by CP Smith
The streets were jammed with vehicles the closer he got to the field, so he pulled off and parked. He didn’t want to take a chance they wouldn’t allow Max at the game without a leash, so he grabbed Max’s off the floorboard and attached it to his collar.
He noted they had two games in one night. The middle school had their game first, which accounted for all the football jerseys crowding the entrance. After buying his ticket, the crowd surrounding the field erupted with cheers as he approached. A female commentator could be heard over the roar, her own enthusiasm for the previous play apparent as she called out, “Touchdown, Mustangs. A thirty-yard laser shot from James to Humphries puts the Mustangs on the board first.”
Logan scanned the crowd looking for Skylar and found her at the top of one of the two bleachers abutting the field. She was dancing to music coming out of the PA system as the home team kicked the extra point, high-fiving those around her before putting her fingers to her lips and blowing a whistle so sharp Max barked.
Logan curled his tongue and pressed it against his teeth and blew a sharp whistle in return to get Skylar’s attention. She turned at the sound and her face blossomed into the sweetest sight he’d ever seen. Her cheeks were rosy from the wind, her eyes sparkled from the stadium lights illuminating the field. But her expression was soft, meant only for him, and the knot in his chest tightened further. Josh ran over and grabbed Max’s leash from his hand, followed by a group of boys that looked to be his age. He handed off Max to Josh without turning his attention away from Skylar.
“We just scored,” she shouted, turning in her seat so her legs hung over the back of the bleacher.
She looked like she was about to jump from the top. He gauged the distance to be six to eight feet. Not high enough to kill her, but the ground was slick from the snow. Before he could reach her to keep her from injury, she twisted her body and began to climb down the braces like a ladder, jumping the last few feet as he jogged up. When she turned to greet him, Logan scooped Skylar into his arms and slammed his mouth over hers, instantly feeling at peace. His demons had crept back into the forefront of his mind the past few hours, leaving him edgy. But one kiss from Skylar sent them scrambling for cover.
She melted into him as the people around them grew silent. He didn’t give a fuck if they were making a spectacle, he’d been thinking about her sweet lips the whole time he was gone and wasn’t waiting another second to have them.
Giggles filled the air as he pulled his head back and smiled down at Skylar. He was running his hand down her back to pull her closer, but closed his eyes and buried his head in Skylar’s neck instead when the female announcer, he now recognized as Jordan Reay, blurted out, “Mustangs line up in kickoff formation, while Logan Storm scores a first and ten in the bleacher section.”
Skylar burst out laughing as he lifted her off the ground and stepped beneath the bleachers so they were out of eyeshot, kissing her cold lips as she laughed.
“You’re freezing,” Logan mumbled against her mouth, then unzipped his coat so he could trap her to his body for warmth.
With a glint in her eye, Skylar ran her cold hands under his Henley and up his back. Logan didn’t twitch at the contact; he absorbed the feel of her hands on his skin and memorized them.
“Aren’t my hands cold?”
“Like ice. Why don’t you have gloves on?”
“I left them at the bar.”
“You need to keep a backup pair in your truck.”
The crowd roared above them, stomping their feet on the metal bleachers as shouts of, “Fumble,” echoed.
Skylar’s eyes lit up and she grabbed his hand, pulling him out from their cover so she could watch the game.
“Jake’s our quarterback,” she shouted over her shoulder, as she pulled him up the bleacher to the top. Kenzie was saving her seat when they arrived, but there wasn’t enough room for both of them, so Logan sat down and tugged Skylar onto his lap.
“What’s his number?” he whispered in her ear.
She held up a single finger then pointed. Jake was head and shoulders taller than any other player on his team, so he stood out. He was under center when Logan found the number one jersey. They recovered the ball on the opposing team’s twenty-yard line, so they were in the red zone. Logan rested his chin on Skylar’s shoulder as Jake snapped the ball, but they were on their feet when her brother ran rather than handing off the ball. Jake avoided two defenders, stiff-armed tacklers, and slipped in the snow all the way to the two-yard line before he was brought down.
Skylar whistled again, piercing his hearing, while she jumped up and down for her brother. Logan scanned the small field and noted everyone dressed in dark green and black, Ennis’ school colors, were just as excited. He’d heard more than once that Ennis was family, but seeing it firsthand burned a hole in his gut. He’d never belonged before the army. It was one of the things he missed most, besides his brothers. The camaraderie of knowing those around you had your back. Seeing how this small community stood together in triumph and loss was the same. Not only had he found a woman who could help him forget, he’d found a place he could plant roots with good people around him.
On the next play, Jake handed off the ball to their running back who was the shortest man on the field. The defense lost him in the huddle of bodies and didn’t find him again until he was five yards into the endzone. The moment the referee’s arms rose in a U to indicate a touchdown, a loud horn blasted the air. The crowd went wild around him, along with Skylar, who threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
“We’re killing them,” she cried out, throwing her arms high. “Twin Bridges is our archrival. They won last year, so this is a grudge match.”
Logan sat, pulling Skylar back onto his lap, while they lined up in kickoff formation once again.
“Something tells me you were a cheerleader in your day.”
She beamed at him, shaking her head. “Water girl.”
“Water girl?”
“Mmhmm. Way better than a cheerleader. We got to be around the players all the time.”
A twinge of jealousy bit him in the ass, but he shook it off. Those players were long gone, and she belonged to him now. In every way a woman could.
“So tell me about Duke,” she finally asked, keeping her head turned forward. “I take it from your silence, he hasn’t been found.”
He opened his coat again and pulled her back against his chest. “I haven’t spoken with Ty in hours. Duke could be home right now.”
Groans erupted due to a missed tackle which allowed Twin Bridges’ running back to sprint for thirty yards before they caught him, but Skylar had turned her head and was taking his measure instead of watching.
“But you don’t believe that, do you?”
He didn’t answer, which was all the confirmation she needed. Skylar leaned her head back on his shoulder and turned her face into his neck. He could feel her shudder against his chest, so he wrapped her up tighter. This was the reason he hadn’t wanted to tell her yet. He wanted Skylar to have this time watching her brother play before she was weighed down with another worry.
“Don’t lose hope,” he mumbled in her ear. “If anyone can survive being stranded in this weather, it’s someone like Duke.”
Skylar stiffened in his arms, so he pulled back to look at her. She was starring off to the right. He followed the direction she was looking and found Chance Bear standing off to the side. He was looking up into the stands right at them.
Logan turned back to Skylar and took her chin in his hand. “Ignore him. I won’t let him take your home.”
Her eyes softened and she reached up and cupped his cheek. “It’s been handled already. Kenzie is loaning me the money until I can secure financing.”
Logan’s brows shot up and he turned his attention to Kenzie. “You are?”
She shrugged like it was no big deal, but he could see a slight flush of color rise up her neck.
“She is,” Skylar answered, “
and Matt called today and said he’d found a bank up in Billings that will loan me half in the next forty-five days, so I can pay her back what we don’t earn at the carnival. We’ve already beat Chance, and he doesn’t even know it yet.”
Kenzie leaned forward in her seat next to them and winked at Skylar. “Family takes care of family.”
Whistles blew on the field and play stopped after an incomplete pass. Logan turned back to study Chance Bear, remembering Duke’s advice. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Skylar. Even from that distance, Logan could tell the man was strung tight. Like he was holding on by a thread. Kids passed in front of him, the game played mere feet away, but his attention never wavered from Skylar. The hair on the back of his neck began to rise as he watched Bear. It took him a moment, but he recognized the look. He’d seen it before in the desert. ISIS fanatics and homegrown terrorists all had it. A single-minded obsession that couldn’t be deterred for love or money.
Logan rose to his feet, taking Skylar with him, then turned and planted her on the bench. “I’m gonna check on Max,” he lied.
Skylar watched him for a second then her attention shot to Chance. When she opened her mouth to argue, he leaned down and took her lips with his to silence her, mumbling, “I’ll be back,” against hers. When he turned to leave, Chance was watching him instead of Skylar. He held Chance’s stare all the way down the bleachers and across the snow-covered ground until he was in front of the man. He knew Bear was early thirties, but his heritage was kind to him. He could have passed for early twenties in the right clothes. Scanning Chance from head to toe, Logan noticed a tick in his jaw, a tremor in his hand. The man was holding on to his anger by a loose thread.
Logan was taller than Skylar’s half brother. Enough of a height advantage that he used it to look down on the man. They held each other’s hard stare for a moment longer then Logan spoke. “You need to back off your sister and brothers.”
A sneer of distaste crossed Chance’s face and his focus shot over Logan’s shoulder toward Skylar. “I have no siblings.”
Logan stepped to the left to block his view. “Then you need to back off my woman and her brothers or you’ll deal with me.”
Chance’s eyes turned icy and half-crazed before he answered. “Greater men than you have tried to beat me.” He scanned Logan from head to toe. “They failed, just like you will.”
When Chance tried to push past, Logan stopped him with a hand to Chance’s arm. “A great man shows compassion to those weaker than him.” Bear pivoted in response and tried to take Logan down, but Logan countered his weight and wrapped his arm around Chance’s neck to subdue him. “Not here,” Logan growled.
Chance struggled for a moment then grew deathly still when he realized Logan’s hold couldn’t be broken. “The weakness of thy enemy is my strength.” Chance twisted his head until they were eye to eye and the hair on Logan’s neck rose again at the hatred shining back at him. Logan released Chance with a shove. He threw Logan a look filled with menace before righting his jacket and looking back at Skylar. “Tell my sister I’ll see her soon.”
Logic and control disappeared at the threat to Skylar and Logan started to advance. Kenzie appeared out of nowhere and shot between them both, one hand on each of their chests. “Take your grief and leave before Chace sees you acting like a fool.”
Chance seemed surprised by Kenzie’s interference then narrowed his eyes. “You would protect this man over the father of your son?”
“I protect family. Something you should have done for Chace and me.”
His lips drew into a lethal grin. “This man is not family.”
“Logan belongs to Skylar,” Kenzie argued, “so Logan is family. You should remember that the next time you go after her. Family’s the most important thing, Chance. No matter what your father taught you.”
Bear’s face blanked at the mention of his father, and before Logan could move he raised his hand and struck Kenzie across the face. A blur of black hair and green football jersey shot past Logan, as he pulled Kenzie out of harm’s way, taking Skylar’s brother to the ground. Kenzie cried out, “Chace, no!” but the teen, who was the spitting image of Chance, didn’t listen. His fists hammered into Chance’s face in quick succession before his friends crowded around to pull him off his father.
Thirteen
Spiraling
HIS HAND SHOOK as he wiped blood from his nose. Rage overshadowed all other emotions while he stared at the football field in his rearview mirror, fueling his hatred to new heights. His wife and son were surrounded by the townspeople. They were coddling them, protecting them. The same people who’d turned a blind eye in his youth when his father had disciplined him, beaten him with a heavy hand, were now surrounding his family to protect them from him. Where had their concern been all those years ago?
A haze of red clouded his sight as he watched until a harsh voice echoed in his head, it’s anger and disappointment drowned out all other noise.
“You’re weak, just like your mother.”
Chance ducked, but his father’s hand still connected with his head. “Sorry, Papa.”
“You’re lucky I kept you, boy. She never wanted you. Left you behind without looking back.”
His heart sank like it always did when his father reminded him, he’d been unwanted. His mother had only wanted his father’s money so she could run off with another man, and when she’d stolen enough, she’d left him behind. Forgotten about him then married her lover and had a daughter who looked just like her.
Chance threw off the memory and looked at his reflection in the mirror. “All lies.”
Lies confirmed by his father the day he took his last breath.
Resting his head against his seat, Chance let the last memory he had of his father crowd the others out.
A single light burned in the downstairs bedroom his father had taken over when his ALS had taken his ability to walk. Chance sat at his bedside reading Moby Dick out loud. The night nurse was in the kitchen eating her dinner while Chance watched over his ailing father. As he turned a page, he caught a flicker of movement. Looking over at his father, he noticed Justice was using his tablet. Typing slowly with a single finger that still moved. Chance waited as time ticked slowly, curious what his father wished to say.
Five minutes later, his father tapped a button on the tablet, and it spoke for him. “Mother,” it said, “All lies.”
“I don’t understand?”
His father tapped the tablet again, his eyes heating from within.
Chance looked at the tablet and thought about the words he’d typed.
“My mother?”
Justice’s finger slowly moved across the tablet to tap the YES function and the mechanical voice rang out.
Chance felt a coldness begin to settle inside, bitter like the long winters in Montana. What was his father about? Was this a last attempt to control and humiliate him? “What were lies?”
Justice tapped the tablet.
The cold running through his veins raised the hair on his arms as the only explanation became crystal clear in his mind.
Chance growled his next question. “Are you saying that everything you told me about her was a lie?”
Justice stared back at his son with no emotion, then fumbled to tap the YES function again. When Chance raised his attention back to his father’s face, he saw joy staring back at him.
“She didn’t leave me behind?” His voice cracked.
His father’s eyes danced with satisfaction as he slowly tapped the NO function on the tablet. In that instant, he knew his father was telling the truth; was throwing a final fist into Chance’s jaw.
His hands began to tremble as he felt the phantom strike. Years of being beaten into submission, because he reminded his father of the whore who’d left them behind, shot into his hands and they were around his father’s throat before he could think about it. She hadn’t been a whore after his money; she’d been worse: a mother who never looked back once she escaped Just
ice Bear’s abuse, leaving her son to fend for himself while she started over with another man.
Rage consumed Chance for the life he should have had, and he squeezed tighter until justice was served against the man he called Father.
Jerking upright to escape the memory, his anger spiked again, filling his veins with molten fire so consuming his head spun with it. He closed his eyes and tried to control his urges. His gun was in the glove box, and his hand itched to take hold of it and carry out his revenge against everyone who’d ignored his abuse. Against the siblings who’d had what he never did.
Glancing in the rearview again, he found Skylar folded in the arms of a man who had seen his demons and hadn’t flinched. He would have to be patient with that one. Bide his time until the man they called Logan Storm wasn’t watching so closely. For now, he’d have to settle for the knowledge the town was as blind as his father was dead. They were scurrying in different directions looking for Duke Remington and trying to organize a pointless carnival when they should have been watching over their shoulders for him.
Movement on the street caught his eye. His attention and anger drifted from his sister to the old man crossing the street on stiff legs to his truck. Rip Jackson was nearly eighty now, but in Chance’s youth he’d been the foreman of Bear Claw Ranch. Had been his father’s right-hand man until arthritis took him out of the saddle, but not soon enough to save Chance.
His hand began to twitch again as old Rip pulled out onto the street and drove away, so Chance reached for his keys and started his truck. Payback would be bittersweet.
_______________
“Jake, stop!”