Page 12 of Guarding His Home
He wasn’t in the barn, but the sound of power tools drew him through and to the door of the work room. “Is this where you go when you’re stressed?” Lucas asked, not wanting to startle Brendan.
“Yes.” The lathe wound down after Brendan switched it off. “I keep worrying about Jameson.”
“I checked her trunk when I put things away, and there was only a small bag for her. I also checked the trackers as I came in, and they both indicate that they are on the turnpike, heading to Pittsburgh after a stop here in town, most likely to pick up Jenn’s mother. So far everything is fine. I know she may be angry with you, but I don’t think that she would harm Jameson. After all, she has filed an appeal for custody, and any bad behavior is not going to help her case.”
“I suppose you’re right.” He set aside what he’d been working on and turned out the light as he left the room. After closing the door, he locked it, greeting the riders as he walked through. A few of the girls tittered after them.
Lucas ignored it. “I worked up where we should put the cameras,” Lucas said once they were out of earshot of the barn. “I thought one could go right above the barn door. I can angle it downward, and the frame of the door itself should largely hide it. Another can be installed on the light pole for the yard, angled toward the paddocks, and the third on the other side toward the various animal pens. That should cover most of the area around the house.”
“What about the last camera?” Brendan asked. “We could put that in the front of the house so it captures the cars coming in the drive.”
“Good idea,” Lucas told him, watching Brendan closely. “I know you’re worried, and I wish I could make it easier for you. I really do.” He was coming to understand what it meant to be a parent and all the anxiety involved with being a good one.
ChapterFive
Brendan turnedoff the vacuum after clearing up the sawdust. He had spent a lot of time in the workshop this weekend and got a lot done, though he still hadn’t figured out what he wanted to make for kids. Lucas had pretty much left him alone, and that was probably good, because Brendan was not good company at the moment. Hell, he was a little tired of himself at the moment. He checked that everything was where it belonged before turning out the lights and locking up.
The barn was quiet. All the horses had hay and water, so he continued on and into the house, checking the time. Jenn was supposed to have Jameson back in an hour, and he was looking forward to it.
Lucas’s truck stood off to the side of the yard, but everything seemed still. None of the riders were there, and the farm seemed rather sleepy, like the fun was gone. Brendan knew that was a stupid notion coming out of his worry. The trackers had shown both of them in the Pittsburgh area all weekend, so Jenn had done just what she had said she would… at least, so far.
Inside the house, he pulled off his shirt in the mud room and tossed it in a basket. It was covered in sawdust, and he didn’t want to track it in the house. His shoes followed, along with his socks. He didn’t shuck his jeans, but he did brush them off outside before heading back in and going through to the stairs. Lucas sat in a chair in the living room, his legs stretched out, reading on his phone. He looked up as Brendan came through, his gaze stopping and holding on him.
Brendan looked down to see if something was wrong and realized Lucas was watching him, his gaze intensifying by the second. Brendan swallowed and turned away, his cheeks heatingas he went up the stairs. He always hated that he blushed at any sort of interest.
Hurrying up the stairs, he grabbed fresh clothes, went into the bathroom, and showered quickly before dressing and returning to the living room. Lucas was still in the chair, but his phone was on the table next to him, his arms folded across his strong chest.
“I like the way you blush all the time.”
“I don’t,” Brendan said flatly.
Lucas stood. “You know, I also like how you were dressed before.”
“I wasn’t dressed. I….” Brendan’s brain kicked in. “Oh….” His throat went dry. “I’m flattered, I really am, and you’re hot and… good to us… and, well, everything. But….” Jesus, he sounded like a stuttering teenager. He could feel the blushes starting once more, and Brendan wished he could just make it stop. It felt like his own cheeks were betraying him. He was trying to be strong, but his damned cheeks flamedtake me.
“I get it. But….” Lucas got to his feet, that gaze still white-hot. Brendan had been cruised by both men and women before and knew there was nothing more attractive than someone who found you hot, and this moment was no exception. The way Lucas watched him with such naked want and banked passion was almost enough to get him to cave right there. But he had more important people to worry about other than himself. Brendan had already seen what the transient nature of Jenn, in and out of Jameson’s life, had done to him, and he couldn’t be the source of something like that.
Brendan decided to change the subject. He needed a way to catch his breath. “Have you checked on Jameson recently?”
Lucas grabbed his phone and brought up the app. “They’re not far from the farm. It looks like she’s bringing him back and that they’ll be here soon.”
Brendan headed for the door, but Lucas lightly touched his shoulder, heat spreading in an instant. “Don’t. Let them come in the drive and then go out to see them. You don’t want her suspecting about the trackers.”
“True,” Brendan agreed. “But I don’t know what I should be doing.”
“Just sit down and relax. They’ll be here soon enough,” Lucas said softly. “Being out there isn’t going to make them get here any faster.” He smiled, and Brendan sat on the sofa, grabbing a copy ofCountry Lifefrom the table. He thumbed though it until he heard tires on the gravel. Then he got up and went to the door. Jenn pulled to a stop and got out of the car, then helped Jameson, who jumped down and ran to the door. Brendan opened it, and Jameson ran into his arms.
“Daddy, Daddy.” Those words, almost yelled, so happily warmed his heart. He lifted Jameson and hugged him tightly.
“Did you have a good time?” he asked as Jenn’s mother, Regina, got out of the car as well. That said a lot.
“Mommy and Grandma were fighting,” Jameson said, holding him tightly.
“That happens sometimes. Why don’t you go inside. Lucas is in there, and you can play.” He set Jameson down, and he ran into the house, babbling a mile a minute to Lucas, and then ran up the stairs.
“Hello, Regina,” he said to his former mother-in-law before getting Jameson’s bag from the trunk. She was a troublemaker, especially since the divorce, so he had as little contact with her as possible. He purposely avoided as much conversation with Jenn as he could, not looking in her direction. He checked the back seat and grabbed the last of Jameson’s things, including Roary. “You’ve had a long drive.” Jameson came out from inside and right up next to him. “Say goodbye to Mommy and Grandma,” he told him. Jameson said goodbye and waved. Regina’sexpression turned sour before she got back in the car, but Jenn stood outside her door. Brendan knew her well enough to know she wanted something, but he wasn’t in the mood for any of her demands.
“We need to talk,” she said. He refused to rise to the bait and shrugged. He had nothing to say to her. Jenn came around the car and up on the steps. “Apparently, you have someone living here. Another man.”
