Page 6 of Tempting Fate
“Beats the hell out of me. She probably needed something she could only get in a big town, like a lobotomy.”
Logan checked his watch. “She’s cutting it close for the party. It’s a forty-five-minute drive each way.”
“She’s a grown woman, Jenk.”
“I know, but being back here…it’s hard for her.”
Gabe sprawled out on the couch and rubbed a spot out of his new boots. “She had a couple of run-ins in town. First, she overheard Donna and Ethel talking about her at the Nugget Market, and while we were getting coffee at the Ponderosa, Lucky came in.”
Logan put down the speaker and gave Gabe his full attention. “What happened?”
“Nothing, really.” No way was he telling Logan about the kiss or whatever the hell that was. “It got a little tense, then Lucky left.”
Logan let out a breath. “Lucky and Tawny decided it was better if they didn’t come tonight, but they’ll be at the wedding.”
“There’ll be enough people that Raylene can avoid him and vice versa. When’s your mom and Nick getting in?”
“Not until tomorrow. That might be weird, too.”
Ya think?“Jenk, why’d you have to invite her?”
“She’s my sister. Her mother’s a damned space cadet, and I’m all she has. I couldn’t leave her out even if I’d wanted to, which I didn’t. She’s come to rely on me.”
The truth was Logan was the softest badass Gabe had ever known. The man was one of the best spec op warriors in the business, but he cried watching a Hallmark movie. Last summer, Logan assigned himself the job of being Raylene’s guardian, which in Gabe’s opinion was a full-time gig.
“All right, I’ll try to run interference as much as possible.” He got to his feet. “I’m grabbing a shower over at headquarters. Anything you want me to do before I leave?”
“Nope, Annie and I have everything under control.” Logan began fiddling with the speaker again.
On Gabe’s way out, he stopped in the kitchen to check in with Annie. “You have that seating situation handled?”
“I think so. Gia will help me as soon as she gets here.” She gazed out the window. “I hope the weather cooperates.”
To Gabe it felt too cold for snow. “I guess you couldn’t wait until summer.” He patted her stomach and grinned.
“Nope.” She hugged him and her whole damn face glowed.
“I think you and I should run away together.”
From the other room came a crashing sound. “Fuck you, Alexa.”
Annie rolled her eyes. “He’s been at it all day. Whatever happened to turning the music on by hand?”
“I’m out of here, before he starts shooting the thing. See you in an hour.”
Gabe let the screen door slam behind him, got in his truck, and took the driveway to the end of the property where he and Logan had built L&G from the ground up. It was a small compound compared to many security firms, but it was efficient as hell, with an indoor shooting range, a gym, a wing of small offices, and a big-ass conference room. They used a landing strip outside of town when they needed to get to assignments fast, which was pretty much always.
The rest of the sixty acres Annie farmed, and she sold much of what she grew at a farm stand on the main road. The setup was unusual, to be sure, but it worked for them, and Gabe had come to love rural life. He could fish, hunt, and hike whenever he wanted, and the nights in his small apartment felt like camping with the convenience of electricity and indoor plumbing.
And the Sierra Nevada was the most beautiful place on earth. Mountains and valleys, lakes and rivers, and trees as far as the eye could see. In four hours he could be in San Francisco, and it was less than three to Sacramento. And there was gambling and women just across the Nevada state line, an easy drive from Nugget.
The whole arrangement had turned out perfectly. Best of all, it had made it possible for Logan to have both of his dreams: Annie and L&G. They’d remodeled the old dilapidated farmhouse on the property and had transformed it into a real home. And soon they’d be bringing their first child into the world.
Gabe had been elected godfather.
He spent the next twenty minutes in the locker room shower, practicing his Marlon Brando impression. Then his thoughts drifted to Raylene and the kiss. It hadn’t lasted long, but the woman packed a punch. She was alsopazzo, as his Italian grandmother liked to say. Crazy as a fucking loon. Hot, though. Big blue eyes, full red lips, and an ass that wouldn’t quit. Under normal circumstances, she’d be his type. For a night.
Any more thoughts of Raylene got cut short by the ringing of Gabe’s phone. He hopped out of the shower, reached for a towel, and managed to grab his cell in time to take the call.
