The Bully: Calamity Montana - Book 4 Read online

  THE BULLY

  Copyright © 2021 by Devney Perry LLC

  All rights reserved.

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  ISBN: 978-1-950692-69-9

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  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations in a book review.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

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  Editing & Proofreading:

  Marion Archer, Making Manuscripts

  www.makingmanuscripts.com

  Julie Deaton, Deaton Author Services

  www.facebook.com/jdproofs

  Karen Lawson, The Proof is in the Reading

  Judy Zweifel, Judy’s Proofreading

  www.judysproofreading.com

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  Cover:

  Sarah Hansen © Okay Creations

  www.okaycreations.com

  OTHER TITLES

  Calamity Montana Series

  The Bribe

  The Bluff

  The Brazen

  The Bully

  The Brawl

  Holiday Brothers Series

  The Naughty, The Nice and The Nanny

  Three Bells, Two Bows and One Brother’s Best Friend

  A Partridge and a Pregnancy

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

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  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  -

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  -

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  -

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

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  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  -

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  -

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  -

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  -

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  The Brawl

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  PROLOGUE

  CAL

  The new guy on SportsCenter was annoying as fuck.

  I grumbled at the screen, the remote clutched in my hand, as he attempted to crack jokes with the other announcer. “Can we just get to the leading story?” Me.

  My retirement had been breaking news today, but for the most part, I’d avoided the media. Maybe because I still wasn’t sure if I’d made the right decision. Maybe because if I didn’t hear it reported on ESPN, then it wasn’t real.

  “All right, let’s get to the news.” The camera zeroed in on the new guy and in the upper left corner of the screen, there was my face. “Cal Stark is leaving the NFL as a champion. Big announcement today from the Titans. Three weeks after winning his second Super Bowl with the franchise, the star quarterback announced his retirement, ending his ten-year career with Tennessee.”

  The camera swung to the other announcer. “Stark has made quite the reputation for himself in the past decade, not only on the field but often with his, uh . . . colorful sideline and post-game antics.”

  The new guy snickered when the screen cut his way again. “Colorful is one way to put it.”

  Dickhead.

  The other announcer came on screen again and started reciting my stats, but the numbers—passing yards, touchdowns throws, sack percentage—faded to a murmur behind the rush of blood in my ears.

  Retired.

  I was retired.

  I’d quit a winner before injury or age could taint my career. But without football, what the hell was I going to do with my life?

  No idea. But I wasn’t staying in Nashville, and I wasn’t moving home to Denver either.

  My phone rang on the coffee table. The damn thing had been ringing all day since my announcement had hit the wire. I’d declined a dozen calls from my agent. Five from my manager. Two from my mother. And a handful from reporters.

  Pierce’s name flashed on the screen.

  I didn’t want to talk to anyone but I’d make an exception for my friend. “Hey.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “Truth?” My voice cracked. “Not great.”

  “Give it time to sink in.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “What’s new with you? How are Kerrigan and Elias?”

  “Everyone’s great. Kerr had a checkup today. She’s healthy. The baby’s healthy. Elias is ready to be a big brother.”

  “Good. That’s good. I’m excited for you guys.”

  “Have you given any thought to Calamity?” Since Pierce had moved to Montana, he’d been pushing for me to consider his small town after my retirement.

  So far, I’d resisted because the retirement concept hadn’t been real, just an idea shared with him and only him. Pierce had been my best friend since high school, and I’d told him about retiring before I’d told my agent and my manager. But as of today, the entire world knew I was done with football.

  Retired.

  But retirement in Calamity? Sure, it would be great to be closer to Pierce. His family was my family. I’d walk through fire for him and take a bullet for his kid. And today, when my entire world had turned upside down, he was the friend—my only friend—who’d called.

  Maybe Calamity was the obvious choice, except unlike me, Pierce had other friends. And he’d already convinced her to move there.

  Nellie.

  The woman who lived to toss those colorful antics in my face as retribution for the wrongs I’d done as a teenaged bully. She’d be moving in the spring to work at Pierce’s new office. Living that close to Nellie was destined for disaster. But where else was I going to go?

  “I’ll think about it,” I said.

  Calamity, Montana.

  Could it be my next play?

  I didn’t hate the idea.

  CHAPTER ONE

  CAL

  “Welcome home.” Pierce parked in a space on First Street and clapped me on the shoulder.

  “Thanks.” I grinned and hopped out of his SUV, breathing in the clean Montana air.

  The sidewalks were teeming with tourists out exploring and shopping. Red, white and blue flags decorated storefronts and lampposts for Memorial Day weekend. Nearly every parking space was taken, and traffic rolled at a leisurely pace on the street.

  I’d visited Calamity a few times since Pierce had moved here, but we’d usually escape to his cabin in the mountains. Those vacations hadn’t been about the town itself. Today was different. Today, I captured every detail of my new hometown.

  The buildings along First had a rustic charm. The grocery store was shaped like a barn, complete with a gable roof and crimson paint. Most of the storefronts had square faces sided with graying barnwood. Others were built from brick, the red blocks faded from decades beneath the sun.

  Yeah, this would work. This town was where I’d play the next quarter in my retirement game.

  “Sure you don’t want to stay with us?” Pierce asked as he joined me on the sidewalk.

  “Nah. You guys have enough going on. You don’t need a houseguest.”

  “No, but I do have a guesthouse.”

  I chuckled. “If the motel is a bust, then I’ll take you up on it.”

  The last thing I wanted was to wear out my welcome before I even had a Montana address. Besides, hotel rooms had become a constant over the years. Before games. After games. I’d spent countless nights sleeping on borrowed pillows.

  “Kerrigan’s on her way to meet us,” Pierce said. “She took Elias to the park while we were on the road.”

  “’Kay.” I did another sweep of downtown, capturing names of stores and restaurants.

  Pierce had picked me up from the airport in Bozeman earlier, and we’d spent the two-hour trip to Calamity catching up. Next time, I’d have my charter fly me directly here like I had on my other trips, but I’d wanted to scope out the larger airport today and get a feel for the surrounding area.

  If I was going to live here, I wanted to recognize streets and neighborhoods. I wanted to find the best spot for breakfast and join Kerrigan’s fitness studio. I turned around and faced The Refinery. Kerrigan had designed it with a modern vibe, a hint of new in this old town with large, gleaming windows that overlooked the street.

  “I’m going to pop in to The Refinery. Grab a class schedule,” I told Pierce.

  He nodded. “I’ll wait out here.”

  I weaved past people and ducked inside the studio, dragging in the scent of eucalyptus. This past year, my lower back had been bothering me, and my trainer had recommended yoga. According to Pierce, The Refinery was the only place in town with classes, so I’d be their newest member.

  “Hi.” The receptionist greeted me with a smile. “Can I help you?”

  “Just looking.” I scanned the space, taking in the mirrors on the longest wall and the metal cage jammed with exercise balls. I’d spent a good chunk of my life in gyms, and while this one was smaller than most, it was clean and airy. Perfect for a weekly yoga c
lass. “Do you have a schedule?”

  “Sure.” She plucked a business card from a holder on the counter, handing it over. “If you scan that with your phone, it will take you to the updated schedule on our website.”

  “Thanks.” I tucked the card away, took one last look around the space, then walked outside, ready to rejoin my friends.

  But my footsteps halted on the sidewalk.

  Kerrigan stood beside Pierce. Her pregnant belly stretched her sundress. Next to her was Elias’s empty stroller. The two-year-old bounced around his parents’ feet as Pierce and Kerrigan crowded over a phone.

  Neither of them noticed me as they smiled at the screen. And neither did the other woman in their huddle.

  Nellie.

  Damn. She was the one person I’d hoped to avoid for a while. Either karma was a bitch or Calamity was just that small because not five minutes into my life here and there she was.

  My nemesis since high school. The perpetual thorn in my side. The woman who could crawl beneath my skin with a single, contemptuous word.

  The most infuriatingly beautiful woman in the world.

  Kerrigan laughed at whatever it was they were watching on the phone.

  Elias wrapped his arms around her leg. “Mommy, where’s Unka Cal?”

  “Um . . .” She shook her head, glancing away from the screen and straight to Nellie.

  “Uncle Cal?” Nellie’s smile disappeared. “Please tell me he’s in Tennessee where he belongs.”

  And just like that, our familiar game kicked off again. I unglued my feet and strode their way. “Oh, look. It’s my favorite bottle blonde.”

  Nellie’s face turned to ice as she faced me. “Well, if there’s anyone in the world who should understand fake, it’s you. Fake it till you make it. That’s like the model for your career, right? Oh, sorry. Former career. I heard you got fired. Ouch.”

  This woman. “I was a free agent and retired.”

  “Sure,” she deadpanned.

  “Can you two save it for another day?” Pierce asked. “We need to celebrate my wife.”

  Celebrating? What were we celebrating?

  Before I could ask, Elias raced my way. “Unka Cal!”

  I picked him up and tickled his side, letting the sound of his giggles soothe any worries that this move was a mistake. This kid, with his mop of dark, wavy hair, had a piece of my heart. “Hey, buddy.”

  “How about we all go to the brew—” A stream of water trickled down Kerrigan’s leg as I settled Elias on my side.

  “What the fuck is that?” I asked, eyes locked on the growing puddle. Gross.

  “Language,” Kerrigan snapped. “And that would be my water breaking.”

  For a second, no one moved. Then Pierce flew into action, taking her arm and steering her to his SUV. “Nellie—”

  “I’ve got Elias,” she said. “We’ll walk to my place.”

  “He hasn’t had lunch,” Kerrigan hollered as Pierce helped her into the passenger seat.

  Oh, shit. This was happening. She was having a baby. And someone needed to watch Elias.

  “We’ve got him,” I called.

  The color drained from Kerrigan’s face. Contraction, maybe? Or maybe she didn’t trust me to babysit. I’d never babysat before but I could keep Elias alive for a few hours. How long did it take to have a baby?

  “Maybe you should just let Nel—” Pierce closed the door on Kerrigan before she could finish her sentence.

  “I’ve got him,” Nellie called loud enough for them to hear.

  Pierce gave her a nod, then climbed behind the wheel. He waited for a break in traffic, then reversed out of his spot and tore through town.

  Elias clung to my shoulders, tightening his arms around my neck. “Where dit Mommy go?”

  “It’s okay.” I patted his leg. “Your sister is coming. Cool, right?”

  The scared look on his face broke my heart.

  “How about we have some fun?” Nellie asked, stealing him from my arms. “We’ll go to my house and play games and get snacks. Okay?”

  He nodded as she kissed his cheek. Then she settled him into the stroller, unlocked the brake and took off for the end of the block, leaving me behind.

  “Wait up.” I jogged to catch them.

  “What are you doing?” she asked as I fell into step beside her.

  “Babysitting.”

  “No.” She stopped walking and held up a hand. “You’re not coming to my house.”

  “Oh, I’m coming.” I’d be damned if I let Nellie come to the rescue now that I lived here. Pierce was my best friend. If he needed someone to watch his son while his wife birthed their baby girl, it would be me.

  “Absolutely not.” The color rose in her cheeks. Her soft lips pursed. Those sparkling green eyes narrowed as she stood taller.

  God, she was gorgeous when she was angry. Maybe that was why I’d always loved making her mad.

  “Lead the way, Blondie.”

  Snap. Snap. Snap.

  I’d snapped my fingers more times in the past three hours than I had in a year. “What the fuck is taking so long?”

  “For the last time. Stop. Cursing.” Nellie’s nostrils flared from her stool beside Elias at the island. She lifted her hands, tickling his cheeks before cupping her palms over his ears. “If you keep saying f-u-c-k, he will too.”

  “No, he won’t.” Okay, maybe he would.

  Elias was two and repeated a lot of shit. Like the word shit, which I’d slipped and muttered twenty minutes ago.

  Nellie let go of his ears, smiling down at the boy. “Should we put blue on the picture next?”

  “Yeah.” Elias wrapped a fist around the pen she handed him. The moment he began scribbling, his eyes narrowed in concentration, his tongue poked out from the corner of his mouth.

  “Good job.” Nellie gave him her undivided attention and had since the moment we’d walked through her front door.

  She’d made him a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. She’d played hide and seek for what had felt like an eternity. She’d turned three plastic storage containers and two wooden spoons into his own personal drum set. She’d even scrounged up enough different colored pens and pencils to make him an art set.

  Meanwhile, I was an afterthought. An annoyance.

  With Nellie, well . . . our history was complicated at best.

  Over the years we’d learned to avoid each other. Somehow we’d have to figure out how to do that in this small town. I had my sights set on living here and giving up on goals wasn’t exactly my style.

  The sound of children playing echoed down the quaint, neighborhood streets. A minivan rolled by with a Baby On Board sign in the rear window. There’d be a parade along First Street on Monday for Memorial Day.

  It was so . . . rural. Different than Nashville or Denver. And this small Montana town was now my home.

  Or it would be.

  Before Kerrigan had gone into labor, Pierce and I had talked about my plans to move here. They were loose, at best. Buy some land. Build a house. Find something to fill the time I’d once dedicated to football.

  Today, it was babysitting. Tomorrow was a mystery.

  When was the last time I’d looked into the future and not seen a football in my hand? Ten years? Twenty? Longer? I’d been playing since first grade. Who was Cal Stark without the game?

  This wasn’t the time for those questions, so I shoved them aside. There were other things to fixate on at the moment, like why hadn’t we heard from Pierce. Was Kerrigan okay? Was the baby?

  I paced the length of Nellie’s kitchen, my footsteps a steady beat on the rich hardwood floors. We’d been in here so long that I’d memorized the space, from the glass-door cabinets to the wooden island to the teal backsplash.