Reunion at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels

Author:B.J. Daniels [Daniels, B.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2015-12-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Laramie had always been the sensible one. He was the brother the others came to when they had financial questions. He was the one who tried to keep them out of trouble. He was the one—though the youngest—they all expected to be the rational, clear thinking one.

Given what had happened in the past few days, he shouldn’t have been that surprised to see that all four of his brothers were waiting for him when he returned to his house. He suspected they hadn’t come to see his new residence as he got out and walked toward the waiting vehicle—and his waiting brothers.

“I hope you brought me supper from the restaurant,” Laramie said as his brothers all piled out of Austin’s SUV. “And more beer.” None of them even smiled. He braced himself for the lectures that he knew were coming as he opened the front door of the house.

“Why don’t we all have a cold one?” he suggested as he walked into the kitchen. Behind him, they all trudged in, stopping to take their boots off at the door. He turned around to stare and then laugh.

“What’s so damned funny?” Jackson demanded.

“All of you. You’re all so well...trained now. Is that what marriage does to you? If so, I’ll pass.”

“Don’t try to change the subject. You’re in enough trouble,” Hayes warned.

“I’ll take that beer you offered,” Tag said. The other three brothers shot him an annoyed look. “Hey, we can lay into him and still have a beer while we do it.”

“If this is about Sid...” He opened the refrigerator and brought out five bottles of beer.

“We just heard about someone running you off the highway in the canyon,” Hayes said. “You didn’t even bother to tell us?”

“I’m fine,” Laramie said. “But I appreciate your concern,” he said as he handed them each a bottle.

“Where have you been?” Austin asked, sounding as though he was interrogating one of his suspects back when he was a deputy sheriff in Texas.

“At Cardwell Ranch having lunch with Dana and Hud,” Laramie said, twisting off the cap from his beer. He took a drink, then added, “Before that I went on a horseback ride.”

“Alone?” Austin asked, then sighed when Laramie said nothing. He wrenched the top off his bottle of beer. “I told you to be careful. A horseback ride?”

“You probably want to see the house,” Laramie said. He was still too happy about his afternoon ride with Sid to want to argue with his brothers. Not that he didn’t understand their concern. He was too smart not to realize he was playing with fire.

“I want to see these damned paintings,” Tag said. He looked toward the stairs. “Are they up there?”

“They were when I left,” Laramie said.

* * *

SID EASED HER FINGER off the trigger of the gun in her coat pocket. Her older sister stood over the painting on her easel—after having picked the lock on Sid’s back door. Sid tried to tamp down her annoyance. Seeing her was like seeing a ghostly image of herself.

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