Hard to Handle (Caine Cousins #2)(82)

“The usual?” Donna asked them as a group, passing over a cup of coffee to Lynx with a grin.

“The usual,” they all said at the same time.

The woman disappeared. Reagan had to wonder if Donna would ever stop asking, simply bring them the usual. One day, she figured, it was bound to happen.

“What’s goin’ on?” Lynx asked, leaning back in his chair, his booted foot resting against Reagan’s.

She liked that he wanted to touch her. It was a comfort she hadn’t known before.

“Not a whole helluva lot,” Wolfe answered.

Reagan could see the tension in Wolfe’s shoulders. It was clear he was trying to look more relaxed than he was.

“Is there a problem?” Lynx asked, sitting up. Obviously he’d picked up on it, too.

Wolfe shrugged. “Not sure. Travis asked us to meet him over here. Thought he’d be here by now.”

That got everyone’s attention and all eyes narrowed on Wolfe.

“Seriously. He didn’t say what he wanted to talk about, just wanted us to be here. He asked me to keep Rhys away though.”

Reagan frowned. “What? Why?”

Wolfe shot her a look, but Reagan couldn’t quite decipher it.

“Because he’s the sheriff,” Lynx added softly.

Her eyes widened.

If they didn’t want her brother here because he was the sheriff…

The bells over the door jingled and all eyes swung over to the door.

Looked as though she wasn’t going to have to speculate anymore.

The man of the hour had just arrived.



“Trav,” Lynx greeted as his cousin pulled a chair over to their table.

Lynx was surprised to see that he was solo this morning. At the very least, his husband was usually by his side. And the lack of his significant others had Lynx on edge before the guy even got his ass in the chair.

As everyone waited for Travis to sit, the tension in the small space ratcheted up a few notches. The conversations around them continued, but they seemed to be a million miles away as the four of them focused solely on the big man joining them.

“Is there somethin’ wrong?” Amy asked, her voice low, brittle.

“Actually…” Travis said, glancing around as though he was making sure no one was close enough to hear. When he turned back, his expression was somewhat somber. “I got some news this mornin’.”

“News?” Lynx wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

Travis placed his arms on the table and regarded each of them. He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. “I’m only gonna say this one time, and then no one is to ever talk about the subject again. Understood?”

Lynx nodded along with Wolfe. He noticed Amy and Reagan were just staring at the man.

Travis’s eyes cut to Amy. “There is no longer a situation that you have to worry about.”

Her eyes widened.

Travis continued. “From this moment on, you are free to live your life, to never have to look over your shoulder.”

“What happened?” Amy inquired, her eyes wide, her face pale.

Travis shook his head. “I don’t know and I don’t wanna know. Neither do you. But the source I received it from is legitimate.” Travis reached out and touched Amy’s hand. “No matter what you hear or read, I want you to understand one thing. If you hear nothin’ else I’ve said, I want you to understand this.”

Amy nodded, her eyes wide as she waited for him to continue.

“You’re safe,” Travis said firmly. “Completely and totally safe.”

Lynx watched, his heart breaking when Amy dissolved into tears. Wolfe instantly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, brushing his hand down her hair.

Reagan reached over and took Lynx’s hand, as though she needed to touch him. He linked his fingers with hers and squeezed gently.

Travis sat back, glanced over at Lynx, then Reagan. “Someone’s makin’ an anonymous donation to the rebuilding of your bar. Don’t ask questions, just move forward as you were.” Travis jerked his chin toward Amy. “And any extra money, I suggest you donate to a college fund when these kids decide to have a baby. It doesn’t make up for … what happened, but it’s somethin’.”

Lynx nodded. He got it.

He might be a redneck, but he damn sure wasn’t a dumb ass.

“And tell Rhys I’m sorry I had to exclude him. I think he’ll understand.”

He would. Even Lynx knew that much.

“Now, if you don’t mind,” Travis said as he got to his feet, “I’m gonna get outta your hair so you can have breakfast.”

As though she heard his suggestion, Donna appeared with four plates of food, setting them down before scuttling off to another table.

Travis reached down and stole a piece of bacon off Lynx’s plate.

“Hey! Them’s fightin’ words, cuz.”

Travis laughed, slapping Lynx on the shoulder.

Amy lifted her head, wiping her eyes and laughing when she noticed what had happened.

“So, we good here?” Travis asked after tucking the chair back at the vacant table.

Lynx met Wolfe’s gaze and they both nodded.

There was no need for questions.

The answer was all they needed.