by J. D. Faver
“I’m loving it!” Darla said. “My little brother has never really gone totally over the edge for a female before. My mom has her fingers crossed. I think she said a rosary for them.”
“Your little brother is a such moose, especially compared to you.”
“They all are. Have you seen Calvin? He was almost ten pounds at birth. It’s a wonder Mom let Dad get near her after that.”
Cassie laughed. “Ouch! He’s the one with the tattooed arms and the pony tail?”
Darla nodded. He’s the oldest. I guess he had lots of practice being big brother to the whole mess of us.”
“He looks like he could handle himself.”
“He owns the Bait Camp with the bar near the jetties. There are the occasional drunken shrimpers or rowdy college kids on vacation, but he usually takes care of any trouble himself. We get an occasional call to come pick someone up, but by that time, they’re already very subdued. You do not start a fight in the Bait Camp.”
Sybil brought their plates piled with eggs, bacon, hash browns and biscuits with gravy on the side. “You girls enjoy, now.”
They dug into the feast.
Cassie took a big bite and made a moaning sound. “This is so good. Zach is into healthy food, so there’s granola and yogurt and fruit until I could puke. Are you sure he’s related to you?”
“He’s always been like that. And he’s a nature nut. Wants to save the planet, protect the environment, save our resources.”
“I like that about him. We share a lot of the same interests.”
Darla wrinkled her freckled nose and giggled. “I figured as much since you’re taking over Dad’s classes.”
“So, if Zach was a nerdy brainiac, I guess he was too big to get picked on in school.”
Darla made a guttural noise in the back of her throat. “Ask him someday about Randall Richardson. He was the school bully. Calvin protected all the younger Baileys, but when he graduated, Randall made Zach’s life a living hell.”
“What happened?”
Darla sopped up the gravy with the last of her biscuit. “Ask Zach. I’m sure he’ll tell you.”
Cassie waved at Sybil who came over with more coffee. “You might as well leave the check, Sybil.”
“No way, girls. Your breakfast is on the house. Phil is so glad you’re coming back to work, he’s beside himself.”
Cassie grinned and raised her eyebrows at Darla. “If we’d known that we could have ordered the caviar.”
Darla frowned at her. “When are you going to begin making deliveries again?”
“Today. I’ll start at ten-thirty. I need to make some of my own money.”
“Is that a good idea with the stalker still out there?”
Cassie held up one finger. “First of all, he’s not my stalker. He got me by accident when he thought I was Sky.” Cassie held up two fingers. “And second, we only deliver to businesses. It’s not like I’m going out to someone’s isolated home.” She held up three fingers. “Third, if he ever tackled me face-to-face, he’d really be sorry he tried.”
Darla was still frowning. “Impressive. What if he has a gun?”
“I know how to take down an armed adversary.”
Darla grinned. “Dang, girl! You could have been me.”
Cassie felt a flush of pleasure. This was a compliment in her book.
Darla’s big brown eyes shone with admiration. “Tell me about your martial arts experiences.”
Cassie shrugged. “I’m into karate and tae kwan do. I’ve studied Krav Maga. That’s the art of close quarters combat. It was developed by the Israeli military.”
Darla leaned forward conspiratorially. “When you say you’re into them, what does that mean?”
Cassie reached for her juice glass and drained it before setting it on the table. “You know, black belts and all.”
“So you could take down a really big guy?”
Cassie snorted. “I could take down a couple of them at once.”
Darla’s eyes grew wide. “What about if they were armed?”
“I told you that I know how to take down an armed assailant.”
Darla grinned at Cassie. “Do you think you could teach me a few things?”
Cassie tilted her head. “You want to learn from me?”
“You’re a teacher, aren’t you?”
Cassie nodded. “Yes, I’m a teacher!” A surge of pride filled her chest.
~*~
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Socialization
Zach was there to meet her when Sky clocked out after her shift at the hospital. He took her home to change from her scrubs. He looked happier than when she’d left him that morning.
She emerged after a shower, clad in jeans, a knit top and her sandals. “Is this what you had in mind?”
His warm gaze caused a stir of emotion in her gut. She felt her cheeks flush, seeing the pleasure in his eyes.
“Perfect. Just perfect.” He held out his hand and, when she put her hand in his, drew her into an embrace. He stroked his hand down the back of her hair.
“And what do I look perfect for?”
“Me,” he said, bending to kiss her.
Kissing Zach made her feel lightheaded, as though she’d just stepped off a carousel ride onto solid ground. When she pulled away, she looked up into his eyes and recognized a promise there, a promise of a future together. If I live long enough. She sighed as the room continued to spin, dizzily.
Zach kissed the side of her neck, his tongue tracing a line to her ear.
She giggled and squirmed in his arms.
“Let’s go.” He pulled her toward the door.
“Where are we going?”
“Calvin invited us to dinner at his place. I think it will do you good to relax and get away from it all.”
Sky raised her brows. “We’re getting away from it all?”
“We are.”
She hesitated, pulling back. “Could we take the Audi instead of the Jeep?”
He looked puzzled. “Too much wind?”
“Yeah, that’s it. I don’t want to mess up my hair.” She handed him her keys. “You drive.” She didn't want him to know how vulnerable and exposed she felt riding in the Jeep.
Zach pocketed her keys before locking the house and engaging the security devices. He closed her in the passenger seat and slid under the wheel of the Audi. “I haven’t driven a car with a roof in a long time.”
Sky gave him a nervous smile, thankful that there was some metal around her, for a change.
He drove across the Queen Isabella Causeway, the two-and-a-half miles of suspended concrete connecting South Padre Island with Port Isabel. The causeway was always brightly lit at night and she felt way too visible for comfort, but would have been a basket case if they had been in Zach’s Jeep.
He drove all the way through the small coastal community and slowed at the entrance to a citrus grove located at the edge of town. He turned onto a narrow roadway and then made a sharp turn into a long drive. At the end, a neat, two-story house with a manicured lawn was nestled among the citrus grove. A barn was situated at the back of the yard with several horses in a fenced area. Two dogs and a huge pig ran up to the car.
Sky’s mouth fell open as the pig’s snout made smoochy smears on the driver’s side window. “A pig!”
Zach grinned at her. “This is the Bailey branch of the zoo.”
Calvin emerged from the house with a stern look on his face. “Bacon! Get away from the car.” He pointed to the back of the house and the pig grunted, before trotting away.
Sky felt a fit of giggles erupting and struggled to catch her breath.
Zach was watching her, a strange expression on his face. “I haven’t heard you laugh like that since the fire.” He leaned over and brushed a kiss across her cheek. “I’ve missed the sound of your laughter.”
She jumped when Calvin slapped his palm against the hood of her car. “That’s enough of that mushy stuff. There are children present
.”
Zach got out of the car and opened her door. He reached in and pulled her out, walking with her to greet Calvin.
“Hello Sky,” Calvin reached out and enveloped her hand in his large, freckled mitt. He turned on Zach and lifted him off the ground in a bear hug. “Little Bro,” he yelled.
Zach planted his feet and bent over, lifting Calvin on his back.
A petite, brunette woman came out of the house with a toddler on her hip and another by the hand. “Hey, you guys! Do I have to turn the hose on you?”
Calvin turned to her, red-faced from the exertion. “No, honey, we’re done playing.”
The brunette woman nodded at Sky. “I remember you from dinner at the folks last Sunday. I’m Trish and these are two of our boys. The older one is staying the night with a friend.”
Calvin stepped onto the porch and picked up the little boy who stood with outstretched arms. He gave him a toss and tucked him under one of his big, beefy tattoo-covered arms in a football carry.
Sky took a deep breath and realized that, for the first time in a long time, she wasn’t afraid. She felt completely at ease here.
Zach gazed at her with his discerning eye, the way he saw through whatever façade she tried to erect. He seemed to be able to be wherever she was emotionally and support her there.
She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, just as Zach leaned in for a kiss.
“I’m so glad you came into my life,” he whispered against her hair.
A swarm of butterflies danced in her chest. “Me too.”
Calvin observed them, grinning his approval. “I hope you folks are hungry. Trish is a terrible cook, but if you’re starving, you can manage to choke it down.”
Trish let out a howl of protest. “You are sleeping in the barn tonight!”
Calvin winked at Sky. “It won’t be the first time.” He handed the toddler off to Zach and sprinted into the interior of the house.
Trish laughed and motioned them all inside.
Sky crossed over the threshold into a large, cheery great room with tall, beamed ceilings and a real stone fireplace built into a wall of stone that rose to meet the high ceiling.
Calvin stepped behind a bar at one end of the room and set a frosty pitcher of Margaritas on the countertop. He poured the slushy liquid into four stemmed glasses with salt encrusting the rims and arranged them on a tray along with the pitcher.
“We’re set up out back on the patio,” Trish said, leading the way through a pair of open French doors. She lowered the toddler in her arms into a play-pen strategically placed close to the conversation area.
Zach set the second toddler inside the enclosure next to his twin. He swayed on his wobbly feet for a moment and then sat down on his diaper-padded bottom with a plop.
A table for four was set, along with a high chair at either end, but Calvin motioned them to a circle of lounge chairs and placed the tray of drinks on a solid-looking round coffee table in the center.
Zach pulled Sky close. “Calvin makes the best Margaritas on the planet, but if you’d like something else, just let me know.”
Sky shook her head. “I’ll try one.”
He sat beside her on a metal love seat softened with cushions. He reached for two of the delicate stems and handed one to Sky.
“A toast,” Calvin said, raising his glass. “A toast to my brother, Zachary Allan Bailey, who has finally succumbed to the Bailey curse.”
Zach grinned and clinked his glass against his brother’s and Trish’s before turning to Sky and gently touching the lip of her glass with his.
“What is the Bailey Curse?” she whispered.
Zach shook his head and grinned. “Tell you later.”
Sky took a sip of her drink, licking salt from her lips. “You’re right. This is the best Margarita on the planet.”
“Told you.”
Calvin raised his glass to her and grinned.
“How did you get a night off, big bro?”
“Your younger brother, Andrew, is tending bar with Uley as bar-back.”
“Really? How did that happen?”
“He wanted to earn a little extra money with the baby coming.”
“Is Jill okay being left alone this close to her due date?” Sky blushed when they all turned to gaze at her. “I’ve seen her at the pre-natal clinic.”
Calvin grinned at her. “Don’t worry, Sky. We Bailey men take care of our women. On the nights that Andrew closes for me, Jill stays with Mom and Dad. They’re keeping a close watch on her.”
Trish threw a twist of lime at Calvin. “Your women?”
Calvin looked offended. “Of course, you’re my woman. You’ve been my woman since the seventh grade.” He swallowed the last of his drink and set the glass back on the tray. “And lucky for you...” He stood up. Pulling himself to his full height, he flexed his muscles. “I’m your man.”
Trish giggled as Calvin made a grab for her and tossed her over his shoulder, giving her a playful swat on the rear. “Let’s eat, woman. I’m hungry enough to choke down your cooking.”
~*~
Seeing Javier for the first time always did something to her stomach, like a giant claw had just grabbed her around the middle.
Cassie’s breath caught in her throat when his dark eyes fastened on hers. He wore a crisp white shirt, open at the neck with dark blue jeans and cowboy boots and a wide western belt. The sling on his arm just called attention to the broad set of his shoulders.
The expression on his face let her know that she affected him the same way. “Hi, baby.” His voice caressed her like velvet. “Oh, God! You are so beautiful.”
She grinned and ducked her head. “I’m glad you think so.” She smoothed the short skirt, liking the silky feel beneath her fingertips.
He reached for her hand and pressed her fingers to his lips. “You look great in that dress.”
She leaned in to him and kissed his cheek close to his mouth. “I’m glad you like it since you bought it for me.”
“Man, I’ve got good taste.” He slipped his arm around her waist, his fingers warm against her skin through the sheer material. “I’ll bet you’ve gotten tired of people telling you how pretty you are all your life.”
“Oh, no. Sky’s the pretty one. I’m the smart...mouthed one.” Her heart did a little tumble and roll in her chest as she tried to recover from her near blunder.
Javier lifted her chin. “You’re too modest. I think that you’re the pretty one”
She drew a shaky breath. “Well, that’s all that matters, isn’t it.” She pressed her lips together before she said too much. She slipped his credit card into his hand. “Thanks for buying me a dress.”
“I want to keep the card.”
“No, really Javi, I’ll have some money soon.”
He pressed the card back into her palm. “I insist that you keep this for emergencies. You might need it.” He folded her fingers back over it.
She sighed, seeing the determined look in his eyes. “Only until I get some cash of my own.”
He shook his head and pressed a kiss onto her temple. “Is it all right with you if another couple joins us for dinner? It’s my cousin, Jorge and his date.”
“Of course. I met Jorge at the fire station when I picked up your truck.”
“I told him we’d meet them at the restaurant if it was okay with you.”
“So, I’m driving?”
“You’re driving.” He led her out to his truck where he opened the driver’s side door and helped her climb up.
The short slinky dress slithered up to display her thighs. Cassie started to pull the skirt down, but Javier stopped her with his hand on her thigh.
He slid the skirt up and grinned. “You got panties to match your dress?”
His hand on her thigh was creating a warm, dampness between her legs. She drew in a sharp breath when his hand slipped between her thighs.
“Javi!”
“Let me see something.” He frowned.
“It’s just as I feared.” He gave her a serious look. “Your love bite is fading. I need to refresh it.” He bent his head, pressing his mouth to her thigh, caressing her flesh with his lips and tongue.
A rush of passion took her breath away. “Javi!” she gasped.