The Blacker the Berry Read Free Page B

Tamara. With her hand on her hip, she turned around and faced Ty. “Did you know about this?”
    The huge man, who easily dwarfed both women, raised his hands in mock surrender and took a step back. “Who me?”
    “Yes, you.” Charlotte waddled over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank you, you big lug.”
    Ty smiled and pulled her tighter into him. “Welcome, baby. Happy?”
    “Words cannot express.”
    “Can I express something, please?”
    Tamara turned from the happy couple to glance behind her at Russell, who had her suitcase in one hand and a smaller black bag in the other. “Move. This shit is heavy.”
    “Ohh. Sorry.” Tamara scrambled out of the way, so he could climb the steps. She wasn’t the only one. Ty and Charlotte backed into the house, allowing him room to come in.
    “Get in here, girl.”
    She complied, bringing up the rear, which wasn’t a bad thing at all. It afforded her the opportunity to get a glimpse of cowboy ass. Nice.
    “How long are you staying?” Charlotte asked, staring down at the two bags.
    “I’m just staying for the weekend,” she said as she eyed the black bag. “Only the gray belongs to me. I’m not sure who the black one belongs to.”
    “That’s mine,” Russell said. “I’m checking into the Dollar this weekend as well. Actually, I stay here most weekends while my house is being gutted.”
    “Oh.” Talk about a nice surprise. “Interesting.” Very. And she’d be pumping Charlotte for information about that later.
    “If you’re only staying for the weekend, what’s with the large bag?”
    Tamara turned back to Charlotte and grinned. “Presents.”
    “Presents.” Charlotte’s eyes lit up. “For me or the baby?”
    “I don’t know that little intruder yet. They’re all for you.”
    “Yay!” Charlotte let out a childlike squeal. “Give ’em to me.”
    “No, later.” Tamara lowered her voice to a mock whisper. “When the stinky boys aren’t around.”
    “Oh, that’s easy.” Charlotte glanced up at her husband and batted her eyes. “Honey, poof. Be gone.”
    “Look at the thanks I get,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “But don’t think I’m not going to make you pay for that little comment later.”
    “I’m counting on it.” He dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head, before releasing her. He grabbed a well-worn black cowboy hat off the hall table and slapped it onto his head, covering his brown locks in the process. “Come on, Russ, grab the bags. Tamara’s to the living room and yours to your room.”
    “Great, so now I’m a butler as well as the driver.” He sent Tamara a wink. “I get no respect around here.”
    “You’re a lawyer,” Ty said. “You should be used to it.”
    “Good point.” Russell bent down and picked up the bags. “Ladies.”
    After dropping the gray suitcase into the large room, the men headed back out, shutting the door behind them. Tamara considered the room the epitome of country living. It was casual and not overly pretentious, even though everything in the room was of the highest quality. The walls were a medium brown earthy tone, garnished with photos that went back several generations, Charlotte’s now included. The focal area was a large stone fireplace that took up most of one wall. All furniture was arranged around it, giving the room an even homier appeal. From what Tamara recalled, the taupe couches were extremely comfortable, something that Charlotte immediately decided to take advantage of.
    “I’ve got to sit down. My feet are swelling so bad, I can’t stand for more than a few minutes. Of course, I can’t actually see my feet, which might actually be a good thing, because if I could see how bad they’ve gotten, I might just start to cry all over again.”
    “I’m just letting you know, if you keep that up, I’m out of here. You know I’m a sympathy crier.”
    “I totally forgot about that.” Charlotte’s laughter bubbled forth. “What a sight we’d