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“Sheriff!” Cadence called down with worry. For now, she seemed more concerned about his arm. “Porter’s bleeding. He got shot.”
“Huh!” The sheriff shouted up at them with an overly bright voice. “How about that? Can’t say I’m surprised. I figured it was going to happen one of these days.”
Here came the jokes. Obviously since Porter was still running his mouth, he was going to live, so now he’d become their target, too. It was a role he was more comfortable with than trying to fit intoeitherof his brother’s shoes.
Porter hugged Cadence close. Despite all the pressure and stress from the day, his spirits had taken a flying leap to the stars above them when he realized how lucky they were. Even if his arm felt like it was going to shrivel up and die, he enjoyed the feel of being alive. Most importantly, Cadence was happy and breathing beside him.
“I think you’d better get back to Nash,” she said. “He called Lacy earlier to find out where he was taking me. He must be worried stiff.”
West snorted. “That was me. Nash has no idea what’s going on over here. I stole his phone while Crawley and Stein were making him ‘pay’ for messing up that oil deal at Millie’s.”
“You did what?”
“He had it coming. Don’t worry, little brother. Trout also made sure that they stuffed enough cash into his hands to reward him for telling him about his daughter. Without Nash, Trout never would’ve suspected that Lacy was messing with Eva. Trout was real grateful.”
Porter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Let me guess, Nash has no idea about that, either.”
West shrugged. “Of course he does.Now.”
Porter sighed. So what if West got one over on them all? What did he care anymore? Lacy wouldn’t bother any of them again.
“Porter?” Randy brushed past Eva, holding another flashlight. He and Mandy were the practicing EMTs in the town. Despite the teasing, the sheriff had called in reinforcements to help his men out with their first gunshot wound. The EMTs hadn’t had to travel far, since they’d been helping out with the concert. “Let’s see that arm.”
So it began.
“You’re lucky,” Randy said after inspecting his arm. “The bullet went all the way through.”
How was that lucky again?
Porter allowed them to manhandle him while West leaned back against what was left of the shattered wall after Lacy’s bullets. “So, I’ve been thinking about that price tag for my services,” West said.
They couldn’t avoid it any longer. “What would that be?” Porter asked tensely.
“You’re going to finish that garden for Momma.”
“Excuse me?”
“And then you’re going to answer my calls for once in your sorry life. Every time I call, you pick up. Can you handle that?”
What was the catch? “Yeah, but…”
“Oh, that’s not all. I’ve got a whole Honey-Do list for you to get on. You’re going to start with polishing my alligator boots, picking me up from the airport when I come into town, and letting me drive your ugly monster truck. I’m going to get some respect around here, and… dogsitting. I own you.”
Porter stared at him, stunned. That wasn’t exactly what he’d been thinking of when he thought West would hold this over his head for the rest of his life.
Cadence’s fingers found his again.
“Yeah, idiot, I’m your brother, not your mob boss. What did you expect?” Obviously, Porter’s accusations had stung him to the core. Maybe West wasn’t so far gone as he thought.
Porter studied his brother, realizing that he needed to get him back for all the torment that he’d put him through. Weren’t the twins supposed to be the ones who did the pranks? West had been leading them both by their tails, and that couldn’t go unanswered. The first thing Porter would do when he was reunited with Nash would be to devise a way to get him back.
He nodded. “You’re right, West. I think you need my help. Why don’t you put that list on my desk and I’ll see what I can do with it.”
West huffed out in exasperation, though it sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “Sure.”
Randy finished bandaging up his arm. The EMTs began helping him down the ladder with the help of Cadence’s soft touch and Eva’s guiding light that bounced off all their faces.
West teased him the whole way down. “Careful with that boy—he’s fragile.”
