Gerard (10 page)

She looked at Gerard. He didn’t say a word, but pulled her to him and kissed her. Tears, she knew, were flowing down her face, and all she could think of was that she’d just murdered a man. Not just any man, but her father. Looking around the ruined room, she leaned on Gerard as he held her.

The body of a naked man was just behind her. She could see his feet as well as the blood that had pooled beneath his body. The coffee table, even though it was old, was shattered, as was the only lamp they had in the room, and the television had a large splinter of wood sticking out of the center of it. Framed pictures were broken; photos of people she didn’t know were ruined as well. And the cushions on the couch were stained dark. Going down the hall to the bedroom, she made her way out to the deck that looked out over the woods and sat on the only chair out there. Gerard joined her, but only leaned against what was left of the railing that the Mitchells had never fixed.

“We don’t have to stay here.” She thought about it and shook her head. “You and I can…I don’t know. Live with my aunt until something comes along we can afford. Or we can rent an apartment. It’ll be tough going for a little while, but we can do it.”

“I think we should live here. And buy it if they’ll sell it to us at a reasonable price.” He nodded and grinned. “This place has seen a lot of horrible things. I’d like to fill it with good memories. Our memories. Children, too, if you want. I do want them. I’m not sure what kind of mother I’d make, but I think I could do all right with you and your family’s help.”

“There’s a dead man on the front lawn and one in the living room. I don’t think we can go anywhere but up, honey.” He was joking, but it still made her shiver. “I’m sorry. That was callus of me. But I would love to have children with you. Lots of them. Running around our feet and then taking care of us when we’re too old to get around very much. I love you.”

“No, you weren’t callus. It was honest, and right now I need that. And I love you more than simple words could say.” He just watched her, and it comforted her somewhat that he didn’t feel the need to fill in the silence. She thought of the man that now lay dead in their yard. She refused to think of him as her father. He was nothing more than a person that had been a thorn in her side for as long as she could remember. “He didn’t love me. Not even to find that I was his child and a part of him. And I know that my mother felt even less for me, if that’s possible.”

“They brought you into this world, and for that alone I will be grateful to them. Without you, I’d be nothing. Less than nothing.” Susie felt the tears threaten again. “I want us to have some children soon. I know that things are tight right now, but we can make it. My aunt raised us six boys on nothing more than a shoestring and some bubblegum.”

“I’d like that very much.” She could hear things in the house now. Furniture being moved. They were removing the bear/man, and she was happy that they’d not have to deal with that. It was too much to think of right now, so she tried to think of anything else. “I want to talk to Emma and Holly. They both said that they’d help me get started on a few things. I’ll need startup capital to get the horses trained to be sold.”

“All right.” She looked at him, and he knelt down in front of her and took her hand. “I love you. And if we can make a little money off the sale, we’ll get us some much needed things for the house. I think our couch and television are shot. Not to mention our only lamp is now broken glass and electrical parts.” They both laughed, and she kissed his hand that held hers.

“I love you, Gerard.” He kissed her hand and told her that he loved her too. “I guess we’d better go see to this. That guy will be here at ten. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather there wasn’t blood and gore in the house when he comes by. Might make him not what to buy a horse from us.”

Going into the living room, they both stood still and looked around. In the little time they’d been gone, things had not just been picked up, but all the furniture, including the rugs, had been removed from the room. They went outside just as the couch was being loaded in the huge dumpster that had been brought to clean the barns. Mason came toward them just as a delivery truck was pulling in. She just knew that the family had been busy for them.

“You’re going to be pissed off. So if you want to hurt someone, then you should hurt Zack. He can take it.” The man in question laughed but didn’t offer himself up for sacrifice. “Also, you should know that I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed anything with you. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“I’m sorry as well. I was scared. And worried. I was out of line to talk to you that way.” Mason put out his hand. “You aren’t off the hook for whatever is in that truck. We’ll pay you back for it if it takes us all our lives.”

“Deal. But I don’t think you’re going to have to wait that long to pay me. I’m pretty sure you’re going to make enough today to settle up right away.” She only nodded. “Trust me.”

She laughed and so did he. Things around here were never going to be calm, she thought. And really? She didn’t think she wanted it to be.

~~~

Gerard had never been around someone who knew horses as well as the three men that had shown up at nine-thirty. The big man, Carl Jackson, was the money man and good-old-boy in a loud and boisterous way. His trainer, Steve Glenn, didn’t say much, but Gerard was pretty sure he saw everything. And he watched Susie like she was going to give him divine powers. Then there was the lawyer, Paul Garrison.

There was something profoundly calming about him. He was a shifter, he knew that, but what kind he’d not figured out as yet. Every time he thought he had a handle on it, he’d move in a way that made him realize that was wrong. Gerard looked at the house when he heard someone cursing. It was Zach, and if he was right, his aunt was going to tear him a new butt for doing it, as she was standing right next to him when he started. Even from where he was, Gerard knew that he’d smashed his thumb with the hammer and he was trying not to curse any more as Aunt Georgie stood near him tapping her foot.

If he was honest with himself, he was glad for the help on the house. The cleaning crew, a bunch of women from the wolf pack, had come in to give the house a good cleaning. They’d moved in while the stuff was still covered and most of it was still under sheets, and neither he nor Susie had spent a great deal of time in the house other than to sleep or eat. But the stain in the living room and the broken stuff had made it difficult to ignore any longer. And the furniture was something altogether different.

The truck that had come in was full of everything. Couch, love seat, as well as several lamps that seemed to light up all the corners and make the room look cheery. The stain on the floor had been removed. He’d not asked how, but was glad that it was no longer there. Even the bedroom furniture had been a wonderful addition. There was a larger bed for their room, as well as two dressers and a couple dozen packages of hangers, something they’d not had at all.

New towels were being washed, as well as curtains hung at all the now clean windows. Someone had even thought to get them a new fancy grill that did everything but eat the food for them, it seemed, as well as patio furniture. Zach and Logan were working on the new railing, as the old was just too bad to save. Their house was beginning to take on the shape of something they could be proud of. And he’d be paying his brother back for decades, he thought. He looked at Carl when he laughed, making him aware that he should have been paying attention.

“Well there, young man, what do you think if I do that?” He felt his face heat up when he realized he’d not a clue what he was talking about. When he laughed, Gerard knew that he understood. “I want to buy two dozen now, and the little lady there is going to train me a dozen more. My trainer is gonna tell her what we need, but I don’t think she’s gonna need much in the way of help on that score. That’s a right smart wife you have there.”

“She is at that.” He wanted to go to her and hold her, but she was talking to Steve again. Ed had shown up about ten, and since it was going on eleven-thirty now, he wondered what the next buyer would say when he got there. Gerard was hoping for enough money to put down on the house.

“You love her, don’t you? I mean, you really do and truly love that girl.” Gerard said that he did. “Never seen a man so much in love with his wife before. Suppose it could be the cougar thing. My man over there, Paul, he’s one of them elites.”

“I wondered.” Gerard told him that he’d have to talk to his attorney about the sale. “I don’t know a great deal about it, but Ed does. He’s sharp as any lawyer I’ve ever met. And an honest one. You won’t have to worry about him cheating you.” Carl said he wasn’t worried on that score one bit.

As they made their way to the house, he wondered what sort of mess there was in there, and was surprised to find not just the new stuff set up, but the entire house was spotless and the women were putting together some lunch. His aunt came into the kitchen and asked Carl if he and his men would join them for lunch. The ladies had things about done.

“Sure thing. We was gonna go and have us a steak lunch at the diner, but they don’t have that on their menu. I’m a meat and potato sort of man. I guess you guys are too.” Aunt Georgie told him that they had both on their menu today. “Well, that’s mighty nice of you. Now, we’ll get these here kids all tidied up, and then be able to enjoy some good food.”

Gerard made his way back out to the horses and Susie when Carl, Ed, and Paul shut themselves up in the office. He wondered if there was any furniture in there, but decided that they’d make do. He thought there might have been a desk in there and maybe his laptop, but he’d been so busy lately that he’d not used it in a while.

Susie was in the barn with Mason and Darin when he got to the fence. He entered just as the shouting was starting.

“I don’t care what you think you have to do, I said no.” Mason growled at Susie, and Gerard decided that he’d stand back; she seemed to have this one. “You take it back right now. If you don’t, then I’ll…I’ll tell Emma on you.”

“It was Emma’s idea.” That shut her up, and she turned to glare at him. Mason laughed as he continued. “Don’t take it out on him, either. He had no idea what we were doing.”

“They’re giving us the house and the land. Actually, they already did it. It’s been in our name for three days now.” Gerard looked at Mason, who nodded. “And get this…they think that whatever we make from the sale of the horses goes into our account, and they don’t want any of it. That’s not right.”

Darin cleared his throat before speaking. “While I don’t want to be blasted by her—damn, but you have a fine temper—I think it’s a good arrangement. Selling the horses is going to help us in ways that you can’t see right now. The men who come here are gonna need a place to stay, places to eat, as well as someone to cart their butts around town. It’s going to give our town the boost it needs. And giving you the house and land? It’s only what you should have had at the first. You’re making this ranch viable again. And it needed it for a lot longer than since you two came here. You should consider building a B&B to work with too. Maybe here on the land so that they’re close when the deal is done.”

Gerard thought it was really stretching it. And it would be costly too. But right now he had to help Susie, and he didn’t want her pissed at him. The idea to help the town out did have its merits.

He told her what he thought. “While I know that most of that is out of our reach for the moment, I can see where it would help the town. It’s dying. A lot of the buildings downtown are for sale. Most of them are boarded up, and those that aren’t are going to need some major work on them to get them up and sellable. Maybe we should at least look at this from that standpoint.”

Susie huffed, but he could tell that she liked the idea. Perhaps it was that it came from Mason that really had her pissy. He loved the way she worked things out in her head before speaking. But when she looked at Mason, he knew it was going to be great, whatever she said to him.

“Do you always get your way?” Susie glared at Mason when all he did was grin at her. “I really dislike you right now. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave me alone while I think of a way to get back at you.”

“Yes, ma’am.” As he walked by her, he winked at Gerard, then tipped back his hat and smiled. “Miss Susie, I do believe that I like you. Very much. You’re a handful, a pain in the ass, and you give as good as you get, but I like that about you. I’m very glad that you’re my family and not my enemy. I’d hate to think how you’d try to hurt me.”

“You might want to keep looking over your shoulder for a while then.” He laughed and moved out of the barn. Darin stayed behind and just shook his head.

“I’ll run it.” They both looked at him. “The B&B. I really want to do it. I’ve been thinking of branching out and…well, to be honest, I haven’t wanted to be a rancher for a while. I might grow to hate it if I hang around much longer. I’ll even cut you a deal on running the place for you.” Susie asked him why he thought it would work. “Because I know how much they’re paying you for the horses. And I know that so long as you want, the horses will come to you and you’ll make them a better place. I don’t know how I know that, but I do. And not just here, but with other men and women in town as well. I was being honest when I told you what you and my other brothers’ ranches are going to do for this little town. We’re going to be a tourist trap, sure, but the people will be making money and that’s what is important.”

“I don’t know anything about running a ranch this size.” Darin said he knew less about running a B&B. “So why do you think you can do it?”