Deadly Desperados (4 page)

“Why is it so … flat?”

Mandy didn’t fully wake up until they landed, although James did manage to pour breakfast down her before she tugged the blanket over her head again. Now that they were on the ground and driving toward their intended location, though, her blue eyes were keen as they surveyed the scenery rushing by.

“Were you expecting mountains?” Jake asked from the driver’s seat, James settled next to him for the quick jaunt between the airport and the farm.

“No,” Mandy said, scowling. “It’s just … everything is really flat.”

“Kind of like your chest in middle school,” Ally chimed in, her gaze fixed outside the window.

Mandy elbowed her best friend, irritated. “I wasn’t
that
flat.”

“You used to wear sweatshirts that were way too big for you because you didn’t want James to know how flat you were,” Ally countered.

“Is that true?” Jake asked, glancing at Mandy in the rearview mirror.

“Yes,” Mandy admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I tried stuffing, but it always looked lumpy.”

“I told you to use pudding in a balloon if you were going to do that,” Ally reminded her. “You said you couldn’t do that because your mom would ask where all the pudding went.”

James made a face. “Is that where all of our pudding went when you were in middle school?”

“I used Jell-O. I like a little jiggle when I walk.”

Jake guffawed while James rubbed the back of his neck. “You still like a little jiggle in your walk, Angel. I like it, too.”

“Don’t push your luck,” James warned. “After that bathroom incident on the plane, you’re lucky you’re still alive.”

“I really did have something in my eye,” Ally protested.

“I think you had something of Jake’s somewhere else,” Mandy countered.

Ally slapped her arm. “Shh.”

“As glad as I am that you’re awake, baby, you missed a lot of the conversation on the plane,” James said. “You’re to refrain from making farm jokes and animal noises because it’s considered rude.”

“Who said anything about animal noises?” Ally asked, confused.

“I thought you liked it when I made animal noises,” Mandy countered. “You love it when I make chomping noises in the hot tub and pretend I’m a shark.”

“That’s because you’re naked when you do it,” James replied, unruffled.

“You two have some weird fetishes,” Jake said, turning onto a long and windy dirt driveway. “You might want to refrain from putting those on display out here. I don’t think people are going to understand that Mandy gets turned on by
Jaws
.”

“I don’t get turned on by the shark,” Mandy corrected. “I get turned on by Martin Brody killing the shark. Get it right.”

“We’ll be on our best behavior,” James promised. “I’ll keep my wife and her Jawesome behind at my side at all times.”

Jake snorted. “Yes, that sounds like a real hardship for you.”

“It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it.”

“You know I can hear the two of you, right?” Mandy asked from the back seat, kicking her foot under James’ seat to get his attention. “Are you going to chase me through a meadow like in
Little House on the Prairie
?”

“Baby, if that does it for you, I’ll chase you through six meadows.”

“I thought it would be warmer here,” Ally admitted. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s nicer than Michigan right now, but it’s not exactly balmy. I was hoping to get a tan.”

“The weather shifts here a lot,” Jake explained. “One day it could be like this and the next day it could snow. A day after that it could be seventy. This is a hard time of year to predict.”

“Will you chase me through a meadow?” Ally asked.

“It wasn’t in my plan, but sure,” Jake acquiesced. “I’ll take you on a picnic and chase you before we … .” He shifted a wary look in James’ direction.

“Before we what?” Ally prodded.

Jake cleared his throat. “Have dessert.”

“That’s a very good answer,” James said.

“So, you’re saying you’d rather have Jake lie to you than know we were going to roll around in a field?” Ally asked, nonplussed.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” James leaned forward as a majestic house popped into view. “Holy … wow. Is that your uncle’s place?”

Jake nodded, his heart rolling. He’d forgotten how much he loved this house and the land surrounding it. Just being back – even if he hadn’t set foot on it yet – was enough to mire him in happy childhood memories.

“That’s amazing,” Ally breathed. “Look at the front porch! It has rocking chairs. I want a front porch like that one day.”

Mandy shrugged. “I like our hot tub and patio better.”

“No one asked you,” Ally muttered, pinching her best friend. “Why do you always have to rain on my parade?”

“Do I have to separate you two?” James asked, arching an eyebrow. “I knew letting you guys sit in the back together was a bad idea.”

“I don’t understand why you’re fighting,” Jake said, parking his rented vehicle and killing the ignition. “You two never fight like this.”

“We do on road trips,” Ally explained, reaching for the door handle. “How do I look?”

“You look good,” Mandy said, running her hand down the back of Ally’s hair to smooth the messy waves. “They’re going to love you.”

Jake narrowed his eyes, confused. “Weren’t you two just fighting?”

“The road trip is over,” Ally explained. “We’re done fighting.”

“I will never understand women,” Jake muttered.

“Join the club and get used to it,” James said. “If I could explain half of the things these two do, I would … be less frustrated almost seventy-five percent of the time.” He clapped his hands, jolting everyone in the vehicle. “Okay, kids, we’re supposed to be on our best behavior, so no one say anything stupid.”

“Wow, thanks for the pep talk,” Ally said dryly. “I … oh … people are coming out of the house.” She turned to Mandy, desperate. “Are you sure I look okay?”

Even though lack of sleep and early-morning travel were enough to irritate Mandy, she wasn’t grumpy enough to dampen Ally’s enthusiasm. “You look beautiful, Ally. They’re going to love you. It’s impossible not to.”

“JAKE!”

Mary Harrison was a petite woman, her brown hair tied up in a simple bun as she rushed down the front steps and threw her arms around her nephew. Ally shifted nervously behind them, internalizing her disappointment that absolutely no one was wearing a prairie skirt or cowboy hat.

“Aunt Mary,” Jake said, returning the hug. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you. I’ve missed you.”

“You wouldn’t have to miss her if you dropped in more often.” Ben Harrison was almost a foot taller than his wife, and while his expression was serious, a hint of amusement lurked behind his chocolate eyes. “In case you missed it, that was a not-so-subtle hint that you should visit us.”

Jake moved away from his aunt and hugged his uncle, taking Ally by surprise with the heartfelt gesture. Most men – her brothers included – opted to do the lame half-man hug. This was a full-on embrace.

“I’m sorry I haven’t visited sooner,” Jake said once they separated. “I’ve been busy getting things in order.”

“I’ve heard,” Ben said. “Your mom and Mary are in constant contact. They like to gossip like riled up hens with only one rooster to crow between them. I understand you’re working for a security company and you’ve moved in with a woman.”

Ben’s kind eyes moved to the three people standing behind Jake. “Since the blonde is holding hands with this other guy, I’m going to guess this pretty little thing is your someone special.”

Before Ally could even utter a greeting Ben was on her, pulling her in for a tight hug. “You’re just a cute little thing, aren’t you?”

Ally returned the hug, although she wasn’t sure how to answer the question. Usually she would let her ego do the talking, but that didn’t seem like the right move now. “I … .”

“Of course she’s cute,” Mary said, pushing Ben out of the way so she could take his place. “Do you think Jake would bring an ugly cow to the pasture?”

Mandy and James exchanged amused glances as Ally hugged Mary.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Ally said once she could get her breath. “Jake talks about you all the time.”

“My understanding is that he talks about you all the time, although his mother says she still hasn’t met you,” Ben said. “How come?”

“I … .” Ally broke off, biting her bottom lip.

“Don’t do that,” Jake warned, slipping an arm around Ally’s waist to bolster her. “We’ve been really busy. We just moved in together and … well … we haven’t had time to go over and visit Mom. We will just as soon as my schedule lightens up.”

“You’d better,” Mary chided. “Your mother is desperate to meet this girl. Now that I’ve met her, though, I can see why you’ve been keeping her to yourself.” Mary’s eyes sparkled. “I have a feeling you like to spend a lot of time alone, don’t you?”

“Aunt Mary,” Jake groaned. “Don’t … do that.”

“What?” Mary asked, feigning innocence. “She’s a beautiful girl and you’re living together. We know what you’re doing.”

James cleared his throat but otherwise remained silent.

“This is James and Mandy Hardy,” Jake said, shifting slightly so the couple in question could move forward. “In addition to being my boss, James is also Ally’s brother.”

“Oh,” Mary said, properly chastised. “I’m guessing you don’t like to hear cuddling talk about your sister, huh? I get that. I had four older brothers. They like to pretend I’m still too young to talk about that stuff.”

Mandy pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “This is a beautiful home,” she said. “How much land do you own?”

“It’s about four thousand acres.”

Mandy swallowed hard. “Four thousand?”

Mary nodded.

“Wow. How many acres do we have again, James?” Mandy asked, her mind traveling to their expansive home.

“Two, baby,” James replied, smirking.

“Huh.”

“Yeah, don’t go wandering off on your own,” James said, squeezing her hand. “I may never find you again and then we would both be sad.”

“And you’re the one who owns the security business, right?” Ben asked, looking James up and down. “You look awfully young to own your own business.”

“I guess you could say I was motivated and I knew what I wanted to do,” James replied.

“And you’re here to help with my situation?”

“I am.”

Ben smiled. “Well, then I guess it doesn’t matter how old you look,” he said. “Come on, everyone. We’ll take you out to the cabins and get you settled. Mary wanted you to stay in the house with us, but Jake thought it was a better idea to give ya’ll some privacy. After seeing everyone together, I know why he wanted that privacy.”

“Uncle Ben!” Jake was mortified.

Ben winked at his nephew. “Come on. We’ll get you guys settled and then give you a tour. Mary is cooking a huge dinner tonight, and you’re going to want to get washed up and rested. This way.”

“THIS
isn’t so bad,” James said, glancing around the tiny cabin as he hoisted his bag on top of the dresser. “I thought it would be smaller than this.”

Mandy arched a challenging eyebrow. “You could fit this whole cabin inside of our bedroom.”

“Yes, but this is rustic and it won’t be forever so … don’t start complaining ,” James warned, wagging a finger in his adorable wife’s face. “Please don’t do anything that will upset Jake. I know this isn’t your idea of appropriate vacation digs, but it’s not that bad.”

“It’s fine,” Mandy said. “It’s like camping … without the mosquitoes.”

James rubbed his thumb over Mandy’s cheek. “Does that mean we get to cuddle around a bonfire at some point?”

“Only if we can have s’mores.”

“I’ll definitely make sure that happens,” James said, returning to his unpacking. “Think of it this way, baby, we’re going to have nothing to focus on in this room but each other. I can think of a hundred different ways that’s going to benefit me.”

Mandy grinned, swatting his rear end playfully as she walked behind him and grabbed her own bag. By the time she rejoined him at the dresser, her eyes were somber. “Can I ask you a question?”

“No.”

Mandy frowned. “Why?”

“Technically that’s a question, and I just told you that you couldn’t ask one,” James pointed out. “As for why I don’t want you to ask a question, you have your serious face on. When that’s the case I know you’re about to dive into something really annoying and drive me crazy with questions I can’t answer.”

“How do you know you can’t answer them if I don’t get a chance to ask them?”

“Fine,” James said, giving in. “What is your question, baby?”

“Do you think Jake was embarrassed to bring Ally out here?”

“No.”

“Then how come he’s never introduced her to his family until now?” Mandy pressed. “How come you had to invite yourself along on this trip – and me by extension – to get him to ask Ally?”