Damon took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Nice hat, by the way.”
“Thanks. Herb drove into town yesterday and bought it for me. He said I couldn’t wear that old straw thing to a party. I tried to pay him, but he wouldn’t take it. I’ll probably get him and Rosie a gift card to a restaurant or something.”
“Or you could accept the hat as a gesture of his love.”
“He’s already given me so much. I—”
“He wanted to buy you that hat, Damon. I’m sure he was tickled to do it. Let him.”
“You’re right.” He smiled. “He had the cutest expression on his face when he pulled it out of the shopping bag.”
“He’s such a peach. Both of them are. Maybe if you approach it from that angle, that Cade needs to do this for them, he’ll overcome his misgivings.”
“Maybe.” He put the hat on and tugged on the brim. Then he looked at her. “I know he’d want to, but when you come from rock bottom like Cade and I have, it colors everything. Asking for favors feels too much like begging, and that’s the one thing neither of us ever wants to do.”
“I understand.”
He knew she didn’t, not really. No one could understand who hadn’t felt that soul-deep panic of not knowing where your next meal was coming from or where you’d end up sleeping. But she had a sympathetic nature, and that counted for a lot.
He met her gaze. “I’ll talk to him. I can’t promise it’ll make a difference, but I’ll see what I can do. Dominique sounds like a perfect choice to be the photographer.”
“I guarantee she is. And she’s made contacts around the state, so let’s say Ty or Brant couldn’t get up here for a photo shoot. Dominique would find a photographer closer to them. She’d coordinate the whole thing.”
“I’ll tell Cade that, too.” He hoped to hell it would make a difference. But he’d been standing outside Rosie’s hospital room last month when Molly had come to visit and had bumped right into Cade, the cousin she’d given up hope of finding. That meeting had shaken the foundations of Cade’s world, and he obviously hadn’t adjusted to the new horizon yet.
“That’s all I ask.” Molly looked over at the tables, which were now empty. “Looks like we got out of cleanup duty.”
“No problem.” She might assume he’d be glad about that, but she didn’t know him very well. Anyone who did knew that creating order out of chaos was his favorite activity. Or it had been. Making love to Philomena might be in first place now.
“Let’s go see if Lexi’s heard from Chelsea.” Molly headed back toward the group of people standing around talking as they made preparations to leave.
Damon heard discussion about attending the fireworks show that would begin in another hour outside town. A woman Damon didn’t know turned to Phil and asked her if she planned to go again this year.
“It’s great,” Phil said, “but Damon and I will start working tomorrow at dawn. We both want to finish that cabin before he leaves. So I’m going to make it an early night.”
He smiled. Fireworks had nothing on spending the night in Philomena’s sleigh bed. The party had been fun, but he was ready for it to be over.
Molly had sought out Lexi, and the two of them came back over to him.
“Chelsea loves the calendar idea,” Lexi said. “I thought she would. She thinks we should get on it ASAP.”
“And I told her I had the perfect photographer,” Molly added, “but she happens to be a Chance.”
Lexi glanced over at Cade several feet away. He was busy joking with Ty and Brant. “He’s not going to want to ask her.”
“I know,” Damon said. “But he’s holding up the works.” As much as he didn’t want to discuss it with Cade tonight and delay slipping away with Phil, he couldn’t see any other option. He didn’t know much about photography, but the timeline seemed extremely short. Molly had come up with a great solution, but if they planned to ask Dominique Chance to do it, they should ask immediately. “I’ll get him off in a corner right now and explain how the cow eats the cabbage.”
Lexi looked worried. “There’s a lot at stake for him.”
“There’s a lot at stake for a whole bunch of people. I’m counting on him to realize that. Phil, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Sure thing.” She gave him a quick smile. Rosie and Herb knew he planned to leave with her tonight. Lexi and Cade had probably figured it out. But the entire gathering didn’t have to know.
Damon approached the three guys casually, as if he didn’t have anything special on his mind. “So we’re doing this calendar thing, huh?”
“We are.” Cade grinned at him. “And I’ll bet you don’t wanna.”
“Not especially. But if it would help Rosie and Herb, I’d strip naked in front of the church choir on Sunday morning.” He was making a joke, but he was also making a point. He hoped Cade had the same mentality, although stripping naked would be easier than what Damon would ask of him.
On the spur of the moment, he decided to propose it in front of Ty and Brant. It wasn’t playing fair, but he didn’t want to give Cade the opportunity to say no. “Molly knows a great photographer who’ll probably do it for free if we ask her.”
“Oh, yeah?” Cade perked right up. “That sounds terrific. Do we know her?”
Damon hated doing this, but tough times called for tough measures. “You do, sort of. Dominique Chance. She’s married to Nick, one of the Chance brothers.”
“I’ve heard of her,” Ty said. “She’s getting quite a reputation for portraits of cowboys. She’d be perfect if we could even get her, which I doubt. But I don’t have a clue why you think she’d do it for free.”
Cade glowered at Damon. “Because her husband is my cousin.”
Ty blinked. “No shit.” He clapped Cade on the shoulder. “You’ve been holding out on me, brother. I didn’t know you were so well connected.”
“Turns out I am.” He cleared his throat. “Will you guys excuse me and Damon? We have a few things to go over.”
“Absolutely,” Brant said. “I need another beer, anyway. I’m not driving anywhere tonight. But Cade, man, that would be awesome if you can get your cousin-in-law to help us out.”
“Yeah.” Cade jerked his head to the side to indicate Damon should follow him into the shadows. Once they were a good distance away, he whirled to face him. “What the hell was that all about? That was an ambush!”
“I know, and I’m sorrier than I can say. But you have to do this.”
“No, I don’t, and damn it, you know how I feel about this! I’m going over to meet them in two weeks, but now you’re asking me to approach them, hat in hand, and—”
“Yes, I am, and I might be one of the few people here who knows what that will cost you. But it’s for Rosie and Herb. You have to.”
Cade crossed his arms and glared. “I thought we took an oath to protect each other.”
“I am protecting you, idiot. You need to contact the Chance family anyway, to ask for their help with the campaign. Now the calendar’s on the table, and Nick’s wife is a crackerjack photographer. Everybody’s waiting on you, hotshot. You can’t stall any longer. If you do, this whole project could go down the drain and then what? Are you prepared to watch Rosie pack up and leave this place?”
“You forced my hand.”
“Yes.”
“That wasn’t nice.”
“No.”
“I have half a mind to punch you.”
Damon braced himself. “Go ahead, if it’ll make you feel any better. But you have to make that phone call to the ranch, and it needs to be tomorrow. We’re asking a huge favor of Dominique, and she deserves as much time as we can give her.”
“So why didn’t you tell me all this privately?”
“Would you have agreed to call, or would you have procrastinated?”
Cade blew out a breath. “Procrastinated. God, I hate that you know me so well.”
“I know how hard this
will be for you. In your shoes, I would have had to be forced to do it. So I decided to take away your choices and leave you with only one option, to do the right thing.”
“It’s the holiday weekend. I can’t call about something like this on a holiday weekend.”
“Cade, so help me God, if you don’t call tomorrow, I’m gonna whip your butt.”
His chin lifted. “You can try.”
“Remember our last fight?”
“Like it was yesterday. Fall semester of our senior year, and as I recall, it was a draw.”
Damon nodded. “It was.”
“Herb found us in the barn, neither of us ready to give up but too tired to go on.” Cade shook his head. “What a pathetic situation. Remember what it was about?”
“No, do you?”
“No.” Cade laughed. “But I’m sure it was your fault.”
“I so doubt that. Want to have a beer before you head over to Lexi’s?”
“I could go for one. But aren’t you itching to get in there and help clean up the kitchen?”
“Phil said they had plenty of helpers, and I think you and I need to have a beer.” Smoothing over an argument with his blood brother was more important than kitchen duty. It was even more important than leaving right this minute with Phil. He glanced over to where she was talking with Lexi and Molly. He raised his voice. “Me and Cade are gonna grab a beer.”
Phil laughed. “Fine.”
“Lexi?” Cade called out. “You okay with that?”
“Sure! Enjoy. It’s a holiday, after all.”
“My thought exactly.” Cade slung an arm over Damon’s shoulder, and they walked over to the cooler to see if any beer was left. “Holidays are for hangin’ out with family.”
“You said it.” Damon made a mental note to check with Cade tomorrow and confirm that he’d called the Last Chance Ranch.
But odds were that call would be made. Cade knew on some level that Damon wouldn’t back him into a corner unless the stakes were high. They couldn’t be much higher. The Brotherhood faced losing the only place any of them had been able to call home.
12
PHIL WAS FASCINATED by the interaction between Damon and Cade. She didn’t have any siblings, but she’d known plenty of kids in school with brothers and sisters. The bond she’d witnessed there was a pale imitation of what she sensed between these two members of the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood.
Lexi watched them each take a beer from the cooler and grab a couple of chairs. “I’m so glad they worked it out. For a minute there, I thought they might end up slugging each other.”
Molly nodded. “I’ve seen my brothers get that look on their faces, and nine times out of ten somebody ends up with a black eye.”
“Fortunately, we were spared that,” Lexi said. “And I’m happy to leave them alone to drink their beer and talk about old times. Let’s go see if Rosie needs help in the kitchen.”
“Sounds good.” Phil wondered how mellow Damon would be by the time she took him home with her. This could be a very short night, indeed.
“So you aren’t going to the fireworks?” Molly asked.
“Not me,” Lexi said, “but if you and Ben plan to, you’d better get a move on.”
“Okay, I will. He wants us to go together. He hasn’t had anyone to share holidays with, and he’s so excited about it.” Molly’s tender expression said it all. She was besotted by her husband.
As well she should be, Phil thought. The concept hadn’t been particularly real to her before Damon, but he’d raised her expectations for the kind of passion she required in a life partner. Now she wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less.
She followed Lexi into the ranch kitchen, which bustled with activity and discussion about the calendar. Ty and Brant stood at the sink washing and drying whatever hadn’t fit in the dishwasher while Rosie and a couple of other women wrapped up the leftovers.
Lexi paused in the doorway, looked over at Phil and lowered her voice. “Is there anything sexier than a cowboy washing dishes?”
“Yeah. Two cowboys washing dishes.”
Lexi chuckled. “I know, right? Rosie taught those boys well.”
As if she’d heard her name mentioned, Rosie glanced up from the watermelon she was wrapping. “Phil, would you take this out to the overflow refrigerator? I’ve filled up the one in here. In fact, that’s what you two girls can do to help. All this on the table needs to be stored in the second fridge.”
“We’re on it.” Phil hefted the half a watermelon and carried it into the rec room located off the kitchen. When Phil had come out to replace the caulking around the windows, Rosie had told her how it had been added on when the population of foster boys had grown too large for everyone to be fed in the kitchen and entertained in the living room.
The pool table that dominated the space had a wooden cover that allowed it to be used as a dining table. The stained-glass fixture that hung over it was on, giving the room a cozy glow. At one time the refrigerator had been full of soda, according to Rosie. Now the shelves in the door held mostly beer bottles.
Phil stowed the watermelon and looked around. “This isn’t going to be a big enough space for sixteen teenagers, especially older ones.”
“I’ve thought about that, too.” Lexi put away two covered dishes, and they walked back to the kitchen for more. “The max they housed at the ranch before was eleven, because the Brotherhood insisted only the three of them could live in their cabin.”
“Really? That’s cheeky.”
“You have no idea. They treated it like their private clubhouse. They even carved their logo on the beam over the door.”
Phil smiled. She liked hearing the stories about Damon’s life here. Now she wanted to see that carving.
“And the other thing is, the boys were of varying ages, some as young as ten.”
Rosie handed them each more covered dishes. “What are you two plotting? I can tell something’s up.”
“A rec hall.” Lexi turned to Phil. “Is that what you were thinking, too?”
“Yep. You need something bigger than the rec room for those sixteen kids, especially with a mix of boys and girls. And it could double as classroom space during the day.”
Rosie sighed. “I agree, but we didn’t figure that into the budget.”
“It might not be as expensive as you think.” She picked up a covered bowl of coleslaw. “Damon and I could create a rough blueprint on my computer before he leaves. Once again, no plumbing, just electric, and if we both donate our labor, then—”
“Or I could give you more riding lessons for your part.” Lexi adjusted the stack of storage dishes in her arms and added one more. “That’s if you want them. I realize riding lessons don’t buy groceries, but I’m offering.”
“Oh, I want to! I have visions of buying a horse someday and ordering a custom saddle from Ben.”
“Well, a rec hall would be wonderful if there’s any way we can afford it.” Rosie looked at Phil. “Damon would have to come back over here and help build it. That would be a bonus.”
“Yes, it would.” Phil knew she was blushing.
“Then let’s see if we can make it happen. And thanks for helping store all that food. If you can make everything fit, you’re a couple of wizards.”
“I can do it.” Phil returned her smile. “I was a whiz at Tetris.”
“Hey, me, too.” Lexi grinned at her. “We should play sometime.”
“I’d love it.” She followed Lexi back into the rec room.
“You absolutely don’t have to answer this, but I’m dying of curiosity. How’s it going with Damon?”
As Phil switched the containers around to maximize space, she searched for a way to explain the situation.
“Never mind. It’s none of my business. Forget I asked.”
“I wouldn’t mind talking to somebody.” She turned and took the ones Lexi handed her. “But I wouldn’t want it to get back to Damon.”
“If you’re worr
ied that I’d repeat whatever you told me to Cade, I won’t. I know what it’s like to be in love with somebody who came from a dicey background. Loving Cade hasn’t been a walk in the park.”
“I guess it’s obvious I’m falling for him.”
“To me and Rosie, but we both have inside information. I’m not sure anybody else has picked up on it.”
“I hope not.” Phil tucked the last bowl in the only spot left and it fit perfectly.
“You are good at that.”
“Spatial relations are my thing. Sometimes I don’t feel as if I need to measure when I’m building, but I do, because materials are expensive. I love it when things fit together, like those logs for the cabin.”
“And you and Damon.”
“For now, but I fully expect him to head back to California and put me out of his mind.”
“Because he’s figured out a system that chases away the bogeyman, and he’s afraid to give it up.”
Phil blew out a breath of frustration. “At this point I don’t know what his bogeyman looks like.”
“I’m no psychologist, but I think every trashed house he fixes up is his way of rewriting history. It’s a pattern that works for him.”
“Apparently so. He keeps saying how much he loves his life.”
“I’ve heard him say that, too.” Lexi paused. “But I’ve also seen how he looks at you. I’m not so sure he’ll be happy with it now. I hope he isn’t. He’s on a treadmill—running like crazy but not going anywhere.”
“Hey, where’s my lady?” Cade’s question filtered in from the kitchen. “Rosie, have you seen Lexi and Phil?”
“Yep.” Rosie’s voice was pitched a little louder than necessary, no doubt as a warning that the guys were on their way. “They’re trying to fit all that extra food in the rec room fridge.”
“Oh. Okay. We’ll go find them.” That announcement was followed by the sound of booted feet on the kitchen floor.
Phil walked over to the refrigerator, opened the door and shoved one container a little deeper into its designated space, which made the adjacent ones rattle. “I think that about does it!”
“Great job.” Lexi came to stand behind her to complete the impression they were just finishing.
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