I Wonder If I Care as Much

Chapter Fourteen

It wasn't easy getting Hannah out of the house. Travis once again answered the door, frowning when he saw the two smaller men standing outside. Both had cigarettes, and boots on for the rain, despite its cease the evening before. The sun was out, a slight wind picking up. Neither brother was thrilled to see the man, but Malcolm smiled anyway. "Travis," he greeted.

"Malcolm," Travis answered. "Angus."

"Travis," Angus said. The three of them stood there in an awkward silence. Malcolm cleared his throat.

"Hannah there?"

"Writing for the local newspaper inside," Travis sneered and straightened his shoulders. "She's getting paid a real wad, just for some article."

"Would she be willing to take a break today?" Malcolm asked.

"Is this why you came back with us?" The wooden frame supported his weight as he leaned against it, hands in his pockets. "To conjure up little playdates every day?"

"You just can't get rid of us, can you, Travis?" Angus finally grinned. Rolling his eyes, the tall man called Hannah down and she was there in a minute. Her sweater was covered by a smock splattered in paint, a pencil behind her ear. Angus felt the pull on his heart. He didn't mind it this time.

"Your little friends are here," Travis announced. "And since neither one have a paper or a tennis ball in their mouths I assume they're here to see you." He laughed at his own joke while Angus grabbed Hannah's hand and pulled her aside.

They stood on the porch steps with Malcolm joining them, the man taking a few drags. Hannah's warm smile turned into a warmer hug, Angus eager to return it. "The paint is dry," Hannah said into his shoulder. "It's been that way for years."

"I think you look lovely," he said. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he might have meant to say it looked lovely, the smock in all its rainbow glory. But he didn't bother to correct himself. He didn't want to. They separated and Angus looked down at himself. "Don't mind a bit of paint anyway," he said. "if it's colorful."

"Malcolm!" Hannah turned around and made her way into his arms. He accepted her after taking the cigarette from his mouth into one hand and holding it away from her. "Glad you could come," she said.

"Wouldn't miss you for a tank of beer," he answered. "Would have brought one with me but Angus couldn't carry it." Angus sighed while the other two laughed at him.

"Don't you have a cigarette to puff?" Angus asked as the two pulled apart. Malcolm ruffled her hair and took a step back.

"Be glad to." His cigarette was placed back in his mouth when Travis cleared his throat at an almost concerning volume. "Are we, uh...interrupting somethin'?"

"Nothing of mine no, just figured Hannah would want to get back to work on her writing."

"I can take a break, Travis, and I'm perfectly fine with it," Hannah said turning to face him. Something in her attitude toward him darkened since Angus saw her for the first time at her new place. She didn't smile at him like she used to. Angus was ready to take her away from the house for good if his emotionally hurtful vocabulary had anything to do with it. He wouldn't dare take Hannah away from her work space however, if she couldn't bear to leave it behind. Not with that ring still clinging to her finger anyway. "The paper gave me a week to finish it, one day won't set me back."

Travis sighed and raised his hands. "If they don't like the effort you're not putting in to it, don't blame it on me," he said stepping away from the door to allow her access.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she mumbled entering the house. A second later she turned around. "Let me get changed, yeah?"

"Take your time," Malcolm answered before Angus could. She let the door hang open behind her while Travis moved to stand in front of it. It bothered Angus that he wore his shirt with the top button undone. It shouldn't have, but it did. It bothered him that his nice shoes were a light brown showing off all the mud he had acquired the day before. He'd have made a comment had the man himself not been standing there. He practically sucked on his cigarette as Malcolm broke the quiet. "So, have any plans yourself today, Travis?"