Page 30 of Wistful in Wyoming
As the movie credits began to roll, Dale ran his hand up and down Jeremiah’s bare chest, enjoying the way the coarse, auburn hairs there tickled his palm. Goosebumps appeared on the cowboy’s arms and shoulders, and he turned over, so his face was pressed against Dale’s groin. Dale could feel the heat of Jeremiah’s breath through his jeans and moaned. With a mouth that was pure heaven, the man gave the best blow jobs Dale had ever had the pleasure of receiving. He refused to allow himself to think of where, and with whom, Jeremiah might had acquired such skills. Resolving himself to enjoy it, he spread his legs slightly, lifted his hips, and pressed his crotch harder against Jeremiah’s face and mouth.
Neither of them heard a key unlock the front door, but when it burst open and then slammed shut, they both jumped to their feet, Jeremiah stumbling and nearly ending up on his delectable ass in the process. There was a loud thump in the foyer, as if something heavy had been dropped.
“Jeremiah! You home?”
Dale’s eyes narrowed at the unfamiliar female voice and the panicked look on Jeremiah’s face as the man frantically searched for his shirt. He snatched Dale’s black T-shirt up from the floor and tossed it to him as a petite woman in her midthirties strode into the room, flipped the light switch up, turning on the three lamps in the room, and stopped short. With her perfectly-coiffed auburn hair, stylish makeup, and the same startling emerald eyes as Jeremiah, this had to be his sister Jenna, the successful lawyer from Denver. Dressed in an elegant, black pantsuit, high heels, and a red blouse, accented by diamond earrings and a gold necklace, she crossed her arms as her sharp gaze flickered back and forth between Jeremiah and Dale. She looked like a smaller, fancier version of Jeremiah. It was eerie.
“Huh. Well, this is unexpected and awkward, although it doesn’t surprise me all that much. Sorry for the interruption,” she said to Dale, giving him a small wave. “Hi, I’m Jeremiah’s sister, Jenna. And you are?”
Dale pulled his shirt on over his head before answering her. “Dale Harris. Nice to meet you, Jenna.” He stuck out his hand to her, which she shook, while Jeremiah stood there mute, his eyes still wide and his jaw nearly down to his knees. The blood had drained from his face, and he swayed on his feet, so Dale took a step closer to him in case the poor guy decided to faint.
“Nice to meet you too, Dale Harris. Why don’t you two finish getting dressed or whatever?” she gestured toward Jeremiah who still hadn’t found his shirt and had his hands splayed across his chest and abs as if trying to hide every inch of his exposed skin. “In the meantime, I’m going to get a drink. I assume Daddy’s liquor cabinet is unlocked and fully stocked as always?” Jenna pivoted toward the hallway leading to the home office.
Clearly stunned that his sister wasn’t freaking out about catching him half naked, cuddling on the couch with another man, Jeremiah’s voice cracked when he stammered, “Um ... s-stocked, yes. Unlocked ... um, uh ... no. With my ... uh, goddaughter around, I thought it best to keep it ... um, locked up. The key is—is right where it always is. Right there.”
She glanced over her shoulder at them as Dale found Jeremiah’s T-shirt under a throw pillow at the far end of the couch and handed it to him. “Your goddaughter? You only have one, right? Your new neighbors’ daughter who was born last fall? Is she already an alcoholic and you need to lock up the booze?”
Dale barked out a laugh while Jeremiah rolled his eyes and pulled on his shirt. Her teasing seemed to have eased the tension and astonishment in him a little, and he glared at her. “Same old brat. I just figured I’d get into the habit of locking it up for when she gets older. Now, go fetch three glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Then you can tell me what on God’s green earth you’re doing here.”
“Oh, that’s easy,” she said with a nonchalant wave of her hand. “My career and life in Denver are over, and I’m moving back to the Rock.”
Jeremiah’s jaw nearly hit the floor again as she disappeared down the hall.
Well, okay then.
Dale closed the distance between him and Jeremiah and gently grabbed the man’s chin to get his attention. “Listen, Jay, your sister obviously needs you. I’ll head home.” He kissed Jeremiah, not caring if Jenna saw them, since it was evident she’d already figured out her brother was gay—something that seemed to have blown the man away. The siblings had a few things to talk about, and it was probably best that Dale wasn’t around. There was going to be a lot of personal baggage for them both to unpack, he was sure.
“Call me tomorrow.” He phrased it as an order and not a request.
“O-okay,” Jeremiah responded, but his focus returned to his sister as she wandered back into the great room with a full bottle of whiskey and three low-ball glasses.
Jenna frowned at Dale as he pulled on his boots. “You’re not leaving on my account, are you? Please feel free to stay. Obviously, I wasn’t expected. No need for your evening with Jeremiah to be ruined because I’m insensitive and showed up unannounced.”
He waved her off. “No worries, I’ve got things to take care of. He’s all yours for the night. It was nice meetin’ you. I’ll probably see you again soon.” He gave Jeremiah a quick peck on the lips. “Night, babe.”
“N-night.” Jeremiah stuttered, his eyes flittering back to Jenna. Smiling, Dale waved at them both and headed home.
Chapter Sixteen
Jeremiah wasn’tsure what he was most stunned about—the fact his sister was actually there, that she wasn’t surprised to find him in a compromising position with another man, or that she was moving home to the Rock.
She set the low-balls on the cocktail table and kicked off her heels before pouring three fingers of whiskey into two of the glasses. Picking up one, she downed her portion of the amber liquid like it was water and then filled the glass to the halfway point again.
Okay, well, they do call whiskey the water of life.
Running his hands through his hair, Jeremiah stared at her. “What the hell are you doing here, Jenna? And what the hell do you mean your career and life in Denver are over?”
She finished off the second glass almost as fast as the first one, then shrugged. “Like I said, I’m moving back to the Rock and figured I’d stay with my big brother until I find a place.”
Before she could fill the low-ball up for a third time, he took it and the bottle from her and set them on the table. He stepped closer and cupped her narrow shoulders. “What’s going on, sweet pea? This isn’t like you.”
As soon as his old nickname for her cleared his lips, her calm, cool, and collected demeanor crumbled before his eyes. She burst out crying and threw herself into his arms. As he embraced her, Jeremiah didn’t have a clue what’d happened, but he did know one thing—he had his sister’s back no matter what.
Tonight, he’d let her cry. Tomorrow, he’d find out who he had to track down and kill.
* * *
The next morning,after a quick shower, Jeremiah sent Anthony a text message that he was taking a couple of hours off because his sister had arrived late last night unexpectedly. And wasn’t that an understatement. After her crying bout, they’d ended up talking more about Dale than anything else. Every time Jeremiah had tried to steer the conversation toward why she was now unemployed and moving back home, she changed the subject. Knowing his sister well, he’d let it go for the rest of the night with the full intention of forcing the topic this morning.
