Texas Rebels: Quincy

The back door opened and her sister, Lindsay, sat down beside her. “What are you doing out here? It’s hot.”

Jenny was so upset, she hadn’t even noticed her skin felt as if she’d taken a bath in honey. Sticky. All she was aware of was the hollow ache in her stomach. “Thinking.”

“Come on, Jenny. You have to have seen this coming. You haven’t heard from Paxton in months.”

“Seven weeks. That’s how long it took him to fall in love with someone else.”

“You have to get past this. There are a lot of guys out there who would be more than eager to go out with you.”

“I’ve spent half my life waiting for Paxton and now I just feel like a horse without a bridle. I’m free, but I don’t know which way to turn without Paxton.”

“This isn’t like you. What else is going on?”

The cow pushed on the barbed wire and Jenny was afraid the fence would break. She got up to shoo her away. When something around the ranch broke, Jenny and Lindsay were the ones to fix it. Their dad had had a tractor accident some years ago and now had a gimpy leg and walked with a cane. He still had cattle, but some things were hard for him to do, and having no sons, his daughters picked up the slack.

She and Lindsay were both nurses and worked in a hospital in Temple. Lindsay was director of nursing and didn’t work on the floor anymore. Her job was stressful and she spent a lot of hours at the hospital, including weekends if there was a problem.

Jenny was a pre-op nurse, the one who prepared a patient for surgery, took vitals, dealt with consent forms, started an IV, calmed nerves and answered questions. Working three twelve-hour days was a challenge, but it gave her a lot of free time at home with her dad. Sometimes she was called back for extra duty. Since Lindsay was in charge, that didn’t happen too often.

She resumed her seat by her sister.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Jenny shrugged. “I forgot what it was.”

“You’re really down about something other than Paxton. What is it?”

They were four years apart and very close, and Jenny knew she could talk about anything with Lindsay. But her sister tended to be bossy and sometimes that grated on Jenny’s nerves. She needed to talk, though. She wiped the palms of her hands down her jeans. “I went over to talk to Quincy to see if he knew anything about Paxton and the engagement.”

“And?”

Jenny swallowed. “He was rude to me.”

“What?” She poked Jenny in the shoulder. “Get out of here. That doesn’t sound like Quincy. You probably were just upset and misunderstood him.”

“No. It was very clear what he said.”

“And what would that be?”

“He said that Paxton’s fiancée was going to be staying for a while and it would be best for everyone if I didn’t come back to Rebel Ranch.”

“You’re joking.”

“I wish I was.”

“After all the work you put in on his horses—for free, I might add—he’s got some nerve.”

“I’ll have to return White Dove.”

“The paint he gave you? You love that horse.”

The ache in Jenny’s chest ballooned into something she didn’t understand. All she knew was that it hurt that Quincy had treated her as he never had before. She couldn’t keep the horse he’d given her for her birthday. A birthday that Paxton had forgotten. Funny, how that little detail still stung. She would have to find the strength to return the horse.

“Keep her. Quincy would want you to have White Dove, unless he asked you to return her.”

“No, he didn’t say that, but it’s clear I’m not welcome at the ranch anymore.”

“Let me get this straight. Are you upset that someone is taking your place with Paxton? Or are you upset that Quincy asked you not to return to Rebel Ranch?”

Jenny didn’t know, and that was why she was so confused and conflicted. She’d expected some consolation from Quincy, someone to understand how she felt. But what was she expecting? That he would side with her over his family? That was insane. The Rebels were fiercely loyal.

Lindsay got to her feet. “Let’s go check the water troughs and then we’ll open that bottle of wine we’ve been saving and toast good ol’ Paxton and his new love. Ten bucks she’s a blonde with fake boobs.”

A smile tugged at Jenny’s lips. Her sister sometimes had a fun side. Getting to her feet, she said, “You’re on. But we’ll probably never get to see her.”

“Yeah. That’s probably best.”

Was it? Like Quincy had said, Jenny just couldn’t let it go. She had to see Paxton face-to-face to end this relationship that had existed for over fifteen years. She couldn’t end it by just walking away. That wasn’t in her nature. Paxton Rebel was going to deal with her one way or another, and she didn’t care if Quincy liked it or not.

* * *

QUINCY DIDN’T SLEEP MUCH. His mind was caught in a vortex of Paxton’s crazy life, and like Grandpa had said, there were some things a brother didn’t do. Tortured by his own feelings, he got up at five to help Falcon, Egan and Jericho put meat on the pit for the barbecue that evening.

His mom had invited all of Paxton’s friends from high school and some from the rodeo circuit. It was going to be a big night. Quincy was hoping he could slip away for a while and miss the whole thing. That would be his kind of party.

About midmorning, he and Elias set up tables and chairs on the large deck off the den. His mom and Falcon were busy in the kitchen. Falcon was making his special barbecue sauce.

Eden and Rachel, Egan’s wife, put tablecloths and votive candles on the tables. Quincy wondered where the bride-to-be was. She and Paxton had come in late last night, but no one had met her except their mother. He supposed she was sleeping in.

He and Elias were headed to the kitchen when they heard a feminine voice.

“Is anyone here?”

Quincy looked to the top of the stairs, as did Elias. A tall blonde stood there in white shorts and a bright green top that barely covered her ample breasts. Long, straight blond hair flowed down her back. Model flashed across his mind, like a woman in one of those lingerie catalogs. Paxton’s fiancée was gorgeous.

“Damn, is that her?” Elias asked. “I think I just met my fantasy.”

She floated down the stairs as if she was on a runway. Stopping two steps from the bottom, she held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Lisa Garber. Paxton’s fiancée.”

Elias removed his hat and bowed from the waist. “It’s a pleasure, ma’am. I’m Elias, Paxton’s brother.”

“Yes, Paxton said he had six brothers.”

“And you’ll get to meet every one of us.”

“I’m so excited,” she gushed like a little girl. “I’ve never been on a ranch and I can’t wait to meet everyone.”

Elias thumbed toward Quincy. “This here’s Quincy, another brother.”

Lisa fanned her face. “My, so many handsome brothers. What’s a girl to do?”

“Nice to meet you,” Quincy said, and wondered what it was about the woman that annoyed him. It didn’t take long for him to figure it out. Her voice, sort of a sugary squeal that could get real tedious. When a woman looked like Lisa, though, the voice didn’t matter. He was sure Paxton would agree.

“Have you seen Paxton?” she asked.

“Isn’t he upstairs with you?” Elias nodded upstairs.

Lisa leaned over and whispered, “Your mother wouldn’t let us sleep together in her house. That’s really old-fashioned, but Paxton said we had to follow her rules and I didn’t want to make waves. I really missed my Teddy Bear.”

Elias laughed before he could stop himself and then coughed and tried to cover it up.

“I’m sure he’s at the bunkhouse,” Quincy told her.

“Oh, is that where the cowboys live?”

“Sort of.”

Quincy had a suspicious feeling Paxton hadn’t told this woman a thing about his life, except that he was a rodeo cowboy who lived in Texas on a big ranch.

Paxton came through from the kitchen, interrupting the conversation. Quincy and Elias stared. It wasn’t often they saw Paxton dressed up. He wore starched jeans and a white starched shirt and his hair was slicked back. Quincy could swear he smelled cologne.

A fun and exciting bull rider, and a ladies’ man to boot, Paxton could smooth talk any woman into anything he wanted.

“Hey, babe.” He took Lisa into his arms and they shared a long kiss.

“There’s a bedroom upstairs,” Elias said with a snicker in his voice.

Paxton turned to them. “Quincy, talk to Mom about her rules. I don’t want to sleep away from Lisa.”

Quincy shrugged. “Her house. Her rules. You can always sleep in the bun—”

“That’s okay,” Paxton cut him off, and Quincy knew his brother had definitely not told Lisa where he really lived. But that wasn’t his problem and Quincy was going with his plan to get away from the party as soon as he could.

As he walked toward the kitchen, he thought Paxton had traded something real for something fluff. But then Paxton always went for the looks. Beautiful women gravitated toward him and he took advantage of that. Jenny was beautiful in a natural, sweet way that would last a lifetime. It was a shame Paxton couldn’t see that.

His mom made sandwiches for lunch and introduced Lisa to the family. Quincy went back to the house to check on Grandpa, needing to get away from the circus.

“You have to wear your white shirt tonight, Grandpa.”

“Fiddle-faddle. I can wear what I want.”

“Mama wants everyone to look nice.”

“Then, I really will wear whatever I please.”

His mom and Grandpa didn’t get along, which was a source of tension for the whole family. Quincy hoped his grandpa would comply, but that was like whistling Dixie in Bangor, Maine. No one was listening or cared.

The day passed quickly and Quincy made several trips to the house to help his mother, as did all his brothers. The food was ready and the tables were set. Now they waited for the guests to arrive. Quincy even managed to get Grandpa into his white shirt and nice boots. Quincy also wore his best duds.

Eden and Phoenix were in charge of music and had the stereo blaring loudly in the den. Falcon’s wife, Leah, his daughter, Eden, and Egan’s wife, Rachel, had decorated the house, and everything looked festive with streamers, balloons and candles. Guests started to arrive and his mother, Paxton and Lisa went to the front door to greet them.

Although Quincy was busy handing out drinks, he kept one eye on the door, hoping Jenny wouldn’t make an appearance. Phoenix was up to his usual tricks in the den. After supper, he rolled back the area rug and he and Eden started dancing. Paxton and Lisa joined them.

Before the crowd got too noisy, his mother called everyone to attention and welcomed Lisa into the family again. They clapped and cheered and Phoenix turned up the music. The party was on.

Quincy was serving beers to some rodeo guys when he noticed Jenny at the front door. His heart sank. This wasn’t good. Paxton and Lisa were dancing close together to a slow number and Phoenix, Eden and Zane were clapping and cheering. Jenny, in jeans and boots, a look on her face Quincy had never seen before, walked straight toward them.

His mother motioned to Quincy and Quincy groaned inwardly. Why was this his battle? Being a dutiful son, he walked toward his mother.

“Do something,” she whispered. “Jenny doesn’t need to be here. She’s going to get hurt.”

“Mom, I don’t know what I can do.”

She gave him one of those looks he knew well.

“Okay.”

The music stopped as Jenny walked up to the couple. Paxton and Lisa drew apart and came face-to-face with Jenny.

Color drained from Paxton’s face and sweat popped out on his forehead.

“I’m Jenny Walker. Congratulations.” She held out her hand.

“Thank you,” Lisa replied, taking the outstretched hand. “Are you a friend of Paxton’s?”

“I dated him for over fifteen years.”

Not a sound was heard in the room as Jenny made the declaration. Even the half-drunk cowboys went quiet. Quincy paused behind Jenny. She had a right to say what she wanted and he wasn’t going to stop her.

“Oh.” Lisa looked at Paxton.

“Jenny...”

“You remembered my name. How nice. It would have been nice if you’d had the guts to answer my calls and I wouldn’t have had to come here.”

“Jenny, this isn’t the time—”

“No, it isn’t. I would’ve had the decency to call you if I had fallen in love with someone else. It’s a shame you didn’t feel the same way. Fifteen years of my life I shared with you and it didn’t matter.” She glanced at Lisa. “You’re welcome to him and I wish you a happy life.”

The last word was shaky and Quincy took Jenny’s elbow and led her from the room and out the front door. They stood in the sultry September heat staring at each other.

She brushed back her hair and a telltale tear appeared on her cheek. “What is she? A model or something?”

“I don’t know.”

Dark eyes glistening with tears glared at him. “Oh, you know. You just won’t share with me anymore. And that’s okay. I understand.” She gulped a breath as if she’d run a mile and Quincy got a whiff of liquor.

“Have you been drinking?”

“Yeah. It took a couple of glasses of wine to get enough courage to come over here. Stupid, huh?”

The hurt on her face and in her voice cramped his gut, and all he wanted to do was hold her and let her know someone cared about her, but he couldn’t do that. That line between family loyalty and his love for Jenny was getting thinner and thinner.

She raked her hands through her hair. “Oh, crap, I don’t think I combed my hair.”

“You look beautiful” slipped out before he thought about it.

There was an awkward pause for a second. Then she said, “Since you’re usually nice to everyone, I won’t take that personally.”

There was nothing he could add to that. He really shouldn’t have said it in the first place.

“Now I’m going home to finish off that bottle of wine. Tomorrow is the start of the rest of my life. A life without Paxton and without the Rebel family. You don’t have to worry about me coming over here and causing trouble because this will be my last visit.”

“Jenny...”

“You were right. I spend too much time over here and, like I said, tomorrow I start over with a clean page and a bright smile for a new future. I’ll return White Dove first thing in the morning.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can’t keep the horse.”

“Why? I gave her to you! And she’s pregnant.”

“I’m cutting all ties, Quincy.” A feather of a hiccup left her throat. “And that means I can’t accept the gift. I’ll just leave her in the pen at the barn.”

She loved the horse, and he knew this was hurting her and he didn’t know how to make it better. Even though her mind was set, he couldn’t accept it.

“The horse will always be yours.”

“Goodbye, Quincy. I’ll miss our talks.”

Me, too. More than you’ll ever know. More than I can ever tell you.

He wanted to tell her there was no need for her to stay away. Lisa and Paxton wouldn’t always be here. That was only asking for more trouble, though. There had to be a clean break, and his feelings didn’t matter. He would get over it and move on, just like she would.

As she walked into the darkness to her truck, Quincy, for the first time in his life, felt his heart break. When his dad had died, his heart had been shattered. This was a different kind of pain, something he could change, but he was bound by family loyalty and that was what was tearing him up. He was a Rebel, though, and he would survive.

Without Jenny Rose in his life.

Chapter Three

Paxton met Quincy at the front door. “Did you talk to Jenny?”

“What do you care?” Quincy walked toward the kitchen, but Paxton followed. Falcon and their mother were in the kitchen.

“What did she say?” Paxton kept on.

Quincy got a beer out of the refrigerator and twisted off the top with more force than necessary. “You have a phone, don’t you, Paxton? Why don’t you try using it to call her, the way you should have days ago.”

“Come on, man, get off my back.”

Kate Rebel turned from the sink. “Paxton, your father and I raised you better than this. Not calling Jenny was the coward’s way out, and I didn’t raise cowards. Tomorrow you will go over to the Walker place and you’ll apologize with your hat in your hand. Jenny has been around this ranch since you were kids and I’m really upset at the way you’ve treated her.”

“Mom, I couldn’t call her. She’d cry and I couldn’t handle that. Besides, I told her when we broke up we weren’t getting back together. I wasn’t ever going to change and she had to accept it. That was it for me. Jenny and I were over and I didn’t feel I had to call and explain when I fell in love with someone else.”

Their mother wiped her hands on a dish towel. “That may be so, but you still owe her an apology.”

“I’m not apologizing!” Paxton shouted. “You treat me as if I’m in grade school. I’m a grown man and Jenny and I had a relationship and we broke it off. Do you want me to call every girl I’ve ever dated to let them know I’m engaged?”

Falcon was sitting at the kitchen table and he rose to his feet. Quincy was on alert because he knew Paxton wasn’t going to get away with talking to their mother like that. They respected their mother. Always.

“I expect you to be a man and care about other people and their feelings, especially Jenny’s, since you’ve dated her since you were in high school. I know it’s been on and off, but that was because of you.” Kate shook her head. “I’m not going to talk about this anymore. You will apologize. That is my bottom line.”

“I’m not apologizing,” Paxton said again with anger in his voice. “And another thing, why can’t I sleep in the house with Lisa? Your ideas are old-fashioned and outdated. You have to start living in the twenty-first century.”

Their mother’s lips tightened into a thin line. “This is my house, and you will live by my rules. If you want to sleep with Lisa, you can sleep with her in the bunkhouse, but not under my nose, in my home. That was a rule your father and I made years ago, hoping you boys would grow up with morals and integrity. If you don’t respect that, you’re free to leave.”

“Maybe I should. You care more about Jenny than you do about your own son.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve had enough of your attitude.” Falcon stepped closer to Paxton. “Apologize to Mom this instant or I’m going to lay a whole lot of hurt on you. We all worked our butts off today to give you a party and this is how you thank us, by disrespecting our mother? You know better than that.”

“Shut up, Falcon. You’re not my father.”

That was when Falcon’s fist connected with Paxton’s jaw. Paxton staggered backward, landed against the wall and slid to the floor. He was immediately on his feet, ready to take on his older brother, who was now head of the family.

“Falcon!” their mother cried.

Quincy got between his brothers. “Enough. Go home to Leah, Falcon. I got this.” Since they still couldn’t take their preemie son out around people other than family, Leah and Falcon had taken turns coming to the party. Falcon had only been here a few minutes.

Falcon turned toward the back door at the same time that Eden danced into the kitchen. “Oh, there’s my daddy. Hey, Daddy, we’re having a party. Oooh.” Eden grabbed her head. “I’m floating.” She reached for the counter.

Eden was drunk. Before Falcon could get to her, Jude came into the kitchen. “Grandpa’s passed out, Quincy. You better check on him.”

“What’s going on in there?”

“Phoenix spiked the punch. Zane’s throwing up in the bathroom and I’ve got to go.”

Their mother threw up her hands. “Why can’t we have a party like normal people?” She went to the doorway and shouted, “Phoenix, get in here! And bring that punch bowl.”

“I’m taking Eden home,” Falcon said, placing his arm around his daughter and leading her toward the back door. “Let’s go home to Mama, baby girl.”

Eden leaned on her father. “I love Mama and Snickerdoodle. He’s so sweet. I... Daddy... Oh...” Eden ran into the utility bathroom and soon they heard her retching.

Phoenix walked in with the punch bowl in his arms. Falcon pointed a finger at him. “Your ass is mine in the morning.”

“What did I do?”

“You spiked the punch,” his mother told him. “And now Eden, Zane and Grandpa are drunk.”

“I told them not to drink it.”

Kate placed her hands on her hips. “How many times have I told you not to spike the punch?”

A silly grin split Phoenix’s face. “Well, Mom, I’ve lost track, but I haven’t done it for a while. Jenny put a damper on the party and I was just trying to liven things up a little bit, to get things going again. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody.”

“Pour that punch down the drain. I’ll deal with you later.”

“I’ll deal with you in the morning,” Falcon said.

“You’ll have to find me first,” Phoenix muttered under his breath, and Quincy had to give his younger brother credit for still cracking jokes when doom was about to rain down on him. Falcon was mad and everybody knew when he was to stay clear.

Rachel entered the room, followed by Egan. She looked at Paxton, who seemed to be holding up the wall. “Lisa’s looking for you.”

Paxton pushed away from the wall and walked out without a word to anyone.

“What’s going on?” Egan asked. “Why does Paxton have a bruise on his face?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Quincy said, figuring there had been enough excitement for tonight. If Egan found out Paxton had bad-mouthed their mother, Paxton would suffer another bruise on his head. Quincy was hoping he’d come to his senses and apologize before the party was over. If not, he’d have more than words for his brother.

Egan kissed his mother’s cheek. “We’re going home. I’ll be back in the morning to help with the cleanup.”

“Don’t worry about that. There’s enough of us here to take care of it. Spend your Sunday morning with your wife.”

“Ah, Miss Kate, that’s very thoughtful.” Rachel hugged her mother-in-law. “We’ll both be here because Egan wouldn’t be happy unless he was doing his part. And if he’s not happy, I’m not happy.”

Gabe, their uncle and his wife, Lacey, were the next ones to leave. Little by little, the party broke up. Since things had settled down, Quincy went to check on Grandpa, who was snoring into the sofa. He’d wake him up later. At the front door, Paxton and Lisa were saying goodbye to friends. Elias and some rodeo guys and a girl were out on the deck and Quincy could see things were getting heated. Elias was waving his arms. Quincy groaned and made his way to the deck.

“Party’s over, boys,” Quincy announced.

The rodeo guy glanced at Elias and then put his arm around the girl and they walked into the den.

“What’s wrong with you?” Quincy asked Elias. “You’re starting a fight in Mom’s house?”

“I danced with his girl, so what? She didn’t seem to mind.”

Quincy looked toward the sky. There had to be a full moon tonight because everyone was acting crazy. “Pick up some of these cans and let’s start cleaning up.”

Elias downed the rest of his beer. “You’re such a downer, Quincy. Do you ever have fun?”

That question was on his mind a lot lately. He was tired of being peacemaker in the family. Maybe it was time for him to let everyone handle their own problems.

“Life isn’t always about fun.”

Elias laughed. “After we get everything picked up, I’ll take you down to Rowdy’s for a beer and introduce you to someone who could change your mind in about fifteen minutes or less.”

“I’m not interested in cheap sex.”

“Who said it was cheap?”

“You’re an idiot.” Quincy went back into the den, and Lisa and Paxton were huddled together at the bottom of the stairs. Quincy could hear them as he made his way to the kitchen.

“Come on, Pax, your mom won’t know a thing. When she goes to sleep, just sneak into my room. I don’t understand why you didn’t come last night. I don’t like sleeping by myself.”