Rebel Betty (11 page)

Chapter 13

“Well, what do we have here?”

Lara heard the amused drawl as she stumbled out of the bedroom, naked with tangled hair hanging in front of her eyes. She blinked and focused on the two figures sprawled on the couch, their long legs resting on the coffee tangle. They were alike as two peas in a pod, and plainly enjoyed the view. When she whirled and flew back into the room, their laughter swelled behind her.

“Nice ink,” one of the brothers called, voice rich with amusement. 

“What's up?” Thad asked sleepily from a nest of sheets. They had made love again just as the sun was coming up, wincing a little at the hint of soreness but still doing it because it felt so good, so absolutely right.

“There are two strange men in your front room, and I really need to find a bathroom.” Pulling on her jeans and t-shirt, Lara ran her fingers through the mass of her hair. “Oh my God, those are your brothers, aren’t they? And I just walked out there naked.”

Thad made a valiant effort to control twitching lips as he blinked the sleep from his eyes and found his glasses. “If it makes you feel any better, you are not the first naked woman they have seen. You want me to go out first?”

The temptation was there to let him field the awkwardness of this meeting, but Lara shoved it aside. “No, I've got this.” Lara stuffed her feet into her discarded boots and opened the door.

As expected, the two men were avidly watching the door.  Their faces fell when she emerged fully clothed.

“You didn’t need to get dressed on our account,” one said. Lara looked at his face and saw that there was a small scar that bisected his left eyebrow.  It was the only discernible difference between their two handsome faces. Blonde hair cut close to the scalp topped strong, handsome features and dazzling green eyes. They looked very similar to Thad; handsome and intelligent, although they were more obviously athletic. Muscles bulged under their shirts, and she would have known them as military even without Thad having told her. It was something in the way that they carried themselves, even when relaxed.
Predatory
, her mind helpfully supplied. The twins were predators.

“And here I was thinking this was the beginning of a particularly naughty dream.”

The twins flashed identical wide grins. The one who had not yet spoken winked at her, and said in a voice deeper than his brothers, “We could play along.”

Lara's face must have been a picture, because the brothers dissolved into hearty laughter, which Lara eventually joined.

“Which of you is Logan and which is Lucas?”

The brother with the scarred eyebrow answered, “I’m Lucas.” He twisted and laid one muscled forearm against the back of the couch. “And my brother’s taste has definitely improved.” The look he gave her was positively smoldering, bordering on pornographic.

“Knock it off, asshole.” Thad had padded out from the room and was buttoning his jeans. A long red scratch decorated his torso, vivid red against golden skin. When he turned and closed the door, Lara saw two more scratches. Morning sex had been intense, bordering on rough, just how she liked it. Looking at him now, decorated with the marks of her hands, made her wish that they still had the house all to themselves. Had the brothers not been there, she could have dragged him off to bed again.

He gestured to the hallway at the left. “The bathroom is through there.”

By the time she returned, Thad had finished dressing and was in the middle of making coffee. The aroma of beans scented the room. The kitchen was a bright and airy space with a bank of large windows that filled it with morning sunshine. Logan and Lucas sat at a table that seemed too small for their huge frames.

They looked up at her approach, and the smile that shone from each face was so strikingly similar that Lara could not help grinning in return. Thad handed her a cup of coffee already laced with cream and began to make scrambled eggs, cracking a dozen in a glass bowl while heating up a skillet. Perfect. He'd remembered how she took her coffee, even though they had only breakfasted together once.

Logan was the quieter twin. While Lucas began talking almost immediately to Thad about their journey from the Middle East, Logan said little. Lara was conscious of his scrutiny as he flipped through the paper that littered the top of the table.

“So you’re the mystery woman.” Lucas said.

Lara glanced up at Thad, but he shook his head minutely. “What do you mean?”

“Thad fell off the map for the last few months and we thought it must mean a new lady.”

"I have too many rough edges to be a lady," she said.

"Even better," chimed in Logan with a wicked smile.

Thad turned the conversation to Dwayne, and the legal maneuverings that had occupied the last week. Lara sipped her coffee and watched them, enjoying their teasing banter.

“I should get back to the farm,” she said after they had finished eating.

Thad rose and pushed back his chair. “I’ll walk you out.”

Logan nodded a goodbye to her, then rose and walked to the window, staring at the driveway. “That’s a real nice car.”

Lara felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach. “Thanks,” she said, and hurriedly grabbed her bag.

“I saw one like it on a car auction show, about a year ago.”

Damn it. So much for keeping her past from Thad's family. Buying the car had been the last thing she had done before disappearing from the public eye. She had tried to go incognito: her arms, red and swollen from the laser treatments she was undergoing to remove the tats, had been covered by a long sleeved shirt, conspicuous in the hot Arizona sun. Her hair was still dark, however, and the famous cat-eye makeup had been instantly recognized when she had taken off sunglasses to get a better look at the Charger. It was a car that she had always loved. Brett had been with her at the time, turning the auction into a sideshow, especially when he insisted on paying for the vehicle. A going away present, he said, wiping away an imaginary tear.

Though they did not follow, Lara was conscious of the combined weight of their stares focused on her back as they walked to the driveway. Thad gave her a goodbye kiss that nearly scorched the paint off the house.

Chapter 14

The ringing of her cell phone jolted Lara, making her drop the pitchfork she was using to clean out the sheep
shed. A quick glance at the ID showed "Child Services" and Lara bit back a groan. This would not be good.

"Lara?"

It was Helen; some of her anxiety dissipated.  "Hey, what's up?" She asked, dusting her knees off while leaning against the door frame. The sheep watched her with interest, occasionally nudging at her overalls for the treats she kept there.

There was the sound of shuffling papers, and Helen's breath came out as a sigh. "I just wanted to let you know that I am being taken off of your case. I have gotten behind because of the workload, and there are a few cases that require my full attention."

"But there is only two weeks left until the hearing," she protested.

"That's exactly what I told my supervisor, but it is not my decision to make."

Lara was conscious of a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Who is the new case worker going to be?" Not her, please, God, anyone but her.

"Vanessa Moore."

Damn it.

Helen's voice lowered almost to a whisper. "I know that you two have a...uh, complicated history."

"You could say that." She and Vanessa had known each other since high school, and hated each other almost as long. A full blown migraine was suddenly pounding behind her eyes, blood and flashing red lights slamming into her brain with the force of a hammer.

"I tried to argue against it, but her mother is the head of the department, and she has the lightest case load right now." The forced cheer in Helen's voice did nothing to dispel Lara’s anxiety. "I am sure that everything will go smoothly at the hearing. Mackenzie has been with you for almost a year, and there have been no disruptions or incidents of any kind.

"Of course it will," Lara agreed even as she pressed her forehead against the rough oaken beam. "We will miss you, though."

"I will miss you, too. You have given that baby a good home, and I know you love her. She loves you, too.  Everything is going to be fine." A note of desperation had entered the social worker's voice, and Lara did not know which of them she was trying to reassure.

As soon as Helen hung up, Lara called Thad and left a voicemail.

"We need to talk."

The ominous weather was an accurate reflection of Thad's mood as he pulled into Lara's driveway.

It had been a very long week. Dwayne had left yesterday, a huge weight off his mind. He had been in the airport seeing the kid off when Lara's phone call had come through. Despite her reassurances, he could hear the despair in her voice when he called her back. 

"It's just a new caseworker. I'll explain everything when you get here tomorrow."

This as good as told him that she was ending their relationship.

The day was threatening rain. Billowing gray storm clouds had rolled across the horizon during the drive north, bringing with it a cool breeze. August was quickly approaching. Soon he would have to pack up his gear and return to the city for the beginning of term. Hell, given Lara's tone, he might be heading back home sooner than he had thought. Tonight, even.

Thad parked his Jeep and jumped out, looking around the yard for Lara. There was a strange truck and trailer backed into the barn. He stowed his computer in the trailer and walked over, trying to keep his anxiety from showing on his face.

Lara smiled at him from atop a mountain of hay bales stacked in the mow. An older man in a John Deere cap was loading the bales from the trailer onto the hay elevator. Lara caught the bales as they were dumped at the mow and stacked them, wedging them into the raised platform. She wore overalls, which made him smile, and her slim arms were bare except for gloves.

“Hey, stranger,” she called, and swept a lock of sweat-soaked hair back from her forehead.

“Hey,” he replied, distracted by the fact that she appeared to only be wearing a swim suit top beneath the worn overalls. “Need a hand?” he asked, gesturing to the gray sky overhead. The hay wagon was so long that only half of it was inside the barn. Though he knew little of farming, he knew enough to understand the need to get the dried hay in before it rained.

“Yeah, that would be great. Jed?”

“Yep.”

“You can go. I know you have things to do at your place before the storm hits.”

The man in the cap looked him up and down, and Thad knew for certain he had been judged, and found lacking. “You sure? This one doesn't look like he's spent much time on a farm."

Ouch.

“I’m sure. He’s a Marine like you, Jed. They usually manage to get the job done.”

Like a switch turning on, there was a complete shift in the man’s attitude. He straightened, puffed out his chest, and stuck out a hand. Thad took it, surprised by the strength of his grip. Early Vietnam, he judged. Close to seventy years old and mean as hell.

“Semper Fi, brother,” the old man said, putting more steel than was necessary in his shake.

“Semper Fi,” Thad responded, squeezing the man’s hand hard enough that he could feel the bones.

The old farmer hobbled off, favoring one leg, and unhooked the trailer. Thad heard the pinging of stones on the siding as he drove off. He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it to the side, leaving his white undershirt in place.

“Gloves in the box,” Lara called, watching him with an amused expression. “You ever stacked hay before, city boy?” she teased.

Thad pulled a bale from the trailer and placed it on the hoist. When it reached Lara, she pulled it off and carried it to the stack.

“I’m a quick study. How hard could it be?”

It turned out to be very hard. The bales weighed close to sixty pounds and were awkward to pick up. He pulled the ones that were outside the shelter of the barn first, carrying the bales on his shoulder, and the texture of the hay left red marks on his shoulder before the first 20 bales had been sent.

He continued on with dogged determination despite exhaustion. Lara spoke few words, conserving all of her breath.

The first raindrops began to fall as they neared the end of the load. He’d kept a mental count in his head, a way to distract his mind from aching shoulders and a back that was beginning to loudly complain. 145…146...150.

“Last one!” He called, looking up into Lara’s exhausted face.

“I’m running behind,” she gasped out, surrounded by bales of hay that had fallen off the gurney before she could move them. “I’ll be down in a little bit.”

Thad ignored her, finding the ladder built to the loft and ascending it. He’d shut off the tractor that ran the hay lift, and the sudden quiet was startling. In it, he could hear Lara’s labored breathing as she stood, hands on hips, looking at the dozen bales that surrounded her.

“That’s it,” she said, giving him an exhausted smile. “I’m going to round bales after this. Those I can move with the tractor.”

Thad walked to her side and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest.

“Let me finish up,” he said.

Lara snorted. “Not likely.” She picked up a bale and muscled it across the hay strewn floor. With a shrug, he joined her.

The last bales were placed quickly, and Lara collapsed onto the floor, where a broken bale had created a comfortable landing spot. She raised an exhausted, shaky hand and pointed below to a small blue cooler. “There’s beer down there, of you want one.”

The rain pounded the metal roof overhead, and the temperature had fallen ten degrees. “You want one?”

“More than my next breath. Can I move to get one? Not for a little bit.” She pulled off her gloves and the bandanna that held her hair away from her face. She looked beat, with bright red cheeks from the exertion, and she smelled like sweat and hay. And despite all of that, she was so lovely that it made his heart hurt. He did not want to lose her.

“I’ll get it.”

He snagged the cooler and returned to her side. She had levered herself into a sitting position and accepted the beer with a thankful expression.

They sat next to each other and watched through the open door as the rain sheeted down, forming puddles in the low places of the yard. Lara’s hand rested in the hay, seeming too small to be responsible for so many things. He covered it with his own and squeezed.

“I’m glad you are back,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too. Where is the Bug?"

"She is at a play date in town until 6."

"We have a couple hours," he said, relaxing back into the hay. Then, because he could not help himself, he turned her chin so that he could look in her eyes. "So... are you breaking up with me?"

"What?" Lara asked and jerked back from his touch, her face shocked. "Is that what you thought?"

"As a general rule, every time a woman says
We need to talk
, it's not a good thing."

She laughed, the sound weary and devoid of humor, and leaned her head back into his shoulder. "It's not good, but it has nothing to do with you. It's about Mackenzie."

"Then it does have something to do with me. What's going on?"

Lara explained about the change in caseworkers. "The new one, Vanessa...let's just say that I am not her favorite person."

"Why's that?"

"We went to high school together, and the guy that she was dating told someone that he wanted to get into my pants. It got around. I was never interested, but she hated me ever since, even now that she married and divorced him."

"How did she get put on your case?"

"Her mom is the head of the department. Life in a small town," Lara shrugged. "You have to deal with the same people your entire life, and no one ever lets you forget anything. If she does something obviously biased, I could probably get her removed, but she is smarter than that. Always has been. Unless she’s had a massive personality shift in the last decade, she will do everything in her power to screw with me, just because she can."

"Hmmm." He trailed his fingers down her arm, and he leaned into him. "So what does this mean for us?"

Lara sighed. "The smart thing would be for us to put the brakes on. You are almost finished with the excavation anyway, and you have been talking about needing to spend time in the lab."

He nodded, and leaned his head back, staring out the open window at the boiling clouds. "You are right, that would probably be the smartest thing to do.”

Her fingers, clenched around his hands, jerked. She inhaled deeply, and then her shoulders slumped.

"I could go back to Oxford for a couple of weeks and then, when custody is settled, we could see each other again."

"It might be longer. It could be dragged out for months, and if the Randolph's decide to contest..."

"Months," He mused. "And I would be two hours away."

"I am not happy about it either."

He sat still, trying to put his thoughts in order. "A lot could happen in a couple of months. Something else will come up: the university for me, or another dig. You could meet someone else. Life could pull us apart just as easily as it brought us together. I am not willing to risk it just because someone might disapprove. Our being together is not something that needs to be hidden. I understand what you are thinking, but we haven't done anything wrong. You know how I feel about you. We can build a life together, working at it every day, and that's worth fighting for.”

Laura was blinking ferociously, trying to keep back a flood of emotions. “You don't know me well enough to make that kind of promise. I’m a terrible person before coffee in the morning. I hold grudges. I’m…”

Thad leaned forward and stopped the words with his mouth. He kissed her, long and deep, trying to tell her all the things he had difficulty finding the right words to say. She must have understood, for the kiss turned salty, and she leaned into him. Her hands, rough from working outside, stroked his back.

“Don’t say the words,” she whispered against his chest. “Even if you mean it, don’t tell me that you love me. Just…live it. That's all that I want.”

“For now.” He shifted, sinking farther down in the nest of hay. Lara lay at his side, cuddled up next to him.

Her hand began to stroke his chest, moving slowly, almost absently up and down, as though learning the texture of his undershirt. Using one finger, she slid it up, and began the movement against his bare skin.

Thad was content to merely enjoy the sensation for a while, the wonder of her touch causing a curl of heat to begin snaking its way up his spine. Fingertips brushed his nipple, causing it to harden instantly.

“Not that I am complaining, but if you were serious about being too tired for sex, you should probably stop now.”

Her giggle warmed the skin of his arm, and the hand that had been caressing his nipple began a slow descent, smoothing over his stomach before rubbing against the swell of his jeans. “You certainly seem up for it.” She rose on one elbow and surveyed him with an unmistakable expression.

Thad noticed that there were bits of hay sticking in her hair, and a smudge of dirt that dusted her neck, and thought that he probably looked in worse shape. He lifted and placed her astride him. A wicked smile curving her lips, Laura reached up and unfastened the buckles of her overalls.