“Constructive how?” I could crochet a noose. Better yet, macramé was the way to go. Knotted twine would hold Susan’s weight without breaking.
“Yoga is great for relaxation.” Mom rested her elbows on her knees. She shot a glance toward the front, leaning closer to me. “It’s excellent for your sex life, too.”
I flinched like I’d been stung. “Oh, Mom. Did you have to go there?”
“These are things you need to learn as you age. I can move in ways now that I couldn’t ten years ago. Believe me, your father really appreciates my flexibility. And as a bonus, several positions are good for more than just stretching, if you know what I mean.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.
“For the love of everything holy, don’t do that eyebrow thing when you’re talking about carnal relations with my father.”
“I can’t help it. He’s a stud.”
“That’s enough. We’re done here.” I sat back and made an X with my fingers, warding her off.
She shrugged, sitting back. “Just remember that tip. Doc will appreciate it.” Without missing a beat, she smiled toward the front. “Reid, I can’t thank you enough for taking me to the store. It’s very kind of you to help out like this.”
Reid half-turned and hit her with one of his charming, heart-steaming smiles. “My pleasure. It’s the least I could do for allowing me to join your family for the holiday.”
Dad cleared his throat. “Reel in your hose, hotshot. That spitfire is mine.”
Grinning, Reid faced forward again, focusing on the road. “Where to, Blake?”
“Take a right at the stop sign.”
We cruised along making small talk for a few minutes about the heavy flakes that were still falling, how much snow the hills were hit with overnight, and how fortunate we were to have a store so close that was open on Christmas morning.
We’d almost made it to the store when my dad frowned at Reid. “Zoe needs a reliable man. Someone who is interested in more than just her bed.”
Of all the flying reindeer! Couldn’t Dad have waited until Mom and I were in the store? I started to open my mouth and request a stay of execution, but Mom kicked me in the shin. When I gave her a what-the-hell look while rubbing my shin, she mimed zipping her lips.
“But I just want to—”
She kicked me again.
I wrinkled my upper lip at her and scooted toward the back of the snowcat, out of reach of her hard-toed boots.
“I asked her to marry me,” Reid announced.
Dad and I both did a double-take.
“You did?” I blurted out.
“When?” Dad asked.
“A couple of weeks ago.” He looked in the rearview mirror at me. “After the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce holiday party.”
“Ah ha!” I pointed at him. “That was the night she lost her hair comb in your pickup, wasn’t it?”
He focused back out the windshield. “Uh, yeah. We were … umm … clearing the air on a few things in the privacy of my pickup.”
More like steaming up the air, I’d bet. Aunt Zoe had thick hair. Those combs didn’t fall out without some help.
“That’s when I popped the question,” Reid continued.
“What did she say?” Mom asked.
“Nothing at first. Then she sucker-punched me in the breadbasket and told me to take her home.”
I cringed on his behalf. Dang, Aunt Zoe hadn’t said a word to me about his proposal.
Dad chuckled. “That’s my sister for you.”
“Isn’t that the night Doc took you to the hospital for a hand x-ray after you’d clocked Dominick Masterson?”
Reid nodded. “It wasn’t one of my finer hours.”
“Masterson is that friendly guy who showed up at the family dinner?” Dad asked, turning to me for the answer.
“Too friendly when it comes to Zo,” Reid said.
“He’s trouble,” I told my dad.
“He seemed nice enough.”
“You looked at him through the back door window, Dad. You have no idea what he’s capable of when it comes to Aunt Zoe. Trust me, he’s bad juju for our family.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed, questioning. Something in my expression must have given him the answer he was looking for, because he nodded and looked back to Reid.
“So, Zoe rejected you and yet you still came down here to see her?”
“I wanted to give her something.”
“Are you referring to the bracelet she’s wearing this morning or something else?” Dad pressed.
Poor Reid. My father wasn’t going to remove his teeth from Reid’s hide without dragging him through the dirt a bit first.
“Mainly the bracelet.” He smiled at Dad. “She’s wearing the bracelet today, huh?”
“Yeah. You could have sent it to her in the mail.”
Reid shook his head. “It wasn’t the gift so much as the need to see her face when she opened it.”
“What exactly were you looking for?” Dad asked.
“I wanted to see if I had a chance at striking oil, or if I was just digging a deeper grave.”
I scooted closer to the front again. “Which is it? Could you tell?”
“Well, Zo has one hell of a poker face, so it’s hard to know for sure.”
“Damn.” I’d long ago put my money on Reid. He’d won me over back in August when he’d picked on Cooper while my beloved old Bronco burned into a smoking mess.
Reid winked at me in the mirror. “But her thank-you last night had plenty of spark.”
I cheered.
Dad shot me a small scowl.
“Come on, Dad. Reid wants to marry her. Surely that’s enough to convince you that he’s not going to love ‘er and leave ‘er again.”
“Officially, I didn’t leave Zo,” Reid defended. “She kicked me out.”
A grunt came from my dad. “Because you were a chicken shit when it came to commitment.”
“You’re right, but I had just come off a vicious divorce and I’d run out of faith in the notion of marriage.”
“And now you’ve changed your mind?” Mom asked.
“When it comes to Zo, yes.” His expression looked bleak in the rearview mirror. “Listen, Blake. I know what a dipshit I was before. I know I’ll be
