Tyee and Stan played a while longer, then invited the twins, Jasper and their brothers to come up and play. Seven gorgeous men took the stage. Hana knew immediately who Jasper’s brothers were, because they were all dark like him. The others were all blond. They picked up various guitars, banjos and drums, making sure everything was in tune. There was even a piano on the back of the stage.
Distinctive notes of The Eagles’ Desperado filled the air as Jasper stepped to the front of the stage, guitar around his shoulders. He sang beautifully, his voice blending with the others as they sang harmony behind him. He played rhythm on the guitar as Jimmy played lead. Each man improvised accompaniment to the vocal.
They performed a variety of Eagles songs, then followed it up with a few by ZZ Top. Hana and Marnie got up and danced to Legs ending with a booty dance directed at the band. Afterward, they sat down, breathless and blushing, as Enid pretended to scold them.
Finally, breathless and sweating, the band announced their last tune. Jasper stepped forward with his guitar, borrowing his cousin’s hat. Jeff pulled out a bandana, tying it around his forehead. Dark glasses magically appeared. Hana and Marnie knew what they were going to sing, another of Hana’s favorite songs.
The girls stood up yelling, “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy!” They did a crazy square dance at the base of the stage, participating in the song with great enthusiasm. During the fiddle solo, Jasper jumped down and danced with them. He picked up his vocal on the floor as Jeff sang on stage. They ended to great applause. Jasper and Jeff took their well deserved reward from the girls, kissing them long and deep.
“So, is it really being eco-friendly to ride a cowboy?” Hana asked Jasper quietly as they took a stroll around the pool.
“I don’t know about eco, but it’s mighty damn friendly.”
Hana laughed, putting her arms around his waist. “I can’t wait to find out.”
“Me either. Soon, Hana Belle.”
“I hope so, Jasper.”
Shortly after their performance ended, the staff cleaned up and the party broke up fairly early. Jasper walked Hana and Enid back to their cabin.
“After that long nap, I’m not the least bit tired,” Jasper admitted. “How about you?”
“I’ll be up for a while. Auntie?”
“I’m beat, kids. I’m going to bed. You behave,” she warned Jasper. “I’ll know if you’ve been bad.”
“You always have before,” he laughed. “I can remember you calling me up long distance, to check on me more than once.”
“You did that?”
Enid shrugged, tossing her dark hair. “It was prom on one occasion. I wanted to make sure he was going prepared.”
“Auntie!”
“He made the mistake of telling me he was going to try like hell to get laid that night. I wanted to make sure he did it right.”
Jasper chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “I wasn’t able to use all your advice that night, but I put it away for further reference.”
“It was good advice.”
“It was indeed. It’s been mighty helpful over the years.”
“Now, I need to go to bed,” Enid decided. “Hana, can you help me?”
“Sure, Auntie.”
“I can leave, ladies.”
“No, you stay,” Enid said. “I just need a little help. I’ll have her ten minutes, tops. Watch some TV.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He found an interesting program on TV and sat down to watch it while Hana was gone. When she came back out, he left it on low. Hana sat next to him, scooting close. He was just about to kiss her when her cell phone rang.
“I wonder who that is?” She pulled it out of her pocket, grinning at the screen. “Issy. Hi there!” she answered happily.
“Hi, yourself. Are you okay? There have been some weird vibes coming at me from your direction.”
“Yes. Things were a little rough earlier, a misunderstanding,” she explained briefly.
There was a short pause. “But everything is all right now?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Good.” Her light mood returned. “Check your e-mail.”
Hana booted up her laptop, talking to Issy on speaker phone as the waited for the machine to load. Checking her e-mail, she saw several messages from her parents and one from Issy with attachments.
“I want your true opinions,” Issy said seriously. “I think these are the best of the bunch. I’ve mailed a disk with all of them to you. It should be there day after tomorrow. I couldn’t wait for your reaction.”
Hana opened the first picture. In it, Jasper had her bent over, his lips a fraction of an inch from her breasts. The look in his eyes was one of seething lust. In each picture, his expression was slightly different, but all of them almost predatory, like a large cat stalking its prey.
©2022 Dellani Oakes
Dellani Oakes 