Page 44 of Before You Can Blink (Rust Canyon #4)

Jett

December

We’d just finished dinner when Mac and Aspen walked in, so I was relaxing with a glass of whiskey in my recliner while Daisy washed the dishes. Since my back had been acting up, she refused to let me help, insisting that I take it easy for the rest of the evening.

As guilty as I felt for her cooking the meal and doing the cleanup, the pain was wearing on me, so I hadn’t put up much of a fight.

Mac latched the door to keep out the early winter chill as Aspen’s eyes searched the space. “Mama around?”

“In the kitchen, honey!” Daisy called out before I could reply.

My son-in-law was left behind when his wife rushed from the room, so I lifted my glass, offering, “Want a drink?”

Shaking his head, Mac took a seat on the couch. “Nah. I’m on call tonight.”

“Ah.” I took a sip, savoring the rich flavor. “Work good? ”

Not long after their wedding two years ago, he had completed his training to become a firefighter, and from what I heard from Gary Jones, my daughter’s husband was an incredible addition to the station.

Not that I was at all surprised. He was naturally enthusiastic, which bolstered his work ethic, and his capacity for empathy was an incredible asset when dealing with disaster relief and medical emergencies.

He opened his mouth to answer my question, but before any words came out, a muffled sob reached my ears from the kitchen. Instantly, I went on alert, sitting bolt upright.

The sudden movement sent a flash of fire down my spine, and I hissed. “Shit.”

Concerned, Mac rushed to my side. “You okay?”

Jaw clenched, I forced out a clipped, “Fine.” My hand moved to my lower back. “Help me up.”

For a second, it looked as though he might refuse. But given that my nostrils were flaring like those of a pissed-off bull, he thought better of it and offered me the leverage needed to stand.

Hobbling toward the kitchen, I didn’t make it all the way there before Daisy rounded the corner, her face streaked with tears.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Alarm seeped into my tone.

Aspen appeared beside her mother, and her brow furrowed when she caught sight of my hunched-over appearance. “What happened to you, Daddy? Are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing.” I waved her off. “Why’s your mama cryin’?”

“Oh.” My daughter’s lips parted before her eyes darted to Mac, standing behind me.

A lightning bolt of agony zipped through me when I twisted my neck to peek at him, and I barely managed to stifle a whimper as the searing-hot pain threatened to bring me to my knees .

Of course, that didn’t escape Daisy’s notice, and her hand gripped my elbow, urging me to move back to the recliner. “Sit down, Jett.”

The edges of my vision darkened, but I managed to speak through gritted teeth. “Tell. Me.”

“Lord, you are a stubborn man.” I didn’t need to look up to know my wife was rolling her eyes.

“Daze . . .” I warned.

“Sit.” Her tone grew firm.

Thirty-plus years of marriage had taught me that if there was a standoff between me and my wife, she would always win, so I gave up the fight, letting her guide me back to my chair before gently easing onto it.

When the worn leather molded to my body, my eyes slid closed, and I sighed. A few deep breaths later, my lids lifted, and I fixed each member of my family with a glare. “Someone better spill.”

The lot of them looked guilty as sin. It felt like I was back in school when some kids would tell a joke that only half the class was in on.

“I—uh—” Aspen shifted nervously on her feet. “I got the proofs back on our Christmas card and brought it over to show you guys.”

My brows drew down. “Your mama was crying over a Christmas card? Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

Daisy handed me the white envelope she was holding. “Maybe this will help you understand.”

My lips thinned as my eyes scanned the portrait printed on cardstock.

Seemed nice enough. Mac and Aspen were sitting on the steps of their back deck, my daughter wrapped up in her husband’s arms. Written across the top were the words: Happy Holidays from the Blazes.

“What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”

Daisy’s hands landed on my shoulders, and her head dipped beside my ear. “Flip it over. ”

My annoyance bubbled over. “Why? Is there a treasure map printed on the back?”

Smacking my bicep, my wife huffed, “Just do it.”

A rumble vibrated through my chest, but I did as she asked.

There was another picture on the back. This one featured three pairs of shoes in a row—Mac’s pull-on structural fire boots, Aspen’s riding boots, and teeny tiny, crocheted booties.

It took my mind a minute to process what I was seeing, but when the pieces fell into place, my lungs seized, and my eyes snapped up to look at Aspen.

“Are you . . .?”

Biting into her lower lip, my daughter went bright pink as she nodded in confirmation.

Well, no wonder Daisy had been overcome with emotion. She’d been waiting for this day since Tripp was still in diapers.

The next generation was on the way.

We were going to be grandparents.

Mac looped one hand around Aspen’s waist, extending the other toward me. “Can I get a high-five for putting a bun in this oven?”

Aspen quickly spun on him, shoving his shoulder with a shrieked, “Mac!” before burying her face in her hands and groaning.

Shaking my head, I muttered, “Wasn’t a visual I needed, son.”

My son-in-law’s lips pursed into a pout when I left him hanging on that high-five, and he pulled back his hand. Hurt filtered into his tone when he grumbled, “Didn’t need to make it weird, Jett. It’s not like I went into detail about what position we used.”

“Okay! That’s enough!” Aspen cried, tugging her husband toward the door. Over her shoulder, she said, “It’s not personal, Daddy, but don’t expect me to be making eye contact anytime soon. ”

The minute they were gone, Daisy burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help but join in.

Sucking in a few deep breaths as she began to calm down, she mused, “Girl’s got her hands full with that one.”

“That she does, Daze.”

Mac might be a little off the wall, but he would make a good father. Kids naturally gravitated toward him, drawn to his goofy personality. There was no denying our grandchild would have the “fun dad.”

A grandchild.

That was still sinking in, but damn if it didn’t make my heart soar.

April

My almost thirty-year-old son was throwing a hissy fit in the middle of my kitchen, and I’d just about had enough.

It had come as a surprise to us all that while attending Penny’s birthday party earlier today, the man she’d been dating only a couple of weeks dropped to one knee and proposed.

And that was before Tripp showed up unannounced when he was supposed to be managing the road team with rodeo season in full swing.

My temper had spiked when Tripp came storming into my house and began screaming and swearing in his mother’s direction.

After snapping at him to watch his mouth and show some respect, he turned on me, spouting off some nonsense about moving off the ranch if Penny and her soon-to-be husband were planning to settle down on this land.

The kid had proven over and over again that he was all bark and no bite, so I decided to call him out on it .

“Where was this fire when it came to fighting to make the girl yours before someone else did?”

Blue eyes glittering with murderous intent, Tripp clenched his jaw so tight that a muscle in his cheek twitched. “Don’t.”

Honestly, I found it very hard to have sympathy for him. I was in no mood to listen to him complain about losing her when he’d been too much of a coward to take action.

Folding both arms over my chest, I was determined to make sure he knew exactly how badly he’d fucked this whole thing up.

“Don’t what, son? Don’t tell you that you had all the time in the world to make a move on the girl, yet you wasted it?

Don’t tell you that anyone with eyes can see she’s always been in love with you too?

Don’t tell you that no one can blame her for getting tired of waiting for you and moving on?

Don’t tell you it’s your own damn fault that she did because you decided to sit on your hands your whole life? ”

As his face contorted into an expression of pure anguish, both hands flew to his head as he tugged on the short strands of his dark hair. “Enough! I get it!”

I cocked my head. “Do you, though?” If he did, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.

“Jett,” Daisy’s soft voice cut in, trying to defuse the situation. “Let the boy be.”

A scoff fell from my lips. “He’s not a boy anymore, Daze. He’s a grown man who has to face the repercussions of his actions—or the lack of them, in this case.”

“I know.” She smiled sadly, standing from her seat at the table to offer Tripp the comfort of her touch. Almost twenty-nine years later, about to become a grandma, she still saw him as her baby. “But he’s suffering enough without you heaping on. ”

Truth be told, they both were.

It had been damn near heartbreaking watching Penny almost burst into tears when she had to tell Tripp face-to-face that he was too late, that any chance there might’ve been to build a future together was gone.

But at the end of the day, she was just as much to blame for their shared misery, having elected to keep her mouth shut all this time, the same as Tripp.

The two of them had spent decades making this bed, and now came the time to lie in it.

May

“Don’t do it!”

A collective gasp sounded from those gathered at the outburst.

“Oh my God.” Daisy’s nails dug into my thigh as her head whipped around, but I didn’t need to look to know it was Tripp.

To say he’d cut it close was the ultimate understatement. Penny was currently standing at the altar, halfway through the ceremony that would legally tie her to another man.

But I had to say, I was proud the kid had finally grown a set of balls. And they had to be huge to interrupt a wedding in progress.