“Rafe said it got a little dicey when they arrested him. Dude had a gun, and Dad was sitting across from him. Course you know our brother, he let several of Williamson’s finest into the back of the Braum’s, and they covered his back. He snuck up on Stewart and had him on the ground hogtied before the idiot knew what hit him.”
“Rafe thinks he’s Superman.” Ridge smiled, remembering back to a Halloween when Rafe had actually dressed up as his favorite character.
“He’s a bit more careful now he’s got someone he loves in his life. Tessa’s been good for him.”
“Serena’s been good for you too, bro.”
Antonio grinned, leaning farther back on the railing. “I never thought I could feel this way. She’s—everything to me. Everything.”
Another wave of laughter came from the patio, and he watched his father flipping steaks and burgers on the grill. People mingled, holding paper plates and cups, or seated around the patio on the couches and chairs spread about. Today was a celebration of life and happiness. Brody and Beth had announced they were getting married, and he was going to adopt Jamie. Teasing and congratulations spread like wildfire throughout the gathering as people wished them well. Ridge hoped they’d make it for the long haul. If he was a betting man, he’d wager they’d make it.
Love and marriage? It wasn’t for him. He believed in it—he’d grown up with the perfect example of true love lasting though the years. Douglas and Ms. Patti epitomized what love and devotion meant in the truest sense of the word. They’d opened their hearts, their family and their home to others in desperate need of salvation, sown the seeds of kindness, and raised a family, himself included, who knew what that meant in every way that counted.
But for him, the job came first. Before love. Before marriage.
He’d seen far too many people’s lives destroyed by the onslaught of drugs crossing the border, to say nothing of the meth epidemic currently ravaging the nation. Besides, his job was dangerous, especially when he was undercover, which was more and more frequent these days. And it wouldn’t be fair to get involved with somebody, only to be gone for weeks or months at a time. He risked his life every day, behind the scenes, dealing with the lowest of the low, the dregs of humanity who should be scraped off the surface of the planet, as far as he was concerned.
Nope, love and marriage weren’t in the cards for him. Didn’t mean he wasn’t up for a good time. He loved women. All women. Big, small, short, or tall, didn’t matter. Feminine curves with legs that went on for miles? Oh, yeah. But commitment for a lifetime—he’d never burden any woman with that kind of heartache. Turning his back on the war waging on every street in America couldn’t be won without people like him staying the course. He wasn’t a martyr, far from it, but he knew the realities of his life and his job.
“By the way, did you hear—Brody bought the Summers’ farm.”
Ridge knew his mouth hung open for a second before he closed it. He huffed out a chuckled. “Seriously? Why’d he do that?”
“He and Beth are going to fix up the house. Make it into a home. It wasn’t damaged, and the rest of the property, other than the barn, is in decent shape. Lots of land.”
“Almost seems like fate, doesn’t it?” Ridge tossed his empty bottle into the recycling bin and grinned. “All’s well that ends well. I’m just glad he’s happy.”
“Come on, bro, let’s celebrate. We’re all together, and life is good.”
“You go ahead, I’ll be right there.”
As Antonio walked back to the patio, Ridge pulled out his phone. He’d put it on vibrate at the start of the barbeque, and he’d ignored the incessant buzzing, but couldn’t put it off any longer. He knew who’d been calling anyway.
“Hey, boss, what’s up?”
“We’re a go.”
A surge of adrenaline shot through Ridge at the man’s words. Finally, they’d gotten to go ahead to search for the pipeline running through Central Texas. Every DEA agent within a two-hundred-mile radius knew drugs were coming through their area, but nobody had discovered exactly where the shipments deviated off their visual radar. He’d been scouting around an area the next county over from Shiloh Springs, and he’d gone to his boss with an idea—one so out-of-the-box he’d expected to be turned down on the spot. Instead, he’d listened, asked a zillion questions, and said he’d take it to his commander.
“We’ve got a very narrow window to find out how the drugs are moving through the area—if they are—and shut it down.”
“I’ll find it.”
“I expect reports, consistent reports, every forty-eight hours. Miss one, and I’ll pull you so fast, you’ll leave skid marks. Are we clear, Boudreau?”
“Every forty-eight hours. I won’t let you down.”
“When can you head out?”
Ridge looked at his family, together and laughing, felt the gaping hole deep inside, and sighed.
“I’ll head out tonight.”
Disconnecting the call, he slid the phone into his back pocket, and smiled.
“Looks like I’m going courting.”
Thank you for reading Brody, Book #3 in the Texas Boudreau Brotherhood series. I hope you enjoyed Brody and Beth’s story. Want to find out more about Ridge Boudreau and the excitement and adventure he’s about to plunge headfirst into? Keep reading for an excerpt from his book, Ridge, Book #4 in the Texas Boudreau Brotherhood. Available at all major e-book and print vendors.
Ridge (Book #4 Texas Boudreau Brotherhood series) © Kathy Ivan
Pulling into the garage, Maggie killed the engine and reached for the button to lower the door, but movement from the corner of her eye stopped her dead in her tracks. Somebody was sneaking around her property. Couldn’t be Henry. She’d talked to him earlier that morning, and he’d asked for the day off. Felicia, her housekeeper, had already come and gone.
Reaching across the
