Page 5 of Alpha’s Conquest

The brother’s door was slightly open. I peeked down the stairs, catching a small glimpse of the kitchen. Marshall was preoccupied with something by the sink. My curiosity got the better of me, and I stepped close enough to peek inside his brother’s room. The bedroom appeared almost identical to Marshall’s, but ah! Dirty socks on the floor! The bedspread was neatly arranged on the bed, but it was just a tad crooked, giving the room an even more imperfect feeling.

There was a small picture frame on the nightstand, and I could just make out three people in it, two of them child sized. A family photo, taken after their mom died, I guessed. As I tried to get closer, a loud noise came from the kitchen, and I quickly left the room before I was caught.

“Snooping?”

I tried not to jump when Marshall’s voice was suddenly at the bottom of the stairs. He’d put on an apron, and there were flecks of flour all over his hands. “No. Maybe.”

He chuckled and wiped his hands on the apron as he came up the steps. “Wouldn’t blame you if you were.”

“This just happened so fast, Marsh. I don’t even know their names.”

“I know. I figured ripping the bandaid off would be easier. Less time for you to dread it and try to back out.” He had me there. Marshall slowly closed the space between us and slid his hands up my shoulders, clasping them behind my neck. “My brother’s name is David.”

A timer buzzed in the kitchen, and Marshall bent to give me a quick kiss before running to check on dinner. I followed him downstairs and found those gorgeous wooden countertops full of bowls and ingredients. He was making lamb chops with a potato dish on the side, and a fresh salad. Two bottles of wine sat on the raised counter by a row of bar stools.

With Marshall busy rolling the potatoes in a seasoned flour mixture, I plucked a bottle opener from the counter and started screwing it into one bottle. One glass before dinner would help calm my nerves. Or it would’ve if the bottle hadn’t spilled all over me when I got the cork out. Yay.

“Damn it. I’m so sorry, Marsh.”

Marshall rushed over to grab the bottle from me and licked the remaining droplets off the side. “No worries. Go get cleaned up, babe. I got this.” He was already grabbing something to wipe up the floor. “Use my dad’s bathroom. He keeps the good towels there.”

“Be right back.” And I rushed upstairs to get changed before his family came home.

FOUR

Adam

Adam

A long day at work was just what I needed. My muscles burned as I carried another heavy bag of soil across the yard. I could have used the wheelbarrow, but I enjoyed doing it myself. This was a better workout than any gym could give me.

My team was just finishing up one of the new flowerbeds in Ms. Caitlyn’s yard. She wanted a yard made for butterflies and honeybees, and we were doing our best to bring her ideas to life. Pulling out my pocket knife, I sliced the top bag of soil open and lifted it to spread over the empty flowerbed. This new soil was perfect for the flowers and ferns coming in tomorrow.

“Hey, boss.” I kept pouring even after seeing Lane’s shoes appear beside the flowerbed. Lane was my beta project manager, the big boss when I wasn’t around. “Another bad week, huh?”

Grunting, I finished pouring the soil and went right to the second bag. He was always prying into my business. “I just needed to work. Get my hands dirty. I don’t pay you to be nosey.”

“Frosty,” he said under his breath. “You’re always so defensive. You know we don’t mind if you do our work for us. We still get paid either way.” My arms ached after the third bag of soil, but I sliced the fourth open and poured through the pain. “We’ve got that big town square job coming up next week. You stopping by to lay the soil there, too?”

The thought of passing out every night from exhaustion was too good to pass up. But if I seemed too eager, he would probably ask more stupid questions.

“We’ll see,” was all I said. The last thing I needed was for any of my employees to be prying into my personal life, but with a town this small, prying was practically an obligation. Everyone knew everybody’s business, from who you were sleeping with to how you took your coffee.

I kept my private life private, even if that was just an illusion. Everyone knew my bed was empty, and I took my coffee black. At least at work I could lift bags of soil, carry heavy trees, and dig out flower beds until my hands bled, and the plants never asked me how I was feeling.

The loud chirp of a police siren interrupted me grabbing a rake to smooth out the soil. I glanced over to see my eldest son, David, pulling up in his police car. He got out and walked across the lawn, his eyes fixed on the rake as I worked. His leathery pheromones mixed in with the fresh soil, the scent so thin I barely noticed it.

“Hey, Pops. Lane got you hauling soil again?”

Lane was still within earshot as he put the rest of our supplies into the client’s garage. “Oh, come on, David. Like I have to ask him to do that.”

David's badge and gun jingled as he shifted his legs on the grass, his hands resting on his belt. “Did Marshall call you? I texted, but you didn’t answer.”

“Phone’s in the truck.” The fresh soil slowly leveled out. It was perfect for planting. I just needed to give it a quick spray with the hose, and we could start plotting out the layout tomorrow. I set the rake against the house wall and brushed my hands together to remove the excess dirt. “Why? Something happen at the hospital?”

“No, nothing like that.” David glanced at Lane before leaning closer, his voice a low whisper so we wouldn’t be overheard. “He’s in town.”

Marshall was here? He hadn’t been back home for six years, not since he left for medical school. We said some pretty strong words to each other back then. It had been polite conversations and half-hearted check-ins between us ever since.