Page 13 of No Bones About It

Heath whooped, and the footsteps picked up the pace. The next thing Garrett knew, he was wrapped up in his friend’s arms. “Scooby. You’re finally here.”

“Scooby? You’re Scooby?” Nina’s excited voice reached his ears.

He swallowed hard against the emotion that filled histhroat and slapped Heath on the back. He’d been Scooby from the moment he and Shaggy had partnered up. Was he still Scooby? “I’m here.”

Heath released him and stood back to study him. “You’re here for real. You’re the neighbor Nina’s been talking about nonstop?”

Garrett grinned and nodded.

Heath laughed and slapped his shoulder again. “Epic is going to lose his mind when he finds out that you pulled one over on him. On all of us.”

Then he pulled out his phone and spent a minute typing. When he put it away, he grinned. “I told them I have the surprise of the century and to haul their asses over here.”

So much for sliding slowly into the group again, it would be a full-on re-immersion. He was surprised to find himself smiling about it.

Nina bounced back into the room with a woman in tow. “Mom, this is Scooby. I don’t know his real name yet, but we’ve all heard Scooby stories.”

The woman smiled. “I’m Addy. It’s nice to meet you, Garrett. Welcome to Phail and the neighborhood.”

The woman was an older version of Nina with warm, dark eyes and a friendly smile. “Why don’t you two start catching up? Nina and I are going to get some food and drinks organized for everyone.”

The women disappeared, and Garrett’s eyes followed them. “You’re a lucky man, Heath.”

His friend grinned, his eyes following them as well. “I sure as hell am.”

“She’s got a lot of you in her, Slick. Charming as hell. Talked her way onto my land and over to my horse with barely a blink of her eyes and that smile.”

Heath beamed. “She’s such a great kid. I’ll never get back those first years, but I’m not missing a single thing from now on.”

“Going to tag along on her prom date?”

Heath laughed. “Maybe.”

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened. “What’s the excitement all about?” Falcon entered the living area and let out a whoop, very much like Slick’s. Levi followed immediately after.

Garrett was still slapping backs and exchanging hugs when Arrow and Epic joined the throng.

Troy socked him in the shoulder. “You bought the property without me knowing? How did you manage that?”

Soon, they sat in the living room, and he had to go through the story of how CC and Kath had helped him out through a realtor nephew of theirs. Then, how he’d arrived and set up the barn. And all about Kitty.

Arrow grinned at him. “I remember you talking about your grandfather loving that old TV western, Gunsmoke. Miss Kitty?”

Garrett nodded, not surprised the deputy remembered. The man was sharp as hell. That was probably why he’d made the best leader Garrett had ever worked with.

Food and drinks flowed as easily as the conversation. The group had been through so much in the past year. And now he could help with whatever they needed. It was good to be part of a team again.

“Now that I’m here, do I get to hear more about this secret project you’ve been working on? Or did you make it up just to lure everyone in?”

The group laughed, and Troy passed him a glass of beer. “Here it is.”

“Beer?”

Everyone nodded and waited for him to take a sip. The beer was a coppery color and had a nice hop scent. He sipped and nodded in approval. He preferred a Porter, but this was good, too. “Nice. You’re making beer.”

Marcus shook his head. “Correction.We’remaking beer. Levi grew six varieties of hops and we’re making batches in a small shed to test out what works.”

Slick nodded. “Now that we’ve got this land, too, we’re turning the barn out back into a full-fledged brewery. We’re going to be brewmasters, you and me.”

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