THE HOPE BROTHERS: The Bad Boys of Sugar Hill Read online

  “That’s true. And you’ve done so much for the community,” she drawled, a mischievous grin spreading across her pretty face. “It’s time you let us give something back in return, don’t you think?”

  “Goddammit, Eva, you are one crazy bitch,” he replied. She laughed delightfully and clapped her hands again. She kissed him on the cheek, and he shook his head before turning back to the women, a sly grin on his face.

  “Let’s give these ladies what they came here for,” he said to them all, as he slowly pulled open the snaps on his pearl-buttoned black western shirt. The room filled with appreciative moans as he shrugged it off, leaving only his hat, jeans and boots on his tall frame.

  “Alright, now, y’all ready?” he asked, his fingers on the button of his tight Wranglers. They all nodded enthusiastically, and Eva, Dixie and Lucy all sank to their knees in front of him.

  He shook his head and smiled, as he unzipped his jeans, exposing the most famous pleasure ride of Sugar Hill county.

  A chorus of ooh’s and ahh’s escaped from the lips of the curious women. Eva looked on proudly, as if she had created the magnificent masterpiece herself.

  Dixie’s hand floated through the air between them, reaching out to touch the twitching temptation.

  “No touching!” Eva said, slapping her hand away. “Terms of each individual private appointment will be negotiated - with me - ahead of time.”

  Lee raised an eyebrow, impressed at her business sense, his head spinning with possibilities that had never crossed his mind before. Possibilities of financial stability, without breaking his back - the one thing that had eluded him for years.

  Hell, they always said find what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life.

  “Get a good look ladies, because you won’t see another specimen this fine in all of Sugar Hill,” Eva stated.

  “You’d know, too,” Dixie said to Eva.

  “Don’t be jealous, Dixie,” Eva retorted.

  “Well, I’d believe this was the best with or without your slutty comparisons,” Dixie replied. “When do I get my appointment?” she asked, her eyes glued to Lee’s throbbing perfection in front of her. She inspected it visually, each curve, every throbbing vein, the perfect skin stretching enticingly, begging to be touched, to be utilized for exactly what it was put on God’s green Earth to do - please women.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Eva said, jumping up, clapping her hands. “That’s all for tonight, ladies. If you want a private session with the exquisitely skilled and endowed Lee Haggard, you’ll have to go through me. Get in touch, be generous, be discrete, and we’ll all be much happier women, I guarantee! Alright, everyone out!”

  Lee took a few steps back and did his best to wrangle his stubborn stallion back into its stall, as the women streamed out of Eva’s bedroom, one by one flashing him a smile and murmuring words of approval as they passed.

  After the last one had left, Eva and Lee stood in the room alone. Eva closed the door and turned to Lee with a triumphant smile.

  “We’re in business!” she exclaimed.

  Lee’s eyes dilated, his body yearning for release.

  “That may be, Eva, but if I don’t do something about this raging stallion between my legs, it’s going to explode into a million pieces and we’re going to be out of business faster than a bull coming out of the chute.”

  Eva’s eyes sparkled. She reached down to the hem of her silk dress, pulled it up and over her yoga enhanced thighs, and threw it on the floor.

  Her nakedness was a stark reminder of the cage that Lee’s monster was aching to escape from.

  “It’s all yours, cowboy,” she drawled, her finger tracing her sex in a seductive offering.

  Lee growled with hunger. Sex was his favorite drug, the one thing that allowed him to escape from his demons, the one delicious ride that made life worth living.

  Within seconds, he was fully naked, except for that ever present black Stetson. He sank into Eva like a man dying of thirst, his hunger coursing through his body like a wildfire that possessed his every thought, his every movement, consuming his soul until he was rocking against her like a bucking bull with only one intention - release.

  When he found it, Eva was right there with him, her hips bucking up into him, the dance, the ritual, the savage hunt for the elusive waves of pleasure was performed as one, until echoes of bliss rang out onto the balcony and into the trees, drifting up into the seductive pull of the bright moon, as they lay panting and spent beside each other.

  Eva laid her head on Lee’s muscular chest, her fingers trailing through the hair on his chest.

  “We’re going to make so much money,” she whispered.

  “I reckon we are,” Lee replied, kissing her forehead.

  They lay there silently staring into space, their heads spinning with ideas and their eyes full of dollar signs.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Crit

  “This town is getting too damned big,” I complained to my brothers, Seth and Jesse, as I maneuvered my truck around a sleek black Mercedes. A Mercedes that was illegally parked in the loading zone near Norma’s diner in downtown Sugar Hill that I normally used to unload Norma’s delivery, that is.

  “I know, and who the hell can afford a car like that? Nobody that lives around these parts, I guarantee,” Seth replied, eyeing the fancy car as we passed by.

  “That’s a fucking SLR McLaren, holy shit! That car cost like a million bucks!” My youngest brother, Jesse, was much more up on current car trends than I was.

  “Well, then you know they’re just passing through. Nobody in this town has ever had that kind of money. Not even old man LaCroix. At least we know they’ll be able to afford the parking ticket when Regina comes by,” I replied. Regina Stewart had been the sole meter maid for our tiny town for as long as I could remember.

  I parked my truck halfway down the block, doing my best to count my blessings, instead of getting frustrated at the inconvenience.

  “We’re gonna have to haul this load down the block,” I said to my two helpers. In addition to our sister, Georgia, I’d be lost without these two.

  We were all that was left of the Hope family. Our parents had died in a car accident a year ago, leaving us forced to quickly pick up the pieces and continue business as usual, or abandon the only hope we had of surviving. It was all we knew, and I would never have been able to do it alone, without the support of my siblings.

  I threw the truck in park, turned off the rumbling engine, and slid out from behind the steering wheel of my pride and joy - my 1978 Ford Lariat pick-up truck. It was black and rugged, and had been in the family since my father, Ward Hope, bought it new - right after he and my mother bought the farm. Every dent and ding had been put there by a member of the Hope family. More than once since the accident, I’d found myself trailing my hands along its curves, appreciating every one of those character giving flaws.

  It was just like each of us - it wasn’t perfect. It had its moments, sometimes it was a little cranky in the morning, but it was loyal and dependable, despite its imperfections.

  Today, it was a work horse. The truck bed was filled to the rim with fresh eggs and produce. After lowering the tailgate, my brothers stood by while I grabbed a box full of lettuce and tomatoes and stacked it on top of another box of potatoes and peppers.

  “Norma needs an extra two dozen eggs today, get them from the back cooler, okay?” I asked Jesse as I strode by him with the boxes. Jesse nodded solemnly, and I smiled at his sincere effort to help out as much as possible these days.

  After our parents died, Jesse slid down a dark spiral of dangerous behavior. So much so, that we had almost lost our farm because of his irrational acting out.

  I hated thinking about how scared I was back then. It was so soon after the accident, and one thing after another kept happening. The fires were overwhelming to me, and as much as I hated to use any excuse for being a loser, I think the stress of everything I was under is what allow
ed that almost fateful bull ride to go down the way it did.

  My ego appreciated having an excuse, but damned if I wouldn’t go back and change everything. My pride wasn’t so easily comforted.

  I was glad it had turned out to be Jesse who was setting those fires, honestly. At least it was someone I knew, something I could understand, something I could fix. Hell, I more than half blamed myself for the fires, too. Jesse was a sensitive kid…well, a man, now, I had to keep reminding myself. But I had neglected him in those first few months, and he had needed my support.

  I guess none of us really knew how to handle our parent’s death. It had effected us all in different ways. Nothing was the same anymore. Nothing would ever be the same again.

  As I walked down the sidewalk, I took a deep breath, once again forcing myself to count my blessings. I had lost a whole hell of a lot. But I still had some important things, too. I wasn’t at my bottom just yet.

  The door to Norma’s was propped open with an old red brick, the same brick that had been propping that door open for the last twenty years. Today, I was even more grateful for it, as I strode in with the two boxes partially blocking my sight.

  I was just setting the boxes down on the corner when I heard a loud voice bellow through the place. I turned my head to see a man yelling at Sammie, Norma’s waitress.

  Sammie had been serving breakfast at Norma’s for the last ten years, and she knew everyone in town. She also knew exactly what they wanted to eat before they even got in the door. Sammie always said she liked doing the breakfast shift, because everyone was always nicer in the morning, before the irritations of life had a chance of stacking up on them all day.

  She said dinner was always the worst, with everyone bitching about how shitty their day was. In addition to that, they’d already spent most of their money and they kept their wallets closed a little tighter at night.

  She made good points, I figured.

  At any rate, Sammie was a sweetheart, never had a bad word to say about anyone, and did her best to rise above the urge to gossip that seemed to befall every other woman in Sugar Hill county.

  That’s why I was a little more than shocked to hear some stranger yelling at her. That just didn’t happen here at Norma’s. We were all family, and if you weren’t, well - we welcomed you with open arms, just the same.

  “These eggs are like rubber!” the man roared, as he pointed violently at his plate with his fork. “What is this garbage you’re serving me? It’s absolute dogshit!”

  Sammie looked at him, baffled at his outburst.

  “Sir, I’m sorry, but to be honest, nobody’s ever asked for soft boiled eggs before. You know? If you’re boiling an egg…it makes it hard, sir.”

  “What the hell? Where did you learn to cook?” His voice was getting louder, and as I approached his table, I took a quick look around the diner. Norma must have been in the back, because I knew she would never stand for someone talking to Sammie like that.

  And I knew Sammie, by the lost look on her face, had no idea how to handle someone talking to her like that.

  Everyone else just sat in their booths trying, for Sammie’s sake, to ignore the guy. As far as being polite goes, I figured it must have gone out the door a long time ago.

  “Sir, I sincerely apologize, I’ll take this back and have the cook try again,” Sammie was saying as I walked up.

  “Forget it! You’re all incompetent, obviously,” he said, standing up and screaming in Sammie’s face.

  “Sir,” I called, as I strode up to them. His shiny grey suit looked expensive and when I glanced down at his shiny black leather shoes, I knew he had to be the asshole who had parked his Mercedes illegally outside. He was slight, but he was tall, as tall as me at least and I’m six-three.

  When he turned to me, he squared up against me as if he was ready to fight.

  “What the fuck do you want? Are you the manager?” he asked, his eyes squinting, sizing me up.

  “Nope. I’m a friend of Sammie’s,” I said, throwing my arm over Sammie’s shoulder casually. She looked up at me questioningly. “Right Sam?”

  “Y-yes…” she stammered.

  “Sir, I don’t know who you are or why you’re so upset, but if you’ll kindly lower your voice, and show a little more respect to the lady, I’d appreciate it.” I tipped my hat at him, and watched silently as he took in my words, his rage growing with each slow second. “I’m sure whatever is wrong with your order can be fixed.”

  “What the hell kind of stereotypical bullshit excuse for a cowboy are you? Did you just step out of a Ford truck commercial?”

  “Sir, I beg your pardon, but —,”

  “— and that hat!” he exclaimed, pointing.

  My blood began to boil at this asshole’s insulting bullshit, and I let a slow smile spread across my face as I let go of Sammie and subtlety pushed her behind me before I geared up to slam my fist into his smug grin.

  “I take it you aren’t from around these parts,” I replied.

  “Hardly,” he scoffed. His birdlike nose was begging for my fist to make contact. I took a step backwards, just as Seth and Jesse appeared at my side.

  “There’s three of you?” he asked, his voice full of sarcasm.

  “What’s going on?” Seth asked, his gaze welded to the jerk in front of us. I felt Jesse puff up next to me quietly.

  “Seems this fella doesn’t know how to properly talk to a woman. I was just letting him know that we do things differently around here. But apparently, he doesn’t know how to talk to anybody at all.”

  “I see,” Seth said, nodding and tensing up.

  Norma walked out from her office, after being summoned by a worried Sammie.

  “What’s going on?” she barked. Norma was a no-bullshit kind of gal, and it was the secret to her success with the diner she had run for the last twenty years.

  “What’s going on is that this is a shit show, and the food is complete garbage!” the stranger yelled at Norma.

  “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, mister,” Norma replied, her voice full of steel and anger.

  “Fuck you!” he snarled.

  “That’s it,” I said, stepping forward. “It’s time to go.”

  “Who the fuck are you? The town’s cowboy security force?”

  “Nope,” Jesse said, standing proudly beside me. “We’re the Hope brothers.”

  “The Hope brothers? Well, fuck you too!” the man spat out.

  “Where are you from, buddy, that you think it’s okay to talk to strangers like that?” I asked, my face inches from his now.

  “I’m from New York City! The only place that really matters in this goddamned backwards ass country!”

  “I see. Why don’t you do us all a favor then, and go back then, Mr. New York City?”

  “I will, soon enough!” He pulled out a twenty and threw it on the counter, squaring off against the three of us again. His eyes connected with mine, and he glared into them.

  “If there wasn’t three of you, I’d kick your ass,” he said, his voice low, his lip turning up in an ugly snarl.

  “Is that so?” I replied cooly. My hands were itching to make contact with his ridiculous face, but I balled them up into fists at my sides. “If you weren’t such a little bitch, I’d kick yours, too. Now, get the fuck out of here before I change my mind and string your sorry ass up and give you a real taste of Sugar Hill county.”

  “Wait!” Jesse said, gesturing to the cash lying on the table. “Leave another twenty for being such a prick. Sammie doesn’t get paid enough to put up with assholes like you.”

  We stood menacingly in front of him until he pulled out his wallet and peeled another twenty from a thick bundle of bills. He scoffed again, shook his head and threw it on the table.

  “Fuck this town!” he yelled, flipping us all off as he walked out of the diner. He was still flipping us off as he sped down the street, his New York plates only serving to prominently display exactly how out of place a man like
that was in Sugar Hill county.

  “Wow,” Sammie exclaimed, now safely behind the counter. “For such a handsome guy, he sure was nasty, wasn’t he?”

  “A man like that won’t last long in Sugar Hill,” Norma said.

  “No, I reckon he won’t,” Sammie replied. “Thank you, boys.”

  “It was only right we defend your honor, Ms. Sammie,” I said, tipping my hat.

  “You’re a good man, Crit,” Norma said, “all three of y’all are. Your Mama and Daddy raised y’all right.”

  “Well, that’s about the biggest compliment you could give us, Ms. Norma,” I replied with a smile.

  “Don’t get too full of yourself now, son. If you didn’t bring me those extra eggs I asked for, I’m going to take it all back.”

  I shook my head and put my arm around Norma. She had been one of my mother’s best friends and I had nothing but fondness for her.

  “You know I wouldn’t dare forget your eggs, Ms. Norma.”

  “That’s my boy!” she said, hugging me and then padding away to the back with one of the boxes we had left on the counter.

  My cell phone rang just as we walked out of the front door. I was sure it was probably Ruby, but I didn’t want to answer it in front of my brothers. They looked at me insistently, so I pulled the phone from my pocket.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Crit, it’s Barnard Johnson.”

  “Hello, Mr. Johnson,” I replied. Barnard Johnson was my father’s lawyer. Now, he was mine. He handled everything that had to do with our land and my parent’s estate. All that stuff that I had yet to truly deal with. I had been overwhelmed with grief, drama and injuries for the last year. Luckily, Mr. Johnson had offered to take care of everything until I was ready. I had eagerly accepted, instead concentrating my time and energy on the day to day running of the farm, making sure Jesse went to all of his community service appointments and therapy, keeping food on the table, and all the while healing from being mangled by that damned bull.

  “Something’s come up, Crit,” Barnard replied. “I was hoping you could come into my office tomorrow.”

  “What is it?” I asked.