Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold #11)(60)

“Extremely.” She took in the twitch at the corner of his mouth. “You’re teasing me.”

“You make it easy.”

She sighed. “Just you wait. One day I’ll be like everyone else.”

He started the movie and flopped back against the sofa. “I hope not.”

* * *

AN HOUR LATER, Gru and his three new daughters had found happiness together. Carter put the disc back in the case, then turned off the TV and the player.

“That wasn’t so bad,” he admitted. “But next time, I get to pick.”

“It’s a deal.” She stood. “You’re going up to your room?”

He nodded, then stepped close to her. His long, skinny arms hugged her tight. She held on as well, feeling protective and caring at the same time. When he stepped back, she knew she was in danger of crying but couldn’t for the life of her figure out why.

* * *

GIDEON’S FEET HIT the ground in a steady rhythm. The pace was challenging, and he knew he would be feeling the aftereffects in the morning. His regular workouts had been confined to a gym with a few miles on the treadmill and then weight lifting. Neither had prepared him for a run up the side of the mountain.

“Let’s go, ladies,” Angel yelled, and darted ahead.

“You live with that guy?” Gideon asked, then sucked in a breath.

“Not for much longer,” Ford admitted, his breathing just as deep. “The competition’s getting old. We work great together, but sharing a house is too much. Last week I beat him at arm wrestling, which he didn’t like. Consuelo walked in on us trying to work out our differences, and I thought she was going to castrate both of us. I’m going to look for my own place.”

“Angel and Consuelo will continue to share the house?”

“Sure. She does fine with either of us.”

Gideon managed a grin. “If you can’t be the solution, be the problem.”

“You got that right.”

The path shifted, heading nearly straight up. Gideon inhaled, then took the steep trail at a run. When he reached the top, he was gasping for breath, dripping sweat, but rewarded by a view of mountains that stretched on for what seemed like forever.

Except for his buddies’ breathing, it was quiet. Even the hawk circling overhead moved silently as it searched for prey. Angel sprawled on the rocky ground. Due to a bet Gideon hadn’t been part of, he was wearing a backpack. He opened it now and passed out bottles of cold water. Gideon drank nearly half of his in a single gulp, then sank down onto the flat top of the mountain.

The temperature was much cooler up here. It was hot down in Fool’s Gold, but he was okay with that. Moving to the town had turned out to be a good decision. Without Felicia around to pick up the slack with Carter, he didn’t know how he’d make it.

He finished the rest of his water, then stretched out on his back. No point in lying to himself, he thought. Felicia wasn’t picking up the slack—she was doing all of it.

Angel sat up and stared at him. “What?” he demanded. “You look like you’re about to take a bullet.”

Gideon closed his eyes. “Shut up.”

“I’m not the one making that face.”

Gideon shook his head. “It’s not a bullet. It’s the kid.”

Angel must have mouthed a question because Ford whispered, “His kid. The one who showed up.”

“You really didn’t know about him?” Angel asked. “I thought that was just some bullshit I was hearing.”

“I really didn’t know about him.” Hadn’t had a clue.

“If it had to happen anywhere, better here,” Ford said. “The town is safe, he can’t get lost. Carter’s making friends.”

“What? Is there a town gossip column?” Angel asked.

“My nephew told me. Reese. He met Carter up at camp and they’re hanging out together. Reese is a good kid. His dad, Kent, is a math teacher.”

Angel snickered. “Seriously? Your brother?”

There was a brief tussling sound, followed by a groan and silence. Gideon didn’t bother opening his eyes.

“You handling it?” Ford asked.

As he was the one speaking, Gideon was going to guess he’d won the fight. “Not even a little.”

“It’s gotta be hard for both of you,” Ford said. “I remember when my dad died. I was a year out of high school. My sisters were still in school and Kent was away at college. Ethan had to take care of everything. Mom fell apart. It was a tough time. Nothing made sense.”

Gideon opened his eyes and glanced at his friend. “I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.”

Angel sat up. “I was a kid when I lost my mom. Too young to remember much. My dad was a mess, though. I remember him being sad. I lived in a small town, a little like Fool’s Gold. People stepped in to take care of things.”

Gideon wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with the information. Everybody suffered. Life was hard. None of which helped him deal with Carter. His bottom line was he’d seen what caring did to people.

“What are you going to do about Carter?” Angel asked.

“Hell if I know. There’s nothing to do. He’s my kid. I’ll deal.”