Luring Levi (Tarnished Saints Series Book 2) (25 page)

“All I have is Brianne’s wedding ring. I know I should have gotten rid of it once I married Angel, but I wanted to have it melted down and made into a ring with the birthstones of all our kids for Angel. Here,” he said, handing it to him. “Just take it. It’s probably a bad idea for me to use it anyway.”

“No,” he said with a shake of his h
ead. “I couldn’t. How about you just lend me the money to buy a ring?”

Thomas looked at the ring again and then put it back in the
desk drawer and relocked it. He took a moment before he answered. “Can’t,” he said, walking back over to the car.

“Why not?” he asked. “Afraid I won’t pay you back?
Because I will. Eventually.”

“That’s not it, Levi. It’s just that right now all my money has been put into our new house. Angel just sold her house but she has plans to start saving for college for the kids and you know with seven kids that is going to take a lot of saving. Plus the money Pa left to pay the taxes on all the lots for you bums is
already gone. Since I’m the executor of his will and handling the lots until all you louses get married, I’m responsible for not only paying the taxes on the lots and cabins, but for the upkeep of them as well.”

“I thought you had them filled with renters,” said Levi.

“I did. But since the fair ends today they’re all going to be empty come tomorrow. Just give her anything for a ring, Levi. After all, I gave Angel my earring to use as a ring when we first got married.”

“Well, since I don’t have a pierced ear like you, brother, that is not going to happen.”

“Ask one of your other brothers then. Judas and Zeb both have money.”

“I’d never ask Judas for anything, you know that. But maybe I’ll ask Zeb. I hear lawyers make pretty good money. Thanks anyway, Tommy,” he said, heading out to find his brother.

Candace pulled back the curtains and watched from the window of the cabin, hoping Levi would come talk her out of leaving, but instead he just hurried to his car and sped away. Her heart sank and she felt like crying. But she couldn’t. She had to be strong for her children and she needed to be strong for herself as well.

Why did she think Levi would ever change? She had faith in him, but if he didn’t have faith in himself enough to want to marry her and act like a responsible father then there was nothing she could do. Though it pained her more than anything, she had to let him figure this out himself and not lure him into marrying her.

She headed to the bedroom to start packing.

Chapter 20

Levi pulled up to Thomas’s house early the next morning and jumped out of the car. He was glad to see Zeb’s car parked there
, as he’d been gone yesterday and Levi needed to borrow the money from him for a ring before Candace left with the kids this afternoon.

He’d spen
t the night at the fair with Candace and the kids and did his best to avoid any conversations about their future together. Now, he realized he should have just asked her like Thomas said, but since when did he ever do anything right the first time? That’s just another reason why he wanted to propose to her the proper way and with a ring, because he knew Candace deserved better than he could ever give her.

“Mornin’ Levi.” Zeb walked out ont
o the porch with a piece of bacon in his hand. Judas followed him, wearing his sheriff’s uniform.

“I’ve been looking for you,” said Levi.

“So I’ve heard,” said Zeb shoving the rest of the bacon into his mouth and wiping his palms together. “I heard you need money and fast.”

Levi
was reluctant to talk in front of Judas but didn’t really have a choice. If he didn’t move quickly, he would lose Candace forever.

“I want to buy a ring for Candy and ask her to marry me.”

“Well, two kids and seven years later and you’re finally going to get around to settling down, are you?” said Judas.

“Levi, I’d give you the money if I had it,
” said Zeb, “but unfortunately I spent it all on starting my own firm. I just dished out the last of my money yesterday for bills. But I know another brother who may be able to help you.”

Levi knew he meant Judas and he also knew he was lying about not having money. Zeb wo
re a Rolex and dressed in designer suits. He also drove a Mercedes. Who the hell was he kidding? He was just trying to get him to make up with Judas by denying him what he needed so he’d have to go to Judas for help.

“I already asked Tommy and he didn’t have it either,” he said instead.

“You know he’s talking about me, Levi,” Judas spoke up. “Now how much do you need? I’d be happy to lend you whatever it takes.”

There was no way
Levi was going to take money from Judas. Not after the traitor made him lose seven years of his life behind bars and everything he owned. He just couldn’t take the traitor’s pieces of silver.

“Thank you for saving my son from drowning,” sai
d Levi, “but I don’t really need anything you have to offer.”

“Need or want?” asked Judas. “You are such a fool that you are going to let the fact you can’t forgive me
make you lose a woman who is in love with you. Don’t mess this up like the rest of your life, Levi. Do something already about changing your ways. Your hatred for me is going to go to an early grave with you if you don’t get over this already and move on.”

Judas stormed down the steps and got int
o the Sweet Water squad car that was now his to drive since he was the new sheriff. Levi just stood there and watched him drive away.

“He’s right, you know,” said Zeb. “You two really need to make up.”

“I can’t,” said Levi. “I want to move on with my life but the shadow of what he did to me still hangs over me every damned day.”

“D
on’t blame him for your mistakes,” said Zeb. “If you hadn’t screwed up in the first place he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to turn you in. You two are idiots!” He walked away and disappeared into the house.

Angel came out then, a questioning look on her face. “What’s going on, Levi?”

“Well, according to my brothers I’m just in the midst of screwing up the rest of my life, that’s all.”

“What
?” she asked with a raised brow. “Levi, what are you talking about?”

“It doesn’t matter, Angel. I’m going to prove them all wrong. Do me a favor and don’t let Candy and the kids leave town til I see them first.”

He headed down the stairs and she followed.

“Why not?” she asked.

“Because I need to ask her to marry me before I lose her and my kids, and live out the rest of my days as a lonely old man.” He opened his car door to get in.

“Oh, she’ll be so excited, Levi. You know she really loves you.”

“He looked up to her knowing he loved Candace too and now feeling like scum that he’d not been able to tell her.

“I know,” was all he said. “Bring her and the kids to the diner aro
und noon. And whatever you do - do not tell her I plan on asking her to marry me.”

* * *

Levi paced back and forth in front of Snappy’s Pawn shop next to Burley’s Bar at the far side of town. He clutched the golden key to the town of Sweet Water in his hand, wondering why the damned place wasn’t opened yet as it was already well past eleven o’clock and the sign on the door said they opened at ten.

Then the door to the bar opened and
the owner of the pawnshop walked out and headed over, digging in his pocket for the keys to the shop.

“Snappy, where the hell have you been?” growled Levi. “You were supposed to open over an hour ago.”

All the years of growing up in Sweet Water and Levi had never called the man by his real name. He was the sleaze-ball son of the original owner, Virgil Jabbas who died and left the business to him about ten years ago. He was Virgil Jr. and Levi knew the man hated to be called by that name.

“Levi?” The man tucked his shirt into his pants, obviously having spent the night with one of the strippers in the upstairs rooms over the bar. He licked
the palm of his hand and smoothed down his greased-back hair.

The man w
as close to forty years old and Levi had known him from his school days even though the man was a few years older than him. He had always been teased because of his name, and Levi was the one to give him the nickname Snappy as he’d always snapped his gum, though he wasn’t supposed to have it in school in the first place. Snappy took a liking to him ever since then.

“I need to buy a ring,” Levi told him. “A gold band if possible or something close to it. Have you got one?”

“Yeah, sure, come on in.” He opened the door and flipped on the lights. Then he walked around the counter and pulled a tray of rings from inside the glass case and held them out for Levi to see.

“You getting married to that foxy lady from the
TV show?” he asked.

“Her name is Candace,” he told him. “And those kids are mine, so yeah, I’m asking her to marry me.”

Levi looked at the rings on the tray. Most of them had diamonds and were very expensive. There was one simple gold band, the cheapest, but it was still over a hundred dollars. It looked to be about the size of Candy’s finger and he hoped it would fit.

“This one,” he said, pulling it out of the velvet display box and placing it atop the glass counter. “How much?”

“Well,” he said, looking at the price tag, “it’s a hundred big ones.”

Levi gingerly placed the golden key to the town on the counter and slid it forward.

“What’s this?” asked Snappy with a grin, picking it up to inspect it.

“It’s the key to Sweet Water. I want to pawn it for the ring until I can pay you back.”

“Levi,” said Snappy, laughing. “You can’t pawn this, it’s the key to the town. Besides, it’s only gold plated and not worth half the price of the ring.”

“I don’t have any money,” he told him. “And it’s all I have to trade, so can you please just accept it?”

“You mean to tell me the Mayor of Sweet Water doesn’t make at least forty grand a year?”

“It’s a non-paying job, Snappy. I’m not getting a dime for all the hours I put in.”

“Are you serious?” he asked. “How can that be?”

“Most small towns don’t even have a mayor,” he explained. “Besides, the town is broke and can’t
even afford to pay for a sheriff, so what do you expect?”

“Yeah, I saw that your brother Judas is sheriff now. So you’re saying he works for free too?”

“No. That’s a county position. He gets paid but from the county, not Sweet Water. Now what do you say, Snappy? Will you take the key as my pawn or not?”

“I can’t take the mayor’s key to the town,” said Snappy, putting it on the counter and pushing it back toward him. “You know I could never sell it if you don’t make good on your promise. Besides, I told you it’s not worth half of the price of the ring. What else ya got?”

Levi put the ring back into the velvet display box and scooped up the key. “That’s all I’ve got,” he said softly and turned around to go. He was opening the door, the bells jangling atop when Snappy stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.

“You’re doing a fine
job of mayor, Levi. I had no idea you weren’t getting paid. I know how hard it is to be the brunt of ridicule, and after the hand life’s dealt you, you don’t need that kind of crap. You helped me out years ago, now I am going to help you. Take the ring,” he said, holding it out to Levi. “And for God’s sake go marry that girl already. If I were in your shoes that’s the first thing I would have done the day she came to town.”

“Thanks,” said Levi, handing him the key.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m not taking that on trade.”

“Then I can’t take the ring,” said Levi. “I won’t leave here with charity. You take the key as my pawn or I walk out of here empty handed, simple as that.”

“You stubborn Taylors always did let pride get in your way,” he said. “Give me the damned key, but you make sure you collect it before this is all over.”

Levi took the ring and shoved
it in his pocket and handed Snappy the key and smiled. “I have a feeling that pride is not going to be getting in the way anymore once I’m married. Now do me a favor and don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. I want Candy to be surprised.”

“Yeah, sure,” he said and headed back behind the counter.

As Levi closed the door, he noticed Snappy picking up the phone.

Chapter 21

“Thanks for taking us to the train station,” Candace told Angel, looking out the window of the SUV as she spoke. Their suitcases were in the back and both her kids sat quiet, not wanting to leave.

“Where’s Dad?” asked
Vance. “Isn’t he coming with us?”

“I don’t know where he is,” said Candace. “But if he couldn’t
even show up to say goodbye, than I don’t really care.”

“I don’t want to leave,” said Val.
“Mom, can’t we stay and live here so we can play with Gabby and her brothers? I like it here. And I don’t want to leave Daddy behind.”