Page 15 of Maddox: Wild Alaska (Hawke’s Ridge #1)

Dad blushes after Spencer announced what he overheard.

I shoot him a look and he stops teasing as I take the two coffees out to Sofie and Judean.

I kiss Sofie's head as I head back inside.

I close the door, leaving a small gap so I can hear if they need me.

"Give them some alone time," I tell Spencer.

I feel his eyes on me as I move into the kitchen and start making a large pot of coffee.

I know that if three of my brothers are here, the others will follow.

Well, maybe not Branson. He's going to be working around the clock.

Dad's here, too. I know he was tickled hearing what the girls called him.

I just hope it doesn't go to his head like it would my brothers'.

I shoot Colton a sideways glance. He continues to sit quietly, stewing about Judean. He isn't stupid, so I'm sure he's figured out that one of their group upset Judean. That whole family needs a wake-up call. I may be a jerk sometimes, but I don't go around putting people down. That isn't okay.

My brother catches my eye, and his eyes narrow. "I bet it was Samantha, wasn't it?"

"What did Samantha do?" Garrett asks.

I sigh heavily and lean on the countertop. "Yes, it was Samantha. She said some hurtful things to Judean." I shrug. "I invited them here to use my hot tub. I promised they wouldn't be disturbed."

"Tell me what she said!" Colton stands, his body rigid with anger.

"I don't know exactly what she said, but from what I overheard, it had something to do with her figure." I wince.

"There's nothing wrong with her!" Colton hisses. "She makes me hard as a rock."

Dad chokes on his coffee. "Son?—"

"It's true! Jeez, Dad. You have eight sons.

You know what I'm talking about." Colton's eyes pop wide as Hunter and I gawk at him.

"You know what? I sure as hell don't want to think about you and Mom getting it on.

" He shudders. "I can't believe I went there.

" Tossing a wave over his shoulder, he leaves.

"What did I hear about Tisha reporting Ryland?" Garrett asks.

"I'll be glad to see the back of those women," Dad says. "They have no right to come here and cause problems over stupid things."

"Three nights left," I say, my eyes drifting toward the back deck. I wonder if I'll get to keep Sofie here in Hawke's Ridge.

“Don’t worry, son,” Dad says, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We'll all make sure she has no option but to stay."

I roll my eyes and stare at Dad's back as he walks into the living room. I sigh and turn to Garrett. “She reported Ryland to Branson because he grabbed her to keep her from falling into the river.”

"That's messed up!" He glances at the door Colton left through and nods. "What's gotten into the little puck ?”

I snort. “The puck has a thing for Judean.” I grin, amused by Garrett's nickname for the youngest family member.

At twenty-three, Colton is trying to sleep with every guest at the lodge—he's almost succeeded.

At least he has the sense not to bring anyone home.

"Puck" is the more polite word, after all.

Mom would be furious if she heard Garrett calling her baby a little fuck.

Branson stomps inside, glancing around the room before his eyes land on me. I inwardly groan, wondering what that look is all about. It can't be good.

"Hello, son. I hope you're eating. Your mother won't be happy if you're not taking care of yourself."

"Dad, I'm fine. Busy. But yes, I am eating."

Dad nods as Branson removes his jacket. He takes off his hat and runs his fingers through his hair before joining Garrett and me in the kitchen.

I shove a steaming mug of coffee in front of him and pull-out bread, cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and hot sauce.

Grilled cheese is quick and our favorite snack.

Neither of my brothers says anything until I put everything on the grill. "So," I say, leaning against the countertop, "tell us what's happening."

"I've pissed Janice off," Branson hisses.

"The woman has some issues." He shakes his head.

"She was holding out on information until I got you down there to take her out to dinner.

I was furious. I went into my office to get away from her, and just then, her boss called.

I let him have it about her. I've had enough.

He was shocked and said he would resolve the situation.

He's sending a new guy to take her place.”

He sighs. "Like a fucking pussy, I snuck out the back and came up here. She's crazy, so I'm relieved you're not dating her."

Garrett snickers. "You're the sheriff, and you're hiding from one little woman."

He snorts. "You wouldn't laugh at me so quickly if you'd met her." He glances toward the back deck, and his eyes widen. "Why are there two naked women on your back deck?" His eyes haven't moved as he leans over for a better look.

"Bro, lean any farther and you'll be on the floor," Garrett chuckles.

"Explain!" Branson narrows his gaze at me and nods toward the deck.

"I'm sick of repeating it. Just stop ogling Sofie. She's mine. Judean is free and single."

Garrett coughs. "Are we sure about that? Because the little puck has a hard-on for her.”

Branson winces. "Colton and 'hard-on' should not be in the same sentence."

I laugh, plate the sandwiches, and grab the ones for the girls. Garrett will fill you in about the trouble the others in the party are causing. Oh, and Tisha. She was about to fall into the river when Ryland grabbed her and stopped her from being swept downstream."

"Fucking hell! Dealing with crazy women is not how I want to end my day." He pauses and runs a hand down his face. “Sally just left me in the lurch."

Garrett and I stare at him. I'm sure my brother is trying to figure out who Sally is. Exasperated with him, Branson curses. "My assistant!"

"You mean the one who decides what hours she's working on a particular day? That assistant?” asks Garrett.

Branson looks pissed. "Yeah."

“Landon mentioned her earlier. Did you speak to her? I’m not sure I’d take Landon’s word for it.”

"Unfortunately, I have. Apparently, she's had enough of doing Landon's job for him. She's found a better job with the same pay and fewer responsibilities. She told me to go fuck myself." His brows drew together. "I'm not a jerk of a boss, am I?"

Remembering the sandwiches in my hands, I say, "Give me a minute to drop this off outside." I step out onto the back deck and tell myself not to imagine myself naked in the hot tub with an equally naked Sofie. Yeah, I need to stop thinking about that.

Hearing Judean giggle pulls me out of my lustful thoughts, and I grin. "I thought you ladies might be hungry."

"Oh, he cooks as well," Sofie teases, her face alight with mischief.

"Do you have a couple of towels we can use?” she asks as she stands.

I nearly swallow my tongue when the water falls away and I get a look at her body.

I can't speak. The lush swell of her breasts is barely contained behind the two triangles, which have become transparent.

Her plump nipples and areoles have my dick hard as a fucking spike.

I move my gaze lower and quickly snap it up to her flushed face. "Sit back down," I say, blowing out a breath. "Do not stand up until I'm back with towels."

I race inside and grab two extra-large bath towels. Nothing smaller will do. On my way through the house, I stop. Dad, Branson, and Garrett have disappeared. Then, I hear chuckling from outside.

"Fuck!" I narrow my eyes on Garrett as I stalk toward him. His eyes light up. "What are you doing out here?"

Branson chuckles and wraps an arm around my shoulders. "Did you just laugh?" I ask.

"You're imagining it," he says dryly.

"Pfft! Imagining my ass!" I shake him off and glare at my brothers. "Turn around while they get out of the tub."

Sofie looks amused as I step to the edge of the tub and fluff out a towel. "I won't peek." Regardless of how much I want to get another look at the gorgeous woman, I snap my eyes closed.

She snickers. "You've already seen me, Maddox." I open my eyes just in time to see the water sluicing down her body once more. Her bikini is just as transparent as before.

I clear my throat, catch her under the arms with the towel, and lift her out. I wrap the towel around her. I wink at Judean. "Your turn." The woman blushes furiously, but I don't give her time to refuse. "Let's have you."

She stands and stops me from lifting her. "I'm too heavy," she whispers, looking down.

"Damn that woman," I mutter under my breath. "Look at me, Judean." She tentatively lifts her gaze. "There's nothing wrong with you. Now, I'm going to help you like I did Sofie if that's okay?"

She nods after a moment.

I help her out of the hot tub, and once both women are on the deck wearing cover-ups over their towels, we sit around the outdoor table with my dad and two brothers. Branson keeps looking at his phone, then sighs and ignores it. Seeing me watching, he sighs again.

"I need a new assistant," he grumbles.

"You also need to send Landon to Anchorage for training. He's a liability right now," I add.

"Assistant?" Judean asks, tilting her head toward my brother. "What kind of assistant?"

Sofie frowns at her friend.