Page 19 of Promise Me a Forever Texas Love

Huck might not remember his daddy, but his brain was filled with memories of Jaxon. Coming into his room every night to ask how his day had gone and making sure he’d done his homework. Sticking up for him when a teacher had accused him of stealing another kid’s lunch money. Buying him the sneakers he wanted, even though Mama had said he didn’t need them. Jaxon had been more of a parent than his parents. Which explained why Huck so badly wanted his approval.

Unfortunately, everything Huck did, he seemed to fuck up. He hadn’t been a good student because he talked too much in class. He hadn’t been a good athlete because he was a quitter. He’d never helped around the house because he was too busy coming up with get rich schemes that never panned out.

And one such scheme had almost sent Jaxon to jail.

Huck would never forgive himself for that.

Even now, as he met his brother’s hazel eyes, guilt washed over him as the memory of his worst fuck-up played out in his mind.

After quitting the freshman football team, he hadn’t wanted to go home and see the disappointment in Jaxon’s eyes, so he’d gone down to the river where he’d stripped down to his underwear and floated around on his football shoulder pads until long after the sun went down.

It was his grumbling stomach that forced him to go home. On the way, he passed behind Mickey’s Gas Station and noticed that the back door was cracked open. Since Mickey usually hung out in the garage after hours playing poker or dominos with his buddies, he didn’t think much of it.

Until he noticed that there were no cars in the back lot.

When he opened the door and looked inside, no one was around . . . and a cash bag like his mama used to carry money to the bank sat on the counter next to the cash register.

If Huck hadn’t just been reading up on how people had made a fortune in Bitcoin, he would have pulled the door closed and gone about his business. But he had just read those articles and visions of owning a ranch like the Stocktons’ and a brand new half-ton pickup danced through his head.

He never planned to steal the money. Just borrow it until he struck it rich and could pay Mickey back with plenty of interest.

Unfortunately, before he could make his fortune in Bitcoin, Jaxon had been arrested for the crime when the sheriff saw his truck leaving the gas station. As fate would have it, Dawson had borrowed Jaxon’s truck, gotten drunk, and set fire to the tires behind Mickey’s only minutes after Huck had been there.

Of course, Jaxon had taken the blame. He’d always taken the blame for his siblings.

Huck had been fast asleep when the sheriff took him away. In the morning, when he’d found out, he’d taken the money back, leaving it in a duffel by the back door. But Jaxon had still spent a night in jail for something Huck had done. He’d still had to deal with the townsfolk believing he was the one who had robbed the gas station.

Huck planned on confessing, but then Jaxon had left town. And now, that Jaxon was finally so happy, Huck figured it was best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Or lying brothers continue to lie.

“Mornin’, Jax,” he said with a smile he didn’t feel. “What brings you to the Hennessy mansion?”

Jaxon glanced at the pile of dirty dishes in the sink and then at the empty takeout containers and cans Huck and Poppy still clutched in their arms. “What the hell has been going on here?”

As always Poppy took the offensive. “And just what do you expect when you have me and Huck working like slaves at Honky Tonk Heaven? We barely have enough time to take a pee, let alone clean house.” She tried to shove the takeout containers into the overfilled trashcan but then gave up with an annoyed huff and just left them leaning precariously on the top. “So don’t you come over here acting all holier than thou when we’re working our butts off for you. If you don’t like the way we keep house, maybe Huck and I will just be on our way.”

Huck wasn’t surprised Jaxon backed off. He’d made it clear he wanted all his siblings to stay in Promise Springs. At one time, Huck had considered it. But that was before he found out about Camden. Now he couldn’t stay. Not if he wanted to ever eat and sleep again.

“You’re right, Pops,” Jaxon said. “I have been working you and Huck too much. And I’m in the process of fixing that. I hired two new servers who start next week.”

“Well, I hope they’re more dependable than the last ones who quit after only a few days,” Poppy huffed.

Jaxon raised his eyebrows but didn’t mention Poppy’s fiery temper was responsible for the two women quitting. Huck wasn’t so nice.

“Because you called them incompetent idiots, Pops.”

Poppy shrugged. “It’s not my fault if people can’t take a little helpful criticism.” She flopped down on the barstool. “Now are you going to make me and Huck breakfast or not, Jax? We’re starving.”

Even though they didn’t have much in the way of groceries, Jaxon somehow found enough ingredients to make blueberry pancakes. Just like everything Jaxon made, they were delicious. It was too bad Huck wasn’t hungry. He ended up slyly feeding most of his pancakes to Wilbur.

Or not so slyly.

“I don’t think pancakes and blueberries are good for dogs,” Jaxon said.

Wilbur licked his chops as if to disagree while Huck shrugged. “Sorry. They were good, Jax. I’m just not very hungry.”

Jaxon studied him for a long moment before he picked up Huck’s plate and took it to the sink. While Huck and Poppy had been eating, he’d cleaned up the entire kitchen. He’d had plenty of practice cleaning up his siblings’ messes over the years.