Travis (31 page)

Kylie
didn’t push.

“I’m
tired of having nothing of my own. I liked my job, but I didn’t love it. I
hated living at home because I’m too old to be living at home. I just didn’t
know what I wanted to do, so I’ve been putting it off.”

“Do
you have plans now?” Kylie peered over at her. “You know you’re welcome to stay
here as long as you want.”

“Right.
Because you don’t have a life. I saw those two men in your bed, Sis. And don’t
worry, what you do is your business. If you want Dad to know, you’ll tell him.”

Kylie
stared at her plate, wondering if that would ever be a good idea. Her father
was going to flip a lid as soon as he found out she was married. If this thing
between her and Travis and Gage was going to move forward, her father was going
to have a coronary.

“You’ll
let me know what you decide to do, right.” Kylie didn’t want her sister
disappearing on her. If she didn’t have a place to go, she’d much rather have
her there so she could make sure she was ok. Without a job, maybe she could
help Kylie with her reno on Gage’s house. She could always use an extra pair of
hands and Jessie had helped her before.

“Yes.”

“I’ve
got an idea,” Kylie turned to face Jessie. “Help me with the renovation on
Gage’s house. It’s going to take a few weeks, and we’ll have to stay in Coyote
Ridge for a little while, but it’ll give you something to do while you decide
your future.”

Jessie’s
eyes widened, and a smile tilted her glossy lips. “Where will we stay?”

If
Kylie wasn’t mistaken, there was interest and something more along the lines of
hope in her sister’s tone. “Not exactly sure yet, but worst case, we’ll stay in
a hotel close by.”

“I’m
game.” Jessie jumped up from her chair and threw her slender arms around
Kylie’s neck, nearly knocking her off of her stool.

Returning
the hug, Kylie held her sister close, rubbing her hand up and down her back. In
all honesty, she was looking forward to time with her sister. She was looking
forward to someone to talk to.

♂♀

When
Kylie called to tell him that she was on her way, Travis asked her to meet him
at Gage’s farmhouse. Since he knew Gage was currently at Kaleb’s, – an
intentional setup to get him away from his house for a couple of hours – he
didn’t want to risk the chance of Gage seeing her truck.

Not
yet anyway.

Pulling
down the long, winding drive, he was thankful he was the first one to arrive.
Having hijacked the key with Kaleb’s help, he wanted to get inside and get the house
opened up. They didn’t have a lot of time because Kaleb wasn’t sure how he was
going to be able to convince Gage to stick around if he decided to call it a
night. Travis asked his brother to give him a heads up if Gage did head out. At
least they’d have about fifteen minutes to clear out.

After
unlocking the front door, Travis ran through the house flipping on lights and
opening doors. His timing was perfect because he was walking out onto the front
porch when the first set of headlights beamed up the driveway. Minutes later,
there were more. Until there was a long line of trucks and SUVs lining up along
one side.

“This
feels like one of those reality shows, bro.” Sawyer clapped him on the back as
he moved to stand beside him.

Travis
didn’t know about that, but he did know they were in a race against time and
with all of the things they’d managed to scrounge together, he knew they’d require
every second they could get.

After
Gage dropped Travis off at his parents’ house, he’d spent half an hour talking
to them about his plan. His mother had been thrilled to help, and his father
had pretended to grumble about it. From there, the three of them went to work.

Not
only had Travis’ parents called upon the town for donations, but they had also
learned through the Coyote Ridge grapevine that Gage had put a few of his
grandparent’s things in the rickety garage that sat next to the house.
Nothing
was sacred in that town.
There wasn’t much furniture that could be used,
but there were some odds and ends – lamps, dishes, and a handful of knick
knacks – that they could put to good use.

“Let’s
do this!” Sawyer bellowed when people began climbing out of their vehicles. A
series of shouts greeted them and then there was utter chaos.

When
Kylie arrived a short while later, his brothers and their friends were moving
in and out of the house at a rapid pace, hefting furniture of various sizes as
they unloaded the trucks and waited for Curtis and Lorrie to arrive with the
few items they’d purchased earlier in the day. As much as they welcomed used
items that people didn’t need or just wanted to donate to the cause, there were
a few things Travis had wanted to be new.

After
attempting to give his parents his credit card, they had refused his offer and
insisted they would be pitching in to get the last few items that were still
needed.

“Hey,”
Travis greeted Kylie when she walked up on the porch carrying several plastic
bags.

“Hi.”
When she went up on her toes, planting a quick kiss on his lips as she passed,
he fought the urge to grab her and pull her against him.

“Nice
to see you too,” Jessie teased as she walked by carrying more bags.

“We’re
going to put this stuff up, but there’s more if you want to get someone to
help,” Kylie told him before she disappeared inside the house.

Travis
set off down the stairs to Kylie’s truck and started unloading more groceries.
The woman had gone overboard. She had requested them to put together a list of
things Gage preferred, aside from the staples that all kitchens needed, and he
knew for damn sure that it wasn’t that long. He wasn’t sure there was anything
left on the shelves at the grocery store based on how many bags filled the back
seat of the truck.

Four
trips later, Travis deposited the last of the items on the kitchen counter and
went back out to help with the furniture. After making another trip in the
house, this time helping Brendon carry in a massive sectional couch that had
been donated by Myrna and Charles Talbott – Gage’s previous landlords – he
heard Sawyer announce the arrival of his parents.

Holy
shit.
They were driving a U-Haul.

And
he thought Kylie went overboard.

His
mother greeted him with a quick peck on his cheek before she headed inside to
help Kylie and Jessie in the kitchen, and he went to work helping his father unload
what must’ve been a small furniture store.

“You
guys keep this up, and I’m going to start charging you,” Zane joked as he
passed by. The guy had become quite the furniture mover. It hadn’t been that
long ago that they’d helped Kaleb and Zoey move in, and Travis understood what
his brother was getting at.

They
were all soaked in sweat by the time the trucks were unloaded, and people
started heading out. There wasn’t much time to congregate and bullshit because
Travis knew Gage would be heading back before long and he wanted everyone to be
gone by the time that happened.

Travis’
cell phone rang, and he grabbed it from his belt, hitting the talk button as he
pressed it against his ear. “Hope that was enough time,” Kaleb said in lieu of
a greeting. “We couldn’t convince him to stay any longer.”

“It’ll
have to do. He just leave?”

“Yeah,
he’s actually getting in his truck right now.”

“Thanks.”
Travis disconnected the call and then told the twins and Sawyer that they had
to head out, and they needed to take the back roads home because they’d surely pass
Gage on his way over.

“Give
me a minute,” Brendon said as he disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Braydon
standing in the doorway.

“What’s
he up to?”

Braydon
shrugged, and Travis knew instantly what the hell was going on. Without
thinking, he grabbed his brother by the front of his shirt and pulled him
close. Since they were roughly the same height, he stared directly into eyes
eerily similar to his own. “Y’all hurt her. I hurt you. Understand me?”

“It’s
not like that,” Braydon whispered, and Travis leaned back to get a better look
at him.

“No?
You two aren’t sharing her?” Braydon broke eye contact, but he didn’t deny it.
“I’m serious, Braydon. Don’t fuck with her. Kylie’s important to me. That means
her sister is too. Got it?”

“I
hear you. Like I said, it’s not like that.”

A
minute later, Brendon was walking through the living room with Jessie beside
him, their hands clasped together. Fucking hell. He knew the stories about the
twins and damn it all to hell, the last person who needed to get mixed up with
them was Kylie’s sister. But it wasn’t like he could tell her that. It wasn’t
his fucking business even if it did piss him off.

“I’m
dead fucking serious, Bray,” Travis reiterated as the twins walked out onto the
porch. His brother merely waved a hand behind his head, obviously dismissing
him and it took everything in Travis’ power not to take off after them.

Shit.

“You
all right?” Kylie asked, jarring Travis from his rage. He turned to look at her
and all of the anger and frustration drained out of him. Just like that, the
woman managed to calm him in ways no amount of booze ever had.

“I’m
good. Let me have your keys. I’m going to move the trucks behind the house so
Gage won’t see them when he gets here. While I’m doing that, go shut off all of
the lights for me, would ya?”

Kylie
nodded and then took off, darting through the downstairs rooms and flipping
switches before he even made it out the door.

They
had cut it close because Travis was walking through the back door into the
kitchen when Kylie came barreling into the room letting him know that she
locked the front door and that there were headlights coming down the drive.

Gage
was home.

Pulling
her against him, he leaned against the counter in the total darkness and
listened to the sound of her breathing while they waited for Gage to come
inside.

♂♂

Gage
parked his truck in the driveway and stared up at the big, empty house. There
wasn’t a single light on to greet him. Not that it would’ve mattered because it
wasn’t like there was anything inside for him to come home to anyway.

He’d
spent the last three hours at Kaleb’s, having dinner and shooting the shit as
though his life weren’t in a state of chaos that was so far out of hand, Gage
didn’t even know where to begin to put it back together.

The
only thing he had to look forward to was Kylie and Travis, and he hadn’t heard
from either of them since early that morning. He figured Travis was working
because he’d dropped him at his parents’ house that morning. After telling him
he would help pull his truck out of the ditch they’d left it in, he’d been told
Travis would get it taken care of.

As
for Kylie, well Gage hadn’t talked to her although he had picked up his phone
at least ten times wanting to call her. Figuring she might need some time to
come to terms with what happened between the three of them last night, he had
opted to give her space. Now he just wished she were there with him.

He
got out of his truck and headed for the door, digging through the keys on his
key ring to find the one that would open the door. As soon as he had the front
door pushed open, Gage knew something was wrong. The house smelled different.
He quickly reached in the waistband of his jeans and pulled out his gun,
holding it at the ready.

Sure,
call him paranoid, but he didn’t leave home without it. Ever. And now, he was grateful
to have it on him. He slid his hand along the inside wall, trying to find the
switch. There was a click and then the room lit up.

Holy…
What the…

He
was so shocked, he couldn’t even form complete sentences in his head. Shutting
the door behind him, he moved to the next room, flipping on more lights as he
went until he was standing in the living room. A room full of furniture. So
much furniture, Gage wasn’t sure where it could’ve possibly come from.

The
creak of the door leading from the dining room to the kitchen alerted him and
out of habit, he pointed the gun in the direction of the sound, fully intending
to confront the intruder.

“Hey,
it’s just us,” Kylie said calmly as she moved into the dining room, Travis directly
behind her.

He
dropped his weapon down to his side and stared at them as they continued to
come closer. Blinking rapidly, Gage swallowed the lump in his throat and
refused to let his emotions get the best of him.

“You
did this for me?” he asked Kylie as she stepped into his arms, wrapping hers
around his waist.

“Actually
no,” she said as she looked up at him. “He did.” She nodded her head in Travis'
direction, and Gage looked over at the man.

He
looked just as aloof and unaffected as he normally did, but there was something
in his steely blue eyes that was different. His body language said one thing,
but those eyes said something entirely different.

“Come
on, I want to show you the rest.” Kylie took his hand and led him toward the
stairs.

“Put
the gun down, Gage.” Travis’ deep voice reflected the command he intended, but
there was something gentler in his tone. Gage checked the safety and then put
the gun down on the small ledge before following Kylie up the stairs.

With
Kylie’s small, cool fingers linked in his, Gage allowed her to lead him through
the upstairs rooms, each one containing some furniture. Not a lot, but enough
that the house didn’t feel like it was just a shell with no guts.

The
last room they came to was the one Kylie had mentioned would be the master
bedroom. The light came on, and Gage’s jaw dropped. There in the center of the
large room was a king sized bed. Not just a set of mattresses either. It was a
four poster bed with two nightstands, lamps on each, as well as a large armoire
and dresser on opposite walls.

“Mom
and Dad wanted you to have something nice,” Travis said as he joined them in
the room.

“This
is –”
more than he deserved
. Gage couldn’t get the last part out as he
stood rooted to the floor. Travis’ warm hand landed on his shoulder and he
found himself swaying toward him.

“It’s
exactly what you needed. Now, the next thing you need is a shower. Then we’ll get
dinner.”

“I
already ate at Kaleb’s,” Gage reminded them.

“Well,
Kylie and I haven’t, so you’ll watch us eat. How’s that?”

“I
don’t want to go anywhere.”

“Well,
that’s good. Kylie bought out half of Walmart, so I think we can just stick
around here for a while.” Travis paused. “Unless you’d rather be alone.”

Absolutely
not. The
last
thing Gage wanted was to be alone. “No. I’m good. Y’all
stay. And you’re right, I need a shower.”

Gage
noticed his duffel bag was sitting on the dresser. Since that was all of the
clothes he owned, he was grateful. Tomorrow he’d have to seek out a Laundromat
or he’d be going naked soon, but until then, at least he had something to
change into.