Page 4 of Triple Puck Valentines

Her lips move with the wordsthank you, she pecks hers against mine instead of saying the words. I grasp her hand in mine, helping her to the aisle. I reach up to tug our carry-on bags down, both of them on my shoulders. I don’t want her to carry anything.

We walk side by side down the stairs, and toward the building. We follow the rest of the passengers to the baggage claim area. The room is filled with soft voices. Filled with over one hundred voices, a roar floods the room, all of us waiting for our bags.

A familiar voice booms from the corner of the room, silencing the other voices, “Jeremiah. Are you in here?”

I roll my eyes and shake my head. Noah doesn’t care what my opinion is. The time here will be pure hell. Having Kat will be settling for me, but also hell by keeping my family from hurting her feelings. I tried to tell her, but she’s gotten kinda headstrong.

“We’re over here Noah.”

I throw a glance at Katrina to have her raise her eyebrows. “Jeremiah?”

“Yeah. I know. They’re stubborn asses. Remember I tried to tell you not to come. The second you’re ready to leave let me know and you’re on the next plane out. K?” I toss as much love in my voice as possible. She needs to know I’ll protect her with everything I have. Because she’s my everything. My phone rings, I watch my brother slow as a sloth, try to dodge people getting in his way. I grab it out of my back pocket and hit go.

“Hey Hutch. How’s it going in Texas? You there yet? How’s our girl doing?” Jesse is the worrier of us. Wants to make sure we’re okay. Mother freakin hen.

“We’re fine. I’ll have her call you later after we get to the ranch. My brother is making his way over. There’s going to be a fight when I tell him I’m getting a rental.” My tone held a I’m-ready-to-fight-you-for-my-right-to-drive-myself.

“Jeremiah. There you are. Come on. Let’s go. Mom’s got supper goin.” His voice booms even louder, his I-want-everyone-to-look-at-me attitude.

I place my hand at the small of Kat’s back, rubbing small circles. I’m sure she’s nervous. Anyone with any sense would be. When we turn to Noah I wrap my arm around her waist, tugging her as close to me as she can get. Hip to hip. Leg to leg. We are one.

We face him and he stops abruptly.in his tracks when he sees two of us. His stern, frozen face falls even more. Become even more solid. Like marble.

“I didn’t know you were bringing someone. Did Ma know?” His mouth barely moves with his words. There’s no surprise on his face. No curiosity. Nothing. Blank.

“No. It was a…last minute decision.” My eyes watch every flicker of his. My job with the Bay City Brawlers Hockey Team is watching the other teams for their moves in the games. So, I watch waiting for the right moment to attack.

“You should have told us. We don’t have the extra room.” Noah’s face cracks in a lift of his lip in a snarl.

I move my position in this game of minds, “we don’t want to impose. We’ll get a hotel room. The Norton is close by. I’ll get a rental car and we’ll stay there.”

He snorts, shaking his head, his eyes narrow to slits, “no, no. We’ll make room. You know that don’t you. Always the imposition. You can take one of the cabins. We just fired one of the men that had it with his wife. We haven’t had time to clean it out. Don’t have the time.”

I know that’s a jab at Kat, but I don’t want to burst her friendly bubble. My brother isn’t being nice. She’s nodding her head with the enthusiasm of a nice person. Noah is smirking in distain, eyeing her designer fake fur boots, her designer jeans that for me fit a little too tight. I want to plunge a knife in his eyes for roaming over her like they are. He thinks she’s Southern California rich. Which she is. But she’s more. And if he thinks he will hurt her he has me to answer to.

4

KATRINA

I’ll help Hutch’s family any way I can. So, if cleaning a cabin is what I can do then fine I will. Nursing his mother? No problem. You do things like this for the ones you love.

Jesse and Abe will be here in about two weeks. They don’t want to miss our first Valentines Day together.

They might not know anything about ranching, but knowing them they’ll be ready to help any way they can.

Hutch is glaring at his brother. Both are the same height. Noah has a more hardened, lined face. Well, he’s fifteen years older. They’re only half brothers. Hutch’s hands are fisted in the front pockets of his jeans. His whole body is a tight spring waiting to be unleashed. The tension is heavy enough it can’t be cut with an ordinary knife. Machete’ maybe.

“The three of us won’t fit in the cab of my truck.” He eyes me up and down, his gaze settling on my wide waist and hips. I’m not that fat.

I thrust my hand out, “nice to meet you. I’m Katrina Perkins.”

Noah glances down to glare at the hand I hold out, until I yank it back to hide behind me. As if I did something wrong.

“I said.” Hutch’s voice is as hard as his face as he bites the words out, leaning into Noah’s space. Their faces so close they’re almost touching. Both brothers glare into each other’s eyes. I’ve never been around such hostility between family. “I’ll get a rental. I know how to get to the ranch. We’ll get there when we get there.”

Noah raises his hands in front of him, backing down with a sneer, “fine. Fine. After all this time not coming back, I thought maybe you might have forgotten where you come from. But, I can see you haven’t. Have you?”

With those parting words he swivels around on the heel of his mud-splattered work boots and leaves us alone with over one hundred people. Hutch loops his arm through mine, his other hand against my back pressing me closer, and plucks a kiss to my lips. A cheer starts from the front of the crowd, spreading through the room, the voices get louder and the cranking of a machine starts. But to us the clamor is as quiet as a whisper.

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