Crazy Heifer

by Vale, Lani Lynn

  I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

  “I’m sorry, Callum,” I said. “I didn’t know.”

  He touched the tip of my nose with his index finger. “It’s a bad day now, baby,” he said. “A day that we don’t even acknowledge.”

  And those words stuck with me for the rest of the day.

  Hell, they’d practically burned holes into my psyche as I thought about how sucky that was.

  Chapter 16

  I didn’t choose the mug life. The mug life chose me.

  -Coffee Cup

  Desi

  “This whole business thing was surprisingly easier than I thought it was going to be,” I admitted.

  “It’s all who you know.” Candy smiled. “My dad’s a godsend, and it helps that he knows everybody there is to know when it comes to businesses and construction in town.”

  I agreed wholeheartedly.

  “Did your dad get a chance to talk to the Valentine boys?” I asked. “Callum was talking about how he was making plans and writing down what things he would like to see in a house.”

  “I was leaving my house today and saw Banks and Ace arriving.” She wrinkled her nose.

  “Your house?” I asked. “You live with your dad?”

  She waved her hand side to side.

  “Kind of,” she admitted. “I live on the same property as him, although he lives on the back side whereas I live on the front side. You have to pass my house to get to his office and house.”

  I nodded in understanding.

  “Gotcha,” I said.

  “I almost wished Banks happy birthday yesterday, but then I decided that I didn’t want to risk having him throat punch me.” Candy’s lips tipped up at the corner.

  “You know what happened?” I asked carefully.

  Candy’s eyes locked on mine.

  “Everybody that has lived in Kilgore for any amount of time knows what happened,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s burned into everyone’s brains. Even I felt sympathy for Banks that day.”

  I pushed my uneaten food to the backside of the table and stared into space as I thought about how shitty it was that my man and his twin brother couldn’t celebrate their birthday because of what had happened on that day all those years ago.

  “I don’t like this,” I admitted. “I feel like it’s unfair. I know that something bad happened. Hell, I don’t blame him for not wanting to do anything. But… shit. I still think they need something.”

  Candy shrugged.

  “I had a friend who tried to give Banks a Zephy’s cupcake a couple of years back. They’d just arrived back in town, and she thought she was being nice. Banks literally jumped down her throat. The poor girl cried,” Candy remembered.

  I winced.

  “I think I’ll make them something special tonight for dinner,” I decided. “Invite them all over to the house again. Tomorrow is the Spartan race anyway, and we were talking about going out to eat. But I think this day might be something that should be done at home.”

  “I think that’s probably why they go out,” she admitted. “More people. Less time to think about what happened.”

  I looked absently around the bakery.

  “What about if we do it here?” I asked.

  Candy scrunched up her nose. “I’m fine with that… but do I have to be here?”

  I lifted my eyebrows up at her.

  “You were the one talking about getting all the coffee stocked,” I said. “And… I think that I’d like it if you were there. Here. Whatever.”

  She looked at me skeptically.

  “I think that Banks would rather be anywhere that I wasn’t,” she said. “But you are right. I’d like to get all this stocked. And… if you disguised this day as being about helping unpack and unload, and then happen to have stuff out here to eat… well then, I think that it might work out better. The family will all be here, around, but not actually celebrating anything. You know?”

  I rubbed my hands together as an idea started to form in my brain.

  “I was going to try out a couple of cakes, too,” I said. “Now would be the perfect time for them to taste test!”

  Candy rolled her eyes. “If you’re going to make cakes in time for dinner, you might want to get started.”

  I looked at the clock and realized that she was absolutely right. It was already one o’clock in the afternoon, and not only did I have to make the cakes, but I also had to find tables, order some food, and call everybody.

  Chapter 17

  Tears of my brothers.

  -Coffee Cup

  Callum

  “Are you sure about this?” Banks asked as he stood next to me in the jewelry store.

  I looked at the rings that sparkled and shined, and knew without a doubt that I was making the right decision.

  “When I mentioned getting married the other day, she didn’t even flinch,” I said softly, hoping to be quiet enough that I didn’t draw the salesman’s attention again.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t want the man to help me out—eventually—it was just that I wanted Codie’s and Banks’ opinions before he showed me how much the price for the rings were.

  “Desi loved her ring that her grandmother gave her,” Codie said. “But honestly, I think that it’s best to stay away from that style, just in case it reminds her of Mal.”

  I agreed.

  I didn’t want to get anything like that other one.

  “What about that one?” Banks pointed.

  I squinted at ‘that one’ which happened to be blue, and definitely not a diamond.

  “I don’t think that’s an engagement ring,” I admitted. “Though I’m not sure that I would have a problem with a different colored stone. But I’m not even sure Desi likes blue.”

  Speaking of the devil.

  My phone rang in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a text from my girl.

  Desi: Do y’all think y’all can come help me move some stuff in and stock everything? I’ll supply food, beer, and cake???

  “Y’all want to go help Desi stock her bakery?” I asked. “She wouldn’t have asked if she didn’t need help.”

  “That’s the truth,” Codie mumbled. “That woman hardly ever asks for anything. When she asked me to run that Spartan race with her, I thought she was going to cry. I’m just glad that she has you to run it with her now.”

  I looked down at my soon-to-be sister-in-law and shook my head. “You’re still doing it.”

  Codie sighed heavily. “I know. I just don’t have to stay with her. I can walk and do the lazy thing.”

  I snorted.

  “Ace won’t let you dilly dally. He’s running it with us, too, remember?” I asked. “And these things are better with teams. When you have people to help you over the obstacles and keep pushing you, it’s a whole lot more fun,” I told her.

  Codie sighed. “I think that’s why she’s wanting to do it today, anyway. If she gets it done today, she won’t have to do anything tomorrow. She can take the whole day off before the race.”

  I winked at Codie, then replied.

  Callum: What time do you want us there? Banks and Codie are in. Which means that Ace will be in.

  Desi: I’m making cakes right now. Give me at least another two hours. I have to let them cool and then ice them. So around five. I want y’all to test out a few before I put them up for sale next week. One’s a low carb one so don’t get excited. Also, I heard from Mal today. Apparently, his father is ‘under the weather.’

  Grinning, I sent her one last text message that said ‘okay’ and then shoved my phone back into my pocket.

  “Is there anything else that I can assist you with?” the salesman came back, despite being asked to leave us alone so I could look.

  I hated pushy salesmen.

  “No,” I said, and it came out a little more terse than I was intending.

  The girl at the end
of the counter, the one that looked much younger than the rest of the men working the floor, snorted delicately.

  That was when Darby honed in.

  Darby who’d been on his phone for the entire duration of being in the store. Darby who I wasn’t quite sure had even bothered coming with us.

  “Why, hello.” Darby batted his eyes at the young woman.

  The young woman rolled her eyes and went back to what she was doing, which was ignoring everyone and everything.

  “I’ll just be over there if you need me.” The salesman indicated the back wall.

  I grunted out an ‘okay’ and went back to perusing the wares.

  None of them caught my attention in the least.

  Shit.

  “She’s not a flashy kind of person, but if I had to guess, I would think the diamond solitaire would be best,” Codie finally said, agreeing that nothing here was ‘Desi.’

  “Have you checked out the estate section?” the woman at the end of the counter muttered, not bothering to turn and look at us.

  That was when I realized she was playing on her phone.

  Candy Crush.

  My lips tipped up at the corner.

  “You work here?” I wondered.

  “Unfortunately,” she muttered darkly.

  “Unfortunately?” Darby asked. “Why do you say it like that?”

  “Because my father owns this place and feels like he can call on me any time he needs help,” she muttered, cursing slightly under her breath when she died. Her eyes came up to us as she said, “I have to pay for my tuition by working. And when I work here, I get significantly less money than when I work my other job.”

  “What’s your other job?” Codie asked.

  Ever curious.

  “I’m a stripper.”

  We all blinked.

  “Well, not a stripper, per se. But I teach the strippers how to strip,” she amended. “I took dancing classes from the time that I was four. And since then, I’ve kept them up. When I turned sixteen, I taught myself how to strip/dance. Now I teach the new strippers how.”

  There was a long pause as everyone digested that news.

  “Where is the estate section?” I asked.

  She jerked her head to the area in front of her.

  “We just got a few in last night,” she said. “That one in front is simple like you’re looking for. An older man who looked like he was about to keel over pawned it. He told me his whole life story. Said he bought that ring for the woman he was going to marry, but she died of cancer. Now he’s dying of cancer, and he has a son that’s an asshole who refuses to admit that he’s dying. He told me he is leaving his entire estate to the ex-wife.”

  Something eerie swept over me as I heard her talk.

  “Did you happen to catch his name?” I wondered.

  She frowned, pursed her lips, and tapped her finger against her mouth as she thought.

  “Male… Malcolm…” the woman said.

  “Malloy,” Codie said softly, her eyes catching mine.

  “Yes, that!” She clapped. “You know him? That’s a really unusual name.”

  I looked at the beautiful ring and knew in my heart that it was the one.

  I also knew that Desi would love it.

  ***

  Banks, Codie, Darby, and I arrived at the bakery/coffee shop two hours later, and thirteen thousand dollars lighter.

  “I can’t believe you just dropped that much money on a ring,” Darby said for the fourth time. “Jesus Christ, that’s how much I paid for my truck!”

  I grinned. “Maybe if you saved your money that you got from your cut of the ranch, you’d be able to pay your truck off and stop bitching about the money that I’m spending.”

  Darby snorted. “I enjoy the finer things in life.”

  Darby didn’t get much, seeing as his primary job wasn’t working the ranch like Ace, Banks and me. But he did get a hefty little paycheck.

  Then, add in to the fact he also held a fortyhour a week job at a bar when he wasn’t at school, and the kid made bank. Unfortunately, he had a penchant for buying shit he didn’t need. Like a freakin’ twenty-two-hundred-dollar cat.

  A twenty-two-hundred-dollar cat that hated everyone but Darby.

  “You enjoy blowing money on a goddamn cat that hates everyone and everything. Didn’t I see you bring a cat tree in last night?” Banks asked.

  Codie snickered.

  “She was on sale!” Darby said. “And she has to have somewhere to sleep. Otherwise she sleeps on my head and tries to smother me with her loose skin.”

  Did I mention the cat was a Sphinx? A fat Sphinx at that.

  It was a hairless demon that looked crazy as hell.

  “I think she’s cute,” Codie said as she bailed out of the truck.

  I watched through the windshield as she ran toward Ace, who was talking to Georgia and Nico outside the bakery.

  Ace must’ve heard her coming because he tensed just as she launched herself through the air at him.

  Codie hit him with a slam, and Ace caught her around the hip and yanked her to his front. Then placed a hard kiss on her mouth before dropping her to her feet.

  “Disgusting,” Darby said as he too got out.

  I followed suit, bypassed my family at the front door, and walked straight in to chaos.

  My eyes scanned the room, boxes and tables for my woman. I found her bending over a box as she pulled what looked like pink paper napkins in the thousands out.

  I walked up to her until my body was aligned with hers. Then catching her hips, I pulled her into my crotch and let her feel just how much I liked seeing her bent over.

  She turned and glanced at me over her shoulder, then wiggled her ass.

  “Hey, baby.” She smiled.

  I grinned at her as I said, “How’s it going?”

  She stood up straight, then turned in my arms. Her hands wrapped around my neck as she went up onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to my mouth.

  “Better now that you’re here,” she answered. “I’m a little overwhelmed.”

  I ground myself against her, and she frowned and looked down.

  “What’s that?” She pulled back slightly and pointed at the ring box in my pocket.

  My heart started to pound as I searched for something, anything, to divert her attention.

  “I’m here! What do you want me to do?” Darby yelled loudly. “Can I have a piece of that cake first?”

  Grinning at his perfect timing, I pulled back so that Desi could be seen by the rest of the room.

  “You can have as much as you want as long as you’re willing to work.” Desi clapped. “Pretty much. I need all these boxes emptied. I need the big strapping guys to help me with the shelf in the storage room.”

  I looked over at the cake that she was talking about and shook my head.

  “Babe.” I laughed. “That’s like eight cakes.”

  “Actually, it’s nine.” Another woman entered the room. Candy. And she was carrying a chocolate cake with M&M’s decorating the outside. Banks’ favorite. “This one is apparently another special that she’s offering.”

  Banks groaned, and I turned to see him following Candy with hungry eyes. I couldn’t tell if it was due to the cake, or Candy herself.

  Probably both, if I had to guess. But again, I wasn’t going to go there. I was going to mind my own business.

  Desi hurried over to the table at the back of the room behind the display cases and moved the cakes over to make room for the one Candy was holding.

  “That’s my favorite type of cake,” Banks muttered.

  “The one on the end is my favorite,” I said.

  White on white. My stomach grumbled.

  “Fuck,” I heard Darby say. “This is so good!”

  I looked over to see him biting into a pastry.

  “Jesus Christ,” Ace said. “How much are we sampling?”

  “E
verything?” Desi laughed.

  I licked my lips.

  “Let’s get started,” I said. “You’ll be eating this food with us, right?”

  Desi grinned. “Yep.”

  I winked at her.

  “Show me what you need done,” I ordered.

  “First, let me get everyone’s pizza orders. Then we can start.”

  Four hours later, Booth and Bourne were eating again—cold pizza with a side of cake—and Nico and I were holding up a large picture of a coffee and a cupcake.

  “That looks perfect,” Candy said.

  Banks nailed a nail into the wall and then helped us hang it up.

  We all stepped back to admire the handiwork.

  “I think we’re done,” Desi said as she offered pink napkins to Nico’s girls. “What do you think, Candy?”

  “It looks good,” Candy replied. “I think the only thing missing at this point are the cakes and pastries in the display cases.”

  I agreed. What there was to set up had been set up, now the only thing missing were the customers and the food.

  “I think you’re ready, baby,” I said to the girl that had just come up and wrapped her arms around me.

  She pressed a kiss to the middle of my shoulders and hummed. “Yep. I’m ready.”

  I pulled her around to my front and dropped a kiss to her forehead.

  “What about tomorrow? Are you ready to tackle tomorrow?” I wondered.

  A smile lit her face as she stared into my eyes.

  “You have no idea how ready I am for tomorrow,” she said. “I gave it a lot of thought today. And I’m ready. I’m going to kick ass as long as I have you there with me.”

  I squeezed her a little tighter as I said, “You’ve got me, baby. For however long you want me.”

  Chapter 18

  I love all races. Except marathons. Fuck running.

  -Desi’s secret thoughts

  Desi

  “I can’t believe you’re making me do this,” Codie whispered as she paced the living room. “I’m going to throw up. I just know it.”

  That had me grinning as I looked at my best friend.

  “If it makes you feel better,” I said jokingly. “I’m going to name my first child after you.”

  Codie snickered, and she turned thoughtful for a moment.