by McBain, Mara
“I’d rather think of it as repurposing it,” Cole said. “The pin belonged to my mama. She wore it often, and I like the idea of it going into making the ring my bride will wear. There are enough stones that, in addition to the ring, I was hoping to get three matching pairs of earrings. Can you do it?”
The affronted look the man gave him would’ve been humorous under different circumstances but, at the moment, Cole was too nervous. The jeweler seemed to grasp that and turned the conversation to materials and cost. As difficult as the decision had been to part with a piece of Mama’s jewelry, melting the brooch down and reusing the stones was going to help get him a wedding ring for Adri and Christmas earrings for both McCade brides. It was practical and, in the current times, he knew his mother would’ve approved.
Shaking the jeweler’s hand and pocketing the paperwork, he stepped out of the shop. It was a fairly mild day for December and they’d decided to come into town, try to finish up some Christmas shopping, and pick up supplies while it was nice. He scanned the street again as he crossed a side street. Despite the earrings he and Trey had decided on, he had one other special gift in mind for his fiancée and wanted to keep it a surprise.
Studying the display of men’s hats, Gen frowned. She didn’t want to hurt Adrienne’s feelings, but she couldn’t picture Trey in one of the stylish Fedoras. Her husband owned a handful of different Stetson western hats for work and dress. He was comfortable in them and, truthfully, she found them sexy whether they were the height of fashion or not. A dress shirt and tie, a pair of sturdy Levis, and a denim work shirt for each of the elder McCade men already rested under the tree at home, but she really wanted to find something special for Trey. She bit her lip and made a mental note to talk to Trey about Nate’s gift.
“If you don’t think he will wear them, we’ll come up with something else,” Adrienne said, breaking into her thoughts.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We’ll think of something, and I have a little extra if you need a hand.”
“I’m not taking your money. I did that too many times in New York, and there’s no reason for it here. Trey would be mortified.”
“I think your husband would be just as offended if he knew you felt you couldn’t spend his money.”
“I feel bad enough spending change I’ve saved. It is still his money, and it doesn’t seem right to buy the man gifts with his own money.”
Adrienne touched her arm, a frown marring her flawless features.
“Look at it this way. You work hard keeping his house, the gardens, and helping with the chickens. If you were doing those chores anywhere else, you’d be earning a paycheck. You’re his wife, and what is his is yours.”
“I never thought of it in terms like that,” Gen admitted. “And this is my problem, not his. He’s been generous since I stepped off the train. It’s just that he works so hard, and he’s mentioned more than once that Catherine spent his money loosely.”
“Trey’s not shy. If he has a problem with something you’re doing, he will let you know. He’s mentioned more than once that you two communicate well. There’s nothing wrong with being frugal and stretching a penny where you can, but let the man be proud of being a good provider.”
“He’s an excellent provider. We’re very lucky to be his,” she said, rubbing her belly with a smile.
Adrienne smiled back, covering Gen’s hand. “There’s no beating this gift, but let’s see if we can find something that shows your fine husband a little of what he means to you.”
“I’m so glad you came around to see how wonderful he is,” Genevieve teased.
“Wonderful might be pushing it, but he puts a happy bloom in my little sister’s cheeks,” she laughed, pinching Gen’s cheek.
Swatting her friend’s hand away, Gen suddenly gasped. “I have an idea. It’s simple, but I think my husband will appreciate it.”
“That’s all that matters.” Adrienne waved her arm in a grand sweep. “Lead the way.”
Trey was waiting outside the door, back against the storefront and hat tilted up to allow the afternoon sun on his face. He took the bags and offered an arm to each lady.
Adrienne peeked around Trey, teasingly squeezing his bicep. “I might go as far as wonderful.”
“Thank you, but this one is mine.”
Trey looked between them and shook his head at their play as he escorted them across the street.
“Where is my handsome fiancée?”
“Cole had a couple of errands to run. He said if you got nosy to tell you he’d catch up with you at the truck,” Trey said dryly. The sparkle in his eyes betrayed his humor.
Adrienne dug her elbow into his ribs. “You could’ve simply said he is shopping for me.”
“It’s always about you, princess.”
“You’re just jealous because your little brother adores someone besides you, big guy.”
Trey snorted and Gen smothered a giggle. It was amazing what he could express with a simple sound.
“You have to take a back seat now just like I have to with Gen,” Adrienne said smugly.
“I hear you, little girl.”
“Why do I think that wasn’t an agreement?”
“Maybe because you’re smarter than you look.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re insufferable?” Adrienne asked, giving him another shot to the ribs.
“It’s been mentioned a time or two,” Trey admitted, chuckling.
“Not that I mind watching you get smacked around,” Cole drawled behind them. “But what did you do to my fiancée?”
“I just told the feisty little thing the truth. It works well with mine, but not so well with the princess.”
“Maybe you don’t know how to handle her.”
“Then you better take her back before I handle her ass,” Trey said, swinging his arm out and spinning the attached Adrienne into his brother’s waiting embrace.
Gen squeezed his arm when he shifted all the packages to his now free hand and gave her a sexy wink. She was thankful the two had worked out their differences and now sparring with Adrienne amused him. She only caught the rumble of Cole’s voice, but whatever he said made her best friend throw back her head and laugh. They shared a kiss, stumbling and causing bustling pedestrians to stream around them on both sides with looks of annoyance. Trey caught her chin, tearing her attention away from the lovebirds. His lips claimed hers in a hard kiss without breaking stride.
“Amateurs,” he whispered, giving her another wink.
Laughter burst from her lips before Gen could slap a self-conscious hand over her mouth. Trey nuzzled her ear.
“I love your laugh. Let it fly, beautiful.”
Gen could feel the blush warm her cheeks and pressed her face into Trey’s heavy coat sleeve.
“Do you want to eat in town or head home?”
“Home, please. We have enough leftovers that I can whip up some hot open-faced sandwiches for lunch, and the barbeque ribs are slow roasting for supper.”
“That sounds perfect,” he said, turning toward Cole and Adrienne. “Shit! Come on,” he exclaimed, dropping the packages and smacking Cole’s shoulder as he dodged around a mama with a baby buggy and broke into a run.
Following his path, Gen winced as she watched Nate take a punch that knocked him to the ground. Gathering the packages between them, her and Adri hurried after the men. A distraught young woman dropped to her knees beside Nate, unmindful of the dirty slush on the street side. She held up a pleading hand to the angry man who was motioning Nate back to his feet. Angry or not, he took a reluctant step back when Trey and Cole flanked their brother’s fallen form.
Trey took another couple of steps and Gen’s heart pounded. She gasped when he reached out and shook hands with the man. A crowd was gathering, and she had to weave between gawkers to get close enough to hear her husband. Adrienne pressed tight behind her.
“I agree he’s had that coming, but he’s my little brother and yo
u only get one free shot, Hank.”
“After what he did to Josie?”
“That’s the way it works,” Trey said flatly.
“Henry, please,” the pretty blonde begged, her hands fluttering worriedly in front of Nate’s face as he sat up.
“I’m fine,” he muttered, working his bruised jaw back and forth.
Cole helped the girl up and then hauled his brother to his feet.
“How can you feel sorry for him after what he did to you?” Hank demanded.
“He never promised me anything.”
“He filled your head with dreams of a future he had no intention of giving you.”
“Come on, Hank. We were kids dreaming,” Nate said, shaking slush from his clothing and leaning down to brush some from Josie’s long coat.
“You let my sister think that you would come back for her after you finished your fancy law school. I heard some of your letters. There was lots of talk about how hard you were studying, but I don’t recall you mentioning seeing other girls.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt her.” Hank waved a hand in dismissal and Nate turned back to Josie. “I never meant to hurt you. I was lonely in Philly and just trying to get out and meet people. She was a classmate’s sister. It wasn’t serious. She was looking for someone to escort her. It worked well for both of us. If I’d known you were coming to Philadelphia…”
“I shouldn’t have shown up unexpectedly.”
“So now it’s your fault?” her brother asked in exasperated disbelief. “Come on, Josephine.”
“I didn’t say that!”
Gen bit her lip. Josie was on the verge of tears. She caught Trey’s eyes, silently beseeching him to put an end to this.
“Of course it’s not the girl’s fault,” Trey said with a sigh. “But what is done is done. If she can get over it and move on, than surely we can.”
Hank’s lips pressed into a firm line and he looked around Trey to where Nate was trying to calm Josie.
“Police,” someone hissed and the crowd started to disperse.
“Are we good, Hank?”
Looking at Trey’s outstretched hand, Hank nodded reluctantly. He started to turn away from Nate’s offering, but thought better and shook his hand. Cole clapped him on the back just as the police officer arrived.
“Is there a problem here?”
“No, sir.”
The uniformed officer narrowed his eyes at Hank’s reply, his gaze darting over the McCade men and landing easily on Nate.
“What’s your story?”
“I took a little tumble, but the lovely lady has me back on my feet again.”
“I swear he gets hurt on purpose,” Cole muttered, shooting a look at Adrienne.
“Trey?” the officer said, leaving the question unasked.
“What part of the story is confusing you, Dan?”
“The boo-boo on your little brother’s jaw.”
Trey shrugged. “He’s accident prone.”
“It looks like he ran into someone’s fist.”
“One of these days, he might learn to shut his mouth.”
“He’s a lawyer. That’s not likely.”
The sarcastic comment drew chuckles and even Nate had to grin. The officer looked around him again and Gen held her breath.
“I trust I’m not going to hear anything else about this.”
“It’s history,” Hank promised.
“That’s usually the stuff that doesn’t die,” Dan muttered, but slapped Trey’s shoulder. “Good to see you again.”
“I don’t think you’ve met my wife,” Trey said, stretching out a hand. Gen took it and stepped to his side. “Genevieve, this Dan Clarkson. His family owns the place to the east of us.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, slipping her hand from Trey’s for a moment to accept Officer Clarkson’s greeting.
“The pleasure is all mine,” he said and flashed a grin at Trey. “Evie is going to be beside herself when she finds out I met her.”
“Then you should bring that pretty wife of yours over for a dinner she didn’t have to make me,” Trey said with a laugh and squeezed her tight to his side. “Genevieve is an amazing cook.”
Eyes flickering up to her husband in confusion at the first comment, Gen still managed a smile at the compliment.
Dan took pity on her. “My wife, Evie, helped out cooking and cleaning for the guys after Mrs. McCade passed.”
“I would love to meet her and thank her for taking such good care of my husband and brother-in-law.” she said, smile widening.
“How about Friday night?” Trey suggested.
“Sounds great, Trey,” Dan agreed, clapping his shoulder again and tipping his hat to Gen. “We’ll see you Friday. I’ve got to get back to work.”
“That’s one way to bribe a police officer,” Hank muttered.
“You’re not sitting in jail for assault. Count yourself lucky,” Trey said with a pointed look that made the younger man shift uncomfortably. “Say what you need to say. I’ve had enough of socializing today. The truck is leaving,” he continued, letting his hard gaze rake over his youngest brother.
Nate rolled his eyes, but his conversation with Josie seemed a little more urgent when he turned back. Cole took the deserted bags from Adri and gathered her in his arm. His lips pressed against her ear and he whispered something Gen didn’t catch, but it made Adrienne laugh and grab his hand to run for the truck.
Handing Adri out of the truck, Cole slammed the door and turned to unload the day’s purchases. Nate hopped over the side muttering.
“One of you needs to get a car. Four of you in the truck is nuts, but me riding in the back in December is even crazier.”
“I’m thinking about it,” Cole admitted, pausing with his hands on the side of the truck bed. “It would be nice for Adrienne and Genevieve. But right now I want to get the wedding ring squared away and Christmas out of the way.” He shook his head. “I also need to consider that I’m moving a new bride into Mama and Daddy’s house. She’ll want to make it her own. I’ll have to see how the money looks when Trey closes the books for the year.”
“Thank you for taking my concerns so seriously, but could you move your ass? I’m freezing,” Nate said, nudging him with his shoulder.
Purposely sliding further into his brother’s way, Cole grinned. “You know better to walk into the house empty handed,” he taunted, shuffling back and forth to effectively block Nate.
Nate grunted, trying in vain to muscle his bigger brother out of the way. “Desperate times call for desperate measures and if you don’t move your ass, you’ll be singing Christmas carols soprano.”
“You better get more lead in your ass if you’re going to move me. I’m used to the ox in there.”
Cole winced as a smack snapped his head forward.
“The ox is right here. Quit pissing around and get that stuff inside,” Trey ordered, reaching over the side to grab another box.
Stealing a sheepish glance at Nate confirmed his baby brother was rubbing the back of his head too.
“Have you bothered to remind him that we’re grown men? He’s not our daddy, even if he sounds just like him.”
“Oh, I’ve reminded him. He doesn’t care.”
Nate grumbled as he took the packages Cole shoved into his arms.
“It’s a combination of being the eldest and might making right. It’s hard to argue with.”
“Maybe we should team up and try. Two on one, I like the odds.”
Cole laughed at the petulant tone. “Pick your battles, little man. He’s still a load.”
“You don’t think we can take him?”
“We probably could if I was mad enough, but I’m not,” he said, trying to step around Brute. “Move it, dog,” he muttered, bumping the door open with his hip.
“Let me take the shopping bags,” Adrienne said, meeting them in the mudroom. “I’ll put them in by the tree and we can sort them out later so no surprises are ruined
.”
Dutifully juggling his armload to allow his fiancée to take certain bags, Cole ignored the huff of frustration behind him.
“She couldn’t wait until you put things down?”
“Once again, pick your battles,” Cole muttered back.
“You keep saying that. When do you throw down and fight?”
Shrugging, he glanced over his shoulder. “As Trey puts it, I can bring the heat when it’s needed.”
“What’s worth getting fired up for?”
“I am,” Adrienne interjected.
“Amen. Don’t mess with my woman or my family and I’m a pretty laidback guy,” Cole said, turning back to offer Adri a kiss.
Nate responded with a shove and slipped by him to put his load down on the table.
“You’re whipped already.”
“At least when I met the woman I wanted I had the persistence and patience to win her and I plan on keeping her.”
“What exactly are trying to say?”
“I didn’t stutter, college boy. Hank would’ve been slapping you on the back and telling you how good it was to see you this afternoon instead of knocking your ass in the slush if you’d stayed focused on the woman you love and kept it in your pants.”
Nate stiffened, and his face flushed a furious hue. “I recall you prying her off me at the train station and telling me to go, that she would be here when I came back.”
“And she did her part. You were the one who blew it. I can’t believe she stood there today in tears and tried to take part of the blame.”
“Unbelievable,” Nate said, shaking his head. “You’re still in love with her.”
Adrienne’s head whipped around. Her eyes narrowed on him and Cole closed his eyes, shaking his head. His hands clenched at his sides.
“I was never in love with Josie.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. You admitted that you comforted her and took her to the movies after I left. You’re just pissed off because she always preferred me. What happened? Did you get tired of hearing about my law degree?”
Cole’s laugh was humorless. “Not surprisingly, after she caught you with another woman, she was humiliated. She thought everybody knew, that they were laughing at her. That included me.”