Going Cowboy Crazy (27 page)

“I was thinking December after the play-offs.” Harley cleared his throat. “But seeing how y’all are already living together, we better move it up.”

“Move it up?” Rachel Dean gasped. “The weddin’ committee hasn’t even met.”

Slate jumped up and tapped Austin on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go.”

Austin took one look at his face and dropped his fork. “Anything you say, Coach.”

Slate flipped some money on the counter and grabbed up his ball cap before he nodded at Rachel. “Thank Josie for me.”

“Now, Slate, don’t go getting all bent out of shape.” Harley tried to get up, but it was a struggle with his big belly. By the time he was standing, Slate and Austin were already at the door. “I realize football season is a hectic time, but you and Hope won’t have to worry about a thing,” he called after them. “We have everything under control—”

The door slammed closed behind them.

“Damned fools.” Slate hit the handicapped sign with his fist on the way by, and it wobbled as his knuckles throbbed.

“Temper, temper, Coach,” Austin teased, not realizing Slate was a split second away from hitting something besides a sign. And Austin was pushing it.

“So how come you didn’t just tell them that Hope isn’t Hope, she’s Faith?” Austin asked, once they were in the Yukon.

“Seat belt,” he ordered, then waited for Austin to comply before he answered. “We tried that, but those idiots only see what they want to.”

“So they’re planning the entire wedding without you and Hope’s—I mean Faith’s—approval?”

“Pretty much.” Slate popped the SUV into reverse. He aimed for the bumper of Harley’s Cadillac, but inches away, he applied the brakes.

“Wow.” Austin shook his head. “That is crazy.”

“You can say that again.”

“Wow. That is crazy.” Austin grinned over at him.

Slate didn’t grin back, but it was a struggle. The kid was growing on him. Sort of like a flesh-eating fungus.

“Well, look at the bright side,” Austin said. “They can’t have a wedding without a bride. And from what I hear, Faith doesn’t plan on sticking around much longer.”

The thought should’ve made Slate feel better, but it didn’t. As much as he was convinced that he shouldn’t spend too much time with Faith, he didn’t want her leaving. At least, not yet. In a couple days, he would probably feel different. Once he’d gotten his fill of those sweet full lips and that baby soft skin and those big blue eyes. The need to get his fill was probably the reason he wasn’t pushing the townspeople to realize their mistake.

Which meant he was as crazy as they were.

God, he really needed to get out of this town.

“Hey, what is this shi—crap?” Austin pointed at the radio.

Slate reached out and turned up the volume. Jimmy Buffett came through the Bose speakers, singing about Margaritaville. His shoulders relaxed. He glanced over at the kid, who was squinting into the sun that poured through the windshield. He grabbed his straw hat from the dash and tossed it to him. “You ever been to Mexico, Austin?”

“No.” The kid stared down at the hat for a few seconds, as if it were a rattler, before he slapped it on his head and slouched down in the seat like a true Texan.

Slate grinned. “Yeah, me neither.”

“I
T LOOKS LIKE THE GANG’S ALL HERE
,” Slate said as he pulled Bubba’s truck into Burl and Jenna’s front yard.

“The gang?” Faith moved away from the warm, cozy spot she’d occupied against his side and fear rolled through her stomach as her gaze wandered over the extra cars and trucks parked in the yard.

“Now, let’s see,” Slate said. “The green Malibu is Tessa’s. The Ford Explorer belongs to Jenna Jay, and the pickup is Dallas’. It looks like the whole family came to meet you.”

She tried to swallow but her throat had gone as dry as the strong wind that buffeted the truck windows. As if sensing her discomfort, Slate slipped his arm back around her and tugged her against his chest. His hazel eyes twinkled down at her as he reached up to smooth the hair off her forehead.

“You feeling a little nervous?”

“No.”

“Good, because there’s no reason to. The Scroggses are nice people.” His lips brushed the spot between her eyebrows. “I’m especially partial to the youngest twin.”

She pulled back. “But what if they don’t like me?”

Those hazel eyes looked confused. “Not like you? What’s not to like?”

The sweet words made her chest feel light, but they didn’t soothe her nerves. “There’s a lot not to like. Especially when they’re expecting an identical twin.”

“And you do look exactly like Hope.”

“But I don’t act like her. I don’t cuss people up one side and down the other, or drink tequila shooters, or call hogs.”

“And that’s not such a bad thing, darlin’. Especially since I’ve been cussed up one side and down the other and it’s not real fun. Besides, I prefer beer to Cuervo and hog calling has always sounded to me like nails screeching down a chalkboard.”

Her brows tightened. “But don’t you see, they’re expecting an outgoing homecoming queen, not an introverted computer nerd—a nerd who isn’t good with animals and has a very weird accent.”

“Well, I can’t really argue with you about the whole animal thing, seeing how Buster was passed out for two hours straight from the cold medicine you gave him this morning.”

She cringed. “But I didn’t realize that all dogs have wet noses.”

“Well, it’s nothing to worry about. He’s a little slower than normal and ran into the screen door twice, but he’ll snap out of it by tomorrow.” He bit back a grin. “Although I think it might be a good idea to leave the medicating of animals to the vet.”

“But that just proves my point. Only an idiot would do something so stupid.”

“Or a person who didn’t want an animal to suffer with a cold.” Slate kissed the tip of her nose. “And as for your weird accent, it’s kind of grown on me. There’s something damned sexy about the way you say naughty things when I’m deep inside—”

She swatted him in the chest. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.” He grinned, but when she continued to frown he relented. “Okay, so you sound a little different. It’s not a big deal. I sounded different when I first showed up, and people couldn’t’ve cared less.”

“But that’s you.” Faith waved a hand at him. “You’re handsome, and charming, and clever.”

The grin returned. “Handsome, charming, and clever?”

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Releasing his breath, Slate sat back in the seat, his gaze pinned to the ugly cinder-block garage. “Yeah, I know what you mean—probably better than most people. And I wish I could tell you that everything was just great when I first came to live with my aunt and uncle. But I was pissed about my parents’ divorce and having to leave all my friends and being forced to live in a small town with people I didn’t know.”

“Austin.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess I was a lot like the kid. Except I saved my insolence for my aunt and uncle. I complained about everything—the size of my room, the walk to school, and even my aunt’s cooking—which was some of the best stuff I’d ever put in my mouth. For the first month or so, things were pretty bad. But I guess that’s just how it works when people are trying to get to know one another. You can’t cut to the good stuff right away.”

He reached down and lifted her chin. “I know you’re scared, Faith. And I wish I could tell you that you’ll walk in there and every person is going to love you at first sight. But, thankfully, the saying that blood is thicker than water has some truth to it. When someone is related to you, you have a tendency to overlook little imperfections and concentrate on the good things about a person, the things that make them a unique member of your team.” He shrugged. “So I guess what I’m trying to say is, if they don’t love you now, darlin’, they will.”

Something warm and wonderful washed over her, erasing most of the nervousness with a buoyant happy feeling. Suddenly, it didn’t matter if her brother and sisters liked her as long as this man did.

Faith smiled up into his eyes. “Thanks for the pep talk, Coach.”

“You’re welcome.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before he opened the door and helped her down. “Just remember, if you get too nervous, we can always leave.”

Standing in the circle of his arms, she sent him a discerning look. “Back to Bubba’s, I suppose?”

His eyes widened with innocence as the wind played with the strands of his hair. “Only if you insist, darlin’, only if you insist.”

Going back to Bubba’s wasn’t a good idea. The more time she spent in his bed, the more attached she became. But she couldn’t bring herself to tell him no. Not after the endearing pep talk. And not when the thought of returning to his bed made her as dopey as Buster. She realized it probably wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done in her life and, eventually, she’d probably pay for it with a broken heart. But for now, she was right where she wanted to be.

In Slate’s arms.

“Hey, you two,” Jenna called from the front porch. “There’s a lot of folks waiting to meet Faith, so get on in here.”

Slate gave her waist a reassuring squeeze before they walked around the front of the truck.

“What a cute outfit, Faith,” Jenna said as her gaze wandered over the brightly colored blouse, jeans, and red boots.

Slate had driven her back out to Shirlene’s to change clothes after he’d finished practicing with Austin. Shirlene wasn’t the least bit upset that she hadn’t come home the night before. In fact, her green eyes practically danced around in her head the entire time Faith and Slate were there.

The manipulative woman.

“Thank you,” Faith said as she climbed the front steps. “I like yours, too.”

Jenna shook her head as she held the door open. “Oh, this old thing. It was just the first thing I grabbed this morning.”

But her blush told Faith that Jenna had spent a little more time than that picking out the conservative black and tan dress. She sent her mother a bright smile. But the smile evaporated when she stepped into the large living room and four sets of eyes stared back at her.

Faith took a step back, and Slate’s fingers tightened on her waist.

“Hey, y’all,” Slate greeted the group. “Ain’t this a big surprise?”

“Not as big of a surprise as findin’ out you have another sister.” A tall young woman with a long blond ponytail stared at Faith from familiar blue eyes.

“Now Jenna Jay, don’t be sassy,” Burl warned. Dressed in his Sunday best, he smiled weakly at Faith.

“I’m not being sassy, Daddy.” The girl flopped down on the floral couch. “I’m just statin’ the truth.”

“And statin’ it mighty sassy.” Burl took a hesitant step closer and gave Faith an awkward hug. His huge body dwarfed hers, the smell of his aftershave eye-stingingly potent. “We’re glad you could come, Faith.” He thumped her twice on the back.

“Try not to kill her, Daddy, until I’ve had a chance to greet her.” Another woman stepped up. This one looked older than the blonde and a lot less sassy. Her face was a carbon copy of Jenna’s, but her body was tall and thin.

“I’m Tessa.” She gave Faith a heartfelt hug before she pulled back and gave her the once over. “Wow. You do look exactly like Hope—well, except for that hair. I was thinking about cutting mine… but maybe not.”

Slate laughed. “It grows on you.”

Tessa’s eyebrows lifted. “It looks like a lot more than just my sister’s hair has grown on you, Slate Calhoun.”

There was a long uncomfortable silence before Jenna jumped back in.

“Now quit teasing, Tess, and let me introduce everyone. You’ve met Tessa. The sassy one is Jenna Junior, or Jenna Jay as we like to call her. And the lazy one who won’t get off the couch is my youngest—Dallas. Dal, show a little respect, would you?”

The young, sandy-haired man unfolded from the couch, his blue eyes guarded. He was as tall as Burl but not as wide, his body filled with the lean muscles of youth. He moved like his father in a hesitant, cautious way.

He lifted a hand. “Hey.”

Faith nodded her head. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

“All of you,” Jenna Jay snorted. “You mean ‘y’all’?”

“She means everyone but you, smart britches,” Slate teased. “I would’ve thought some of those college boys at Texas Tech would’ve kissed some of that sassiness out of you by now.”

She glared back at him. “I’d like to see them try.”

“What do you say, Dal?” Slate dropped his hand from Faith’s waist. “You hold her down, and I’ll kiss her.”

Dallas grinned, a grin that completely transformed his face. “I don’t see why not, Coach.” Then he moved with an agility and quickness that surprised Faith and scooped his sister up from the couch as she fought like a wildcat.

“Put her down, Dallas,” Jenna ordered, then pointed a finger at Slate. “And you quit stoking the fire, Slate, or I’ll get out my wooden spoon.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He held his hands up as he leaned down to Faith and loudly whispered, “Take my word for it—you don’t want to get on the bad side of Jenna’s wooden spoon. My backside stung for a month after she caught me helping Hope sneak out her window.” Noting Faith’s expression, he quickly added, “We were all of fourteen, darlin’, with three packages of toilet paper and a whole lot of trees to put it in.”