“Don’t worry about it, Honor. My meeting got rescheduled, and Patience was just telling me what the doctor’s office said when they called,” Abel returned easily.
“Did Maggie tell you our news?” Patience asked eagerly.
“Just that you had gotten some good news for a change,” Honor answered, tucking her long blond hair behind her ears. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” she urged, offering her sister a hard look. “Did y’all decide to finally find out what you’re having?” she questioned hopefully.
“No,” Abel and Patience replied together, exchanging a smile. It wasn’t a new question to them. One of them usually got asked that very thing at least once a day. But they’d made a pact to remain clueless until Delivery Day and they were sticking to their guns.
Honor huffed out an irritated breath. “Fine, can’t blame a girl for asking,” she grumbled under her breath. “Then, do you wanna tell me what the actual news is? I’m dyin’ here.”
“You tell her,” Patience offered Abel, nodding when he stared back at her. “Go ahead, I got to tell Maggie,” she encouraged him generously.
“Well, as long as our expectant mother, here, behaves herself, she can come off bed rest for the foreseeable future,” Abel informed Honor with a grin as Patience squealed excitedly beside him.
“Say it again, Abel,” Patience begged dramatically, clutching at his shirt and leaning against him. “I can’t get enough of hearing those words.”
“You’re free, Hellion, as long as you can behave,” Abel repeated as Honor laughed.
“You know what this means, right, Hon? I get to come out to the house for hen night,” Patience cried happily. “I told Maggie I’d just ride out there with you when you left for the day. Is that okay?”
“Sounds good to me,” Honor averred before looking at Abel. “Any limitations you want me to know about?” she asked him.
“Just don’t let her get too wild,” Abel replied, offering Honor a grateful look when she nodded her agreement.
“Hey, I’m sitting right here,” Patience snapped, looking between the two of them. “I think I know what I’m capable of doing.”
“Uh huh,” Honor grunted dismissively. “Sure you do.”
“Nice, Honor,” Patience sneered. “I finally find a way to slip the metaphorical leash off my neck, and you can’t wait to tie me back to the bed.”
“That isn’t true at all,” Honor denied sweetly. “But rest assured if I think you’re overdoing it, I’ve got no problem with the idea of hogtying you to the bed, and if you remember, I earned a badge for my knot tying abilities in Girl Scouts. The double knot was my specialty,” she informed Abel with a serene look. Seeing Patience staring at her incredulously, she shrugged. “You will not put those babies at risk on my watch, Patience Orla McKinnon,” Honor proclaimed forcefully.
“Yes, Honor,” Patience replied dutifully, ignoring Abel’s Cheshire grin.
“I know she’s in good hands with you, Honor,” Abel returned loyally.
“Alright. I’ll be back in a couple of hours to get you, Patience. Abel, I assume that you’ll be partaking in poker night with Ezekiel?” Honor asked, fiddling with the sash of her apron.
“As long as Patience is with you, I think I will. I think we’re meeting over there around five.”
“That’s right around when I’ll pick Patience up for the night. What time do you want her home?” Honor questioned.
“Hey, grown woman sitting right the heck in front of you,” Patience interrupted their conversation as she stared at her sister with disbelieving eyes. “I think I know when to call it an evening.”
Abel couldn’t help his laugh and ignored the grim look of death Patience leveled at him. “I’ll just pick her up after the game, Honor. Shouldn’t be any later than eleven, I’d say.”
“That sounds great,” Honor agreed, turning for the door.
“It sounds just plumb peachy. So pleased everyone could plan out my life for me. It just saves me so much time and energy,” Patience simpered sarcastically, glaring at her sister’s back.
“Sarcastic is a truly ugly color on you, Patience,” Honor said without turning around.
“Would you rather see me in something of the smart assed variety?” Patience returned with a smirk as Honor opened the front door.
“Depends,” Honor returned evenly, slowly turning to smile at her sister. “Does your ass still fit in that?”
Honor smoothly closed the door behind her as Patience launched the first pillow, Abel’s laughter echoing off the walls.
“I swear, Abel, with a family like ours, having enemies just really ain’t an option!”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Several hours later, Patience stood, staring at her reflection in the bathroom’s full length mirror. “Are you sure that this green doesn’t make me look like a blob, Honor?” she asked through the closed door.
“What I think is that it’s just gonna be us girls there at the house, Patience. Which one of us exactly are you tryin’ to impress?” Honor asked, exasperated.
Patience couldn’t really blame her. Her sister had been sitting out there for the past hour, a captive audience, as she’d modeled at least a dozen maternity outfits. She couldn’t help feeling insecure though, Patience reasoned. Not when Faith had made such a cute mommy-to-be. Even nine months pregnant, her sister had managed to make having a baby look effortless.
Patience couldn’t deny it; she’d been more than a little jealous of Faith’s easier pregnancy.
“Patience, Harmony just sent me a text asking how much longer we’re gonna be,” Honor called out again. “Thankfully, she had a key to get into the house, but Maggie wants to know if it’s safe to go ahead and order pizza?”
“Yeah, tell her to order it,” Patience shouted back, smoothing the soft cotton material over her much-wider-than-normal hips. “Tell her to make sure mine has green peppers,” she reminded her sister needlessly. She knew Honor knew how each one of her sisters liked their food. She’d been cooking for all of them since she was old enough to reach the stove. Tilting her head, Patience scanned her reflection one last time, fluffing her blonde hair. She’d actually taken the time to use hot rollers this afternoon, and the results were definitely stunning. Or maybe it just seemed stunning since she’d done nothing but shove her hair into either a bun or a pony tail for the last several months. A frou frou hair-do hadn’t really been necessary lying flat on her back in bed.
Opening the door to the bathroom, she saw Honor shoving her cell phone back in the pocket of her knee length khaki skirt. “Did you text them back?” Patience asked curiously, reaching for her coat and slipping it on over her clothes. The fall nights were getting colder lately, and she wanted to be prepared.
“No, I called Harmony. You know how much I hate trying to type with that teeny tiny keyboard. My fingers are too big to hit the right buttons,” Honor returned with a shake of her head.
“There’s nothing big at all on you, sis. You’ve just gotta practice and get the hang of it,” Patience reasoned, looking around for the small bag she’d packed to take with her.
“Why, when I can just call on the phone?” Honor questioned dryly. “If you ask me, this texting business is overrated.”
Wisely choosing not to enter this argument with her sister (since she knew she’d never win it), Patience instead picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Okay, I think I’m ready, “she stated, waddling toward the door that Honor held open for her.
“Keys, please,” Honor requested, holding out her hand for Patience’s house key.
Passing it over, she waited just outside the door, almost vibrating with raw energy. It had been soooo long since she’d been somewhere other than the doctor that even a trip to the house where she was raised felt like a vacation. “Are we ready?” she asked with barely concealed eagerness as Honor turned from locking the door.
“You got ants in your pants or somethin’?” Honor asked her jittery sister as
they moved past Diego’s door toward the stairs.
“Just ready to get on the road,” Patience returned truthfully.
“Alright, I’ll go down the stairs first. If you get dizzy or anything, I’ll be in front to break your fall. Make sure you hold on to the handrails,” Honor cautioned, slowly making her way down the stairs.
Patience followed, amused. “Yes, Mom.”
They reached the bottom of the staircase without incident and Patience took a quick look into the door leading to the bar, seeing that one of the three new employees they’d hired was working behind the counter. “How’s Sunshine working out?” she asked Honor as they made their way into the back parking lot, naming the girl that they’d dubbed ‘Sunshine’ because of her optimistic disposition. Her Christian name was Bellamy and according to Faith, Wrath McKay had taken an almost instant shine to the sweet woman. The girl was young, younger than Honor even, but she’d come with great references and a positive attitude, two commodities that were in low supply in their small town.
“Harmony worked with her the last two nights and she did great at the waitressing. The bartending? Not so much,” Honor explained. “We’re probably going to move her to the day shift and let Verlena have a go behind the bar.”
Patience smiled as she remembered the lithe and lush black ex-stripper that they’d hired the same day as Sunshine. That chick was a trip. Her application had stated that she had an extensive background in customer relations, and they’d been shocked to find that experience had been gained when Verlena had been working as a dancer at The Flesh Factory. It had been such a creative way of interpreting her experience that instead of being horrified, both she and Honor had been highly entertained and more than a little intrigued by the interesting take-no-shit outlook of the other woman. It had been clear from the moment they’d met her that Verlena could handle not only herself, but anybody else she took under her wing.
“I think that’s a good idea. Verlena will be good fit with some of the more boisterous of our patrons.”
“Meaning she won’t be afraid to put ‘em in a headlock and escort ‘em out if they step out of line with our wait staff?” Honor queried knowingly.
“Exactly! Not even I would be brave enough to cross her,” Patience admitted as she reached the passenger’s side of Honor’s Chevy Impala.
Honor beeped the locks as she grinned at her older sister. “Bale will start waiting tables after school next week,” she informed the other woman over the hood of her car.
“I still can’t believe that we hired our first waiter,” Patience returned as she climbed carefully into the vehicle, settling herself in the seat before reaching for her seat belt.
“I know, but I couldn’t tell Slade no. Not after all our cousin has done for us. And he swears that the boy is a good worker. Construction just really doesn’t fit in with his school schedule during the fall and winter.”
“I wasn’t in on that interview. Tell me...how did Slade even meet this kid, Honor? Slade barely says two words strung together to us and we’re his kinfolk,” Patience asked.
“Bale just showed up on one of his jobsites this summer asking for a job,” Honor explained. “Slade said that he could tell the kid was hungry for work and that the boy worked his butt off for them. Based on the bruises Slade saw on the kids, he suspected that the kid came from a difficult home. Slade went by Bale’s house, though, to offer his assistance and was relieved that the mom told him that the dad had finally taken off…evidently for good. So, things are looking up for Bale. He still needs a job to help his mom and little brother though. I couldn’t say no after that, Patience,” she shared softly.
“No, you couldn’t,” Patience agreed as she watched her sister fasten her own seat belt and start the car.
“I figure if he doesn’t work out on the café’s floor, we have enough odd jobs around the restaurant and bar to constitute having a handyman,” Honor reasoned as she began to back out of the parking space.
“Oh, yeah,” Patience agreed readily, already thinking of odd jobs that she’d love to see tackled. “Maybe we should even give Bale the choice of which job he’d like?”
Honor nodded as she shifted the vehicle into drive. “I’m okay with it. We’ll ask Harmony and Faith what they think tonight, okay?” she suggested as she slowly put her foot on the gas and turned out onto the main road.
“Works for me. What’s this kid’s last name?” Patience asked.
“Bale Henderson. I didn’t get the mom’s name, but I told Slade that I’d love to meet her. Especially if Bale is as great a kid as Slade claims he is.”
Patience nodded as she stared out the window at the passing scenery, her body relaxing into the seat. Outside, the leaves on the trees lining the country road were changing into a riot of fall colors as the last rays of sunlight began to dim. Gorgeous and postcard-perfect, the area that they called home was slowly transforming into a Fall Wonderland. “It looks so pretty out this evening,” Patience murmured.
“Yeah, it is,” Honor agreed absently, frowning as her car began to gain speed as they went down one of the many steep hills, leading to the home where she’d lived all her life.
“Honor, you okay?” Patience worried out loud as Honor’s face suddenly paled. “What’s wrong?” she asked when her little sister’s eyes widened.
“Patience, do you have your seatbelt on?” Honor asked instead of answering Patience’s question, her foot tapping on the brake and finding the pedal soft – and apparently useless.
“Yeah. Why?” Patience asked, confused as she stared at her sibling with a concerned gaze.
“We don’t have any brakes, Patience,” Honor informed the other woman, tapping the brakes again as the car accelerated.
“Oh, shit,” Patience gasped, automatically glancing into the side mirror and gasping when she saw a truck speeding toward them. “Okay, Honor,” Patience said, forcing herself to remain calm even as her fingers of one hand wrapped tightly around her seatbelt while her other hand blindly searched her bag for her own cell phone. Bracing her feet against the floorboard, she began to prepare for impact. “You remember what to do, sweetie?” she asked as steadily as she could as she watched her sister swallow hard.
Honor nodded jerkily as she reached for the gear shift. “Slowly downshift through all the gears,” she recited, silently remembering their father’s lessons on driving. He hadn’t taught Honor, but the youngest sister had been in the car plenty of times when the man had lovingly lectured her older siblings.
“That’s right, sweetie,” Patience nodded, wincing when the truck behind them got close enough to tap the back bumper of Honor’s car. “Oh, my God!” Patience shrieked as they bumped them harder a second time. “What the hell are they doing?”
“They’re trying to run us off the road,” Honor shouted hoarsely as she pumped the useless brakes and steered the slowing car toward the edge of the road.
Both women screamed desperately as the truck behind them ran into them a last time with more force than the first two times combined. Patience watched Honor fight for control of the vehicle as her tires caught on the gravel of the shoulder. It was no use, though. Before either woman realized what was happening, their car was careening off the side of the road and down the embankment into the rushing creek below the road.
And as the nose of the Impala met the rocky shoreline and slid into the water, Patience’s world went dark.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The first thing Patience was aware of when she managed to break through the brick wall that separated the conscious from the unconscious several minutes later was the pain. Sharp and frightening, it seared through her mid-section, stealing her breath before she even found the strength to open her eyes. Exhaling hard, she waited for the space of several panting breaths before forcing her eyelids to respond to her internal command to open her eyes and take a look around at her surroundings.
Much chillier than she’d been mere minutes before, she found the car shroud
ed by shadows and the sunlight rapidly waning, and she was momentarily glad that she’d worn her coat. Lifting one arm, she blindly slapped her hand against the ceiling of the vehicle, searching for the small dome light. Every muscle in her body seemed to protest the movement, her aching limbs reluctant to function as she turned her head and searched the shadows for her sister’s form.
“Honor! Honor?” she yelled. The sound of her own voice harsh and echoed loudly in her ears as she realized she was unable to see her sister’s averted face. Finally locating the small switch on the side of the dome light, she flipped it on as she stared at the driver’s side of the car and tried to get a better look at the damage. She could see her sister, slumped into the deployed airbag, her face turned away as if looking out the driver’s window. “Honor, wake up, baby,” she begged, wheezing painfully as she tried to twist in the seat to get situated at a better angle to see her sister. “C’mon, Peanut,” she urged, using her sibling’s childhood nickname, “It’s time to get up!”
The sky had darkened drastically while she’d been unconscious, and now it had turned almost black outside the windows of the vehicle, the water of the creak their car was submerged in almost an inky blue color. Squinting, she peered down at the watch on her wrist and realized it had only been fifteen minutes since they’d gotten in their car at the café. No one would even realize they were missing yet, damn it. Blinking back tears, Patience knew it was vital that she remained calm.
She couldn’t help her unborn babies, her sister, or herself if she wasted valuable time having hysterics, now could she? Patience took several deep, steadying breaths to battle her growing panic, coaching herself with a silent pep talk while she blinked rapidly, trying desperately to dispel her tears.
No! She wouldn’t cry like a baby. Not yet. Not now!! There simply wasn’t any time to waste on tears.
Right now, she had to focus on getting them out of this predicament, she thought to herself as she stared out the window. She could see – even in the rapidly fading light there was left -- that their car had landed in the creek, the nose of the engine buried like an anchor. The good news was that they’d landed right side up. That was something, wasn’t it? She could be hanging from the ceiling held only by a seatbelt right now, but she wasn’t.
Ready, Willing and Abel (Passion in Paradise: The Men of the McKinnon Sisters Book 3) Page 40