“Maybe in a few minutes.” Luke pulls me in a little closer and I lay my head back on his chest, deciding he’s right. Everyone else can wait. We’re busy.

  8

  BRUCE

  “Where’s Brody?” Bobby asks as he swims a circle around me but scans the pasture beyond the pond.

  “You don’t want to know. Trust that they’ll be along shortly.”

  The full moon shines down on us, giving off enough light that I can see the confusion marring his face. I could say more, but I shake my head instead. He truly doesn’t want to know.

  While Allyson was chasing me all over the place and I was trying to loop back to take her by surprise, I’d run across my brother and Rix, who were going at it in the bed of his pickup truck. Let’s just say that doggie style is not how I want to picture his ‘full moon’.

  Thankfully, Bobby doesn’t get the chance to ask further questions because Shayanne comes over the hill, riding a shirtless Luke’s back piggyback-style. An arm in the air swinging an invisible lasso, she calls out, “Yeehaw, mother truckers!”

  In minutes, they’ve stripped down to their underclothes and made their way into the sun-warmed water.

  “Been a while since we’ve gone skinny dipping,” Shayanne informs us. As if I want that image in my head either.

  But she’s right. It’s been a while for me too. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I did. Glancing over at Allyson, I think we should do this more often. She looks beautiful by moonlight, all goddess and glow with the water lapping at her shoulders. And I know that beneath the surface, her lacy bra is sticking to her skin and probably sheer enough to let me see her nipples.

  Everyone hums some sort of agreement, muttering about skinny dipping when we were younger, but good-naturedly whining about not having the opportunity to do it these days with kids at every turn. We fall silent, the night feeling like a pressure release we all needed.

  “Flying cock-n-balls!” James yells out of nowhere and then he cannonballs into the water, splashing half the pond over us. Coming up from beneath the surface, he shakes his hair like a dog, sending even more water flying. “That’s what you call an entrance,” he declares.

  “Dumbass,” I mutter, wiping water from my eyes.

  “My dumbass.” Sophie has waded in to settle next to her husband and presses a soft kiss to his cheek.

  “Are you knees okay?” Shayanne asks her.

  Laughing, Sophie says, “Yes, they’re fine.”

  I close my eyes, sighing, but ask anyway. “Do I want to know?”

  “Oh, I saw James’ balls.” Shayanne says it like she’s saying she saw a goat, just a normal everyday occurrence, but it’s most definitely not. “Do you shave ‘em? Luke should shave. Then the hairs wouldn’t get stuck in my teeth.” She picks at her teeth, completely unaware or uncaring that that rest of us are staring at her in horror and Luke in disgust.

  “You gotta manscape, man,” James says.

  Still no answer on why or how Shayanne saw him, or his balls, but I’m pretty sure we all know anyway.

  Eventually, Brody and Rix show up. As do Mark and Katelyn. And finally, the gang is all here. All the Tannens and all the Bennetts, swimming in the moonlight.

  “Ladies, I’m calling it. We won, fair and square,” Shayanne declares.

  I glance at Allyson, feeling like I’m the winner here. This life I get to live is the one I always wanted. It might’ve taken a wrong turn along the way, but we course corrected and ended up where we were supposed to be.

  I’m pretty sure the other guys feel the same way – like they won the lottery with their wives too.

  “Do you need a reminder of who got who first?” Luke muses.

  “You shut your mouth, cowboy!” Shay balks as she pushes his head under water. But instead of him coming up sputtering, she disappears with a yelp as Luke pulls her under.

  Good for him. Shayanne needs a little straightening out on occasion, and if he wants to be the one to tackle that, I say she’s his problem. A long way from where we started when we wanted to kill him, I think with a smirk.

  “What’s on your mind?” Allyson says, sidling up to my side.

  Wrapping my arm around her, I pull her even closer. “You.”

  When we start to prune, we make our way to the pond’s shore.

  Gesturing to the stacks of towels and piles of blankets, Katelyn explains, “I had Cooper help before signing off for the night.”

  “Are we camping out?” Bobby asks.

  “I’m not,” I say instantly. I have every intention of taking Allyson home and finishing what we started earlier.

  “This old man is sleeping on a Tempur-pedic mattress with a neck pillow,” Mark agrees.

  Katelyn reassures us. “I just thought it’d be nice to sit out here and star gaze a bit while we dry off. Then we can all go home to our comfy beds.” She says that part directly to Mark. Back to the rest of us, she adds, “Mama Louise has all the kids tonight. Said to come over for breakfast in the morning to get them and don’t fuss at her if they’re hopped up on sugar.”

  “She could feel them all the candy in the world if it meant I’d get a solid eight hours of sleep,” Willow jokes. We’re all aware that Juniper has barely tasted any sweets at her tender age. I’m not sure Willow will even give the girl a proper cake for her birthday. She’ll probably give her some sort of molasses-sweetened cake-like thing instead. But whatever momma wants, that’s what’ll happen. Bobby wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Laughing, we wrap up in towels and spread blankets out, each couple making a space for themselves.

  “One more thing,” Katelyn says, popping open a cooler.

  I cannot handle another of Mama Louise’s sweet teas. That woman has the constitution of a drunkard, though I rarely see her take more than a sip. Thankfully, a silver bullet comes flying through the air and I catch it readily.

  Coors Light? That I can handle. It’s basically water anyway.

  As we crack our cans open, I hold mine high. “To a rough life made easy by the love of good woman.”

  “Hear, hear,” Brody echoes. “And rough edges to give them something to sand down.”

  “And rough love because none of us are built for sweet,” Bobby adds. A second later, he snaps his fingers. “Wait! Let me write that down.”

  It’ll probably be his next hit song, a best seller that goes platinum or some shit. I’m proud of him for chasing that dream, especially since it’s let us all live ours.

  We should sit and sip our beers, slow down and chit chat a bit, but the day’s been long and I’ve spent enough time with these dipshits today. Especially since the night will be too damn short.

  So I chug mine in three gulps, then crush the can. Standing, I pull Allyson to her feet with me. “Well, it’s been fun, but we’ll see y’all in the morning at Mama Louise’s. There’s an empty house calling our name.”

  Laughter rings out, but the consensus is that I’m right, and before long, we’re all hustling for our trucks, hurrying to get home to make use of the rare night alone.

  9

  MAMA LOUISE

  The sun’s barely over the edge of the horizon when the first kid stirs. I set the whole lot of them up in the living room floor on a huge pallet. All except for the babies, who are in pack-n-play cribs.

  I’m not surprised Johnny’s the first one up. He’s his father’s son and is usually up for chores, working at Mark’s side before school. He reminds me so much of Mark as a boy, I think as I take in his unsmiling eyes and sleep-mussed blonde hair.

  “Ssh,” I tell him, holding a finger to my lips, “let the other kids sleep.”

  He doesn’t tiptoe, nothing as cutesy as that for the serious youngster. No, he walks, quiet as a mouse, right into the kitchen, leading the way. “What’s for breakfast?” he asks. He doesn’t want to know so he can eat. No, he’s asking so he can help cook. He’s ready to work and daylight’s already wasting.

  Smiling softly, I press the button on the fancy coffee maker the kids got me for Christmas last year and then open the fridge. “Pancakes, eggs, and bacon sound good?”

  He’s in the pantry without a word, grabbing the flour, sugar, and vanilla for me while I get the eggs and bacon.

  It doesn’t take long for delicious scents to wake the rest of the children though and they trail in. Cindy Lou immediately starts telling Maisie how to set the table, Ford and Leo are discussing trucks like they’re headed down to the dealership later today and need to decide if black or silver is their preferred color, and Aspen is giving reports on Juniper’s state of wakefulness, of which she’s currently not.

  And I’m the General, in charge of this next generation of semi-delinquents. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Their parents will be around soon, likely looking a bit worse for wear after a night of raucous, rowdy fun, but smiling happily. We’ll belly up to the table outside for another meal together and everyone will tell me ‘thank you’ for keeping the kids overnight. I’ll tell them ‘anytime’ and mean it with my whole heart.

  And life will continue. The farm needs farming, the animals need feeding, and this whole family needs loving. Something I’m ready to give for as long as my days allow.

  When they all go home, and I’m alone, I’ll head out to the porch and tell John about another amazing day, with all these boys and their fine women and beautiful children. If I’m lucky, the breeze will blow a little and I’ll know he heard me and that he’s still with me, watching over this rough bunch at my side.

  But in the meantime, I tell Ford and Leo to take their toy trucks outside and make sure Johnny and Cindy Lou aren’t butting heads about who’s in charge.

  “Ducks!” I call.

  “Quack-quack,” they all answer in unison.

  And I smile at the good life I’m blessed to live, knowing that when the good Lord decides to take me, this family will be left in good hands. They’ll take care of each other, which gives me peace.

  I’m not dead yet though, so I’m also giving some thought to our next big event. Maybe we could take the 4-wheelers out? Or make a giant, muddy slip ‘n slide down the hill with a few tarps? I bet the kids would love that. So would the boys. And so would I.

  Thank you for reading! I hope you loved the Tannen Boys. Interested in a special edition hardback? Check out my website.

  If you haven’t already read the Bennett Boys series (same world of course), check that out here!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Standalones

  The Dare || My Big Fat Fake Wedding || Filthy Riches || Scorpio

  Bennett Boys Ranch:

  Buck Wild || Riding Hard || Racing Hearts

  The Tannen Boys:

  Rough Love || Rough Edge || Rough Country

  Dirty Fairy Tales:

  Beauty and the Billionaire || Not So Prince Charming || Happily Never After

  Get Dirty:

  Dirty Talk || Dirty Laundry || Dirty Deeds || Dirty Secrets

  Irresistible Bachelors:

  Anaconda || Mr. Fiance || Heartstopper

  Stud Muffin || Mr. Fixit || Matchmaker

  Motorhead || Baby Daddy || Untamed

 

 

  Lauren Landish, The Tannen Boys: The Collection

 

 

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