Page 65 of Brooke's Bliss
“We never saw that,” Bay countered, and there was somethingabout his sigh that raised Shane’s hackles.He sounded dismissive.“Of coursethere were rumors, and Shane once thought he saw something, but it wasn’tanything.There were always jokes about how if you found yourself on the wrongend of Kingman, there was a nice canyon you would spend eternity in, but that’snot real.Shane overheard some talk, but again, it was only talk.It was moreof an excuse to get us out of there.”
Brooke turned Shane’s way.“Bay said you saw something.”
He was surprised his brother didn’t believe him.“Ioverheard something the night we left.They talked about handling the new guys.We were the new guys.”
“See, I know he’s saying he doesn’t watchYellowstone,but I assure you everyone in the bunkhouse did, and I think that got intoShane’s head and when he heard something about the new guys, his imaginationwent a little nutsy,” Bay offered.“He was unhappy there.Hell, I was unhappythere, but they paid well.He woke me up in the middle of the night and we tookoff.It’s been more than five months.It’s not like anyone has come after us.”
“What if he didn’t know where you were?”Brooke seemed toget into the mystery.
He was annoyed by his brother and the fact that he wouldbring this up in front of Brooke.“I wouldn’t make that shit up.”
Bay sighed.“I didn’t say you made it up.I said you blew asmall thing out of proportion.Don’t make the same mistake now.I’m not callingyou a liar.Brooke, baby, this is a random thing.Probably done by kids whowere looking for money or something to sell, and when they realized they triedto rob the shittiest truck in the county, they got upset and slashed thetires.”
“Which kids would that be?”Brooke asked.“Because my nieceis all about shins.She is not into tires.The only young people who could doit wouldn’t.”Her head tilted.“Unless they saw it as a way to force us toFuber.”
“Fuber?”Shane asked.
“Yeah, I’ve decided it’s what I’m calling their business,and I’ve got a design logo in mind.Not that it’ll go anywhere.The Farleybrothers are headed to college soon.So see, there’s not even a financialreason for them to fuck with the truck.”She checked her watch.“Also, it’salmost ten, so they are probably off the clock and safe from the devil.Whichbegs the question of how we’re getting home.Because it’s not going to be inthat truck.”
The only truck they had.Damn.They probably had the moneyto replace the tires, but it was going to be tight.He still had to buy Bay asuit for the gallery show and shoes that had never stepped in cow shit.
“I guess I can call Trev,” Bay offered.“He can send one ofthe other hands out to pick us up.I hate waking everyone up.The main housesare both lights out by nine o’clock.”
Because they had young families, and at least Trev and Boand Beth would be up and down with the babies all night.Hope needed more sleepand peace now that she was getting close to her own due date.
There weren’t a bunch of crazy teens running around.Oh,they could come in from other places, but that seemed like a stretch to Shane.“Maybe Elisa can give us a ride.I would hate to wake up the house, and thehands are mostly in bed since we start work early.”
“We are three whole-ass adults, and now we don’t have asingle car between us.”Brooke resettled her bag over her shoulder.“Well, Iknow I should call my brothers but I…”
“Brooke?Brooke?Are you okay?”Max rounded the corner atthe fastest speed his well-worn boots would take him.“Hal walked out andannounced there was a slasher and you were dead in the parking lot.”
Shane was confused.Why the hell was Max here?
“How does Hal know?”Bay asked, seemingly as confused asShane was.
Brooke took that one.“Oh, he listens to the police radiolike most people do podcasts.He gets bored late at night, and I’m afraid hecan do the telephone thing all on his own.”
“Telephone?”Shane asked.He didn’t like any of this.Moments before he’d been feeling so good about the world, and now he was a messof anxiety and Brooke’s brother was here.
Max was looking her over as though trying to assess herinjuries.Which she had none.
“You know the game.You start with one story and then theperson who heard it first has to tell the next, and so on and so on, and that’show we end up with aliens invading,” Brooke replied.“Hal doesn’t need a bunchof people to filter through to get to an outrageous story.He’s good to goright off the bat.Max, someone slashed the tires on Shane and Bay’s truck.Iwas working late at the theater, and they came to pick me up.”
Max’s eyes narrowed.“That better be all you were doing.”
Brooke’s eyes narrowed right back, and her hands made fistson her hips.She reminded him of her niece in that moment.“In fact, it wasn’t.They also brought me dinner.”
“Well, you wouldn’t need dinner if you were at home whereyou belong,” another voice said.Rye rounded the corner, and he wasn’t alone.
Rachel rushed over to Brooke.“Are you okay?”
The fam was all here.Well, except for the kids, and thatwas a blessing because Paige would probably try to defend her beloved aunt.Hecould only imagine what the Harper twins were saying about him and Bay.
Brooke waved off her worry.“It was tires.No one threatenedme except my own brothers.”
Rachel looked back at her husbands.“You threatened her?Youknow I’ve been quiet in this thing, but I would like some explanations as towhy my sister-in-law is now living with Beth McNamara-O’Malley.”
“Who’s with the kids?”Brooke asked and winced.“I’m sosorry, Rach.I promised I would watch them tonight and I completely forgot.Igot this job offer.”
