by Jennie Marts
“I didn’t think you were here,” he told her as he jerked a thumb toward the driveway. “I mean, I saw your car outside, but not Gramps’s truck. So I figured you were out.”
Didn’t stop you from coming in and helping yourself to my food though, did it?
Stop it. He’s your brother, she argued with herself.
She’d been taking care of and feeding him for the better part of her life. Why would he expect anything different from her now? Just because he hadn’t lived here in years didn’t mean he wouldn’t assume he could still help himself to the refrigerator.
He eyed her suspiciously. “You didn’t sell the truck, did you? ’Cause I know you can sometimes get a pretty penny for an old classic like that one.”
“No, I didn’t sell it. I just loaned it to a friend.” Okay, that was a bit of a stretch. More like he borrowed it from her. And without any intention of ever giving it back. But she wasn’t ready to share that with her brother yet.
Buck grunted. “Must be some friend.”
Yeah, Pete was some friend all right. The kind she could do without. But thinking about Pete was another good reminder of why going out with Brody tonight was a smart move. The likelihood Brody would take off with her car was slim.
Time to change the subject. “Did you see the new horses?”
“Yeah, they look pretty good.” He chuckled. “That little one is cute, in like a funny old man kind of way.”
She laughed. “He totally is. His name is Shamus. You should have seen him when he arrived. He was a mess.”
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with them? You planning to sell ’em?”
Why did everything come down to the almighty dollar with him?
“No, I’m not going to sell them. I just rescued them. And right now, all I’m working on is trying to keep them fed and alive.”
“Yeah, I heard people all over town are donating money to your cause.” His gaze raked over the donation jars sitting on the counter, and Bryn wished she had put them away earlier.
She grabbed the jars, shoved them into the pantry, and closed the door. “Don’t even think about it. That money is to pay for the food and care of the animals. I don’t just have the horses. I’ve got six dogs now, plus Otis is still around too.”
“Otis, that ornery goat?” Buck patted his stomach and offered her a charming grin. “You know, I’m a hungry animal too.”
“You can find your own food.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m just teasing you, Sis.” He gave her arm an affectionate nudge. “I’m doing fine. It’s amazing how little food you actually need to live on. And I like boxed mac and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Although I might talk you out of that loaf of bread and the package of bologna I saw in the fridge.”
Guilt settled in her stomach like a rock sinking to the bottom of a lake. “Of course you can have it. I’ll put some stuff together for you to take. How long are you staying?”
And where was he staying? She wished she had the guts to tell him he couldn’t stay at the house. It wasn’t that she didn’t love seeing him, but it seemed like every time he came home, he left with something of hers. He didn’t outright steal it. The things he took belonged to their grandfather or had been part of the house or the farm. And he always had a reason for taking them and left with a promise to bring them back just as soon as he got the next job or won the next purse.
Except he never seemed to get that next job and the purses he won seemed to disappear as soon as they arrived in his hands. She didn’t really need all those things anyway. But she did need her brother. So what else could she do?
“I’m not staying,” he told her. “Just stopped in to say hi as I drove down the pass. I need to be in Fort Collins by tonight, so I can get registered in the morning.”
She wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved. She would have liked to have some time to catch up with him, to hear what was new in his life. And spending time with her brother would be a great excuse to wiggle out of her date. “Listen, I’m supposed to be going to dinner with Brody Tate tonight, but I’m sure I could cancel. Or maybe you could come with us. We’re just going to the Creed for tacos.”
He shook his head. “As much as I love the Creed’s tacos and their frozen margaritas, I don’t have time to stay for dinner.” He glanced up at the clock above the stove. “I need to be on the road in about thirty minutes.”
“Dang.” And double dang that her scheme to sabotage her date had failed.
“You do look nice though,” Buck told her, giving her outfit the once-over. “But since when did you start going out with Brody Tate?”
“We’re not going out. We’re just going to get some tacos. And it’s kind of a new thing.”
“Nice. Bagged yourself a doctor. Maybe you can get out of this dump and we can finally sell the place.”
“I said we’re getting tacos, not getting married. And I’m not interested in ever selling this place. I love it. It’s my home. It’s the only place I’ve ever felt has been a home to me. To us.” She was surprised at the well of emotion in her throat.
Buck must have caught it too. His expression softened. “Sorry, Sis. I didn’t come here to argue. I just wanted to see you and get a Bryn hug.” He opened his arms, and she stepped into them.
* * *
Sweat soaked the back of his T-shirt as Zane ran down the side of the road. He’d spent the day trying to get his mind off Bryn and her visit to his house the night before, but all his attempts had failed. He’d changed into shorts and sneakers when he’d got home from work and had hoped a hard run would do the trick.
Taking off from his house, he’d tried to clear his mind, focus on the run. So how the hell had he ended up at the end of Bryn’s driveway? He’d turned his brain off, tried not to think, or maybe he’d been lost in thought. Either way, his feet had carried him here…to Bryn.
He paced the highway, debating if he should walk down to her house. It wouldn’t hurt to check on the horses. And he could just say hi to Bryn. Offer her an apology. She didn’t deserve the way he’d treated her the night before. She’d brought him a piece of pie, for Pete’s sake. He should have thanked her, invited her in. Yeah right. Then maybe she and Birch could have a nice conversation about what a loser he was. No thanks.
He checked his watch. A little past five thirty. Plenty of time before Brody picked her up for their date. Damn. This was stupid. He shouldn’t be walking down her driveway right before her date. Especially a date he practically forced her into going on.
No, he didn’t force her. She made the choice—the smart decision to go to dinner with Brody. Who was a great guy and perfect for her, he reminded himself.
But if Brody was so perfect, whose beat-up Chevy truck was parked in front of her house? It had Colorado plates, but he didn’t recognize the rig. A knot formed in his chest. What if it belonged to that asshole Pete? Could the guy be brazen enough to come back and try to take something more from Bryn?
Or maybe it was Brody picking her up early. Cheap bastard was probably trying to get to the Creed in time for happy hour to save money on their drinks. Except Brody wasn’t a bastard—cheap or otherwise. And he didn’t seem the type to drive a beat-up old truck. No, that’s my deal.
Just walk away. It wasn’t too late to turn around. No dogs had barked a greeting. No one even had to know he was here. Except his feet kept walking, across the driveway, and up the steps of the porch.
The house was lit from within, and a movement caught his eye. Bryn was in the kitchen talking to a tall guy. Zane couldn’t see his face but his build didn’t match Brody’s. And he could see Bryn’s face. She was smiling at the guy with real affection. The man opened his arms, and Bryn stepped into his embrace. And it was an embrace. She wasn’t just hugging the guy, but was really holding on to him.
Zane didn’t know who the m
an was, but he obviously meant something to Bryn, and suddenly he felt like an intruder. Like a voyeur who’d just infringed on a private moment. He turned away, his face hot with shame.
Taking the porch steps two at a time, he took off at a sprint the second his feet hit the dirt. Arms pumping, he tore back down the driveway and onto the highway. His heels flung dust in their wake as he flew up the road. Oblivious to the burn in his lungs or the pain in his side, he pushed his body as he tried to outrun the desperate insecurities clawing at his back.
* * *
An hour later, Zane stomped through the Creedence Country Mart, a black cloud following him through the aisles of the grocery store. He’d taken a shower when he got home, trying to wash off the dust and the image of Bryn in another man’s embrace. And not the man she was currently out on a date with. The shower hadn’t worked and neither had watching television with his dad.
He was restless and cagey and needed to get out of the house. He’d pulled into the grocery store thinking he might pick up a steak and try to drown his sorrows in a thick slab of red meat. He tossed a bag of chips into his cart and wheeled it into the next aisle.
The brightly colored packages of cookies on the display shelves caught his eye, and he stopped to stare at the choices, trying to focus on the flavors. Did he feel like chocolate chip or peanut butter? Had Brody already picked Bryn up? Were they already at the Creed? Was he feeding her tortilla chips and telling her corny veterinarian jokes?
What did he care? He’d practically pushed her into the date. Forced her hand so she was now at the Creed, laughing and sipping margaritas with the good doctor.
That was what he’d wanted. Right?
He picked up a bag of Oreos and threw them toward his cart. They hit the edge and fell over the side, hitting the floor and sliding into the hot-pink high heels of the woman walking into the aisle.
“Whoa,” she said, staring from him to the cookies and back to him again. “What did those cookies do to you?”
He let out a sigh. “Sorry, Kimmie. I didn’t mean to launch those at you.” He knew the woman from high school. She’d been in a different grade than him, but in a small school, everybody pretty much knew everybody. Plus at one point she’d dated Logan.
“I just go by Kim now. Or Kimberly. And it’s okay. I have kids, it’s not the first time food’s been tossed at me.” She smiled as she bent to pick up the Oreos and flashed him a view of her cleavage. He averted his eyes. There was only one woman he was interested in looking at right now, and she was eating enchiladas with the animal doctor. Kim’s snug jeans hugged her body, and her hips swayed as she walked toward him and handed him the bag of cookies. “What’s got you so worked up that you’re pitching Double Stufs across the grocery store?”
“I’m not worked up,” he growled. “Just had a bad day.”
She chuckled in that knowing way that women did when they knew you were lying but they still understood. Her eyes narrowed as she offered him a seductive stare. “I’ve heard a cold beer and a warm body is the best remedy for a bad day.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m not very good company.”
Kim shrugged and glanced around the grocery store aisle. “You’re better than the company I’m currently in, which is no one.” She ran a long pink-tipped fingernail down his arm. “Come on. One beer. No strings. I could use one too. Or maybe we could grab something to eat. Just a couple of old friends sharing a meal. Have you had supper?”
“Nah.” He hadn’t been hungry. But now he studied the woman in front of him. He’d known her a long time. She had a hellcat temper if she was crossed, but she could also be sweet. He’d heard she was recently divorced and looking for the next Mr. Kimberly. That wasn’t him. But it didn’t mean they couldn’t grab a bite together. As old friends. “You feel like tacos?”
She grinned. “Taco Tuesday at the Creed? Hell yeah. I’m in. I’d trade my firstborn for a margarita right about now.”
“Keep your kid. I’m buying.” He glanced at the bag of cookies she still held. “Ditch the Oreos. Let’s go.”
She tossed the bag into the cart, leaving it in the middle of the aisle as she followed him from the store.
* * *
Turned out Kimberly wasn’t interested in having dinner as “old friends.” Not if the way she’d grazed his thigh with her hand for the third time now was any indication. Zane scooted back on the barstool and popped another chip into his mouth. He peered over Kim’s shoulder as he chewed.
He’d spotted Bryn and Brody in a booth in the back corner of the restaurant when they’d come in, so he’d picked one of the high-top tables in the bar area for him and Kim. She’d ordered frozen margaritas and was halfway through a basket of chips by the time the tacos arrived.
Bryn’s back was to him, so she hadn’t seen him yet. It wasn’t too late to ditch this stupid idea and hightail it out of the tavern, leave the tacos and head home to lick his wounds. The better man had won. Leave it at that.
Except Zane hadn’t even thrown his hat in the ring. Brody had won because Zane had forfeited the game. He hadn’t even tried.
He tried to focus on Kim, but she was telling another story about her ex, and his gaze drifted back to the corner of the restaurant. His pulse quickened as Bryn slid from the booth.
This was it. One more second, and she would see him. The restrooms were behind him, so she’d have to pass by them if that was her destination. She turned and started walking his way, but her steps faltered, and she paused as she caught sight of him. Her mouth opened, forming a perfect O—damn, he did love her mouth—and her eyes widened as she glanced from him to Kimberly, then back to him again. After what seemed like ten minutes but was probably only ten seconds, she finally blinked. Then her posture changed, her shoulders tensing and her eyes narrowing as she marched toward their table.
She offered Kim a curt nod, then leaned in toward him, the high stool he sat on making his head even with hers. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice low as her teeth practically clenched together. “I thought you said the Creed’s tacos left something to be desired.”
Her perfume swirled in the air around him, making it hard for him to come up with a coherent thought. He scoured his brain for hockey stats as he glanced at Kimberly, then back to Bryn, keeping his eyes cool, his expression bland. “I seem to recall you saying it wasn’t about the tacos but about the company you were keeping.” As if on cue, Kim lifted her hand and rested it territorially on his.
Bryn couldn’t keep a bland expression if she tried, but the surprise and hurt that crossed her face both pleased and pained Zane. He didn’t mind Bryn being a little jealous, but he didn’t want to hurt her. He pulled his hand away from Kim’s.
She pushed her shoulders back to stand taller. “Well, don’t let me keep you from your company then. By all means, enjoy your food.”
As hard as he tried not to, he watched her walk away. He had to fight to keep his dumb ass in the chair when what he really wanted to do was go after her, lift her off her feet, and carry her out of there. Screw the tacos and all this nonsense of keeping other company. The only company he was interested in was hers.
He drew his eyes away and turned back to Kim. She offered him a cool stare, one eyebrow lifted. “I wish I would’ve known the reason you asked me here was to make another woman jealous. I would have ordered a more expensive entrée.”
“That wasn’t the reason I asked you—” He stopped short as she raised her eyebrow higher. “Okay, maybe it was part of the reason.”
“A woman knows when she’s being used as a diversion.”
“Every day is a diversion from something,” he muttered, avoiding her eyes.
She shrugged. “True enough. And it’s not that I mind being a diversion, but if I would’ve known, I could’ve at least played my role better.”
He let out a sigh. “Sorry, Kimm
ie. I’m an asshole.”
“Maybe. Probably. But I’m still getting a free meal out of the deal and something to do on the night my ex has the kids. Plus, I’m earning tons of street cred around town for landing a date with one of Creedence’s most notorious lone wolves. I’ll bet my phone will be ringing with questions from envious women or with another dinner offer by noon tomorrow.”
“I don’t know anything about all that, but I am paying for the meal and the margaritas. And you should order yourself some dessert.”
“Oh, I’m planning to. I love their fried ice cream.” She took another sip of her drink. “I don’t get it though. If you like Bryn, why didn’t you just ask her out instead of me?”
He let out another sigh. “Even if I did like her, which I’m not saying I do, that doesn’t mean I’m any good for her. Bryn is a nice person. She deserves better than someone like me.”
Kimberly burst out with a hard laugh. “Holy crap, I hope we don’t all end up with the someone we deserve. If that’s the way it’s going to be, then I need to stop looking now and just resign myself to a life as a single mom.”
“You can joke, but Bryn doesn’t need a ‘notorious lone wolf.’” What a stupid expression. “She needs someone good. Someone who will treat her right and keep her safe.” And not the son of the town drunk.
“Do you think you wouldn’t treat her right?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Come on. You know the life I come from. How the hell am I supposed to know how to treat anyone right?”
“Because you sure as hell know how not to treat someone.”
He shrugged again. “Whatever. All I know is she deserves someone better than me.”
Kim took another sip of her drink, studying him over the rim of her salt-crusted glass. “I didn’t realize you thought Bryn Callahan was stupid.”