by Jamie Begley
“Don’t remind me. I have a feeling I already know what he wants.”
Holly paused, about to question her, when she heard the door open in the front office. “If it’s Mr. Green, I’ll send him in.”
“Thanks, Holly.”
She opened the door to see Caleb Green standing in front of her desk. “Mrs. Richards-Bates will see you.” Holding the door open for the Commonwealth’s Attorney, she shyly lowered her gaze as he passed her.
“How are you this morning, Holly?”
“Good. And I’ll bring you a cup of coffee.”
“That’ll be great. I take cream and sugar.”
Holly blushed at the friendly smile he gave her, nodding her head before she hurriedly closed the office door. She always set up the coffee pot before leaving for the day, so all she had to do the next day was push a button.
She sorted out Diamond’s mail as she waited for the coffee to brew. When it was finished, she carried the coffee into the other office, the tension in there striking her as soon as she entered.
Giving Diamond a worried look, she was uncertain if she should retreat or stay with her boss. However, Diamond gave her reassuring glance, taking her coffee from her, and Holly went back to her desk.
She became engrossed in her work. It was when the door to Diamond’s office opened that she looked up at the clock to see that an hour had passed.
Holly expected Caleb to leave right away as he shut the door behind him, but when she looked up again, she saw him standing beside her desk.
“You look like you’re hard at work.”
“Mrs. Richards-Bates has a lot of clients,” Holly quipped as she picked up the letters she needed Diamond to sign before she left for court.
He still didn’t leave.
She nervously picked up an ink pen to keep her fingers busy.
“Do you have any plans for lunch?”
Startled, Holly looked up and asked, “Me?”
“Yes, you. I hate eating alone. We could eat at the diner or King’s if Diamond wouldn’t mind you taking a long lunch.”
“Oh, um … Thank you, but I don’t take lunch. I only work half days.” Becoming flustered from his scrutiny, she bolted out of her chair. “Thank you, anyway.”
“I could wait until you’re finished.”
Holly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Sorry. I need to pick up Logan.”
Caleb’s eyes filled with disappointment. “Maybe another time, then.” He reached inside his briefcase then handed her a card. “Anytime you want some company for a meal, let me know. I come in from Lexington Mondays and Thursdays.”
Holly took the card from him. “I … don’t …”
“It’s just lunch, Holly. I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
Holly relaxed at his approachable demeanor. He wasn’t overly flirtatious, nor was he a stuff shirt like the other lawyers who came into Diamond’s office. Most importantly, his eyes hadn’t dipped to her generous-sized breasts the way most men’s did.
“I’ll keep that in my mind, Mr. Green.”
“Call me Caleb. Well, I better let you get back to work before Diamond comes out here.”
“Have a good afternoon.” Holly slipped the card into her skirt pocket as he left. Then she knocked on Diamond’s door with the letters she needed signed.
She was on her cell phone, so Holly laid the documents on her desk then left Diamond to her call.
Holly had just finished answering emails when Diamond flew out of her office.
“I’m going to be late for court if I don’t leave now. I signed the letters you left on my desk. Can you get them in the mail today?”
“I’ll drop them off at the post office before I pick up Logan.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“You know I will. Caleb ask you out for lunch?”
Holly gaped at her. “You knew he was going to ask me?”
“He asked if I would have any objections. Of course, I told him no. He’s a nice guy.”
“Are you trying to be a matchmaker?”
“Nope, he came up with that idea all himself.” Diamond laughed mischievously. “You haven’t been out on a date since Mitch. It’s time you got back out there.”
“I have terrible taste.” Holly lowered her eyes.
“I don’t have time to argue with you. I’ll tell you in the morning how any man would be lucky to have you. I might even change my mind after all and try my skills as a matchmaker. I know several men I could fix you up with.”
Holly opened the door for her. “Go. You’re going to be late. And I would be too afraid you would fix me with a Last Rider.”
“Some of The Last Riders are really sweet.”
“Name one.” Holly folded her arms across her chest.
She could see Diamond’s mind working furiously.
“Can’t. Don’t have time.”
Holly started laughing. “That’s what I thought. The next man I become involved with will have a steady job, pass a drug screen, and have the sizzle factor.”
“The sizzle factor?”
“That look you get on your face when Knox comes to the office. The sizzle factor,” Holly explained.
“Any man can achieve the sizzle factor. He just needs Knox’s secret weapon.”
“What’s that?” Holly loved the bantering they had developed as they had grown closer working together.
“His tongue ring. But his big … bike is the wow factor.”
4
“Did you have a good day at school?” Holly asked from over her shoulder as Logan climbed into the backseat and buckled himself into his car seat.
“Mrs. Hillard made me student of the day,” he bragged with self-importance.
“That’s wonderful.”
She continued to listen attentively as Logan continued to talk about his day while she drove them home.
The little boy was the spitting image of his father. As he had grown, his hair had darkened and was so curly that he would constantly ask for it to be cut when it grew too long. Holly knew exactly who to thank for it—Greer.
The man would call Logan a feminine term that she despised at any sign of softness the boy showed. If she didn’t love Logan so much, she would have hit Greer over his stubborn head with her iron skillet. The only reason she hadn’t done so yet was because Dustin and Tate kept their brother in control.
Once they were home, Holly started setting the dinner table as Logan went to his bedroom to play.
She was putting some rolls in the oven when the front opened and Dustin came in. She couldn’t help smiling when Logan came running out of his bedroom to greet his father. Dustin barely had enough time to catch the little whirlwind as he closed the door.
“I was student of the day!” Logan told his father excitedly.
Dustin tickled Logan. “Was it because you were being good, or because you gave Mrs. Hillard that apple you whittled for her?”
Logan’s laughter filled the house as he tried to escape his father’s tickling hands. “Because I was good!”
Dustin sat him back down on the floor. “Then I guess you deserve to play that new video game I have stashed in my room.”
“Really?” Logan’s eyes grew round.
“Really. We can play it after dinner,” Dustin promised.
Holly watched them as she took the dinner plates out of the cabinet. She had taken out three plates when the front door opened again and Greer came inside. She turned back toward the cabinet to take out another one for him when he stopped her.
“Going to need more plates. The rest of the family’s coming.”
Holly took out enough plates for everyone, relieved she had made enough to feed the crowd.
“Why’s everyone coming over?” Dustin asked as Greer ruffled Logan’s hair before sinking down on the couch and putting his long legs on the coffee table. Logan climbed up onto Greer’s legs, swinging h
is own.
Greer may be hard on Logan, but the surprising thing that always shocked her was how affectionate he was toward his nephew. He shifted his legs as if he would let Logan drop while squeals of Logan’s laughter found a soft spot in her heart, which she made sure not to let Greer see. If he had any idea she liked anything he did, Greer would make sure to stop. He lived to irritate her, and he wanted her gone from his family. That he hadn’t yet reached his goal was a sore point for him.
“I’ve called a family meeting.”
Holly finished setting the table then went to the oven to take the rolls out and put more in, trying not to let Greer see she was curious.
“Why?” Dustin sat down next to his brother on the couch.
“We’ll talk after dinner when everyone’s here. No need to repeat myself.”
Holly frowned, growing concerned. Had he decided to make it a family issue to get her to leave? What if they were tired of listening to Greer’s complaints about her?
The sickening feeling in her stomach destroyed any appetite she had. Even when Rachel and Cash showed up, she could barely manage an awkward smile as she took a fussy Ema to give her mother a break.
“What’s wrong?” Rachel asked intuitively.
Holly buried her face in Ema’s pudgy neck, breathing in the baby aroma to calm her anxious nerves. “Nothing,” she lied, masking her expression as she lifted her face.
Rachel raised disbelieving brows but let it pass as Tate and Sutton arrived.
She managed to eat a small amount as the large family sat at the table. Holly didn’t try to talk, letting the conversation flow around her. She even managed to give a proud smile at Logan when he boasted about his achievement at school.
When dinner was over, she busied herself with cleaning the table and doing the dishes with Sutton’s help, feigning interest in Sutton’s plans to redo the kitchen to the house she had inherited from her grandfather. Then she listened with half an ear as the rest of Logan’s relatives spread out in the living room. Rachel’s husband sat on the couch with her, while Dustin sat Logan on his lap.
Each minute that passed as they finished the dishes made her tension curl tighter. When Sutton dried her hands then sat down on the arm of Tate’s chair, Holly knew from Greer’s expression he was waiting impatiently for her to leave the room before speaking to his family. Trying to be unobtrusive, she started to sit down at the kitchen table.
Greer, who had been talking to Tate, broke off his conversation, bringing his hawk-like gaze toward her.
“You ready for your bath, Logan?”
Logan shook his head. “Daddy promised me we could play a video game after dinner.”
“You can do that after your bath. Me and the grownups have some business to talk about.”
Under Greer’s authoritative stare, Logan stood up from his father’s lap.
“The game is my room on my dresser. The machine is hooked up. You can play until Greer finishes talking to us.”
Logan ran out of the room before his father could change his mind about the rare treat.
Holly started to stand up. “I’ll go to my room—”
“You might as well stay; you are part of this family, too.” Dustin’s jaw clenched when Greer shot him the same glare he had given to Logan.
“No, she ain’t. What I’ve got to talk to you all about is none of her business.”
“Does it concern me?” Dustin spoke out.
“Some,” Greer grudgingly admitted.
“Then it affects her.”
Holly turned her face away, not wanting the others in the room, especially Greer, to see what Dustin supporting her meant to her.
“Fine.” Greer rose from his chair to walk back and forth across the room as everyone stared at him closely. It wasn’t often that Greer was at a loss for words. “I’ve decided it’s time for me to get married.”
You could hear a pin drop in the room. The only sound that could be heard was Logan playing his video game.
Rachel was the first one to find her voice. “Please don’t tell us you’re marrying Diane.”
“Maybe. I haven’t made my mind up yet.”
“What in the fuck does that mean?” Tate asked his brother, wincing when Sutton elbowed him in the shoulder, nodding toward Ema who was lying on Cash’s chest.
“Watch your language,” she reprimanded her husband.
Holly couldn’t blame Tate. Her own stunned reaction had her biting back the expletive that had come to mind.
Greer stopped pacing. “It means I haven’t exactly made up my mind.”
Dustin rose up to sit on the end of couch cushion. “You either are or you aren’t. Which is it?”
“It means I haven’t decided which woman I want to marry yet.”
“There’s more than one you’re thinking about marrying?” Cash asked, his shoulders shaking.
Rachel sent her husband a fulminating glance, and Cash raised Ema higher in his arms, afraid he would be treated the same way Tate had been.
Rachel turned back to Greer. “That’s illegal.”
“I ain’t thinking about marrying all three of them.”
Holly wanted to smash her head against the table. It would be less painful than what Greer was trying and failing to explain.
“That’s reassuring.” Tate gave a strangled cough. “We have enough trouble with the Feds, anyway. No sense giving them more ammunition.”
Greer rolled his eyes as if Tate was the one being ridiculous. “There are three women I can see myself married to. I wanted your advice as to who I should pick. I can see you’re not going to be any help.”
Tate pulled a laughing Sutton onto his lap, putting a hand over her mouth.
“Give us a chance. We’re just surprised. Who are the women?”
“Never mind.” Greer started to storm toward the front door.
“Wait!” Cash bellowed, stopping him. “Do you all want to see him end up with Diane?”
Their horrified expressions were answer enough. His family started taking him seriously.
Holly would have to move if Greer picked Diane. There was no way she could remain in the same house as her. There was no way she could share the same house with any woman Greer chose.
Greer turned back toward the room. “I don’t know what you all have against Diane.”
“She uses you when whoever she’s seeing dumps her. You fall for her lies every time, and every time, you take her back.” Rachel didn’t have any problem exposing the feelings of the entire room.
Greer shrugged. “We aren’t exclusive.”
“If you married her, she’d fu—” Tate moved his shoulder away from Sutton’s reach. “She’d mess around on you before the honeymoon was over.”
“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.” Greer nodded.
“Who’s your second choice?”
“Jo.”
“Jo?” Rachel asked, shocked.
“You know, Jo Turner.”
“I know who she is. I’m friends with her.”
“I know. I figured you could put in a good word for me.”
Cash put a restraining hand on Rachel’s leg.
Holly watched as she tried to control her temper.
“I didn’t even know you were dating her. I’m going to kick your ass if you’ve been messing around with Diane and dating Jo at the same time.”
“Cool down. I haven’t asked her out yet.”
“I don’t understand …”
“I’m attracted to her, she’s pretty, and she has that new tow truck. Shit like that comes in handy.”
Holly wondered if anyone would notice if she got a glass of wine. The man was driving her nuts with his logic.
“I wanted to talk to you all and see if she’s a good choice.”
“For you? No,” Rachel stated empathically. “Who’s the third choice?”
Greer turned stubborn. “I don’t know if I want to tell you all any more. You are shooting my women down.”
“
They aren’t your women,” Sutton snapped.
Unfazed, Greer stared at his sister-in-law unblinkingly. “One of them could be if you all would get off your high horses.”
“Who’s the third woman?” Tate asked, breaking the staring contest between the two.
For the first time, Greer appeared embarrassed. “I don’t really know her name,” he admitted.
“I need a drink.” Dustin stood up and went into the kitchen.
Holly couldn’t resist, motioning to Dustin that she wanted one, too. His lips twitched as he took the six-pack out of the refrigerator, and she thanked him after he handed her one. It wasn’t wine, but it would do.
Then he set the rest of the beers on the coffee table after taking one for himself. Opening it, he stared at Greer.
“How do you not know her name?” he asked then took a long swallow of his beer.
“I met her on a dating site.”
Holly nearly choked on her beer, and she wasn’t the only one. Cash had to hit Dustin on his back.
“You’ve been seeing someone you met online?” Dustin asked with a strangled voice.
“Technically, I haven’t met her in person.”
“How long have you been se—talking to her?” Rachel asked, starting to reach for a beer, but Cash reminded her she couldn’t have one and took it for himself.
“You’re breastfeeding.”
“For a few months,” Greer answered. “I’ve been thinking of taking the next step with her.”
“Like what? Talking to her in person?” Dustin laughed, dodging Greer when he would have body slammed him into the couch. However, Tate jumped up and broke the two brothers apart.
“Stop, Dustin.” Tate shoved Greer away before he could go for Dustin again.
Dustin picked up his beer bottle that had fallen to the floor. “I’m sorry. I’ll stop. Do you know her name? I can check her for you.”
“I don’t know her real name. Her online name is Kentukygirl.”
“Sounds like a twelve-year-old made it up.”
“Are you saying I’m a pervert?” Greer started to go for Dustin again, but Tate stepped between them.
Holly finished her beer, wondering if it would be too embarrassing if she took another one. Then she debated on getting the new bottle of wine out of the kitchen cabinet when Tate, Sutton, and Greer took the remaining ones.