by Marie Harte
Bree was beet red and biting her lip. “I am so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. Hell, with a body like that, you never have to be ashamed of anything.” He handed her her clothes, regretting that she handed him back his uniform shirt. He’d never seen it look so fine.
Afraid she might burst into tears when she finished dressing and bent over at the waist, her hair hiding her face, he moved closer with care. “Bree, honey. It’s okay, they won’t—”
She erupted into laughter and straightened, laughing so hard that she cried. “Oh my God. I flashed your brother and your cousin. Welcome to Seattle!”
She kept laughing as he frowned—it wasn’t that funny—and dragged her back down the hallway, where Wyatt and Josh were stroking Bubbles, who looked as if she’d gone to doggy heaven. On her back, her feet in the air, she pawed up at Josh to keep rubbing her belly.
Seeing her like that, Bree started snorting and laughed even harder. “They even got Bubbles!”
He rolled his eyes when Wyatt looked her over and wiggled his brows.
In a deep Texan drawl, Wyatt said, “Darlin’, I don’t know why you’re here, but please, don’t ever, ever leave. Not unless you’re comin’ back home with us in our pleasure bus.”
“It’s an RV,” Tex said flatly, not liking the look on Wyatt’s face. “And you,” he said to Josh. “Not one word to anyone at home about this.”
“No, sirree.” Josh absently crossed the right side of his chest, staring hard at Bree.
“Other side, moron.”
Josh bit his lip and crossed the left side of his chest.
Bree, still pink but not laughing so hard anymore, wiped her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I obviously thought you were Tex,” she said to Wyatt. “From behind, you look similar.” She held out a hand. “I’m Bree Gilchrist.”
Wyatt, of course, kissed the back of it. “Wyatt McGovern, at your service.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Not to be outdone, before Tex could introduce the youngest McGovern, Josh popped up as if he had springs in his ass and crossed the room to her. “How do, lovely Bree.” Josh kissed the back of her hand as well. “I’m Josh McGovern.”
Tex sighed. “You realize kissing her hand in the same spot Wyatt did is like kissing Wyatt.”
Josh quickly let her hand go and wiped his mouth. “Gross.”
Wyatt smacked him in the back of the head. But his gaze didn’t miss how Tex laid a possessive hand on Bree’s shoulder. Good. “So, this is the woman who has little brother’s…tail…in a knot.”
“Little brother.” Tex snorted. “I’m taller than you, asshole.”
“But not as wise,” Wyatt said.
Bree looked between them back and forth. “You two sound exactly the same.”
Josh snickered. “You should hear when all four of them are together. Liam and Oliver sound alike too. Just like Uncle Pete. It’s weird.”
“I’m sorry. Why are you here?” Wyatt asked as he turned to Josh.
“Yeah, why?” Tex asked.
Bree, Tex noted, was trying not to laugh. Hell. They did sound alike. And the fact they all looked like family didn’t help either.
“Hey.” Josh sounded hurt. “Quit picking on me. I came to save a dog.”
“Oh. Bullies.” Bree pushed past Tex, but not before turning to kiss him on the cheek, and took Josh and Bubbles into the backyard, where Josh threw Bubbles’s tennis ball for her.
The minute she left, Wyatt turned to Tex and fanned his face. “Holy shit. She is, ah, how to put this. Fuckin’ hotter than a fur coat in Marfa.”
Tex had to grin. “Ain’t she, though?”
“No wonder you been skippin’ church and helping your photographer at all hours. Momma and Daddy want pics, just letting you know.”
Tex might have mentioned Bree to his family once or twice since their first disastrous meeting. Apparently, they hadn’t seen his terrible dates with Bree as just amusing but assumed he had some interest in her as well. Which he clearly did.
“How does the rest of her match up?” Wyatt asked.
“She’s smart, owns her own business, and just got a showing in some fancy art house to hang her photographs. And those she took because she won a big old grant from the city.”
“Well, damn. Sounds a little too good for you, bro.” Wyatt winked. “Now get me a beer. It was a long drive.”
Tex had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He loved Wyatt, but as soon as Wyatt saw Tex, he jumped into big-brother mode. And Tex had stopped liking playing the fetch game ages ago. But hospitality dictated he at least show his brother where to find something to wet his throat.
“Little early for that, isn’t it? How about some coffee instead?”
Wyatt snorted. “Shut it, boy. I’m a grown man needing a grown-ass drink. Now do you have any sarsaparilla or not?”
“Not. It’s root beer. Get it your own damn self. It’s in the fridge, bottom shelf.”
After Wyatt grabbed a bottle of quality Virgil’s, he sat at the kitchen island across from Tex and stared in awe at a plate holding a stack of pancakes.
“Want some?” Tex offered. Personally, he found the idea of pancake syrup and root beer disgusting, but Wyatt liked his sweets.
“Hell, yeah. Any bacon?”
“There’s…” Tex paused. He could have sworn there were a few strips left. But no, the plate was empty. “Bubbles?”
“Ah.” Wyatt grinned. “That cute little pup outside stole the bacon. I like her already. Not as much as your girlfriend, but she’s adorable. No question.”
“Who? Bree or Bubbles?”
“Yes.”
Tex laughed and grabbed a cup of coffee, still heated in the carafe. “So great to see you guys. But I thought you were coming next week with Oliver.”
“Yeah, we thought so too. Turned out Dad wanted Oliver for some project he’s working on. And Josh has boot camp starting next month.”
“So, that’s a for-sure thing?” At his brother’s nod, he grinned. “Josh is staying true.”
“Well, according to Uncle Owen, it was touch and go with the Navy. But Josh saw the light.” Wyatt grinned. “He’s USMC all the way.”
They toasted their young cousin, who was animatedly smiling and chatting up Bree outside.
“Going in as Intel though. Had some high ASVAB score.” The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test determined how a pending service member might serve. The higher one’s ASVAB score, the more latitude the candidates had to select their own specialty.
“He’s a brain. I’m so proud.”
They had gone infantry, uncaring of test scores.
“Glad you could make it out here,” Tex said.
“Me too. Never been this far north before. Damn, son. It’s cold out.”
Tex grinned. “At least it’s not raining. Yet.”
“You always did like the rain.”
“It’s lush. The vegetation’s thick, the dirt’s a rich brown. No clay, no red. Black dirt, brother. Great for apples and cherries.”
“Oh, my favorite.”
Tex nodded. “We need to see about getting you some Mt. Rainier cherries from the farmer’s market. They’re yellow and red and so sweet. My favorite.”
“Speaking of yellow hair and sweetness.”
“Huh?”
“Your girl, Bree. So how serious is it?”
Tex heard her laugh and looked out to see his cousin and Bree running around with Bubbles, who followed, barking with more excitement than he’d seen her show in a while. He smiled, loving the sight and sound of all that joy.
“Well, hell. It’s that bad?”
Tex blinked and turned back to his brother. “What?”
“Nothin’. Tell me about Bubbles.”
“She’s seven years old, near
as we can tell. I got her to help out a friend. Remember that guy, Oscar, I was telling you about?”
“Brad’s little brother?”
Tex sighed. “Brad’s younger brother, yeah.” Sometimes the word “little” brought out the stigma of growing up the youngest in a family of troublemakers. “Oscar’s in AA and doing great. Like you?”
Wyatt nodded. “Still sober, thanks for asking.” They clinked bottle to mug.
“Nice. Anyhow, Oscar asked me to grab Bubbles from a troubled guy. I did. The dog is a real beauty, just decent and sweet as can be. But she was ignored for years. She’s shy but coming out of her shell. I’d love to keep her.” And it hurt, deep down, that he knew she’d be better off without him. “I just can’t give her the time and attention she’d get on the ranch.”
“I know.” Wyatt must have heard his sorrow. “I feel ya. Don’t worry. Bubbles can hang out with Momma at home or Daddy in the barn. And if she gets to liking more excitement, she’ll be just fine outside with the rest of us.”
“Good.” One burden off Tex’s back. “She’s so great. I was worried she’d get a family who wouldn’t understand her.”
“We’ll get to know each other on the way back. Don’t worry.”
“How’s it at home?”
While Wyatt filled Tex in on the hometown gossip, Tex laughed and pestered his brother for more details, missing his family a little less now that he had some of Texas making his house a home.
But as he peeked outside again, he realized that home had started to feel warmer the moment Bree had walked through the door.
***
Bree laughed at Bubbles’s antics, thrilled to see the older dog acting almost like a puppy again. “Josh, you’re really good with animals.”
“And older women,” the flirt said shamelessly. “I mean, you’re not that old. But mature. In a good way.” He sounded so earnest.
She chuckled. “I’m so glad you came with Wyatt. I was hoping to meet some of Tex’s family.” She hoped that didn’t sound too forward.
Josh’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, well, we’ve all been real excited to meet you.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Li’l Pete has been telling everyone about you for a long time. Like how he messed up on your first date. And how that fire happened to burn his phone.” Josh laughed. “I mean, that’s all kinds of screwed up. Talk about bad karma. I can’t believe you gave him another chance.”
“Trust me, I didn’t plan on it. But Tex is good at his job and showed me sights I might not have been able to capture without him.” She paused. “Okay, I have to know. Li’l Pete?”
“Little Pete,” Josh enunciated. “On account of his name being Roger Peter McGovern. He never would answer to Roger, so Uncle Pete and Aunt Sara Ann started calling him Li’l Pete.”
“Not Tex?”
“Down in Texas? We’re all Tex.” Josh chuckled. “That could get confusing. Besides, I think he got that name in the Marine Corps. He used to have a pretty thick accent. Now he sounds like he’s from California or something.”
“Not to me.” Bree thought Tex’s accent charming, but not as thick as his family’s, for sure. Little Pete. Oh, man. What a golden nugget that would turn out to be. She’d have to carefully mine this particular source of information for all he was worth.
Except at that moment, Wyatt and Tex left the house to join them.
“Hey, quit hogging my cousin, Bree.” Tex frowned at her. “The poor kid ain’t got but another month until he joins his fellow recruits in San Diego.” His grin broadened, and he grabbed Josh for a huge hug. “Congrats, Josh. Let me know when it is, and I’ll be sure to show up for your graduation.” He let Josh go, gave Bubbles some petting after being nudged to do so, and frowned in thought. “I wonder who’s on board at the recruit depot. Wonder if I know any of them.”
“What’s that?”
Tex turned to her. “I might know a guy or two who’s doing his tour at Recruit Training in San Diego.”
Wyatt laughed. “Get ready for Mount Motherfucker.” Then he glanced at Bree and flushed. “Sorry.”
“No, what’s that?” Bree wanted to know.
“It’s a huge hill you’re forced to march when you’re in boot camp. It’s a rite of passage, you could say.” Tex grinned. “Oh, yeah. Good times.”
He looked at Wyatt, and the two of them said as one, “Not.”
Josh cringed. “Aw, man. Don’t ruin the mystery for me.”
“Whatever you do, don’t watch the airplanes flying away or the DI’s will make you chase after them for fun.” Wyatt cracked up. “Man, that shit was funny.”
“Long as it wasn’t you.” Tex groaned. “I made the mistake of wishing to fly out to Hawaii and got caught by Sergeant Leonard. Guy almost ran me to death.”
Wyatt rubbed his cousin’s head. “Enjoy this hippie hair while you can, boy. In another few weeks, you’re gonna be bald as a cue ball.”
Bree shook her head. “And I wonder why more people don’t join the service. Sounds like a blast.”
Tex dragged her into his arms for a kiss before throwing the ball for Bubbles. “It’s the military. They break you down then build you back up. You have to be a good follower to be a good leader, Bree. Besides, when graduation day comes, you feel like you can do anything. And of course, you know you’re better than everyone else.”
Wyatt nodded. “That’s true.”
“Even if you get out or quit?” she teased.
Tex looked sad. “Woman, we need to talk. You never quit the Corps. Well, I mean, you can get a dishonorable discharge, I guess. Ain’t no quitting till your time is up. But once a Marine, always a Marine.”
Wyatt agreed. “There’s no ex about it. We say former or prior Marine. Not ex-Marine.”
“Got it.” She gave him a salute.
He cringed. “Come on, now, Bree. I was enlisted. I worked for a living. Don’t be giving me a salute.” Wyatt said the word with such disdain.
“Worked for a living? Maybe then.” Josh smirked. “Now Wyatt shovels cow shi—ah, poop.”
Wyatt turned on him. “Is that so?” The big man dashed after his cousin, who though taller and heavier than Bree, could run like a deer, and finally caught the quick teen, forcing him to say uncle while tickling him without mercy.
Bubbles barked and danced around, licking whatever McGovern on the ground she could reach.
Tex put his arm around Bree and shook his head, but she could see him smiling. “Now imagine four boys—like them—in a wrestling death match while their daddy is doing his best to keep the barn cats from killing the new puppy who got loose. Meanwhile the horses need tending, the eggs need collecting, and the dryer just broke for the third time that month.”
“Your mom is a saint, is that what you’re saying?”
He chuckled. “She’s got a first-class ticket to heaven. No doubt about that. None at all.”
***
Tex hadn’t realized how much he’d missed his family, but having Wyatt and Josh around filled the void. He spent the day with the guys and Bree, whom he’d insisted stick around. To his delight, she got along as if a part of the family. Wyatt and Josh treated her like a sister, though he could do with a little less ogling from the younger McGovern.
Bree had left an hour ago, needing time to get ready to head back to work on Monday.
Now, Tex sat with Wyatt and Josh around a small fire out back while Bubbles snoozed by his side. Despite enjoying the hell out of his brother and cousin, Bubbles still came back to him.
That closeness touched him, and he stroked her while he sipped from a bottle of root beer. Normally, he’d have had a real beer, but with Wyatt still sober and Josh only nineteen, he enjoyed a cold carbonated beverage instead.
He sipped and stared, loving the crackle of fire in the small, self-contained pit. “I talked to the
guys. They know you’re here.”
“Hell. Can’t remember the last time I saw Brad, Mack, and Reggie. Two and a half years ago, maybe?” Wyatt tugged at the brim of his Stetson.
Josh did the same, snuggling into a sweatshirt Tex had lent him. Thin-blooded Texans having a tough time with the great Pacific Northwestern summer season.
Tex nodded. “Must have been when the guys and I met you in Vegas for that concert. Remember? It was right after you left the Corps. Had a hell of a time. Talk about a party.”
Wyatt sighed. “I don’t think I remember.”
“Oh, right. Well, this time you will remember, Mr. Sober. I want you to meet Oscar.”
“Your other brother?” Wyatt asked, sounding a little bit…jealous?
“It’s okay, big guy. Don’t worry. No one can replace you.”
Josh chuckled.
“Shut it, Josh.” Wyatt mumbled, “I’m not jealous. But you do talk about him a lot.”
“Only to you. To him, I talk about you.”
“Oh, that’s okay then.”
Tex grinned. “You guys are a lot alike. But it’s funny he looks so much like Brad.”
“And you look so much like me.” Wyatt smiled. “A chip off the old block.”
Josh cut in, “Technically, you’re referring to Uncle Pete.”
“Let me bask in the glory of finally not being the youngest with Li’l Pete not around.” Wyatt sighed and held out his arms to the darkening sky. “Ah, feels good.”
“Wish I could feel that.” Josh let out a loud sigh. “I’m always the baby.”
“That you are.” Wyatt grinned and clinked bottlenecks with Tex.
“But it’s not all bad,” Tex said. “Momma dotes on us young ones.”
“That’s true.” Josh nodded. His mother had passed away years ago due to a brain aneurysm. There one minute, gone the next. Josh had been four at the time, so while it bothered him, he’d done much better than his father dealing with that long-ago grief. And he’d grown up under Tex’s mother’s loving eye.
“So,” Wyatt said, breaking the silence, “we’re here until Friday. Think we can have some fun until then?”