by Lavada Dee
Devon moved in with Cooper and Grant that night. The next morning his father took him into the den and explained about the ancient gene passed down through their bloodlines. At first he was afraid it would happen to him, and almost nightly examined himself for any signs of a change. Then as the years passed, he researched and accepted the unthinkable.
When Tyrell spoke again his voice was deeper. “The five of us have been lucky. All of us have been critically injured at one time or another, but we pulled through it. This one was close for me, but it isn’t my mortality that nags at me. It’s losing one of my guys.” He rubbed a hand over his mouth and took another pull from his Scotch.
Devon could see the scars his brother carried. His wounds were extensive, one barely missing his heart and one through a lung. The family were told that he’d been hit multiple times and suffered blood loss that should have been fatal. In addition there were back injuries that had left him partially paralyzed. The physical wounds were healed or healing, but the memories of the horror he’d seen, and participated in, were raw. He didn’t know what to say to this warrior brother.
He hadn’t meant to telegraph his feelings but knew he had done just that when Tyrell cursed under his breath and said, “Come on, bro. It was my choice, always my choice.”
Devon took a breath and brought them back to the topic he wanted to talk about. “Am I hearing you right? Are you retiring from the missions?”
“Yeah, you heard right. The five of us made a pact the first time we went out. We set a date when we would hang it up.” He stopped and gazed into the gas fireplace.
Tyrell looked tired, and Devon knew he should say good night, but his brother never talked, never shared like he was doing now. He didn’t know what was different about tonight, but he wanted this time.
“Get that look off your face. I’m retiring, not dying.”
Devon chuckled. “Watching you in that pool tonight sure made it apparent that you’re a long way from pushing up roses. In fact, I was half expecting to find you’d have company when I got down here.”
“Yeah, sure. I wasn’t kidding when I told you I felt like a wet noodle. As if the workout in the pool wasn’t enough, I had to endure half an hour of an intense massage.” He laughed. “No company. Besides, I picked up some vibes that made me think you might not have been thrilled to see Page come back to my room.”
“Not my type.” Devon mumbled.
Chapter 2
Tyrell woke up like he always did, instantly. And, alert with all his senses in action. Orienting himself, he took note of the soft feel of the mattress instead of hard, rough ground or a narrow cot. He could hear the wind and rain, but it was like he was in a warm cocoon. He breathed in the sweet scent. The sheets smelled clean. Hell, they were clean. He took a deep breath, willing his heart to slow down. He wasn’t in danger, his men weren’t in danger. But the pain was there. And agitation. Not for the first time, nagging worries formed. Would his injuries heal? Would he be able to shift and escape to the nearby mountain, where he could run free? Would he adjust to civilian life? Would he always feel the loss of camaraderie with his team of men, always feel alone and isolated?
“Damn,” he grumbled, willing the thoughts out of his mind. Right now, he had enough on his plate. Just getting out of bed was a struggle.
An hour later he was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. An hour. It had taken him a freakin’ hour to get this far. Worse, all he’d done was shower, shave and put on a pot of coffee. Where in the hell was his brother? Devon was usually at his door before now. Sure, it had been almost three o’clock in the morning before he’d gone home, but he should have been up by now. Last night had been, well, what in the hell had last night been about? He’d talked about things he didn’t put words to, things he tried to not even think about. Wouldn’t the guys be laughing their asses off if they’d heard? If they even believed it, since they’d pegged him as the John Wayne type, stoic and silent.
Tyrell took a drink of the strong coffee and winced. It was just like he liked it, so why did it taste so bitter this morning? Damn, to say he felt out of sorts was an understatement. It was bad when even coffee made him grumpy. Again he thought about the past hour, and the challenge of just being able to do the basics. He hated being helpless, and if he were honest he also hated the fear of things not getting better. He amended the thought, not exactly helpless, not like he’d been for the first few weeks in the hospital. Still, not in control, either.
He wedged the travel mug between his upper legs and wheeled over to the French doors. Each of the upper penthouse suites had private balconies with a roof that extended over them. Doors that opened inward were a challenge with the chair, but he had learned to maneuver around until, while not exactly speedy, he could at least get them open. As soon as Devon saw the problem he had wanted to put in door openers, arguing that there were models that plugged in a regular wall outlet and didn’t need modification to the door hardware. Tyrell flatly refused to have them installed. He didn’t plan on being in the chair that long, and he didn’t want reminders around when he was done with it.
It took fifteen minutes, but he finally had the door open. A blast of cold air hit him and Tyrell cursed. Why hadn’t he thought to put a jacket on? Taking a breath, he let himself become part of the elements. He didn’t feel the freezing wind. Instead he heard the day waking up. The sound of winter birds, chickadees, brown creepers, he turned his head and picked up the sound of a covey of partridges. Peace settled around him. This is what he needed. The sooner he was physically able to get back to nature the better.
The coffee was still hot. Thank heaven for travel mugs. He took a drink and thought about the conversation he’d had last night with Devon. They had skirted around his retirement and what he was going to do with it. Tyrell had made it clear that this last injury wasn’t forcing him to hang it up. He’d been telling the truth when he told Devon that retiring at thirty-five had always been the plan. He smiled, thinking about the day his team had calculated it out. All of them were in their early twenties and thirty-five had seemed a far distant future. He sobered. Had any of them really thought they’d survive? He knew he hadn’t. So many of the missions were suicidal. Now on the other side of that magic number, he knew he had to face the rest of his life.
Even lost in thought, his wolf totem picked up the sound Devon and the new therapist were making in the hall. A few moments later, Devon opened the French doors. “Good grief, you trying to freeze?”
Tyrell waved away Devon’s help. Getting back in the door wasn’t a problem like getting out was. Once inside Tyrell saw that Page had poured coffee like she lived here. If he’d had doubts last night, the look of her dissolved them. This was a take-charge kind of woman. He felt the familiar surge of adrenalin at the challenge she presented. He wasn’t averse to a relationship, and in fact, after seeing how happy Cooper and Grant were, embraced the possibility. And this woman wouldn’t be easy. She would give him back anything he dished out and probably some more to boot.
Page took his cup and refilled it without asking, then joined Devon at the bar and turned to address Tyrell. “Last night I worked up a schedule. It’s tentative.” She made eye contact with him. Did she think he was going to object? Based on his attitude last night, probably.
He reached for the printout and quickly scanned it. “A lot of rest time.”
She ignored his negative comment. “You’re healing, and since this isn’t a permanent condition, we need to maintain your range of motion and keep your muscles from atrophy so they will be ready when you’re able to start walking. Water therapy like you’ve been doing is one good way to accomplish this. We will also start retraining you to walk on the parallel bars.”
Again he perused the list. “What’s this about a dietician? I won’t need one.”
Page sighed. Tyrell could read the “here we go again” in it.
“You will do better if you eat the right foods.”
“You think I look
like I don’t eat right?”
“Of course not, but your appetite will decline.” She quickly amended her statement. “Or, it could.”
He glowered at her. “Then let’s wait until it does.”
* * * *
Devon cleared his throat. The two had been together only minutes and already they were squaring off. This should get interesting, but he wasn’t going to play referee. Grabbing his coffee, he headed to the door. “I’m out of here.”
Page noticeably threw off the aura of aggressor, and smiled at him. Her eyes twinkled when she said, “Coward.”
Devon gave a wave and was out the door. Before Tyrell came home, Devon had a structured schedule he usually followed. A boring one, or at least it would seem so to most thirty-year-old unattached men, but he loved developing software. He had a land-locked cabin on the other side of the lake, and most days rowed across in the morning to work for four or five hours. He had to use a generator, but nothing beat the solitude. Between that and managing the lodge, he kept busy, though he missed the days when his brothers were single. Then, they managed to do what guys do. “Maybe that’s what has me thinking about getting Tyrell’s cute P.T. naked. Maybe I need to get out and party a little,” he mumbled to himself.
Another reason for this restiveness was that he’d finished the program he’d been working on for over six months. In fact, it had already been sold, so the whole project was wrapped up. He had a list of other ones he could work on, but for the first time didn’t have one that he was excited about starting.
He entered the lobby, resigning himself to a mind-numbing morning of office work, and saw his dad come in the front door of the lodge. Smiling, Devon walked over and gave him a man-hug. “You’re a welcome sight. What brings you out so early?”
“Your mother is doing grandmother duty. Seems Caleb is teething and didn’t let his parents sleep last night. Cooper called to see if Grandma wanted to take him for a few hours.”
Caleb, eleven months, was the joy of the whole family, but especially Grandma, who had despaired of any of her sons coming through. “Bet that didn’t take any convincing.”
“You got that right, but with him needing a little more attention this morning, it was either cooking myself breakfast or coming over to see if you and Tyrell were open. Got to admit I more than half expected you to have your head in the computer.”
Devon nodded toward the coffee shop. “I’m sort of at loose ends myself, so I’m really glad to see you.”
“Tyrell?” His father asked.
Devon chuckled. “He finally got smart and hired a physical therapist. Actually showed up last night while we were in the pool.”
“Strange he’d start that late, but then I imagine they work odd hours. At least, they must when they take on a private patient.”
“She. The P.T. is a she.”
“You’re kidding right?”
“Nope, and a little thing at that.” Devon picked up a couple of menus and the coffee pot on the way to a table. “But little or not, my bet is on her.”
His father waved the menu Devon handed him away. “I’m going to have that special omelet your new chef put on the menu last week. I could get used to that, but your mother would have my butt. Too much cholesterol.”
The waitress came over and took their order. She flirted with Devon and he played back. When she left his dad said, “Wow, is there any woman on the planet that ignores you? It’s a wonder you haven’t been married a dozen times by now.” He took a swallow of coffee. “Got to say, the lodge staff know how to make coffee. So, about you and women. You were charming them from the moment you were born. The nurses all raved about what a beautiful baby you were.”
“Stop Dad, you’re embarrassing me.”
“Well, it’s true. We’re a good looking family, but the good Lord did something astonishing when he put you together.”
Devon’s brain kicked into gear. Maybe that was why he was attracted to Page. Tyrell’s physical therapist hadn’t been dazzled by his looks. In fact, she hadn’t seemed to notice them at all, and he wasn’t used to it. “Damn,” he mumbled.
“I wouldn’t say your good looks were anything to cuss about.” His father chuckled.
Devon and his father had more than a father-son relationship. Colin was a friend to his sons and they trusted and confided in him. “No, I guess not, but I just realized that Page wasn’t impressed.”
“Page?”
“Tyrell’s P. T. She didn’t give me a second look.”
“Maybe she’s more inclined toward the look of Tyrell. Wouldn’t that be something?” He sobered. “You know, Mom and I would like nothing better than to see you and Tyrell follow Cooper and Grant and settle down. I…”
“Dad.” Devon’s voice held a warning tone.
“I know. But you have to admit, your two brothers have never been happier.”
“Yeah, but look at some of the disasters. Like Brad and Gracie, Grant’s friends. Cripes. Remember how the collapse of their marriage almost had Grant running for the hills?”
His dad smiled. “Yep, but he worked around it and look what he has now. A wife he adores and a baby on the way.” Colin leaned back when the waitress brought their breakfasts and the subject closed.
The coffee shop was still slow. Winter usually meant travelers slept in a little later. Devon slid his empty plate back and signaled the waitress for a refill on his coffee. “So, have any big plans for the day or are you going back to play grandpa with Mom?”
Colin was retired, at least officially, but he always had something going. Cooper ran Blackhawk Construction and they had finished developing apartments in an old school in Missoula and were in the process of leasing them out. “I’ve got a couple of appointments to show an apartment later this morning. Want to drive over with me?”
“Sure, let me run up and get a coat.”
It didn’t take Devon long. He didn’t usually get a chance to hang out with his dad, and looked forward to the day. Maybe he needed to reconsider taking on so many software development projects. He didn’t need the money. Between the lodge, interest in other family-owned businesses, and the horrendous amount of money he’d already made on software, he could easily live well, even if he never saw another computer.
Morning frost still covered the ground as Colin pulled out of the lodge, but his dad’s big truck would have no trouble getting them to Missoula where the property was. Devon settled back, content to let his dad drive. “How many apartments do you have left?”
“Just one, a two bedroom. Hopefully, at least one of today’s applicants will work out.”
“Then what? Got any properties you’re looking at, or are you going to enjoy the winter and wait until spring to take on anything more?”
“Well, now that you mention it, I do have something in mind. Something I want to run by you.”
Devon knew his father, so this hadn’t been an impromptu morning after all. He’d bet the sly old fox had been waiting for an opportunity. It couldn’t have come at a better time. At loose ends, he had time to listen, maybe even participate in whatever his father was planning. “Shoot. You’ve got me curious. It’s usually Cooper’s input you go after first.”
“Only because so much of what I do is either land development or properties. Heck, if I wanted a computer application you’d be the first one I’d come to.”
Devon laughed. “Okay, I’m buttered up. What have you got in mind?”
The cab of the truck was getting comfortably warm. His dad had purchased it a little over a month ago and it had the smell of new car. He wouldn’t mind having one like it. Maybe when Tyrell was ready to get wheels he’d go with him.
His dad glanced over at him. “Good morning for a drive and talking.”
Devon didn’t say anything, just waited for his father to get around to what he wanted to talk about. It wasn’t like his dad to waffle around like this. He was starting to scare him. Before he could initiate the conversation, his dad spoke up.
He glanced out the window and then continued. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with him.”
It wasn’t a question. “Not all that much. Coffee in the morning, a late swim, Tyrell doesn’t really like company.”
“Still you’re closer than any of us, and I thought he might have told you what his plans are. Like is he going to hang it up, no more missions? And if so, do you think he’s considering settling down here?”
Devon knew his father wasn’t just asking questions. There was a purpose behind all this, and Tyrell hadn’t told him anything in confidence. Still, where his brother was involved, it was implied. Tyrell kept to himself and didn’t share well. “Why are you asking?”
“I’m thinking we might want to think about expanding the Blackhawk air service. Buy that Hawker we’ve been leasing and purchasing another copter.”
“That’s some serious money.”
“It is, but it will be a good investment if there’s someone to run it. So let’s bottom line it. Do you think Tyrell is going to stick around?”
Devon knew his parents waited to see what their sons chose to do with their lives. Then they supported whatever it was. Grant was the oldest and it had always been obvious that he would go into the medical profession. That he specialized in surgery hadn’t surprised the family. Tyrell was the next and it was apparent from the start that he didn’t want or need any support. As soon as he graduated from high school, he joined the marines and, within a year, was in a Special Forces Unit. Until now, his trips home were infrequent, and he didn’t talk about what he did, or where the missions took him.