Caleb's Blessing(40)

“Oh Caleb’s it’s great, everyone seems so nice.” The tension was gone from her body as she rested her head on my shoulder and squeezed the hand that was holding hers.

“I love you, and you are, the most beautiful woman here. Then again I think you’re the most beautiful woman anywhere.” It felt good holding her in my arms like this, feeling her so relaxed when I’d been expecting to spend most of the night easing her out of her shell.

“My turn I think.” I looked over at my dad who had waltzed his ass into the middle of the ballroom floor to annoy me.

“Dad, go away.” The song wasn’t even finished yet.

“Boy didn’t I teach you about sharing? Now get out of the way.” He actually muscled me aside and took her from me. At least he makes her laugh.

I headed back to the wall and the guys, who didn’t seem to have left that spot. “You idiots plan on standing here all evening?”

“You gave us a job remember?”

“Yes Adrian, but you can see her from the dance floor can’t you? I see that Denise girl eyeing you over there why don’t you go ask her to dance?”

“No thanks, that one has wedding bells in her eyes.”

“What’s so wrong with that?”

“So it’s true, as soon as one of you saps bite the bullet you try to drag all the rest of us down with you.”

“Shut up and go dance with the girl you ass.”

“Fine, but I’m expecting the rest of you assholes to come save me if I start sending out signals.”

“Sure you do that.”

“There’s been no sign of the Crane girl, and no one’s been buzzing about that business in town, which is surprising. I guess your mom put the word out or something.” Simon shared as soon as we were all through laughing.

“Good we’re still on rotation though, I’m not expecting anything but I would rather be prepared. Every hour until we leave one of us will check the perimeter.”

“We know boss you’ve told us like a thousand times before we left.”

“Fine let me go rescue my girl from dad and the rest of you find a partner for heaven’s sake before mom does it for you, you know it’s only a matter of time.”

“Damn.” They started scanning the room for prospects of which they were plenty, my boys never suffered for female company, whether that of the soiled doves they preferred, or the more genteel breed of which there were plenty here.

I had taken my eyes off of dad and Amanda for a split second and they were gone. I started to panic until common sense kicked in. “This fucking guy.” I knew exactly where he’d taken her and could only shake my head.

If what she’d told me about her reaction to champagne was true, then a few swigs of dad’s illegal shit will have her tongue more than loose. Fuck.





Chapter 21




She wasn’t where I’d expected them to be, which was downstairs in dad’s little moonshine lab, but I didn’t panic.

I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to mine but I still needed to have her where I can see her, with all these strangers around.

I checked a couple more rooms before I heard her giggle through the study door upstairs, away from the party. I was about to barge in until I heard them through the door.

“Oops, sorry.”

“Uh-oh, why didn’t you tell me you can’t handle your liquor girl? You better give me that.”

“Uh-uh, I like it, it has...character.” She giggled again and I watched through the crack in the door as she took a swig of his concoction.

The last time I’d messed with his nonsense I was seventeen. It was the first and the last time for me, because dad didn’t know what the fuck he was doing quite frankly.

“Take it easy, you want my son to kill me?” She giggled again so I knew she was tipsy. Remembering her words about her reaction to champagne, I decided to stay back and see what I see.

She was in no danger and she sounded more relaxed up here than she was downstairs, so why not let her have it?

“Now this one is when he was three, you see, he always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up.”

What the fuck? Another good look showed exactly what the two of them were up to, old family albums. Of course my mind went to all the embarrassing photos I could remember.

“He’s so adorable, even then.” She ran her fingers over the plastic that had to be at least twenty something years old.

“He was a pain in the ass same as now.” He spoke with gruffness but there was affection in his voice.

“No, I can’t imagine my Caleb being anything but perfect.”

“Sure, are we talking about my son?”