Courage by Kristen Proby

Chapter 4

~Sam~

“Isee Isha!” Kelsey exclaims, pointing at Noah and Fallon’s daughter playing in a field with puppies. “Can I go?”

“Go ahead,” Tash says with a smile. “Have fun. Try not to get too dirty.”

“We’re at a ranch,” I remind her as we glance around the Lazy K Ranch, owned by the King family, outside of Cunningham Falls. I’ve been here plenty over the years, from helping with medical emergencies to enjoying barbecues like this one. “They’re gonna get dirty.”

“I know, but I have to make an effort to keep them clean.” She grins and looks around. “There must be a hundred people here. Maybe more.”

“And you know them all, so don’t get shy on me now.”

“I’m not shy. I’m surprised. I haven’t been to a King BBQ in many years. They’ve grown.”

She’s not wrong.

As the kids married and had children of their own, along with making new friends in town, the parties have gone from smallish get-togethers of a few dozen people to huge events with big white tents and rented tables and chairs.

And with this being the end of summer, it looks like the whole town made a point to show up.

“There you are,” Cara King, one of the owner’s wives says as she approaches with a big smile. “As you can see, we have a zoo going on here. I’ve been told a fishing party is getting ready to walk to the creek out back. I stay away from there.”

She winks at me, and I immediately remember that early summer day all those years ago when she and her nephew, Seth, got into trouble in the creek.

“We have food over that way,” she continues and points to the tent surrounded by mosquito netting. “Drinks are in there, too. In the field over there, we have a friendly game of horseshoes and cornhole. Zack and Josh have been swearing at each other all day, so enter at your own risk. Make yourselves at home. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Cara,” Tash says. “I think you’re going to need help with cleanup when all of this is over.”

“I outsourced this year.” Cara winks. “Have fun, guys.”

She strolls away to welcome others who just arrived, and Noah and Fallon walk our way, holding out cold drinks to us.

“You look like you could use this,” Noah says as he passes me a beer.

“Thanks.”

“I see the kids found the puppies,” Fallon says with a grin and rubs her round, pregnant belly. “Isha is not talking me into one.”

“No, ma’am.” Noah winks at her. “No way.”

“I’m serious, Noah King.” Fallon frowns. “I have enough to do. Puppy training is not on that list.”

“Let’s get out of the sun,” Tash suggests, and we walk over to some Adirondack chairs set under a pair of umbrellas.

“What happened to your hand?” Fallon asks her.

“Oh, I had a run-in with a knife a few days ago. It’s not as bad as it was.” We all sit and enjoy watching the people around us; then she points at a group of teenagers hanging out by the above-ground swimming pool. “Who is that?”

“Miles, Sarah, Layla, and Kimberly,” Noah says, pointing at the teenagers. “Miles and Sarah are Zack’s twins. Layla’s Ty and Lauren’s daughter, and Kim is Cara and Josh’s daughter. They’re all in the same age range and attached at the hip.”

“Who’s the dude draped all over Layla?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.

“New kid in town,” Fallon says. “And that makes him mysterious and incredibly attractive to sixteen-year-old girls.”

“And what does her daddy have to say about that?” I ask.

“Her daddy isn’t happy.” I glance up to find Ty standing nearby, watching the kids with the eyes of a protective father. Ty’s a successful attorney here in Cunningham Falls, but he’s not in a suit today. He’s in a Megadeth T-shirt, his sleeve of tattoos showing. And as the boy in question leans in to plant his lips on Layla’s cheek, Ty’s jaw clenches. “Little son of a bitch better watch himself.”

“We could kill him,” Josh says as he and Zack join us. “There’re plenty of places to dispose of the body on the ranch. No one will find him.”

“Let’s not rush into homicide,” Ty says but crosses his arms over his chest when the boy pats Layla’s ass as she stands to walk to the drink tent. “Layla, come here.”

Her smile dims as she approaches her dad. “Yeah?”

“Let him touch you like that again, and I’ll take his hand off.”

Layla rolls her eyes. “It was harmless.”

“Like hell,” Ty growls. “I’ve been that kid’s age. It wasn’t harmless.”

“Fine.” She stomps away, her red hair flying as she flips it over her shoulder.

“I want my baby back,” Ty says with a sigh. “And she reminds me every day that that’s never gonna happen.”

“At least, she’s not pregnant,” Zack says with a helpful smile, and Ty turns to pull Zack into a headlock, only to end up on his back in the dirt.

“Men are violent,” Tash says, sipping her hard seltzer.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Seth King, Zack’s eldest son, says as he jumps into the mix, hurling himself on his dad’s back.

“Oof,” Zack says, under the weight of his adult son. “Get the fuck off me, kid.”

The jumble of pure male testosterone untangles itself, and the three men grin at each other, heaving in breaths.

“You may be twenty-eight,” Zack says to his son, “but I can still take you.”

“In your dreams, old man.” Seth turns to me with a grin. “Hey, Sam.”

“Hey, yourself. Stay away from the creek today, okay? No more broken ankles.”

“I’m never gonna live that down,” Seth says and shakes his head. “Trust me, Aunt Cara would kill me if I tried a stunt like that again. So, I just learned not to tell her.”

“How are things in the park?” I ask him. Seth’s been a ranger up in Glacier National Park for several years. He has a degree in wildlife biology and loves the park and the animals.

“Busy. Busiest summer to date for tourist traffic. Had an idiot put a bear cub in his car to warm it up.” He snarls in disgust. “Asshole. We aren’t a petting zoo. Anyway, it’s good. Oh, wait a sec.”

He looks over the crowd and then whistles and gestures for someone to join us.

“Tash, Gage is here,” Seth says to a surprised Natasha. “He just got to town.”

Natasha’s eyes go wide as her brother joins us. Gage offers his sister a small smile.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” She stands, and they embrace in the most awkward hug of all time before she steps back and tucks her hair behind her ear. “Back in town, huh?”

“Yeah, just got here last week. I meant to call, but I got busy. You know how it is.”

“Right.” She nods once. “I know how it is. Glad you’re here safely.”

“You know, if you ever want to have dinner with the parents—”

“I don’t,” she cuts him off. “But tell them hi for me.”

She sits down once more and sips her drink. Gage shrugs.

“Sure. I’ll tell them.”

“Welcome home,” I say. Gage is in the Army and has been God knows where for the past few years. He’s also Seth’s best friend.

I should have known he’d be here today.

I don’t know the story behind the tension between Tash and the rest of her family, but I’ll be asking about it later.

Now isn’t the time or place.

“I think I’ll go harass Layla’s new boyfriend,” Seth says with a grin. “He looks way too comfortable over there.”

“Good boy,” Zack says as Seth and Gage saunter over to the pool, pull off their shirts, and sit right next to Layla.

“Here’s hoping they scare the little asshole off,” Ty mutters. “I’m gonna go find my wife.”

He stalks off.

“Speaking of wives,” Zack says. “Mine will kill me if I don’t check the list she gave me this morning.”

Zack hurries off, and then Josh’s parents call him away.

When it’s just the four of us, Fallon turns to Natasha.

“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m a good listener.”

Tash glances at Fallon and taps her can to the other woman’s water. “I’m good. But thanks.”

“Mom! Mom!” Isha comes running and flings herself into Fallon’s lap, having no regard whatsoever for the belly between them. “Can Kevin and Kelsey come to our house tonight? We could have a sleepover and everything.”

Isha grips Fallon’s face in her little hands and presses her nose to her mother’s.

“Pweeeeeease?”

“It’s a long weekend,” Noah says and glances at me. “Fine with us, if it is with you.”

“If you’re sure,” Tash says. “They’re a handful, and—”

“It’ll be great,” Fallon assures Tash easily. “Don’t even worry about it. We’ll bring them home Monday afternoon.”

“Wait, you’re going to take them for the rest of the weekend?” Tash asks.

“Sure. It’ll be fun.”

“Yay!” Isha exclaims and hurries off her mother’s lap so she can go tell the others.

“If you need or want to bring them home early, it’s no problem,” Tash assures Fallon.

“Stop worrying.” Fallon pats Tash’s shoulder. “We’ve got this.”

“I guess this means we can have a date night.” I waggle my eyebrows at Natasha. “You in?”

“Sure. I’m in.”

* * *

“Oh my God,I ate too much bread.” Tash sits back in her seat and pats her flat stomach. “I have a food baby.”

“Worth it, though,” I say as I polish off my tiramisu. I brought her to Ciao for dinner, one of her favorite places. We walked here from her house, anticipating eating all the carbs in the world and needing a walk afterward.

“No one approached us today. Not even at the BBQ.”

I set my green napkin on the table and nod. “You’re right. Is that good or bad?”

“It’s good, I think.” She eyes the last piece of garlic bread in the basket. “I mean, I was sick of it, and it drove me nuts, so it’s a good thing.”

“But?”

“But does it mean that people are forgetting them?”

“You’re an overthinker, Natasha Mills.”

“Yeah.” She shrugs and reaches for the bread, then bites into it. “I always have been. This dinner was a nice surprise. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” I sit back and watch her, feeling something stir inside me when she licks her bottom lip. “That dress is nice on you.”

“Oh, thanks.” She glances down as if she doesn’t remember what she’s wearing.

But I’ll never forget it.

A pink sundress with thin little straps on the shoulders. No bra straps.

This is the second time in only a few days that the thought of Natasha’s bare breasts has gotten me all hot and bothered.

“Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“I asked if you were ready to head out.”

“Oh, sure.” I stand and offer my hand to help her out of the booth. When she walks ahead of me, I keep my hand on the small of her back.

I like touching her—more than I thought I would.

She could become addicting.

I haven’t decided how I feel about that, exactly.

Tash takes a deep breath and lifts her face to the sky. “It’s such a nice day. I’m glad we walked.”

“Me, too. I need to walk off the tiramisu.” I slip my hand into hers as we stroll along the sidewalk, through the heart of downtown Cunningham Falls. Mrs. Blakely steps out of Little Deli to pull her sign in for the night and sees us, her gaze immediately falling to our clasped hands.

But she doesn’t say anything. She just winks and walks back into her shop, locking the door behind her.

“Interesting,” Tash murmurs and looks up at me. “Did you say something to her?”

“Nope.” I laugh when she stares up at me, daring me to lie to her. “I promise. Maybe she just learned her lesson.”

“Maybe.”

It’s late into the evening now, but the sky still hangs onto a bit of light, and the birds sing in the trees as we make our way through town.

Tash lives in an older house in one of the first neighborhoods established in Cunningham Falls. If I remember correctly, I think she’s renting from Ty Sullivan.

But that’s not what I want to discuss with her tonight.

“Tell me about Gage.” Her hand immediately stiffens in mine, but I hold strong.

“We’re just not close.”

“Bullshit.” It’s not said with force or anger, just conversationally.

“I don’t know him,” she finally says with a sigh. “Gage and I haven’t been close since we were little. And once he went into the Army, we drifted apart. We stayed in touch for a while, but it didn’t last long.”

“Why not?”

She blows out a breath. “You’re damn nosy.”

“Curious.”

“My parents and I do not get along. At all. Thankfully, they don’t live here anymore. They moved to Hawaii because my dad’s sister got a teaching job there, and my parents decided that island life was for them. And, to be honest, I don’t miss them a whole lot.”

“I thought they were dead.” I frown. “Since you never talk about them, and I don’t see them around town, I just figured they were no longer with us.”

“They’re alive and well, last I heard. I don’t think I’ve spoken to my mom in about eight years. I talked to my dad a few weeks ago when he called to give his condolences about Monica. When I told him I’d be raising the kids—with you, of course—he just said, ‘Good luck with that.’ Not, ‘Can we help in any way?’ Or ‘Do you need anything?’ So, there’s no love lost there.”

“What started it?” I ask.

“I went to nail school.”

I blink down at her, certain I heard her wrong. “What?”

“Yep. They’d saved up a bunch of money over the years for me to go to college. I didn’t need even a quarter of it for my schooling. I wanted to do nails. They accused me of choosing something cheap, so I could pocket the rest of the money.”

“What the hell?”

“I know, right? The best part is, I didn’t use any of it. Not even for school. I paid it off myself because I’d be damned if I used anything from them.”

“Where did they want you to go to school?”

“Oh, they absolutely expected me to go to the University of Montana, just like they did. They’re alumni. Dedicated doesn’t even begin to describe their love for their alma mater.”

“You seriously don’t speak to your parents because you didn’t go to the college they wanted you to?”

“No, they don’t speak to me. And Gage has had a rough row with them as well because he went into the Army. But, in the beginning, he sided with them. He thought I should just shut up and go. He’s not even a full year younger than me. And when it came time for his turn, he wanted the Army.”

“I bet they weren’t happy about that, either.”

“Actually, they were thrilled. They said that if he wasn’t going to their precious university, at least he would be doing something noble with his life, unlike his white-trash sister.”

I stop on the sidewalk, just a block from Tash’s house, and stare down at her in disbelief.

“You’re fucking kidding me.”

“I wish I were.”

Anger, pure and ripe, fills me on her behalf. I want to beat the shit out of them for ever making her feel less than. Tash has done amazing things with her life and for her community.

“Shame on them,” is all I can say.

“Absolutely.”

We fall into step once more, and I follow her up the steps to her front door. Once she unlocks it, I cage her against the doorway.

She licks her lips, and I know that I’m a goner. Jesus, I want to kiss her more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.

So, I lower my face to hers. I brush her nose with mine and then sink into her, soaking her in. She moans and melts under me as my mouth opens, and I take my fill until I have to pull back and stare down at her.

Her brown eyes are heavy and full of lust as she gazes up at me.

“Sam?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I think you should come inside.”

“Good idea.”

Once through the door, Tash’s purse hits the floor. I shut the door and round on her. I’m not nearly as gentle as I planned to be when I yank her against me and retake her mouth, spinning her and pressing her back against the door.

“So sweet,” I whisper against her neck as I lick my way down her throat. I pull one of the straps of her dress to the side and nip her shoulder. “Jesus, Tash, I want you.”

“Thank God, because if you’d said we shouldn’t and left, I might have killed you dead.”

I pull back to grin down at her. “Violent, aren’t you?”

“Turned on, Sam. I’m damn turned on.”

She slips the other strap down her arm, and the fabric pools around her waist, exposing her perfect breasts. The nipples are hard, and her chest heaves as she pants. I know in my gut that I couldn’t walk out of here if the place were on fire.

“I’m not leaving,” I promise.

“Good.”

“And you’re not going to wear clothes for about the next thirty-six hours.”

“I can live with that.”