Gone Country

“Thanks for the tip. Can you keep an eye on this for a few minutes?”



“It’d be my pleasure.” She smiled at Ben and Ainsley. “Look at all this food! Isn’t it great Gavin and Sierra did this all themselves?”



Ben caught his eye and mouthed, “Run.”



Just inside the dining room, something smacked into Gavin’s leg. And held on. The dark-haired boy looked up and him and grinned.



Jesus. All these kids looked the same. He couldn’t remember this kid’s name. “Ah, hey there, little guy. Thanks for the hug, but you gotta let go now.”



The kid didn’t budge. He grinned wider and held tighter.



Gavin figured if he started walking the rugrat would slide off.



No such luck. This kid had an iron grip. Like a bull rider. Had to be one of Colby’s sons.



Maybe he could bribe him. “I’ll give you candy if you let me go.”



He shook his head, wiping his wet mouth on Gavin’s jeans.



“Beau,” a male voice said sharply. “Let him go.”



The kid dropped his arms, looked up at Gavin and said, “Now gimme candy.”



“What? No way.”



Cord scooped the boy up, cocking him on his hip. “Sorry. He’s a little ornery tonight.”



Ya think?



Cord’s focus dropped to the wet spot on Gavin’s knee. “Did he bite you?”



Bite him? What the hell? “No.”



“Good. This one’s a biter, much to his mama’s dismay.”



Gavin had no idea what to say to that.



“Anyway, AJ wanted me to relay her thanks for the invite and she’s sorry she couldn’t make it tonight.”



“Is everything all right?”



“It will be when she has the baby. I wanted to tell you to swing by for a beer sometime. Our door is always open and if you need anything, just holler.”



“Thanks, Cord. I appreciate it.”



He skirted two girls chasing each other and a third twirling in place like a ballerina. He saw Dalton, leaning against the wall, a baby cradled in his arms while Brandt and Jessie were eating.



Dalton smiled. “Great party, cuz.”



“Thanks. Glad you could make it. Where are Tell and Georgia?”



Jessie answered, “Cheerleading tryouts for winter sports are at the school tonight. And of course Tell had to go and help, since he and Georgia are joined at the hip.”



“Tonight?” Vi said from behind him.



He turned around. Why was she following him everywhere? Then he saw her wiping down the opposite end of the table.



Don’t be an ass. She’s just being helpful.



“I thought Sierra wanted to try out for cheerleading,” Vi said.



That surprised Gavin. Sierra hadn’t even mentioned it.



“It’s too bad,” Jessie said. “Georgia would’ve loved to have her on the squad.”



Why hadn’t his daughter said something? Did she think he’d say no? Just another reason he needed to track her down. Before he made it to the hallway, he was stopped five times. Once by Colby, who said pretty much the same thing Cord had. Ditto for Kane and Kade. Colt managed to repeat the offer before the girl child in his arms screamed like a banshee and he hot-footed it outside.



His gaze swept the great room where the McKay wives were clustered with still more kids. Libby winked at him and he smiled back. He’d gotten to know her a little better in the last few months and she was such a sweetheart.



Carson and Carolyn each had their hands full with a dark-haired grandchild, but Carson invited him over to skeet shoot, which was unexpected. Calvin called out to Carson and he wandered away.



Gavin must’ve looked overwhelmed because Carolyn reached over and rubbed his arm.



“You didn’t know what you were in for with this bunch, did you?”



“Not really. The McKays are…a fertile lot.”



She laughed. “And a loud lot. Just think, Cam and Domini aren’t here with their six kids. Neither are Carter and Macie and their four kids.”



“You have ten more grandkids?”



Carolyn kissed the sleepy, dark-haired girl’s head. “Yes, we are very blessed. And we all feel the same way about you, Gavin. Blessed to have you as part of the family.”



“Thanks. Have you seen Keely? I heard she was with Sierra.”



“No.” She scanned the room. “Hmm. I don’t see Jack either. Those two probably snuck off somewhere. They’re trying to have a baby and I swear Keely wants bragging rights that she got knocked up in the bathroom or something.”



That was pretty…intimate stuff to share.



Carolyn chuckled. “My wild-child daughter loves to shock her father, her brothers and her cousins with that type of information, so I thought I’d forewarn you.”



“Good to know. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to find my daughter.”



He walked past the guest bath and saw two boys filling squirt guns. He shook his head. “Take ’em outside.”



“Told ya, Gib.”



Gib. Colby’s oldest. Since the boy in the mirror looked nearly identical, they had to be brothers. When another, smaller boy leaped out from behind the shower curtain with a loud, “Rawr!” Gavin jumped.



The boys broke into bouts of gut-holding laughter.



Then Gavin heard Sierra’s laugh and he spied her at the end of the hallway chatting with Keely. He did a double take. Seeing them standing so close together the family resemblance was a little spooky. Same height, same dark hair, same build. Same sort of scheming smile.



Lord help him. So far boys hadn’t started sniffing around his daughter, which made him wonder what the hell was wrong with boys these days because she was a beautiful girl; yet, he was damn happy she wasn’t boy crazy like so many girls her age.



“Hey, sweetheart, did you forget you were my co-pilot for tonight’s festivities?”



“It looked like everyone had gone through the food line.”



“Vi is in the kitchen restocking everything. Go help her.”



Sierra sighed. “Fine. See ya, Keely.”



As soon as Sierra was out of sight, Keely said, “Shit. That was close.” She opened the door to the spare bedroom and her husband Jack leaned against the wall just inside the doorway.



Jack’s hair was a mess, his shirt was unbuttoned, his belt was buckled but his fly was undone. And he didn’t seem a bit concerned that Gavin saw his state of undress.



“Sorry.” She gave Gavin a sheepish look. “We, um, borrowed your room for a few minutes. Sierra was coming out of that room the same time I came out of this one. So I thought it’d be best if Jack stayed hidden.”



So they had snuck off for a quickie. In the midst of all this chaos? In a house filled with family members?



Yeah, Gavin planned to keep Sierra far, far away from Keely.



Keely was already focused on Jack, smoothing the wrinkles from his shirt. “GQ, we have to straighten you up before you go out there. You look like you’ve been rolling around in bed.”



“Or more accurately, on the floor.” Jack made a low noise and wrapped his hand around the back of Keely’s neck, pulling her closer. “Since I’m half-dressed…it’s your wifely duty to get back in here and make sure I don’t miss any buttons.”



“But we already—”



“That one was for you. This one? For me.” She squeaked when he tugged her into the room.



The last thing Gavin heard: “Lock the damn door, cowgirl.”



At least someone was getting laid in this place.



He shot a look at Rielle’s closed door. He knocked. No answer. He started back down the hallway. When he reached the entryway, Quinn walked in through the front door.



“Hey. I wondered what happened to you.”



“Just enjoying the fresh air. You look like you could use some.” Quinn smiled. “Dad—Charlie—is outside. I was getting him a beer.”



“I’ll take it to him.”



Quinn reached into the cooler and pulled out a Miller Lite. “Have at. Better see if Libby needs my help with the kids anyway.”



Gavin grabbed another beer and stepped onto the porch. He took a second to breathe in the cool night air and take in the blessed quiet. He saw Charlie sitting on the steps and walked over, dropping beside him. “Miller Lite, right?”



“Gavin.” Charlie didn’t hide his surprise. “Wasn’t expecting you.” He quickly added, “But I’m glad you have time for a beer.”



“I needed a break. I left the kitchen in Vi’s capable hands.”



Charlie twisted the top on his beer bottle. “She’s in her element. Thanks for asking her to help. It means more than you know.”



“Help? Hell, it was her idea.”



He chuckled. “I ain’t surprised to hear that. So how’re the West boys comin’ with the garage? I couldn’t see much of it in the dark tonight.”



“They do great work, but they had to stop for several weeks and finish another project. It’s almost done. You should swing by during the day and check it out. They don’t mind having people around.”



“I’ll do that. I guess my question is do you mind havin’ me around?”



Gavin released a slow breath. “I’ll admit even after being here a while I don’t know how this living close to family thing works. What are the parameters? Do you just drop by Quinn and Libby’s? And Ben and Ainsley’s?”



“We used to. Not so much anymore. We call first.” He took another pull off his beer. “Vi…God love the woman, but she overstepped her bounds with Quinn and Libby from the moment they got married. Things went south for them for a while and they ended up mending fences. Quinn warned his mom to butt out. Then she made a pledge to all the boys she wouldn’t try to control them, or guilt them, or nag them. And she’s even stuck with that promise—for the most part.”



“I remember the first time I showed up here and Vi said that situation with Quinn and Libby was a wakeup call for her?”