Breaking Free (Steele Ridge Book 5) Read online

  Well, hell, why not?

  “I’ve been known to stop in for a beer.”

  Apparently Triple B was the place to be on a Friday night. Who'd have guessed this sleepy little town could, under Grif's slick, Los Angeles-loving tutelage, become a Friday night hot spot.

  Over the years, the town hadn't changed much and still held that cozy, we're-all-neighbors feel. Since Micki had visited last, new iron light posts had been installed and the storefronts had definitely gotten facelifts. Amazing how fresh paint in neutral colors gave Steele Ridge an elegant Rockwell-esque feel. It all seemed, well, different. Not bad different, just not Mayberry.

  After a death-defying ride into town with Evie, who had clearly inherited Reid’s driving habits—those being fast, fast, and faster—Micki might need a drink after all.

  Being the golden child, Evie found street parking. Right in front of the bar. Someone pulled out as they cruised by and Evie jammed the car into reverse and nearly gave Micki whiplash while nabbing the spot.

  One good thing about being in Vegas all these years was that Micki didn’t have to be Evie’s passenger.

  “Everything okay?” Micki asked.

  “Fine. Why?”

  “You seem quiet.”

  They sat in silence for a few seconds with Evie staring out the windshield. Finally, she leaned back, resting her head on the headrest. “You left me.”

  “What?”

  “First Dad, then you. What is it with our family?”

  “I didn’t leave you, Evie. I left Steele Ridge.”

  “But why? You had a family that loved you. Why would you abandon me—us?”

  Micki reached for her, ready to lay a reassuring hand on Evie’s arm, but at the last second, unsure if her sister even wanted to be touched, pulled back. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I left for a good reason.”

  “Can’t you tell me?”

  “No. It’s…complicated.”

  Evie studied her—no, dissected her. Whatever she uncovered made those intelligent blue eyes dim a little before she sent Micki a wan smile.

  “If not me, find someone to confide in. Bottling that stuff up isn’t good for the soul.”

  Huh. Her baby sister. All grown up. “When did you become so wise?”

  “While fending off four brothers on my own, thank you very much. For that alone, I'm not letting you off the hook.”

  Chuckling, they exited the car and headed toward the B. A tall man with reddish hair nodded at them as he passed and Micki did a double take. “Was that—?”

  “Jeremy Johnson? Yep.”

  “He tried to stick his hand down my pants in high school.”

  “Well, not a lot has changed, then. He’s still handsy. He groped one of Randi’s waitresses two weeks ago and Britt about killed him.”

  Good old Britt, still making sure everyone stayed on the straight and narrow. What must her brother think of her? If he knew everything, the way she spent her days trolling for dirt, he’d be disgusted. Ironic, really. She spent her life uncovering the secrets of others while she kept her own firmly buried.

  A car honked and Micki looked up to see no less than a six-car traffic jam on Main Street.

  “It’s busy tonight.”

  “Grif implemented midnight madness on Fridays. He calls it booze and bucks. All the shops stay open late and offer deep discounts after nine o’clock. Patrons also get a discounted dinner at Triple B. “

  They pushed through the B’s entrance and a burst of loud country music, music she’d stopped listening to the day she left North Carolina, hit her with the force of a hurricane. Worse, she was faced with a literal wall of people nudged into every available spot.

  Crowds, she disliked.

  Despised even.

  “No,” she said. “I can’t do this.”

  Evie turned back. “Why?”

  “I’m not in there yet and my throat is closing.”

  “Don’t stress. Randi reserves us a table in the back by the wall. There’s more room there. You just need to get through the crowd.”

  Evie grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her forward, and Micki threw her weight back, refusing to budge.

  “Ladies,” a man said from behind Micki, “how about we move out of the doorway?”

  Micki turned and found Gage and his sparkling blue eyes smiling down at her and some of that clogged air squeaked free.

  Cupping her hands around her mouth, Evie went up on tiptoes to reach Gage’s ear and speak above the melding voices and music. Whatever Evie said caused a sideways glance in Micki's direction.

  Evie stood back and he waved her into the crowd. “You go. I got this. We’ll meet you at the table.”

  With that, Evie was gone. That fast, plunging right into the crowd. Without a doubt, Evie was the daughter their mother always wanted. Girly, sweet, and fearless in one stunningly feminine package.

  Determined to avoid the crush, Micki faced Gage, shaking her head to reinforce just how positive she was that she would not, in any way, enter the hell in front of her. “This isn’t my thing. I’ll go back to the house and catch up with everyone later.”

  “Not happening.”

  “Excuse me?” If being home meant getting pushed around, she hadn’t missed that particular aspect of family life.

  “Look,” he said, “you told them you were coming. They’re all in there. I know that because Reid texted me twenty minutes ago telling me to get my ass moving. If you turn tail…”

  Wow. What a thing to say to a woman who’d been on her own since eighteen. Well, sorta. She’d had Phil. And Tomas. Her quasi-family stand-ins.

  Wacky as it was, at least with Phil, she knew she had a place.

  Except she’d run from that place. That comfort zone that represented the devil she knew.

  A man stumbled, his beer sloshing over the top of the mug as he bumped her. Gage body blocked him, forming a barrier between her and the drunk. “Dude,” he said, “really?”

  “Sorry, man. I’m wasted.”

  As if that were a good excuse.

  The guy pushed into the crowd again and Gage shook his head, laughing at the idiot. Such amusement from a man whose entire presence screamed of honor and goodness knocked Micki back, forcing her to acknowledge that resisting him might be futile.

  In all manner of ways.

  Plus, why give her family another reason to be disappointed? She had to do this.

  She straightened her shoulders and focused on a straight line through the crowd. “You’re right. I’ll just push through.”

  Gage leaned in, his warm breath against her ear, sending an all-out alert to her barely-touched-by-a-man skin.

  “I hate mob scenes like this, too. It makes my head spin. We’ll go around back. There’s an entrance Randi lets me use. She’s knows I’m a freak.”

  At that, Micki laughed. “You’re not a freak.”

  Far from it.

  He swung the door open, stepped back, and made a show of waving her out.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Their eyes connected for a long second and suddenly the loud room, the pressed-in bodies, disappeared. Her mind went quiet and the panic from moments ago faded. God, that felt good. Afraid to lose the moment and the utter calm where her mind didn’t race or question, she stood still, savoring the peace.

  “You’re welcome,” Gage said. “Stop thinking so much.”

  Good one.

  Once outside, a gust of wind blew her hair across her face and she tipped her head back just as Gage lifted his hand. The cold air drove away the inferno from the crush of the crowd and she inhaled. Let all that fresh oxygen circulate inside her.

  His fingers skimmed her cheek, then moved to tuck her hair back, sending a surge of straight lust roaring.

  Loneliness. That’s all this was. A definite weakening of her system due to the years of isolation. She continued holding his gaze. “Too bad I can’t stay.”

  He cocked his head and unleashed a smile.
“Your plans could change.”

  If only she had that choice. “Unfortunately, they can’t.”

  With that, he dropped his hand and she instantly regretted the loss of contact. Something about him settled her, offered shelter from self-torture.

  “That is too bad, then.”

  He set his hand against the back of her jacket, leading her down the block, past the Mad Batter Bakery where the sign out front read “Trust. It's all around. If you allow it.”

  How very prophetic, but, as Micki had learned, a total crock.

  Gage led her around the building to the rear entrance. The temperature had dipped into the forties and now that the heat of lust had vanished, she shivered.

  “You cold?”

  “Freezing. I guess I’ve gone soft after living in a warm climate for so long.”

  “Soft? I doubt it.”

  He held the back door open and nodded. “Welcome to Friday night at Triple B.”

  She eyed the door, pictured the crowd inside. All those voices and loud music. Total nightmare for a girl used to spending most of her adult life alone. And with Phil constantly checking on her, all of it combined to make her a seriously neurotic head case.

  She looked back at Gage, so different from the men in her life. Mr. All-American. Squeaky-clean. That was him. She’d given up on fairy tales long ago, but he might be a real-life Prince Charming. Just not hers.

  “We’ll do this together,” he said, “or we’ll never hear the end of it from Reid. I’m more afraid of that than the crowd.”

  Captain America had a point there. On a quiet day, Reid was a pain in the ass. When he put a little effort into it? Forget it.

  “Let’s do this, Mr. All-American.”

  “All-American. Seriously?”

  At that she laughed and feeling a little playful—Her? Playful?—she pinched his cheek, gathered her courage, and stepped into the nightmare of a crowd.

  The closed in, air-sucking crush of people stopped her. So much for bravery.

  “I’m on it.” Gage grabbed her hand and pulled her through the pressed-tight bodies. He pointed to the right with his free hand. “We’re going there.”

  Not twenty feet away, her family had shoved four tables together in the corner. Gage led her to them, keeping their joined hands out of sight until they reached the table, then casually let go. Who could blame him? This guy was so far above her she’d need the world’s biggest ladder to touch his feet.

  Jonah glanced up from whatever he was doing on his phone and met her gaze. Immediately, his face lit up. Her twin. Happy to see her.

  He waved and that got Grif and Carlie Beth’s attention. Wow, she’d gotten prettier with age. They, too, smiled and Micki's nerves finally settled.

  Britt, being Britt, stood. God forbid he should stay seated when a woman approached.

  But this was…home.

  All her brothers. Here. Right now.

  Smacking Reid on the back of the head, Gage snagged the chair beside Britt. Jonah pointed to the spot next to him. Beside the one Gage had claimed.

  Cozy. But, truly, in this group, she and Gage were the oddballs, so they could keep each other company.

  “Hey, guys,” Evie said, pushing through the crowd.

  “How did we beat you?”

  “I stopped to talk to a couple of people. Britt, I think Deke just came in. Were you, um, expecting him?”

  Deke? Another name Micki didn't recognize.

  “He said he might stop in.”

  Before Micki could move around the table, Reid grabbed her wrist. “Hey. I want you to meet Brynne.”

  The girlfriend. Next to him, a curvy brunette stood, set her hand on his shoulder, and scooted behind him.

  And oh, she could see why her brother fell for this one. Even if she wasn’t his normal tall, skinny supermodel type, she looked young, maybe mid-twenties, with a stunning face and killer brown eyes. Looking into this girl’s eyes brought Micki’s shoulders down that last notch.

  A few inches shorter, Brynne angled her head. “It’s great to finally meet you. Reid talks about you a lot.”

  “Is it nice?”

  She laughed, but before Micki could say she hadn’t been joking, Brynne forged ahead, moving into her space so she could speak into her ear. Micki forced herself to be still. To not offend her prickly brother's girlfriend by backing away.

  “It’s very nice,” Brynne said. “He’d never admit it, but he misses you. So I’m glad you’re here and that I got to meet you.”

  Bam. Micki liked her. Immediately. “I can see why my brother wants to spend time with you. Thank you for telling me that.”

  The girl shrugged. “Sure. Just figured you’d want to know. He’s a handful sometimes. Believe me, I get that. I think it’s because he loves hard.”

  “You two about done whispering?”

  “I’ll give you whispering.” Brynne bent low, said something in Reid’s ear that brought a grin to her brother’s face.

  “I do love you, Brynnie,” he said, pulling her onto his lap.

  Yep. There was her answer. Reid was in love. Good for him.

  “Micki,” Jonah called, “come and sit.”

  She moved around the table and Gage scooted his chair in, giving her space to squeeze between him and the wall. There wasn't a whole lot of room and, skinny as she was, she brushed his back as she went by. “Sorry,” she said, patting one rock-hard shoulder.

  “Not a problem.”

  If only that were true.

  The music died down and Reid smacked a hand on the table. “Everybody, listen up. Since we’re all here, I got something to say.”

  Still on his lap, Brynne elbowed him.

  “Sorry. We have something to say.”

  “Better.”

  “See,” he said, “I listen.” The two of them shared a laugh, then Reid brought his attention back to the table. “We were going to wait until Christmas on this, but since Micki is here and we’re all together, we thought…” He looked up at Brynne again, and the connection was so intense and pure and full of love that something inside Micki came apart, an absolute rupture that reminded her she'd never looked at someone that way.

  No one had ever looked at her that way either.

  Not a lot to ask. Or was it? For her? Probably. Her secrets created distance. Distance severed connections and there wasn’t much she could do about that. Except hook up with someone in her line of work, and really, what kind of life would that make?

  “Come on already,” Britt said. “I’m turning gray here.”

  Reid held up a hand. “It’s been a little while for Brynne and I now. And, well, she’s apparently crazy enough to want to marry me. So, we’re doing it. Getting hitched.”

  5

  All at once, the Steele clan erupted and Gage flinched at the sudden commotion. Even during happy times, the mix of so many loud, yelling voices hacked at his battered brain.

  Damned, fucking injury.

  Evie rushed to Reid and Brynne and threw her arms around them. “Group hug! Yay!”

  Around the table, there were more smiles and when Evie let go of the newly engaged couple, Grif reached over and shook his brother's hand. “Best move you ever made, asshole.”

  Reid’s face lit up. “I know!”

  Reid gushing. Those were two words Gage never anticipated being used together. But, hey, good for him. The guy had been schlepping his ass into town every day to see Brynne. Maybe he added in a trip to the bank or the post office, but Brynne was the reason he went and he never hid it.

  She was good for him. Grounded and reasonable and more importantly, patient. According to Reid, Brynne saw through his asshole-ishness.

  Across the table, Britt offered his congratulations. “Who’d ever have thought you’d be the first to get hitched? I figured it’d be Grif and Carlie Beth.”

  “Well, yeah,” Carlie Beth said, “but since Grif wants to invite half the universe and I don't, we seem to be at a marital impasse. And we're not
even married.”

  Evie piped up again. “Did you tell Mom and Dad?”

  “Yeah. We told them after dinner. Mom’s already talking about a tent in the yard for the reception. Why am I feeling like Vegas might be the way to go?”

  From the corner of his eye, Gage caught Micki stiffen. Everyone at the table was too keyed in to Reid and Brynne to notice, but Gage? He didn’t necessarily have a dog in this race and his curiosity about Micki was growing.

  He nudged her elbow, only to have her jerk away. What was up with this girl? “Pretty sure he was kidding about the Vegas crack. I don’t think Brynne is a Vegas-wedding sort of girl and Reid wouldn’t do that to your mom. First wedding in the family and all that.”

  Micki’s gaze shot to the happy couple, then back. “That would devastate her. She’d love a wedding on her lawn.”

  “Will you come in for that?”

  Why he asked, he wasn’t sure. Really not his business, but what the hell? Might as well throw it out there. At least get her thinking about it.

  From across the bar, a young woman called—shrieked really—Evie’s name. “Ooh,” Evie said. “Crystal is here! Be right back.”

  Evie flipped her long hair back and darted into the crowd, shoving through like a runaway bulldozer, and Micki’s face transformed into a wide-eyed look of awe. Awe and something else, something in her hollowed-out cheeks.

  Sadness maybe. But he was no shrink.

  “She’s so fearless,” Micki said.

  “That she is. Nice subject change, too, but”—Gage made a buzzer noise—“no dice. Are you coming back for Reid’s wedding?”

  “I…I’m not sure.”

  “I’ll talk to Reid. See when they’re thinking. Maybe you can work it into your schedule.”

  “Suds,” Reid said, “I’m warning you now, after this wedding, I’m going on a honeymoon. We might be a couple of weeks. You’ll have to man the fort on your own while I’m doing wicked things to my new bride.”

  “Jesus, Reid,” Britt said.

  But Brynne laughed and added an eye roll as she pushed off his lap. “Lord, you’re a pig. I can’t believe I’m marrying you.”

  “Too late now, sweetheart. You’re committed.”