My Brother's Bodyguard (Hometown Heros #1)

by G. L. Snodgrass

  “But it’s not fair,” Jimmy said and I swore he wanted to stomp his foot.

  Nate reached out and placed a hand on his shoulders. “Nope, it's not. There’s a reason they have weight classes in boxing. If I went in against a guy a foot taller and eighty pounds heavier. I’d get my butt kicked too. That is all beside the point. None of it matters. Your sister was right. You were wrong to blame her. Tell her you’re sorry and let’s move past this.”

  Jimmy stared back up at Nate for a long minute. I could see him processing what Nate had confronted him with. Why hadn’t I tried this approach? This direct confrontation.

  Because Jimmy would have never listened to me the way he was listening to Nate is why. There was something between them. An honesty that let Nate say the words that needed to be said.

  At last, Jimmy pulled his eyes away from Nate and looked at me. I held my breath for an eternity until he said the words. “I’m sorry, Elle,”

  My world melted as I said, “I’m sorry too.”

  He smiled and stepped to give me a quick hug. I pulled him into a tight embrace. My brother had forgiven me. Life was normal again. My heart swelled back to its normal size.

  Smiling to Nate over Jimmy’s shoulder I tried to let him know how much I appreciated what he had done.

  “Now then,” Nate said. “That’s enough. Too much and people will think you guys actually care about each other. Besides, I need to talk to Elle. Alone,” he added for emphasis.

  Jimmy glanced at him then back at me before shooting me a quick smile as he nodded.

  My heart jumped as I saw the serious frown on Nate’s face. What now? I wondered.

  “I’ll talk to you later Nate. Thanks,” Jimmy said as if everything was over and behind him. What was it about guys. They were yelling at each other one moment. Then they could pretend it was no big deal. How did anything ever get truly resolved?

  Nate nodded to him without taking his eyes off me. My thought immediately left Jimmy and focused on the large man in front of me. I felt like a trapped butterfly, unable to move. Unable to look away.

  The shutting of the back door startled me for a moment as Nate stepped closer. We looked into each other’s eyes for the longest time. A million messages were sent and received. It took everything I ever had to pull myself away from his stare, but I had to. There were things I needed to know.

  “Why aren’t you going into the army?” I asked him as I stepped away. I needed space. Some separation from him if I was ever going to be able to function like a normal person.

  Nate shrugged his shoulders. “I’m still going into the army,” he said. “But it will be as an officer and with an engineering degree.”

  “Why?” I asked, there was something more. Biting my lip, I held my breath and waited.

  “You want to know the truth,” he said with that smirk of his.

  “No, I want you to lie to me,” I snapped.

  Nate sighed heavily and looked off into the distance. “Because,” he said. “Just in case any future me ran into a future you. I wanted to be enough. Something you could be proud of. Something you deserved. You know, just in case.”

  My heart melted into a puddle. Okay, the new best compliment ever.

  “Oh, Nate,” I said. “You have always been more than I ever wanted. More than I’ve ever even needed. Until you, I had no idea of what I wanted in life. But now. I will always know what I want. A hero. An honorable man who loves me as much as I love him.

  Nate’s face froze for a long second as he listened to me. Then a huge smile broke out as he pulled me into a deep hug. One of the deepest, most glorious hugs on this planet.

  “You know, Elle,” he said as he held me with his strong arms. “Just because I love you more than any man has ever loved a woman. That does not mean you are in charge.”

  I laughed as I buried my head onto his chest. “We’ll talk about it later,” I said. At the moment, the last thing I wanted was to get into an argument with Nate Clark. Besides. We had the rest of our lives to work out the details.

  Epilogue

  Elle

  Watching Nate walk across the San Jose University’s stage to receive his Bachelor’s Degree in his full dress uniform made me smile. Another one of those phrases that turned out to be true. There really was something about a man in uniform.

  Four long years of hard work and unbelievable happiness. And this was the point where our lives changed again. This is where we would start down a new path.

  I glanced over at my mother as she wiped at her eyes. She and Nate had become particularly close. They didn’t agree on a lot of things. But they both cared enough for the other that they set that aside and just accepted the other for who they were.

  On the other side of my Mom was Uncle Jake and I swear I saw a tear in the big man’s eyes. Who could blame him? He’d raised such a wonderful person. The man deserved to feel proud.

  Nana beamed like it was her own son up there on stage. The one person besides myself who had never doubted he could do it.

  I watched Nate shake the University President’s hand. Give his commanding officer a smart salute, and then step off the stage to return to his seat. My insides buzzed, I wanted to get up, make my way into the student section and give him the biggest hug of his life. I loved him so much.

  Jimmy nudged me with his elbow. “You guys weren’t this emotional when I got my Bachelors,” he said with a frown.

  “That was two years ago,” I hissed at him. “We have to wait until you get your doctorate.”

  “Next year,” he said with a shrug.

  “Yes, next year around this time is going to be busy,” I whispered.

  “Why?” he asked. “I mean, you’re graduating, I’m getting my Ph.D. What else?”

  I smiled down at him, I had to tell someone, it was killing me keeping this a secret.

  “Don’t tell Mom, not yet. But we need to add a wedding to the list of events for next summer.”

  His brow creased in confusion. “Well, duh,” he said. “We’ve been figuring that for the last four years.”

  “Yeah, well now it’s official,” I said as I opened my purse and showed him the ring. “We’re going to announce it at dinner tonight.”

  Jimmy smiled and nodded his head. “Well, just so you know. I saw that ring last Christmas break when Nate asked for my blessing. I told him he was crazy, but if he insisted. I was okay with it.”

  I shoved him playfully and laughed. “You’re walking me down the aisle, you know.”

  He shook his head. “Nope, Nate’s already asked me to be the best man. You snooze you lose.”

  I laughed. “We’ll figure a way to make it work.”

  He smiled back at me. “Yes you will, you always do.”

  Maybe he wasn’t a curse after all, I thought as my heart filled with joy while I sat there and waited for my man. At last, the ceremony was over and Nate made his way through the throng of recent graduates to join us.

  He smiled at me and my heart fluttered just like it always did. So tall, so sweet, so strong. And, so handsome in his dress uniform. My man, I thought. How did I ever get so lucky?

  He quickly shook his uncle's hand. They slapped each other’s back and beamed like two little boys who had gotten away with something. Then he hugged Mom and Nana in quick succession. They both wiped away a quick tear of happiness and then stepped back so he could be with me.

  “Hey sweetness,” he said as he pulled me into a hug. The world was right. Everything in its place and working like it was supposed to.

  “Hi yourself,” I said as I held onto him for all I was worth.

  A private moment in a sea of a thousand people. It was just Nate and me, I realized. We would have family and friends around us. But at the core. It would always be just Nate and I facing the world together.

  I smiled to myself. Me and the bodyguard that turned out to be my hometown hero. Who could ever ask for anything more than to love and be loved like this? Everything else was mere
details when you had this in your life.

  The End

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading ‘My Brother’s Bodyguard'. I would love to know what you think of it. My readers make it possible for me to do what I love. I am always grateful and excited to hear from you. Please stop by my website GLSnodgrass.com or send me an Email at GL@GLSnodgrass.com. Feel free to sign up for my newsletter. I use my newsletter to announce new releases and give away free books.

  I also post on my Facebook page at - https://www.facebook.com/G.L.Snodgrass/

  If you enjoyed ‘My Brother’s Bodyguard’ please tell a friend or two. And, please help out by rating this book at Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews from readers make a huge difference for a writer.

  As always, I would like to thank my friends and family for their help. I also owe a great debt to Anya Monroe, Eryn Scott, Kim Loraine, and Alexis Adair for their kind assistance. And of course, my great friend, Ms. Sheryl Turner.

  As a little extra, I’ve included the first chapter of my book “Certain Rules”. Enjoy.

  Certain Rules

  Chapter One

  Scott

  There are certain unwritten rules in high school. High on the list, close to the top, is one that says. ‘Thou shalt not have sex with your best friend’s girl.’ - A simple rule, understood by all. - Danny Carrs totally ignored it.

  Another rule even higher on the list says: ‘Thou shalt not beat the crap out of the star quarterback two days before the playoff game.’ I sort of ignored that one. I figured it made us even. Needless to say, the jerks at school didn’t see it my way.

  They thought they were going to get to me with the silent treatment. The ice cold stares and turned backs were nothing. They hadn’t grown up with my grandfather. Their weak attempts didn’t get to me. What killed me, a bone-deep death, was the laughter and snickering behind me, wherever I went.

  Scott James, the largest guy on campus, star left tackle, destined for the front line of Nebraska University, was a cuckold. Couldn’t keep a woman satisfied so she had to go somewhere else.

  “Steroids man, it kills it,” a high-pitched freshman voice whispered.

  A stupid sophomore girl, fresh from P.E., laughed and said, “You know I heard they used him for the model when they made Shrek, only they had to tone it down for the movie, it scared all the kids.”

  “I hear he’s so dumb he didn’t know how,” was repeatedly heard.

  The fact that she hadn’t ever let me try made it worse.

  I’d caught best bud Danny Carrs and the love of my life Miss Gina Woods, in his room the previous afternoon. She had her legs straight up in the air with Danny between them, pumping away like a locomotive going uphill. There are some sights that burn their way into your brain and you’ll never get ‘em out.

  I’d come to Danny’s to borrow a chemistry book; the world knew he’d never need it. The boy hadn’t cracked a book in the nine years I knew him. He had his head-banging music going full bore and never heard me knock. I stepped in, the room smelled like old socks and Ben Gay ointment. Gina screamed. Danny cursed, jumped up, and held out his hands as if to say, ‘it’s not what you think man.’

  Unfortunately, it was exactly what I thought, man. I saw red and swung.

  I’ve got to give him credit. He didn’t stay down. Not a very a smart move. But then Danny wasn’t a renowned genius.

  He’s your typical Greek god. – Brown curly hair and green eyes, six-one, hundred eighty. I’m more your Norse variety with black hair and the beginning of a scraggly red beard. I had him by three inches and seventy pounds; all of it pure muscle from a lifetime of slinging hay bales and four years of banging into fellow giants on the gridiron. Danny, on the other hand, made Justin Beiber look like an ugly slug.

  He jumped up and threw a quick jab. His fist hit me square in the jaw and I heard the bones in his hand crack with a sickening snap. The boy had never learned how to throw a punch. I’d been doing his fighting for him since fourth grade, both on and off the football field. But, he tried. I smiled and returned the favor with a left to the eye and a right to the ribs. He crumbled like a sack of potatoes dropped from the roof.

  And with that, the red rage left me to be replaced by a deep burning hurt. How could they do this to me? What did I do? I hadn’t felt this kind of gut-wrenching loss since my parents were killed seven years earlier.

  Gina knelt on the bed in all her naked glory, hiding behind a too small pillow. This was not how I anticipated seeing her naked for the first time. Long black hair messed up in the ultimate bed-head and porcelain white skin that looked purer than a fresh January snow.

  Her head swiveled back and forth between Danny and me as if watching a tennis match. Her mouth opens in shock and her eyes clouded in confusion. Slowly awareness started to return and her eyes turned to fire. She screamed and jumped off the bed to cradle Danny’s head in her lap. “What have you done you giant oaf?” she yelled as if everything was my fault. She forgot about me and returned to brushing the hair from his eyes.

  I so wanted to come back with a witty retort, a small pithy saying that would put her in her place. Something that would go down in history as the smartest thing a guy in my situation ever said. If not that, at least something to take away the pain. Or better, something to hurt her as much as she’d hurt me.

  I had nothing. Nada. I stood there, my knuckles screaming, gob smacked with reality. No nothing. I never had anything when it came to talking to girls. Maybe this is why I ended up in situations like this.

  My fists clenched. I hated her so much. She’d ruined everything.

  I felt like a worthless piece of crap. The red rage started to return. One of the few things I’m proud of that night is the fact that I somehow got myself under control. Letting out a big sigh I turned and stomped out.

  It had become hard to see, everything had gotten all misty. I made my way out of there and to my truck and home to the farm. My sister Mattie looked up as I stormed in, yelling that I wasn’t hungry. It probably raised a few red flags. I hadn’t missed a meal since I’d had my tonsils out at age three. They gave me space. They could see something was wrong and left me alone. Grandfather even did my chores for me without giving me a ration of crap about it. He’d get me later I was sure.

  The next morning at school was interesting, to say the least. The hallway full of students parted like the red sea before Moses. That sweet aroma of floor wax and teenage hormones washed over me as I walked down the canyon feeling every pointed barb and hateful glare.

  Of course, everyone knew what happened, or at least some twisted version. To them, I had become the monster who ruined their chance at shared glory. Taken any chance of a state championship out of the realm of possibility. The beast of the night, too big and too dumb to know what I’d done.

  They didn’t realize the half of it and just how close I came to losing it. I could feel the anger building in me like a raging forest fire. My heart raced, and my muscles were tighter than a drum. I wanted to hit something, hard. Desperately needed to crush something. Anything to make this pain go away.

  I'd thought she cared. She’d been my first steady girlfriend. She'd approached me first, for Christ’s sake. Coming up to me at last summer’s quarry party. Acting like I was something important. Staring at me through those long lashes, making feel like I was special. It'd all been a scam to get close to Danny. I could see it, now. She’d always wanted to know what he was up to, who he was seeing.

  It was Gina that announced our couple hood on Facebook after two dates to the movies. She was the one who said, ‘I love you,’ first. It was her that said she was ‘saving her virginity until marriage.’ A fact that I could reluctantly accept. I’d have done anything to make her happy. People treated me differently because of her. If Gina Woods was my girlfriend, I must be pretty special, almost normal.

  And my best friend Danny, the bastard. We’d gone to war together on the field. I protected his back and he shared his fame and g
lory. What had I done to them? Where did I screw up?

  I found myself sitting in Mrs. Hollis’ AP History class wondering how the hell I got there. A quick glance at the clock said we only had a couple of minutes left. Earth to Scott, get your shit together boy, it’s going to be a long day and you’re going to need to focus.

  A short beep over the intercom made everybody jump and look at the speaker on the wall.

  “Mrs. Hollis, please send Scott James to my office, thank you,” a grumbly voice said. There weren’t any laughs, no snickers, not even a whoop whoop. Everybody knew what this was about and were hoping for the worst. A sea of gleeful smiles and hateful eyes watched me leave. Only Katie River seemed to be on my side. Her sorrowful eyes looked like she was watching a puppy being taken to the execution chamber.

  One out of twenty-five was more than I expected. The rest of them stared and remained silent as I gathered my stuff and headed out the door before the teacher could say a word. It’s not like I didn’t expect it.

  The hallways were as barren as an Arizona desert and my steps echoed off the lockers as I made my way to the Principal, Mr. Turner’s office. Would the cops be there? I could see it now. Being led out of the school in cuffs, hands behind my back. Everybody standing there cheering and yelling junk. Screw it, things couldn’t get worse.

  I glanced into Mr. Turner’s office and realized how wrong I could be. Grandfather sat in one of the chairs. My stomach dropped to the floor and I had a hard time swallowing. Crap, this had gotten so much worse. The thought of disappointing him made me break out in hives.

  Old battle ax Betty, the principal’s secretary and the center around which the school revolved, nodded her head that I should go right in. Her eyes narrowed in scorn and I thought for sure I’d melt before I made it to the door. I gave a quick knock and entered.

  My grandfather raised an eyebrow as I entered, at least he didn’t look like he hated me. Not yet. They mustn’t have told him.