by Casey Peeler
Beckett (Drake Brothers #4)
By Casey Peeler
Chapter 1
Beckett
Walking into the old wooden farm house, I toss my hat on the counter as I grab a beer and cuss the fucking day. I’m tired as hell and my fucking brothers aren’t home yet to help out as usual. I’m not sure why in the hell I even try anymore, but then I glance at the picture on the refrigerator and know why I still fucking care. I see the most beautiful woman in the world. The woman that came to our rescue when I was seven years old. I still remember the day like it was yesterday when I walked into her classroom for the first time. Carol Drake was like an angel in human form, and saved me and my three brothers from a life of hell. I’d hate to see where we’d be today. We’d probably all be dead or in jail. Looking at the picture of my mom I smile, but miss the fuck out of her.
As the back door opens, Colby walks in with a fucking smirk on his face. Taking a pull of my beer, I don’t say shit. Instead, I stand and start to walk toward the door for the barn.
“Let me get out of this fucking get up and I’ll come help you.”
“Don’t bother,” I say and when he mumbles under his breath, I fucking snap.
“Don’t do me any damn favors. Go on and keep up that fucking pretty boy act, but we all know you’re just like the rest of us.”
“Dude, who pissed in your corn flakes?” he says and I don’t say a word. Instead, I walk out to the barn, feed the animals, and make sure that everything is taken care of before getting ready for my third shift rotation at the fire station.
As I start to water the horses, Colby walks out and doesn’t say anything, and that pisses me off even more. I swear, I’m so fucking tired of being the one to carry all of the load around here. I’ve been doing it since I was barely legal and I’m tired as fuck. They all think they can go on about their jobs and come home to find everything taking care of. I’m fucking sick of it.
“Go on to Dixie’s. I know you don’t want to be here.”
“What the fuck is your problem, Beckett?” he says and I just look at him and then go back to work. He doesn’t move. Instead, he stands there. “Fuck. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to anyone. Hell, all you do is try to be our fucking dad anyways. You're our brother. We don’t need you looking out anymore. We just want Beckett back.”
Taking the water hose, I hang it up and then pull out the feed as he follows me, attempting to work.
“Really? That’s what y’all want? Do you know what the hell would happen around here if I didn’t act like Dad? Do you?” He looks at me with a blank look. “Exactly. Shit would fall apart. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Now, go on to Dixie’s, I got it. Just make sure everything’s good before work tomorrow. I’m on third tonight.”
“You got it, Dad,” he says like a fucking smart ass and I lose it. Walking up to him, I slam him against the fucking barn wall.
“Fuck off, Colby,” I say and let him go. Walking out of the barn, I cuss myself. I don’t mean to be an asshole, but I’m different. I’m not the same as them. Hell, we’re all fucking Drakes, but I’m the odd man out. Since day one, I’m the one that got the strange looks, questioned how I belonged, but at the end of the day, we’re brothers. I’d give up my fucking life for them, but they piss me the fuck off more and more each and every day.
Dallas
“Let’s grab a burger and head home. How does that sound?” I say to Lettie as we pull into Barger’s parking lot. I’m exhausted from working, but there’s nothing a Barger’s burger and fries can’t fix. She looks up at me and smiles as we walk hand in hand. Stella gives a wave from behind the bar as we walk up.
“What can I get y’all?” she questions.
“Two cheeseburgers, one fry, and a sweet tea. Can you make it to go?” I ask and she nods.
Taking a seat at the bar, Dixie walks in and Lettie runs over to her. Dixie takes her by the hand and Lettie leads her over to me.
“Hey, girl! How are you?” she questions. It’s amazing how my hairdresser is now one of my best friends. It wasn’t so long ago that I didn’t have anyone I could talk to in this town.
“I’m exhausted. I swear, I’ve worked non-stop all day, and Lettie insisted on going out to the park. I’m like give me a burger and call it a night.” We both laugh as Stella places two drinks in front of us.
“Stella, I said one.”
“Girl, no. Just think of one as a refill,” she smiles and I can’t help but thank the big man upstairs for such a group of amazing people. As people begin to trickle in, I know it’s time for Lettie and me to bounce. She doesn’t need to be exposed to big folks behaving badly. Stella takes the food and places it in front of me. Laying a twenty down, I stand and grab Lettie by the hand. She hugs Dixie bye and we walk out the door, going the short distance to our four-room house at the edge of town.
Chapter 2
Beckett
Walking into the station, I see that I’m on duty with Max and cuss. That fucker is young and dumb. Going to my desk, I sort through the mail and what not that’s laying around. Once that is finished, I slide on my gym shorts and run on the treadmill to kill some time. It’s still early, but I also know that nothing goes on in this town. Ridge is a small town where the only problems consist of Molly’s fucking pussy climbing a damn tree and her calling us to rescue it. Lord knows, I hope she doesn’t get some wild hair up her ass tonight on that. Don’t get me wrong, she’s hot as fuck. I swear she does it just to see us show up in uniform, but it’s old news.
As I pick up the speed on the treadmill, I watch the news and decide it’s depressing as hell. Switching the channel to the local hunting channel, Max walks in and starts to run beside me. Seriously, what does he think I am, a role model?
He starts to talk and all I want to do is punch the fuck out of him. Instead, I turn up the station and don’t say a word. After running six miles, I stop and cool down a moment before showering and sliding on a Ridge Fire Department shirt and a pair of shorts. We sit around and shoot the shit. I have to say, as stupid as these young bucks are, they are free entrainment.
Looking to Max and John, I’m decide to try and get a little shut eye. Ain’t shit going on tonight and we all know it. “John, you're in charge. Max, don’t stay up all night.”
“Yes, sir,” he says as I walk toward the bunks and fall onto my cot. I’m tired as hell, and I pray that those fuckers keep it down tonight.
Dallas
After supper, I get Lettie in the bathtub and into bed. We’re both exhausted, but I take a few extra minutes to read her favorite bedtime story to her. As I tuck her in, she looks up to me and smiles. It melts my heart.
“Mommy, do you ever think Daddy will come home?” Pausing, I choose my words carefully. Lettie’s father walked out the day she turned one year old and never looked back. As much as it sucked at the time, I plan on thanking him one day. Him walking out the door made me learn to live without a man in my life. From that moment, I focused on myself and Lettie, and life has been perfect ever since. Who needs a man when you’ve got the most precious gift in front of you?
Taking a seat at the edge of her bed, I look to her. “Sweet girl, I won’t say no, but I’m not saying yes.”
“Then why don’t you find me a new daddy?” she questions and I didn’t see it coming.
Smiling, I look to her, “Lettie, you don’t need a daddy. We’re doing perfect just the two of us.”
She smiles and opens her arms as I give her one more hug. Kissing her on the forehead, I look at the best gift I was ever given. Standing, I walk to the doorway and look at her once more before I close the door and go to my room to call it a night. Sliding on a t-shirt and pajama shorts, I get ready for bed, making sure the lights are off and the doors are locked.
Crawling into bed, I say a prayer and thank God for the life he’s given me and Lettie. Sometimes I’m not sure how we make it, but we do. Rolling over in the bed, I look at the clock and realize tomorrow will come early as I have a list of to-dos a mile long. Taking a deep breath, I drift off to sleep.
*****
What the hell is that noise? my brain is asking but I can’t comprehend. Hitting the top of my alarm clock, I realize that it’s not going off. What the hell is it? Patting the night stand, I find my cellphone and try to shut it off and as I open my eyes, I realized that it’s not going off either. Suddenly, the smoke fills my nostrils and panic fills my being. Oh God, Lettie! Jumping up, I go to my door and as I touch the door knob, it burns my hand. Fear starts to consume me as I look around trying to figure out what I can use to get to her. Grabbing the blanket from my bed, I turn the knob, but as I do smoke beats me in the face as flames shoot up in front of me. I begin to scream for her, but don’t hear anything. Tears begin to pour down my face as I try to walk through the fire to get to her as a siren wails in the distance. As the smoke begins to get heavy in my lungs, I fight forward toward Lettie’s room until I can’t breathe, and that’s when I see him. He’s an angel dressed in a uniform coming to save us. Beckett Drake.
Chapter 3
Beckett
The moment the address came from dispatch, I knew exactly whose house we were going to and my heart began to beat out of my chest. It’s not just Dallas, but Lettie that has my heart going crazy.
Arriving on the scene, I don’t see either of them anywhere. "John and Max, I’m going in. Put this bitch out fast. You got it?"
“But, Drake,” John starts to say.
“I’m going in. Get to work out here to contain this shit.”
“Yes, sir,” he replies and I run into the flames. The adrenaline fills my veins and as I walk in, I don’t see them anywhere, but I hear her. I hear Dallas. Walking toward her, I see her holding onto the wall as she tries to get to the room across the hall.
“Dallas!" I yell as she looks to me before falling to the ground. Fuck. Running toward her, the flames surround me and I pray that Lettie is okay on the other side. Scooping her into my arms, I carry her out the front door as she opens her eyes and they meet mine. Max sees me and hustles to me as I pass her to him. “I’ve got to go back. Lettie is in there.” Looking over my shoulder, the entire house is engulfed in flames. I know the time is ticking as Dallas begins to cough. Turning around toward the flames, I run in, racing the clock. Hurting inside, I begin to yell for Lettie, and that’s when I hear her voice vaguely on the other side. “Lettie, it’s Beckett, I’m going to get you.” Turning the door knob, I walk into her room and see her huddled in the corner with a stuffed animal. Quickly walking toward her, I scoop her in my arms and swiftly walk down the hall and out the door.
As I walk out the steps and toward the ambulance, Dallas catches my eye and tries to walk toward us but the paramedic won’t let her. Quickly, I pick up my steps and hurry to her. The panic on her face vanishes as she sees Lettie begin to smile toward her.
“Mommy!” she squeals as I carry her toward Dallas. Giving Lettie to the paramedic, I turn and go back to doing what I do best, fighting fires. Giving orders to Max and John, we get it under control, but the damage is done. Everything in this house is gone, and looking to Dallas and Lettie, my heart hurts. For the first time in my life, I remember what it was like to lose the one person in your life that you loved the most.
Dallas
The moment that Lettie is in my arms, I can’t control the tears. To hold her and know she’s okay is indescribable. Holding her, I never want to let her go as the paramedics try to pry her from me.
“Ma’am, we need to make sure both of you are okay. You suffered from smoke inhalation and we need to take precautions.” Nodding, I reluctantly let them take her from my arms but she doesn’t get out of my sight.
Looking over my shoulder, I see that our house is gone. Everything I own is gone and I have no clue how we’re going to make it from this point on. I put every dime I had into that house, but when I look at Lettie, I know it’s just a house. We could live out of a cardboard box and as long as I have her, life will be fine.
Once the paramedics give Lettie the all clear, they insist that I go to the hospital for a follow-up. I refuse and as I look at the flames that are dwindling, life hits me hard. What the hell are we going to do?
“Ma’am, the Red Cross has a place at the Ridge Motel for the two of you. They will also send some donations over for clothes and things of that sort,” a lady says to me and as I start to nod, Beckett booms in.
“That’s not necessary. They can go to the farm. There’s plenty of room.”
Turning my head to look at him, I say, “That’s nice of you, Beckett, but we can’t do that.”
He takes a step to me, “Yes, you can. That house is too big and it’s free. Colby is home tonight but that’s all.”
“Mommy, please! Maybe Dixie will come over, too!” Lettie says and that’s all it takes for me to agree.
Chapter 4
Beckett
The moment that I heard a motel, I couldn’t let them go. Taking my cellphone, I call Colby and tell him what is going on. He volunteers to come and get them. As much as I want to tell him no, I know that I’ve got to finish up the investigation.
As he arrives on the scene, Dixie throws the door open and runs toward Dallas and Lettie. “Are y’all all right?” she cries as they shake their heads yes and she looks to me for reassurance as I go back to work.
Tonight is never ending as we wait for the flames to extinguish and make sure that the hot spots are out. Once everything is clear, I do a final walk around and then we head back to the station so I can start my report. I know that tomorrow morning when the heat is settled, I’ll come and find the true cause of the fire. My guess is electrical knowing the age of this house and how it’s never been rewired.
When Max pulls the truck into the station, I quickly walk in and remove my gear then head straight to the shower.
As the water runs down my face, all I can see is Dallas and her falling toward the ground. Why did she refuse going to the hospital? Then my mind wanders to Lettie. Anger begins to fill my mind as I think what might have happened if we hadn’t gotten there when we did. Fuck! Beating my hand against the wall, the shampoo falls from the shelf and brings me back to the present. Shaking my head, I shower and walk back into my office. Picking up my phone, I text Colby. He doesn’t text back and it pisses me the fuck off.
Grabbing my keys, I yell to Max that I’ll be back and I drive to the house. Pulling into the drive, I see that the only light on is the kitchen light. Walking up the back steps, I hear her talking and the tremble in her voice catches something within my soul. I want to break this door off the hinges and hold her in my arms. What the fuck is wrong with me?
Dallas
Sitting at the table, tears fill my eyes as I hold a sleeping Lettie in my arms. “Let me take her,” Dallas says and I can’t stand the thought of letting her go. “I promise, I won’t leave her until you come in there, but I know you need a minute.” She scoops her from my arms and I kiss her gently as she walks with her down the hall and my chest can no longer hold back. Instead, it breaks into a million pieces.
Falling apart at the table, I feel arms around me and I turn into them as tears continue to pour from my eyes as I clench onto the gray t-shirt. He doesn’t say a word, but instead, he lets me cry until I can’t cry any more. Taking his large hands, he wipes the tears from my face as I pull away and look at the man before me.
“Thank you, Beckett,” I whisper.
“Just doing my job,” he says with little emotion and I do my best to not read into it. There was something about tonight, the way his eyes looked at mine when I became conscious, and the way he would stop at nothing to make sure we were safe that clearly say this is more than a job to him.
“Maybe so, but you saved us. I don’t want
to think what would have happened if you hadn’t showed up. Thank you, Beckett.”
He looks down and smiles. It’s genuine and not one I’ve ever really seen. Beckett is a mystery when it comes to emotion. Yes, I know he’s a hot head, but he’s also very responsible and hard working. From the day I saw him at Barger’s to Dixie’s salon, there was always something about him. I’m not sure if it has to do with his perfect caramel skin and dark chocolate eyes or the fact that he’s a mystery to most. He’s different and keeps himself at arm's length, but right now he’s an angel. One that saved my most precious gift from destruction.
Chapter 5
Beckett
As her eyes look up to mine, something inside me cracks. Dallas is one of the strongest women I’ve ever met in my life, and fucking beautiful. The way her cute blonde hair makes a statement caught my attention, but it’s how beautiful she is inside and out. Over the past few months, I’ve noticed how she puts Lettie first in everything. She reminds me of our mom. Maybe that’s why I felt so strong about saving her because I couldn’t save Mom and Dad.
However, tonight has shaken her to her core and the fact that she’s in my arms at my kitchen table is making my head spin. I’m not really sure what the hell went through my mind, but there was no way I was letting them go to a motel when they can stay here as long as they need.
I have no clue how long she cries into my chest but when her sobs change to a slight sniffle, she continues to grab onto my shirt. Glancing at the clock, I know I’ve got to get back to the station, but I can’t leave her.
Looking down to her, she glances up. “Beckett, I’m so sorry. I kinda lost it as soon as Lettie was out of sight.”
As I look into her eyes, I know I shouldn’t be thinking what I am, but fuck, I can’t help it. They scream for someone to save her and I make myself a promise to do that.
Dallas
The way that Beckett’s gaze holds mine scares the shit out of me. It’s one that screams dominance and caveman. I do not need that kind of man in my life, and in our current state, I need to continue to focus on Lettie and myself.