Page 24

Kenna

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"I have nothing to wear." She stood in front of the closet. "Everything I own came from a thrift store in Billings when I got a job at a bar."

"You can borrow any of my clothes." River sat on the bed, going through a pile of shirts. "Not that I have anything spectacular."

"I'm not looking for spectacular." She removed a pair of jeans off a hanger and put them right back up. "I'm looking for something without holes."

"We could order a new outfit to wear to the prison," said River.

She grabbed her phone off the dresser and turned away from her meager belongings. "We might as well. What kind of clothes do you want to wear?"

River shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a dress."

Zane knocked on the opened door. River stretched her arm out, motioning for him to come in.

"I thought you were staying up at the clubhouse." River kissed him.

Kingsley walked into the room behind his brother. Kenna frowned. The men never came home at the same time or walked into her bedroom together.

Her stomach rolled. Panic set in. Maybe the prison called and informed Zane that the visit with her dad was canceled.

Kingsley met her gaze. She shook her head, trying to read his expression, but couldn't tell what was happening. She pressed her hand to her chest, rubbing her collarbone. He must have bad news. That would be the only explanation of why he'd bring his brother with him.

"We're going through our clothes." River threw her arms around Zane's waist. "We've decided to order something to wear off Amazon for our upcoming prison visit." She looked up into his face. "I don't have a dress, and since I haven't seen my dad in—"

"No dress." Zane cleared his throat. "You'll get pulled for a more intense inspection before you can even go inside because they can't tell what you have underneath the material."

River frowned. "Then what do we wear?"

"A pair of jeans and a plain T-shirt."

Kingsley palmed the back of her neck and whispered, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. The closer they got to the day they could visit her dad, the more afraid she got that something would happen to stop her from seeing him—and then they'd kill him, and she'd never have a chance to see him again. Her nightmares were starting to invade her waking hours.

"Well, I guess there's no need to buy anything." River looked at Kenna. "Do you have any pants without rips?"

She nodded. There were a couple that were a little big on her that she rarely wore.

"Do you want to get something to eat at the bar?" asked Kingsley.

Not feeling like joining them, Kenna made her excuses to stay at the house. When the other two left, Kingsley forced her to look at him.

"What's going on?"

"There are only five more days until we go to the prison." She moistened her lips. "I'm scared it's going to get canceled."

He kissed her softly. "Stop worrying."

"I can't help it."

He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "You need to eat."

"You can go to the bar."

He chuckled. "I want you more."

Tap-tap-tap

She looked behind her. "Was that someone at the door?"

"I'll go check." He let her go. "It might be Big John. He was going to swing by and give some papers to Zane."

As he left the room, she moved to the bed and went through her shirts again. There were two without anything printed on the front that looked okay, so she set those in the top drawer of the dresser. Later, she'd pick out the jeans she'd wear and add them to the pile. She wanted to prepare early because she'd be a mental case the day they were due to travel to the prison.

"Hey, Kenna. Can you come down here for a sec?" yelled Kingsley.

"Coming." She set the pile of shirts on the dresser and walked out into the hallway.

At the top of the stairs, she found Kingsley standing with Zora in the foyer. Quickly assessing the situation, she relaxed. His mom seemed calm and had a sweet smile on her face.

"Can you do me a favor and grab three burgers and fries from the bar?" he asked.

Understanding that his mom was staying to eat, she nodded. "Sure. Anything else?"

He looked at his mom. She shook her head.

"I'll grab my shoes and head over there." She left mother and son alone, wondering how Kingsley felt about the visit.

He'd given Zora permission to visit the house, not knowing if she'd take him up on it. It had to make him feel good that she reached out.

Once she had her sneakers on and descended the stairs, she could hear them in the kitchen talking quietly. She slipped out the front door and walked to the bar.

As soon as she got inside, River rushed her. "Is everything okay?"

They were both on edge, waiting for the prison to cancel their visit. She grabbed River's hand and led her toward the kitchen. Not everyone needed to know Kingsley's private business.

"Zora came over. Kingsley wants me to grab food for us. I think she's staying to eat with him," she whispered.

River looked over her shoulder at Zane. "Do you think Zane needs to go to the house?"

"I don't think so." She hesitated. "I mean, maybe. I think Kingsley's happy that his mom showed up. Maybe Zane would like the chance to talk with her, too. What do you think?"

"I think he's confused about why Zora stepped out of his life." River shrugged. "Should I run the idea by him?"

"Go ahead." She peered over her sister's shoulder. "You haven't eaten yet?"

"We just finished ordering our food."

She pushed River toward Zane. "Go ask him if he wants me to make your order to-go, and we can carry the food home."

Once River nodded at her to get the food, she went into the kitchen. Nerves made her anxious. What if she was doing the wrong thing? Having both Stafford men around at the same time was overwhelming. She wasn't trying to frighten Zora away. They were her sons.

"I'm surprised to see you today, " Lori said, flipping a burger on the grill. "You must be looking for something to eat."

"I have an order if you're not too busy."

"Give it to me." Lori removed the hamburger patty and set it on a bun.

"I need three cheeseburgers and a family-size order of fries to-go." She walked over to the order wheel and looked for the paper from the booth. "Zane and River are in Booth Three and decided to take their meals to-go, too."

"Oh." Lori grinned. "Sounds like you four are up to no good."

"Something like that." She smiled.

What Zane and Kingsley did in their free time was no one's business. Their relationship with Zora was fragile at best. Even though Lori claimed a friendship with Zora in the past, it was best to go slow until they knew how she would handle having more people in her life. From the impression she got, Zora enjoyed her solitude.

In no time, Lori had their food packaged and put in a box. When Kenna walked out the bar's back door, Zane and River were waiting for her.

Zane took the box from her. She walked with them, each of them silent. This was the first meal they planned to have with Zora. She imagined they were all a little nervous, not knowing what to expect.

Zane led them all into the house and to the kitchen. Kingsley sat at the table with Zora. She smiled and motioned to the others. "Guess who I found?"

"We thought we'd crash your dinner." Zane set the box on the island and passed the sacks to Kingsley.

"As long as you brought your own food." Kingsley snatched two Styrofoam containers and handed them to Zora and Kenna.

She sat beside him and put her hand on his thigh under the table. "There's napkins in the box."

"I've got them." River removed the stack, broke it in half, and set two piles on the table. "Does anyone need anything to drink before I sit? Zora?"

"No, thank you." Zora smiled, taking a French fry. "The last time I had food from the bar, Big John brought me a BLT last year. Did Lori cook this?"

"Yeah, she's too stubborn to share the kitchen with anyone." Zane sat down on the other side of his mom.

"That sounds like her," said Zora.

No one mentioned that only a few short weeks ago, Zora had shown up at the bar and seen Lori herself. Everyone pretended that having the mother who left them when Zane and Kingsley were young boys sharing a meal with them was normal.

She glanced at River, who shrugged and picked up her burger. Who was she to decide what was normal? In a few days, she'd visit her dad in prison and pretend he wasn't going to be put to death.

No wonder she and Kingsley fell in love with each other. The drama of their lives bonded them together.