by Quint, Suzie
He managed to make it to Saturday afternoon before Rachel discovered he was back in Galveston. Crossing the hotel lobby, Zach heard her voice.
“Zachariah!”
He grimaced at Rachel’s use of his complete first name, but he turned it into a smile as he pivoted on his heel. “Hey, Rach.”
“I didn’t know you were coming back so soon,” Rachel said. “Why didn’t you let me know?”
“It was kind of a spur of the moment decision. I was just gonna see if you were around somewhere.”
Rachel’s eyes narrowed, but whatever she thought, she didn’t voice it. “Rosa, we’ve got a room to spare for my brother, don’t we?”
Rosa, the checkin clerk Zach hadn’t known the day before, hit a short string of keys on the computer keyboard. Zach shot her a pleading look over Rachel’s head.
Except for the sudden flush apparent even under her naturally dark skin, the girl covered for him beautifully. “Of course, Ms. McKnight.” She dropped her eyes to the screen as she punched numbers into the reservation keyboard. “Is room good?”
“Thank you, Rosa,” Zach said before Rachel could. He stepped past his sister to take the key card, flashing Rosa a grateful smile that had the girl ducking her head to hide an even deeper blush.
“Sweet girl,” he said, turning back toward Rachel.
“Don’t you dare.”
“What?”
Rachel grabbed his arm, forcing him to walk away with her. “I’m not that crazy about you sniffing after the new bartender, but if you think you can start working your way through the staff, you just think again. I won’t put up with you creating that sort of havoc in my hotel.”
“Jeez, you’re touchy. All I said was she seemed sweet.”
Rachel spun toward him, dropping his arm to point a threatening finger at him. “No!”
Zach set his jaw. “I’m getting a little tired of being told ‘no’ by the women around here like I’m a puppy who’s just piddled on the carpet. I got no interest in working my way through your staff, but if I did, you couldn’t stop me.”
Rachel dropped her finger. “Really?” Her voice dripped wicked speculation.
Zach’s body instinctively tried to suck his balls inside.
“Just who else has told you no lately? Could it be your pistol-packing sweetheart?”
Zach felt his own color rise. He hadn’t meant to give Rachel any more ammunition to use against him.
“You know,” Rachel continued, “I might just have judged her too quickly.”
“Rach, stay out of my business,” Zach warned, but he was already afraid he’d lost control of things around him. Then again, he wasn’t actually sure he’d ever had it.
“Hey, Zach. Thought you were gonna meet me out … front … ” Jake’s voice trailed off as Rachel turned. His sudden guilty flush a testament to how much of their mamma was in Rachel, Zach thought, particularly since Jake had nothing to feel guilty about.
Rachel squared up with Zach to greet their brother, but not without giving Zach a sideways glare. “Just coming to find me, were you?”
Zach didn’t even bother to defend himself.
“You know, it’s actually right nice you’re both here.” Rachel’s voice suddenly sounded down-home. “I looked for you last Sunday morning, Zach. Figured you might be of a mind to go to church with me, but you musta gone on your own.”
Having woken up last Sunday in Maddie’s bed, Zach’s blush wasn’t nearly as blameless as Jake’s.
Rachel pretended not to notice. “I think this week we should make it family thing—you, me, and Jake.”
“Uhh—” Zach met Jake’s eyes, hoping he’d have a way out of being trapped in a church with their overly-zealous sister. The resignation he saw there took the fight out of him. “Sure. Sounds like a great family outing,” he said, knowing his voice lacked the appropriate amount of enthusiasm.
Rachel affected not to notice. “Good. I’ll meet you boys here in the lobby at :. You did bring some Sunday go-to-meeting clothes, didn’t you, Zachariah?” She patted him on his wounded arm as she left, a self-satisfied smile on her face.
“If being manipulative was a sin,” Jake said as they watched her walk away, “Rachel’d be riding the fast train to hell.”
“Don’t even think that. She learned it from Mamma.”
“That’s a mamma-exempt sin. Rachel ain’t nobody’s mamma.”
“What pisses me off,” Zach said, “is how much she enjoys it.”
“Yeah, me, too.
*
As low bartender on the totem pole, Maddie expected to get the low-tipping shifts. The early shift on Saturday in The Gull’s bar was so slow, she wondered why they bothered opening. Maybe it isn’t always like this. The weather outside was perfect, warm with a mild breeze. Later in the year, when it was hotter during the day, people would be more likely to seek out a cool, air-conditioned bar.
Once the clean-up from the night before was done, boredom set in. Maddie started praying for customers—as long as none of them were Zach. She realized her mistake in forgetting to stipulate his sister, too, when Rachel walked in with Claudia.
“What can I get you?” Maddie asked when they sat at the bar.
“She makes a mean Bloody Mary, Rachel,” Claudia bragged. “I made sure before I hired her.”
“Sounds great,” Rachel said.
Maddie kept her face passive. Somehow, she would have pegged Zach’s sister as being more the Virgin Mary type. She gave the women space, moving down to the far end of the bar so they’d have privacy. They were still the only customers Maddie had when they flagged her for a second round.
As she picked up their empty glasses, Rachel addressed her.
“Claudia says you just moved here from Oregon.”
Maddie tried not to stiffen. “Yes, ma’am.” They’d been talking about her? She wondered if Claudia knew she’d shot Rachel’s brother.
“You found a church you like yet?” Rachel asked.
“Uh, no. Not yet.”
“You’ll come check out my church tomorrow morning then. You can meet me in the lobby here, or I can pick you up at your place if that’s more convenient.”
Maddie’s mouth was suddenly dry as cotton. She couldn’t imagine a more nerve wracking experience. “Here—I’ll meet you here.”
“: then.” Rachel took a sip of her Bloody Mary.
“I— I’ve got to … restock … ” Maddie said, stumbling over her words. Rachel smiled sweetly as Maddie turned and walked away. She grabbed a case of beer from the back and started stuffing them into the already full cooler.
Was she really going to church with Zach’s sister? Rachel didn’t even like her. Too late, Maddie thought of several excuses she could have used. She’d have given her first week’s check if she’d thought of just one sooner.
Frankly, Zach’s sister scared the hell out of her.
*
“What are we waiting for?” Zach asked, glancing at Rachel who was talking casually to the checkin clerk.
Jake shook his head and shrugged at Zach’s muttered question.
Rachel was as punctual as an atomic clock, but she seemed in no hurry, though it was already :. Jake’s sudden grip on his arm brought his attention around to the front of the lobby.
In the middle of the automatic doors, Maddie had just stepped out of one of her black pumps. With Jesse in one arm and the diaper bag hanging from her other shoulder, she was in danger of overbalancing as her foot sought to line up with the wayward shoe. She wore a dress the color of burgundy wine that had large buttons up the front of the bodice and a full skirt. Zach realized that he’d never appreciated how good a woman’s legs looked below a skirt like that.
He didn’t remember sprinting toward her. When he swept Jesse out of her arms, Maddie’s suddenly empty hand grabbed his arm to keep herself from toppling. A second later, her face registered that she was hanging onto him.
“Get your shoe,” Zach said.
S
he swallowed, then still holding onto his arm, she looked down, fished her shoe around, and slid her foot into it. The little piece of her face he could see flushed as red as Jesse’s hair.
Zach wondered what she was doing there so early. And with Jesse, too. Only when she reached for the baby did it occur to him to wonder why she was so dressed up. He shot a shocked glance at Rachel.
His sister looked almost as surprised as he was. Obviously, no one had told her Maddie was a package deal. Maddie was still waiting for him to release Jesse.
“I’ve got him.” Zach hiked the boy up against his shoulder. For her ears only, he said, “C’mon. Let’s go beard the manipulative bitch in her den.”
Maddie swallowed hard but said nothing as she followed him.
“Well, I guess we’re all here, Rachel,” Zach said, his voice an accusation.
His sister had the grace to look abashed. Typical of Rachel, however, it didn’t last more than a second. She glanced at her watch. “If we don’t want to be late, we’d better load up.”
“It’ll probably work out best if I follow you,” Maddie said. “I mean, Jesse has to ride in a car seat so … ”
“You’re right, of course,” Rachel said, recovered from her surprise. “Zach, why don’t you ride with her? Make sure she doesn’t get lost on her way to church.”
Zach ground his teeth and thought some un-Christian thoughts. It didn’t take a wizard to figure out what Rachel was up to. She wasn’t just throwing him and Maddie together. This whole “let’s everyone go to church” was her way of checking Maddie out to decide if she approved.
Well, Zach didn’t need her approval. “Let’s skip church,” he said when he and Maddie were in the car, with Jesse in the back.
“Is that your plan? Get me alone in a car so you can convince me to take you home with me?”
“You think this was my idea?” Zach wasn’t very successful at keeping the anger from his voice. “Rachel’s manipulating both of us. She doesn’t deserve to get away with it.”
“Why would she throw us together like this? She doesn’t even like me.”
“She’s doesn’t like anybody unless she can make them dance to her tune.” In his anger, Zach didn’t feel the need to be fair.
Maddie’s jaw set. “Which way is the church?”
Knowing he’d lost the round, Zach pointed.
They pulled into the church parking lot with just a few minutes to spare. Rachel and Jake were waiting outside. From the look on Jake’s face, Rachel had not been waiting patiently. Rachel ushered them in ahead of her, but true to her bossy nature, pointed to a pew that would keep them from having to split up.
Jesse in her arms, Maddie entered the pew first. Determined to at least provide a buffer between Maddie and Rachel, Zach made sure he went next. Appropriate, he thought. Trapped between two women who didn’t seem to like him at all at the moment. Zach hoped God was paying attention. He should get divine points for this.
Zach believed in God, but like many men, it took womenfolk to get him to church. He went through the required motions and the expected responses. He even managed a few prayers of his own. Jesse did a great angel imitation, playing happily with the pendant Maddie wore until just after the sermon. When he started fussing, Maddie reached for the bag at her feet. It became obvious she wasn’t going to be able to juggle Jesse and get into the bag without bumping repeatedly into the person next to her. Zach tapped her arm and held out his hands for the boy. Maddie hesitated, but she handed Jesse over without comment.
The transfer quieted Jesse. He looked at Zach with wide eyes. Zach shook his head in disgust. She’d put that damned stupid bonnet on him again. When Jesse reached for Zach’s lower lip, he quickly flipped the boy on his back. Maddie surfaced with a bottle in hand, but instead of handing the boy back, Zach took the bottle. Jesse’s beefy little hands closed around it as he captured the nipple with his mouth.
When he felt Rachel shift beside him, he spared a glance for her. She gazed softly at the child in his arms. Then her eyes lifted to his, a gentle smile on her lips.
For once, his sister’s smile didn’t make him want to run.
Chapter Twelve
After the services, Rachel suggested Maddie join them for breakfast. “My treat,” Rachel offered.
“I don’t know. I should get Jesse home.”
“Oh, come on, Maddie. You’re part of The Gull family now. Zach, you’ll ride to the restaurant with her, won’t you? Make sure she doesn’t get lost.”
“Yes, your Highness.”
Maddie shot him a pleading look.
“Misery loves company,” he murmured as he took her elbow to guide her to the Lincoln. “If I can take you down with me, I will.”
“And here I thought you were a nice guy,” Maddie said.
Zach took the car keys from Maddie. “Where certain members of my family are concerned, all bets are off. You can still get out of it though,” he said, as he unlocked the back door for her to deposit Jesse into his car seat.
“How?”
“Shoot me. Then run like hell.”
Maddie laughed. “Dammit. I forgot the gun.” She leaned into the car, plopped Jesse into his seat, and started fussing with the straps.
Bent over as she was, her full skirt no longer camouflaged the shape of her bottom. “It’s clear you were never a girl scout,” Zach said, eyeing her rear appreciatively.
“Why?”
“If you’d been a girl scout, you’d’ve been prepared for something like this and brought the gun.”
“Isn’t that the boy scouts who are always supposed to be prepared?”
“I figured girl scouts would have the same oath.”
“Maybe they do. I wouldn’t know.” Maddie finished buckling Jesse in.
“Like I said … ” Zach said as she pulled out of the back seat. He forgot to finish his sentence when she straightened so close he could smell her shampoo. Whatever divine points he’d earned going to church, he’d just lost them by lusting in the church parking lot.
“Where are we going for breakfast?” Maddie asked, totally unaware she’d taken his breath away.
“Uh— The Golden Corral.” He moved to open the driver’s door for her. “They have a breakfast buffet.”
“Do you want to drive?” Maddie offered.
“This car?” Zach grinned. “You bet.”
*
Maddie smiled as Zach got behind the wheel. She hadn’t thought the Lincoln would get that response. After all, it wasn’t a corvette—or even a -wheel drive pickup.
“You really don’t have to go to breakfast with us if you don’t want to,” Zach said, as he pulled out into traffic.
“It seems a little late to beg off.”
“It ain’t. You can just drop me at the restaurant.”
“That would be nice, but … I have a confession to make.” Maddie took a deep breath. “Your sister scares me half to death.”
Zach chuckled. “She scares everybody half to death. It’s just her way.”
“Yes, but your job isn’t at risk if she—”
Zach frowned. “Has she threatened your job?”
“No. I just … She just scares me.”
“I’d let you in on a little secret and tell you her bark is worse than her bite, but hell, I’d be lying. But if you let her walk on you, it only gets worse.”
“I’ll remember that.”
They parked on the street in front of the restaurant and joined Rachel and Jake at a table. Efficient as ever, Rachel already had one of the restaurant’s highchairs at the table. Maddie was grateful Zach didn’t try to convince her to leave Jesse at the table while they tackled the buffet. Instead, he dished her choices onto the plate she held as they went down the line.
Rachel and her brothers started catching up on family as Maddie strapped Jesse in. She was happy Zach had so many siblings; it kept attention off her. Soon though, she was listening raptly as Zach talked about his sister, Daisy.
Madd
ie cocked her head in puzzlement. “Daisy?” she whispered an aside to Jake. “Doesn’t sound very old testament.”
When Jake laughed out loud, Rachel and Zach looked askance at him. “Daisy Mae is the nickname Dad gave Deborah coz she’s so boy crazy. I noticed last time I was home though that Gideon’s started calling her Daisy Duke.”
“Damn,” Zach said. “That’s gotta mean that this has been going on for a while.”
They talked about Daisy until the waitress came to take their order. Jesse began fussing as the conversation shifted to Ezra. Maddie remembered he was the one their mother had almost married off. Apparently, he was living in New York, but he emailed Jake regularly. Maddie listened with half an ear as she unstrapped Jesse from the highchair and brought him into her lap. He wrapped his fist around the pendant she wore and tried to stuff his fist in his mouth.
“You ever been to a Texas rodeo?” Jake asked Maddie.
“No. I’ve been to rodeos in Wy— my part of Oregon and my folks took me to the Calgary Stampede when I was about ten.” Maddie clamped down on the memory that was full of her sister to keep it at bay. “I wish I’d been a little older for that.”
“Yeah, that’s a rodeo. Just the same, you oughta go to one of ours. You could watch our oldest brother get dumped on his head by a bull.”
“Do any of you actually like each other?” Maddie asked.
“Sure we do,” Jake said. “But if you can’t laugh at each other, what’s the point in being family?”
“We’re actually pretty proud of each other,” Zach said. “But no one wants to hear that.”
“Prove it,” Maddie challenged. “Tell me something good about one of your siblings.”
“Okay,” Zach said. “Jake here’s smarter ’n hell. He skipped third grade, and he’s gonna to be a veterinarian.”
“I ain’t no smarter than you, Zach. I just got more patience.” Jake tipped his head toward his brother. “Now Zach there,” Jake leaned in toward Maddie, “he’s real good with his hands.” His voice made the accolade more than a little suggestive.