by Lynn Stark
“Yeah, but they’re always under control and not anywhere near me.”
They walked outside together. The cold air whirled around them.
Colt stepped forward to open the door to his car. She could hear him laughing softly as he closed the door and walked around to get in. “Don’t you want kids?” he asked as he started the car.
“I’ve thought about it, in an abstract kind of way. And I thought I did want kids one day. But, Colt,” Piper said, looking at him, “they absolutely terrify me. I wouldn’t know the first thing about taking care of a baby. And I certainly wouldn’t know how to be a parent.” She slumped back in the comfy seat. She really needed to get a car, though there wasn’t really any need in the well-planned town. “I’d have to take classes or something.”
“They have those at the hospital. What’s the next thing worrying you so much?”
Relieved to shelve the subject of children, Piper brought up the subject of starting a business. “I was thinking I could have a little shop or something.”
“What kind of shop?”
“I could start a coffee shop.”
“Do you want a coffee shop?”
Piper groaned. “No. Don’t be difficult, Colt. Please help me find something to do!”
“You could dance at the Silver Edge. You certainly have the body for it. And you know how to dance.”
Feeling her face heat up, she buried her face in her hands. “Do you have to remind me every chance you get that you saw me naked?”
“Yeah, it’s kinda fun. So, do you want a job?”
“I think I’ll pass. Next idea, please.”
“If you’re really bored, you could be my sub.”
Piper laughed as she always did when Colt offered to make her his submissive. He had been the one to help her keep her sanity all these years. He had been that voice of reason in the darkness when she thought she would go mad from the constant surveillance, the unrelenting demands by her father, and the inflexible control kept upon a life she couldn’t even call her own. Colt had done that for her. That’s why she loved him. That’s why she owed him her gratitude.
They were both laughing by the time they entered the small diner where Colt had, on her first day in town, guaranteed they made the best fries. She sat in her side of the booth, waiting eagerly for the waitress to bring their order. Every time she had them she felt a new surge of rebellion. It wasn’t just about fries, of course. It was about being able to make decisions and to act upon them. It was about what she wanted to eat, to where and how she wanted to travel, what she would wear, who her friends could be. There were a million other things she had lost so long ago she was almost overwhelmed by her ability to make choices and act upon them without criticism or complaint being aimed at her.
Taking a crispy golden fry off the top of the plate she dipped it into her chocolate milkshake before biting off the dripping end of it. Colt watched her with amusement. Catching his expression, she said, “Don’t laugh, this one’s for you.”
Leaning forward the handsome Dom took the dredged fry between strong white teeth, biting it off. He looked at her in surprise. “Hey, that’s actually rather good.”
Piper nodded. “I love fries. Now, back to what kind of shop I could open.”
“Well, we have three bookstores, two bakeries, a liquor store, a sex shop, and any number of the usual shops to be found in a small town. The mall has expanded the choices.” He paused as she felt her hope fade a little. “What this town really could use is someone to help with animals. It would be a combination shelter and adoption center. With your gift with animals, you’d be a natural.”
“Isn’t there already a dog pound?” She hated the things, but knew they were a necessary evil in a world where not everyone was a responsible owner.
“There is, but it’s miles from here. You could open something small, perhaps a place where you could help educate people on the value of spaying and neutering their pets, as well as the needs of more exotic pets like Sparkle. While she’s a lovely pig, pigs certainly aren’t the pet for everyone, just as certain breeds of dogs or cats aren’t. You could answer questions about the different breeds, help people make the right choice.”
By the time Colt finished Piper was nearly bouncing in her seat with excitement. Perhaps not very adult, but she could see herself helping people learn about the animals they wanted for pets, as well as helping those who already had animals they might need some kind of help with. Though she had no formal training with animals, with the exception of close encounter with a bull, she was very good with them. She could enlist the aid of professionals for complicated issues.
“I could do that,” Piper said, feeling as if she was glowing from the inside. “I knew I could count on you to help me figure it out.” She reached across the table to give his elegant hand a squeeze. “I really want to fit in here.”
“Darling, you fit in just fine. Everyone who meets you loves you. You just haven’t been here very long. Once you have gotten settled in, it will feel as if you have been here forever.”
“That reminds me. I should start looking for a house to rent. Do you have something small with a yard?”
She knew he not only sold houses, but had rentals as well. She looked at him expectantly and saw a curious expression on his face. Before he answered, however, she heard an odd phrase which drew her attention.
“I tell you, Sunshine ‘n’ Roses is gonna be a top bull this year! Merck thinks so, too.”
Turning her head to look at two cowboys seated in a nearby booth, she wondered about the name. She continued to listen, even as a sense of disbelief filled her. How had she forgotten about Merck Rushton? The stock contractor was from Silver. Great, now she would have to worry about seeing him. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to. She had the feeling he would be more than willing to say “I told you so,” about her experience with the man who attacked her. There was no way he wouldn’t have heard about the incident, was there? Everyone in the business seemed to know everyone else and what was happening with them. He had warned her, tried to spare her more unpleasantness and to keep her from getting hurt. It wasn’t his fault she hadn’t listened.
“No way, it’s his first year out. He’s still a little squirrely.”
“Hah! No one’s stayed on him yet. I tell you, he could be bull of the year in no time!”
Piper blinked when she heard Colt say, “Earth to Piper. Come in, Piper.”
Blushing, she looked at him. “I’m sorry. That was very rude. I was just listening to them talking about a bull named Sunshine ‘n’ Roses.”
Colt looked suitably concerned. “You’re not thinking about taking on the stock contractors again, are you? I’ve been out to Merck’s place. His bulls and bucking horses live better than he does.”
Grimacing, she shook her head. “No, I have no plans to see Merck Rushton.” Though her heart had been in the right place, she had been totally unprepared for the reality of encountering men like the one who attacked her. She had been fortunate to meet Merck. He was honest and responsible. His willingness to help her learn all she could about how the animals were treated was something she could respect. If she met him again, she would begin to want things she probably couldn’t have with him. He was the lead in many of her current fantasies.
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I don’t plan on going all psycho on anyone either. Those days are over.”
“Good. I’d really hate to have to kill someone.” When she stared in blank surprise he lifted a fry and tucked it into her gaping mouth. Colt nodded. “Yeah, I would, if someone even thought about hurting you. Now that we’re on the subject of Merck Rushton, there’s something you should know. Grayson, Sheriff Evans, stopped a truck yesterday. Merck was in it with another man you know. This one you might be less happy hearing about.” Piper chewed and swallowed the fry as Colt rambled in a rather uncharacteristic manner. “Well, hell, he was with a man named Jace Hunter.”
&n
bsp; Stiffening in shock, she stared at Colt. Her heart began pounding in her chest. “Jace is here in Silver? How is that possible?”
“I suspect the man is good at what he does.”
Piper made a face. “He didn’t catch me leaving.”
“No, he didn’t. But he did track you down and even your father hasn’t managed to do that yet.”
“Yet,” she echoed dismally. “It’s only a matter of time before he does. So, what was Merck Rushton doing in a truck with Jace?”
“Are you ready for this?” She nodded. “Well, as gossip has it, courtesy of Hazel Bradley, they were swapping spit.”
An explosion under her at that moment wouldn’t have shocked her any more than that information did. Piper stared at Colt, trying to see if he was joking or not. While he did have a wicked sense of humor, she couldn’t see any sign of it at that moment. There was more concern than anything else.
“They were kissing?”
“Yes. Does that bother you?”
She grimaced. “Well, it kills off a few fantasies. Damn!”
Piper didn’t honestly know what she felt about Merck and Jace kissing. She had fantasized about them both every now and then. Well, mostly every night. What healthy female wouldn’t? Especially when that female was a twenty-six year old without a sex life. Dreams and fantasies were about all she had going at the moment. Now she would definitely have to find someone new, although thinking about the two handsome men kissing was something of a turn-on, too.
Groaning at her thoughts, Piper looked across the table at her friend who was grinning knowingly. “Don’t be an ass, Colt.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Now, I think we should be going. There’s someone I want you to meet. I believe it’ll make you forget about your men kissing each other. And whatever it was they did all last night.”
She doubted there was much that would make her forget about them kissing. And now that he’d put other thoughts into her head? Nope, she wasn’t about to forget anything like that.
Since Piper didn’t want to discuss the topic any further where they could be overheard, she waited until they were back out on the sidewalk. “Do you think they spent the night together?” Why was she even speculating? It wasn’t any of her business who either man slept with.
“I do. I know people. Merck wouldn’t kiss anyone, man or woman, if he wasn’t intensely attracted to that person. Come on, my pet, let’s go. I have another surprise for you. Unfortunately you may or may not find this one as pleasant.”
Piper got in the car and waited for him to close the door and walk around. Once he was inside she looked at him with more than a little puzzlement. “What are you up to, Colt? Who is this someone?”
Colt sighed and she really began to worry. “It’s someone you should have met a long time ago. Unfortunately it wasn’t my decision to make. I had to wait until this person decided they wanted to meet you.”
“And this person is?”
Had her father arrived in Silver and Colt was preparing to act as a mediator between them? There was just no way she wanted to see Douglas Barrows. Not just yet.
“Your half-brother.” Piper gasped and leaned back against the car’s door, staring at him in disbelief. “He hasn’t wanted to meet you. Not because of anything you did, but because of the whole situation with your father. It’s been very hard on him.”
With her world spinning, Piper tried to process what her friend was telling her, confessing to her. She had a brother? Well, a half-brother anyway. With her brain going a mile a minute she realized this very well could be the reason why her father had decided not to return to Silver, why he and Colt had gotten into such an argument that neither man had spoken to the other since they had left.
Piper could understand why Colt had not broken this confidence. This man who was her brother had trusted Colt not to do so, giving him the control as to whether they would ever meet. But why had her father not told her? And did her mother know that Douglas Barrows had fathered a child with another woman?
“Is he older or younger than I am?”
She was almost afraid to hear the answer, but she found a desperate need to know every little detail she could. She didn’t have any siblings and getting one was very exciting. And he wasn’t little, either, which was a big plus.
“Older. He’s a little over two years older than you are.”
He was twenty-eight or twenty-nine, then. Or close to it. Piper took a shuddering breath. “Then my father knew his mother before he married my mother.” She frowned, not liking what she was hearing. Even if her father hadn’t been a married man, he had a responsibility to the woman and the child he’d fathered. “Did he know about the baby?”
“Not back then. Rose never told him she was pregnant. It’s my understanding that they didn’t part on good terms and she wanted nothing to do with him. Mink was about six before he learned the man he thought was his father wasn’t. Old enough to understand the harsh words, but not old enough to understand why his biological father hadn’t wanted anything to do with him.”
“His name’s Mink?”
“Actually, it’s Melvin. But he prefers Mink.”
Guessing there was a lot behind that, Piper decided not to take on too much right then. So she focused back on what she thought she could handle. She didn’t know whether she should be angry or not. Not for herself, but for the child who had had to live without the benefit of a father who loved him. Though she hadn’t ever been close to either of her parents, they had never been cruel to her in a verbal or physical sense. They were simply emotionally withdrawn, as if neither of them could quite figure out how to deal with a child. It was something they had never figured out. After encountering several children a short time before, she could almost understand their reticence.
“I can’t believe I have a brother.” She felt her mouth turn down as she looked out the window. They were nearly out of the old section, moving to the section where the mall was located. There were the usual businesses, but it was extremely limited. No one could say there was anything trashy about Silver. “It would have been nice to know.”
“It’s taken me a long time to convince him to talk to you. His mother died a few months after your last visit here. Mink is a very private person. He’s also very quiet.”
“Did his mother contact my father while we were here?”
“Actually, they ran into one another downtown at the bakery. Mink was with her and it didn’t take your father long to figure out whose child he was. You and he look so much alike it’s remarkable.”
“Really?”
Piper was becoming more and more curious about this newly acquired half-brother of hers. She was also getting very excited about meeting him. The excitement was tempered by the knowledge that Colt had to talk Mink into meeting her. It wasn’t a very good beginning. Still, he was her brother and she wanted to meet him.
Smiling, her thoughts positive, Piper settled back into the seat for what was the final moments of their trip through town. Though it couldn’t exactly be called rundown, the apartment building could definitely use a sprucing up, she thought as Colt parked between two older model cars.
“Come on, darling.” Colt had gotten out and walked around to open the door for her. And she sat there, suddenly terrified. “Mink’s a sweetheart. I think he’s just as afraid to meet you are you are to meet him.”
Taking a deep breath Piper got out of the car and walked beside Colt into the apartment building. Her brother’s apartment was on the second floor. They walked down a length of greasy, stained carpet. There was an odor she couldn’t identify. And there was noise. A lot of it. Obviously the walls were rather thin.
They stopped at apartment 2G and Colt knocked. The sound echoed in her heart and she moved nervously beside the tall man. It took a moment before the door opened and when it did she could swear she was looking at herself, but only a masculine version. Their gazes went over one another, examining, taking everything in as they stood there.
“May we come in?” Colt asked smoothly.
Mink nodded, backing away so they could walk past him. They entered a living room that was a small rectangle with one large window at the end. It was spotlessly clean and she was relieved the smells outside were not inside her brother’s apartment. There was a warm, homey feel to the place. The furniture was worn, and not expensive, but it was clean and well cared for.
“Mink, this is Piper. I’m afraid she’s still a little shocked. I only just told her about you as we came over.”
Gray eyes moved from Piper, to Colt, then back to her. “Hi, Piper. Please sit down.”
But Piper couldn’t sit down. Completely on impulse, and out of character, she threw herself against her brother and hugged him as hard as she could. “Hello, Mink! I’m very glad to meet you. I’m very sorry our father is a jerk.” She released him slightly so she could pet his chest. He was several inches taller than she was. He was also sweetly handsome. Not pretty, but not very masculine in appearance. Maybe that was because he was wearing eyeliner and lip gloss. His artificially-lightened hair was gelled and pushed up into something resembling a rooster’s comb. It suited him perfectly. She smiled. “I love your hair. Do you think we can be friends? I’d really like that. I promise I’m nothing like my father. You can ask Colt.”
Mink blinked a couple of times but he didn’t speak. Suddenly feeling terribly self-conscious she stepped back.
A grimace twisted her mouth. “Sorry. I’m nervous, I guess. I usually don’t talk so much.” Stepping completely out of Mink’s space she went and perched herself on the only chair in the room. Colt was beside the window, looking out at what was a surprisingly excellent view of the mountains. “Have you lived here long?”
A small, sad smile curved Mink’s mouth. “All my life. Would you like something to drink? I have orange soda and water.”
“Water’s fine.”
“You, sir? Would you like something to drink?”
Colt turned from the window. He smiled at Mink. “No thank you. Actually, I think it would be best if you and Piper have some time to speak alone.”