Marine Brother

by M K Dwyer

  “No, no. I didn’t mean it that way. I keep putting my foot in my mouth. He always understood. He agreed with the divorce and never blamed you for moving back home. At least, that’s what he told me.”

  She nodded at his words but didn’t look up to meet his eyes. Blake’s arm went around her, and she soaked up his warmth while he spoke. “So, how’s the heifer, Bryan?” Bryan opened his mouth to respond, but Blake cut him off. “Before you make a joke, I’m talking about the animal in the barn and not your wife upstairs.” Theresa giggled and appreciated the subject change. She used the moment with the focus off her to compose her emotions.

  “I would never joke about my wife being a heifer, Blake.”

  “Suuuuuure, you wouldn’t.”

  “I wouldn’t.” He paused. “Well. Not while she’s this pregnant and hormonal anyway. I value the family jewels right where they are.” He winked at Theresa. “But to answer your question, Blake, mama and calf are doing fine. One of the hands is with them now, and he’ll call me if I’m needed.”

  “Glad to hear it, Bryan, so what’s for breakfast?”

  “Bacon, eggs, sausage, and pancakes. But we have oatmeal too if you’d rather that.”

  “Are you kidding? Bring on the bacon!” Blake gestured to Theresa to sit at the island, and Bryan placed plates full of food in front of them as well as a third plate for himself.

  “Coffee?” Bryan held out the pot over the mug in front of Theresa.

  “Does a bear shit in the woods?”

  “My kind of girl.” Bryan poured the coffee into her cup and turned to fill up Blake’s and his cups as well.

  The three of them ate at the island while Rebecca slept in. When they were done, Bryan topped off their mugs with the remaining coffee while Blake cleared their plates.

  Bryan picked up a covered plate she hadn’t noticed earlier. “I’m going to run this upstairs to Rebecca. Be back in a jiffy.”

  Blake returned to the seat next to her and sipped from his mug. “So, what do you want to do today, beautiful? I need to set up the trailer where Bryan wants it and make a few phone calls, but then I’m free. Do you want to see the menagerie of animals Bryan has? Or we could go into town and check it out. Any preferences?”

  She thought for a moment. “Menagerie?”

  Blake chuckled. “Yeah. He has quite the broad spectrum of unique animals.”

  “Like what?”

  “Have you ever seen a peacock or an ostrich up close?”

  “He has peacocks and ostriches?”

  “Peacocks, Ostriches, Emus and some bird called a Rhea. Apparently, it’s another kind of big, flightless bird.” Blake shrugged his shoulders. “They also raise bees. Bryan told me to be prepared to take home some fresh honey.”

  “Oh, yum! I definitely won’t turn down free honey.”

  “So, I guess a tour of the property is your choice?”

  “Yes. We were in the truck long enough over the last couple of days. I’d prefer to stay in one place for a while if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Of course, beautiful. Whatever you want to do is fine with me.”

  Theresa just shook her head at his constant endearments that morning. Clearly, he had no intention of respecting her wishes to end the use of them, but if she was honest with herself, they were growing on her.

  Chapter Nine

  Blake

  After they washed the breakfast dishes together and went to their respective rooms to get ready for the day, he left Theresa to her own devices while he went in search of his friend. He needed Bryan to show him where to park and set up the trailer. Since he wasn’t sure how long they would be there, he wanted to make sure it wasn’t in the way of anyone on the ranch.

  As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Bryan came in the front door.

  “Hey, Bryan, I was just coming to find you. Do you have a moment to show me where I should park the trailer?”

  “Sure do. Give me a minute to run up and tell Rebecca where I’ll be.”

  He went up and came down faster than he’d ever seen Bryan move. He seemed distracted, and Blake had a feeling he wanted to get on with it and get back to his wife as soon as possible.

  “Everything all right?”

  Bryan gave him a look that said he didn’t comprehend the question. “What?” Then the fog cleared. “Oh. Yeah. Everything’s fine. She’s having some pain this morning. She says it’s nothing to worry about, and I should go on about my day, but I’ve never done this before. You know? Well, she hasn’t either, and yet, she’s so much calmer than I am about it all. I thought I was the seasoned vet considering how many times I watched my mom go through this, but it’s so different when it’s your own kid.”

  “I can only imagine, man. It must be tough, but I’m sure Rebecca will tell you when it’s serious. One thing I do know is that most pregnant women know their bodies and they know when something is serious and when it isn’t.”

  “Thanks, Blake. You’re right. I knew that, but it is nice to hear it from someone else.”

  “You’re welcome. Let’s get this trailer moved so you can get back to your wife. I know you’re not going to get much of anything else done today.” Blake chuckled and slapped Bryan on the back. “I’m going to take Theresa on a tour of the property later today if that’s all right with you.”

  “Of course. I’d show you around myself, but…”

  “I know. That’s why I didn’t even ask.”

  Bryan smiled his thanks. “Just stick to the well-worn path that leads around the side of the house. That will take you to the chicken coop and where I have the big birds penned, then the horses, cattle and pigs are just beyond that.”

  “Awesome. What about the bees?”

  “The bees are in a secluded spot away from everything, but there’s not much to see. Just stacks of bee hive boxes in a field. We’ve already harvested the honey ahead of the fall and winter months. You’re welcome to help yourself to however many jars of honey you want though. We usually sell it at the local farmers market, but Rebecca won’t be up for that for another couple of months at least.”

  “Thanks, man. Theresa would love some.” Bryan gave him a look. “And… so would I.” They both laughed.

  They climbed into Blake’s truck and he started the engine. “Point me in the right direction. Where am I parking this thing?”

  “You actually passed the pad sites on your way in, so head back down the main drive. It’s still well into the property line, but far enough from the main house for some privacy.”

  Blake followed the directions, and soon he saw the pad sites Bryan was talking about. There were five pad sites next to each other on one side of the road and five on the other side. Bryan was ready for his own little trailer park.

  “Just pick one. Doesn’t matter which one.”

  “Why do you have so many?”

  “Well, I have a big family and sometimes we have seasonal employees that want to bring their own trailer. It cost so much to get a contractor out here that could complete the job in the first place, that increasing the job to ten sites instead just one didn’t cost much more. I figured ‘Why not?’”

  Blake thought that made sense. He probably would have done the same thing, especially if he had as many siblings as Bryan did. He chose the first slab to his left and backed it in straight on the first try. Considering he didn’t get to use the trailer very often, he was always a little proud of himself when he judged the space correctly the first time. By choosing that slab, the two trailer doors would open away from the other slabs. This would give him and Theresa more privacy if someone else with a trailer decided to visit Bryan and Rebecca while they were there.

  When he planned to visit, he hadn’t anticipated that Bryan would have the water and electrical hook-ups but was pleasantly surprised that they could have all the comforts of home without the worry of generators and waste disposal. They got out of the truck and Bryan helped him lower the leveling jacks and extend the slide-outs. />
  Once the trailer was fully set-up, he unhooked it from his truck and drove the two of them back to the house. Bryan went in to check on Rebecca again while Blake hung back to make a phone call.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, Terry. Any news?” Terry Fortunato was a friend, and fellow Marine, who ran a private investigations firm in San Diego. He’d hired him after Theresa called to say that Mark was back and officially started following him the moment that they dumped an unconscious Mark off at his apartment. Blake had spied Terry’s car parked across the street from Mark’s place where he could still see both the apartment and Mark’s car in the parking lot. He didn’t mention anything to Theresa then or since then because he didn’t want her to worry about what was happening back home. She had enough to think about with leaving her son behind.

  “Yeah. We’ve got a problem. I figured I’d hear from you yesterday. What took so long to call?”

  “I haven’t told Theresa that I have Mark under surveillance, and we spent all yesterday travelling. What’s up?”

  “He is not happy that she skipped town, and he’s desperate to find her. More so than we expected. I think this goes beyond him just wanting to be with her. I think he needs her. Do you have any idea why?”

  Blake sighed. “I might know. She confided in me the night we left town that she came into some money after her parents passed. At the time, I assumed Mark didn’t know, but now I’m not so sure. I thought he was just obsessed with her, but maybe he’s obsessed with her money. If he thinks she’s the answer to all of his problems, then he won’t rest until he finds her. We can’t let that happen.”

  “Agreed. You should know that he went into the house Sunday night and didn’t come out for at least an hour. I can’t be positive what he was doing, but I’m assuming he was looking for a way to find her. He hasn’t made a move since though, so I don’t think he found anything.”

  “Theresa said she didn’t leave any clues about where we were going. She didn’t even know all the details until we were waiting for her ex and her son to show up and make sure her son got back to San Diego safely. So, there should be nothing to find. He did get back to San Diego safely, right?”

  “Yep. Had one of my guys follow them all the way back. He’ll stay on them for the next week, or so, and make sure Mark doesn’t know where he is.”

  “Great. Anything else?”

  “Not at the moment. He went out last night and drank himself so stupid that he had to get a rideshare home and hasn’t emerged from his place yet today. I assume he’ll have to go back and get his car at some point, but other than that, I’ll let you know if he makes any big moves.”

  “Thanks, man. I couldn’t do this without you.”

  “Damn, right. You owe me.” They both laughed.

  “Yeah, man. I’ll take care of you. Text me if anything develops. I’ll call you back as soon as I’m able.”

  “You should tell her.”

  “I’ll tell her when I have something to tell her.”

  Terry chuckled. “Sure, man. Whatever you say.”

  “Bye, Terry.” The tone of his voice told Terry he wasn’t discussing it further.

  Terry just chuckled again. “See ya.”

  Blake ended the call and shook his head. Terry might’ve been a little older than his thirty-four years, but he didn’t need a big brother figure telling him what he should do. He knew he would need to tell Theresa what was going on back home eventually, but he was holding out as long as possible. She had enough on her plate.

  He went in the house, ran up the stairs, and knocked on Theresa’s door.

  “Come in.”

  He opened the door and walked in. She was lounging on the bed much like the night before when they’d watched the movie. She had her phone in her hand though. He suddenly realized that they never discussed not posting on social media where they were. But surely, she knows that. Right?

  “Hey, beautiful. What’s going on in the world?”

  “No idea. Why?”

  “Oh, I just assumed you were being social online.”

  “No. I figured we were on radio silence or something.” He breathed a little easier. “I was just reading a book.”

  “On your phone?”

  “Yeah.” She smiled at him, and he loved the way it made him feel. “I have an app that allows me to access my ebook library and read anywhere.”

  “That’s pretty sweet.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, it is.”

  “Do you want to keep reading or go on that tour we talked about earlier?”

  “Tour, please!” She stood and walked towards him.

  He laughed. “Sounds good, beautiful. Let’s go.” He took her hand and led her out of the room.

  “Is it just going to be us?”

  “Yeah. Rebecca doesn’t feel good and Bryan wants to stay with her. He told me where everything is and how to get there. We’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sure we will.” She smiled at him again, and he was really starting to live for those smiles.

  They walked down the stairs and out the door. He followed the path that Bryan had pointed out, and soon, the pens for the big birds came into view.

  She let go of his hand and ran on ahead. She reminded him of a little kid sometimes. Not that she was immature, but that she never held back when she was excited about something.

  “I found the peacocks!” He laughed and jogged to catch up with her. “You ever wonder why they call them ‘peacocks’? I mean, think about it. Pea. Cocks. What do cocks do? They pee.”

  His eyes widened, and he looked over at her in shock. Where does she come up with this stuff?

  “But it’s spelled P-E-A, like a little green pea, so are they called ‘peacocks’ because they have tiny penis’s?” This chick is crazier than I thought. “Do birds even have penis’s? Would that be weird to google?” By then he was doubled over laughing. “What’s so funny? These are serious questions?”

  “About penis’s?”

  “Yes. I would consider any discussion about penis’s to be serious. Wouldn’t you?” Is she for real?

  “Yeah. I suppose so.”

  Then she started laughing bigger than he’d ever seen her laugh. “Oh my God, Blake. Thanks. I needed that.” His face must have shown his confusion because she continued. “It’s been a while since I really let myself show.” And the he realized what she was saying. She had to suppress her true personality around his brother.

  He pulled her into a hug and kissed her head. “I only want you to be yourself from here on out. You hear me, beautiful?”

  He felt her nod her head, and then she started to pull back. He let her but kept one arm around her and held her to his side.

  “So, let’s get a look at these peacocks.” Their tales were colorful and even elegant, but what he didn’t expect was that the feathers on their bodies were also gorgeous. Some were a shiny, iridescent blue, and some were more greenish-teal but still practically glittered. They really were beautiful birds.

  The cage they were in was wide and at least two stories tall. He’d always thought they were flightless birds, but there were roosts of varying heights in the cage. While they were watching, a few peacocks even glided up and down from the highest ones near the top.

  They moved on, Theresa promising the peacocks she would visit them again soon and saw the emus and rheas. The ostriches were in the biggest pen of all. Blake couldn’t even see the back fence of it. The large birds had a lot of room to roam, and he figured they needed it with as big as they were.

  Continuing down the path, they came to the pigs next which were cleaner than Blake expected. Well, they were less muddy anyway, but he still wouldn’t want to climb in their pen with them. They spotted some horses next and the stables that were set back away from the path.

  “Look! A donkey!”

  Blake turned in the direction that Theresa was pointing, and did indeed, see a donkey hanging out among the horses. It looked so small and out of place nex
t to its equestrian cousins but looked like it held its own among them also.

  “So, it is. Bryan didn’t say anything about a donkey.”

  “It’s so cute! Hello Mr. Donkey!” She was actually waiving at the animal.

  “How do you know it’s a ‘he’?”

  “I don’t. Just guessing. It’s not like they put bows on the girls, and I’m not going to check between its legs. So, it’s a boy until someone corrects me. Capisce?”

  He laughed. He seemed to do that more with her than anyone he’d ever met. “Capisce, beautiful. Got it. Do you want to ride it later or one of the horses? I can set it up with Bryan. He mentioned taking a ride back when I told him we were coming.”

  She jumped and threw her arms around his neck. “Oh, yes, please! I’ve never ridden a horse before, and it would be so cool to say I at least sat on a donkey!”

  He smiled. She was amazing in her innocent excitement. “You got it, beautiful.”

  She pulled back to look into his eyes but was still hanging on to his neck. “Yay! Let’s head back and ask when we can go for a ride right now!”

  He smiled at her and nodded. “Yes. Let’s.” He’d wanted to see the new mama heifer and calf, but that could be saved for another day.

  They walked back to the house the way they came. As it came into view, he noticed that Bryan was helping Rebecca into their truck. They jogged the rest of the way to find out what was happening, and Bryan met them just before they got to the truck.

  “Oh, good. You’re back. Listen. Rebecca’s in labor and the hospital is an hour away so we have to go now. I’ve let my ranch manager, Ron, know. But I also told him to call you if he needs anything.”

  “What? I don’t know anything about running a ranch.”

  “I know, but Ron does, and you can filter the urgent matters with the non-urgent ones. Otherwise, he’ll call me for every little thing, even things that can wait a few days. Call me if you really need me, but just make a list of everything else. We’re going to be gone anywhere from two to four days, and I know I can trust you to watch over the place and keep it from burning to the ground.”