“Here I was trying to encourage her, and she encouraged me, lifted my spirits, made me see how lucky and how blessed I am. Tell Maggie her sister is amazing, will you?”
“I will, I love you, good-bye,” Michelle said.
* * * *
“Hey, Charlie, Mr. Cantrell is down here looking for you.” Freddie yelled up to them and Charlie headed down the stairs.
Charlie walked out of the barn and headed toward Tom and Lou who were talking by his pickup truck.
“Morning, Charlie. You guys are doing a great job on the place.”
“Thanks, Tom, how’s everything going?” Charlie asked as Lou excused himself and went back to working on the house.
“Pretty good, listen, about what we talked about yesterday. I ran everything by the wife and she thought it sounded like a great idea. If you were willing to become legal partners with me, invest your money in this land, maybe together we could build that community I was talking about. I’m serious, Charlie, what do you think?”
Charlie wasn’t sure what to do. “I don’t know, Tom, it’s a big responsibility. Dante and Trevor are willing to assist because it’s a lot to handle and I’m not sure. Can you give me a few days?” Charlie asked.
“Sure, son, take your time. I know it’s asking a lot but I think we could do it. Let me know, all right?” Tom said then Lori pulled up in her car.
“How did the date go last night?” Tom whispered to Charlie.
“Good, I think,” Charlie responded, laughing a little at how everyone was acting.
“Hi, Mr. Cantrell, Charlie,” Lori said as she got out of the car. She had her long blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and was wearing a short pumice skirt with a light blue, spaghetti strap top. Charlie thought she looked beautiful as usual. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, nor could Dante and Trevor. Trevor stated this morning over breakfast how he couldn’t wait to wake up with Lori in his arms. That comment got the three of them going onto a major discussion about pushing a little harder for this relationship to move along. Lori seemed resistant. Was there deeper meaning behind it? He wondered, remembering Trevor’s concerns.
“She hasn’t told us anything about her past, just that she worked at a lot of places,” Trevor said.
“She said worse places than Carl’s. I’m personally not liking that,” Dante added.
“She’s shy and more often than not I catch her deep in thought and she looks sad. What could a woman as young and lovely as Lori be sad about?” Charlie told his brothers.
“Her eyes light up when we’re around her. My whole body ignites the moment she comes into view. I can feel it in my heart, and deep in my soul. She’s special and I want her in our bed, and in our home. This isn’t temporary for me,” Trevor added.
“I agree. She belongs to us. We have to be honest and tell her what we want and how much we adore her already,” Trevor said, very seriously.
Charlie had stared at his two brothers, worried that he couldn’t love her the way she needed. What do I know about love, or about providing for a woman as special as Lori?
* * * *
Lori eyed Charlie and her spirits lifted at the sight of him. He looked rugged and macho with his unshaven face, blue T-shirt, and loose-fitting blue jeans even though they were covered with white Sheetrock dust. As if reading her mind, he dusted off his shirt and pants unaware of the smile they both received from Tom Cantrell.
Lori pulled out two large grocery bags along with her purse and Charlie walked over to help her.
“I’ll talk to you soon, Charlie. I have to get going. Good seeing you, Lori.” Tom got back into his truck.
“Let me help you with those.” Charlie took one of the bags from Lori.
“Thank you. You guys are Sheetrocking the bedroom already?” she asked as he followed her to the house porch steps.
“Yeah, it’s pretty dusty up there. What are you up to?” he asked her as he placed the grocery bag down on the porch floor. Diana Shay came to the door to retrieve the bags, saying hello to Charlie then walking back inside.
“I had to go to the store, I saw your brother Andrew in town. He’s a really great guy.”
“He’s married you know?” Charlie said, joking around as he took Lori’s hand.
“I know that, Charlie, I just meant that nice guys run in your family.”
“That’s safe to say.”
“How about Jasper, is your cousin like you and your brothers?”
“Jasper’s a good guy, why do you ask?”
“He’s going on a date with Maggie tonight.”
“Really, he didn’t mention that? You sound concerned, baby.”
She loved the way he called her baby. She smiled as he took a step closer to her.
“He’s a good man. Your sister will be safe on a date with him. Speaking of dates, how about the four of us go on another one? If it’s not too short of a notice, how about tonight?” he asked as he gently tugged on her ponytail. She giggled at the gesture and he smiled.
“I kind of said I would keep an eye on Ben with my parents.”
“We could go for ice cream after dinner and take Ben with us.”
“That sounds good, Charlie, then you can drop him back off to me and the four of you could go out alone,” Diana said as she stood by the porch door. Both Charlie and Lori hadn’t even heard her approach. They were so caught up in each other.
“Well there’s your answer.” Lori looked at him then back toward the empty porch doorway where her mother stood only moments ago. Now she was gone.
“I’ll call you later.” He kissed her on the cheek and went back toward the barn.
* * * *
Charlie, Dante, Trevor, and Matt headed home after work, and on their way past their parents’ house they saw their father waving them down.
“Hey, Dad, what’s going on?” Charlie asked from the passenger side of Matt’s pickup truck.
“Your mom wants to know if you guys are coming to dinner or not. Andrew, Michelle, and the kids are coming, too.”
“Yeah that sounds good,” Matt said. “I don’t know about these guys though. I think they have another date tonight.”
Charlie shot him a look.
“Oh really?” Phil asked, sounding curious.
“Yeah but not until later. We’ll be there,” Charlie said and Matt headed over to Charlie’s place to drop them off.
An hour later Charlie, Dante, and Trevor arrived at their parents’ house where Andrew, Matt, and the others were sitting on the front porch enjoying some cold beers.
“There they are,” Andrew said as Trevor, Dante, and Charlie walked onto the porch to join everyone.
“You guys are working hard at Lou’s place. Can’t wait to see it.” Phil handed his sons a beer each.
“Yeah it’s coming along nicely. Lou’s daughter should be pleased with it,” Charlie said as he leaned against the porch railing and peeked out toward the yard where his niece and nephew were playing.
“Lou’s daughter? You mean Lori, don’t you? There’s no need to hide it, brother. Everyone here knows you three went out on a date with her last night,” Matt said and the others started laughing.
“What do you mean everyone knows?” Charlie asked kind of on the defensive.
“The whole town basically. I told Lori earlier today that hearts were breaking,” Andrew added.
“You’re not kidding,” Jasper said as he approached the entrance to the porch. Everyone started whistling and hollering at how good he looked all cleaned up for his date with Maggie.
“You look fantastic, Jasper,” Michelle said as she held Andrew’s arm.
“Thanks, what do you think about the flowers? Too much?” he asked very seriously.
“She’ll love them, son,” Phil told his nephew as he patted him on the shoulder. Jasper said good-bye and off he went to pick up Maggie.
Michelle and Terry started setting the table on the enclosed screened porch.
“So I guess it’s sa
fe to assume that things went well with Lori the other night?” Andrew asked as he stood next to Charlie, Dante, and Trevor.
“Yeah, things went well,” Trevor said then took a slug of beer.
“Good, she’s a great woman,” Andrew stated.
“She’s a knockout!” Matt added as he joined his brothers.
Phil just listened as he sat down on one of the large green cushioned chairs.
“You’re engaged, Matt, remember?” Andrew teased and Matt laughed.
“A woman as perfect as that can make a man stray.”
“Mathew David Henley, what would Janie think about that?” Phil asked his son and Charlie, Dante, Trevor, and Andrew laughed.
“Janie knows I tell it the way it is. I do it all the time at the newspaper,” Matt stated as he took a sip of his beer.
“That’s why they haven’t let you write anything lately. You’ve caused so much trouble around there,” Andrew said and they all laughed.
“Matt could be onto something. I haven’t seen you three clean shaven and smiling in a long time,” Phil added, and both Matt and Andrew agreed.
“Seriously, guys, she’s special. I do like her a lot. Most people do the second she starts to talk to them. Carl swears business at his place has doubled since Lori started working there,” Matt told them.
“She’s a caring person that’s why. I bumped into Jay Carton the other day and he said that when Lori works the late shift she gives his old man Patch, a ride home so he doesn’t try to drive himself,” Andrew told them.
“See what I mean. She’s a good person,” Matt added.
“I tell you just this afternoon I bumped into Lori in town and we sat down outside my office,” Andrew began to say.
“Yeah, he had lunch with Lori and called me telling me how much he loves me and how blessed he is to have me and the kids in his life,” Michelle interrupted as she started placing food on the table.
“What did you think, Michelle, that he cheated on you?” Matt teased.
“No, I’ve gotten to know Lori pretty well and she’s a very unselfish person. She’s a strong, independent, extremely intelligent person. To survive the ordeal she and Maggie and Ben went through, forget it, I would have never been able to.” Michelle left the room to retrieve the remainder of the meal.
“What is she talking about?” Matt and Dante asked at the same time.
“Lori and Maggie were on the run for the past five years. They had to escape from Ben’s father. He was abusive,” Andrew stated. Charlie, Trevor, and Dante were in shock. Michelle and Terry entered the room.
“Lori worked day and night to support her sister and the baby. Diana said she worked in some real bad places and sometimes slept in that car of hers for months at a time,” Terry added as she began to serve the meal.
“Oh my God. We had no idea,” Trevor said.
Charlie was in shock. He, too, had no idea that Lori had experienced any of this. “Weren’t the police involved?”
“Apparently from what Lou and Diana told us, Ben’s father came from a well-known family in the community. It wasn’t until he assaulted another young woman, then killed a man outside a bar that the police were after him,” Phil told them.
“Diana told me she wanted her daughters to call the police since Ben’s father was a fugitive, but the girls feared that his family would blame them for their son’s mistakes and try to convince a court to give them custody of Ben. Lori and Maggie stayed in hiding until that dreadful night.” Terry sighed and held her hand against her chest.
“What happened?” Dante asked.
“Andrew, you received her medical files and spoke to the doctor Lori saw. How exactly did it happen?” Terry asked her son.
“I don’t think it’s really my place to tell her story. When Lori’s ready, I’m sure she’ll share it with you.” Andrew took a deep breath and released it as if the thought of what happened to her really bothered him.
“She saved Maggie’s and Ben’s lives,” Michelle said. “Maggie’s ex-boyfriend broke into the house they rented and attacked Maggie and Ben. He was going to kill Maggie and Lori intervened. He had a gun and planned on killing them both then taking Ben away. Lori got the gun away from the ex-boyfriend, yelled for Ben to run since she had called the police already, and saved him. During the struggle, Maggie escaped and Lori shot the ex-boyfriend. That’s how she broke her wrist. Then apparently he resisted arrest, grabbed a weapon prepared to shoot at Lori and the police, and the police shot him, killing him.”
“I can’t believe this.” Charlie leaned back in his chair.
“When Lori does tell you guys, which I’m sure she will, I wouldn’t be surprised if she minimizes her actions. She doesn’t really want anyone to know. She doesn’t want to be seen as a hero,” Andrew told them just as little Andy and his sister Kerry came running onto the porch.
“We washed our hands!” Andy yelled and Kelly repeated her big brother as they showed their parents their hands for approval then sat down at the table. Naturally the conversation ended.
“I can’t believe what we just heard in there,” Trevor said as he ran his hand through his hair.
“I’m in shock, too. They must have been scared out of their minds, and poor Ben had to experience that,” Dante added.
“Andrew said that Lori struggled for the gun and shot Ben’s father. She took care of her sister and Ben as if they were her children and she’s younger, only twenty-one. That’s fucking crazy.” Trevor began to pace.
“Calm down. We need to think about what we’re going to do. I want to see Lori right now. Not in an hour, but right now,” Dante said.
“No,” Charlie stated and both Dante and Trevor looked at him. He hadn’t said a word and Trevor wondered if Charlie even felt as strongly for Lori as he and Dante did? Would that man ever open his heart to take a chance?
“What the hell do you mean, no?” Dante asked.
Charlie looked as if he were biting the inside of his cheek. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, making him appear tough and dead serious.
“We’re not supposed to know what happened to Lori, Maggie, and Ben. We need to make her feel safe and comfortable enough to tell us,” Charlie stated.
“God, I just want to hold her. I wish she hadn’t experienced that type of violence and trauma,” Trevor whispered.
“She’s amazing. She’s tough, independent, and gorgeous. She’s everything and more than we ever talked about wanting in a woman. I mean, she’s perfect for each of us,” Dante replied and they nodded in agreement.
“So, we need to keep this information to ourselves and tread carefully. When Lori feels safe, she’ll confide in us,” Charlie said and they agreed.
* * * *
The evening was beautiful and Jasper showed up around five thirty to pick up Maggie for their date. He wore a nice pair of navy blue Dockers, a matching button-down shirt, and some dress shoes. He brought along a bright, colorful bouquet of assorted flowers.
Maggie emerged wearing a pale pink one-piece, snug-fitting sleeveless dress and carried a matching shawl with her.
Jasper’s eyes widened at the sight of her and both Lori and her parents were happy to have witnessed the attraction between Maggie and Jasper. Lori wondered if that was what she’d looked like when Charlie came to get her the other night.
“You look stunning, Maggie. That color looks great on you.” Jasper handed her the bouquet of flowers.
“Thank you, Jasper, you look great as well and thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful,” she told him as she smelled them.
“Why don’t I put those in some water and you two get going?” Lori said as Maggie passed her the colorful bouquet.
“You be a good boy for your aunt and your grandma and grandpa,” Maggie told Ben as she kissed him and hugged him good-bye. Lori knew that Maggie felt a little bit of anxiety leaving him for the night to go on a date.
“He’ll be good and besides we’re going for ice cream with Charlie
, Trevor, and Dante later.”
“Oh great, ice cream. I’ll be good, Mommy, have fun,” Ben said as he hugged Lori. They watched as Maggie and Jasper left.
An hour later they finished up dinner and Lori touched up her makeup before the guys came over.
“Now be a good boy and after ice cream Lori and Dante, Trevor, and Charlie will bring you back home and we’ll get you ready for bed. Maybe we can watch that movie you like so much,” Diana told her grandson as she gave him a pat on the head. Ben was excited as he headed to the front door to greet the men, who had just arrived.
Lori straightened out her beige capri pants and put on her pink light sweater over a matching pink spandex, short-sleeve top. The shirt was a little short, stylishly revealing her tan, toned belly, which peeked out a little from the bottom of the sweater.
Charlie, Dante, and Trevor looked her over in approval before they each gave her a light kiss on the cheek hello.
They headed to town for ice cream and Ben entertained them with various questions the whole ride over.
They ordered their five ice cream cones and headed toward a bench near the parking lot.
“Two scoops, huh, buddy? You must have really been in the mood for ice cream?” Lori asked as she watched Ben begin to lick the ice cream as it melted off the cone.
“I was and Andy said that this place serves the best ice cream. It’s better than the Carvel place down the road,” Ben added and Trevor laughed.
“Andy is right about that. I used to eat ice cream at this place when I was a kid. It’s the best,” Dante told them as they enjoyed the dessert and the warm summer night.
“Aunt Lori, do you think Mommy is having a good time with Jasper?” Ben asked as he finished his cone.
“I’m sure she is,” Lori said as Ben stood in front of her.
“Will she be safe?” Ben asked and Lori’s heart immediately ached for Ben’s concern. He was worried about her just as Lori was.
“I’m sure she’s safe, Ben. Jasper is a nice man and you know that Charlie, Dante, and Trevor are his cousins. They grew up together. Even Matt and Andy’s daddy.”
The American Soldier Collection 4: Their Blue-Collar Girl (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 14