“Tuck?” I hesitated in the archway, a basket in my hand. “Could I talk to you for a minute? Outside?”
“Of course.” He followed me to the front porch.
I set down the basket and laid a hand on his chest, leaning toward him to speak in a low, confidential voice. “I just want to thank you for always being there for me. It means a lot to me.”
Ever the opportunist, Tuck walked right through the door I opened when I touched him. He slipped his arms around my waist and squeezed.
“You can always count on old Tuck, honey.”
I sniffed, as if overcome with grateful emotion, and flung my arms around him.
“Thank you so much.” I slid the key into his pocket. I glanced up at his face. Did he feel that? Would I be found out? He smiled down at me, setting my mind at ease. “It’s good to have a friend.” When he locked his arms around me, I gave a shaky laugh and pulled away. “I better get those eggs so I can have breakfast ready before you all start your day.”
By the time I got back with the eggs, Libby was in the kitchen mixing up a batch of pancakes. I was gathering plates to set the big table in the dining room when Jerrilyn strode into the kitchen. She took one look at the mess Dwight had made and cuffed his head.
“Jackass. Do that outside.”
“Sorry, Aunt Jerrilyn.” He brushed the dirt into his hand—as if that took care of the mess—and slunk outside.
Ripper and Nyx sauntered into the room, his arm hooked around her neck. “Get over here, Mac.”
I carefully set the pile of plates on the counter and walked over to them. Ripper seized my nape and hauled me close for a long kiss. When he let me go, Nyx slipped an arm around my waist and kissed my cheek.
Well, weren’t we a happy throuple? The room fell silent as everyone stared.
“What’s for breakfast?” Ripper asked, breaking the spell.
“Pancakes and scrambled eggs.” Libby flipped a pile of pancakes onto a platter and poured more batter onto the griddle. She groaned and pressed both hands against her lower back.
“Do you want me to take over?” I offered, pulling away from Nyx.
“No, I got it.”
“I’ll set the table then.”
“Make yourself useful, too,” Ripper told Nyx, swatting her ass.
The man needed new material in his playbook when he was acting the bossy sexist. The ass smacking was getting old.
“Sure thing, lover,” Nyx purred.
Nyx took the plates while I grabbed place mats, napkins, and cutlery. She bumped hips with me when we walked into the dining room, then grinned and rolled her eyes. I grinned back. This subservient act was so much easier to tolerate when I had a partner in crime.
Libby rang a bell to summon everybody to breakfast. Nine of us sat around the table, six members of the Wilcox Brigade and the three insurgents. If all went well, by noon we’d have vanquished the Nazi lovers and retaken the ranch. This was the last time we’d congregate, the last time I’d have to pretend to be someone I was not. We were on the cusp of change, but only a few of us knew it. How many of the brigade would survive the day? Libby better not take up arms and make a stand with her family. That possibility crushed my appetite.
“Eat something, Mac,” Ripper ordered. “You need to keep your strength up.”
Dwight snickered, and Ripper shot him a death glare.
“Ripper and I will be heading out after lunch,” Boyd announced. “We’ll drive to the armory, take up position, then make our move during the night.”
“Don’t you worry about nothing,” Tuck said. “You can count on the boys and me to take care of every thang while you’re gone.” He looked at me and winked. I daubed at my mouth with a napkin, hiding my grimace. No doubt I was the thang he intended to take care of once Ripper was away. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander, and all that.
Ripper squeezed my thigh, his touch reassuring. It was never going to happen. The armory was safe from Boyd and the brigade. And Ripper would never leave me behind under the tender care of Tuck and the boys.
Nibbling halfheartedly at a pancake, I went over our plan in my mind. After breakfast, Tuck would fetch Bear from the back room. Dwight, Darryl, and Ripper would escort Bear to the barn to begin his day’s labors. Kyle and Levi should be in position on a hill overlooking the barn, ready to leap into action at Ripper’s signal. The plan had to be flexible. Depending on what happened with Bear, it might be several hours before Ripper made his move. At the very least, he’d allow time for Nyx and me to clear the table and do the dishes before he acted. Nyx and I would retreat to our bedroom. When we heard gunfire outside, we’d barricade the door, then Sahdev, Nyx, and I would crawl out the window and flee.
“Good grub. Thanks ladies.” Tuck patted his belly and stood. “I’ll go get the cowboy.”
He ambled away from the table, and one by one, the rest of the group followed suit. Once Bear shuffled to the front room, Libby handed him a cold pancake and a mug of coffee, then Ripper, Dwight, and Darryl led Bear outside. Tuck settled down in the living room. He spread a towel on the coffee table and began disassembling and cleaning his gun. With any luck, he’d still be at it when Ripper made his play.
Libby looked pale and her ankles were swollen twice their normal size. Sighing, she stared at the dirty kitchen.
“You look beat. Why don’t you go lie down? Nyx and I can take care of the dishes,” I suggested.
Libby nodded gratefully. “I would like to put my feet up.”
Two down. Maybe our plan would go off without a hitch.
Nyx and I scrambled to quickly clean up after breakfast, rushing so we’d be in place when we heard Ripper’s cue. Just as Nyx dried the last dish and I finished wiping down the counters, Boyd stuck his head into the kitchen.
“Mama and I would like to have a word with you two out on the porch.”
Nyx and I exchanged a glance.
“Could it wait until later?” I asked. “We were up late and were hoping to take a nap before lunch.”
Boyd narrowed his eyes, clearly not accustomed to having his orders questioned. “Now means now.”
We followed Boyd to the porch, where Jerrilyn sat ensconced like a queen in a wicker rocking chair. She folded her hands on her lap and fixed us with her steely gaze.
“Sit down.” She nodded to the porch swing. Nyx and I perched side by side on the cushioned seat. “You two going to be able to keep on making nice with each other?”
“We don’t want any trouble,” Boyd added. “We all need to work together for a common goal. We got no time or patience for cat fights.”
Funny, I would have guessed that cat fights was exactly what Jerrilyn hoped to see.
“Mac and I made our peace,” Nyx assured him.
“Ripper made clear what he wants,” I added. “I thought about it and decided I’d rather share him than give him up.”
“We got high hopes for Ripper.” Boyd leaned against the porch railing. “He’s smart. A skilled soldier. We can’t have him distracted by squabbling females.”
Cat fights. Squabbling females. Boyd needed to pull his head out of his ass. What was this, the 1950s? I swallowed my annoyance. “That won’t happen. I promise.”
“It could work out for the best,” Jerrilyn mused aloud. “Ripper is fit and naturally athletic. Smart, like Boyd said. Good breeding stock. Likely to father strong, healthy children. With him as the father, you two girls could make a real contribution to the white gene pool.”