“Flynn.”
“Come with me, Flynn, and we’ll get those split ends cleaned up. How do you think you want to wear your hair tonight?” she’d asked, removing the ever-present hair tie.
Not only had she trimmed my hair, she curled it and showed me how to put on a little blusher.
“Your skin is so beautiful, you don’t need makeup, but this will add a tiny bit of color to your cheeks.”
When I told her I wasn’t sure about buying the blusher, she threw it in with my haircut.
“You come back and tell me all about the concert,” she’d said when she walked me to the door.
I wondered now if she really meant it or if she was just being nice too. I shrugged and rolled over, hugging my pillow tight and reliving every second of the night.
23
Irish
Why in the hell was my damn cell ringing so early in the morning? I was in the middle of the nicest dream about Flynn and resented the hell out of having to open my eyes.
“What?”
“Hey, Irish. It’s Decker.”
“I know that. What do you want?”
“I haven’t been able to reach Buck or Stella.”
“How is this my problem?”
“Paxon, come on. Go over there.”
“You’re fucking kidding me.”
“I’ll owe you one.”
“You already owe me plenty.” I hung up, pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt, stuck my feet in my boots, and traipsed next door.
“What can I do for you, Irish?” Buck asked after I pounded on the door long enough that I was about to break it down.
“Decker is trying to get in touch with you. Stella too. He finally called and asked me to walk over and see if you were both okay.”
“Hey, Stella,” Buck hollered.
She stuck her head out of the bedroom door. “Yeah?”
“As you can see, she’s okay and so am I. Anything else?” asked Buck.
“He wants you to call him.” I stormed back to my cabin.
A couple of hours later, I rubbed my eyes and closed my laptop. I wasn’t accomplishing anything besides giving myself a headache. What there was to find on Kerr and his cohorts, I’d already found.
When I stood, I saw Buck and Stella come out of the cabin and leave with Rock. Why the hell hadn’t Decker called him earlier and let me sleep? He was on Stella’s detail.
It would probably be a shitty thing to call Flynn and tell her I needed something at the cabin, but I sure did want to see her.
“Hey, Ink. You somewhere close by?”
“Sure am. What do you need?”
“Have you eaten at the dining hall? Buck mentioned we were welcome to anytime.”
“Hell yeah. There isn’t any better food around that I know of.”
“You hungry?”
He laughed. “I’m always hungry, Irish.”
“How does this work?” I asked when we pulled up to a large building.
“It’s basically cafeteria style, but the kitchen staff only plates stuff up as it’s needed, so everything is fresh and hot.”
Once inside, I looked around for Flynn but didn’t see her. I followed Ink through the line, picking up a salad and then something that looked like a cheeseburger covered in something green.
“What’s that?” I asked him.
“That’s a slopper,” I heard a woman’s voice say. I looked over my shoulder and smiled at Flynn.
“I was hoping I’d see you today.”
“You ever want to, I’m usually here.”
“Tell me about the slopper. What’s on top of it?”
“Green chili.”
“Best I’ve ever had, but don’t ever tell my mama,” said Ink.
Flynn thanked him, grabbed a salad, and put it on a tray. “Mind if I join you?”
“I’d love it.” I looked around when we got to the end of the food line. “Is there a cashier somewhere?”
Flynn laughed. “We don’t charge for food.”
“You don’t?”
“It’s part of the package for the staff, like the cowboys and hands. Obviously, it’s included for paying guests.” She shook her head. “Not that you’re a paying guest. But you know what I mean.”
I looked at her tray. “No slopper?”
“No, just a salad for me.”
All three of Flynn’s brothers looked up as we passed by their table. She kept going as if she didn’t notice them, which was fine with me. Instead of sitting down with Ink, she went to an empty table.
“Is this okay?” she asked.
“Perfect.” As she slowly nibbled on her salad, I dug into the mess on my plate. “Oh my God, what did you say this was?”
“First, tell me. Does that mean you think it’s good?”
“Good? No. The best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life? Yes.”
“All it is, is a cheeseburger covered in green chili. It’s a Colorado thing.”
I took a few more bites.
“There’s more if you want another.”
I raised my head and looked over to the food line. “I’d like ten more, but I better stop at one.”
“The way you look, you could get away with having another one.”
“The way I look?” I knew what she meant, but flirting felt so damned good, I kept it up.
Her cheeks flushed and she grinned, which was exactly what I was going for. “You know, you’re very fit.”
“And you are very pretty when you smile. You’re pretty all the time, but especially then.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, but the smile left her face.
“Last night was fun,” I said before finishing off the last of the slopper. “What else do you like to do when you’re not working?”
Flynn looked away. “I’m always working.”
“That can’t be true.”
She turned her head, and her eyes met mine. “It is.”
“Come on now, you can’t be here seven days a week.”
“To be honest, before now, I haven’t minded.”
“What’s different?”
Her cheeks were pink again, and she couldn’t contain her grin.
“I like your dimples.” Something about that compliment took her smile away again. I reached over and put my hand on hers. “What did I say wrong?”
She shook her head.
“Come on, tell me so I don’t do it again.”
“My face…”
“Is beautiful. What else?”
“It’s pudgy.” She stood and took my plate.
“I can do that.”
“I know. I’m going to get you another slopper.”
I grasped her wrist. “Flynn, don’t run away from me.”
“I’m not. I told you I’m getting you—”
“I can fetch my own food. Please sit back down.”
When she did, I turned her chair so she was facing me. I reached up and was about to touch her face when I noticed her eyes darting around the room like I’d seen her do last night in the car. I pulled my hand away. The things I had to say to Flynn should be done without an audience.
“Can you take a break?”
“What for?”
“Maybe you could show me around Crested Butte?”
“Um, I probably shouldn’t.”
I heard someone clear their throat behind me and turned.
“Hey, Flynn, hey, Paxon,” said one of her brothers I met the night before. I think it was Cord.
I nodded. “Hey.”
“Holt is playing a show at the Goat tonight. Just him. They’re shutting the place down, so it’s family only and, uh, guests. If you want to go.”
I looked back at Flynn. “I’d like to, would you?”
“Sure. That would be fun.”
“Great. What time?” I asked.
“Not sure, but someone will let you know,” said Cord.
I saw Ink get up and take his dishes and tray to a stand near a trash can.
�
��I guess I should head out since you have to work, but I’ll see you later, right?”
24
Flynn
“Why did he say you had to work?” Cord asked when Paxon walked away. “You’re done for the day.”
“I still have to clean up and do prep for tomorrow.”
“The kitchen crew can clean up, and I can do the prep. You can take time off, Flynn. In fact, if you don’t start, we’ll force you to.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you have four brothers who love and care about you, and you shouldn’t be spending every waking moment in the dining hall.”
“I like being here.”
Cord motioned with his head to where Paxon stood, waving at us. “You like him?”
I was stunned at my brother’s question and shrugged. “He’s just being nice.”
“Kinda old for you.”
I swatted him. “I said he’s being nice, is all.”
“While I stand by what I just said about his age, if Paxon can get you to spend some time away from this place, then I think you should do it.”
“What’s going on?” asked Porter, who walked up with Holt.
“I’m just saying Flynn needs time off.”
“I agree,” said Porter.
“Same,” said Holt. “You spend way too much time here. No one expects you to.”
I felt my eyes filling with tears and turned my head away. It had always been easier to be here than go anywhere else. Mainly because I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and if I did, no one to go with.
Porter put his hand on my shoulder. “We’re not kicking you out of here, sis. We’re just saying you work too much.”
“Like the three of you don’t?”
“I would agree that we all spend too much time on this ranch,” said Cord. “In the past, the old man didn’t give us much choice. Hard habit to break.”
“Now’s not the time for us to start planning vacations,” said Porter. “I’ll remind you, we have a deadline to get this place profitable or we lose it.”
“Right,” said Cord. “But that doesn’t mean Flynn shouldn’t be able to take a day or two off a week.”
My eyes opened wide. “A day or two?”
“Yes,” said Holt. “The staff knows your recipes. Cord can cover when you’re not here.”
I looked at Cord to see his reaction, but he didn’t have one.
“Even if you’re just not here. Go out, visit restaurants, see what people like to eat. Hell, get out of the valley. Go over to Buena Vista or Salida for a day. See if there’s anything you want to add to the menu for the dude ranch guests.”
“Speaking of dude ranch guests,” said Porter. “I saw some of the guys working on the security system checking out the North Fork cabins.”
“Why?” asked Cord.
“Dunno, but maybe you should find out.”
When my brothers left, I wandered into the kitchen, realizing they were right about there not being anything for me to do.
After checking everything was set for the next day, I left. Normally, I would’ve hung out, tried out new recipes, or just puttered around. It was weird to leave and not have anything in particular to do.
Instead of going to the ranch house, I drove out of the Roaring Fork gates and went to Gunnison to see if Nina still had the dresses set aside for me.
“Hey, Flynn. Your brother was here earlier,” she said when I walked in. “You’re Buck’s sister, right?”
“Right.” I looked around the store. “Um, do you still have those dresses I tried on?”
She came around the counter. “Of course I do. That was just yesterday.” She winked. “By the way, how was the concert? Lucy and I were so envious!”
I told her about it and that my brother played in the band. It felt weird to be telling so much to a stranger, but she was so friendly, I found myself jabbering away.
“After you left yesterday, I pulled a few more things for you to try on, if you’re interested.”
“Uh, sure. What kinds of things?”
She pulled on my belt loop. “Women’s jeans for one. Something that will flatter your figure more. And some blouses that will do the same.”
I followed her over to the dressing room area and waited while she went into the back. My eyes opened wide when I saw all the clothes she was carrying.
“Don’t worry, you can just pick a couple of things, but at least you’ll know what we have.”
Once I graduated from high school, my father started paying me to run the kitchen. I knew it wasn’t as much as he’d paid Johnny, but he’d also worked at the ranch for years.
Since I didn’t do much, didn’t have rent to pay, and hardly spent any money at all, I had enough in the bank to buy as many clothes as I wanted.
I thought about my conversations with my brothers and how I always worked, never did anything else, and decided that whatever I liked from what Nina had picked out for me, I’d buy.
I was pulling on a pair of jeans when I heard the chimes of the front door opening. A few seconds later, I heard Lucy holler at me.
“Hey, Flynn.”
“You come out here and let us see,” said Nina. “Lucy wants to hear about the concert too.”
I spent two hours at the store, mainly chatting with the two women. I bought almost all the clothes Nina chose for me and some other things Lucy thought would look nice. I did have to reassure them more than once that I could afford it all.
When I told them my brother was playing a show at the Goat in Crested Butte, Lucy insisted she do my hair again, and since I had no idea how to fix it myself, I let her.
I left, promising I’d come into town next week and we’d all have lunch together.
Before I had a chance to start the truck, a call came in on my cell from Paxon. I held my breath, hoping he wasn’t calling to say he didn’t want to go tonight.
“Hi,” I answered.
“Hey, Flynn. It’s Irish. Sorry, um, Paxon.”
“It’s okay. I know they call you Irish.”
“Anyway, I was just calling to see if you were still going tonight.”
“I want to. Are you?”
“As long as you are.”
I laughed. “Then, I guess we’re both going.”
“Sorry, I can be kind of an idiot sometimes.” He sounded down, which threw me.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s all good.”
“You don’t have to go tonight if you’re not up for it.”
“No, I’m looking forward to it. Really. I just wanted to make sure you were since we went to see a band last night.”
“We’re a pair,” I said, laughing again at how we both kept reassuring each other.
“Bye, Flynn.”
I stared at the phone when the call ended abruptly. Was it my imagination, or had he been short with me throughout the conversation? For a minute, I thought about going back in the store and returning all the clothes I’d just bought. It wasn’t like tonight was a date. We were just two people going to see my brother play at a bar. I was making so much more of it in my head.
As Cord said, Paxon was too old for me, or maybe it was more that I just wasn’t the kind of woman men would ever find attractive—even if I did buy a bunch of new clothes and have someone fix my hair.
When it was time to get ready, I was almost tempted to put on my “regular” clothes and pull my hair up in a ponytail but knew, if I did, it would make me feel worse, not better.
Instead, I picked a blouse that reminded me of the Icelandic poppies that filled the flower beds throughout Crested Butte. I pulled on a pair of new embroidered jeans and slipped my feet into the red booties Nina said would match the top perfectly.
I knew I should probably eat something since all I’d had today was a salad, but then my jeans would probably feel too tight and I’d be miserable.
“Hey, Flynn. You ready?” Cord called out to me.
“Yep.”
“Wow,” he said, looking me up and down when I came out of my room.
“What?”
“I like it. You look gorgeous, kid.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Now let’s go.”
“Are we picking anyone else up?” I asked once we were in his truck.
Cord shook his head. “The secret service caravan is meeting us there I guess.”
“It does kind of seem that way, doesn’t it?”
“Do you ever wonder what the hell the big secret is?”
I shrugged. “I guess I’m used to it, given Buck could never talk about where he was or what he was doing.”
25
Irish
“Aren’t we picking anyone else up?” I asked Rock when we drove past the main ranch house.
“Everyone else is meeting us there.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping I hadn’t been so much of an asshole earlier that Flynn decided not to go along tonight. Evidently, I wasn’t very good at separating work from fun since it had been so long since I’d done it. I was so accustomed to being wrapped up in the mission, I hadn’t realized until I hung up that I’d probably given her the impression I wasn’t interested.
But, Jesus, did I have any right to be interested? She was Buck’s little sister, for God’s sake.
“What’s wrong?” asked Rock.
“Nothin’.”
“Come on, now. Five minutes ago, you seemed almost happy. Now you’re miserable again.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve lived any kind of normal life. It isn’t like I can, even now.”
“Why not? Missions are missions. It doesn’t mean we can’t also be human every once in a while. Even you, Irish.”
I breathed a sigh of relief when we walked into the bar and I saw Flynn seated at a table in the back. At least she’d come tonight and I hadn’t ruined it for her.
Buck and Stella were sitting with her, as was Porter and a woman I didn’t recognize.
“Hey,” said Flynn, coming over to meet me at the bar.
Irished (The Invincibles Book 7) Page 10