Jenny gave her husband a skeptical look. “I’m seriously doubting, if you and Zane have both come to the same deduction, that you’re wrong. Between the two of you, you can pretty much predict everything that lunatic is ever going to do. Besides, Zane usually can give a very dependable guess all on his own.”
“Usually I would agree with you, but in his own words, Amanda has his circuitry fried. I’m not sure how much help he’s going to be until they come back from Florida.”
“Yeah, we’re definitely seeing a side of him I would never have guessed even existed,” she said with a shake of her head. “Of course, it was always going to be different with Amanda.”
“I need to know what’s going on, Mark,” Mary Ellen said, pleading with her big blue eyes.
“I can’t. If I’m wrong, I could really make you angry at him over nothing,” he added, shaking his head. “You know, if you just told him how you feel, you could avoid all of this craziness.”
“No,” she said, shaking her own head adamantly. “If he wants me to marry him, he’s going to have to ask me.”
“Okay,” he said, throwing his hands up in surrender. “I understand how you feel. I really do. Just do the best you can to stay patient with him. Try to go with the flow, but don’t let your guard down.”
She gave him an almost panicked look. “Am I at war?”
He sighed, shaking his head. “Not exactly, but it may start to feel that way before this is over.”
Chapter 5
Saturday, December 20
9:04am
Brock sighed from the warmth radiating from the kitchen as he entered the back door. He’d been out since before sun rise, stomping around in the snow with his brothers, feeding the cattle and horses and checking the cattle’s water supply. Not to mention, a few other miscellaneous chores. It was now just barely after nine and they were all finally heading back in for a much-needed breakfast. First rule had always been, the cattle had to be fed first.
He still had his head down, trying to stomp the snow off his boots and hadn’t quite made it all the way into the kitchen, when he heard his mother speak to him from across the room. “Well, Brock Leland Silverman, what have you been doing this time?”
Finally feeling satisfied he had done the best he could with his boots, he stepped the rest of the way in the house and closed the door behind him. He took his time placing his cowboy hat on the hook beside the door before turning fully around to look one of the only two women that could truly scare him in the eyes. He gave her a nervous smile, doing his best not to start fidgeting. “Mitch said you were supposed to be over this morning to cook breakfast. It smells wonderful in here.”
She crossed her arms in front of her, giving him the stern look he knew so well from growing up. “Don’t try to change the subject, Young Man. What do you think you’re doing?”
“What could you possibly be talking about?” he asked, wondering if it was even worth the effort. He knew there was a good chance his mother at least had heard he was up to something and that Mary Ellen was angry at him.
“Oh, don’t even dare try to play dumb on this,” she growled, taking a step closer. “I’ve over heard rumors going around you’re looking for a bride. I thought you had one.”
“Well…” Brock stopped mid-sentence when he heard the back door open behind him.
“Well, what?” his mother snapped.
“Oh my,” his brother Mitch chuckled behind him. “She’s heard about your bride search, hasn’t she?”
“Why is he searching for a bride?” she huffed, turning her glare on her oldest offspring. “Has Mary Ellen broken up with him?”
“No, Mary Ellen hasn’t broken up with him. They would have had to be dating to start with, for that to happen,” Mitch chuckled again as he made his way to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.
Brock sighed, rubbing his temples were a headache was starting to form. He had never really told his mother he and Mary Ellen were dating, but when she got the mistaken impression they were, he hadn’t bothered to correct her either. She was always pushing for the three of them to find a good woman and settle down. Especially he and Mitch. She hadn’t turned up the heat on Zach so much yet. He was only twenty-six. He figured she thought he had at least two more years before she had to get so intense on him. It was just, ever since she had gotten the idea he and Mary Ellen were dating, she had let up on him quite a bit. He got the impression all of that was about to change.
“What does he mean, you would have to be dating to start with?” she asked, turning her glare back on him.
“Mary Ellen and I aren’t dating. When you got the idea we were, I just chose not to correct you. I’m sorry,” he added, dropping his eyes to the floor.
“I distinctly heard you say you were in love with that girl. And I know I wasn’t imagining things,” she huffed, turning to take the biscuits out of the oven. “Were you lying?”
“No,” he swallowed, shaking his head. “I am in love with Mary Ellen. Every wonderful, curvy inch of her,” he added under his breath, then wished he hadn’t when she turned and glared at him.
“Don’t be getting those kinds of ideas with that one,” she snorted at the look on his face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he blushed and dipped his head again.
“I heard what you mumbled under your breath,” she snorted again. “You’ll have to marry that one first. She’s a good girl. Wash your hands and help set the table.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he mumbled, quickly moving to the sink.
“And tell me what this bride search business is about,” she continued, moving to sit the platter with the biscuits on the table, before turning back to get the scrambled eggs. “Just so you know, if you marry that Ashley Mullins, I’ll disown you. That girl needs to learn to control her mouth… Along with other things.”
By the time he had gotten done explaining what he had asked Mary Ellen to do and why, Zach had made it in. Which he had to stop and backtrack to explain a few things in his story to his younger brother, that he had missed the first time around. They were now sitting down, passing the food around the table, his mother’s sour look growing steadily worse. “Brock Leland Silverman, have you lost your mind?”
“Oh wow,” Zach chortled. “She really is aggravated. She just pulled out your full name.”
“That’s the second time she’s used it this morning,” he mumbled, dropping his eyes to his plate.
“You’re going to mess up any chance you have of her marrying you, if you don’t fix this.”
“I’ve got things under control,” he replied, his cheeks firing up.
“That’s what scares me,” she answered with a frown. “So, how did Ashley Mullins end up a part of this mess?”
“She was one of the candidates Mary Ellen picked to get back at me for asking her to find me a bride,” he answered with a sheepish grin. “She knew before she brought her into the office, there was no way I’d marry that woman.”
Jody Silverman finally cracked a smile for the first time that morning. “Well, it sounds like the girl can handle your crazy stunts at least. That’s a good start.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t crack his skull open over this one,” Mitch chuckled, shaking his head.
“Just wait, Brother,” Brock said with a serious shake of his head. “Once Mary Ellen and I our married, Mom will turn all her focus on getting you married.” That was enough to turn Mitch’s laugh into a scowl.
10:45pm
Mary Ellen huffed, picking up her pace as she made her way down the hall. She had just been getting ready for bed when she heard someone knock on the door. Well, knocking was an understatement. It sounded more like they were trying to knock the door down. She had already changed into her nightgown, but thankfully she had a terrycloth robe that reached almost to her ankles, with only a few inches between the hem and the tops of her feet.
She huffed, tying her robe securely around her waist. “Okay, okay. I�
��m coming. Stop banging on the door. You’re going to wake the whole neighborhood up. There are people with children around here. Children who are probably already in bed for the night.”
When she opened the door, she gave the man standing on the other side of it a surprised look. Then looked behind him, like she figured he wouldn’t be there, unless something was wrong. “What’s going on, Brock?”
“I wanted to see you.”
She gave him a strange look when he swayed a little, taking the step needed to cross the threshold. “Talk to me about what?”
“Everything,” he stated cryptically, throwing his hands wide and nearly falling down.
When he stumbled, she reached out to steady him. In return for her assistance, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to himself. He hugged her tight enough, she grunted in response. “Loosen up a little, Brock. I still need to breathe.”
“Oh, sorry,” he mumbled, breathing in her face right before his open mouth landed on hers in a very sloppy kiss.
It took a few seconds of struggling but she managed to push him back enough to give him a very stern look. “You’re drunk.”
“Maybe,” he said, scratching his head in thought, scrunching up his face in confusion. “I did just come from the bar.”
“You were driving drunk,” she screeched, feeling the need to strangle him. “Joe never lets anyone leave the bar on their own, drunk.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head hard enough to rattle his brains.
She placed her hands on her hips just to have something to do with them, other than wrapping them around his neck, and took a deep breath in hopes of calming herself down. “If you weren’t driving, how did you get here?”
“Oh,” he nodded, nearly knocking himself off balance. “Joe had Chuck drive me. He might actually still be out there.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, stepping around him. When she checked out the front door, it was to see the only car in her driveway was her own. Chuck must have driven off the moment she opened the front door and he knew for sure she was home.
She turned back to face her guest, rubbing her temples in frustration. She wasn’t sure she was ready to deal with a drunk Brock. She had never seen him drunk before and had no way of knowing what to expect.
“Brock, you stay right here. I’m going to go make a call. I’ll be right back. Don’t move,” she added, running out of the room.
She was still on the phone with Jenny when Brock walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her hair. He somehow managed to get her robe untied and now seemed to be trying to find the hem of her very short nightgown. One that barely covered her bottom where she only wore a skimpy cotton thong. She had always hated how most other women’s underwear would bunch up.
Starting to feel a little panicked, she swatted his hand away. “Okay, you two have to hurry. He’s getting super friendly,” she screeched, shoving his hand back down when he switched directions and tried to bring it up over one of her boobs.
When the other woman laughed in her ear and asked, “Isn’t that what you want?”
She groaned and rolled her eyes, even though it was obvious Jenny couldn’t see her face. “Not while he’s drunk.”
“Okay,” Jenny chuckled again. “Do the best you can. We’ll get there as quickly as possible, but we’ll have to take the baby to Luke and Mindi or James and Lisa. Not knowing how long this is going to take, we’re not going to want to have him out this late. We’d bring him over there, but you don’t have a crib for him to sleep in.”
“I understand, just please, hurry,” she grumbled, shoving Brock’s wandering hand down once again.
11:19pm
After not getting an answer on her third knock, Jenny decided to try the door and see if it was locked. The second the door opened, she heard Mary Ellen reprimanding Brock.
“Brock Leland Silverman, you keep your hands to yourself.”
“Mary Ellen,” he whined back.
“Sit down, so I can get you a cup of coffee,” she sighed, trying not to let her irritation get the better of her.
“I don’t want coffee,” he grumbled, plopping back down in his chair.
“I thought I smelled coffee when I walked in the front door,” Jenny chuckled, noting the pout on Brock’s face.
“Great,” he huffed, jumping to his feet. “How am I supposed to get anywhere with her, with you two here. You have to leave, right now,” he grumbled, walking over to Mark and trying to turn him around, so he could push him back the way he had come from.
Mark just laughed and redirected Brock back to his chair. “Buddy, you can’t get anywhere with her while you’re drunk. You’re going to have to sleep off the alcohol first.”
“Now do you believe me when I say the man is in love with you?” Jenny asked, giving her friend a hard look.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, shaking her head. “If he wants to marry me, he’s going to have to actually ask me. I’m worth it.”
Mark nodded in agreement. “She’s right. He needs to do it the right way.”
“He needs to do it the right way?” Jenny asked, giving her husband a hard look. “Look what happened with us.”
“That was a different situation, and you know it,” he sighed, rubbing his temples. “I had been trying to get you to date me for over three years. He has never once asked her out.”
She sighed and hugged him. “I know. And you’re right. This whole thing is just frustrating.”
When she turned to look back at Brock, it was to find him with his head laying on his arms on the table, asleep. “I think the alcohol has caught up to him. What are we going to do now?”
Mark shook his head, then sighed. “Don’t worry. I can get him awake enough to get him to the truck. Right now, I’ve got to try to stand him up and get his keys out of his pocket.”
“Oh, no you don’t. I got those,” Mary Ellen said, then immediately turned crimson.
“How’d you manage that?” Jenny chuckled.
“Well, one of the times he was, hm… Well, you know, getting friendly, I stuck my hand in his pocket. He just thought I was getting friendly in return. You had told me over the phone, you and Mark were planning on going and getting his car. Something about not wanting to leave it there all night, and risk it getting vandalized. You said something about Phillip getting really grumpy when people messed up his work.”
She just smiled, shaking her head. “However you did it, we thank you. Now, we’ll get him out of your hair until Monday morning.”
“Thanks,” she grumbled, eyeing the man still asleep on her table. “And don’t either of you tell him what to do. He has to figure it out himself.”
“Come on, Mary Ellen,” Mark pleaded. “This is Brock we’re talking about. The man will just keep trying crazy stunts.”
“No, Mark,” she said, shaking her head. “He has it in him to do this right. Let him figure it out on his own.”
The big man sighed but nodded. He knew she was right. He also believed she had the right to expect Brock to tell her how he really felt without being prompted. He just knew Brock well enough to know, this was going to be one painful experience.
Chapter 6
Monday, December 22
8:14am
“Well, Mary Ellen, at least they’re not tooth picks this time,” he mumbled under his breath as he watched them file into his office. But only one of them met his age requirement. And he wasn’t a hundred percent sure that she did. Jenny wasn’t kidding when she said she would pick three more I wouldn’t even consider, if I were intending to marry someone other than Mary Ellen herself.
Of course, after Saturday night, she might want to break my knee caps. He still hadn’t figured out what had gotten into him. If his mother found out, she would, as she was always saying, skin him alive. He was surprised he hadn’t heard from her on the matter yet. The first thing that had occurred to him yesterday, when he woke up with the first hangover he’
d had in over ten years, was there was a really good chance Mary Ellen would call his mother and tell her what he’d done. He did recall having his hands in some places he shouldn’t have, without her permission. His nerves had been on edge all day yesterday. Not to mention, he’d checked himself several times to make sure he still had the full set of his family jewels.
“Ladies, please, have a seat,” Mary Ellen said before turning and exiting the office, closing the door behind her.
He stood there for a few seconds wondering how to go about this. Considering this group was a whole lot more pleasant to talk to, he decided to go with the truth. The one that Mary Ellen didn’t know about.
“Good morning, ladies,” he said with a welcoming smile. “Did Mary Ellen explain to you why you are here? I’m only asking, because I’m surprised any of you would really be interested.”
“Well, honestly I came for the free meal,” Jane Cole answered with a sheepish grin.
He chuckled, giving her a questioning look. “Free meal?”
“Yeah, she took us all out to dinner last night,” she nodded. “All we were required to do was show up this morning.”
“Oh,” he chuckled. “That’s fine.”
“She said we could tell you no if you picked us.”
“I’ll marry you,” Missy Carr said with a big grin. “You’re awfully sexy for an older man.”
He chuckled again and shook his head. “You do realize thirty really isn’t that old?”
“I’m only nineteen,” she answered with a hand to her chest.
He nodded. “I thought so.”
“You have something against nineteen-year-olds?” she asked, batting her eye lashes.
“You’re a big flirt, aren’t you?” he chuckled, shaking his head at her.
“Hey, it’s harmless,” she grinned again. “Truly, I’m not going to marry until I’m absolutely sure I’ve found the right one. And I’m sure he’ll be a lot closer to my own age when that time comes. No offense intended.”
Married by Christmas (Sapphire Springs Book 2) Page 7