eyes. Brawley rolled over, taking his pillow with him. Damn. Heâd forgotten to close the shades.
Thereâd been some interesting goings-on in the driveway late last night. But he wouldnât think about that. Not yet.
Maggie would skin him alive if she found out about it and knew he knew but hadnât told her. The old rock and a hard place. He rubbed a hand over his chin. He should shave, but hell with it. He wasnât going into work, so why bother?
With every move, his muscles grumbled and groused, reminding him it had been way too long since heâd indulged in any real physical labor. The punching bag and weights in his fancy Dallas gym kept him in decent shape, but they sure as hell hadnât prepared him for hours wielding that sledgehammer.
By the time theyâd destroyed and cleaned up last night, the kids had crashed. Jesseâd curled up on the reception room sofa and fallen fast asleep. Jonah had chosen the armchair next to him. Theyâd finally found Josh flat on his back behind the reception counter. All three still wore their swim goggles.
What amazed Brawley was that they hadnât so much as stirred when Ty removed the goggles or when the men hefted them up, carried them to the van, and strapped them in. Ty said theyâd sleep all the way home, and heâd toss them into their beds, grubby clothes and all. Brawley wondered what Sophie had to say about that.
All in all, it had been an interesting evening.
His mind turned to Maggie. Last night in Dottieâs garden, in the dark, heâd hoped. For what? Forgiveness? A turning back of the clock? It wasnât gonna happen. And that was about the most depressing thought heâd ever had.
Heâd wanted her. Right here in his bed. Had, instead, stood and watched her drive away to her own.
And speaking of beds. Thank God, this would be his last night in this one. Way too soft. His own should arrive tomorrow. Before that happened, though, he had a lot to accomplish today.
Tossing the pillow aside, he squinted at the little jewel-box alarm clock. Another of Annieâs treasures. Why neither she nor Sophie had taken it with them he didnât know. Today, though, it would be out of here, along with the rest of the fluff.
He groaned as he rolled over again. The next few hours were going to be busy. Time he crawled out of bed, got dressed, and threw on a pot of coffee. Cash should be here soon to help him haul away this stuff. Both Annie and Sophie had already assured him there wasnât anything here they needed or wanted.
He and Cash would toss everything in a neighborâs storage shed for now. Later, he hoped to hold a town-wide yard sale. One of the most appalling things about Maverick Junction was their lack of a humane society. Heâd use the leftovers here to kick-start the fund-raiser.
Maybe he could talk Sophie into spearheading it. When sheâd come into the clinic last fall, dragging an unkempt stray cat with her, the options had been limited. At the mere mention of euthanasia, sheâd decided to keep Lilybelle. And because of that bedraggled animal, he and Ty had stopped by in time to beat the bloody hell out of the bastard whoâd been stalking Sophie.
A knock at the door snapped him out of those unpleasant thoughts, and he unfisted his hands. âDoorâs open.â
Cash walked in, sniffing the air. âThat coffee I smell?â
âSure is. Those donuts I smell?â
âSure are.â Cash grinned and set the bag of fresh-baked donuts on the table. âStopped by Sadlerâs. Figured if you were gonna work me like a mule today, I needed my sugar fix first.â
âAmen to that.â He squinted at his friend. âAnnie didnât fix a big farmhouse breakfast for you?â
Cash snorted. âYou kidding? When I got up, she threw me a sleepy smile, pulled the covers over her head, and mumbled something about me having a good time with you