Page 7 of Tempting Fate
“Moretti.”
“You mind bringing an extension cord when you come back?” It was Logan.
“Roger that. I’ll be over in a few minutes. Anything else?”
“Nope. Just get your ass over here.”
Gabe quickly dressed. He’d brought over everything from his small apartment in town, that way he’d be close and on hand to help with any party preparations. Most of the time—when he wasn’t on a mission—he lived out of the office anyway. But with the holidays and Logan’s wedding, they hadn’t taken on any new projects. It would be nice to have a few months off to catch up on paperwork. And to sleep, something he didn’t get much of with the frenetic pace of the job. But he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
He searched the equipment room for an extension cord and drove back to the house, noting Raylene’s truck was still MIA. Where she’d disappeared to was beyond him. Frankly, he didn’t want to know. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to bail her out of the can. According to the big mouths in town, she’d nearly gotten arrested for the crap she’d pulled a couple of years ago. Her old man had gotten a life sentence for his overarching role, which included killing a cattle rustler and trying to pin the murder on Lucky Rodriguez. Ray Rosser had died in prison. That’s how Logan had learned the whole sordid story about his paternity and had come into his inheritance, which included a nutso half sister.
The kitchen was filled with people and about a hundred casserole dishes when he got inside. Donna, Brady Benson, and Emily McCreedy were rotating pans in the oven as Samantha Breyer was checking off a list. All this for a freaking potluck. If Gabe ever got married, he was eloping. Between his Irish mother and his Italian stepfather, he had a bazillion siblings, half siblings, stepsiblings, and relatives. Weddings in the Moretti family were like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This nearly rivaled it.
“Hand me that extension cord,” Logan called to Gabe across the room. “Annie wants to project a slide show of all the work we did on the farm.”
Nice idea, Gabe thought. For months they’d all been working to rehabilitate the place, which had previously been owned by a hoarder who’d let the house go to pot. Annie, who had a fancy degree in agriculture and worked as farming consultant, had whipped the land into shape. Now, she grew all kinds of shit, half of which they’d be eating for dinner.
“Raylene’s still not here, huh?” Gabe didn’t want her screwing up Logan and Annie’s pre-wedding festivities, and from everything he’d heard—and seen—she was like a battering ram, causing mayhem wherever she went.
“She called and is on her way.”
“Where’d she go?”
Logan shrugged. “Annie talked to her. I suspect she needed space. This town holds a lot of bad memories for her.”
Gabe spent the next thirty minutes helping Annie’s brother, Chad, with the bar. Her parents had made the two-hour trek from Yuba City, where they grew rice, and were spending the night. It would be a full house at Chez Jenkins tonight. Gia and Flynn, who now owned Raylene’s dad’s old ranch, had offered to lend their guest cottage. Until recently, Logan and Annie had lived there while their farmhouse was being redone.
“Hey, were you two part of that UFO study group?” Owen pointed to Gabe and Logan.
As usual, Gabe didn’t know what the old man was talking about. The local barber lived in an alternative universe, as far as Gabe could tell. Plus, he was early. Guests weren’t scheduled to arrive for another ten minutes.
“You smoking weed again, Owen?”
“It’s all over the news…the Pentagon’s Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program. So don’t try to deny it.”
“I’m not denying it, I just don’t know anything about it.”
“Of course you do. You”—he nudged his head at Logan—“and him know more than you let on.”
Yeah, and the StarshipEnterprisewas in the backyard. Gabe put his finger to his lips. “Don’t blow our cover, or it could mean death to the whole town.”
“You’re a real wiseacre, aren’t you?”
Gabe laughed. “Where’s Darla and Wyatt?”
“Wyatt’s finishing up his police shift, and Darla had to close the barbershop. They’ll probably be late. Those two couldn’t be on time to save their lives.”
Like you, who came early, Gabe wanted to say, but he liked the guy too much to keep razzing him. “I’ve got to bring in some extra folding chairs. I’ll catch you later.”
Gabe headed to the garage to give Logan a hand. “Chad seems good.”
“Yeah, he’s done a lot of growing up.” Annie’s kid brother hadn’t been much better than Raylene. Both disasters. But he owned a thriving restaurant now and appeared to have gotten his shit together. “Knockers is making a killing. Chad’s talking about franchising.”
“Good for him.” Gabe put Logan in a headlock. “You okay?”
“Never happier.”
“Good. It’s a lot, though. Marriage, a baby, a mortgage.”
