Bounty(88)

He turned penetrating blue eyes to me, eyes that had not faded even a little bit over the years, and I quit talking.

Then suddenly, delivering another shock, he lifted a hand, took my chin in his fingers and gently turned my head so he could examine the damage to my face, his gaze moving from there to my throat before he righted my head but kept his hand there.

“Your father would be beside himself,” he whispered.

I felt tears gather in my eyes so strong, they stung my nostrils.

“Mr. T,” I whispered back.

“I promised them both,” he stated.

“Promised them both what?”

“You and your brother, I promised your grandfather and your father, as long as I was breathing, I would never let anything happen to you. I’ve failed them both. I’ve failed you both.”

I lifted a hand and wrapped it around his wrist. “Mav’s Mav and you know it. You can save him from a lot, but you can’t save him from her. And I moved in here without a system in. So intent on finding some peace after we lost Dad, I didn’t think. It wasn’t you, it was me.”

He released my chin and dropped his hand, disconnecting us.

“You forget, I also failed your cousin Rudy.”

“You couldn’t save Rudy from himself either,” I reminded him. “We all tried, Mr. T. You can look at it as we all failed but we didn’t. In the end, Rudy failed himself.”

Mr. T shook his head. “You can say a thousand words, put them in a hundred songs, Justice, and you would not have enough words to convince me I’m wrong.”

I studied a man I didn’t know until that very moment that I loved down deep in my heart where my dad lived, where my grandfather lived, where all the good love that was pure and right in any body took residence.

“I might not be able to convince you that you’re not to blame, the only person to blame is the man who did this to me. But I hope I can convince you that everything you’ve done for me, for Granddad, for Dad, even for Mav, all of it, culminating in you dropping everything to be here right now with me, I love you for it because I just love you.”

“The Lonesome heart,” he replied reflectively, “all of them so soft.”

“Which means it was a blessing Granddad found you so you could protect them.”

He nodded. “Yes.” He kept nodding. “Yes, a blessing.”

I had a feeling he wasn’t talking about the same blessing I was but he cleared his throat, looked away and announced, “You need stables.”

I grinned and turned, bumping him purposefully with my shoulder before I opened my mouth and told him all my plans. The ones that were currently being carried out by Deke and the other ones that would happen pending the sale of the extra land that my real estate agent was negotiating for me.

While I was doing this, we heard a vehicle approach and Mr. T turned to my house, extending his arm for me to precede him.

I did this and we went through my bedroom to the great room to see Cal at the door and two men walking through it.

I stopped dead on sight of them.

One was white, had a salt and pepper (predominately pepper, black pepper) head of hair and goatee, a face that was gorgeous in a rugged way, and a tall body made up of what I was assuming since I kept running into it was patented mountain man muscle.

The other was black, as huge as Deke (maybe even bigger), and so outlandishly handsome, I could swear I’d seen him before and that had to be in a movie.

They were carrying a beat-up couch.

Following them in was Jim-Billy.

Jim-Billy looked at me, started to grin, the grin faltered, died, he stood still and immobile and I started toward him, calling a gentle, “Hey, Jim-Billy.”

He didn’t greet me back.

He turned on his battered boot and walked out.

Deke was down the ladder and on the move to the front door, saying, “Wood, Ty, Jussy. Jussy, my buds, Wood and Ty.”

Then he was through the door.

I looked to Wood and Ty. Ty, the black guy, I knew was Lexie’s husband. Wood was the man I hadn’t met who took care of Granddad’s truck.

I waved.

They did not wave back.

They were staring at me with stony faces and their mountain man, badass, pissed-off vibe was choking the air.

Okay, so maybe I should have a look at my face and perhaps get creative with foundation.

I walked to my front windows.

And I stood there and stared as I saw Jim-Billy, his back to me, hands fisted and to his hips, the line of his body tight, Deke standing close to him, his head bent to the older man, his hand wrapped around the back of Jim-Billy’s neck.

They were talking.

I watched Jim-Billy’s back heave with what was apparently a large breath.

Then he nodded his ball-capped head.