Seeking Love in Salvation (3 page)

* * * *

“Two women and a kid?” Sparrow asked as he and his brothers gathered around the kitchen table for dinner.

“Yup,” Ridge replied and then took a slug from his bottle of beer.

“From New York?” Beck asked.

“I gathered, from the accent,” Ridge replied.

“What’s with you? You’re not even expanding on any information. Did you find out what they do for a living? Why it’s the two of them and a little kid?” Sparrow questioned. He was the oldest and always liked to be in charge and to keep up with what was going on. This was their property and he wanted to know exactly who was living in that cottage and whatever else he could find out about them.

“You want to know? Ask them questions tomorrow, but just know that the one quiet sister with the kid looks sick and withdrawn. Like maybe she’s ill or recovering from something.”

“How could you tell, Ridge?” Beck asked.

Sparrow felt his gut clench. They didn’t need some screwed up women living next door and causing trouble. The point of having this ranch was to be alone. He didn’t even want to rent out the cottage, but in the past year they allowed some friends, fellow troops, to come stay there until they figured out where they wanted to go next. He was fine with that. But two women and a kid? Shit.

Ridge looked up at his two brothers and then the empty chair where Jace should be. He had been missing for the last four days.

“Because the sister, Valentina, the one who called about the cottage and made the final decision on it, is drop-dead gorgeous. I think if the sister wasn’t sick then she would be pretty fine-looking, too. Just an observation,” he added, but Sparrow thought his tone sounded off. Like maybe he’d observed more and wasn’t ready to say it.

Beck and Sparrow put their forks down.

“What do you mean? You allowed them to rent the place because you want down the sister’s pants?” Beck asked before Sparrow could.

Ridge raised one of his eyebrows at him.

“Like I need to resort to that type of shit to get laid? I don’t think so. What I’m saying is that she is a very attractive young woman. Very assertive, and likable. I got the feeling that the woman with the kid, the sister, was timid, shy, and on edge. The kid freaked out when Valentina disappeared into the house with me. When the kid came running inside, he was crying, and then saw me, stopped short, covered his eyes, and fell to the floor.”

Sparrow’s gut ached. That didn’t seem right at all.

“It was like the sight of a man, of me standing there next to his aunt, scared him. She immediately calmed him down and held him in her arms. It was just a feeling, but I think there’s more to that. I’m telling you,” Ridge stated seriously.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Beck said.

“Do we know who told them about our place? I mean, why come all the way from New York and hope that a place would be available and work out? It’s reckless, especially with a little kid to haul around,” Sparrow said, seeming angry at the fact.

“So many people have asked about the place in the last several months,” Ridge told them.

“Anyone we’re close to?” Sparrow asked.

“Gunny McCallister.”

“Shit. Something is up. I’m going to give Gunny a call. The last thing we need is trouble around here. Gunny should know what we’re dealing with, with Jace, and how peaceful we needed this place to be. Shit,” Sparrow said and then stood up and pulled out his cell phone.

“What makes you think there’s a problem?” Ridge asked.

Sparrow gave him a sideways glance and a firm expression. “We’ve lived in Salvation long enough to know that if Gunny McCallister recommends a place for someone from out of town to stay, then something is going on.”

The phone rang three times before Gunny answered it. Sparrow ran his fingers through his hair.

“Hey, Sparrow, what’s up?”

‘“Why don’t you tell me? Seems we got a bite on the cottage today. Two women and a kid. Know anything about them?” Sparrow asked straight out. He didn’t beat around the bush. It was part of his personality. He figured people have a harder time lying to you when you confront them head-on.

Gunny chuckled.

“Good, so you met Helena’s friends?”

“Helena?” he asked and looked at his brothers. Helena was their cousin.

“So I take it she didn’t inform you about her friend moving out here?”

“No, she didn’t, but then again, she
did
send Carlos this way six months ago when he was recovering from his injury on the job.”

“That’s Helena. She’s good people and a good friend. If you’re concerned about these friends of hers, I would ask her about it. Listen, I need to go. Gia needs help with the babies.”

“No problem. Thanks.”

Sparrow disconnected the call and looked at his brothers.

“Well?”

“Call Helena,” Beck said to him.

Sparrow thought about it a moment.

“No, if Helena sent them here to have a place to stay, then I’m sure they’re not in trouble. If they were, she would have told us before hand and asked if it would be okay.”

Ridge took a slug of beer. “I’m willing to wait and find out ourselves. They’ll be here moving in first thing tomorrow morning. I doubt they’ll be causing any trouble.”

Sparrow squinted his eyes at his brother and felt that uneasy sensation in his gut that always warned him of impeding trouble.

“We’ll see. If they are trouble, then we get them the hell out of here as fast as we can.”

Valentina drove the rented U-Haul truck as Helena, Lois, and Kenny rode in the car. They had all their belongings packed in the vehicles and couldn’t wait to start settling into their new house. As they pulled up and began to unpack, Valentina saw Ridge and another man get into a pickup truck and head their way. The large black pickup truck was top of the line, with all the bells and whistles. It was sharp looking, and she was impressed the moment it got closer.

As the truck stopped, Valentina got out of the U-Haul. She saw Helena give a wave and then Ridge got out from the driver’s side and another guy, tall with crew-cut blond hair and muscles galore, got out of the passenger side. She felt that tiny sensation in her core at the sight of the two good-looking cowboys. It was so strange how good-looking men were around these parts.

She shouldn’t feel intimidated or uneasy about the men, considering that Helena told her last night that they were her cousins. Valentina had been shocked, but it put Lois at ease knowing they were Helena’s family. Men put Lois on edge. If Valentina was at all honest with herself she would admit the same thing, but being a cop for four years made her hardheaded. Plus, she was the breadwinner of this family, and had been prior to the attack in the apartment. She shivered from the thoughts and she felt on edge.

“Good morning, cuz,” Ridge said as he gave Helena a hug. Helena then hugged the other guy, who kept his eyes on Valentina and looked her over. Why she felt aroused slightly, she didn’t know, but she clearly wasn’t going to fall for the charms of sexy cowboys. She knew how to handle men, all types, and especially ones as good-looking as these guys.

Helena made the introductions.

“This is my other cousin, Beck. Beck, meet my good friend Valentina from New York and her family. This is Lois and Kenny,” Helena said to them.

Valentina caught Ridge staring at her along with his brother as Beck reached his hand out for her to shake. She gave him a firm shake and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Beck.”

Then she gasped as Kenny slammed into her, wrapping his body around her leg. She laughed and then lifted him up against her hip.

“Kenny, you remember Ridge from yesterday?” He nodded and squeezed her close, turning his face into her neck, tickling her. She could see the concerned expressions in the brothers’ eyes.

“He’s shy.”

“Kenny, he’s the landlord. The one I pay the rent to for living in your new house. And this is his brother, Beck. Can you say hello to them like a big boy with manners does?” she asked Kenny.

He lifted his face up and shyly looked from one man to the other.

“Nice to meet you,” he said in his little four-year-old voice. Then he slid down from her hip and ran to his mother. Lois avoided the two men completely and sat in the car. It didn’t go unnoticed.

“Do you have the key for them?” Helena asked after a few seconds of awkward silence as Beck and Ridge stared at Valentina.

“Oh, shoot, you need the down payment,” Valentina said and reached into her back pocket. She pulled out the cash and handed it to Ridge. When their fingers touched she felt a spark of something, and he must have felt it, too, because he gave her a wink. “Thanks, darling,” he said and Beck squinted at her and licked his lower lip. For crying out loud, they were sexy as sin.

She turned toward Helena, who seemed to read her mind, and she chuckled.

“I think you’re going to love it here, Val,” she said and then grabbed her arm. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

“Do you need any help?” Beck asked. One look over her shoulder and Val could see the shock on Ridge’s face when his brother asked that question.

“No, thank you. We’ll be fine. We don’t have much, but thanks,” Val said, and then they unlocked the door and Lois and Kenny followed them inside.

* * * *

“So, what do you think?” Helena asked Valentina when they were finished cleaning up and organizing the kitchen. Lois was settling Kenny down for a nap. The kid was exhausted.

“The place is perfect for us. I was worried about not knowing the area, but a few drives around the place and I’m sure I’ll get my bearings.”

Helena gave her shoulder a nudge. “That’s great, but I meant about my cousins,” she said and winked.

Valentina placed her hands on her hips and gave her friend a sideways glance.

“What about them?”

“Oh, come on,” she said and wiped out the inside of a glass before putting it into the top cabinet. They were almost finished setting up the kitchen.

“I saw them eating you up with their eyes. They couldn’t take their eyes off of you, and you were practically drooling,” Helena said to her friend. She started laughing when Valentina’s mouth gaped open then snapped closed. She kept a straight expression. She didn’t deny it, and Helena couldn’t help but be excited. Perhaps her cousins would finally find real interest in a woman and settling down. She thought about Jace. He was really suffering from his anxiety and the effects of the war. He had disappeared this week and no one knew where he was. She hoped that he was okay.

“They’re very attractive men,” Val said and looked at Helena, who wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

“There have been a lot of attractive men around here. In fact, what exactly do you people put in the water around here?”

Helena chuckled.

“Honey, I think they were thinking the same thing about you, Miss New York.”

“Oh, stop that,” she replied.

Helena smiled. Valentina had been in a beauty pageant when she was seventeen and won Miss New York in a statewide competition. She won not only because of her beauty but also because of her personality and her goal to be a police officer one day. She’d achieved her dreams and was outstanding in her profession. Helena worried about her, though. Her friend was still recovering from gunshot injuries after the attack on her, Lois, and Kenny. She hoped she would be able to go back to police work. She would be an asset to any department. Hopefully working in the special victims recovery unit with the Texas Rangers would encourage her to get back out on the streets. Helena wasn’t sure.

“So, this Gunny guy sounds pretty intense. Was he really honest about the specifications for the part-time job or what?” Valentina asked her.

“Gunny is a straight shooter. He tells it the way it is. I’m good friends with his wife. She’s the one that just had the baby. It’s their second.”

“Her and Gunny?”

“Well, and Wes and Garrett, his brothers.”

“God, I need to get used to this whole ménage thing you all have going out here. I thought you were lying to me when you warned me about them.”

“Nope, they exist and you’re living in an area where multiple towns accept it and encourage it. I mentioned when you called me months ago about seeking a safer, more secure, and calmer location to move to—Salvation has its advantages.”

“You did, but from what I’ve seen so far it has the quaint town, the friendly people, and the peace and quiet.”

“You all are safe here. Women are extra protected around Salvation, as well as some of the surrounding towns. It’s something I’ll need to explain to you and to Lois.”

“What do you mean?” Lois asked, joining them.

Helena looked at Lois. She hadn’t seen her in years, but she knew she was an attractive woman and shared similar features with Valentina—like her blue eyes and the blonde hair, but Lois’s hair was a darker blonde. She looked so withdrawn and fragile. Valentina had told Helena some of the details of their attack, but Helena also knew that Valentina had a knack for counseling and helping talk people through things. If anyone could help Lois get through this, it would be Valentina.