“Listen, it smells like crap in there, and it’s the only pair in the drawer,” Elias explained heatedly. “What the hell happened to his legs?”
“I don’t know. We’ll find out later. Help me put these on him, get him dried off, and get him into the van. I have zip ties in my bag,” Owen ordered.
“You’re kidding, right? We’re really kidnapping him?” Elias asked, surprised.
“What the hell did you think I meant when I said, they’re coming one way or another?” Owen spat as he yanked the underwear up and motioned for Elias to help Wyatt to his feet.
“You know it’s illegal,” Elias reminded him as he grabbed his brother’s side, hauling him up and yanking the side of the underwear over his hips. “Great, now I’ll see his damn junk in my sleep.”
“Stop belly aching and open the door to the van. We’ll put him in the back. Get inside and help pull him into the last seat,” Owen instructed.
“Shit,” Elias muttered as Owen hauled Wyatt over his shoulder and approached the van.
They tugged and pulled until they got Wyatt intothe seat. Elias dried him off and covered him with the blanket, while Owen grabbed a small wastebasket and some grocery bags. Having second thoughts, he yanked open the fridge, took out a few bottles of water, and scanned the counter, locating a roll of paper towels. When he returned, Elias sat in the back with Wyatt.
Tossing the items his way, Owen opened up his bag and took out a zip tie. He climbed inside and tied his brother’s wrist to the seat arm.
“He’s gonna be pissed when he wakes up,” Elias warned him.
“You’d better be more worried about how pissed I am. When he wakes up, he’s telling us who put those marks on him,” Owen said, his voice sounding deadly. He locked up the house and got into the truck. “What’s Mason’s address?”
“I already punched it in, hit start,” Elias said as he gazed worriedly at Wyatt.
Owen loaded the navigation and headed toward Mason’s. He didn’t know what to expect, but from what he learned, the Wolfe brothers needed each other whether they knew it or not. As much as he hated to admit it, his dad asked him to put his fractured family back together. If Owen failed, his brothers and son paid the price. His thoughts drifted to Leslie, and he worried if she already sacrificed enough for both of them. Did she have it in her to give him another chance?
CHAPTER 16
Tucker and Connerran from the barn. “We’re done, Mom. Can we go for a hike?”
“As soon as I finish pulling up the last of these weeds. We’ll have visitors coming for the funeral, and we don’t want them to think the Wolfe family doesn’t keep our home ship shape.”
“Dad kept everything ship shape,” Conner murmured as his lip trembled. He swiped his eyes to keep Tucker from seeing the tears.
“Tucker, why don’t you grab our water bottles and fill them?” she asked. As her son ran up the steps, she pulled Conner into her arms. “It’s all right to feel sad. Jeremiah loved us. I’ll miss him, too.”
“Tucker says crying’s for babies,” he whispered. “I miss my dad.”
She hugged him tightly, knocking his hat askew. “I cry. Do you think I’m a baby?”
“No, but you don’t count. You’re a girl,” Conner informed her. “They cry all the time.”
“Who told you that?” she said, pulling him away to see his face.
“Tucker. He says only girls and babies cry,” he said, sniffling.
“I say you can cry because it makes your heart feel better, it releases the pain inside,” she explained gently. “When you lose your dad, it’s all right to let out those feelings.”
Tucker returned and sat on the steps. “What’s the matter?”
“Conner misses his dad. He’s letting out his sad feelings. And no one will call him a girl or a baby,” she warned sternly.
“Do you think it’s all right if I let some out, too?” Tucker asked, watching Conner.
Leslie smiled and held out her other arm, inviting him into the circle. They cried together, missing Jeremiah. After a while, she pulled them away, using the edge of her shirt to dry their faces. “When someone dies, they never leave your heart. Sometimes you can find them in their favorite spot. You can’t see them, but you can feel them with you. Shall we hike up to the fishing spot and see if we feel Jeremiah there?”
Both boys nodded and sniffed. They grabbed their sticks and took off down the trail. They passed the long-abandoned cabins and headed up the mountain to the spot she dreaded. The memories of herand Owen became more potent when she took the boys there. Resembling Owen, they reminded her of her and Owen’s childhood. She always played with the Wolfe brothers at the lake. Owen kissed her under the willow tree for the first time. They made love in the same spot four years later. She smiled, recalling the awkward moment of teenagers having sex for the first time. Then she blinked back tears as she recalled the night he proposed.
Owen asked her to drive to his house on her birthday, stating his truck died. Taking her hand, they hiked to their favorite spot.
