Montana Rescue (The Wildes of Birch Bay Book 2) (20 page)

“So . . .” Harper began. “I’m just going to”—she motioned with her thumb over her shoulder—“I’m sure I have clothes to wash . . . or something.” She gave a little shudder and mumbled, “Or
anything
.”

“Chicken,” Nick taunted.

“Not chicken. Just smart. Sorry, but this isn’t my family. I don’t have to do this.”

“True.” He kissed her, keeping it light. “Can I see you tomorrow night?” He already knew she’d be working all day. She had a contract for more stunt work.

At the sound of raised voices, she looked up—then glanced down the hallway, toward the room Jenna had disappeared into. She chewed on the corner of her lip. “You’re going to check on her, right?”

“Absolutely. She’ll have me playing dolls with her in no time.”

“Good.” Harper turned back to Nick and stared him straight in the eye. “Want to come to my house tomorrow night? We can watch a movie.”

The offer had his heart thundering.
“Yes. Can I bring dinner?”

“Please. Pizza. Sausage and pineapple.”

Nick made a face. “That sounds like a girly pizza.”

“You’re coming to my house. I get to choose the pizza.”

“Since I’m the one buying, seems I should get to choose.”

She stepped into him, and pressed one more kiss to his lips. And she didn’t keep hers as innocent as he had. “But you’re still going to bring me sausage and pineapple, right?” she wheedled when she pulled away.

“Right,” he whispered. Then
he
kissed her. For a
very
long time. And he fought hard to keep his thoughts from showing on his face. He liked this. He liked
her
. And he was beginning to suspect that he could do this for a good, long while. “Will you be careful tomorrow?” he asked.

“As careful as always.”

He held in the sigh. It would have to be enough.

Nick stood at his bedroom door, overnight bag in hand, and closed his eyes to take in the sounds coming from other parts of the house. Just two days ago he’d thought it too quiet there, yet he’d already changed his mind. He could hear Jenna in her room on the same level as him, her childlike voice talking softly to the dolls he’d spent several hours playing with the night before, while at the same time, her mother’s voice came from downstairs, complaining yet again.

Gabe and Michelle had only been there for one night, but Nick had already had enough. Maybe this had played into him staying away for so long, too. That had never occurred to him. But given that Gabe’s wife had never been one to keep her unhappiness to herself, and that the personality resemblance to their mother was more than uncomfortable, it made sense that them living here would have kept him away. It would have kept anyone away, even without the mother issues.

Jenna’s voice changed down the hall, it’s natural rhythm becoming tighter and higher pitched, and Nick headed in her direction.

He stopped at the open door to her room, taking in the bunk beds she and Dani had picked out when they’d all still lived at the house and the pink Cinderella décor that remained. This was one room Gloria hadn’t touched, and he could see why. It spoke of little girls.

“How are you doing, kiddo?”

Jenna’s wide blue eyes looked up from where she sat on the floor, a Barbie in each hand. The grown-up doll had been chastising the younger one for not making her bed the right way. Jenna’s immediate smile reached inside Nick’s chest. “I’m good, Uncle Nick.” Her gaze dropped to his bag. “Are you going somewhere?”

“I am.” He was heading to Harper’s house and had every finger crossed that she intended to let him spend the night. “But I could wait. I could stay and play with you for a while first.”

“That’s okay.” The words came out too stilted for her young age. “My Daddy will play with me after he finishes arguing with Mama. He always does.”

Nick’s heart broke. He couldn’t leave her like this. Nor could he let her stay in the house listening to the argument that continued to play out below. “Tell you what. How about you go outside with me? We’ll put my bag in the truck, then we’ll check on the cherry trees until your daddy comes for you.”

She jumped immediately to her feet. “Can I take my Barbie with me?”

“Absolutely.”

She took a minute to pick out just the right doll—then had to change its clothes before they went out—but the minute she was ready, she held her tiny hand up to his and gave him the same sweet smile she always wore, and Nick decided right then and there that he wanted to be a dad someday. In fact, he’d take this one if he could figure out how. Not to get her away from Gabe, but from her mother.

He wrapped his hand around hers, and together they headed for the stairs. But before they made it to the first floor, the bickering suddenly stopped and the back door slammed shut. Nick kept a firm grip on Jenna as her entire arm tensed, and kept marching them forward.

As they neared, Gabe eyed them from where he stood in the middle of the room, his breathing shallow, and his control still visibly shaken. “You two heading somewhere?” he asked.

“Just outside, Daddy. I’m helping Uncle Nick get to his car, and then we’re going to check on the cherry trees.”

Gabe glanced toward the front of the house at the sound of a vehicle flying down the driveway. “I’ll come out in a minute and find you.”

“Okay. And I’ll tell you if the trees are ready yet or not.”

That made Gabe chuckle lightly, the sound filled with both love and exhaustion. “That sounds good, baby.” He gave Jenna a quick kiss on the cheek and moved past them, probably to pace the length of the room, and Nick and his niece continued outside.

After he tossed his bag into the front seat of his truck, he turned back to his niece and, hands on hips, he stared down at her. “Your Daddy loves you lots. You know that, right?”

Her head bobbed up and down. “I know. He tells me every day.”

Her words comforted Nick. There’d been a time when Gabe had been almost as distant with his daughter as her mother. Not in the same way. And never because he didn’t care. He’d just had no idea what to do with her, and with Dani living here with them, she’d taken up the slack without realizing it. Jenna had never gone without love, but with a mother like Michelle, he knew how it could feel that way.

He stooped, intending to give her a hug, but stopped, still on his haunches, at the sight of a vehicle heading toward them. But it wasn’t Gabe’s SUV barreling up the drive.

A puff of dirt trailed along behind the black sedan, and Nick put his arm around Jenna, tugging her back against him as the vehicle didn’t seem to slow in speed. It careened forward until it was fifteen feet in front of them, and the second the swirling dust cleared, Nick broke into a grin.

“It’s Uncle Nate!” Jenna shouted.

Yes. It was most definitely Uncle Nate.

Nate pushed open the door and climbed from the seat. He wore red flannel pushed up to his elbows, jeans that were ragged at the hem and torn across one knee, and sported a full dark beard.

“You took leave,” Nick said.

Nate held his arms open as the five-year-old ran into them. “I took leave,” he confirmed. When he stood, he lifted Jenna onto his hip. “Checked your schedule and decided I’d come home and see you ride this weekend.” That weekend’s rodeo was in Augusta.

“You staying long?”

Nate shrugged. “I’ll play it by ear. Figured I’d see Gabe and Jenna for a few days, hang out until Dad gets back.”

“Better stay until Dani comes home.”

The back door opened before Nate confirmed one way or the other, and Gabe appeared.

“Look who came to see me, Daddy.”

Gabe looked as pleased as Nick at the sight of their brother. “I see that. Did you already ask if he plans to play Barbies with you?”

Wide blue eyes turned to Nate. “Will you?”

“That’s why I came home,” Nate responded, and Nick and Gabe both laughed. The four of them talked for several minutes, about the weekend’s rodeo and the fact that it was only a few hours away, and Jenna talked her Daddy into going without Nick having to corner him and do it for her.

“We’ll even stay overnight,” Gabe told her.

“In a hotel?”

“Augusta’s best.” Which wouldn’t hold a candle to anything she’d seen since moving to Los Angeles, but Nick knew it would be a great adventure for her nonetheless.

“Is Mama gonna come?” Jenna asked.

Her excitement noticeably waned, and as Gabe answered with something noncommittal, Nate’s gaze shot to Nick’s. Nick could hear the words behind the look. No one had expected Gabe’s wife to make the trip. And Nick hadn’t gotten around to texting his twin since they’d shown up.

Nick shrugged a silent
Shocked the hell out of me, too
, and at the sound of the house phone ringing, Gabe and Jenna headed back inside. Nick was left standing in the driveway, the passenger door of his truck still open, and his brother seeming pissed.

“She’s here, too?”

“I have no idea why,” Nick confirmed. “Been griping since the minute she walked in the door. I’m sure she won’t go to Augusta with them. I suspect Gabe will go as an escape more than anything.”

“It’s never going to get better for him,” Nate grunted out.

“Yet it’s not our call to make.”

Nate’s gaze landed on the bag sitting shotgun in the truck, and his brows went up. “You’re heading out?” Then a knowing look appeared on Nate’s face. “You’re still seeing her?”

“Maybe I’m just going to the gym,” Nick hedged. The bag was the right size for the gym.

“And maybe you’re full of shit.”

Nick’s cell went off, and he ignored his brother to read the text.

Bring beer.

He smiled and punched out a quick affirmative.

“Hmpf,”
Nate muttered. “You actually like this one.”

Nick started to deny it. He and Nate didn’t “do” relationships. Yet, Harper had surpassed “just sex” whether he’d wanted to admit it or not. “I actually like this one,” he confessed. “I could cancel tonight, though.” He hadn’t seen Nate in months. And he
would
be seeing Harper again the next day.

“Don’t even think about it.” Nate eyed the back door where Gabe and Jenna had disappeared. “But there’s no way I’m staying here without you. The key to Dani’s apartment still in the house?”

Dani had rented a small upstairs apartment when she’d returned from New York, eventually buying the entire building. She’d lived in the apartment until she and Ben had married, and had plans to turn the first floor into an office front for her marketing business.

“As far as I know,” Nick answered. He nodded toward the house. “Let’s find the key.”

They headed inside, and while Nate rummaged through the kitchen drawers looking for the spare key, Nick called their sister. He confirmed with her that the apartment was empty, and while he was at it, he let her know that Jenna could stand to see her friend.

“We might cut our trip shorter than planned,” Dani told him. “I’m not sure by how much, but we’re all missing home.”

“Just make Jenna priority number one when you get here, if you can. She’s different.”

“She okay?”

“Yes. Quieter mostly. Sadder. But strangely”—he kicked Nate to get his attention, and when he knew both brother
and
sister were listening, and their oldest sibling was somewhere upstairs, he continued—“Gabe seems different, too. Standing up to Michelle more. And she isn’t taking it well. In fact, it feels like World War III is about to erupt.”

“That would be another reason to come on back,” Dani mused. “I’ll talk to Ben.”

They hung up, and Nick watched as Nate assembled a mammoth-size sandwich.

“So he’s tired of her shit?” Nate asked. He shoved a fourth of the sandwich into his mouth.

“Seems to be.” Nick eyed the food. “Hungry?”

“Starved. Red-eye last night. I’ve barely slept and had nothing but airline food all day.”

Nick tried his best not to look at his watch as they stood there. He wanted to hang with his brother, but he also didn’t want to miss the invite to actually
go
to Harper’s house. That had been big for her.

“Go,” Nate mumbled around another bite. “I’m going to finish this, then head upstairs to hand in my man card.”

“Every guy needs to play with dolls now and then,” Nick said dryly. “Makes you tough.”

“I’m not sure about the tough part.” Nate pulled a drink from the fridge. “But the kid needs a buddy. Even I know that. I’ll go up and win her over like I did with Haley. Make sure I’m her favorite uncle, too.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

Nate guzzled half the soda. “I want to ride over with you tomorrow.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “That okay?”

“Sure.” Nick glanced at the back door. “And it’s really okay if I go?”

“Could I stop you if I wanted to?”

Nick’s smile returned. Nate
could
stop him, but Nick would put up one heck of a fight before he gave in.

“I can’t believe you’re still seeing her,” Nate said around another bite. “You going to let me get a look at her?”

“She’ll be there tomorrow night.”

Another bite disappeared. “And what if I don’t want to wait that long?”