Page 27 of Call it Reckless

“I can’t believehe actually gave me a ticket,” I said between bites of my sloppy joe sandwich. I don’t know what Marta put in these, but they were delicious. The perfect treat after what turned out to be a pretty simple fix on Chase’s truck. It only took extra time because I had to make a trip to the closest auto shop—at the posted speed—and grab the part I needed.

Chase chuckled and grabbed another bun and piled on the seasoned meat. “I’m not.”

I grabbed another potato chip. “I mean, I’m a professional,” I said between crunches. “He actually called mereckless.I know how to handle roads, better than anyone else around here, and there was no one around.”

“Obviously, there was.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“What I know is that you take chances. Just because you know how to handle the car, doesn’t mean you’d be ready if a deer jumped out and you had to swerve to avoid it. Or if you came upon a slow-moving tractor on a curve. What if it had been one of my crew hauling a piece of machinery or a load of plants who saw you coming but thought they had to swerve to avoid you?”

Apparently, my silence was an excuse for him to continue.

“You’re so damn independent. Always have been. You know what you like and what you want, and you’re not afraid to fight for it.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. But that has nothing to do with Reid.”

His smile was a little too knowing. “I’m just saying you’re used to things going your way. Most people don’t question your judgment. And today, Reid did, same as he did last week.” He pointed a finger at me. “And by the way, he was right. You shouldn’t have tried to confront an intruder on your own.”

I rolled both my head and my eyes. “It’s not like I had a lot of time to call anyone. I heard a noise just before he entered the room. What was I supposed to do?”

“Don’t pull a fake weapon for one thing,” he fired back. “It’s a good way to get hurt, and you know it. And that’s what’s really at the crux of this. You’ve been lucky most of the time, but that doesn’t mean you’re bulletproof. Look what happened at that café.”

I threw my hands in the air as I pushed against the back of my chair. “What was I supposed to do? Let a little girl get hit instead?”

Chase’s shoulders sagged as he sighed. “No, of course not.” His hand shot out and caught mine where it had settled next to my plate. “But,” he continued in a quieter voice, “at least your injuries came from doing something wonderful instead of something reckless. Haven’t we lost enough people in our family without you potentially adding to it just because you don’t think you have anything to lose? Because I’ve got to tell you, nearly losing you was devastating.”

I felt sucker-punched. My eyes widened as Chase focused on the meal in front of him. Is that what he thought? What theyallthought? Sure, our family had known more than its share of tragedy, but I didn’t have a death wish. I always weighed the odds. In my mind, I was always careful. And people who took chances got further. The wholeyou have to go out on a limb to get the fruitmentality.

But that was about being daring, not a daredevil.

Damn.He was right, which meant Reid was right, which…sucked.

I mumbled something with my mouth full.

“What was that?” Chase was grinning like he’d won the lottery.

“I said you’re right. You suck, you know that?” But I couldn’t help but laugh as he did a little victory jiggle in his chair.

“Hey, seriously, sis. Quit taking chances. We lost Dad. We almost lost you.”

I swallowed hard. “Okay.”

“I don’t know Reid well, mostly through Emalee and Zane, but I know he’s well-liked around here. He’s solid, you know? He’s a good guy to have on your side.” Chase pushed back from the table. “Enough sad stuff. Thanks for your help earlier.”

“Okay.” I walked around the table and wrapped my arms around him, leaning my head on his chest. His strong arms held me close. “Thanks, big brother. For…well, everything. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t had you or Cam.”

“Same, squirt. Same.”

CHAPTERNINE

Reid

The door slammed behind Lexi, making the mounted computer in my SUV shake.

It wasn’t even Tuesday.

God help me, was this a prelude to the coming teenage years? Some form of juvenile PMS? That thought sent shudders through me. I wasn’t ready to tackle that. In my head, she was still my little girl, not a young woman on the cusp of puberty. This was unfamiliar territory, and I didn’t have a roadmap to guide me. I’d have to talk to Gail, my mother-in-law, once again, for advice.

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