Champagne & Chaps (11 page)

Wyatt set his jaw as he drove his truck to Jeb Harper’s place to see if he could track down Jeb’s brother, Derrick.

The more he thought of it, the more he was sure that Derrick, and probably some other men, had cut his fence line to run drugs through his property. It made sense considering what had probably been in that package that Derrick had Sabrina deliver in Tucson.

Just the thought of what Derrick had caused with Sabrina was enough to make Wyatt want to tear the bastard apart.

Jeb’s driveway was full of potholes but Wyatt’s truck handled them fine. Rusted old trucks lined one side of the driveway, trucks that had to go back as far as the 1940s with “historic vehicle” license plates on them. On the other side of the drive was an old barn, the wood dark and weather-beaten. Any signs that it might have been painted were long gone. Behind the barn was a series of corrals made up of railroad tie posts and barbed wire with metal stays.

The house was white with faded sage green trim, the paint peeling and bare weathered and splintered wood showing through. Weeds choked the front yard and the weeds and grass had gone to seed.

When Wyatt pulled his truck up to the house, he parked in front of one of the railroad ties lying horizontal on the ground, the ties serving as a curb around the house. The oaks around the house were gnarled and not cared for.

He jumped out of his truck and put his hat on before walking up the broken old flagstones to the front door. As he’d driven in he’d looked around to see if Jeb or Derrick were outside but hadn’t spotted either of them. The house was as good a place as any to start.

Just as he reached the front door, it swung open and Jeb stood on the threshold. He was a big man with a mostly bald head. Derrick had more of a pretty boy look to him than Jeb who had a face like a Mack truck had smashed it. He was stocky and built like a bull.

“What’s going on, Cameron?” Jeb stepped outside and closed the front door behind him. “Come to mess up my brother’s face a little more so that it looks like mine?” Jeb’s words were hard.

“If that’s what it takes to keep Derrick away from my woman.” Wyatt squared off his stance. “And keep him off of my property.”

“Can’t keep your woman without beating up the competition?” Jeb had a mean light in his eyes.

Wyatt’s jaw tightened. “Your brother almost hit her. I arrived in time to stop him.”

Jeb looked at Wyatt for a long moment. “That wasn’t how I heard the story.”

“Sounds like whatever Derrick told you was just that—a story.” Wyatt had enough of sparring with Jeb. “Where is he?”

“Inside.” Jeb put his hands in his back pockets. A relaxed stance, but not one that fooled Wyatt. He doubted Jeb was one bit relaxed.

“Like I said, I need to talk to him.”

“I might not like you, Cameron, but I don’t think you’re a liar,” Jeb said. “My little brother doesn’t have honest in his blood. If the sonofabitch is hitting women again, then you’re welcome to beat the shit out of him.”

“Right now all I want to do is have a talk with him.” It had surprised Wyatt that Jeb trusted his word, but Wyatt still didn’t let down his guard for a moment.

Jeb opened the door to his house. “Derrick, get your ass on out here,” he shouted.

“What do you want?” Derrick said to his brother as he showed up in the doorway.

When Derrick saw Wyatt, the look in his eyes turned into a glare. The bruising on his face had yellowed and was almost gone. The place Carly had hit him with the bat was almost healed where the skin had split. His eyes were red—he looked as if he’d been drinking.

“Get the fuck out of here.” Derrick spat the words as Jeb moved aside.

“I’ve come to give you a loud and clear warning, Harper,” Wyatt said to Derrick. “You stay away from Sabrina and you stay off my property.”

“Tell the bitch to give me my money.” Derrick’s words slurred and Wyatt smelled alcohol on his breath.

“What money?” Jeb’s brows narrowed.

“Nothin’.” Derrick shook his head and stepped back. The expression on his face made it clear he’d just let something out that he hadn’t intended for his brother to hear.

“You tell me what money you’re talking about or I’m kicking your ass out of my house.” Jeb’s tone was dark, dangerous.

Derrick shrugged. “The bitch borrowed money from me. I want her to pay me back.”

“What he’s telling you is a bunch of shit.” Wyatt looked at Jeb. “Ask for the real reasons the sheriff’s department has been talking to him. I’m betting he didn’t tell you one damn bit of truth.”

“I’ll do that,” Jeb said as he stared at his brother. Jeb looked at Wyatt. “You’ve said your piece so why don’t you head on home.”

“So long as we’re clear.” Wyatt stared Derrick down. “I’m only going to say it one more time. Stay away from Sabrina and stay the hell off my property.”

Derrick glared but said nothing.

Wyatt gave Jeb a nod then turned and started back toward his truck.

Instinct had him turning just as Derrick charged him. “You sonofabitch,” the man shouted.

Derrick swung at Wyatt who stepped into the man’s space. His blow was off and his knuckles grazed Wyatt’s jaw.

Wyatt drove one fist into Derrick’s belly and caught his jaw with an uppercut.

Derrick dropped to the ground, his arm cradling his belly as he looked like he was going to get back up, his eyes wild with alcohol and anger.

“Stay there.” Jeb raised his boot as if to stomp on Derrick’s gut. Jeb turned his attention to Wyatt. “You’ve made your point. Now get on out of here.”

Wyatt turned and headed for his truck. Derrick was still sitting on the ground, his eyes filled with hate as Wyatt climbed into his truck, started it, and backed up. He drove off knowing Derrick would shoot him in the back if he ever had the chance.

* * * * *

“What a beautiful day to go fishing.” Sabrina breathed in the scents of water and fresh air as the small aluminum fishing boat rocked on the swells. She smiled at Mike Sharpe who sat on the bow on the other side of Carly then at Wyatt who sat by the trolling motor. “Thank you for bringing us.”

“Ditto.” Carly tipped her head back and looked up at the cloudless early morning sky. “It’s going to be a hot one, so this is a perfect time to be out here on the lake.”

It was two days after the birthday party and Wyatt had driven Sabrina back to Patagonia where they picked up Carly and Mike.

Other small boats with fisherman were out, Parker Canyon Lake a popular summer destination. Even though it was early, the sun was already warm on Sabrina’s legs but a cool breeze off the lake brushed her shoulders that were bared by her tank top. She tugged her baseball cap down to shield her eyes from the rising sun. She watched as trout flashed in the sun as they jumped for insects across the lake.

Mike’s cousin Ty, who owned Sharpe’s Feed and Tack, owned a small cabin just east of the lake. He kept almost every kind of fishing supply that they could possibly need with the exception of live bait. Earlier they’d gone to the lake’s general store and purchased the earthworms and some liver and salmon eggs as well as their fishing licenses.

“Ready to bait your hook?” Wyatt settled next to Sabrina as he opened up a can filled with earthworms that he’d taken out of the tackle box.

“Uh, yeah.” She’d never been really squeamish, but she’d never baited a hook with a worm, either. “Do you want to do the honors?”

He gave her a sexy little grin as pulled out one of the nightcrawlers. He took the hook and baited it with the worm. “Now I’ll show you how to cast your line.” He raised the rod and she watched the virtually invisible line wink in the sunlight as he cast it.

The reel whined as the line unwound as it arced through the sky. In the distance she heard the faint
plop
of the hook and bait hitting the water and saw the small ripples it caused. He set the line with a click of the reel.

“I’m going to reel it in and let you try now.” He started turning the reel and it clicked and whined as he slowly reeled in the line.

Sabrina glanced at Carly who was next to her, with Mike on the opposite side. Carly’s legs were long and tanned, her jean shorts reaching mid-thigh. She also wore a tank top and had a baseball cap on to protect her head from the sun.

Mike handed a rod to Carly. Unlike Sabrina, Carly was an experienced fisherman but she was pretending she didn’t know how. Sabrina wanted to laugh as Mike showed Carly how to bait her hook and cast her line. Carly was playing it up to Mike in her flirting, teasing way. He clearly loved all of her curves and seemed to find any excuse he could to touch her.

Wyatt had Sabrina cast her line on her own. The hook plopped in the water about six feet from the side of the boat. He grinned and had her reel it back in. “Let’s try that again.”

She did, and this time the hook caught in Mike’s old straw cowboy hat. Carly giggled and Sabrina clapped her hand over her mouth.

Sabrina felt a little sheepish. “Sorry.”

Mike laughed. “Better my hat than me.”

This time Sabrina made a face as she baited her own hook with a nightcrawler. Carly cast her line right before Sabrina cast hers again. She crossed Carly’s line in a perfect X.

“Let’s hope those don’t tangle.” Wyatt brought in Sabrina’s line, which did tangle with Carly’s.

Both girls started laughing and giggling so hard that Wyatt said they were going to capsize the boat if they weren’t careful. “Don’t rock the boat,” he said, but with a grin.

Wyatt spent a little time untangling and cutting the lines then he and Mike tied hooks back on the lines and the girls baited them.

“I’ll get it this time.” Sabrina set her jaw and cast her line. It plopped a good distance away on hers and Wyatt’s side of the boat. Carly pretended as she took a couple more tries and then hers was set, too.

The sun grew warmer as they relaxed in the boat. According to Wyatt, the lake was stocked with trout in the winter but they died off as the water got warmer. It had been a mild spring and summer so far, so they were still there. It also had resident catfish, bass, and sunfish.

It wasn’t long before there was a tug on Sabrina’s line. A thrill went through her as Wyatt helped her reel in her line as the rod bowed from the strength of the fish fighting it. He stayed behind her and the fish started flapping in the water as it rose up, it’s scales flashing rainbow colors in the sunlight.

“My first fish.” Sabrina felt a burst of excitement. “Rainbow trout, right?”

“Yep. Good job.” Wyatt put on a pair of gloves and caught the fish in one hand while removing the hook with a pair of pliers in his other. He took the trout and hooked it through the gill on a stringer that they let dangle in the water to keep the fish fresh. “This evening we’ll have a nice trout dinner.”

“Yum.” Sabrina said.

Something tugged at Carly’s line and she exclaimed, “I got one.”

It wasn’t long before she reeled in a trout that was bigger than Sabrina’s.

“I bet Mike and I will catch more fish than you two.” Carly looked at Sabrina and Wyatt. “Losers clean the fish.”

“Or we each reach our limit of trout before you reach yours,” Mike added with a grin as he put Carly’s fish on their own stringer. “By at least one.”

“You’re on.” Wyatt watched as Sabrina cast her re-baited hook and line again. “Sabrina’s getting pretty good at this.”

Sabrina thought it was a little silly, but she felt a burst of pride at what Wyatt had said about her getting pretty good.

As they caught the trout, Sabrina realized it had been a long time since she’d enjoyed herself so much. She and Wyatt were neck and neck with Carly and Mike for the number of fish caught until it started to taper off. They caught a couple of sunfish and a catfish but tossed them back into the lake.

The only thing that marred the morning was a strange prickling sensation that kept going up and down Sabrina’s spine. She felt like they were being watched. Which was entirely silly.

When they were hungry they ate egg salad sandwiches from the small ice chest as well as ham and cheese along with chips and sodas, and cookies for dessert.

By one, Sabrina and Wyatt had caught five trout, with Mike and Carly winning with the six that Carly caught.

“Didn’t you say something about not rocking the boat?” Carly gave an impish grin and started rocking the boat from side to side.

Sabrina put her hands to her sides on the wooden seat. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I’ve always liked to rock the boat. It’s no fun living a boring life.” Carly gave a hard lurch to the side.

“Nooo,” Sabrina shouted and tried to grab onto the wooden bench seat. Her fingers slipped and as she started falling backward, she reached our and grabbed Carly’s shirt. The boat was still lurching from side to side. Carly last her balance and both were pitched in over the side.

Carly gave a squeal of laughter as they landed in the water.

Somehow Mike and Wyatt managed to stay in the boat. They laughed as both Sabrina and Carly came up sputtering. Carly laughed even harder as she reached for the boat and looked over her shoulder to see Sabrina swim toward her baseball hat that was now floating away with the ripples they’d caused.

It took some maneuvering, but Carly and Sabrina managed to get back into the boat without capsizing it.

Sabrina could tell Wyatt was holding back more laughter as he grinned at her. “You look like a cute wet puppy,” he said.

“A puppy?” Carly snorted. “More like a drowned rat.”

“Speaking of drowned rats.” Sabrina eyed Carly. “Want to end up in the lake again?”

Carly grinned. “No, thank you.”

Wyatt used the trolling motor to head back to the dock. After they climbed out of the boat and returned it to the boat rental area, they took their fish and tackle and walked to where they’d parked the truck.

Water squished in Sabrina’s canvas shoes and she felt the warmth of the sun on her shoulders. Her hair was already dry but her clothes were damp.

Carly and Sabrina carried the fishing poles while Mike handled the ice chest that now held the two stringers of trout and Wyatt took care of the tackle.

“I haven’t had this much fun in
ages
.” Carly smiled at Mike and then Wyatt. “I really appreciate you two taking us.”