqui watched as her future in-laws greeted Benedicts and Jessops alike with familiarity and affection. All of the senior Kendall men—three in their seventies and three soon to be—looked hale and hardy and much younger than their years.
That bodes well for my men. And she had a vision then, just a photograph in her mind, really, of being Samantha’s age, surrounded by children and grandchildren. Not an exotic vision, but one that made Jacqui’s heart smile. She wanted decades to live out her very own happy-ever-after.
“Uncle Derek looks like he’s not going to wait for Henry,” Jake said as he approached. “Maybe he’ll eat them all.”
Adam smirked. “That’ll be twice, if he doesn’t get the lead out and get here soon.” Then he laughed, and looked at Jacqui and her men. “You should have seen his reaction before Christmas, the day Grace Warner from over in Divine and Grandma Kate had lunch here, and then absconded with all but the sugar free cream puffs.”
The men laughed as they greeted their cousins. Jacqui just shook her head. Ben, who’d remained silent while his dads had spoken, grinned up at her and held out his hand and offered his congratulations. She shook it, of course, and thanked him for his presence. After he’d repeated the greeting with Will and Norm, he turned to his fathers. Jake nodded, and off he went, in search of friends and food—although she wasn’t certain in what order.
Jacqui accepted hugs from Jake and Adam, and then scooped Marty from Adam’s arms. She knew she held Marty, because his name was blazoned across his T-shirt. Jake held Nicky, who seemed quite content to observe the world from his father’s arms.
“You sure you want to hook up with these two?” Jake asked her, nodding at Will and Norm.
“Very sure. I mean, I was a little hesitant at first, seeing as I was going to have you as a cousin-in-law. But I thought, well, it can’t be that bad.”
All the men standing with them, even Jake, laughed. “You’ll do,” he said.
Cousin-speak wasn’t a complicated language to learn, after all.
“Any word about Rick Wilde?”
“I’ve heard from the NYPD. He’s finished detox, but it looks as if his mental state isn’t good. They said the doctors think he got some bad drugs at some point during the last few months.”
“It’s not just a feint to avoid prison?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised, but they don’t think so.” Adam shrugged. “That kind of act isn’t something a person can maintain for the long term unless that person is brilliant.”
“Unfortunately, Wilde isn’t that smart.” Norm shook his head. “It’s tragic, at least in my mind. The kid didn’t have much going for him but a bit of talent. He hit the jackpot there, and could have written his own ticket—and this is the ride he chose to take.”
“That’s what you two have to remember,” Jake said. “He chose his own path. From all I know of your association with the man, y’all did more for him than he deserved.”
It would always be a mystery to Jacqui why some people chose the path of self-destruction. But she guessed that since people had been doing that even before they came out of the caves, they’d continue to do so far into the future.
Ginny Kendall made her way over to them. Little Nicky’s eyes lit up. “Ma.” He practically launched himself at his mother, who caught him, her laughter soft and sweet.
“There’s my man. Didn’t you want to hug Jacqui?”
They’d had supper over at Ginny’s a couple of times, and at those times, Nicky would fight his twin for a spot on Jacqui’s lap—unless she held them both, which was apparently fine by him.
Nicky answered her with the sweetest smile. “Ma,” he said, and laid his head on her shoulder.
“This one here seems to be the extrovert of the family,” Jacqui said.
Marty seemed content to observe the crowd and play with Jacqui’s necklace.
“They are almost completely opposite, personality wise,” Ginny said. “That’s really the only way we can tell them apart.”
“Except for our oldest. He’s always known Marty from Nicky.” Adam shook his head at that.
That group of Kendalls moved off.
“There are a lot of people here,” Will said. “I sometimes forget how many people fall under the heading of family.”
“In Lusty, slick, I think that encompasses everyone.”
“I thought I was ‘slicker.’” Will grinned.
“I think we’ve permanently muddled our woman’s senses,” Norm said. He spoke quietly, and followed that up with a wink.
“You may have done just that. Hey, I can buy you T-shirts, just like the twins have.”
“With our names on them?”
“Naw, I was thinking something more poetic—like Slick One and Slick Two.”
“Smartass.”
“That’s a Bethune family trait,” Holly said.
“And don’t we know it,” Alan and Duncan said that at the same time, earning a chuckle from their wife.
“Hey, one of me, two of you. I do what I can.”
“And what you do, honey, is perfect.” Alan grinned, because that earned him an extra hug.
Jacqui just shook her head and laughed. “Mr. Wilson, have you been hanging around my guys a lot?” She hadn’t seen her aunt come in. Then she squealed, because right behind Holly, Alan and Duncan stood her grandparents, Wanda June and Walter Bethune, and her father, James.
She gave hugs to her grandparents, and then her father.
James held her tight and then smiled down at her. “You look happy, pumpkin. You have no idea how happy that makes me.” Then he looked at Will and Norm. “Y’all take good care of my daughter. She’s my treasure.”
The words nearly brought tears to her eyes.
“Yes, sir,” Will said. “We certainly will.” He shook James’s hand.
Norm did the same and then turned his attention to the older couple. Jacqui introduced her grandparents, and watched as her grandmother hugged both of them.
“You saw our Jacqui through her troubles,” Wanda June said. “Bless you both for that.”
“We love her, ma’am.” Norm’s smile softened. “We’re going to be here for her for the rest of her life.”
“A woman can’t ask for more than that,” her grandmother said.
“Have you spoken to your mother?” James’s question, asked quietly, reminded Jacqui of her one disappointment for the day—but also that her dad seemed to know how she felt.
“Yes, we spoke when I invited her. She couldn’t be here tonight, but promises not to miss the ceremony.” Unspoken was the sentiment that Jacqui wouldn’t hold her breath.
Her mother, who was on husband number three, had been quite taken aback when Jacqui had called to tell her she was engaged to marry two men.
“Good. I’m sure she won’t disappoint you on your wedding day.” Her dad kissed her cheek.
She decided not to borrow disappointment. Today was a wonderful day. So many people she loved were here. That was good, and she’d rejoice in that.
“More Kendalls,” a teasing voice said. “Do we need more Kendalls in Lusty?”
Will laughed. “Probably not, because three Benedicts equal one Kendall, but we’re here anyway.”
Brian Benedict laughed. “Hey, you’re getting good at that!”
Brian had arrived with Chase, and their ranch foreman, Ricoh Stone.
She didn’t know the older man all that well, but she knew that he’d shown kindness to Holly, and had a soft spot for Carrie, too.
All three offered their congratulations. Ricoh offered her a gentle hug. “Sometimes, listening to all these cousins shoot their barbs back and forth is better than anything on television,” he said.
“I’ve already decided to keep a steady supply of chips and salsa on hand, for when a barb war breaks out.”
Ricoh grinned. “The best munchies to go along with comedy,” he agreed.
“Seriously,” Chase said, “welcome to Lusty. I know y’all have been here for a while, but it looks as if you’re making it permanent.”
“We are indeed.” Norm grinned. “And despite the overwhelming numbers of Benedict cousins, there’s no place we’d rather be.”
“We heard you’re going to change your business model, with a view to helping other businesses market online.”
“We are,” Will said. “There’s a need out there for marketing and presentation expertise for online businesses, and it’s something we can do from anywhere.”
“A lot of smaller, independent businesses don’t know how to show their brand to best advantage,” Norm said. “We’re looking forward to this new venture.”
Chase nodded. “We’ll talk.”
Jacqui understood that the three newer Benedict ranches had amalgamated their operations, as their land connected. She’d heard that Stephen and Matt were joining the party, too. She didn’t know much about ranching, but Holly seemed determined to learn all she could about her husbands’ line of work.
And if there was one thing her Aunt Holly was good at, it was learning new things.
Nancy and her husbands arrived at the exact same time as did Morgan, Henry and Tamara.
The two women entered together, chatting and laughing. Jacqui grinned, because it had occurred to her just a few days before why her friend and boss had been so tired lately.
“Congratulations!” Nancy threw her arms around Jacqui and gave her a hug. She then released her and hugged Norm.
“Shouldn’t we be saying the same thing to you?”
Jacqui held her hands up. “I never said a word, I swear!”
“I’ve known since the dance.” He turned to Jacqui. “The night of our first date,” he said to Nancy, “you were chatting and all of a sudden you dozed off. One of our friend’s wives did that all through her first trimester.”
“It’s a strange pregnancy symptom,” Nancy said. Then she cocked her head in the direction of her husbands. “The G-men here won’t let me drive until that symptom passes.”
“I’m with them, girlfriend.” Jacqui grinned at her, trying to reduce the sting of her betrayal.
“At least you’re not having morning sickness in the evening,” Tamara said. She turned to Will and Norm. “You take care of this woman, or you’ll have me to deal with.”
“I’m a little scared of you,” Will said. “So you can bet I will, cousin.” He bent and kissed her cheek.
“What he said.” Norm kissed her as well.
Then both men hugged Nancy, before turning to Henry.
“Hey, cousin, you and my dad have something in common.”
“Good looks? Intelligence? A superior taste in women?”
Henry’s laughing insouciance was the one thing Jacqui liked best about this particular Kendall cousin. One couldn’t be around Henry Kendall for long and not smile.
Will shook his head and his grin looked a little nasty. “No, a passion for Tracy’s cream puffs.”
Alarm replaced insouciance. Henry quickly excused himself and headed toward the dessert buffet.
“That was cruel,” Morgan said. “Well done.” Laughing, he took Tamara’s hand and followed his creampuff-seeking brother.
“Come on, wife,” Eli said to Nancy. “Let’s get you sitting so you don’t fall down when you pass out.”
“I won’t fall down,” Nancy countered. “Because you guys won’t let me.”
Nancy’s triplet brothers had come into Lusty Appetites in time to hear their sister’s boast.
“They likely won’t either,” Paul said. “Those men are seriously gone on our sister.”
“Yes, they are,” Jacqui said.
She accepted hugs from the screenwriters, and grinned as they heartily congratulated her men.
“So you’re really ditching the major entertainment portion of your business,” Wesley said. “Guess that means we won’t be running into each other on the coast, now that we know we’re cousins.”
“Probably not,” Will said. Then he looked at all three brothers. “How is Ms. Lawson?”
Lucas shrugged. “She’s talking to us. We bought her a coffee here before she left town and explained what had happened to us more than a few times in the past.”
Paul met Jacqui’s eyes. “Being screenwriters gives us a cachet—one we’ve never sought. Sometimes young women come on to us, thinking that we’ll either write something specifically for them to star in, or get them a role in a movie—and they offer to do anything in exchange.”
“So when Trina—that’s how Kat introduced herself to us— chat
ted us up, and then sought out an introduction to an assistant director, and then seemed to be on the guy’s arm the next day…”
“You’d thought that had happened all over again, and this time, it hurt.” Jacqui could well understand the situation, and the fact that Paul had jumped to what to him had been the obvious conclusion.
She could be a bit of a conclusion jumper herself, as she’d shown to everyone in town by the way she’d reacted to Will and Norm the day she’d met them.
“Yeah,” Paul said. “This time it hurt.” He exhaled, and then smiled. “But we’re down, not out—not like I thought we were when we first arrived home, licking our wounds.”
“My money’s on you,” Norm said. “The three of you have been known to come up with brilliant scripts. I bet you could craft one for your own lives, if you wanted to.”
The triplets made their way over to where their parents and brothers were sitting. The door opened, admitting two late comers.
“Grandma Kate!” Jacqui grinned her welcome. She didn’t recognize the middle-aged woman Kate had with her.
“Well now, Jacqui.” Kate accepted Jacqui’s kiss on her cheek, and when she put her arms around the nonagenarian, gladly accepted the woman’s strong hug.
“I like the look in your eyes,” Kate said. “They’re clear—you’ve put your demons behind you.”
“I have, thank you.”
“Jacqui, Will and Norm, I want you to meet my friend, Angela Monroe. Angela is going to be opening a roadhouse just a few minutes outside town.”
“Congratulations to all three of you,” Angela said. “I hope you have a wonderful life together.”
“Thank you,” Jacqui said. Then Kate’s introduction registered. “Oh! You’re the one who’s opening the night spot!” Jacqui said. “Everyone’s really looking forward to your new place.”
Love Under Two Extroverts [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 21