Page 99 of Downpour

“Have you seen the tire swing your Uncle Ray put up?” Brooke asked Gracie.

“No?” Gracie popped up on her tiptoes, then smiled. “Can it hold me?”

I chuckled. “Your dad gave it a test ride. Go crazy.”

“I’ll go with you,” Brooke said to Gracie. “I love tire swings.”

Bree slipped out the sliding door and hurried past me without so much as a hello before joining Gracie and Brooke at the tire swing. Charlotte had wiggled out of Becks’s arms and waddled over to her cousins.

I watched as Charlotte reached up to Brooke with gimme-hands. Brooke scooped her up and propped her on her hip while Gracie jumped on the tire swing.

My heart knotted in my chest. Goddamn, she looked so natural at it.

“I know that look,” Nate said as he and Becks settled in the chairs across from me.

I pulled my attention away from Brooke. “Shut up.”

“Oh good. We’re teasing Ray about his little crush. I thought I was going to have to be the one to bring it up,” Cassandra said as she stepped out to join the group.

“Are you done harassing public servants?” I asked.

Christian chuckled.

CJ joined us on the deck. “What the hell happened?”

“Someone broke into my house and stole my pills. We think it was Brooke’s roommate.”

CJ cracked his knuckles and turned to head out. “Give me an hour.”

Christian grabbed the back of his collar and forced him to stay put. “Don’t go and do something stupid just because you’re itching to punch someone. You don’t get to lose your shit.”

CJ was seething. I could see it in his eyes.

Where Christian and I shared our dad’s dark hair and eyes, Nate and CJ favored our mom. Unfortunately, Christian was the only one out of the four of us who had a lick of their patience. That usually meant he was the one keeping the three of us out of trouble.

Cassandra looked around. “Well? Are you going to tell me their names or not? I’ll have this wrapped up before the cops can get off the property.”

I huffed. “Let the fucking cops do their job. Jesus, you people are insane. Between you and CJ, people are starting to think we’re the cowboy mafia or some shit. I’m fine. Brooke’s fine. She’s a little shaken up, but fine. Nothing else was taken. We weren’t even here when it happened.”

“Yeah, let’s talk about that,” Becks said with a nefarious grin.

“Let’s not,” I countered. “You’re a journalist. I’m not talking to you.”

Becks scoffed. “You guys are no fun. Who told you not to talk to journalists?”

“A really annoying publicist who likes to show up in my kitchen and throw mail at me.”

Cassandra smirked.

“Seriously. Where’d you guys go?” Becks asked. “I saw your truck leave yesterday and didn’t think anything of it until you didn’t come back.”

I knew they wouldn’t leave it alone, so I decided to throw them a bone. “Got out of town for a change of scenery. Went out to that bar in Maren and listened to some music.”

“Wait.” CJ’s eyes lifted to Brooke, who was now on the tire swing with Charlotte safely perched between her legs. “You took her to The Silver Spur?”

“Get that picture out of your mind before I beat it out of you,” I growled.

CJ raised his hands in surrender.

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