Chapter Seventeen
August Seventeenth
Tucker
Looking around the backyard, I see that everyone is having a good time. Major is manning the smokers, pulling huge slabs of ribs from its fiery depths. Willow is refilling the already empty bowl of potato salad. A few of the farmhands are standing by the keg, trying to drink them dry. Everyone else is shoving food in their mouths as fast as they can. Well, everyone but my woman. She has disappeared from her own damn party.
Hadley turns twenty today, and I’ve been planning this shindig for the last two weeks. Granted, Willow helped bring it together. She did more of the actual planning, and I just handed over the cash she needed. By the time she was done, I had spent a pretty penny. It was nothing compared to the brand new midnight blue Chevy Tahoe that I had delivered to her this morning.
I give up looking for my wife and walk over to Willow. “Where the hell did Hadley go?”
“She’s inside.” Willow smiles up at me, picking up another empty bowl. “Tanya showed up a little while ago, and they wanted somewhere private to talk.”
After a phone call from Tanya last week, saying she was coming to see her for her birthday, Hadley has been over the moon. She couldn’t wait for her cousin to get here, saying she knows that Tanya and Gunnar will make the perfect couple. Even though she has only met my brother twice, she seems to think his shit doesn’t stink. I’d be jealous if she didn’t go to sleep in my bed every night.
It just so happens, Gunnar called this morning, saying he couldn’t make it. Even that didn’t dim her excitement. She planned on keeping her cousin around long enough to make the introduction, even if she had to drive Tanya all the way to Tennessee.
I turn away planning to go inside and drag my wife back to her party, but Willow stops me with a hand on my arm. “Thank you for letting Hadley go back to school. I know you were worried, but it means a lot to her.”
Hadley signed up for classes at Western about a week before she found out she was pregnant. I wanted her to switch them to online classes, but she refused. I didn’t like the idea of my pregnant wife traipsing all over a college campus. She kept begging, saying that the light class load she had signed up for wouldn’t hurt the baby. I finally agreed, getting her word that she wouldn’t even attempt online classes during the spring semester. She can go back when the next term starts.
“You know she’s going to miss you like crazy,” I reply, wondering how Hadley is gonna deal with her best friend being all the way in Lexington.
Willow smiles, leaning closer to whisper something for my ears only. “I haven’t told her yet, but I’m transferring to Western for the Spring semester. No way am I gonna be halfway across the state when that baby is born.”
Reaching out to tap the top of her head, I reply, “Having you here is really gonna make her happy. Thanks for doing that.”
“I’m not a dog, Tucker.” She jumps back, narrowing her eyes at me. “And wild horses couldn’t keep me away from that delivery room. I’m gonna be by her side when she has the baby. I already claimed the position as an honorary aunt.”
“Judging by all the shit you keep bringing into my house, you’re gonna spoil my kid rotten.” I shake my head, smiling at her. “I’m gonna go get my woman.”
I walk away, this time without interruption. I make it nearly to the door before I hear Major calling out my name. I turn around and watch as he walks across the yard, leaving the smoker in our foreman’s hands.
“I hate to bring this shit up today, brother,” he says, running his hand through his hair. “But, Mom just called.”
“Fuck, Major,” I mumble, not wanting to talk about her right now. “She’s been calling me all damn day, but I’ve ignored it. Why the hell did you answer?”
After throwing Mom out, Major and I quickly found out that she had spent every penny Dad left her on the ponies. She didn’t even have enough money to pay for a fucking hotel room, so we had no choice but to find her a place to stay. We put her up with her sister for a couple of days, but Aunt Renee made sure we knew that it was only a temporary fix. Two days later, she called me and let me know that her hospitality had come to an end. I guess Mom had burned all her bridges over the years.
Major and I went to Aunt Renee’s to talk to Mom, giving her our options. We’d pay to rent her a house and give her a small allowance as long as she chose somewhere at least an hour away from White Chapel. We ended up putting her in a hotel until she decided where she wanted to go. Two days later, she called and said she found a house in Florida that she liked. It had three bedrooms and sat right off the coast with a view of the ocean.
The place was way over the budget we had set for her; I’m sure that is why she chose it, but we jumped at the chance of having her nearly eight-hundred miles away. We even paid extra to get her moved in as fast as possible. The whole thing took less than a week. She was moved in three days after the first month’s rent and deposit were paid.
Blowing out a frustrated breath, I ask the question I dread. “What did she want this time? I’m assuming it’s more money.”
“She’s already blown through this month’s allowance,” he says with a shake of his head. “She says she doesn’t even have enough to buy groceries.”
It’s not as bad as I thought, but it’s still irritating as fuck. “Call the housekeeper. Send her five-hundred to stock the kitchen. Make sure you tell her what Mom will eat, so we don’t have to listen to her whine when she doesn’t have her fucking Oreo cookies. Tell the housekeeper this will be a monthly thing from now on, and we will up her pay an extra seventy-five a week for taking it on.”
As soon as she made the move, Major and I set up an account to make sure all her bills were paid. We even got her a car; it was used but in good shape, and we paid for her to attend driving lessons to freshen up her skills. She also receives an allowance to spend as she sees fit. It was too fucking generous, considering everything she has done, but it also was meant to keep her off our backs. So far, it hasn’t worked.
We even hired a housekeeper. In reality, the woman is more of a caregiver. She gets paid a fuck of a lot to watch over Mom and her house. The woman is a gift from God. After only three weeks, she has put out a dozen tiny fires that Mom would have turned into fucking blazes.
I turn back to the door and pull it open, Major following me inside. “Take two-fifty off Mom’s allowance and make sure she knows it’s going on groceries.”
“I don’t want to tell her shit,” he growls as he walks beside me. “She’s gonna be pissed way the fuck off.”
“That still leaves her with over two-thousand dollars to spend on bullshit, so she’s gonna have to get over it,” I reply, following Hadley’s voice to the living room. “If she doesn’t like it, we can take the whole five-hundred. Hell, we can even take an extra three to cover what we’re having to pay the housekeeper to do her shopping.”
I step inside the room, Major right on my heels, and find my wife sitting on the couch. A woman, who I assume is her cousin, is sitting beside her. Both of them are crying, and it doesn’t look like happy tears from their reunion.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I ask, heading straight to Hadley. “Damn, I thought this crying shit was over.”
For a week after Mom left, Hadley cried at the drop of a hat. I’m not sure if it was hormones or the fact that I had kicked Mom out. Either way, the shit drove me crazy. I did everything I could to make her happy. In the end, I just had to let it play out.
She jumps off the couch and runs into my arms. “My family is fucked up.”
In all the months I’ve known her, I’ve never heard her say that word. Even though she’s crying and the word was used out of context, my dick starts to harden. I have to remind myself that we have a yard full of company to keep from dragging her up the stairs.
“What did they do this time?” I ask, knowing the answer could be anything.
I finally met her parents about two weeks ago. They were headed back home after their extended vacation at their lake house. They only stopped by after Hadley left them about a hundred messages about the baby. Even then, I think the real reason they stopped by is because of the farm.
While they were here, her dad mentioned something about one of his friends talking about Brady Brothers Farms and our racing stock. He went on and on about the guy owning a stallion that he hoped to turn into a racehorse. I’d never heard of the man or the horse, so I’m figuring that dream will never happen. The bastard kept mentioning how much money I had invested in horses. The uncouth fucker even asked how much my farm was worth.
Her mom was even worse. She walked through the house, snapping pictures of the antiques that have been passed down through the generations. Then, she made a big ass deal over Hadley’s rings, coming right out and asking her how much they cost. Of course, my woman didn’t answer, just brushed it off like she didn’t know and didn’t care. That same night, I saw the bitch searching for prices of engagement rings on her phone.
By the time they left, I hoped never to see them again. I never said a word, though; I just pasted on a smile every time she mentioned their names. Last Thursday, that all changed. I’m not sure what happened because she refuses to talk about it. But from what little I got out of her, it had to do with a phone call from her dad and something about money to pay off a loan. What I do know for sure is Hadley has not mentioned them since, and she seems happier for it.
“It’s nothing,” the other woman says, bringing me back on topic. “It’ll be okay, Hadley. I told you, I’ll figure something out.”
I ignore her and ask Hadley my question again. “What did they do?”
“I guess my dad and uncle took a loan from some guy. They owe him some serious money and have no way of paying it back. He is willing…” She is talking so fast that I can barely keep up with her.
“Slow down, darlin’,” I say as Major walks over to stand by my side. “If I can’t understand what you’re saying, there is no way I can fix the problem.”
“It’s my story to tell.” The woman on the couch stands up and walks toward me. “In case you’re wondering, I’m Tanya.”
I nod my chin but keep my mouth shut, so she goes on. “It seems that my father and his brother borrowed some money that they’re unable to pay back. The man is threatening to take their houses, and neither of them is willing to let that happen.”
“Okay,” I mumble, knowing there is no way I’m giving either of the fuckers a cent.
“It seems Dad has traded me to cover the debt. The guy likes the idea of having a piece of eye candy on his arm,” she says with a shrug. “Unless I can find a way out of it, I’ll be getting married to a man twice my age, that I have never met, next weekend.”
I cock my brow in question. “You’re an adult. He can’t force you to do shit.”
“She’s a student like me. Her dad wouldn’t allow her to even get a job, so she has no money of her own or anywhere to go. Uncle Bobby says she either marries this guy, or he’s cutting her off,” Hadley says, chewing on her bottom lip. “Sure, she can get a job, but what is she going to do until she gets a paycheck? Even then, she’ll have to make enough to cover rent and food. That’s not as easy as you think.”
I haven’t heard much about Tanya’s dad, but Hadley talks about her mom quite a bit. I know she divorced this guy a few years back but still considers Hadley her niece, even though they share no blood ties. From what I’ve heard, the woman is a good mother. I can’t believe she’d let this happen.
“What about your mom?” I ask, wanting the full story and not just bits and pieces. “What does she say about all this shit?”
Her blue eyes turn to ice as she answers. “I do not want my mother or my little brother in the middle of this mess.”
“Uncle Bobby is threatening to start slacking off on child support if Aunt Marie gets involved, so Tanya hasn’t told her,” Hadley says, supplying the answer I was looking for. “Also, the house Marie lives in is one of the houses this guy is threatening to take.”
“Well, shit,” I mumble, trying to think of a way to fix this without forking over the money to bail their asses out.
“My brother is autistic, and he had a really hard time in the school system. Mom quit her job four years ago, so she can homeschool him. The child support is the only money she has coming in.” Tanya looks down at the floor with a defeated shake of her head. “I’ll marry this asshole if that’s what it takes to keep food in their bellies and a roof over their heads.”
“It just so happens we just bought a house, and we don’t have anyone to live in it. Your mom and little brother can stay there. We can even throw a little money her way for watching over the place for us,” Major says, finally joining the conversation.
I smile as I take his meaning. The Shanks’s house is just sitting empty, and neither of us wants it to stay that way for long. Empty houses seem to attract trouble, especially one with a barn full of farm equipment sitting just up the road from it. We had talked about letting one of the farmhands move into it, but we hadn’t made up our minds which one just yet.
“If she agrees, it would be the answer to our problem and yours,” my brother says, sending a cocky grin her way. “While they’re at that house, you can be at mine.”
No one says a word until Tanya looks over to him. “Who are you?”
“I’m the man of your dreams, baby,” he says with another smile in her direction.
She just stands there staring, and I’m getting tired of the silence. “Well, what do you think of his offer? You would all be taken care of here.”
“I don’t know.” She looks at me, chewing on her bottom lip just like Hadley does.
“I’ll talk her into it.” Major walks forward, grabs her hand, and then turns to look at me. “You were right, brother. I knew it the minute I laid my eyes on her.”
Without another word, he pulls her out of the room. I watch, wondering if she is going to fight him the same way Hadley fought me. She doesn’t, though. Instead, she just smiles and picks up her stride to match his.
I look down at Hadley and cock a brow. “Looks like you picked the wrong brother.”
“Where in the world is he taking her?” She starts to head after him, but I hold her back. “He can’t just run off with my cousin.”
She looks so concerned; I can’t hold back my laugh. By now, she should know, when a Brady man wants something, he’s gonna get it. Nothing can stand in his way.
Reaching down and brushing my lips over hers, I answer, “He’s claiming her, Brady style.”