Texas Rebel by Jean Brashear

Author:Jean Brashear [Brashear, Jean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Texas
Published: 2014-02-20T13:00:00+00:00

He heard the laughter when he opened the courthouse door, that funny half-snort Penny couldn’t stem when she was really amused.

She’d hated it, growing up. So of course he’d teased her unmercifully.

The woman who’d only skated the edges of involvement in Sweetgrass since the wedding, though, had shown no evidence of humor. Now, however, she and someone else back in the kitchen—Scarlett, he guessed—were caught in the sort of hysterical giggling that was hard to stop.

He started toward them, but Ian’s voice halted him. “Hey, Wiz. You still around? Haven’t seen much of you.” The knowing grin was one he couldn’t refute. “How are things out there?”

Jackson sighed. “I had to push my way in and I’ve gotten a lot done, but man…there’s a lot left.”

“Those city boy gym muscles actually know how to work?”

“Screw you.” They exchanged grins. There was no one in his current life with whom he knew anything even vaguely reminiscent of the easy camaraderie he’d taken for granted with this man.

“Hey, Scarlett told me about Bali. No way we can accept that, but—”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because it’s not right.”

“Oh? You’re not the one who spent your whole life with your nose stuck in a travel book every second you could grab?”

“That’s not it.” Ian’s gaze slid away.

“Then what is?” Jackson exhaled. “Because I left? Because I stayed gone, is that it?”

“No, man.” Ian straightened. Strode to him and shoved him. “Actually, yeah, now that I think of it. What the hell, Jackson? You didn’t think being best friends since we were babies entitled me to know you were still alive?”

“You could have found me if you’d tried.”

“Screw you twice.” Ian shoved him again. “Why should I? I side with you against the whole town, I do everything I can to pull you out of the hole you were already in because of your mom.” Another push. “I bring you to my house so your sonofabitch dad will leave you alone, and you don’t even think to drop me a postcard? You decide, what, that almost eighteen years means nothing?” The most even-tempered man Jackson had ever met was shouting now.

And he had no defense.

So he went on offense and shoved back. “Up yours, Mr. Self-righteous. Not all of us can do no wrong in the eyes of everyone we know. Not all of us have family who’d go to the wall for us—”

“Screw you!” Ian shouted, and slammed his fist into Jackson’s jaw.

He fell backward, as much from the shock as the blow, though his buddy packed one hell of a wallop.

Then his worries over Veronica, his concerns about the kids, this yearning he felt growing and could not tolerate collided with concerns over his company and the knowledge that Ian was right—

He exploded back, launching himself onto Ian and taking them both to the floor.

“What are you two doing?” Scarlett shouted.

Vaguely he heard footsteps pounding as he and Ian struggled together, each trying to get in a good lick.

Ian popped him a sneaky left hook that snapped his head back.

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