mother’s bed and breakfast and called to the man on a ladder scraping paint from the north-facing wall. “Hey, Lucca. Want to go fishing?”
Lucca descended the ladder and rolled his shoulders to ease the stiffness in his muscles. He stuck his paint scraper into the back pocket of his jeans and met his brother halfway to his truck. “I guess today is your day off?”
“Yes. And it’s all about me. Savannah went with Maggie to Denver. Thought I’d go fishing above Heartache Falls. Why don’t you come with me?”
Lucca looked at the partially completed job. “I hate scraping paint.”
“I have extra gear in my truck. We can be there in half an hour.”
Lucca’s smile was wry. “I’d love to, but I told Mom I’d finish paint prep while she’s gone. She wouldn’t be happy with me if she came home and found the job half done.”
Zach’s eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. “I can help you out with that. I have that “favorite kid” thing going on right now. I’ll tell her I begged you to come with me and she’ll be delighted.”
“You have a point there.” Lucca looked from his brother to the house and back to his brother again. “Let me lock up.”
The road Zach took up beyond Heartache Falls was little more than a tire-rutted path. The scenery was a feast for the eyes with snowcapped mountains, wildflower-dotted meadows, and a heavenly blue sky. The first part of the drive passed in comfortable silence between the brothers, but as they climbed up toward the timberline, Lucca picked up on the fact that Zach had something on his mind.
He braced himself, expecting some sort of probe about his emotional well-being. Instead, Zach surprised him. “Gabi resigned from the sheriff’s department today.”
“What?” That came right out of the blue. “I thought she really liked her job.”
“She gave me her two weeks’. She says she’s going to help run the B&B.”
“What?” Lucca’s mouth gaped. Gabi work with Mom? That was borderline lunacy. “But it won’t be ready to open for months.”
“I know. She says she doesn’t want to carry a gun anymore.” Zach summarized the conversation he’d had with Gabi that morning, then added, “I know how to handle this as her boss. I don’t know how to deal with her as a brother. Any advice?”
Lucca rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure I have any to give you. As often as not, the women in our family confound me.”
“As often as not,
women
confound me, period.”
“I hear you, brother.” Lucca gave him a sidelong look. “Trouble in paradise?”
“With Savannah?” Zach gave a slow, satisfied grin. “No. None at all. But that doesn’t mean I always understand her. This is the first time I’ve ever lived with a woman. I had no sisters growing up and my mother wasn’t much on drama. Me and Savannah, we have some issues, we have drama.”
“Leaving law enforcement will mean lots of drama with Gabi.”
“That’s what I thought. What about Maggie? How will she take it?”
Every time Lucca heard Zach refer to their mother as Maggie, he felt a little sad for her. He respected the fact that Zach still considered his adoptive mother his mom, but he knew Maggie Romano well enough to know that part of her craved to hear Zach refer to her using that term. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Mom has changed since Dad died. In some ways she seems stronger to me, but in others … I don’t know. I still sense a fragility inside her.” He paused a moment, then added, “A lot has happened to the Romanos in the past couple of years. Now we’re a bunch of head cases.”
Zach gave him a peculiar look and Lucca winced. “That didn’t sound right. I don’t mean you, Zach. You’ve been the best thing that’s happened to our family since we lost Dad.”
Zach opened his mouth but obviously had second thoughts about what he’d been about to say. Lucca arched a questioning brow and Zach shrugged. “Tell me about
Lucca descended the ladder and rolled his shoulders to ease the stiffness in his muscles. He stuck his paint scraper into the back pocket of his jeans and met his brother halfway to his truck. “I guess today is your day off?”
“Yes. And it’s all about me. Savannah went with Maggie to Denver. Thought I’d go fishing above Heartache Falls. Why don’t you come with me?”
Lucca looked at the partially completed job. “I hate scraping paint.”
“I have extra gear in my truck. We can be there in half an hour.”
Lucca’s smile was wry. “I’d love to, but I told Mom I’d finish paint prep while she’s gone. She wouldn’t be happy with me if she came home and found the job half done.”
Zach’s eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. “I can help you out with that. I have that “favorite kid” thing going on right now. I’ll tell her I begged you to come with me and she’ll be delighted.”
“You have a point there.” Lucca looked from his brother to the house and back to his brother again. “Let me lock up.”
The road Zach took up beyond Heartache Falls was little more than a tire-rutted path. The scenery was a feast for the eyes with snowcapped mountains, wildflower-dotted meadows, and a heavenly blue sky. The first part of the drive passed in comfortable silence between the brothers, but as they climbed up toward the timberline, Lucca picked up on the fact that Zach had something on his mind.
He braced himself, expecting some sort of probe about his emotional well-being. Instead, Zach surprised him. “Gabi resigned from the sheriff’s department today.”
“What?” That came right out of the blue. “I thought she really liked her job.”
“She gave me her two weeks’. She says she’s going to help run the B&B.”
“What?” Lucca’s mouth gaped. Gabi work with Mom? That was borderline lunacy. “But it won’t be ready to open for months.”
“I know. She says she doesn’t want to carry a gun anymore.” Zach summarized the conversation he’d had with Gabi that morning, then added, “I know how to handle this as her boss. I don’t know how to deal with her as a brother. Any advice?”
Lucca rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure I have any to give you. As often as not, the women in our family confound me.”
“As often as not,
women
confound me, period.”
“I hear you, brother.” Lucca gave him a sidelong look. “Trouble in paradise?”
“With Savannah?” Zach gave a slow, satisfied grin. “No. None at all. But that doesn’t mean I always understand her. This is the first time I’ve ever lived with a woman. I had no sisters growing up and my mother wasn’t much on drama. Me and Savannah, we have some issues, we have drama.”
“Leaving law enforcement will mean lots of drama with Gabi.”
“That’s what I thought. What about Maggie? How will she take it?”
Every time Lucca heard Zach refer to their mother as Maggie, he felt a little sad for her. He respected the fact that Zach still considered his adoptive mother his mom, but he knew Maggie Romano well enough to know that part of her craved to hear Zach refer to her using that term. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Mom has changed since Dad died. In some ways she seems stronger to me, but in others … I don’t know. I still sense a fragility inside her.” He paused a moment, then added, “A lot has happened to the Romanos in the past couple of years. Now we’re a bunch of head cases.”
Zach gave him a peculiar look and Lucca winced. “That didn’t sound right. I don’t mean you, Zach. You’ve been the best thing that’s happened to our family since we lost Dad.”
Zach opened his mouth but obviously had second thoughts about what he’d been about to say. Lucca arched a questioning brow and Zach shrugged. “Tell me about
Similar Books
