Trouble Maker: A MacKenzie Family Novel (The MacKenzie Family) (11 page)

He held his hands up in an innocent gesture. “I’ve only got your best interests at heart. I was just going to say that if you want to practice being neighborly maybe you could rustle up something sweet to eat and bring it by the house later on. I figure you might need some practice before really getting into the thick of things.”

She tried to look stern, but a smile formed on her lips. “I don’t think so,” she said.

“Sure, I’ve got it. You’re busy tonight. How about tomorrow night?”

“Listen…Beckett…”

“That doesn’t sound good. You know I’m just going to keep asking. It’s been fifteen years, Marnie. We were friends once.”

“I don’t have the time or energy to pick up where we left off right now. All I can be is friends.”

“Ah, ha!” he said. “You said right now. Which means if I keep asking you’ll eventually say yes.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve learned some hard lessons in my life. And the most important is that I’m better off on my own. Someone like me…” She shrugged and the empty gesture broke his heart. “Let’s just say people are usually better off staying away from me. I can’t help what I am.”

“That’s the thing, Marnie. I’ve always liked you for who you are. That’ll never change. And if you bothered to look you’d see that you can trust me.”

“I don’t want to look,” she countered. “How could you ever trust me if you know I could just slip inside whenever I wanted and see your thoughts?”

“I’d say it’d save me a hell of a lot of time in trying to explain things. Believe me, if I had my way I’d love to be able to read a few thoughts now and then. Women confuse the hell out of me, and it’d be nice to know what you were thinking at least some of the time. But your head has always been hard as a rock, so I probably couldn’t penetrate it anyway.”

“Insulting me doesn’t sound like the neighborly thing to do.”

“That was a compliment, sweetheart. Why would I want to get involved with a woman with a soft head? That makes no sense.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And charming as ever. If you can’t make a good chocolate cake I’m also partial to brownies.”

She had to laugh. “No.”

“Good thing I’ve always been patient.”

She folded up the ladder and moved toward the door of her shop. “I’ve got a lot of work to do,” she said, trying to dismiss him. “And I’m sure you need to go play with your cows.”

Beckett grinned at the not-so-subtle attempt to get rid of him. Yeah, she had some spine left in her after all. Damned if that didn’t turn him on.

“Why don’t you read my mind now, Marnie?” he said, arching a brow in challenge.

Her lips twitched. “I don’t have to. You’re not very subtle.”

“It’s good to see you again,” he said, serious this time. He reached out his hand to shake hers, to dare her to touch him. And when she did the heat from her hand sizzled up his arm like an electric current. Their gazes locked and they stood frozen, waiting to see who would let go first.

“You’d better leave,” she said, letting go of his hand and taking a step back. “Your mother is trying to reach you. You should probably answer her phone call.”

Beckett sighed. “I don’t suppose you want to tell me what she’s going to say so I can have a good answer ready.”

“Nope, you’re on your own on this one. My advice would be to just stay quiet and listen. And when she calls you a bonehead remember she’s doing it out of love.”

“Right. That’s one of her favorites. Thanks for the warning, though I’d have preferred the brownies.”

“Good-bye, Beckett,” she said, but there was a smile on her face now and he felt lighter of heart.

He saluted and headed toward the sheriff’s office to where he’d parked his truck. But he turned around before she could go inside.

“Oh, and Marnie,” he said, “I’m going to keep asking. I just wanted to warn you first.”

“As long as you don’t mind that I’ll keep saying no.”

“I don’t mind at all.” He winked and walked away, deciding there were some women put on earth that were meant to make men do foolish things.

Chapter Ten

Instead of heading back to his truck and toward home where work was waiting for him, Beckett decided there was no time like the present for foolishness. He veered from his truck back across the street toward the bakery. The pleasure of stepping inside and inhaling fresh baked bread and pastries was short lived when he saw Denny Trout in line.

Denny was Hazel’s older brother and he was the foreman for the Caldwell’s over at the Circle C Ranch. Circle C had fallen on rough times the last decade or so, and a lot of people said that it was because of Denny. He spent more time gambling than he did doing his job. People also said the reason he hadn’t been let go was because he spent more time doing Isobel Caldwell than he did gambling. There were at least fifteen years between Denny and Isobel, but the affair had been going on since before Denny had become foreman.

Isobel’s husband, George, didn’t seem to mind the affair as he much preferred to warm their housekeeper’s bed instead of his own wife’s. Granted, the Caldwell housekeeper was something to look at, though George didn’t let her get out much. George was a jealous sort and he’d once bashed in Jed Blanchard’s windshield with a tire iron for wolf whistling at her while she was shopping at the mercantile.

Beckett would’ve put money down that the girl wasn’t legal drinking age, and if she was she wasn’t far past it. George was somewhere in his mid-fifties, but Beckett’s mama had always said George had a taste for the young ones.

Maybe if both the Caldwells had been more interested in breeding and selling their cattle at top dollar instead of jumping in and out of other people’s beds, they wouldn’t be selling off a chunk of land to pay off all their debts. As it was, Beckett had already made arrangements to purchase the land at a fair price since it bordered the far side of his property.

“Well, look who it is,” Denny said loud enough to get everyone’s attention. The noise from those sitting and enjoying afternoon cups of coffee and sweets died down to nothing.

“Denny,” Beckett acknowledged and then got in the back of the line. The smart thing to do would’ve been to turn around and leave. But his male pride wasn’t going to back down from a worthless son of a bitch like Denny.

Denny turned in a slow circle to make sure he had a captive audience. He had a shit-eating grin on his face and Beckett knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“Better watch out, ladies,” Denny called out. “Lover boy here likes to stick that famous prick into whatever walks by and leave you high and dry when he plants a bastard in you. Better cross your legs.”

There were a few snickers, but Beckett stayed silent and kept his gaze straight ahead.

“Saw you walk over from the new place next to the sheriff’s office,” Denny said. “By the way you were hanging all over that woman, I say you’ve moved on pretty quickly from my sister.”

“Your sister and I were never something I had to move on from. It was what it was. Nothing more.”

“You calling my sister a liar?” Denny said, stepping out of line. “She said you promised her all kinds of things. Marriage and that big fancy house you live in. High and mighty Hamilton’s on the hill.”

“If she told you all that then yes, I’m calling her a liar.”

Denny charged at him and Beckett was braced for it, but a sharp voice from behind the counter stopped him in his tracks.

“Denny Trout, don’t you lay one finger on him in my shop,” Mrs. Baker said. “Do you understand me? I’ll call the sheriff right now if I have to.”

Denny froze, his mouth in a snarl and his breath heaving in and out. He resembled a charging bull. He stared Beckett down for a few seconds and then got back in line and placed his order without saying another word. And then he started talking again, though this time he kept his gaze straight ahead while Mrs. Baker put his order together.

“I thought I recognized the woman you were talking to. She sure filled out since last time I saw her in high school. She used to creep me out with those big eyes and the spooky way she used to know things. People say she’s cursed. I say she’s one of those phonies on the TV looking for a quick buck.”

Beckett didn’t answer, but Denny sure had everyone’s attention. Anyone who cared to would know about Marnie’s psychic abilities. It didn’t matter if what Denny said was false—he was giving them more gossip to chew on and expand to their liking.

“She hasn’t been here but a couple of weeks,” Denny continued. “I bet she’s already spreading those long legs for you. Word has it that her daddy got her all nice and used up first so she could get out in the world and earn her keep. How much you paying her? I didn’t realize y’all let trash into Hamilton House.”

A red haze of anger flushed through Beckett’s body, and his hands fisted down at his side. Denny chuckled and paid for his things, grabbed the bakery bag, and then walked by Beckett with a smug smile.

“Let me know when you decide to throw away the trash. I’ve always heard girls like that are a good ride.”

Beckett’s hand reached up and grabbed Denny by the collar, and he lifted him clear off the ground, even though Denny had him in height by a couple inches.

“You’re going to want to steer clear of me, Denny. And you’re especially going to want to steer clear of Marnie. She’d tear you up and spit you out. I’m going to tell you this one time, and let that be your warning. I won’t fight you over Hazel. She’s not worth it, and despite the lies she’s told she was never anything more than a few rolls in the hay. And that’s been months ago at that. She’s lying about being pregnant and it’s your family who’ll have to deal with the shame of those lies.

“But Marnie is someone I’ll fight for. I’d better never hear another word about her ever come out of your mouth. I don’t want to hear that you started rumors about her father, her, or anyone else. Because I can promise you that Isobel Caldwell is going to get pretty bored with you without those balls you’re so proud of.”

Denny’s face was turning red, a combination of lack of oxygen and anger, and his hands were gripped around Beckett’s wrist. Mrs. Baker was quiet behind the counter, her eyes wide, and every other eye on the place was on them.

“Get out of my face,” Beckett said, and dropped him to the ground. “I’ve already wasted enough time on you today.”

Denny straightened his shirt and glared at Beckett on his way out the door. “Better watch your back, Hamilton. This is far from over.” He slammed the door behind him, the little bell ringing wildly, and the entire room seemed to collectively breathe again.

Chapter Eleven

Cooper MacKenzie was a patient man.

He had to be in his line of work. He’d been a cop for a lot of years and dealt with a multitude of situations—ranging from the absurd to unspeakable tragedies. But he could say for certain he’d never been in a position quite like the one he was in now.

He and his wife, Claire, had gotten into the habit of eating their lunch together each day, a simple enough task since she worked just down the street at the library. They’d grab something at the diner and then head back to their jobs for the rest of the day. It was a comfortable routine and one he enjoyed.

So he was surprised to get a text message from Claire saying she was making lunch for them at home today and to let her know when he was on the way. His first thought was to tell her to go ahead without him. It was almost a twenty-minute drive to their house from downtown, and by the time he got there they’d hardly have any time for lunch.

He’d been texting just that when he changed his mind. She’d gone to the trouble to make lunch for both of them and he didn’t want to let her down. He told Deputy Greyson he was taking some extra time for lunch but that he’d be on call if he was needed.

“No worries, Sheriff. Danny and I are both on duty and Brooks comes on for the night shift. We’re covered.”

“And if all else fails you’ve got Lila to back you up,” Cooper said with a grin.

“No offense, but if we need backup I’ll just call my wife.”

“Probably the wiser choice.”

Cooper tipped his hat and grabbed the keys to his Tahoe. By the time he took the fork in the road that led to MacKenzie land, he’d already gotten two phone calls and a dozen texts about what had happened between Denny and Beckett at the bakery.

Cooper had always been amazed at Beckett’s self-control. The MacKenzies liked to fight. It had been a rite of passage in their household. Something brothers did to show their affection. And also a way for them to band together if someone tried to pick on one of them.

Beckett had been closer to Cooper’s younger brothers and cousins, but he’d always had a cool head about him. Something the MacKenzies needed from time to time. If it had been anyone but Beckett, Denny Trout would’ve ended up in the hospital after some of the things he’d said.

Cooper looked at the clock on the dashboard and winced. Time was of the essence. He had a stack of reports to be signed on his desk and he needed to write an article for the newsletter the city sent out every month. With winter coming it was a good idea to do something on safety and supplies to carry in the car if stuck in a winter storm.

He ran through a checklist in his head and waved at the guards as they opened the gates and let him through.

He and Claire had built a home on MacKenzie land after their first year of marriage. It had a long, gravel driveway and was nestled between trees that had already lost their leaves.

It was a modest-sized white house with a wide wraparound porch. Ferns hung from hooks and rocking chairs graced both the front and back porch. The back looked out over the lake and the mountains, and he thought it’d be nice to have their lunch out there, though the temperature had dropped and it might be too cold.

His mind was occupied with thoughts of calling Beckett to see what happened and his rumbling stomach, so he was completely unprepared to open the front door of his home and see his wife standing there. In hardly anything.

His cock went rock hard in an instant. She always had that effect on him, and between work and their small children, intimacy wasn’t always so easy to come by. Thank God she was a devious woman.