Willow's Chaos Read online

  A few minutes later, a shot glass of Patron Silver and a beer appeared in front of him. He threw back the tequila and chugged on his cold Modello.

  “So, Brad, how come you don’t have one of those fancy name tags I noticed everyone else wearing?”

  Brad gave a smug huff and answered. “Because I don’t like fancy, and I own this joint. I’m a no-frills kind of guy, but I know I have to cater to my employees and customers.”

  “Excellent answer. It’s important to know the people who work for you and who you work for. My name’s Chaos.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a business card. “If you ever need our help, just give me a call. This is a fantastic place, and I will come back.”

  He swiveled his bar stool around toward the dance floor, placing one boot on the floor and the other hooked on the metal ring at the bottom of the stool. His sexy green eyes scanned over the non-dancing crowd until he spied a long dark-haired beauty swaying her hips to the rhythm of #County by Tucker. Chaos’ body emitted all kinds of invitations for sex when he moved his hips, thighs, and boots over to her, wanting to dance.

  Her face warmed in a blush, and her eyes answered yes to his silent question as she moved next to him in the line dance. As much as he could while dancing, he studied her face, hair, but mostly how she moved in her jeans and boots. She could damn sure dance in a way that expressed her confidence and love of life.

  They spent a good hour on the hardwood floor, moving their feet to the music before Chaos suggested they find a booth and have a drink. With his hand at the small of her back, he escorted her to an enclosed booth at the very back of the building. No sooner had they sat down, a cute waitress was there, ready to take a drink order. The dark-haired beauty ordered a beer, and Chaos ordered a sweet iced tea.

  “You don’t drink?” she asked.

  “I’ve had my limit tonight. I had a shot and a beer when I first came in, but I’m driving home tonight. By the way, my name is Chaos. Will you tell me yours?”

  “Willow—my parents named me Willow.” When she smiled into his face, he saw a pair of brilliant blue eyes.

  “Wow. Your eyes are knockouts. I don’t think I’ve ever seen blue eyes with dark hair as dark as yours. You’re stunning.”

  Her face blushed bright red this time. “Thank you. You’re probably thinking contacts, but blue is my natural color. My sister’s eyes are brown. I got lucky,” she laughed.

  “Well, they’re beautiful. I’m guessing you live in Round Rock. Am I wrong?”

  “Aw, shucks, Chaos, you’re dead wrong. I’m from Austin—born and raised. My parents raise racehorses and have a ranch outside the Austin city limits. They eventually hope to breed a triple crown winner.”

  “And what do you do on their ranch to pass the time?” he asked, giving her a wink.

  Willow’s head fell back against the wall as she laughed out loud. “Oh, trust me, I had a lot of things that kept me busy. I shoveled the stalls, brushed and groomed the horses, fed and exercised them, and rolled up a few bales of hay. My favorite was winning ribbons barrel racing.” Her face had a smug look.

  Chaos’ eyebrows arched over his huge green eyes, smiling at the beautiful filly across from him. He loved a woman who wasn’t afraid to put him in his place if he wasn’t expected to stay there long.

  “I’m impressed, sugar. You certainly have me in my place. I never barrel raced in my time on the ranch. I tend to be at the geek end of things, I’m afraid.” He winked at her again.

  “What is it you do, Chaos? And if you don’t mind me asking, where did that name come from?”

  “Let’s see, first question—I co-own and manage an investigative service out of Austin with my family. Most of the time, I’m on the computer end of things, searching and hacking my way through Cyberspace to right the wrongs done to people who ask for our help. I write an occasional program here and there.” He continued to explain the origin of his nickname, giving her the details behind his tattoos. He’d noticed her eyes kept focusing on his neck and hands.

  His body warmed when her blue eyes lit up at some of the things he shared with her. When he finished his explanation, he proceeded to explain his brothers’ nicknames. Chaos saved Howler’s name for last, and her laughter went straight to his dick. It hit him straight in his libido like an old song brings back memories of a summer night on a blanket behind the barn. He hadn’t thought about that night in years. Her blue eyes twinkled at him through the tears of her laughter after she caught her breath.

  “So, what about you, Willow? What’s your story? I’ve been doing all the talking for a while. Now, it’s your turn.”

  “There really isn’t much to tell. I grew up on my parents’ ranch with my younger sister. We both barrel raced, but she also showed her horse. She was good at it and Midnight was a natural born winner. There’s an entire wall in the game room covered with trophies, ribbons, and pictures of her and her horse. Nova is three years younger than me, but sometimes, she seems ten years older. She has a lot of our Nana in her.”

  “Her name is Nova—not a nickname?”

  “Nope—not a nickname. My parents named her Nova Renee Maxy. They were stargazing the night she was conceived, so they named her Nova. I personally think my parents were drunk. I’d hate to think what they were doing when they named me—Willow Marie Maxy.”

  It was Chaos’ turn to throw his head back and laugh. He liked this woman, and if he worked it right, he’d be seeing her again. She explained to him she was a certified public accountant and took care of the books for her parents’ ranch as well as a couple of their friends’ ranches. Numbers and finding ways to save people money made her feel needed and accomplished.

  Two more hours flew by as they shared more of their family stories of life on the ranch. Willow’s stomach growled, and of course, Chaos heard it. He ordered two sodas and an appetizer of nachos which they shared, changing the discussion to their jobs.

  She seemed impressed he ran an investigative service and basically began asking him what types of jobs they were hired for. He noticed once again her eyes were focused on his tatts. It was a subject he didn’t discuss readily outside of the business and family.

  Sure enough, staring at his right hand, she investigated his face, ready to ask her question. “That’s a beautiful tiger—what’s its significance?”

  His eyes moved to his left arm where his wristwatch was strapped on. He’d planned this move the moment he guessed she was full of questions about the art on his body. Having just met her, he wasn’t heading into that discussion.

  “Can you believe what time it is? I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow, so I need to get out of here and head for home. I can’t believe how much time passed, but it has to be the fault of the beautiful lady across from me.”

  Willow was digging in her purse, and he guessed it was for her keys. Finally, she looked up and gave him a huge smile. Chaos felt a twitch in his crotch, and he hated like hell to leave her company.

  “Can I walk you to your car?”

  “I would like that. Thank you.” She twisted her body around to scoot out of the booth and stand.

  Chaos was right beside her, his hand on her elbow, escorting her down the side of the dance floor to the exit. He gave the bartender/owner a wave as they walked out.

  “You know, Willow, I’d like to see you again if you’re agreeable, but I have to let you know it may be several weeks because I’m working on a big job one of my brothers is heading up. Most of my free time will be tied up doing research for him. I said that, so you’d know I wasn’t feeding you a line of bull. I’m serious about wanting to see you again.”

  “I would like to see you again too. Let me see your phone, and I’ll type my phone number in, so you’ll have it if that’s ok.” She reached for his phone as he pulled it out of his back pocket. He watched her put the numbers in, then smiled.

  He reached into his other pocket, pulling out his billfold and taking out a business card. “Let me give you one of the
se. It’s my business card. That way you’ll have my phone numbers—office and home.”

  She took the card, dropping it into her purse, walked over to a black Mustang and hit the key fob, unlocking the doors. “Oh, I am so damn jealous, Willow. You have a Shelby Mustang—dang, girl, I’m having a craving. You drive safely, sugar, and I’ll be talking to you.”

  2

  Chaos stepped off the elevator, heading straight for Maggie’s desk. Her head was down, looking as if she was studying an important document and didn’t notice he’d walked in. He knew better. She was waiting to blow his socks off, he just knew it. Standing in front of her desk, he grew tired and sang the first word to his favorite morning song when she looked up into his green eyes with a huge smile on her face.

  “There you are—good morning, Maggie. I love your smile, beautiful. Did you book the jet to take me to Antlers tomorrow? The wedding is in two days, and I need to be there early.”

  “Yes, sir. You’re all set to fly out of Austin airport at eleven tomorrow morning. Howler will pick you up in Antlers and drive you out to the ranch. You’re scheduled to fly back to Austin two days after the wedding. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  “No, sugar, I think that will do it for me. Any appointments I need to see today?”

  “No, it’s all you this morning.”

  Chaos strolled into his office and spent the rest of his time searching on all three computers for Creeper and his task. So far, he’d come up with very little information for him, making his frustration level max out. Creeper was always okay when it happened because he had his own searches fall flat. Sometimes these jobs took more time than others.

  By one-thirty, he’d straightened his desk and shut down all three computers. Maggie walked in with a wrapped gift just as he rose from his chair.

  “Maggie, my love, you shouldn’t have.”

  “Surprise, I didn’t. Will you take this gift with you and give to Sadie and Howler? It’s got a card attached so you can’t claim it as your own. Did you get them anything, by the way?” She stood watching him with a grin spread across her face.

  “I’ll have you know, Ms. Smarty Pants, I did. Creeper, Mac, and I went in together to pay for their honeymoon. We’re sending them on an Alaskan cruise.”

  “That’s Mrs. Smarty Pants to you. Very nice gift, boss man. You have great taste. Now, you need to get out of here and pack before I put you back to work. Safe travels—give Howler my love and a big hug to Sadie.”

  Chaos kissed Maggie on the forehead as he hugged her, then walked into the elevator up to his penthouse. He changed into his Wranglers and slipped a Luke Bryan t-shirt over his head. He rummaged through the closet until he found his hard-sided duffle bag and started stuffing clothes and toiletries into it. He had no idea how much he would need because he didn’t know how many days he’d stay on the ranch.

  Truthfully, he wasn’t sure how the wedding would turn out, so he questioned how many days he’d spend. His family would all be together, but he questioned how the interaction between everyone would go—especially the tribe.

  Lord, how many are in her tribe, and are they all going to be there?

  He shook his head, concentrating on packing enough to last until Sunday. If he needed to leave earlier, he’d have Mac arrange it for him. When he was finished, the duffle looked pregnant. His stomach growled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten lunch.

  Maggie usually ordered in for the two of them, and they’d eat together in the conference room. Even if he was doing a ‘girlie’ thing, he would still consider Maggie to be a BFF. They’d become very close since he spent most of his days in the office researching for the brothers. On several occasions, Maggie and her husband had Chaos over for Thanksgiving when he didn’t spend it with his parents.

  They were good people.

  Forty minutes later, the front desk called to inform him his pizza had arrived. He’d ordered it online when his stomach first sounded. One thing he never did was act like he was too good to retrieve his own takeout food. Instead of making whoever manned the desk bring it to him, Chaos went down to the first floor to pick it up himself. He’d pay the front desk person back and usually offer a piece of pizza to them.

  Back in the living room of the penthouse suites, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and plopped onto the couch. He sat in front of the big screen TV, put on a rerun of NCIS and watched it while he ate his pizza and salad. After eating the entire thing, he felt guilty. He hadn’t lifted weights yesterday or today. He needed to get back in his routine.

  Chaos decided to go to bed now since it was nine p.m. and get up early to exercise. Maggie arranged an eleven o’clock take off for the family jet. He had plenty of time to lift a few and run before a shower, then leave.

  Maggie called early to wake him up the next morning. A few hours later, he stood in front of his window, sipping coffee, and spying on the skyline of Austin. He loved this town—such incredible beauty and scads of things to do. His phone buzzed again with a message this time. His limo was out front, waiting to take him to the airport. Looking at his watch, he noted it was ten o’clock and made his way into his bedroom, setting his cup on the dresser, and gathered his bag and Maggie’s gift.

  On the way down in the elevator, he chuckled to himself. “A limo? Good God, Maggie, you always pull stuff to keep me on my toes.” He arrived at the airport with enough time to load and situate his luggage and himself. The pilot was already on board when he loaded. He stopped and spoke to him. The man had flown for the family for several years for the business and vacations. The jet had seats to hold the entire family and a couple extra. This time, he had the whole plane to himself.

  Chaos was strapped in, waiting for the plane to taxi out to one of the strips. He enjoyed staring out the side windows to watch the ground going by when they took off. Mac and Creeper would arrive the day after Chaos. Sadie’s brothers and their families would be there the next day.

  When he spoke to Howler on the phone, he was surprised when Howler asked him to be his best man. He thought it was funny because Chaos tended to get on Howler’s last nerve. Sadie’s middle sister-in-law would be her matron of honor. There wouldn’t be a traditional wedding dress—or as Ben called it, ‘Paleface clothing.’ It would be a traditional Choctaw wedding, so he wouldn’t be required to haul his tux with him. That was all Howler would tell him over the phone.

  The pilot’s voice came over the intercom, letting him know they were going to approach the strip to take off. Only one other private plane was in line ahead of them, so it wouldn’t be long. Once in the air and on the way to Oklahoma, Chaos got out of his seat and grabbed a beer from the well-stocked fridge. Normally, he didn’t drink this early in the day, but this morning he was moody—about the wedding and his life. His addiction was kicking in.

  His mind was playing several scenarios how the wedding would turn out. Would the families get along, would Sadie and Howler go through with it, or would the tribe forbid a white man in their midst. Then his thoughts centered on the fact no matter how much he surrounded himself with work and noisy living, he was lonely. Staring at forty years of age, he felt hollow.

  Most of his friends were occasional friends—his own fault, he knew. They had partners and children enriching their lives no matter how crazy life got. He discovered watching them made his heart ache. Chaos wanted someone to share his bed and his life on a more permanent basis.

  He wasn’t sure marriage was the answer, but he knew love was. He was missing love, and it hurt like fuck. Now, Howler had found his happily ever after, and Sadie completed him. She brought everything that was missing into his life. It was true, he’d made working from the ranch in the family business work. He took the last swig of his beer and sighed. He wanted that.

  An hour later, the jet landed at Antler Municipal Airport, and Chaos disembarked the plane with his luggage, looking into the smiling face of his big brother, Howler. The big guy pulled him into a manly hug, slapping him on the back.
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  “Hey, bro, how are you? Did you have a good flight?”

  Howler always was an outgoing, happy person, but Chaos picked up on how more at ease he was. His face lit up when Chaos had stepped out of the door of the jet.

  “Man, I’m good. Wow, brother, you look great. Getting married agrees with you.”

  “It does, Chaos. I’ve never been happier. Throw your duffle in the back of my truck. That gift will fit up front with us. I’ve got a ton to tell you on the way.”

  “This is from Maggie, she sends her love. She’s sorry she couldn’t come, but her husband had made other plans,” Chaos explained. He strolled to the passenger side of the truck, climbing into the cab. Chaos stared at his brother as he started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot onto the highway toward the ranch.

  “You really do look good, Howler. It’s still hard to think we almost lost you when you got shot. I don’t think there’s a tattoo to help me deal with that.”

  “I know, Chaos—I love you, too. Now, let me tell you what’s happening. I told you Sadie wanted a traditional Native American wedding, and I’m giving her that. The only things you need to know ahead of time is just what I shared on the phone. You, Creeper, Mac, and Mom and Dad will be staying in the new bunkhouse. You’ve seen it—it’s comfortable and modern. We aren’t wearing tuxes. The men will be in black pants and traditional Choctaw shirts. I have one for you already. The leader of the Choctaw council will be acting as a priest in the ceremony and will be in traditional buckskins as will Ben. Sadie has her mother’s wedding dress which I haven’t seen yet.”

  Howler went on the explain the ceremony would be held outdoors with chairs placed in rows within a circle with an aisle down the middle. Chaos had trouble picturing it in his mind how it would all work, but at least hearing it ahead of time would help. He sat back in the seat once Howler had finished and listened to the music playing on the stereo.

  It’s going to be different, that’s for sure.