Gage (Texas Boudreau Brotherhood #16)

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

G age pulled the car to a stop in front of the Big House, the family’s fond name for the Boudreau ranch. The foster kids had come up with it, because at first they looked on their lives at the sprawling homestead as a jail sentence—until they learned to love not only the land but the people living there.

Like he had, even though that time had been cut short.

“It’s beautiful.” Suzanna unbuckled her seatbelt and stared at the two-story home. Its size was deceptively small in appearance, yet Gage knew the rooms were large and comfortable, with more than enough room to house a whole passel of young’uns at any given time while he’d been growing up. The white paint gleamed in the sunlight, the dark green shutters on each side of the windows crisp and colorful. A large wraparound porch covered the entire front of the home, with columns reaching all the way to the second story. To the left there was a porch swing, one he knew was Ms. Patti’s favorite place to relax after a long day at the real estate office. When he’d been a kid, he’d lost count of how many times Douglas and Ms. Patti could be found together on the front porch, swinging in the evening breeze.

“Welcome to the Boudreau ranch. It’s a great place, and you are going to love the family who lives here.”

“Are you sure they won’t mind my showing up like this? I don’t want to bring any of my drama into their lives.”

Gage chuckled. “Don’t worry, Douglas and Ms. Patti are adept at dealing with unexpected crises cropping up around here. They’re old pros at dealing with the unexpected.”

“Still, it seems like a huge imposition to have me show up with bodyguards in tow, expecting them to let me invade their home. You can’t tell me that’s not a huge imposition.”

“I promise they are not going to be anything but thrilled you’re staying with them, especially if they believe you’re a friend of mind. Ms. Patti’s always trying to get me to visit more, and she’ll look at you’re being here as a way to keep me around.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Really. Plus Bas and Ranger are their nephews. Gator, their father, is Douglas’ brother, so they are family. It’s gonna be like Old Home Week around here. I’m pretty sure if Jean-Luc’s wife wasn’t suffering from severe bouts of morning sickness, he’d have been the first one to volunteer for bodyguard duty, just so he could come to Shiloh Springs.”

“Shiloh Springs, that’s the town we drove through on our way here? It seemed like a lovely place. Main Street was lovely, all those shop and the bright colored awnings and flowers. It almost seems like a place out of time, something you’d see out of the fifties or sixties, not the twenty-first century.”

“Trust me, Suzanna, Shiloh Springs might be a small town but they are up to date on the things that matter. Take this ranch. We’ve got state-of-the-art security, installed by the owners’ son, who designed this package specifically for his family after a child was kidnapped. It has since been upgraded by their daughter-in-law who is a computer genius. Nobody and I mean nobody, gets on this property now who’s not supposed to be here.”

“That’s good to know. It’s just…I hate this. All of this. Not the Boudreaus, I’m sure they’re lovely people. I mean everything else. I hate that my husband is dead. He was a wonderful man and didn’t deserve to be killed. I hate that the police think I could actually murder my husband and then crawl back into bed beside him. How obscenely gross is that? I hate that people look at me like they want to see a murderer. It’s morbidly exciting and titillating for them, to think they know an actual killer. People don’t see me anymore, they see the gold-digging wife who killed her husband and is just waiting to get her hands on all his money. It’s morbid and hateful, and I’m so tired of it all.”

What could he say to that? Did he believe she killed her husband in cold blood? No. Proving it now was his job, but it was going to be an uphill battle. From the little he’d found out, everything pointed toward Suzanna as the killer. She’d had motive—money—being the rich widow of an older man. She had opportunity—he was beside her in the bed sleeping. It would have been easy to stab him, deliver the fatal blow. Being found next to him, a good prosecutor could manipulate that in a number of ways to make her look guilty. And she had means—the knife used in the attack had been found lying on the floor beside the bed. It had her fingerprints all over it, which made Suzanna appear guilty.

“We’re here now, and you’ll find nobody here is going to look at you as anything but a beautiful woman who needs a place to get away from the rest of the world for a little while. Trust me, the Boudreaus are going to treat you like you’re part of the family, and you’re going to wonder how you ever got along without knowing them. It’s their special gift, like their very own super power.”

Suzanna chuckled at his joke, not knowing he really meant it. He’d met all kinds of people in his line of work, from the lowest, deadliest criminals, the real scum of the earth, to the nicest folks in the world, and yet in his eyes, nobody measured up to the standard set by Douglas and Patricia Boudreau. And if he was being honest, he’d have to include their entire clan, because they were all part and parcel of the family.

A dark gray SUV pulled up beside them on the gravel drive and parked. Bas and Ranger Boudreau climbed out, and immediately headed for the front porch. He knew they’d called ahead, giving the family a head’s up they were coming.

“Come on, Suzanna, let’s go see the Boudreaus.”

“I hope I don’t regret this.”

You won’t, I thought, thinking about Ms. Patti. Knowing her, she’d take one look at Suzanna, and within minutes, she’d been sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of sweet tea and three chocolate chip cookies in front of her. The woman was a born nurturer.

By the time they’d climbed from the car, Bas and Ranger stood on the porch with Douglas and Dane. There was a bunch of hugs and back pounding between the family, and he felt a pang in his chest. He’d missed this place when he was a kid and had been practically snatched up by the government to be educated and work for them, doing clandestine work most people would never know about. But even as an adult, he’d kept watch over the Boudreaus. Knew every detail about the family, including when each brother met their significant other. Now he was back, even if it was on the periphery of the family. He’d admit that was partly his own fault, because he still held himself aloof from everyone. The life he lived, the world he was part of—he didn’t want any of that to taint this family.

“Don’t just stand there, son, come on up here and bring the young lady with you. Patricia’s in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on supper.”

Douglas motioned them forward as he spoke, and I felt rather than saw Suzanna pause for the slightest moment. Probably less than a heartbeat, but the tiniest jolt of insecurity. Most of the time she was a strong, confident woman, fighting to be seen above the alleged murder rap she was facing. But beneath that fa?ade was a scared girl, searching for something. He hadn’t figured out exactly what, but he would, and he’d do his best to give it to her.

“Douglas, I’d like you to meet Suzanna Dawkins. Suzanna, this is Douglas Boudreau.”

“Mr. Boudreau, it’s an honor to meet you.” She held out her hand and Douglas took it, his large, work-hardened hands seeming to engulf her smaller one. Beside the mountain of a main, Suzanna looked almost tiny. Then again, most people looked smaller beside Douglas.

“Please, call me Douglas. We don’t stand on formality around here. Come inside and meet my wife.” Douglas tucked Suzanna’s hand in the crook of his arm and led her through the front door, leaving the men standing on the porch.

“Guess we know where we rate,” Bas groused, before shrugging and following behind Douglas. “I’m not hanging around out here with you losers. Didn’t you hear Douglas say Aunt Patti’s cooking, and I’m starving.”

“Said the walking stomach,” Ranger muttered, heading inside the house, leaving Gage to follow. Taking a deep breath, he walked through the front door to the only place that felt like home.

Suzanna felt a sense of wonder walking beside Douglas Boudreau into the house. The first thing she noticed was the scents. Smells wafting on the air from the kitchen, delicious and enticing. Fresh baked rolls. And something sweet. She’d swear it was peach cobbler. Her mouth watered at the thought. It had been forever since she’d had homemade peach cobbler, her absolutely favorite dessert. A few voices, both male and female, though she couldn’t make out what they were saying came from her left.

“My wife’s been looking forward to meeting you. When Gage called and said he’d like to have you stay with us for a while, she was over the moon, because it meant Gage would be sticking around too. She misses that boy something fierce.” Douglas laughed, the sound deep and joyous. “Of course, calling him a boy, well he’d probably think that was funny. We know he’s a grown man, but like the rest of our kiddos, he’ll always be the boy who ran around the fields chasing after the horses. That boy, he loved those horses. Most days if you needed to find Gage, all you had to do was head for the barn.”

Suzanna digested his words, trying to reconcile the hard-edged man she knew with the carefree youth Douglas described. It was hard to imagine he was every young and playful. Life had a way of changing us, pointing us in directions we’d never expect. Hers certainly had.

“I appreciate everything you’re doing for me. Gage made it clear he didn’t want me going back to Dallas, not yet anyway. I’m sure you’ve heard—”

“We don’t listen to gossip or innuendo. Most reporters have turned what once reputable news organizations into little more than entertainment rags. I want to know what’s going on in the world, I ask my son Lucas. Always get the straight, unvarnished truth from him. And in case Gage didn’t tell you, Lucas is an investigative reporter, one of the best in the business. He’s a straight shooter, again doesn’t deal in anything he can’t prove through facts. It’s why he’s won numerous awards for his in-depth articles.”

Suzanna mulled over what he said. She’d heard of Lucas Boudreau, pretty much anybody who read a paper in Dallas-Fort Worth knew his name and his reputation. Douglas had every right to be proud of his son.

Stepping into the kitchen, she spotted Ranger and Bas along with a middle-aged blonde woman with an apron over her business suit, as well as a dark-haired woman, her hair styled in a cute pixie cut wearing a red tank top that exposed her colorful tattoos, and a pair of faded jeans. Another man stood by the stove, tall and slender but she could see the way the muscles moved beneath his T-shirt. His broad shoulders hinted at hidden strength. When he turned and smiled, she almost melted. He was definitely a charmer.

“Momma, company’s here,” he spoke softly, and nodded toward Suzanna.

“Hey, we’re company too,” protested Bas, who started to reach across the loaded table, only to get his hand slapped by his brother.

“You’re not company, sweetie, you’re family.” The older woman stopped beside his chair long enough to rustle his hair, before moving to stand before Suzanna. “I’m so happy you’re here. I’m Patricia Boudreau, but everybody calls me Ms. Patti. Welcome to our home.” Before Suzanna could say anything, Ms. Patti threw her arms around her, pulling her close for a hug. It was a bit awkward, because the other woman was decidedly shorter than Suzanna, but also because she hadn’t been expecting it. When she’d been growing up, there hadn’t been a lot of hugs in her household, which led to an adulthood where she’d kept herself aloof. But this felt genuine and natural and after the first few seconds, she found herself returning the woman’s warm embrace.

“Thank you, Ms. Patti. I appreciate you opening your home to me. Gage has told me wonderful things about you and your family.”

Ms. Patti’s smile widened at the mention of Gage’s name. “He’s an amazing man. I promise he’ll get to the bottom of this situation. Don’t worry, you’ve got the best people looking out for you. Between Gator’s two boys and all my boys, we’ll figure out the real culprit, and get them tossed in jail before you can blink.”

“I’m counting on it. My cousin told me Gage could help prove I didn’t do what I’m accused of, that he was the best man for the job.”

“Your cousin?” Ms. Patti’s hand in the middle of her back guided her toward the table laden with plates and bowls piled high with delicious-looking food. Her mouth watered and she realized how long it had been since she’d eaten a real meal. Ever since Steven’s death, she’d nibbled and snacked her way through the day, her appetite gone. Now her stomach rumbled with hunger.

“Um, yes, Brandon McKinney. He’s a Navy SEAL, and apparently he knows Gage from one of his missions or something. He was kind of vague on the details. Not surprising because most of what he does is all very hush-hush.”

She heard a throat clearing behind her and knew Gage had made his way into the kitchen.

“She’s right. We worked on an assignment together a couple of years back. There was an—incident—and let’s just say I owed him a favor.”

“We can talk after lunch. Suzanna, you already know Bas and Ranger. These two here are my son Dane and his wife, Destiny.” Ms. Patti’s indulgent smile spoke louder than words how much she cared about her daughter-in-law. “After lunch, if you’d like, Destiny can take you over to their house and show you the security set up. She is a magician with anything related to computers, and she takes care of the ranch’s electronic surveillance and security. It’s extensive, expensive, and believe me nobody is going to get anywhere near you unless you want them to.” Somehow the look the other woman shot Gage made heat rush into Suzanna’s cheeks.

“I’d love to see your set up, Destiny. We had a company that provides surveillance and alarms at our house, though Steven hated the closed-circuit cameras. Said they were too invasive and he always felt like he was being spied on.”

Gage shot Suzanna a heated glance, and she felt heat rise in her cheeks. Why in the world had she suddenly felt like he’d centered his whole focus on her in the crowded room? She didn’t understand, and it got her all flustered.

“I’ll need the name of the company you used, Suzanna. I’m sure the police have already checked with them, but I want to—”

“Business talk after lunch, hon. I don’t want the food to get cold. Suzanna, I hope you don’t mind eating in the kitchen. I thought it would be more welcoming than the formal dining room.”

“I don’t mind. This all looks wonderful. You have a beautiful home; it’s so warm and welcoming.”

“Thank you, dear. It’s not a showpiece, but I’m fine with that. When you’ve got a passel of teenage boys stomping around at all hours, you learn that comfort trumps style every time.” She motioned toward the chairs. “Everybody sit, get comfortable. I just need to get the chicken out of the oven, where I put it to stay warm, and we’ll eat.”

Within minutes, everybody was laughing and filling their plates to overflowing with friend chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and the fluffiest biscuits Suzanna had ever tasted. Whatever else Ms. Patti might be, she was a fine cook. Before long, she’d eaten enough she was stuffed and didn’t think she could take another bite.

“Alright, why don’t we head to the living room and get comfortable. Dane, be a sweetheart and get Suzanna and Gage’s bags and taken them upstairs.”

“Yes, ma’am. Then I’ve gotta meet with the foreman. He mentioned we’ve got a couple of places where the fence needs to be repaired, and I want to take a look.”

“Need me to come with you, son?” Douglas started to stand, and Dane clamped him lightly on the shoulder.

“I’ve got it covered, Dad. Stay here and see what we can do to help Suzanna. If something comes up and I need you, I’ll call.”

“Now the rest of you, head to the living room and get comfortable. I’ll clear the table and then I have to head to the office for a bit.” Ms. Patti smiled at Suzanna, before adding, “There’s no nine to five in real estate. When the client calls, I gotta go.”

“Please let me help with the cleanup.”

“Nonsense. Besides, you need to talk to Destiny and Dane, make sure they know exactly what you need security-wise to keep you protected.”

Gage stepped up behind her and placed his hand in the small of her back, guiding her to the living room, and to the sofa, where he perched on the arm next to her. Destiny slouched on the cushion beside her, and Suzanna looked closely at her tattoos, admiring the artwork. Whoever designed them was a true artist. The ink was striking and vibrant, and made her wish she’d gotten one of her own. Except she hated needles, refused to get anywhere near one. She was a big chicken when it came to pain.

“Suzanna, first, I want to make sure you know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like. Security on our spread is some of the best you’ll find anywhere. We had a couple of incidents in the past, and let’s just say it made us cognizant of the need to ramp up our protections.” Douglas leaned back in the big comfy chair in the corner, and folded his arms over his chest. “Nobody gets onto our ranch unless we want them here. We’ve got a pretty good size spread, and every square foot of it is monitored in one way or another. You’ll be safe here.”

“Thank you. Not feeling safe? That’s something new for me. Until Steven—my late husband—died, I never had a moment’s worry about security. In an instant that changed.” She shuddered, remembering Steven’s body lying in the bed, his eyes open and staring sightlessly in death.

“Destiny beefed up some of the cameras around the back of the property, close to the house, as well as the ones covering the front gate.” Dane smiled at his wife, leaning over to ruffle her short hair.

“Stop! We’re talking business here, and I need to act like I know what I’m talking about.” Destiny pulled out some type of remote from her pocket and pointed it at the television. The screen came on, displaying several camera shots in bright color. “I upgraded these babies where they have high-def, infrared capability, and night vision. These are military grade, not available on the marketplace yet. I’ve got connections with a government supplier, and I help test new products. These cameras and alarms will be used for government bases and buildings within the next six months. Trust me when I tell you, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Nobody is going to kidnap you, not on my watch.”

For the first time since she’d left New Orleans, she relaxed, letting the tension in her muscles loose. “I don’t know what to say. You people don’t know me, yet you’re opening your home, offering me protection. I don’t know what to say except thank you.”

Ms. Patti came in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron before taking it off and tossing it to Douglas. “You’re a friend of Gage. That’s all that matters. We take care of our own. By the way, I don’t think you had anything to do with your husband’s death. You haven’t got it in you to hurt anybody.” Ms. Patti leaned down and gave Gage a hug. “Now I’ve got to run. There are brownies in the container on the table, if y’all get hungry later.”

Leaning close to her side, Gage whispered, “I told you, everything’s going to be alright.” With that, Gage stood and walked into the kitchen, only to come back with two enormous brownies, gooey with chocolate frosting and handed her one.

“Dig in. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”