34
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“You wanna go out?” Reagan asked Copenhagen when she forced her tired body out of the bed at first light. She grabbed Lynx’s T-shirt and pulled it on.
Lynx was still asleep, his breaths even, the hard lines that had been around his eyes last night gone.
Smiling, Reagan pulled the door closed, hoping he could sleep a little while longer. They hadn’t slept much last night, but for some reason, that didn’t seem to matter to her. She felt lighter this morning and she knew why. It was her heart. It was no longer heavy.
“Come on, boy,” Reagan urged Copenhagen, leading him to the front door.
She stepped outside onto the porch, her gaze straying to the rocking chairs sitting there. Reagan moved to the closest chair and sat down while Copenhagen sniffed around. Pulling her legs up, she tugged the shirt over her knees, covering herself completely.
The cool morning breeze caressed her skin and she heard the cows in the distance. A rooster crowed from somewhere down the road.
Reagan sighed, enjoying the moment.
This was what contentment felt like.
It wasn’t something that she was used to. Not in this capacity anyway.
Sure, she’d been happy from time to time. She loved her bar, loved her family, but she had never felt as though she truly belonged.
With Lynx, she felt that.
In fact, she felt everything with that man. Safe, loved, cherished even.
Copenhagen found his way back to the porch, curling up beside her chair as they sat there in the quiet of the morning.
Reagan had no idea how long she’d been out there when she heard the screen door squeak behind her. She glanced over to see Lynx leaning against the doorjamb, his eyes on her. Without his shirt, the man looked like the bad boy everyone knew him to be. But Reagan knew a side of him they didn’t know. The sweet, kind, gentle man who … loved her.
“Mornin’,” she said with a smile.
“Mornin’.” He still looked tired.
“You okay?”
He nodded. “Please tell me you have coffee.”
The way he said it sounded like a plea. As though he wasn’t going to make it through the next few minutes without it.
“I actually don’t.”
His eyes widened and she couldn’t help but laugh.
Launching out of the chair, she skipped over to him, going on tiptoe to kiss his mouth. “But we can change that right fast. Just let me get dressed and we can go to the diner.”
Lynx glanced down at his watch, then back up at her. He smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
Reagan went to move past him, but he grabbed her around the waist and spun her back around.
“Although, I might have a little time to spare.” Lynx pulled her into him, burying his face in her neck. “Because Lord have mercy, woman, seein’ you in my shirt…”
She laughed, unable to help herself.
“Later,” she said, playfully pushing him away. “First coffee. Then work. Then…”
“So mean,” he grumbled, laughing into her neck.
Yeah, so Reagan could totally get used to this.
Turning to head to her bedroom, she was pulled up short when Lynx reached for her hand. Once again, she was pivoting around to face him.
“I’m never gonna get dressed if you don’t—”
“I love you,” he rasped.
Her heart turned over in her chest. A full flip, which stirred the butterflies in her belly.
“I love you, too,” she whispered back.
“Makin’ sure you know I meant what I said last night,” he clarified.
Reagan nodded. “I know.” She did. Again, she wasn’t sure why that was, but she believed him.
“Good.” Lynx released her wrist. “Now go get dressed so I can get my coffee, girl.”
Laughing, Reagan raced to the bedroom to find clothes.
Half an hour later, after they had taken Copenhagen over to the store, Reagan and Lynx were sitting in the diner when Amy and Wolfe walked in.
“Well, if wonders never cease.” Wolfe’s smirk said as much as his statement.
He was giving Lynx a hard time already.
Wolfe pulled the chair out for Amy, and Reagan greeted the other woman, noticing she was as pale as she had been the night before.
“Everything okay?” Reagan asked, keeping her voice low.
Amy nodded.
Concerned, Reagan shot a look at Wolfe. He shook his head slightly, as though telling her he couldn’t fix the problem. And she could only assume he had tried.
“The usual?” Donna asked them as a group, passing over a cup of coffee to Lynx with a grin.
“The usual,” they all said at the same time.
The woman disappeared. Reagan had to wonder if Donna would ever stop asking, simply bring them the usual. One day, she figured, it was bound to happen.
“What’s goin’ on?” Lynx asked, leaning back in his chair, his booted foot resting against Reagan’s.
She liked that he wanted to touch her. It was a comfort she hadn’t known before.
“Not a whole helluva lot,” Wolfe answered.
Reagan could see the tension in Wolfe’s shoulders. It was clear he was trying to look more relaxed than he was.
“Is there a problem?” Lynx asked, sitting up. Obviously he’d picked up on it, too.
Wolfe shrugged. “Not sure. Travis asked us to meet him over here. Thought he’d be here by now.”
That got everyone’s attention and all eyes narrowed on Wolfe.
“Seriously. He didn’t say what he wanted to talk about, just wanted us to be here. He asked me to keep Rhys away though.”
Reagan frowned. “What? Why?”
Wolfe shot her a look, but Reagan couldn’t quite decipher it.
“Because he’s the sheriff,” Lynx added softly.
Her eyes widened.
If they didn’t want her brother here because he was the sheriff…
The bells over the door jingled and all eyes swung over to the door.
Looked as though she wasn’t going to have to speculate anymore.
The man of the hour had just arrived.
“Trav,” Lynx greeted as his cousin pulled a chair over to their table.
Lynx was surprised to see that he was solo this morning. At the very least, his husband was usually by his side. And the lack of his significant others had Lynx on edge before the guy even got his ass in the chair.
As everyone waited for Travis to sit, the tension in the small space ratcheted up a few notches. The conversations around them continued, but they seemed to be a million miles away as the four of them focused solely on the big man joining them.
“Is there somethin’ wrong?” Amy asked, her voice low, brittle.
“Actually…” Travis said, glancing around as though he was making sure no one was close enough to hear. When he turned back, his expression was somewhat somber. “I got some news this mornin’.”
“News?” Lynx wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.
Travis placed his arms on the table and regarded each of them. He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. “I’m only gonna say this one time, and then no one is to ever talk about the subject again. Understood?”
Lynx nodded along with Wolfe. He noticed Amy and Reagan were just staring at the man.
Travis’s eyes cut to Amy. “There is no longer a situation that you have to worry about.”
Her eyes widened.
Travis continued. “From this moment on, you are free to live your life, to never have to look over your shoulder.”
“What happened?” Amy inquired, her eyes wide, her face pale.
Travis shook his head. “I don’t know and I don’t wanna know. Neither do you. But the source I received it from is legitimate.” Travis reached out and touched Amy’s hand. “No matter what you hear or read, I want you to understand one thing. If you hear nothin’ else I’ve said, I want you to understand this.”
Amy nodded, her eyes wide as she waited for him to continue.
“You’re safe,” Travis said firmly. “Completely and totally safe.”
Lynx watched, his heart breaking when Amy dissolved into tears. Wolfe instantly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, brushing his hand down her hair.
Reagan reached over and took Lynx’s hand, as though she needed to touch him. He linked his fingers with hers and squeezed gently.
Travis sat back, glanced over at Lynx, then Reagan. “Someone’s makin’ an anonymous donation to the rebuilding of your bar. Don’t ask questions, just move forward as you were.” Travis jerked his chin toward Amy. “And any extra money, I suggest you donate to a college fund when these kids decide to have a baby. It doesn’t make up for … what happened, but it’s somethin’.”
Lynx nodded. He got it.
He might be a redneck, but he damn sure wasn’t a dumb ass.
“And tell Rhys I’m sorry I had to exclude him. I think he’ll understand.”
He would. Even Lynx knew that much.
“Now, if you don’t mind,” Travis said as he got to his feet, “I’m gonna get outta your hair so you can have breakfast.”
As though she heard his suggestion, Donna appeared with four plates of food, setting them down before scuttling off to another table.
Travis reached down and stole a piece of bacon off Lynx’s plate.
“Hey! Them’s fightin’ words, cuz.”
Travis laughed, slapping Lynx on the shoulder.
Amy lifted her head, wiping her eyes and laughing when she noticed what had happened.
“So, we good here?” Travis asked after tucking the chair back at the vacant table.
Lynx met Wolfe’s gaze and they both nodded.
There was no need for questions.
The answer was all they needed.
Rhys peered up from his computer at the knock on his office door.
Leaning back in his chair, he motioned Reagan to come inside.
“What’s up?” he asked, trying to hide his curiosity at seeing his sister in his office. He couldn’t even recall the last time she’d come to see him.
“I just wanted to drop by,” she said sweetly, easing into the chair across from him. “Wanted to see how you’re doin’.”
Rhys chuckled. “You wanted to see how I was doin’?”
“Yes,” she said haughtily. “Is that a crime?”
“Not the last time I checked, no.”
“Good.”
Her eyes instantly dropped to her lap and Rhys knew she had something on her mind. She wouldn’t have come to see him otherwise.
“Spill it, Reagan.”
When she lifted her gaze, there was a smile on her face.
He wasn’t sure when the last time was that he’d seen a genuine smile on her face. He liked it there.
“I wanted to let you know that me and Lynx are…”
Rhys lifted an eyebrow. “You and Lynx are what?”
She shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know what we are right this minute, but we’re somethin’.”
Reagan laughed and the sound was enough to erase the fake scowl he’d plastered there a second ago. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk as he regarded her.
“Are you happy?” he asked.
“More than I’ve ever been.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“Hey, that’s my line.”
“It’s a good one,” he agreed.
“True. It is.” Her smile brightened even more. “I’m not sure why I wanted to tell you, but I thought…”
Once again, Rhys waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, he filled in for her. “Don’t worry about Mom. She’s always gonna be the way she is. She never liked Billy when y’all were together.”
“No, but she always insisted I stay with him.”
“Yeah, well. She’s not all there when it comes to relationships, Reagan. You know that. But deep down, she wants you to be happy.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“She does. We all do.” Rhys sat up straight. “And you know what? We’ve all known that Lynx had a thing for you all these years.” Before she could say anything, he waved her off. “The past is the past. Your mistakes and his. Those are all behind you. The only thing that matters is movin’ forward.”
“Did you know he’s helpin’ to rebuild my bar?”
“I did.” Rhys leaned back in his chair again. “He came to me the mornin’ after the explosion. Told me what he wanted to do.” Taking a deep breath, Rhys resigned himself to admitting the truth. “Lynx is a good guy, Reagan. Sure, he’s rough around the edges, and he gets on my last damn nerve with all the fightin’, but he’s a good guy. Y’all are good for each other.”
He noticed tears welling in his sister’s eyes.
“I love him.”
“I know that.” Rhys had always known that. Yes, she might’ve fought her feelings tooth and nail, but to anyone with eyes, it had been obvious.
“Okay, Mr. Know-It-All. Then I’m not sure why I even came to see you,” she said, laughing.
When Reagan stood, Rhys stood.
“Because I’m your brother and you love me.”
“I do not,” she countered. “I tolerate you.”
That made him laugh.
“Okay, well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, Sheriff.”
“That you have. I’ve got shit to do.”
“Yeah?” She peered around his office. “Like what? Play solitaire on your computer?”
Rhys jerked his eyes back to his computer screen. No way could she see it.
Reagan laughed loudly. “Oh, shit. I was kiddin’. But you are, aren’t you?”
Rhys pointed toward the door. “Get outta my office, woman. Before I lock you up for bein’ a pain in my ass.”
Still laughing, Reagan threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “I’m happy for you, too,” she said softly. “And as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
Yeah, he had to agree on that one.
Poking her in her side, Rhys laughed. “Now get outta my office.”
“Okay, okay.” Reagan backed up. “I’ll go.”
“Hey, Reagan,” he called after her when she stepped into the hallway.
“Huh?”
“Be good.”
“I’ve been good my whole life,” she retorted. “Now that I’ve got Lynx, I’m thinkin’ I wanna be bad for a while.”
Rhys jerked his finger toward the door. “Go away.”
Reagan laughed, then spun on her heel and waved over her head.
He couldn’t help but smile. Rhys truly was happy for his sister. Lynx Caine was a pain in Rhys’s ass, there was no doubt about that, but when it came down to it, Rhys knew the man would take care of Reagan the way she deserved.
And she definitely deserved it.