Mission Happy (A Texas Desires Novel Book 3) (30 page)

“Take this to the burn pile?”

“Are you sure your mom’s not gonna be mad?” Cole asked, pushing his ball cap back on his head, scratching at his scalp.

“I’m pretty sure she will be. I won’t tell her I had an accomplice,” Connor offered, dumping the chair in the back of Cole’s truck before cocking his head toward the house. “What’re they doing here?”

“They called you then came over here when you didn’t answer.”

Connor nodded, walking stride for stride with Cole toward the front door. “The women here?”

“Nah, they’re at the Bryant house, helpin’ Linda after Thanksgiving dinner. Ty said they have all the baby stuff out, lookin’ at the haul they got yesterday. Linda’s spread her blueprints out. She’s planning on adding a nursery wing to the house now that Ty’s moving back. She’s expecting Ty and Reed to fill that place with babies.”

“Ah, yeah. Damn, I forgot about that. I need to call Linda and let her know I’m sorry about missing her meal,” Connor said, taking each step up.

“Jerry came with Reed. I think they know your head’s someplace else today,” Cole said at the door. He stopped short of pushing it open as he added, “Bray’s even involved. He’s in Brazil, but called after he couldn’t reach you. He wants to talk to you.”

“It’s a pain in the ass not to be able to use my phone,” Connor said harshly. Cole pushed open the door, stepping inside first then letting him pass.

“I know. Ty says you’re gonna need a new phone number now.”

“I’ve had this one since high school,” Connor said, rounding the entry into the living room.

“As long as you’re with Julia, those days are long gone,” Ty answered from his spot sprawled on the sofa as he rose to his feet then crossed his arms over his chest. Concern furrowed his brow. Jerry sat in the lounger, the remote in his hand, pushing the volume down on the football game they’d been watching as Ty spoke again. “How are things going?”

“My damn phone won’t stop ringing. I hate that. Julie texted me that it’s all over the news,” Connor said somewhat disgustedly.

“Just do what she says to do. She’s good at navigating the media,” Ty instructed.

“What’s the sheriff saying?” Reed asked from his spot on the love seat. He sat up a little straighter, dropping his elbows on his knees as he stared up at Connor.

“There’s an investigation pending, but it’s pretty cut and dry. The security cameras caught it all. I’m free to move around. I just need to be available when they need me. The two have a solid rap sheet and were out on bail. They also have a long line of unsolved robberies and sexual assault cases that they’re thinking those two were responsible for all the way through Kansas,” Connor said, matching Ty’s stance in the middle of the living room.

“Weird they did it so close to home,” Jerry added.

“I’m not supposed to know, but preliminary toxicology showed heroin in their systems. They didn’t give much of a shit about anything, I suspect,” Connor added.

“Take a seat, man,” Cole said, walking through the living room, bypassing all of them as he headed straight toward the kitchen. Connor watched him go for the refrigerator and pull out a couple of beers.

“You’ll need a new phone. I went ahead and had one sent over this morning,” Ty said, reaching in his back pocket and tossing him a brand new Samsung. “They gave me the number, but I tore it up and tossed it out. You decide who you want to have it.”

“Thanks for doing that,” he said, easily catching the new phone. It was larger than his, much slimmer and lighter in his hand. He’d had his for years. Looking down at the phone, he pushed the side button and watched the screen come to life, immediately intrigued with the colorful display and easy to understand icons. Damn, it was a fancy piece of technology. He should have upgraded his cell phone years ago.

“What do I owe you?” he asked, looking up at Bateman.

“Nothing. It’s tied to one of my corporations. When you want it switched over, let me know. Until then, no one should connect it to you.”

Connor handed the phone back to Ty. “Add your number, pass it around.”

“What’re your plans now?” Jerry asked.

“I’m heading back to California in the morning. Willis is gonna meet my parents and explain everything when they get back.” Connor looked up at Cole, got the nod of confirmation, and then nodded down at Jerry. He guessed he should have verified that before speaking.

“Going back to your place or Julia’s?” Ty asked, handing the phone to Reed.

“Probably hers,” he answered vaguely. That couldn’t be a good sign. He’d already dodged the question. It made him antsy to say he planned on staying with Julie. The distinction between “staying with” and “living off of” were just too similar. Oh man, he had to get that worked out in his head or they were destined to fail. “All you guys were always filled with drama. I always kept my shit simple. It’s weird being here, dealing with all this bullshit. I’ve had more chaos in the last few months than I’ve had the last ten years.”

“Your life’s gonna change. It’s the first thought I had after realizing you two were dating,” Reed said, working with his phone.

“Change ain’t a bad thing. Stop scarin’ the boy,” Jerry added, using the footrest on the chair to extend farther back as he stared at Connor. “I’m more interested in the re-up deal. What’s going on with that? I read a while back in the newspaper that some ambassador said you were unstable.” Jerry grunted out his disgust, making it clear what he thought about that statement.

“The military’s turned political now. It’s a fucking game. They’re benching me, saying it’s my head, but I’m pretty sure it’s a political move. I pissed off the wrong people.”

“Candace says that PTSD is nothing to play with. She wants to coordinate your care,” Jerry added, hooking an arm behind his head. Candace was Jerry’s youngest, an emergency-room physician and the go-to for all of them. She coordinated all their health care. He knew firsthand that she never played around when getting them the help they needed.

“I figured I’d get her involved. I just needed to set my resolve and face the facts. The whole thing pisses me off. I need to get past that,” Connor answered honestly.

“Reed told me what you were thinkin’ ’bout that business. It’s the reason I came along this afternoon. I wanna invest, son. You need to take it seriously,” Jerry said in that same fatherly tone he always used when conveying something important.

“Yes, sir, I agree, but I don’t know anything about business.”

“Me either, but these guys do,” Jerry added, hooking a thumb toward Reed, then Cole who’d been standing nearby. When Connor looked over at him, he extended a bottle of beer. Connor took it, unscrewing the cap before taking a long drink.

“You do your thing, Con. Develop the program, let them handle the rest. I’ll invest,” Jerry declared, nodding as if it were a done deal.

“What if we can’t make it work?” Connor asked, looking at each of them before continuing. “You’ll lose your money.”

“That’s the risk of business,” Jerry explained as if that meant nothing. On that pronouncement, he pushed the footrest down and sat upright in the seat. “Honestly, every new startup business has a good chance of failing, but I don’t think you will with this team behind you.”

“You’re not gonna fail, because I refuse to. De-escalation is a brilliant niche. You decide your training technique. I’ll handle the rest,” Reed said in his usual confident yet bored tone as he extended his hand in Connor’s direction. “Bray’s on the phone.”

Reed’s no-nonsense approach still took a second for Connor to digest. The air of condescension hung between them as Connor stared down at his buddy’s outstretched hand. He liked Reed. Loved him like a brother, but he wasn’t going to do well with that attitude every day.

Jerry chuckled, looking first at Reed then Connor before he stretched back in the recliner again. “It’ll take time to adjust to a business relationship, but it’ll happen—especially if you use your own de-escalation tactics to deal with Reed. Hell, your first client could be the current members of his board…” Jerry started chuckling about halfway through his sentence and barely got the words out for being so tickled with his own joke. Connor found the humor in Jerry’s words, but Reed didn’t. He rolled his eyes and sat back on the sofa, tossing the phone Connor’s way.

“Yuk it up, old man,” Reed said condescendingly. “I’m sure you’ll find a use for all that money you’ll make.”

“Take the call outside, Con, so I can watch the rest of the game,” Jerry said, lifting a hand to shoo him away.

Connor rolled the tight muscles in his shoulder as he reached for the phone and headed for the kitchen. “Hello.”

“Hey, man, I’ve been calling you all day.”

Yeah, so he’d heard. He went through the kitchen and stepped out on to the back deck. “It’s complicated,” he finally answered.

“I’m just checking to see if you need me. You sound like you got a lot going on?” Bray said in the form of a question, his voice turning compassionate. He also figured that was how Bray managed to do his job so well. His buddy truly cared and, like Connor, totally believed he could make a difference in the world. He hadn’t lost any of his idealism and much like his sister, Candace, did with their healthcare, he coordinated all their legal, no matter the situation.

“Yeah, I do need you. Come back right now,” Connor teased, trying to lighten his mood.

“Or a better answer, I’ll get someone who specializes in your particular problem.”

With a deep breath, Connor reached the railing. He bent, resting his elbow on the ledge, staring out over the pasture. “I’m fine. I got my commander involved and secured the security video before it was ever called in. I’m off the hook as of right now.”

“Where’s that video now?”

“Cops have it, but my commander has a copy.”

“Good. I’ll get us a copy. What about this company everyone’s talking about?”

That had him growing silent for even longer this time. “Yeah. I just mentioned it out loud and everyone jumped in. I hadn’t really thought through most of it.”

“Don’t let them push you into something you aren’t comfortable with. If you need time, take it,” Bray said firmly.

“There’s a lot going on right now. I’m not real sure where to start,” Connor answered honestly.

“And you’re certain you’re leaving the military?”

“Yeah, I am. It seems the best course,” he said, watching Cole’s herd move slowly into view.

“Candace wants to talk to you. She’s itching to. I told her I’d see what you think about that. She thought the guys were crowding you.”

Connor remained silent. He didn’t answer that at all. He’d been pretty open, but he hadn’t talked about the spot on his brain. With Candace, he’d have to let her dig into that mess. He wasn’t ready. Not yet.

“I’ll tell her to hang tight,” Bray finally said.

“Thank you. When I’m ready, I’ll call her. I promise. I trust her in this more than anyone.”

“That’s what I told her. I think she believes it too. It’s why she waited to call.”

Desperation more than anything else had him changing the subject. He had too much bullshit to deal with. Civilian life was hard as fucking hell. “You’re in Brazil with those stepbrothers you were talking about?” Connor asked, smiling at the memory of how excited Bray had been on their camping trip.

“No, that’s Christmas. This is a Republican’s closeted son. They’re the best. Absolutely no commitment, which… I’ve also heard you’re all committed now. For thirty years you didn’t ever have drama. It seems like you’re making up for that in spades right now.”

Connor laughed out loud. No shit on that account. The drama of his life weighed heavily on his shoulders.

“It’s new. We’ll see.”

“Mom sent me pictures in an email. It looks pretty serious. She’s really pretty, Con. Mom says she’s very nice. She helped clean up after the baby shower. Mom found that amazing,” Bray said, giving his own round of laughter.

“She’s way out of my league,” he said honestly, letting out a jaw-cracking yawn. Man, he was so freakin’ tired.

“I don’t think she is at all. She seems to fit you well,” Bray said, turning serious. “She’s very down to earth, grounded. Much like you. You’re pretty together. I saw that in the tabloid article Mom sent. You both have that connected look when you look at each other.”

“I don’t know what to say to that except I always thought you were the most reasonable of us all,” Connor answered, laughing again, letting the gentle sway of the grass blowing in the breeze soothe his battered mind. He wasn’t entirely sure what Bray’s point was, but he did think Julie tried hard for a normal life. Now that all the secrets were exposed, it was one of the things he respected most about her.

“Ha! Now you’re cracking jokes. Look, thanks for taking the minute to talk to me. I feel better about where your head’s at. Ty said he got you a new phone. I’m assuming this is it. I’ll save the number. Call me if you need me. I’m always here for you, buddy.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“Yup. I’ll get a copy of that video to have as a backup. See ya.” The call disconnected, and Connor stayed leaning against the railing, staring out at nothing but land and cattle before him for as far as the eye could see. He’d always envisioned himself coming back home when he retired from the military. Funny, the allure of west Texas didn’t seem to hold near the draw anymore. After a minute of letting that acknowledgement settle in his gut, he looked at the new phone in his hand and pressed the button to light the screen. His first number to add was Julie’s. It seemed ridiculous that he knew her telephone number by heart, but he did. He pushed the number in, added her as a contact, then sent her a text message.