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just about to start telling me about all the things you used to get up to as a kid,
weren t you, Richie?
 Yeah, I was deciding whether to start with the time we stole the Porter s car,
or the time 
 Shut up, Richie. I hit harder than your wife, no offense, darlin 
 None taken.
* * * * *
 Why don t you take Ash and Hope to mingle, Kaleb said to Sally, handing
the baby to Ash.  She ll need a bottle in about half an hour, so I ll deal with it
and find you. He nodded at Ash and watched as Sally slipped her hand
through the crook of Ash s other elbow and led him away.
 She gets more beautiful every day, Richie said softly.
 Sally s always been beautiful, Kaleb replied, knowing full well what Richie
meant, but not wishing to rise to the bait. Unfortunately, he knew Richie
would not let it go. And he was right.
 She s almost four months, isn t she?
 Richie, don t, okay? Just don t, Kaleb was well aware how old Hope was.
Wasn t it already the only thing on his mind without Richie bleating on about
it? The last thing he needed was to be reminded of what happened it was
always there, in the forefront of everything he did wrapped around his
shoulders like a cloak.
 Don t? I m surprised you let Ash take her. Are you letting him do anything at
the house?
 I swear I will punch you in your stupid face, if you do not let it go, Kaleb
hissed.  And of course I let him do stuff at the house. I m not an idiot, Hope
has to bond with him, too. God Richie could be so dense sometimes. What
the hell else did he think he was going to do?
 How many times do I have to drum it into that thick skull of yours before you
accept that it wasn t your fault?
 Left or right? Kaleb snarled, turning to glare into his friend s blue eyes.
 Huh?
 Do you want me to break your face with my left or my right hook?
 Get a grip, Conan, Richie said on a heavy sigh then held up his hand.  All
right, I m letting it go. But you might wanna save your right hook,  cause it
looks like the good doctor is zeroing in on your roommate.
Kaleb followed the direction of Richie s gaze and felt something hot and
unwanted unfurl in his belly. Neal Burke, the town doctor, had excused
himself to some members of the church committee and was making his way
across the lawn to where Ash and Sally were talking to the Jeffersons who ran
the grocery store. Kaleb s gaze narrowed as he watched Burke shake Ash s
hand and saw the way he made a fuss of Hope, and seemed to hang with great
interest on every word Ash said. You gonna let that slimebag, asshole fawn all
over your boy? Kaleb cursed at his inner voice and told it to shut up. Ash
wasn t his boy. He was& he was& He s what, Kaleb? You tellin me you
haven t woken up in the morning, as hard as nails  cause you been dreamin
about him all night? Thinkin about the way that pale skin would look against
yours, the way it would feel beneath your fingers? Oh, pardon me, it must have
been some other Kaleb Gibson.
After his inner voice had been wrestled to the ground and securely locked
behind a door in his mind, Kaleb tossed Richie a glare and headed back to the
barbecue where Pappy was cooking up those chicken wings Gram had
complained about.  Hey, Pap, where s Hope s diaper bag? She s gonna be
screaming for a bottle in a minute.
 I think your Gram took it inside, she s probably fixing up the little lady a
three course meal as we speak. Is Hope onto chicken wings yet?
 You re hilarious, Pap, you should be on the comedy circuit, Kaleb snapped,
suddenly not in the mood for frivolity.
 I m gonna put you mistaking me for someone that won t kick your ass down
to the fact that Neal Burke is making eyes at Ashdon, Cyrus said, holding up
his spatula and waving it.  But only once.
Kaleb rolled his eyes and grabbed one of the burgers off the table next to the
grill.  Why does everyone think that I care what the hell Ashdon Watts does,
or who he talks to?
 Don t you?
 I care about Hope, nothing else, Kaleb countered and took a bite out of the
burger he held in his hand before turning on his heel and stomping across the
patio to the kitchen. He found Hope s diaper bag on the counter next to the
microwave and busied himself with heating her bottle. Hope was all he cared
about. Being the best father he could. Making sure she had everything she
could ever want or need so that she sailed through life without a care in the
world. Let Ash talk to whoever the fuck he liked& he didn t care. It was all
about Hope.
 It was Ethan s birthday yesterday.
Kaleb froze at the sound of the voice behind him, the fine hair on the nape of
his neck standing to attention as he tried to swallow down the rage that washed
over him at the nearness of the other man. But Burke knew Kaleb would never
cause a scene in his Gram s home.  What do you want, Burke? Shouldn t you
be in the long grass with all the other snakes?
 Did you send him a gift?
 Fuck off.
 Why would I do that, when I m having such a good time getting to know Ash
out there? Kaleb ground his teeth together so hard, his jaw ached as Burke
carried on.  He s quite the hottie. I bet you ve been wanting to put your
grubby little hands all over that body.
 Get 
 Now what are you two boys doing in here? Mae s voice was firm but
conversational, and Kaleb shot her a grateful glance over his shoulder.  Neal,
take out some more sausages and chicken to Cyrus. Kaleb took the nipple off [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]