Just Her Luck (46 page)

Nothing more.

He shifted and glanced down.

"It was stupid. I was jealous."

"That doesn't make it..."

"I know it doesn't. I'm an ass. A huge one... It won't happen again. I swear," he promised, stealing a quick kiss that I didn't return.

I huffed at him instead.

"Damn right it won't happen again, you self-absorbed prick!"

"It won't!"

"Now let me up!"

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"You're still mad at me."

"Of course I'm still mad at you! You're insane!"

"Only when it comes to you, sugar bean." A crooked smile quirked up his lips.

I groaned and tried to wriggle around a little more, drawing his attention to my legs.

"Uh... don't hit me for this but..." he trailed off.

Thatcher's eyebrows arched up and he ran his hand up under my skirt, skating over my naked naughty bits, pulling his hand back just as fast to pull the skirt of my dress down, tucking it down and around me, right where it should be.

"Honey lamb, did you lose your panties?" he whispered, fingers trailing the hem of my dress.

I blushed profusely, noting the guys weren't staring anymore, looking anywhere but at
us
now.

Oh... my... god...

It dawned on me then, what they were looking at so fixedly.

And they didn't say anything! None of them!

Oh!

I'm going to kill them all.

"Get off! Get off! Get off!"

"I would love to," Thatcher grumbled, glancing down meaningfully where all my guys’ eyes had been stuck to previously, obviously on my exposed junk.

My skirt had been flipped up just enough that if you were sitting where they were and you looked up and over, you got a free show.

I swear, if I could, I would have literally seen red, my eye color matching my face.

How embarrassing!

"Ow! Ow! Help! I was just kidding, love! Shit! She's maiming me! Help! I didn't mean it!
I didn't mean it!"
Thatcher yelped.

****

Brayden came back to the table, took one look at all the hullabaloo and loudly asked, "You ridin' with us to take Ms. Ruthie back, girly?"

I could just kiss this man!
I thought gratefully, elbowing Thatcher repeatedly, whenever he opened his big fat mouth.

I'm beginning to suspect Thatch isn't quite the ladies’ man he makes himself out to be.

Do I want to ride back with them?

I don't even need to think about it.

"Love to, thanks!" I grinned up at him.

He chuckled and shook his head at his sons.

"Raised me up a bunch of idiots, I did. All y'all." He popped the ones closest to him upside the head, smiling when they each protested, and Eustice, just in case, ducked anyways.

They all grumbled under their breaths, making him raise one single dark brow, but nothing more.

"What happened?" Barb asked, walking up, face flushed and happy, taking in all the grumpy faces.

"It looks like they did something stupid," Phin chimed in, nodding his head, acknowledging a shit storm when he saw one.

"You should know," Barb snorted, making him smirk.

"Who fucked up?" Jep asked eagerly, leading Ruthie over, studying our group. "Oooohhhh," he said in an all knowing tone, raising his brows at them. "What did you do now?"

"I didn't..."

"I don't know what you..."

"It wasn't..."

Ruthie laughed and slapped her knee.

"Oh, this was the most fun I've had in ages! I swear, I've never laughed so hard in my life!"

Snagging up my purse, I got up, taking her arm in mine.

"I'm glad you had fun, Ruthie," I told her.

"From the sounds of it, you did too," she cackled gleefully, a knowing look on her face, eyes dancing with unsuppressed amusement, laughing at my discomfort.

"Shhh, old woman," I muttered low, "Or you'll be riding home strapped to the roof!"

She burst out laughing and let go of me.

"Oh, dear heart, I would just love to see you try!"

She headed off for the bathroom while I shook my head at her.

I grinned at her audacity, smiling in spite of it all, especially her just blurting out my 'business'.

Her happy laugh is contagious, I can't help it.

"Genevieve! Genevieve! We're leavin' now!" Cal waved, running up to me.

I am so glad Cal hadn't been at his table to overhear us all a little bit ago.

I cringed at the thought.

"I'm leaving in a bit too, buddy. Maybe I'll see you the next time your uncle comes up to the ranch."

"Really?!" he asked excitedly, dancing around me.

"Really," I laughed.

"Do they gots pigs there?"

"Uhmmm, I dunno. Haven't seen any yet," I shrugged, "but I don't know."

"Do you gots pigs, Reeve?" Cal yelled, getting Reeve's attention.

Reeve sauntered over, walking up right behind me as Cal asked again.

"Nope. Sorry, bud."

"Oh," his shoulders slumped, disappointed, "I like pigs."

"I do too," I smiled, winking at him.

"You do?" Reeve turned to me, surprised, glancing down at me.

"I danced with three of them, what do you think?" My voice was laced with all the haughtiness of a queen.

A queen 'B'! Ha ha!

Reeve started laughing.

Now who’s surprised
, I thought inwardly, blinking stupidly.

Calvin, giggled, shaking his head.

"I told ya she's lots of fun," he told Reeve, "didn't I?"

"Sure did," he agreed, squashing Cal's hat down on his head.

"You can't dance with pigs, Genevieve! They're animals." He tried to pull his hat off to fix it, but Reeve pushed it back down again.

"They are," I agreed solemnly, making him wrinkle his brows, slapping at Reeve when he went to mess with my little boyfriend again.

"Leave him alone!"

"What?" he asked innocently, "He likes it."

"He likes it no more than Eustice likes being called a man-gorilla."

"But you do it anyways," he said slyly, lips curling up at the corners.

"That's different," I sniffed, "I
like
Calvin."

"Hey!" Eustice groused, offended, overhearing us and walking over to join us.

"It was nice to see you again, Genevieve." Tara waved, smiling at me warmly, collecting her son.

"Nice to see you too."

I waved back as they left, smiling when Tennessee walked up and slapped both men on the back.

"I'll be seein' you fellas later. Poker night at my place?"

"If I don't work, then sure," Eustice agreed, shrugging.

"Reeve?"

"I'll have to see..." He glanced at me and looked away quickly.

"That's cool," I nudged Ten, "You gonna take ‘em for all they got?"

"Damn straight," he said proudly.

"What do you know about poker?" Eustice asked curiously, the look on his face conveying how much he thinks a woman should know about the game.

"What do you know about nursing?" I quipped, giving the sexist turn a little tit for tat.

"You just gonna let her talk to ya like that, Tice?" Ten guffawed.

"Why did you have to come tonight, anyhow?" Eustice grumbled, face pinking up, arms crossed over his massive barrel chest.

"Why did
you
?"

Jutting his jaw forward, he shifted his stance stubbornly.

"Your Aunt Ruthie invited me."

Really?

"She did?" I glanced from him to where Ruthie had retreated to the bathroom.

Why would she do that?

Does she know him that well?

And how come I never knew?

Am I never in the loop anymore?

"Oh, I figured if the boys didn't talk you outta this break up nonsense, you could catch Eustice's eye and make ‘em jealous," Ruthie chimed in, patting Eustice on the arm, popping up out of nowhere like some mystical magical wizard, "That'd get things fixed right quick."

"You what?!" I gaped, jaw thudding to the floor.

She didn't!!

That’s ridiculous!

Reeve's eyes widened as his eyebrows tried to kiss his hair line.

Ohhhh, this is so frickin' embarrassing, and in front of 'him' of all people.

"Well, Barb thought it was a lovely idea. She said if they didn't beat his ass first, it should all work out just fine."

I choked on my own spit.

"Ruthie!"

"Oh, hush,” she admonished, as if that wasn’t the most ridiculously preposterous thing ever, “Nobody got hurt and Eustice was too chicken to go for it anyways."

"I'm not a chicken! What do you mean, if they didn't beat my ass first?" Eustice harrumphed.

"You had me dress up why, then? I know it wasn't to try and change me. You're always going on about how I should always be me. So how does that fit into it? You just wanted to channel your inner child and pretend I was a life sized doll?"

Is that sarcasm in my voice? Incredulity? A whole lot of ‘what the fuck?’?

Why, yes, it sure as shit is.

"That was just like Barb said, sweetie. We wanted to have a little fun, play dress up. I did so always want a girl. Anyways, I saw my opening and I took it. Can’t blame me really, can you?" She sighed wistfully, then gave me a stubborn look. "Don't you start complainin' neither, you had just as much fun as we did.
”
She cleared her throat and fiddled with the strap of her purse. “Erm, sorta."

I did, but I'm not going to say that out loud.

"You're crazy..." I muttered, flopping my hands to my sides.

"Meh,” she shrugged, unrepentant, “But you love me anyways, don't you, Vieve?"

"Heaven only knows why, but I do," I mumbled, floored by her absurdity.

"Okay... I'll admit," she said a bit sheepishly, "we
did
have you take out the piercings in an attempt to attract Tice. He doesn't like ladies with piercings and such, but he doesn't mind tattoos," she snorted at the very idea, "Ever heard of such a thing? How silly some of you young men are."

She had her arm firmly on me now, guiding a dumbfounded, blinking stupidly me outside.

"I will concede that I did do that one thing, but I wasn't trying to change you, just help along my cause, you know? Get the heads out of the bums..."

"Oh, Ruthie... what on earth am I going to do with you?" I groaned, completely exasperated with her.

"Not a damn thing, dear heart," she chuckled, patting my hand, "Not a damn thing."

****

There was another knock at my door, but I ignored it, choosing to finish up this last bit of work I'd stayed up late to get done.

The door knob rattled and I smiled, glad Brayden had offered to put a dead bolt on my bedroom door for me.

Have I mentioned how much their dads rock?

They're awesome!

"Genny?" A pause and then, "Baby? It's me... you gonna open the door for me?"

"No." I swiveled, turning back to my laptop.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you, baby. I love you. Won't you please open up?"

"It's no use, 'E'. I can't see your puppy dog eyes with the door closed, so you might as well knock it off!"

A pause and then, "How'd she know I was doin' that?"

"And tell whoever is with you to go on as well! I'm not taking any more
visitors
tonight, if you know what I mean."

"Whaddaya mean
more
? How many
visitors
have you had today, girly?" Bowen growled, making me smile.

"Don't ask stupid questions, Bo. You know she was out tusslin' around with Sawyer earlier," Ephraim groused.

There was another pause and then Bo grunted in agreement and muttered, "Don't care what they said about boots and such. They were fuckin'."

"Good night!" I called cheerfully, chortling quietly when they both stomped away after a few minutes.

I finished up for the night and shut down my computer, making my way to the bathroom to have a nice long soak in the tub, minus my stitches in the water, of course.

Bubble bath anyone?

****

I was about twenty minutes into my soak, bubbles surrounding me, when I saw the bathroom window slowly slide open, an arm reaching in to feel around.

On the cusp of screaming my head off, a familiar blonde head popped in, green eyes searching the room.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, giving me a good once over, "I'll use the other window."

His head disappeared and I stared in morbid fascination, watching as the window quietly slid shut.

"What the... Thatcher! Thatcher!" I shouted, not the least bit surprised when the bathroom door popped open a few minutes later and he poked his head through, obviously having just come in through my bedroom window.

"Yes, my love?" he asked unabashedly.

"What... why?" I gestured wildly to him and the windows, thankful for all the extra bubbles I'd decided to add.

He walked the rest of the way in, wearing all black, a flashlight in his back pocket, beanie in the other.

"Are you going to burgle me? What are you doing? What
were
you thinking?"

Was he thinking at all?

"I was going to sneak in and sleep over," he shrugged, "I figured you'd be asleep by now. Then you couldn't tell me no," he said slowly, eyeing me warily.

"Of course I'd tell you no! You're an insensitive prick!"

"Does that mean no, then?" he asked impishly, grinning roguishly, eyes twinkling, irritating me most maddeningly.

"Yes!"

"Okay," he said happily and kicked off his shoes.

"What are you doing now?" I sputtered, watching him, "Don't take off your clothes!"

He'd started unbuttoning the fly of his jeans, tugging his shirt up, but stopped.

"You said 'yes' to the no."

"Yes! So what are you doing?" Brandishing my loofa, I waved it around menacingly, bubbles flying everywhere.

Oooh, I’m scary now.

Shut up, self!

"I'm joining you," he said simply, sauntering over to the tub.

"Are you mental?” I slopped bubbles at him, “No means no! Get out!"

"You said yes, remember?" he chuckled.

"I said no!"

"So you're saying no to the no, then?" He raised a brow as if
I
was the one who’d gone loopy, twisting it around.