Trial by Fire (20 page)

“I am. Smells good,
Mamacita
. Good morning, y’all. Miss Chloe.”

The baby girl shook her rattle and cooed.

Holden grabbed a plate and made up a tortilla with eggs and cheese and sauce and all manner of crap in it. Lachlan shrugged. When in Texas….

Ryan did the same, and when Dez gave him a wild-eyed look, he snorted. “Buck up, you pussy. You can have eggs by themselves and a tortilla with butter.”

Dez chuckled. “Yeah, I keep telling myself it’s like hand pies.”

“These Yanks, they love their cheese, eh?”

Dez clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Yellow cheese, no less.”

“Jesus Christ. Aussies. Sit.” Holden tucked in, and Lachlan took a tentative bite, surprised to find it tasty—warm but not spicy.

Yum. Lachlan munched his way across two full plates. Dez had three, which told Lachlan the big guy was working through some nerves. Never a good sign, right?

“So, what’s up, y’all? You’re nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” That was his Holden, straightforward as anything.

“Pancho….”

“Come on, fess up. Y’all shoot somebody and not tell me?”

Dez punched Ryan’s arm. “Shut up. Boss, I quit.”

“Okay, why? You have the cushiest job on earth.”

“Right. Personal security for the man who won’t use it.” Dez held up a hand. “Now, you know if anything ever happened, I would be there, just like now, but I want to start my own company.”

“No shit?” Impressive. “Security? Tell all.”

Holden leaned back in his chair, watching them as if they were playing table tennis.

“Security, hostage negotiation and retrieval. That kind of shit. More emergency task force shit.”

Ryan leaned forward, bright green eyes alight. “Yeah. Stuff we can really sink our teeth into.”

“We?” Holden hooted, slapped the table. “You’re joining up with this hooligan? Have you met Shay? She’ll eat your face.”

Ryan cracked up. “I do okay, but Dez has the international connections I don’t.”

Lachlan was incredibly tempted to point out that Dez and Ryan weren’t the best of friends, but far be it from him to blow a hole in the leaky boat.

He lived in a glass house there, anyway. He and Holden would no doubt be defending their decisions for their first decade together.

“Your people aren’t happy with me,” Dez said. “In fact, your mum called me names.”

Dez made light of it, but Lachlan knew it had to hurt. Dez had been family for a decade.

“I’m sorry, mate.” He was. Dez had taken a lot of heat over shit through the years, most of it his or Adelaide’s fault. “If you need a backer, you tell me.”

“Well, I was going to talk to you about that, to be honest….”

Ryan’s eyes went wide. “Pardon me? Bullshit we were.”

“Hush, boy. We need a silent partner, and Lachlan is in need of places to spend all that dosh.”

“Boy?”

“Pancho, do not fight in front of the baby. I will let the dogs bite you,” Holden threatened.

Colorado and Harry lifted their heads, their tails thumping.

Ryan glared impartially at all of them. “We did not call this meeting to ask for money.”

“I’m making a business deal,” Dez stared Ryan down. “No wonder you were a solo gig. You have to take chances.”

“Don’t make me kill you the morning after we became partners.”

Lachlan held up his hand when Maria’s giggles got loud and Chloe began to fuss. “I get it. We can talk later. Who are you replacing yourself with?”

“Replacing myself?” Dez asked.

“Yeah. I mean with general security. I know I’m not a candidate for personal detail anymore.” He chuckled. He’d given that up years back. “But you do a lot for me, Dez. And now you’ll be doing a lot for our family, mine and Holden’s.”

“Oy. Like I’d leave that ankle biter without someone. Something like a ninja nanny.”

Ryan dropped his head on the table with a
thunk
. Then he raised it and dropped it again.
Bonk
. Oh, this partnership was going to be better than watching the races at the Camel Cup.

“I like pirates more than ninjas, but pirate nanny doesn’t sound as good.” Holden looked at Maria and winked.

Maria deadpanned, “Arr.”

Dez rolled his eyes. “I’ll get you a pirate ninja. I don’t bloody care. I promise, you’ll have good people, and I can always consult. We just have an opportunity here. The feds and the cops both liked how we liaised.”

“Liaised.” Lachlan rolled his eyes. “You find acceptable security for my daughter, you can quit.”

“Is that how it works in Australia?” Holden teased. “Or is this just y’all’s thing?”

“It’s their thing,” Ryan said. “It’s the only thing they’re allowed to have now, you know?”

“Right. No more shared things.”

He looked at Holden, at Ryan. “Are you two speaking proper English?”

“Nope. We’re speaking Texan. Anyway, he quits, he’ll find his replacement, and no, we don’t need money,” Ryan said.

“Tripe,” Dez said. “We need a plane.”

“What the fucking hell do we need a plane for?”

Maria clucked and took Chloe out with her, Harry and Colorado following right behind.

Holden glanced at him, jerking his head toward the kitchen door.

Yeah, Lachlan’s boots were right there. He stood while the lads were coming to blows at the table, and Holden headed out the door, moving easy in his skin.

“Morning, honey. How goes it?”

“Good. I mean, I expected Dez to say this after last night. How’s the land?” He stopped Holden on the stoop and glanced about before taking a short peck.

“Looks good. Pepper needed some exercise. You want to go meet the barrel horses? Addie was training up some amazing ones and you need to start thinking about who you want to ride.”

“Love to.” He tugged on his boots, listening to the ruckus inside. Going at it like two birds fighting over a snake.

“Good deal.” Holden grabbed his phone. “Maria? We’re fixin’ to take a ride. You good with watching the baby? Good deal. You keep them dogs with you. The idiots are still in the kitchen.”

The sky was so blue, so pretty. This whole place had a new shine now that Chloe was safe and he had Holden beside him.

Holden hopped down and grabbed Pepper’s reins. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to my babies, and we’ll ride, see Addie’s big horse barn.”

“Lead on.” Lachlan was ready to learn everything about Holden’s ranch. Eager.

This was a whole different world, one that he intended to love as much as his sister had.

“
WHAT
are you thinking?” His momma was sitting on the porch at the big house, rocking on her big rocking chair. “Son, you boys have lost your minds.”

Holden smiled, because he knew this was coming, knew where it was coming from. Hell, Lachlan was fetching up his folks now so there could be a huge, hysterical thing. Some shit was eternal—no matter which part of the earth you came from, he guessed. “I’m thinking that I’m going to raise my daughter with Lachlan.”

“You do know she’s not your daughter, right?”

“I don’t intend to lie to her, Momma, but Uncle Holden doesn’t work for me, and I’m going to be her daddy.” He sat on the steps, letting her say her piece. This had been the worst year ever and she deserved to vent her spleen.

“With Lachlan. You realize you know nothing about him? We loved Addie, but we don’t know Lachlan at all.” She crossed her arms and stared, but he wasn’t five anymore. The glare bounced off.

“I know him, Momma.”

“You hit him when you met him.”

“I did. It was actually very satisfying.”

“You’re such a boy!” She raised her voice, waving her hands, and like clockwork, Daddy appeared.

“Now, Margery, don’t get all het up and have another attack.”

“Shut up, Brandon.” Momma whacked Daddy on the arm. “What are you going to do, seriously?”

“For now, we’re going to chill out, stay here and make plans. Hire a foreman. Learn Lachlan’s business, have him learn ours.” He looked at his momma. “I’m going to look into asking him to marry me, having him adopt Chloe. Settle things legally.”

He didn’t have all the answers, but if he’d learned anything, it was that nobody did. That was the big lie everyone told.

“You’ve lost your mind, Son. Ten days? Eleven? You don’t know this man! He’s a stranger? What happens when y’all break up?”

“Did you ask Landon that, Momma?”

“What?” She blinked at Holden, stared as if he was speaking Chinese.

“He asked Addie to marry him eighteen hours after he met her. He stole the woman from her security, her family, and damn near smuggled her here. Did you ever ask him that?”

Holden kept it calm, but firm. He knew himself, he knew his heart, and he knew who he loved.

Her face crumpled some. He’d always heard that phrase, but never really known what it meant until just then. “I don’t—”

Daddy, though, he hooted and slapped his leg, making Momma’s dog Butch jump up and bark. “He’s got you there, woman. How long did we know each other before I asked?”

“I said shut up, Brandon.”

“Twelve days was it?”

“Shut up, you old coot. You are not helping!”

“Oh, I think he’s going pretty damn fine, Momma.” Holden couldn’t help his grin.

Lachlan pulled up in the rental truck, which was ridiculously expensive to keep on driving. Holden added get Lachlan a truck or SUV to his mental list. “Anyway, here’s your reinforcements.”

Gladys and Duncan stepped out of the car with Lachlan, nodding at him before climbing the steps to sit on the porch. Holden had to admit, this was something he’d never expected to see, not when Landon and Addie were still alive. Hell, he’d not even known to expect it.

“Have a seat, y’all.” Momma said. “We were all just having a chat.”

Lachlan came to lean on the rail behind him, an obvious show of support. Not that he was gonna battle. Not this time. Holden felt like he had his groove back.

“What were you lot talking about?” Lachlan’s momma asked.

Holden saw pure evil in Daddy’s eyes and tried to stop him, but it wasn’t ever going to happen. “About Holden asking Lachlan to marry him.”

Lachlan’s momma’s face went slack with shock. “What? Is that legal?”

Honestly, he was more interested in Lachlan’s response. “Ma’am, sir, you have to believe that we’re gonna figure this out. We’re smart dogs.”

“You’re both idiots.” Momma sniffed. “What are you going to do? Where will you live?”

Lachlan squeezed his shoulder, and Holden let him take this one.

“I imagine the plan will be half the year here and half in Oz. Now, that may be the first few years while we find a rhythm. We’ll see what works best.”

He nodded. “We have to figure out a balance, see what’s best for Chloe, for us.”

Us.

God, he loved that word. He’d been an us his whole life, and he’d missed it in recent weeks. Now, that wasn’t to say he wouldn’t have fallen for Lachlan right off if he’d shown up looking for a very alive Adelaide. Holden had a feeling he would have gone down hard.

It was a thing. Sheffields. McCougheys. Love.

“So, what else are y’all worried about? Get it all out.”

“I don’t want Chloe gone half the year.” His momma took Holden at his word.

“And I don’t want her only whenever you two show up at the station.” Another nation heard from.

“Okay.”

They both looked at him like he was insane.

“I hear you, and I’m sorry, but we’re the parents. You’re not. It sucks.”

Lachlan chuckled, the sound warm and damned happy. “Mum, you’ll get to see her more than you think, and you lot run a very seasonal business, Margery. You’re always welcome in Queensland.”

“See? Answers.” He knew it wasn’t this easy, but…. Oh, hell, Lachlan had more money than the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma put together, and Holden’s family wasn’t hurting. They’d make it easy, damn it.

“You do like to travel, Margery.” Daddy sounded positively gleeful. Crazy old goat.

“Goddamn it, Brandon, would you stop helping?”

Holden lost his shit, just leaning back against Lachlan and howling. Lachlan joined him, laughing with him until all they could do was cling together and chortle, passing the laughter back and forth.

“Margery, dear?” Mrs. McCoughey said.

“Yes, Gladys?”

“Let’s leave these bleeding arseholes to the dingoes.”

“You know it, lady. Come on. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

“Actually, I’d murder someone for a beer.”

Momma nodded and sniffed at them. “Beer I have. Come on, now.”

The ladies retired inside, leaving Mr. McCoughey—Duncan—staring at them, and Daddy hooting like a giant barn owl.

“All righty, Duncan. Come on down and I’ll show you the progress on the new barns. You like beer too, and I got a new fridge in the tack barn.”

“Sounds like a bonza idea. G’night boys.”

“Night, sir.” He waved, still cackling madly.

Lachlan scooted around and pulled him into a warm embrace, letting him lean on that broad chest. “That was classic, Lofty.”

“Yeah. Welcome to the family, honey.”

“Married, huh? For real?” Lachlan sounded idly curious, but Holden could feel the sudden tension in his muscles.

“Well, it’s a family tradition, cowboy. I’m not much on bucking tradition.” He turned to face Lachlan, held his lover’s gaze. “I’ll ask official and all when I find a ring.”

“Well, you can figure my answer now, right?” Lachlan kissed his mouth, deep and slow, letting him know the answer was a resounding yes.

That worked for him.

They’d figured shit out, at least for tomorrow. Tomorrow, they’d put one foot in front of the other and get through that too.

Whatever happened, Holden didn’t have to go it alone. He and Lachlan would do this together.

“
DAD
! Dad! I’m riding Maddy!” Chloe’s happy cry rang out, his baby girl sitting pretty with her heels down, totally fearless. Her little boots shone in the sun, and her sparkly pink hat made her look like the rodeo princess she was.

Lachlan laughed, nodded over at his daughter. He was Dad. Holden was Daddy. He didn’t have to worry about Chloe one bit, even if he was fifteen feet away, because the ringers were all wrapped around her little finger.