Head Over Hooves: Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild, page 13
As Roger was about to find out.
11
Rory saw Drew hand the reindeer over to Jordan and start across the barnyard with a scowl on his face. Everything had been going so well and he’d seemed to really be enjoying himself earlier. What was going on? She turned and scanned the area he was headed toward. And her heart stuttered.
No. Roger was here? What was he doing? And what was Drew doing?
She started in that direction as well, but was several yards behind Drew.
Her eyes widened as she saw Drew take Roger by the front of his shirt and shove him against the side of the pickup.
She didn't want to draw more attention to this—and her bright green hair and red dress with her candy cane striped thigh-high stockings likely would—but she couldn’t walk away. She had to know what her new boyfriend—yes, she’d just called him her boyfriend—had to say to her father. So she ducked behind the truck parked three down from the one where Drew had Roger pinned.
She crept closer to where Drew and Roger were standing, stopping behind the gray Ford-150 just a few feet away. They were on the side of the truck opposite of the petting zoo was so only people on the road would be able to see them. Fortunately, none of the little kids and families who were trying to have a nice happy day at the Christmas village would likely notice them.
“You need to stay far away from her,” Drew said to Roger as Rory got close enough to overhear.
“Stay away for my daughter? At the holidays? What kind of a coldhearted bastard are you?”
Drew pressed Roger harder into the truck. “Don't fuck with me. You've done enough damage to her. I’m not going to let you do anything more to hurt her.”
“And what do you think you're going to do about it when you're back in Iowa, Mr. Ryan?”
Rory was surprised that Roger knew Drew's name. It was clear from the expression on Drew's face, he was as well.
Roger sneered him. “Yeah, I know who you are. I know you're from Iowa. I know you own a farm with your family. And I know that the nights you’ve spent in my daughter's bed were just a fun diversion while you were on vacation.”
Drew thumped Roger against the side of the truck again. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Well, I know that you and Rory didn't have a relationship before the other night and that you’ve been in town three days and you’ve spent two of those overnight at her house. As her father, I should probably be asking what your intentions are.”
“You’re the scumbag who has been hurting her most of her life. You don't get to have any say in what is going on between her and I.”
Rory's mind was spinning. It was so damned gratifying to see someone getting in Roger’s face and calling him out on his bullshit. Having someone defend her was not something she was used to. That was mostly because she didn't share this part of her life with many people, even those who cared about her. She typically felt that she had to deal with all of this by herself. It was her mess, after all. But now, seeing Drew come to her defense was definitely making her heartbeat harder.
Still, it was clear that, as usual, she couldn't have anything nice. Everything good in her life, Roger found a way of touching and ruining. So, even though Drew had known about him prior to this moment, he hadn't been face-to-face with him. He hadn’t witnessed Roger’s blatant disregard for her feelings and hadn't been pulled directly into the conflict between her and her father. Now Drew was literally in the middle of it.
“You're going to leave her alone,” Drew said, his tone was low and angry. “I get why she has a hard time saying no to you. You’re her father and she doesn't know any different. She doesn’t understand what it’s like to have someone supporting her and protecting her instead of using her. The thing is, I happened to have been raised by a very good man who knew exactly how to be a great father so I know a dirtbag when I see one. And Roger, the good man in your daughter’s life doesn’t have to be her father. I know what she deserves and now that I'm here, I'm going to make sure she gets that. From everyone.”
Rory’s stomach swooped and warmth spread through her at Drew's words. He thought she deserved better and he was going to make sure it happened. That right there was why women watched romantic movies. That was the kind of stuff she thought guys only said when it was scripted.
“Oh, feeling a little protective, are we?” Roger's eyes narrowed.
Well, crap. Rory recognized that look. That was his calculating look. He was somehow going to use this against Drew.
She doubted the farmer from Iowa had had many dealings with soulless con men like Roger, who would happily use his own daughter to literally steal toys from kids at Christmas.
“Yeah, I'm feeling protective. Rory is mine to take care of now and you are the major threat to her. Of course I'm going to keep you away from her.”
Mine. The word bounced around in her mind. And her heart.
Rory should not like that possessive term quite so much. But she really did. Drew Ryan was staking a claim and all she really felt was…proud. If he thought she was worth claiming, in spite of everything he knew, that was amazing. He knew things she didn't even let her closest friends know. And now he was faced with one of those things and was still saying that he wanted her. Out loud. To someone else.
“What's it worth to you?” Roger asked.
Drew's jaw clenched and for just a moment Rory thought he was going to punch Roger.
Instead, he pulled air in through his nose and then pushed back from Roger.
“What do you mean?”
“Let's make a deal. What is it worth to you for me to leave Rory alone?”
“You leave her alone, no contact at all, and I won't beat the shit out of you.”
Roger laughed. “I've had the shit beat out of me by bigger and better men than you. Bruises and cracked ribs can heal. And then I’m still poor on the other side of it. You’ll have to do better than that.”
“What do you want?”
“I know Oliver Caprinelli, the CEO of Fluke Inc. is a close, personal friend of yours.”
Drew narrowed his eyes. “So?”
Roger looked over at the sleigh full of wrapped boxes, then back to Drew. “So I know you were able to replace the controllers I stole. And I want the new ones too.”
Rory could practically hear Drew growl from where she stood.
But she wasn’t one bit surprised by Roger’s statement.
This was exactly what she’d expected.
She’d known when they did the photoshoot with the sleigh and the gifts and talked about the generous donation from Fluke, Inc. online and to the reporter, that Roger would somehow see the story and would assume they’d replaced the controllers.
She’d known he’d come back. And she’d planned to be here when he did.
She’d intended to record Roger stealing the boxes and then send the video to Zander anonymously.
She hadn’t quite worked out how to do that without any kind of traceable information on the video or email. Or what Zander would be able to do since the boxes were empty. It had been a work in progress. But now…
Drew was going to ruin her plan.
No way was he going to let Roger near those boxes, empty or not.
It made her stomach turn, however, to know that Roger had looked into Drew and had figured out who he was. She was aware that Roger knew people who knew how to do all kinds of shady things. Finding out who Drew was, where he was from, and who his friends were had probably not been that difficult. Drew wouldn’t have anything to hide. There was no way she’d ever believe that Roger had checked into Drew out of any kind of concern for her though. It had been strictly to try to get dirt or at least leverage.
And it looked like it had paid off.
Drew glanced over toward the sleigh that still held fifty empty wrapped boxes, then back to Roger. “Yeah, I guess it’s your lucky day.”
Roger nodded. “So you'll trade? The controllers in exchange for me leaving Rory alone?”
“I'm willing to do anything to keep you out of Rory's life for good.”
Roger shook his head. “Oh, not for good. It's not like you’re giving me a million bucks, or a private island. You get me those controllers and I'll stay away for a year.”
“A year is not enough,” Drew snarled.
“Well, tell you what, next year when I come back around, I'll call you first. You can be my Santa next year and we can leave Rory out of it.”
Drew stepped closer again and glowered down at the man. He had a couple of inches on Roger and he looked like he was barely holding himself in check. “I'll be here. And you know what? You're free to talk to Rory next year.”
Wait, what? Rory frowned and straightened slightly.
“Because right now, your relationship with her is built on the fact that you can manipulate her,” Drew went on. “She doesn't want anybody to know who you are or about your connection with her. Because she's embarrassed by you. She would be devastated if the people that she cares about, and respects knew that she was connected to a scumbag like you.”
Drew’s eyes narrowed. “But I promise you that a year from now, after she's been loved by me for a year, after she's been loved by these people for a year, after she's been welcomed into their family and their town and she understands that they respect her and will lift her up and support her, no matter what, no matter who she comes from, no matter what has happened in the past, you're not going to be able to manipulate her anymore. You won’t have any power over her anymore, Roger. So, yeah, you come back to town next year. You try to pull your bullshit with me and Rory. I promise you, it will not go well. So enjoy this year with your fucking game controllers. This is the last time you’re going to feel lucky around here.”
Rory's heart was pounding so hard in her chest she was certain that Roger and Drew could hear it where they were standing. Her mouth was dry and she actually pressed her hands to her chest trying to keep all of the emotions from bursting out of her. She couldn't believe what Drew had just said. He’d just confessed his love for her to her father. He'd not just staked a claim but had promised to be here next year, to be here for the next twelve months, loving her, supporting her. He'd put her father in his place and he'd said the most amazing things anyone had ever said about her.
Roger ran his hands down the front of his now wrinkled shirt. “So you’ll bring the controllers?”
That was his only response.
Again, Drew's jaw clenched and he just shook his head for a moment as if trying to tamp down the urge to pummel Roger. “Yeah. I'll bring them. I assume since you know what Rory's been doing for the past few days that you're staying locally.”
“Don't you worry about where I'm staying. I'm selling the controllers tonight. You meet me with the new ones and I’ll take them all at once.”
Drew nodded. “Just name the place.”
Dammit.
This was definitely ruining her plan. If Drew took the controllers from the barn, she wouldn’t be able to catch Roger on camera.
What was Drew’s plan here exactly? The boxes were still empty. They did have replacement toys, but they weren’t game controllers and weren’t worth nearly as much.
She knew Drew had arranged for the replacement gifts, but she hadn't asked how. It didn't matter. She knew it was important to Drew that he had stepped up to help and had fixed that problem for her, so she’d just hugged him and said thank you. Because in the end, that was the important thing. It had been fixed and it gave him satisfaction to have been the one to do it. She understood that and she was happy to give that to him.
But Roger didn't want the new toys. He wanted fifty additional game controllers. Which they didn't have.
“Cypress and old Highway Six. Nine o’clock. I'll be in a 1998 blue Chevy. You pull up, we’ll load them into the back with the rest, and I'll take off. And you won't see me again until next December.”
“I'll be there,” Drew promised, his voice low with a dark edge to it. “And I'm going to hold you to that. Because I'm going to be here every day, and if I see so much as a text from you come through on her phone, I will find you and I will make you sorry.”
“Geez, and everybody here thinks you're such a good guy. Wholesome, noble farm boy from Iowa, right?” Roger taunted.
“I am all of those things. But something we do in Iowa that is very much like what people do here in Louisiana…we take care of the people we love no matter what.”
With that, Drew gave Roger a final shove, then turned and walked away from him.
Fortunately, in the opposite direction from where Rory was ducked behind the truck listening.
She scooted around to the front of the truck as Roger stepped out and started down the line of trucks toward the one he’d driven into town. It was not a 1998 blue Chevy, but she wasn’t surprised that he had a second vehicle lined up to make this mysterious delivery to whoever was buying these controllers. She assumed it was someone in New Orleans. That was where most of his connections were. It was probably the guy that he was going to be working with at the casino. Or a friend of a friend. She really didn’t care.
She was still sitting on the front bumper of the truck, chewing her bottom lip, when the owner came out with his two little kids.
“Hi, Rory!” Olivia, the little girl, greeted.
Rory stood and forced a smile. “Oh, hey, guys. I was just taking a little break.”
Brad, the father, gave her a grin. “I can see why you would need one. This is amazing.” He tipped his head toward the petting zoo and Santa’s village.
“We had such a good time,” Olivia said.
“I'm really so glad,” Rory said, meaning it with everything in her. Santa's Village had come together and she was really proud of it. The guests all raved about it. And, even more importantly, all of the Landrys were very pleased.
She watched the little family drive away and with them, her sense of satisfaction disappeared. Yes, Santa’s Village was awesome. But because of it, Drew Ryan had come to Autre, made her fall in love with him, and was planning to meet her con man father on a dark backroad tonight. With a bunch of empty boxes. If Roger figured that out, he’d be so pissed. Who knew what he’d do?
She had to do something. Of course, she didn't want to, because it would mean confessing to someone what she knew and how, but she couldn't let Drew go out there to meet Roger alone. Roger was a wildcard. She didn't think that he would kill Drew or anything crazy like that, but he could hurt him. Or Roger could force Drew to go to New Orleans with him and who knew what those people might do.
A shudder went through her. This was all her fault. Drew was involved in all of this because of her. She had to do something to make sure he was protected. Even if it meant exposing herself.
She turned and surveyed the petting zoo. It was full of people who would know what to do. Who would definitely have Drew’s back. Who could easily handle Roger. Zander was the only one missing. He was the town cop and, of course, couldn't take off duties to hang out with reindeer and elves, but he was probably her best bet.
The only problem was that he was a Landry too.
She just had a real allergy to disappointing Landrys.
But she didn't have a choice. Drew had to be safe and if that meant she had to confess about her dad and her background and the fact that she’d brought this problem to their doorstep, then so be it.
She really did want to take care of her own shit. She’d wanted to clean up this mess herself. But she was out of options. She wanted the Landrys to trust her and admitting that she was the cause of all this trouble was going to be tough, but Drew’s safety was more important than her pride. If she lost the Landrys’ respect, well, at least she’d have Drew.
Zander just needed to get out to Cypress and old Highway Six tonight at 9 o'clock. If he was there, nothing terrible would happen to Drew. He’d see what Roger and Drew were doing and he’d check the truck and find the stolen controllers. It would not only keep Drew safe, but it might end up with Roger in handcuffs.
Rory pulled out her phone, ready to make the call but…she didn’t have Zander’s number. She couldn’t call 911 for this. To get a hold of him would mean asking someone else and making them wonder why she needed to know.
Drew is worth it. Drew is worth it.
She was just going to have to suck it up and take whatever consequences came. Drew loved her. That was really the bottom line. He loved her and knew all of her secrets and even if no one else did, Drew loving her was enough.
She crossed the barnyard to where Charlie was standing just inside of the barn chatting with guests and handing out alligator-shaped Christmas cookies. Rory waited until the little family moved off to step forward and say, “Hey Charlie?”
Charlie gave her a huge grin. “Hey. How's it going?”
“Everything here is great. Everything is perfect, actually,” she was very happy to report. “But I was wondering…can I get Zander's phone number from you?”
Charlie lifted a brow. “Zander's?”
Rory just nodded and didn't offer any additional information.
After just a second, Charlie nodded. “Of course.” She shifted the tray of cookies to one hand and pulled her phone from her pocket with the other. She swiped her finger over the screen a few times before turning the phone so that Rory could see it.
Rory put the number into her phone and then gave Charlie a smile. “Thank you.”
“Absolutely.”
Rory started to turn away, but Charlie said, “And Rory—”
She looked back. “Yeah?”
“For what it's worth, you've got a lot of other phone numbers in your phone that you can use anytime, you know.”
Rory swallowed hard. She had Charlie's phone number, Paige’s, Mitch’s, Jordan's, Sawyer’s, Kennedy's, and Donovan's. She nodded. “I know.”
At least, she wanted to know that.
Knock it off. Why do you just assume no one will help you? Drew helped you the very first day he showed up.
Yeah, but that’s Drew. He’s just a good guy.
