Page 34 of Love, Hate, Love

“Sorry to bother you so late, but I have to do a check-in.” He shrugged.

“Leah’s still out working. Had a problem in the back pasture. I’d give her a call and tell her to head back, but she doesn’t have a phone. She’s quite a good worker. Won’t quit until the job is done.”

He nodded, as if that were all perfectly understandable. He also looked around as if he were at a loss for what to do now that his quick check-in wasn’t working out so neatly.

“Can I get you a drink while you wait? I’ve got a really nice whiskey that just came in—a Macallan 1979.”

Paul’s eyes lit up like a true whiskey connoisseur’s. Then his hands went to his hips as he looked about and back at his car, as if he weren’t sure what to do with himself. “I’d love to, but I can’t drink on the job.”

He stared at me, as if I were the one who should tell him what to do.

“Hang on a second,” I said, deciding I was going to help us both out of this little predicament.

I walked into the house and grabbed the bottle. I’d been trying to get my hands on one of these for months, thinking I’d crack it open for a special occasion or a rough day. Keeping Leah out of prison appeared to be that moment. This was going to hurt. The bottle had cost me twenty grand and I hadn’t even taken a whiff of it.

I walked back to Paul, handing it over. “Here, take it for all the hard work you guys do. You can have a drink after your shift with the guys.”

“You sure?” He took the bottle like it was a newborn baby.

“Not a problem. I’ve got another one.” I waved it off like it was chump change, but it hurt like handing over my kidney.

I didn’t actually have another one, but I would as soon as I could track one down. They weren’t that easy to come by.

“How’s the wife?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Let’s just say I’m booking a lot of overtime,” he said, and then laughed.

I’d known his wife for a while, too. Everyone knew what he’d been getting into, and more than one had tried to talk him out of it. Thinking about that woman made letting go of that whiskey slightly easier. If anyone needed it, it was him.

“You know, I’ll just check off that I saw her,” Paul said, still examining his bottle. “If you say it’s all good, your word is enough for me.”

I spotted two dots on the horizon riding toward the garages.

“No need. Looks like they’re on their way back.”

“Oh, well, that’s great. Can check that box and won’t have to even lie about it. I won’t need to come by until next month” He coughed repeatedly, and it sounded like he said, “Last Tuesday of the month.”

I nodded. “Appreciate that.”

“Well, I can see her fine enough from here. See you around,” Paul said, carrying his bottle back to his car and taking off like he thought I’d ask for it back.

His tires were still crunching the gravel when I headed toward the garage where the ATVs had just disappeared. Alec and Leah came strolling out before I closed the distance, smiling and laughing. Her hair was tousled like they’d been having a damned good time.

Alec rolled his eyes as soon as he saw me coming, as if he were going to have to listen to me. He’d be lucky if that was all he got.

“Where the fuck have you two been? I lied for your ass and you’re out rolling in the bushes with my brother?”

Leah’s eyes flashed with murder and heat, and the fact that she’d just been fucking around with my brother did not do one thing to stop me from wanting to grab her and pin her beneath me. It might’ve made the urges worse—I wanted to fuck the memory of him out of her mind until not only could she not think straight, but couldn’t walk straight either.

“Yeah, because I’m a whore, right?” she threw at me. “A felon, a whore, and a liar.”

“You’re out of line,” Alec said, stepping forward.

“Stay out of this. You’re causing enough issues,” I said, pointing at him.

“You’re being a bigger dick than I knew you could be,” he said.

“I am? I’m the one who saved her ass from going to prison. I didn’t see you stepping up to the plate,” I said, closing the gap between us.