Bounty (Colorado Mountain 7)

“There’s time,” Wood put in.

Jussy grinned at him. “I’ll get on that.”

Wood winked at her.

Her grin got bigger.

The men’s conversation resumed and Deke found himself surprised as time passed and she did nothing but rest deeper and deeper into his side, doing this not joining in.

He looked down at her and called low, “Gypsy.”

She tipped her head back and caught his eyes.

She looked content, but still distant.

“All good?” he asked.

“I wish Lace was here,” she answered, then gave him a small smile. “And even though you don’t wish the same and she’d have some ‘splainin’ to do, I wish Anca was here too. Without Tony, of course,” she hurried to say the last.

He knew she wanted this.

Rock star and stylist to the stars or not, Joss and Rod fit in with this group with ease.

Joss had made Jussy, and Rembrandt had been in her life for a good chunk of time, so this wasn’t totally a surprise.

It still was a surprise how down to earth they actually were, demonstrating this immediately when folks started showing. Putting people at ease. Making it clear this was a party, not a party with a famous rock star and his wife in attendance.

So Deke had no doubt her girl Lacey would be the same.

Bianca, he didn’t know and hoped it’d be a while before he found out.

What he did know was, for Jussy, it was about wanting her girls with her.

She still left something unsaid.

He dipped closer and noted quietly, “And your dad.”

She nodded. “Yeah, and Dad. Though if he was here, Dana would be here, him and Joss would get into a rip roarin’, Rod would get shitfaced and Dana would spend a lot of time in her room.”

“Right,” he said through a short chuckle.

Her eyes coasted to her mom. “Sucks, they got all their shit together after he was gone.”

He knew their conversation with her mom and stepdad earlier had been playing on her mind.

“Bottom line, they got their shit together,” he stated and she looked back to him. “You know, baby, it wouldn’t have happened any other way. But now you get to know these people where they always were but history wouldn’t let them go there. They have it in them to pull it together to keep somethin’ alive that meant somethin’ to your dad, they always had that but couldn’t go there when he was here. Now you have that. And that does not suck.”

She turned slightly to him and pressed closer, now with her front to his side, and the smile she had wasn’t bright, but it was better than the ones he’d been getting.

“You’re giving me a complex,” she told him.

His brows went up. “How’s that?”

“You’re too wise for my own good.”

“You wanna wallow?” he asked.

She shook her head, her smile brightening. “Nope.”

“Then I’m just wise enough,” he said.

“You’re wiser than that, honey,” she returned.

He loved it that she thought that.

To share that with her, Deke bent in and kissed her nose.

When he straightened, she slid an arm around his stomach and put her cheek to his chest as they turned back to the huddle.

He saw Tate’s eyes on Jussy, his look sober in a way Deke didn’t get and didn’t much like but he didn’t say anything about it because he heard another car on the lane.

He glanced around the space then down to Jussy. “Anyone else you ask to this shindig?”

She tipped her head back. “No. Why?”

“Car comin’ up the lane.”

Her head twitched and she separated just enough from both of them to look through their bodies toward the front door, Jussy murmuring, “That’s weird.”

Deke started to move but stopped when he saw Chace heading to the door, two empty wineglasses in his hands, and he was shaking his head at Deke.

“Catch it on the way for refills,” he called.

Chace had heard the car too.

Deke nodded.

“Maybe someone invited somebody,” Jussy remarked and Deke looked again to her. “Though, no one said anything.”

She was detaching, getting ready to head to the door Chace was arriving at in order to offer her greeting.

Deke started to move with her when he saw the door was open and he heard Chace, who was partially blocked by the open door, saying loudly into the night, “Can I help you?”

“Who’re you?” a voice came back, sounding distant, and Deke figured Chace spoke before whoever it was made a full approach.

But Deke had tensed because the question was asked, it wasn’t voiced nice, and most importantly, it made Jussy get tight at his side.

“That’s my question but I asked it a different way and I’d like you to answer it,” Chace pointed out and Deke saw his body had switched from cool to alert.

“Outta my way, I wanna talk to Justice,” the voice from outside said, definitely closer, and Deke noticed Jussy hurrying toward the door but doing it glancing at Joss.

He also distractedly noticed their friends becoming aware of the situation and conversation beginning to falter, attention shifting, as well as bodies.

These the men’s.

And now Chace was not alert at the door.

He was barring it.

“I’m afraid that’s not gonna happen until you tell me who you are.”

“Don’t know who the fuck you are either but do know whoever you are, you got no right to stand in the way of me havin’ words with my sister.”

Hearing this, blood rushed to Deke’s head, a sensation he hadn’t felt since the last bar fight he’d been in over half a decade ago.