All Jacked Up (35 page)

“When you didn’t show up at the building today. Doc Monroe told ’em you weren’t at the clinic. You weren’t answering your phone. They called everyone… Who’d they call first?”

Cord lifted his hand. “I reckon they started at the top of the birth order and worked their way down.”

“They called all of you?”

“Yep.”

“When was this?”

“One. Or thereabouts.”

Damn. “How’d you find me?”

“AJ,” they all said in unison.

“So what have you guys been doin’ the last six hours?”

Guilty looks.

Her pulse spiked. “Oh. My. God. What did you do?”

“Now, Keely. You gotta understand. We warned Jack not to mess with you,” Cam said amiably.

“He knew the risks and he hurt you anyway, which pissed us off,” Colby added.

Colt nodded. “You know we ain’t gonna let something like that slide.”

Fear, anger and shock all warred inside her. She forced herself not to scream to get to the bottom of what her crazy brothers had done to Jack. “What did you do to him?”

Carter studied her a minute before he spoke. “Would you care?”

“Yes! How could you think I’d…?” She inhaled, exhaled, amidst awful, bloody, violent scenarios racing through her mind. “Where is he?”

“He’s a little tied up at the moment.”

Every single one of her brothers started laughing.

Not good. Not good at all. “Tell me where Jack is right fuckin’ now or I will call every one of your wives and round up my own McKay posse to track him down. I ain’t kiddin’.”

More exchanged looks. Something passed between Cam and Carter. They stood, along with Colt, and walked to the back of Cord’s truck bed.

The grunting noises were loud in the stillness. Dragging, scraping sounds echoed. Hissed breaths.

Keely couldn’t see the action. She gasped when her brothers struggled into her line of sight carrying a bulky form. A six-foot-four, muscular form they dropped on the ground, none too gently. A form that was blindfolded, gagged, with arms and legs tied.

Holy fucking shit. That trussed up form was…Jack.

“Omigod! Please tell me you didn’t kill him!”

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“Jesus, Keely. Give us some credit. If we woulda killed him, you never would’ve known,” Colby said.

“Yeah, we definitely wouldn’t have brought the body here,” Cam scoffed.

She glared at him. Before she could move or speak or do anything, another pickup barreled up and skidded to a stop. When the dust cleared she realized it was her father’s pickup.

Carson McKay got out of his truck. His impassive gaze swept over his sons and then landed on Jack.

His mouth tightened. “What in the hell is wrong with you boys?”

Silence.

“Cut him loose. Now.”

Cord crossed his arms over his chest. “Dad, we were just—”

“Jesus Christ. I’ll do it.” He whipped out a Bowie knife and knelt in the dirt to saw off the binding around Jack’s ankles. Then he cut the ties around Jack’s wrists. Colt swore and helped her father pull Jack upright when he couldn’t move the big man by himself.

When Keely started toward Jack, Carson stepped between them. “You can go to him in a minute, okay?” He threw up his hands as he addressed his sons. “I don’t know what kind of shit you boys are pullin’, but I raised you better than that. What were you thinkin’?”

“We were thinkin’ it was his goddamned fault she was gone,” Cam snapped.

“We ain’t gonna stand by and let him treat her that way,” Colt said stubbornly. “You raised us to protect her.”

“If you haven’t noticed, Keely ain’t exactly six years old anymore. She’s old enough to make up her own damn mind about when she needs protection and who she wants it from.”

“Are you taking Jack’s side?” Carter demanded.

“No, I’m takin’ Keely’s side.”

Keely’s head spun. Was she having an out-of-body experience? Or was she just in the throes of a bizarre dream? Had her brothers really kidnapped Jack? And dragged him out here like some kind of trophy for defending her honor? Instead of her father high-fiving them, he was chewing collective ass?

“Don’t get me wrong. I understand where you’re all comin’ from. I thought about flaying the skin offa Jack a piece at a time myself. But the bottom line is Keely chose Jack. He might not be the one you’da picked or I’da picked for her. Jack might be dumb as shit, but we’ve all been there. Complete and total dumbasses when it comes to the women in our lives. None of us can claim we didn’t make a mistake or two. But we’ve managed to figure out how to fix ’em on our own, and I’ve gotta give Jack the benefit of the doubt and allow him the same chance with Keely.”

She bit her lip, surprised she had the urge to weep within this cloud of testosterone.

“Girlie, tell your brothers goodnight.” He turned his back on his sons and crouched by Jack.

Grumbles. Curses. But Carson McKay had said his piece and his word was law.

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Lorelei James

Cam gave Keely a hug. “If you change your mind and decide to shoot him, I can get you off on a self-defense charge.”

“Thanks, Cam. But that won’t be necessary.”

Colby pressed a jar into her hand as he kissed her forehead. “This’ll help with his sore muscles. Not much good on bruises, though.”

“Bruises? What the hell did you guys do—”

“What we thought was right,” Colt said, holding her tight. “Can’t blame us for looking out for you, Keels, because we love you.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re gonna make me cry.”

“As long as they’re happy tears, I don’t mind. I mostly recognize the difference now.” Cord wrapped her in a one-armed hug and mumbled, “Call AJ tomorrow.”

“I will.” Keely faced a hangdog Carter.

“You deserve the best, K. We’d do anything for you, don’t you know that? I feel so damn guilty because Jack is my friend. I brought this on you—”

Keely wrapped her arms around him and whispered, “No, Carter, you brought him
to
me. Thank you.”

He pecked her on the cheek. “In that case, you’re welcome. And tell him I’m sorry about his jaw.”

She didn’t even ask what the hell that was about.

Her heroic, but slightly misguided brothers loaded up in Cord’s truck and were gone. She didn’t move until after the dust settled.

The fire had died down. Keely stoked it, gathering her thoughts before she wandered to where her dad and Jack sat, speaking in low tones.

Jack wouldn’t look at her. His elbows rested on his knees. He’d aimed his face at the ground.

“Daddy, how did you know—”

“About your brothers goin’ all vigilante? I didn’t. ’Cause I sure wouldn’t’ve condoned it. Jack called me earlier this morning and admitted he’d screwed up with you big time. He asked if I’d help him find you.

Evidently, before I made it to your apartment, the boys showed up and took matters into their own hands.

AJ called me because she knew something was up.”

“She also felt guilty because she told Cord where she thought I might be hiding out, huh?” Keely asked.

“That too.” He sighed. “Look. I’ve given Jack a hard time since you came home wearin’ his ring. I stopped questioning how he felt about you after he asked me to see to getting up a teardown party for your building.”

She froze. “Jack set that up? Not you?”

“Yep. He didn’t want credit. He just wanted it done and wanted you happy. That told me a lot about the kind of man he is.”

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“I know a little about picking good men, since I’ve been surrounded by them my whole life.”

“I never doubted how you felt about him, punkin, I just never thought he could handle you. Now I see he handles you just fine.”

Keely heard Jack snicker.

“And I also realize you ain’t a little girl and I oughta butt out of your life.”

“Whatever you did, you did out of love, Daddy, not spitefulness, not meanness. I hope the day never comes that you butt completely out of my life.”

He smiled. “Never thought I’d hear you say that.” He looked over at Jack. “Takes a big man to admit his mistakes and ask for forgiveness, Keely. Remember that. Jack might be dense, but he ain’t dumb.” He gathered her in a fierce hug and whispered, “Does he make you happy?”

She whispered back, “When he’s not making me crazy.”

“Then I reckon everything will turn out fine.”

Carson McKay climbed in his truck and roared off, leaving her and Jack alone.

Her nerves were strung tight as she erased the distance between them.

Finally, Jack lifted his chin and looked at her.

Keely’s heart turned over with love and her belly knotted with pain. She dropped to her knees in the dirt in front of him. “Holy hell, GQ. What did they do to your beautiful face?”

“Carter punched me.” Jack ran his fingers across the lump that hurt like a motherfucker. “Hit me hard enough to knock me out so I don’t know what the hell else the McKay posse did to me while I was at their mercy. I will say it took all five of them to take me down.” His eyes searched hers. “Is it bad?”

Keely’s soft fingers traced his stubbled jawline. “No. You’re a sight for sore eyes, Jack Donohue.”

He circled his hand around her wrist and kissed her palm. He touched her cheek. “Keely. I love you.”

She didn’t move. She didn’t appear to breathe. Neither did she look away.

“I’m sorry. I had no right to yell at you for telling me the truth about my shortcomings, personally and professionally. I had no right to blame you for anything. Or to embarrass you. I don’t know if I can ever apologize enough.”

“Keep goin’.”

Cowgirl speak. She was nervous, which surprised him, because he was nervous as hell too. “You were right about so many things. I never should’ve gone after the Milford project. I was compromising who I was to make a lousy buck.” He smiled and winced when it hurt. “Okay, it was a lot of lousy bucks. But my personal life should have no bearing on whether I measure up in the restoration arena. I’ve been living in that shadow of bitterness and one-upmanship for years. But you’ve taught me it doesn’t matter as long as I can look at myself in the mirror every morning and be happy with the man I see. At the risk of sounding incredibly fucking sappy, when I look in your eyes, I see the man I’ve always wanted to be.”

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Lorelei James

Keely didn’t bother to hide her tears.

“So, as sorry as I am that we went through all that fake engagement stuff so I could make a deal, I’m not one bit sorry because it led me to you.”

“Jack—”

“Let me finish. I love you. I’ve been happier these last two months than I’ve ever been in my life. For the first time in my life, my happiness doesn’t have a damn thing to do with work. It has everything to do with you. Being with you has changed me. Changed my life. You are my life, cowgirl.”

She kissed him in a fiery melding of lips that made his mouth ache. Wait. His mouth really did ache.

He pulled back and whispered, “Careful.”

“Sorry.”

“Just be gentle, okay? I’m a little more fragile right now than I’m used to.”

Keely placed tender kisses on his swollen lips. The bump on his jaw. The scrapes on his neck and cheek. She leaned back to look in his eyes. “I oughta kill my brothers for messing up this pretty face I love so much, but I’m glad they brought you to me.”

“Is it just my face you love?”

“No. It’s all of you I love. Your smart side. Your smartass side. Your sweet side. Your sour side. Your take charge side.”

“Good to know.”

“And as much as you’ve had time to reflect, so have I. I want to be with you, Jack, no matter where you are. If that means a move to Denver, then so be it.”

“I’d never ask you to move away from your family, Keely. I know how big a of part of your life they are. I love that they’re part of your life. They’re a very large part of who you are.”

“You are my life now, Jack. Remember when I said anywhere you are is my home? I meant it.”

Jack was almost more choked up about Keely’s willingness to follow him anywhere than he’d been when she’d told him she loved him. “You’re finally achieving your dreams here; I won’t yank you away from them. We’ll figure it out. It’ll take lots of compromise, but I admit…I’m finally seeing the appeal of living in Wyoming.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes. But you’ll never get me in a pair of cowboy boots. Never.”

Keely smoothed her hand up his thigh. “I’d love to see you nekkid except for a pair of fringed chaps, GQ.”

“Ditto, cowgirl mine. Come up here.” His muscles protested when he lifted her and settled her on his lap. Her legs dangled behind him on the log.

“Did my brothers really beat the shit out of you?”

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“No. I beat up on myself. I was frustrated about how I mishandled everything and I worked out to the point of muscle exhaustion. Which is probably why I didn’t defend myself when Carter came after me. I couldn’t even lift my damn arms.”

“Poor baby. I’ll give you a deep tissue massage.” Keely toyed with his hair. “So since Chet and Remy overheard our fight, does everybody know our engagement wasn’t real?”

Jack shook his head. “If they overheard that part of our conversation they didn’t say anything to anyone. Trust me, your brothers would’ve brought it up when they were grilling me. For hours.” He smiled with pure male cockiness. “But I didn’t break. I just told them to butt the fuck out and let us work it out ourselves.”

“Have we worked it out?”

“Yes, except for one thing.” Jack curled his hands around her face. “Will you marry me? For real this time?”

“Did you ask my dad?”

“Yep. He grumbled about being the last to know important shit, which strangely enough reminded me of you, but I think he’s okay with it now. Because he did give me his blessing.”

“Well…seein’s we’ve already had the engagement party, you bought the ring and everyone already thinks we’re in
wuv, twue wuv
, I suppose it’s inevitable.” She gave him a smacking kiss on the mouth.