Kaleb turned and headed toward the living room, needing a minute to breath.
“That’s what you’re doing, aren’t you?” Zoey asked; her voice much softer, sadder.
“No, honey, that’s not what I’m doing.” Kaleb refused to lie to her, although he would much rather her hear this from her father.
“Then what are you doing? I heard you tell him you were going to buy the land with the house on it too.”
He knew when he’d come over here that she had heard that part of it, but he suspected now that she hadn’t heard all of it. “Zoey, have you talked to your father about his finances?”
Now it was her turn to turn away from him. She went back to the kitchen, pulled down two glasses from a cabinet and proceeded to pour tea into them.
“Zoey?” Kaleb knew from her reaction that she was aware of what was going on, but did she know how serious it had just gotten in the last week?
“Yes, I know my father is running out of money. I know he’s been having a hard time lately. Since he remortgaged the house a few years back, it has gotten worse.” She said, turning to face him once again. “I can’t afford the land on my own, Kaleb. I’ve tried. I went down to the bank and tried to get a loan, but they denied me. My company isn’t strong enough to support that kind of loan.”
Kaleb knew every gory detail, and it broke his heart to stand here watching Zoey.
“But I can.” He said, placing one hand on her shoulder and lifting her chin, so she looked at him once again. “That’s the offer I am making your father.”
“What do your brothers think about this?” She asked.
Well, that was the hard part. His brothers didn’t know the whole story. And Travis would likely go ape shit once he found out, but Kaleb didn’t care. If it came down to it, they would buy the one hundred acres for the resort and Kaleb would do the rest on his own.
“We’re only looking to buy the acreage that backs up to the Walker ranch.” He told her. “And I haven’t told them about the foreclosure, Zoey. I didn’t think it was any of their business.”
When her eyes brightened with unshed tears, Kaleb’s heart constricted. He’d had a hard enough time in the past dealing with Zoey when she cried because his heart broke for her every time. Now, after what was happening between them, he didn’t think he’d survive her tears.
“I want to do this, baby.” Kaleb whispered. “I refuse to let Carl lose his house, so I’m offering to buy the land and let him or you make payments to me.”
“What did he say?”
Kaleb fully expected Zoey’s pride to interfere because that was who she was. Zoey was a strong, independent woman, and he had never known her to accept help from anyone, let alone him. So he considered this progress.
“Well...” Kaleb grinned. “Since I’ve spent the last hour here, I never did get a chance to talk to him about it.”
Zoey nodded again and turned away.
“It’s a good offer, Kaleb.” Zoey began, and Kaleb expected to hear the ‘but’ that would tell him to take his offer and go away. “I think he really needs to do this. I don’t want to lose our home. I don’t think my dad will survive it if we do.”
Kaleb understood that. Theirs was a deep rooted community, many of the families having been there for generations, including the Walker’s, so Kaleb knew all too well what she was saying. If he could help her, he was going to do so.
He only hoped his brothers and Carl Stranford would agree.
Chapter Twelve
♀♂
Two weeks later, Zoey found herself knee deep in the biggest mess she’d ever seen. Literally. What she and Vanessa had walked into that morning would rival any one of the hoarder’s shows she had watched on television.
“Please tell me you’ll do it.” Anderson Croft had been pleading for the last hour as he tried to give Zoey and V a tour of his mother’s home. Thankfully he’d insisted that his mother move in with him while he tried to figure out what to do with this mess.
“When do you expect to have it cleared out?” Zoey asked, glancing around at the mountains of stuff piled on every surface possible. If she had to guess, it would be nothing short of a miracle to expect anything less than a month, just to make a dent.
“I’ve found a couple of people who said they would come and help me go through it, but with only three of us, it might take a couple of weeks.” Anderson stated.
Zoey had known the Croft family for most of her life, having gone to school with Anderson herself. She wouldn’t go as far as to say they were friends because honestly, she hadn’t talked to him since high school, but standing here now, Zoey felt a deep tug on her heart. This man was beside himself and she could see why.
“So, what do you say? Will you come in and clean it once we have it cleared out?”
“Yes, we’ll do it.” Zoey committed while Vanessa nearly choked, glaring at her from across the room.
“Oh my goodness.” Anderson all but cheered. “Thank you! You don’t know how many people we have had come out here and take one look only to turn and run the other way.”
Zoey could only imagine. If it were up to V, she knew that’s exactly what would have happened today, as well.
“When are you going to start trying to get it cleared out?” Zoey asked, wondering if two weeks were a realistic timeline.
“We’re planning to start after work on Friday. If we work through the weekend, we might just make a dent.”
A dent?Maybe in one room.
Zoey fished out her iPhone from her pocket and dialed the all too familiar number.
“Hey, baby. I was just thinking about you.” Kaleb’s sexy voice crooned in her ear, making her smile.
“Well, I was thinking about you, too.” Zoey said, turning away and wandering outside where she could breathe a little fresh air. Whatever was in that house was no longer living based on the stench that permeated every room. “I need a favor.”
“Hmmm... I like favors. That means if I do something for you, then you do something for me in return, right?”
Zoey laughed. That was definitely how Kaleb’s mind worked. “I’ll give you whatever you want in return.” She said, knowing his naughty mind would likely come up with something that she would be begging for anyway.
“Honey, be careful what you sign up for.” Kaleb’s voice was deeper, huskier than moments before, and Zoey felt the impact deep in her belly.
“You haven’t asked me what I want. I promise, once you hear this, you might just rethink your answer.” She told him, turning around to see Anderson and V talking by the truck.
“Ok, lay it on me.” Kaleb muttered.
“You know Anderson Croft?” She asked, knowing that he did.
“I know of him, sure. Not personally, no.”
“Well, he needs some help.” Zoey said before explaining in detail exactly what the help would entail. Five minutes later she was hanging up the phone and smiling back at V and Anderson.
“Is everything ok?” Anderson with his coke bottle glasses and little boy cuteness looked skeptical.
“I’ve called in the big guns.” Zoey told him, smiling. “I’ve recruited the Walker boys to help us get this place cleaned out.”
Ten minutes later, Zoey had given Anderson the instructions on what he needed to do in order to prepare for the weekend. If all went as planned, two weeks were just reduced to about two days.
“Are you out of your mind?” V asked as they drove back to Zoey’s house.
Probably. “Why do you ask that?”
“Did you not see that house? Oh my God! It’s so gross!” V stated excitedly.
“Exactly the reason Anderson needs our help.” Theirs was a small town and Vanessa knew as well as Zoey that when it came to helping their neighbors, everyone would pitch in.
Figuring V would only start complaining – good naturedly of course – Zoey chose to change the subject.
“So how’re things going with Zane?” She asked, glancing over at her friend whe
n she pulled up to a stop sign.
“Who?” V asked, sounding none too happy.
“Uh oh. What happened?” It wasn’t like V not to open up to her, but Zoey could tell that whatever was or wasn’t happening with Zane was bothering her friend.
“Oh, don’t worry, the sex is still fantastic.”
“Fantastic sex.” Zoey pondered that for a second. “So why the sour face?”
“Hell, I don’t know, Zoey. Shit. I told myself not to get mixed up with one of the Walker’s and here I went and did it.”
“Did it? Care to clarify?”
“No, not really.” V laughed, but there wasn’t an ounce of humor in it.
When they pulled into Zoey’s father’s driveway a few short minutes later, V bolted from the truck. Zoey barely managed to climb out before her friend was climbing into her own car.
“If you want, we can have coffee and talk.” Zoey offered, knowing full well V was going to turn her down flat, but she had to try.
“Maybe tomorrow.” There was a sheen of tears in V’s eyes, and Zoey’s heart cracked for her friend.
“I’ll see you in the morning, right?” They had two houses to clean on Friday, and Zoey knew they’d need to get them done early in order to meet Anderson out at his mother’s house in the afternoon to start working.
“Of course.” V said and quickly drove off.
♂♀
Kaleb was sitting in the small office of Walker Demolition shooting the breeze with Sawyer, Zane and Ethan when the door opened and in walked Gage.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Kaleb greeted his best friend, standing and walking toward him. With a quick sideways hug and a couple of thumps on the back, Kaleb took a step back. “Finally back from your world tour?”
Gage laughed before turning toward the coffee pot sitting on the counter. “World tour, huh? Being a truck driver isn’t nearly that glamorous, bro.”
It seemed as though Gage had been driving a truck since the minute he graduated from high school and Kaleb had gotten used to his friend being gone for weeks at a time. And each time he came back, it was as though a part of himself had returned.
Since the very first day Kaleb met Gage, back in the fourth grade, they’d been friends. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. They’d actually become friends after that first visit to the principal’s office when they’d bloodied each other’s noses on the playground. They’d both been cocky little boys, both wanting to be king of their own little worlds, and until that year, they had been. It wasn’t until fourth grade when they’d had the same teacher that they realized there was someone else wanting to fight for the title. But after that day, when they’d been forced to sit side by side for an hour while they waited for Ms. Thompson to dole out their punishment, he and Gage had formed a friendship the likes of which had survived even their childhoods.
“So, what’d I miss while I was gone?” Gage asked, sipping his coffee and pulling up an empty chair.
“Shit, man. It’s like the fucking twilight zone around here.” Sawyer said, glancing at Zane, then Kaleb and back to Gage with a shit eating grin on his face.
“Yeah?” Kaleb could see the interest in Gage’s eyes, and he knew Sawyer was about to spill every last damn detail. At least the ones he had.
“Zane here has gone off and hooked up with Vanessa Carmichael.” Sawyer stated.
Kaleb watched his brother, noting the evil glare Zane shot Sawyer, but he didn’t say a word. He knew better because the more one of them denied something, the more the others would pester them about it.
“Then there’s Kaleb. That boy’s long gone. He went off and fell in love with Zoey Stranford. But, we all knew that one had been coming for a long time.”
“Fuck off, man. I did not go and fall in love.”
He hadn’t.
Gage stared back at Kaleb, and he recognized that heated look in his friend’s eyes. It had been a damn long time since the two of them shared a woman, especially one that either of them was remotely serious about, but Kaleb knew exactly what the question in Gage’s eyes was. He was not about to have this conversation right now, in front of his brothers. Instead, he nodded his head, acknowledging the question, but he turned to Sawyer.
“And what about you?” Kaleb questioned, and all eyes turned to Sawyer. “I heard something about you.”
“I heard it too. Something about you and Kennedy Endsley.” Zane offered, grinning.
“Oh shit.” Ethan chimed in. “You going after women your own age now?”
That got the room laughing, but just like always, nothing fazed Sawyer. “Ain’t nothing going on with me and Kennedy.”
Well, if that statement didn’t speak volumes, Kaleb didn’t know what did. Sawyer never had been one to keep his interludes to himself. That didn’t mean that what he did say was all truth, but for the most part, Sawyer was as wild as everyone thought he was. But Kennedy Endsley. That was surprising. The woman was the exact opposite of anyone Kaleb had ever known Sawyer to go after.
Kennedy was sweet and more than a little prim and proper for his taste. She was also the town's veterinarian, and her father was the sheriff, which in Kaleb’s opinion meant she was off limits to any one of them. At least if they wanted to live another day.
“So, you and V, huh?” It was Gage’s turn to contribute, and he turned his attention on Zane.
They all knew Vanessa Carmichael because she had gone to school with both Kaleb and Gage, but she was a few years older than Zane, which was probably what surprised Gage the most. It had Kaleb. The woman was a dichotomy. On one hand, she was the fun loving friend they’d all hung out with from time to time and on the other, she was an extraordinarily complex, somewhat tortured soul. She’d had a rough life, they all knew that and although she did run in their circles, she tried to keep to herself as much as possible.
“It’s not like that.” Zane stated, then stood and walked right out the door, leaving them all speechless in his wake.
“What the fuck?” Sawyer asked, staring at the door that Zane just exited through.
“Well, I think that’s my cue.” Ethan added before standing from his seat. “Glad you’re back, Gage.”
Kaleb was glad Gage was back too. It’d been a couple of weeks since he’d seen or heard from him, and it was high time the two of them caught up on a couple of things. Not that they would do that with Sawyer in the room, but hopefully later that afternoon they could grab a beer together.
There was something Kaleb needed to talk to him about.
“Throw a brother a bone, would ya? Tell me how exactly you landed Zoey Stranford.” Gage grinned, the two of them sitting in Kaleb’s living room several hours later.
“Hell if I know.” Kaleb admitted. “One minute we’re just friends, and the next. Well, fuck. That’s all I can say.”
“Just all of a sudden, huh?” Gage questioned, looking not at all convinced.
“It’s been a long time coming.” Kaleb mirrored Sawyer’s words from earlier, which was an understatement as far as he was concerned. Twenty years of lusting after her and suddenly he finds himself in Zoey’s bed – or her in his. Whatever it was that had gotten them to this point, Kaleb wouldn’t change a damn thing.
“No, shit. Remember back in high school,” Gage chuckled, “right after we had our first threesome? The next day we talked about what it would be like to have Zoey between us?”
Shit. Kaleb remembered that conversation like it was yesterday. He and Gage had fumbled through what qualified as a threesome because yes, there were three of them. Kaleb, Gage, and Jennifer Sorenson. Damn, that had been an awkward night, to say the least.
A knock on the front door interrupted Kaleb’s memory, but he didn’t move when Gage propelled himself off the couch and headed to the door.
“Little Zoey Stranford.” Gage greeted Zoey and Kaleb’s dick suddenly went rock fucking hard. Not that he wasn’t happy she was there, but holy fuck, he did not expect her.
“Gage Matthews.Ever the
handsome devil.” Zoey’s voice drifted from the other side of the door, and Kaleb watched as Gage leaned down, probably hugging her if he had to guess.
Seconds later she was walking in the door, carrying a six pack of beer and wearing a pair of short white shorts and a black t-shirt that hugged every luscious curve. Her trim, tan thighs had Kaleb’s mouth watering and more blood pounding south.
“Hey,” Zoey smiled, sitting the beer on the table between them. “Having a party without me?”
If she wasn’t careful, they would be having a party with her in about two minutes flat. A naked party. Glancing up at Gage, Kaleb noticed the man eyeing Zoey’s ass, and he had to bite back a smile. Yep, same ol’ Gage. He might give Kaleb a hard time about lusting after Zoey for all these years, but he knew his friend had some pretty intense fantasies about the woman himself.
Their ménage days might be a thing of the past, but Kaleb suddenly had the urge to have one for old time’s sake.
“What were you boys talking about?” Zoey asked, grabbing a beer and joining Gage on the couch.
He had to admit, this was a fairly common situation to find himself in – him, Zoey, Gage, all three of them hanging out – but something certainly felt different.
“Threesomes.” Gage said, and Kaleb damn near choked on his beer.
“Is that right?” She asked, glancing back and forth between Kaleb and Gage, seemingly unfazed by Gage’s admission. “Threesomes?”
“Have you ever had a threesome, Zoey?” Gage asked, suddenly sounding serious.
“Nope.” She answered easily, obviously brushing off the question as if it weren’t the segway that Kaleb knew it to be.
Kaleb couldn’t speak, so he took a long pull on his beer, keeping his eyes glued to Zoey’s beautiful face. He was looking for any sign of discomfort, but he saw none.
“I know you two have.” She stated, looking at Gage. “More than once.”
“That we have.” Gage replied, glancing over at Kaleb.
“So, what’s the fascination with threesomes anyway?” Zoey asked, and once again, Kaleb fought to keep from choking on his beer. Were they seriously going there?
Kaleb Page 11