by Robin Kaye
Toni’s eyes bugged out. The poor girl might need something stronger, but Karma didn’t know what was stronger than a Grey Goose dirty martini—well, not that Toni would drink anyway. Besides Karma didn’t have time for this. If she was right, Trapper and Fisher would be there in less than fifteen minutes, and she was usually right. She poured Toni another. “Here, drink this.”
Toni did as she was told, and after she finished the first and downed a few gulps of the second, her color evened out.
“Good. Now the way I see it, Fisher just needs someone to fill that empty space, kind of like you did for Hunter.”
“You’re going to set him up with someone?”
Karma couldn’t help but smile and give herself an imaginary pat on the back. It was an ingenious plan, if she did say so herself. “Yes, and I have the perfect victim… I mean, woman. Don’t worry. Fisher’s already interested in her. He’s been stalking her for a week now.”
“What?”
It was going to take Toni a little time to adjust to the craziness of the Kincaid men, obviously. “He’s not stalking her really, but she’s been wondering. It seems they’re on the same schedule. They go running at the same time, show up at Starbucks at the same time, shop at the same time. He’s also asked her out more than once and even got her into his hot tub.” She waggled her eyebrows and caught some guy looking at her. Men—they all think the world revolves around them. She shot him a not-in-this-lifetime look and returned her attention to Toni. She waved away the question she found there. “Look, I don’t have time to explain everything right now. I’ll tell you later, because I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants when I heard the whole story. Sometimes being a little sister has its perks after all. So here’s my plan…”
Chapter 5
Fisher practically ripped the hinges off Humpin’ Hannah’s door. He hadn’t slept in two days, was still recovering from his last run with Jessica, not to mention the hot tub incident, and barely survived his first knitting class with his masculinity intact—although he had been given the phone numbers of the daughters and granddaughters of six of his classmates. After hearing what the ladies had to say about their beautiful and talented offspring, he had less than no interest in ever dating any of them. God, women could be scary. Was nothing sacred? After packing up his knitting and walking to the back of Knittin’ Chicks where he’d hidden his truck, he was called to the hospital for an emergency and had been there ever since. He needed a shower, a shave, a meal, and about twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Karma slid a cold one across the bar, which he caught just before it hit the edge. The girl could sure hump the beer. “Thanks, Karma.”
“Hunter’s upstairs.” She smiled that wicked smile of hers, which always made the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up.
Shit. That wasn’t a good sign. He figured that since he’d been out of the loop for a few days, whatever her dastardly plan was, it most likely didn’t involve him. It was a good thing too. He wasn’t up to going toe-to-toe with Karma, literally or figuratively. She might be a girl, but he knew from personal experience how dirty she fought and the damage she was capable of exacting, both to his body and his reputation. He didn’t even want to go there. “I’ll head on up then and let you and Toni continue conspiring.” Fisher kissed Toni on the cheek as she counted out twenty dollars and handed it to Karma. God only knew what that was all about. He didn’t have the energy to ask. When it came to his crazy family, including the new additions to it, he had a firm don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy.
Fisher dragged himself up the stairs and found Hunter brooding in the corner. “What the hell is so all fired important that I had to come here instead of going home and sleeping for the first time in over forty-eight hours?”
Hunter looked up, and Fisher cringed when he saw the worry written all over his twin’s face. So much for only staying for a quick beer. He pulled out a stool and sat opposite him at the high-top table. “Sorry, I’m just beat.”
“You look like shit. I would think you’d be used to the lack of sleep by now.”
“Yeah, yeah. Are we just gonna chitchat like a bunch of women, or are you going to tell me what the hell the problem is?”
“Trapper’s on his way. I’d rather only have to say it once, so keep your shirt on.”
“Trouble in paradise?”
“No, it’s our pesky little sister.”
“Damn, I knew she was up to something.”
“Something or someone.”
Fisher had never wanted to get involved in Karma’s personal life. He’d just assumed she didn’t have one. Especially when it came to guys. The last thing he wanted to think about was a guy doing anything with his little sister.
“She’s taking some dude—a sports reporter from New York named Jesse James, of all things—to the cabin this weekend.”
Fisher got cuffed on the back of the head. He didn’t need to look to see it was Trapper—no one other than his brothers or his cousin Ben would have the balls to try it.
“What ran over you? You look like shit.”
“So I’ve heard.” Fisher elbowed Trapper right after he set the pitcher of beer on the table. No use spilling perfectly good beer. Fisher did his best not to smile when he heard Trapper’s rapid exhalation. He may be tired, but he could still get one over on his big brother. At least that hadn’t changed.
Trapper pulled over a bar stool and picked up his mug as he eyed Hunter. “Let me guess. Toni finally figured out what a loser she married and asked for a divorce?”
“Very funny.” But Hunter wasn’t laughing. “My wife is still blissfully unaware of the fact I’m a mere human, thank God. And the last thing I need is the two of you filling her in. The problem I’m having is the same damn problem I’ve had for the last twenty-five years.”
Trapper set his beer on the table and smiled. “Karma.”
Hunter nodded and stared into his beer. “She talked Toni into letting her use the cabin for a long weekend starting Friday.”
Trapper looked between him and Hunter. “So, what’s the problem?”
Fisher rested his boot on the rung of his stool and winced when his quads screamed. “The problem is she’s going up there alone with some sports reporter—”
“Jesse James.” Hunter added as he filled his mug and looked at Trapper. “Have you met him?”
“No.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” Hunter rested his elbows on the table and sipped his beer. “Karma said the guy’s new in town. He’s here from New York, and he’s writing a book or something. I don’t like it.”
“If you didn’t like it, then why did you lend her the cabin?” Trapper pushed his cowboy hat back and stretched his shoulders. “I swear, after you said ‘I do’ you seemed to have lost the ability to say no.”
“I have not. Toni said yes before I could get the word out. Besides, this is easy to fix.”
Fisher tried not to fidget when both sets of eyes turned to him. “Don’t look at me. Hunter, you created the problem, you fix it.”
Trapper took his hat off and ran his hand through his long hair. “I’m out. I’ve got a thing this weekend, and I can’t get out of it.”
Fisher wasn’t going to let him off that easily. “A thing? What the hell is that? At least be honest about it. You’ve got one of your famous seventy-two-hour flings.”
“Hey, at least I’m not living like a freakin’ priest. It’s been so long since your dick has seen anything but your own hand, it’s a wonder it hasn’t shriveled up and fallen off. Which is why you should be the one to go crash Karma’s little party. You have nothing better to do anyway.”
Fisher wished he could call bullshit, but Trapper was right. The only plans he had for the weekend were getting some much-needed sleep; although, since he and Jessica got into the hot tub together, things were definitely looking up. He had proof that his dick hadn’t shriveled up and died—something he had begun to wonder about, not that he’d ever admit it t
o his brothers. And no matter how much Jessica denied it, she was interested in him.
Hunter set his empty beer mug down a little harder than necessary. Sometimes it sucked that his twin could all but read his mind and knew when it was going off on a tangent. At least it worked both ways, though since Hunter married, Fisher wished he could filter the info he’d picked up.
Fisher wasn’t able to avoid Hunter’s stare.
“Good. At least we’ve got that settled. Fisher’s going up to babysit our little pest and her new boyfriend. You might want to shave and get some coffee first. You’re supposed to look tough enough to scare him, remember.”
This sucked in too many ways to even count. “Hunter, what’s wrong with you? Why do I always get stuck doing your dirty work?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me. I have a new ski lift being installed, and I have two crews working all weekend. I have to be on the mountain. If I didn’t, believe me, I’d have Toni up at the cabin, and Karma would not be invited.”
Fisher stood, stuck his hand in his back pocket to grab his wallet to pay for the beers, and then changed his mind. He was going to let them take care of the tab. That was the least they could do. “I always have to do the dirty work for you two while you’re out having fun. What the hell am I supposed to say to Karma when I get there?”
Trapper patted him on the back. “You’d think a guy with your education would be able to figure that out on his own. But I’ll give you some advice. You might want to duck when you walk in. She’s gonna be as pissed as a mountain lion with PMS when she sees you.”
“Thanks for the advice. Now tell me something I don’t know.”
“It sounds like our baby sister has plans for a romantic weekend.” Trapper leaned in and lowered his voice, prompting Hunter to follow his lead. “And your mission, Fisher, should you accept, is to make sure you screw them up.”
Hunter smiled for the first time all night and let out a low chuckle. “Yeah, she said she’s going to teach this dude to fly-fish. Like I believe that. Guys named Jesse James don’t drive three hours to a secluded mountain cabin just to catch fish. That’s for damn sure.”
Fisher had to agree with them. Shit. Sometimes he wished he were an only child. “Fine. I’ll head up in the morning. Maybe then I’ll finally be able to get some sleep. After being on call for three days and nights, I don’t have to see patients until Tuesday.” He finished his beer. “Call me if anything changes. I’m going home to pack and catch a few hours sleep before I head back to the hospital. My patient stabilized, but I want to leave orders for my partners if I’m going to be out of town all weekend.”
Trapper checked his watch. “I’m headed to the airport. I have a plane waiting. Have fun dealing with the hellcat, Fisher. And Hunter, you’d better go collect that wife of yours before Karma starts rubbing off on her or filling her in on all your earlier escapades.”
Hunter stood. “Good point. Karma might look harmless, but we all know she’s anything but.”
As they collected their mugs and the pitcher and headed down to the bar, Fisher wondered how he ended up with the short straw again. Now all he had to look forward to was a weekend of Karma’s wrath.
***
Jessie tossed her duffel and messenger bag into the back of her Mini, set her iPod to her New York playlist, and pulled out the directions Karma had emailed her. She backed up, half expecting to see Fisher jogging by, but he wasn’t there. Hell, he hadn’t been there or anywhere else she went for three days. She wondered what had happened. Maybe when she ran out of his house he’d given up, which was just fine with her. After all, she really didn’t need the distraction, and Fisher was definitely that. She’d gotten through almost half the romance novels she’d purchased and had to admit all those love scenes left her hanging. When she packed her apartment in New York, she’d only taken what she could fit in her car—her clothes and her computer—and put everything else in storage. Bringing the contents of her bedside table had never occurred to her.
Billy Joel’s voice singing “New York State of Mind” filled the car, and she wondered if moving here was a mistake. She missed her apartment, she missed the noise of the city, and she really missed the deli down the street. If there was anything missing in Boise, it was a good Jewish deli. What she would give for a good knish. She adjusted her Bluetooth and speed-dialed before turning up Warm Springs Avenue toward Lucky Peak Reservoir. Her mom answered.
“Ma, hi. It’s me.”
“Jessie, how are you?”
“I’m good. How are you and Dad doing?”
“We’re fine. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s great actually.” She pictured her mother fixing lunch. Ever since Dad retired, it seemed her mother’s entire life revolved around their next meal. “I’m driving up to Stanley to spend the weekend fly-fishing with a friend. Karma said she’d teach me, and I’ve never fished anywhere but off the back of Dad’s boat. This should be fun. It’ll be nice to get up into the mountains. I look at them every day, but I haven’t been up there since I arrived.”
“Have fun dear, but be careful. There was a man killed by a bear just the other day at Yellowstone. The woods there aren’t the same as they are on Long Island, you know. There are wild animals there.”
“Yes mother, I know. I’ve been out here before with Andrew, remember?”
“Of course, but you’re not with Andrew now, are you? It’s just going to be you and your girlfriend. It would be nice if you had a man there to protect you.”
She shook her head. God, you’d think it was the fifties the way her mother spoke, but then her mother was born in 1943 and was a definite product of the fifties. “I’m capable of protecting myself. I don’t need a man to do it for me.”
“You know, Jessica, you can spout off all you want. It doesn’t change the fact that sometimes men are nice to have around. I’m not saying you need them, but there’s something to be said for having a partner to hold through the good and the bad.”
“In this case the bad would be scaring off man-eating bears? Didn’t you say that the bear attacked a man? Times change mom.”
“Times might change, but you’re still human. A woman has needs, and don’t go spouting off about being financially independent either. You know what I’m talking about.”
“Excuse me. Who are you, and where is my mother?” Her mother never talked about sex unless she absolutely had to, and she certainly never brought it up.
“Very funny. Just because your father and I keep it inside the bedroom doesn’t mean that all we do in that bedroom is sleep. Did you think you were an immaculate conception?”
“No, I thought I was an accident.”
She heard a sharp intake of breath. “Oh honey, no. Never an accident. We’d tried for years to conceive, and we’d given up. We were looking into adopting when I found out I was pregnant with you. I thought you knew that.”
“Ma, how could I know that? It’s not as if you and dad ever talked about it.”
“We never in a million years wanted you to think that you were anything but wanted and cherished.”
“I did. I just thought I was a surprise, that’s all. I knew you loved me. Speaking of which, I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”
“Of course. What is it?”
“Could you send me bagels and lox, potato knishes, and black and white cookies? You know, send them in dry ice. I’m going through withdrawal.”
“So you are homesick.” She heard the smile in her mother’s voice and felt herself smiling back.
She had been listening to her New York playlist more often than ever, and although she loved Boise, she did miss certain aspects of living in the city—like twenty-four-hour takeout. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“You’re still coming home for Thanksgiving, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know, Ma. I just got a part-time job at Starbucks. I’ll see if I can get Thanksgiving weekend off. Since I’m not starting for a few more weeks, I wouldn’t c
ount on it. Maybe you and Dad can come out here. I have plenty of room, and I think you’d really like Boise. It’s so different from Long Island, and it’s beautiful.”
“I’ll see what your father says, but if you’re going to be working, what would be the point of us coming all the way out there?”
“Mom, I’m only working part-time. When I’m at work, you and Dad can do whatever it is you do. My Starbucks is close enough to walk to, so you can have my car.” The connection started breaking up. “Look Mom, I’m heading into the mountains, so I better get off. I’ll call you soon. I might not be home until Wednesday. If you send food, make sure it will arrive after that, okay?”
“Okay, have fun and be careful, honey. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
The scenery changed as she gained elevation. It went from high mountain desert—where if you don’t water it, it won’t grow—to thick pine. She wasn’t sure what time Karma planned to arrive at the cabin, so she was in no rush. Karma had told her where a spare key was hidden, but Jessie didn’t feel comfortable walking into a stranger’s house. So when she saw the sign for Idaho City a half hour into the trip, she pulled off the highway to do some exploring.
She’d learned that Idaho City had once been a huge mining camp when gold was discovered on Grimes Creek during the early years of the gold rush. It looked as if it had been stuck in a time warp. It was so authentic that they could have filmed a spaghetti Western there.
Jessie toured the old jail, had lunch at Trudy’s Kitchen, and even poked around the old Boot Hill Cemetery. By the time she got back in the car it was well after noon. She checked the directions again and headed farther up Highway 21 for another couple of hours through some of the most beautiful mountainous country she’d ever seen. Following the directions, she turned onto Highway 75 and drove until she saw the nondescript, signless, gravel road with the split rail fence described in the directions Karma had given her.