Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“Gram. What are you doing here?” I asked the one sane person of the bunch.
My grandmother was eighty-one and sprier than Taft these days since he had an injured leg that had finished his military career with a medical discharge. Her hair was mostly salt with only a few strands of pepper. It was long and pulled back in the usual ponytail or bun. She had on a pair of overalls and a green t-shirt and old sneakers. A cloth sack was slung over a shoulder.
She wasn’t one for show or flash or the use of too many words or prepared frozen meals. I loved that about her. Along with so many other things. I might have been a SEAL, but my Gram had more strength and resilience than I ever had. Hell, she could lead a class for BUDs.
“My car’s fixed, and the boys brought me into town to pick it up,” she replied. “Heard about the break-in and wanted to see for myself Indigo was all right.”
Indi came around to stand in front of me. “Hi, Mrs. L. I’m fine. Come in out of the sun and have something to drink.”
She elbowed me in the ribs to get me to move and let the crew enter. The men stepped back for Gram to lead the way.
“Oh my.” She glanced about. “What a mess.”
We’d picked up. Some. But had been busy—with our clothes off.
There was still plenty for everyone to witness about the burglary.
“I’ve been meaning to do spring cleaning,” Indi offered as she went to the kitchen and took glasses from the cabinet. Ones that hadn’t been touched. Indi filled a glass of water at the sink and handed it off.
“Thank you, dear. Have you met my boys?” she asked.
Yup, Gram had taken my return, along with my intention to start a security company in her sewing room, in stride. After Kennedy showed up and we’d gotten Gramps’ shop converted into a bunkhouse, she’d made extra lasagna for whoever arrived next. When we practiced demolitions in the back forty and built a pseudo obstacle course down by the creek, she’d wanted to try it out. The rope swing and even the C4.
“I’m Taft.” The youngest of the team stepped forward to shake Indi’s hand. At twenty-three, he’d had an entire career in the Navy ahead of him, but one sniper’s bullet to his leg had ended it. When Lincoln had mentioned he was being discharged and needed a place to land, I’d bought him a one-way ticket to Montana. With physical therapy, he was able to have full use of his leg and could let us know when the barometric pressure was changing better than any weatherman.
“Hey,” Indi replied, taking in his fair hair and the cowlick, making him look like nothing more than a sweet little kid.
“Hayes.” The other guy said as he set the box he was carrying on top of the TV and gave Indi a wink. “We’re going to wire this place up like Fort Knox.”
Indi pasted on a blatantly fake smile. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Maybe just fix the door and a new lock. I can pick one up from my dad at the hardware store.”
“That’s—” I began, but Hayes cut me off.
“We know you can take care of yourself. Buck told us all about how you rock the wilderness,” he told Indi. He lifted a packaged lock from the top and held it up. “Got this from your Daddy. He’s all for us helping you get your house nice and safe. We men do this not because you are weak but because you’re important.”
Indi stared wide-eyed at Hayes, her mouth open.
“Okay,” she finally muttered.
He nodded and offered her another wink.
Well, fuck me. No wonder he got the ladies. He knew exactly what to say. Instead of pushing, he’d greased that fucking wheel to get it to work.
Gram set her hand on Indi’s arm. “Let the boys do their macho stuff while you walk me to get my car from Lee Landers. It’s on the way to the sheriff’s station. You need to sign a report, don’t you?”
Hayes and Gram gave Indi a one-two punch, and I pinched my lips together to hide a smirk. I wasn’t sure if they’d planned this in advance or if they should start doing standup.
“How did you know—” Indi asked Gram, but all my grandmother did was arch a brow in answer, which said it all. She knew everything that happened in town. “I’ll… I’ll get my bag,” Indi murmured, completely trapped into letting us wire the shit out of her house. Even Gram was in on it.
Kennedy tucked a lollipop in his mouth, set his box on the kitchen counter, and started to pull stuff out. As Indi went into her bedroom, I strode over to Gram and kissed the top of her head. She smelled like Oil of Olay lotion, the same she’d used forever.