Page 106 of South of The Skyway

Jameson had wanted to go after Rhyett, halted by the insistence of his mother and the firefighters. The next concern was the proximity of the rig. Dying to do something with their hands, they’d flown into action. Hadlee and Elora had bolted into the fifth wheel to move things out of the way and pull in slides. Jameson hooked up Rhyett’s truck with Alice’s quick help, dropping the rig onto the hitch. Juniper was immediately on the driver’s phone talking to local authorities while Milo followed strict instructions from the responders and led them to the gas shut-off. I silently thanked Rhyett for taking the time to point out so many details on the tour.

All the while, I stood frozen, feeling useless as everyone moved around me. I didn’t realize when tears started pouring down my face. Didn’t realize my breath was all but stalling out in my chest. Didn’t even notice when I started shaking. It wasn’t until the telltale creak of the rig moving that I realized I’d turned to stone. But it was Elora’s soft hand against my back that finally snapped me into the present.

“He’ll get her.”

He’ll get her. Her big brother had very likely gone after my dumb freaking dog instead of doing the rational thing and staying the hell away from the danger. And she thought I was worried for Royal. I mean, yes, I was terrified for my dog, but it was Rhyett who had me ready to puke into the grass. When something inside the house cracked with a pop that rang in my ears, glass shattering a moment later, we all winced. Juniper wandered to my side, her round eyes on the dream home they’d all been looking forward to sharing for the winter. But it was her son’s name she whispered as her fingers hovered over her lips.

“There they are,” Jameson said as he jogged up to my side, the rumble of the truck still purring behind us, where he’d pulled the rig out of range without blocking the entrance for more emergency personnel. The trucks were parked at three different points, the men already at work to extinguish the damn thing. But he was pointing towards the corner of the house, still fully intact, where the porch was perched, so cheerily oblivious to the dire circumstances.

My heart leapt into my throat, and before anybody could tell me otherwise, I was sprinting for his outline against the house. Rhyett saw me coming, bending down to set Royal on her feet, where she promptly bolted across the green until she nearly collided with my shins, jumping and pawing at me like I’d been the idiot that got into danger. Her frantic yips were punctuated with a vertical leap as she nipped, kissed, and nudged me. However, it was the caress of Rhyett’s eyes that held my focus until he was safely out of range of any danger. Wordlessly, he scooped me into his muddy arms as Royal continued her love assault, and we nearly fell over in the process.

“What were you thinking?” I demanded, my voice cracking on a suppressed sob. “Dammit, Rhyett,” I muttered between kisses. His hands were somehow everywhere, cradling my face, sliding down my neck, squeezing the cage of my ribs. Like he was checking to make sure I was real and tangible and in one piece. Once they found my ass, I became acutely aware my own had roamed in much the same manner. Refusing to be swept down the river of lust, I slammed my palms into his chest, anger fueling the motion, though it did absolutely nothing to move the man claiming my mouth in a violent, primal collision.

My breath was a gasp as I pushed against him again, repeating, “Whatwere you thinking?!”

That damn chuckle wound through my rib cage until it constricted when he coughed, turning his face so he didn’t hack into mine. His fingers threaded into my hair, pulling my head against his chest. The prickles of eyes skimming up my spine told me the whole family was watching. I didn’t care. Couldn’t bring myself to peel away as the steady, rapid thud of his heartbeat hammered in my ear, soothing my panic.

“Baby,” he finally rasped, petting down the length of my hair to where it rested against my low back. “When are you going to get it through your head?”

“What?” I blubbered, now full-on ugly crying into his shirt.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make you happy. Even chasing your dumbass dog into a rabbit den about to ignite. I mean, she’s a little whacky, but she’s family.”Dammit. The tears ratcheted up to a downpour. “I love you, Brexley Snows.”

“So stupid,” I said on a sob, wiping my face on his filthy shirt. “So, so stupid. Don’t you ever—ever—do something like that again,” I demanded, punctuating each ‘ever’ with a solid smack against the unyielding planes of his chest.

“I’m okay, baby. So is Royal. Totally worth it.”

“No,” I said, my voice cracking. “Not okay.”

“Baby, we’re right here.”

“What if something happened to you?!”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me. Baby, will you look at me?” His warm, gritty palms came to rest against my face as the hiss of water on flames grew. Sirens grew closer as the Rhodes family and two firefighters descended on Rhyett. I shook my head, smiling as his chuckle rumbled against my face. “Why not?”

“Because I love you, you big idiot.”

FORTY-NINE

RHYETT

One week ago, the project I’d come here for caught fire. A gas line leak, although we still weren’t sure how it ignited. The entire structure was totaled, much to the livid dismay of our insurance company and every member of the family alike. There were few things Juniper Rhodes hated more than hospitals, but red tape was undoubtedly one of them. And she’d had to deal with both in the last seven days.

“How are you all so calm?” Brexley asked one morning, a bit staggered. I’d simply shrugged.

“Priorities, baby. Once you’ve got the priorities in place, anything outside them doesn’t necessarily matter. The house was empty, and everyone’s safe. The insurance is going to cover the rebuild. We can’t change it, so might as well let it go.” The truth was, our family had faced enough trials, enough losses, that we’d stopped sweating the small stuff ages ago. She’d looked a bit dazed, but then kissed the breath out of me, which I took as a good sign.

With a looming demolition and delays on the final pieces of the bar’s renovation, I felt helplessly stuck sitting on my hands. The first responders had fussed and scolded as they examined me, but even as Royal sat curled at my feet, I didn’t really give a shit. Weird and a little dumb, but she was a lover. She’d refused to leave my side in the following days, like she was somehow aware of the pinch she’d put us both in.

Feet in the sand, I watched the enormous, fluffy, billowing white clouds of an impending thunderstorm crawling towards the stretch of the coast. According to Brexley, they’d become a daily occurrence in no time. Warm waves crashed against my sticky skin, and I breathed in the sunshine and humidity as the horizon turned pink with approaching nightfall. I felt the zing of her focus before the subtle slide of sandy footsteps was audible. The crash of the gulf swallowed the sound of her approach. Brexley. My Brexley.

“That the last of it?” she asked as she looped her arms around my bicep, leaning her head on top.

“Yeah, no point now in sticking around. You sure you can take the time?”

“I can write anywhere,” Brexley assured me, giving the muscle a friendly little pinch that had me thinking about her deft fingers on other places. In the week since the fire, Brexley received not one but two offers for representation from her top pick agents. The odds were insurmountable, and both had incredible traction when landing record-setting deals. It seemed my little entrepreneur had missed her calling after all. “And Holland and Wrenly have proven they’re both worth their salt. The shift leads are great. We’ve set ourselves up well for a trip.”

“You’re going to love Mistyvale.” I smiled at the thought of her getting to take in the emerald island. The towering green mountains and purple flowers, hanging curtains of moss. She was going to lose it.

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