Page 37

Chapter Twenty-Seven

L uke sat in the Mustang, trying to decide. Arm crutches or chair? They’d brought both, and the crutches made him look less handicapped, but the chair made him way more steady.

He didn’t want to bust his ass in front of Rory’s folks and teenaged sister.

“Dad is an orthopedist, Luke. He’s seen it all. Bring both.”

“Oh, right.” He’d completely forgotten. “Sorry, I’m stupidly nervous.”

“I get it. Do you want me to have someone pull a gun so it’s more like when we lunched with your mother? Harris is lying low, but I’m sure someone will. Rowenna maybe?”

He snorted, reaching over to pinch Rory’s nipple. “Be good.”

“You know I’d do anything for you, but they’re all standing at the kitchen window, pretending not to stare.”

“And I just gave you a titty twister.” Luke sighed. “I’ll start on the arm crutches and use the chair to take a break. Can you bring it in with us? ”

“Of course.” Rory’s smile faded. “They’re good people, Luke. I swear to you. They’re good.”

“Well, of course they are. They made you.” Luke gave Rory a real smile. “I just never have met anyone’s parents like this. Not ever.”

“I’ve never brought a lover home either, so we’re even.”

“Then this will be as new for them as it is for me.” Luke took a deep breath and popped open the door. “Let’s do it.”

He worked himself up on his crutches and Rory grabbed the wheelchair, moving alongside him. He was a good guy, and his family sounded like a hoot, so Luke relaxed as much as a guy could on crutches and clumped up the improvised ramp they’d put out for him.

“Hey, brother. She’s cooking everything in the Food Network magazine. Scary. You must be the boyfriend. I’m Ro.” The little gal was cute as hell—hair dyed black, black eyeliner, black clothes, the whole goth thing.

“Luke. Nice to meet you.” He smiled and she blinked.

“Wow. He’s totally hot, Rory. How did you do that?”

“I know his brother.”

“Oh. Well, come on.” She led the little parade back inside, and Luke couldn’t help chuckling.

“I like your Chucks, Ro.”

“Thanks. Rory got them for me.”

“He’s a good brother, huh?” Luke wanted to see how other people saw Rory.

“He’s not bad. He gets me.”

“Yeah. My older brother doesn’t get any of us, I don’t think.”

“No? Rory says you have a twin though, so that’s cool.”

“I do. A real cowboy. His name is Matt.” They walked into the kitchen, where a man sat at the table, and a lady maybe eight, ten years younger than his mom stood at the counter. “Hi, Luke LeBlanc. ”

“Luke, we’re so pleased to meet you!” Mrs. McConnell stood and held out her hand. “I’m Helen and this is James.”

“Dr. McConnell.”

“Sir.”

Luke nodded. “I’ll shake hands if you like but it takes some maneuvering.” He hoped the man wasn’t ready to hate him.

“Have a seat, Luke. Seriously. We’re not real formal here.” Rory’s dad had a warm smile and Matt could see Rory in Jim’s face, clear as day.

“Hey, Mom. I brought whipped cream and coleslaw like you asked.”

“Thanks, honey. Would you like some iced tea or coffee, Luke?”

“Iced tea would be great.” He plopped down into a chair, grunting when he landed. Whoops.

“Rory, get your man some iced tea.”

“Sure, Mom. Can I make myself a glass too, or do I get to drink out of the dog bowl like Ro?”

“Cheeky!” She laughed and popped Rory with a towel.

Rory winked at him before going to the fridge. A few moments later, glasses of iced tea appeared on the table.

“Something smells really good,” Luke said.

“I made a brisket and potato salad and there’s brownies for dessert. I asked about allergies and preferences. Rory said you ate red meat.”

Rory waggled his eyebrows at Luke over his mom’s shoulder.

Luke stared for a moment. “I do. I love brisket.”

“Is he making faces over my shoulder?”

Jim rolled his eyes. “This is normal. They play. Ignore them.”

“Right.” He could totally ignore Rory if the man was going to be evil .

Rory grinned and brought the glasses over, then grabbed his mother and squeezed her tight. She was a classy-looking woman, professional and put-together. Nothing like his mom.

She laughed and hugged Rory back. “Where did you put that coleslaw? I need to jazz it up.”

Rory handed her a bag and she laughed when she pulled out burnt orange mums, too. “So pretty. Thank you, son.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Suck up.” Was there any sarcasm like a teenager’s sarcasm?

“You have no idea.” Rory waggled his eyebrows.

“Oh, ew. Pop! Make him be good!”

“That is an impossibility, my dear child.” Rory’s father winked at him. “Now, I want to hear about the improvements y’all have made to the Rocking W.”

“Oh, has Rory told you about that? We’ve done a lot with the barns right now, working to make stalls accommodate wheelchairs and such.”

“I have a vested interest. He keeps your investors well-informed.”

“Oh.” He blinked, his cheeks heating. “Wow. I mean, thank you. I was hoping to pick your brain about what kind of staff might be helpful. My physio is willing to donate time, but I know we’ll need help.”

“Of course. That will depend, of course, on what kind of client-injuries you’re going to have to deal with.”

“Right. I intend to have guys who range from PTSD with no real physical problems to guys like me, or people with traumatic brain injuries.”

“You’ll need a physician on-call, for sure. The VA should be able to help with the details, I’d think.”

“That would be great.” His shoulders loosened up even more. “Can I help with anything, ma’am? ”

“Everything is basically done. It’s just assembling plates at this point.”

“Tell me what sorts of house facilities you’ll have.” Jim kept him busy describing chair rails and roll-in showers and wheelchair-height counters until the food was all laid out.

Then they were all talking—even Ro had good ideas, good questions. He could totally tell that this family encouraged discussion.

Luke liked it. They’d all had Sunday dinners together at his house when they were kids, and it had always been lively like this.

The food. Oh, Lord, it was good.

He tucked in, and as soon as he wanted something, Rory’s mom had it. Even the bag of Wonder bread made him happy, and he was being a pig, but he had to have seconds.

“I like him, son.” He heard Helen say and Rory answered with a chuckle.

“I do too.”

“That’s good. It would be weird if it was just sex.”

Luke swallowed a bit of tea the wrong way and began coughing.

Rory clapped him on the back. “Drink tea. Breathe air.”

“Got it. No drowning.” He pinched Rory’s leg. No drowning. No discussing sex with the mother.

Rory laughed. “We embarrassed him, Mom.”

“He’ll get to know us,” Miz Helen murmured. “Y’all want to wait on dessert and go sit in the front room for a bit?”

“Please. I’m stuffed. Luke?”

“You got it. I think I’ll switch to the chair, though. I might not be able to carry all this extra weight.”

Rory grabbed his wheelchair and moved it over close enough for him to move himself into it. He hoisted up and over, grateful they had doorways and paths around furniture big enough to get around .

“Mom’s totally going to try to get you to play Scattergories or Monopoly or Clue or something, just FYI.” Rory grinned and winked, looking pleased as punch. “Parents are predictable as hell.”

“I was meaning to ask if you played cards. My folks will want you to play spades at some point.”

“I do. Pop was an addict in med school.”

“Well, there you go. Though I’d want Ro to be included so a board game is good.”

Rory shot him a pleased smile. “You’re a good guy.”

“I try, babe. I have some shit to make up for, I’m sure.”

“Eh. You’re mine. That’s the good part. Let’s go entertain the folks.”

“You got it. Steer me?” He didn’t want to bounce off things his first time in someone’s house.

“As long as you need me to.”

Luke thought that sounded damned fine, and he loved how Rory bent to kiss the back of his neck.

“You two come on and sit. We were thinking Clue.”

“So lame.” Still Rowenna sat there with them. “So I heard at school that you got folks arrested because you were having a shootout at your house. I miss everything.”

“You didn’t want to be there,” Luke said. “Who all got arrested?”

“Jakob Hise and Leo Gianelli,” Rory said. “Harris didn’t get arrested, but he was brought in for questioning. In handcuffs. It was glorious.”

“You’re obsessed,” Ro said. “It’s so weird.”

Luke snorted. “I would say Harris was the one with the problem.”

Helen and Jim looked at each other, and there was worry there, a genuine concern for their son. He could see it.

“Anyway, if he got run in, that’s the beginning of the end,” Luke finished, trying to let it drop.

“Yes. I’m ready.” Rory’s words were serious, sure, and God, it felt good.

He wanted Rory to move on, to have a happy life. There was no good coming from a feud that went on and on.

As it stood, Rory had investments, land, a lover, a life.

Not to mention Luke was gonna need his help on the Rocking W.

Right now, though, he was going to crush them all at Clue. Rory’s family might as well learn that a LeBlanc played a game like he stormed a beach.