by Barb Han
“Right.” She picked up her own mug and started toward the half-full carafe.
“I’ll do it.” He heard the crankiness in his own voice but didn’t bother apologizing. The next day and a half was going to be agony, and he could only hope word didn’t get back to Kellan. Considering Ed Roberts had shown up a little while ago, their chance of keeping this a secret dwindled considerably. Maybe Kellan would back off now.
Liv held out her mug and he took it from her without a whole lot of fanfare. It didn’t take long to top off both and when he turned around, she was sitting at the table. He might as well take a seat and get some basic details of what she’d been going through so he could get a sense of how he could best help.
“You asked about the interview.” She picked up the mug he’d set down and immediately took a sip. “It’s on Monday in the middle of the afternoon in Dallas.”
“Right. Dallas.” He didn’t mean to say the word out loud or with such condemnation. He didn’t have anything against the city itself so much as the fact it was taking Liv far away.
“I told you that I wouldn’t run into anyone from Lone Star Pass in the grocery there. Dallas is a big city and there are millions of people. Just what I need.” She said the last part low and almost under her breath.
“That’s at least a five-and-a-half-hour drive from here if traffic cooperates and it rarely does,” he pointed out.
“If I leave at five a.m., I’ll be in Dallas by ten-thirty to eleven if all goes well. I’ll have time to eat something and calm my nerves before the interview.” Her voice was tinged with defensiveness. She pulled her hair away from her face and held it back with one hand while picking up the pencil with the other. Tap. Tap. Tap.
He covered her hand with his, quieting the tapping noise. More of that electricity jolted up his arm but he chose to ignore it. If hiding his true feelings about Liv qualified as a sport, he’d be a professional at this point. In the past, their friendship had made it worth the sacrifice. Now, he didn’t have either.
“I’ll stay under one condition,” he leveled his gaze at her.
“Which is?” She met his stare and held it.
“That’s it. We’re done. No more contact once you’re gone. You can’t reach out to me ever again.” He removed his hand from hers before she had a chance to do the same.
“Fine,” she agreed. Chin up and shoulders back, she dropped the pencil onto the table. “What was I going to do anyway? Call you?” She shook her head. “No, thanks.”
Those last two words had an effect on his heart—an effect that was a stark reminder he couldn’t let his guard down around Liv.
3
“It’s getting dark outside. Since I happen to know you wake before the chickens, I’d like to offer my bathroom to you.” Liv tried her best to cover up how hurt she was by Corbin’s comment. A light tone. A forced smile. Was he buying it though?
“You can drink coffee and go to sleep after?” His eyebrow shot up.
“Yes. But I’m not the one who goes to bed when the sun goes down, so I’ll read for a while,” she quipped. Breaking off contact with Corbin would most definitely be for the best. The situation was a no-win. So, why did the thought nearly crush her?
Their shared history was most likely the reason. Losing her mother two years ago without any other relatives she’d been close to had sent her adrift. Had she made decisions back then she regretted? Clearly, the answer to the question was yes. Mistakes were made. Mistakes that couldn’t easily be undone. Mistakes that had her closing the door on her hometown forever. A surprising tear sprang to her eye. There was no use beating down that bush. Life threw curveballs at times. She was trying to learn to shift accordingly without beating herself up too much.
“That’s fair. I’ll grab my overnight bag from the truck.” He stood up and walked the couple of steps to the backdoor. He stopped with his hand on the knob, and then turned his head to the side without looking directly at her. “I’ll use your bathroom, but just to be clear, I’ll be spending the night in my truck.”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on sleeping together, if that’s what you think,” she fired back. She couldn’t let herself believe it was a mistake to reach out to Corbin, no matter how much it felt like one at the moment. Seeing his contempt for her braided her stomach lining. And yet, there had to be a part of him that remembered old times. If not, he wouldn’t have answered her SOS in the first place. He certainly wouldn’t have shown up. And he most definitely wouldn’t be making plans to stick around to protect her.
Her cell buzzed. She picked it up and checked the screen. Uncle Jody?
“Hello?” she answered, not bothering to hide her surprise.
“How are you?” Uncle Jody asked, sounding concerned.
“Okay-y-y.” She stretched out the last letter unsure of where he was going with this and why he picked this moment to call. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard from him. Talk about a blast from the past.
“Do you need anything or…” His voice trailed off.
Right. He used to live in Lone Star Pass. In fact, he grew up here, so he must still have ties.
The back door opened, and Corbin stepped inside. His eyebrow shot up when he saw her on a call.
She shrugged.
“What makes you think I need something?” she asked, figuring she didn’t want to feed any unnecessary information to an uncle she barely spoke to. Plus, this call was so out of the blue she was left scratching her head as to the timing.
“Heard you were going through a rough patch.” His answer was about as non-committal as they come.
“I’m good,” she reassured, figuring it was time to turn the tables. “How about you? Everything going okay?”
“Yep,” he stated, and then said nothing.
The line went quiet for what felt like an eternity but was probably less than a minute. She glanced at the ceiling and then counted the number of dishes on the counter.
“Well, if you need any advice or help with anything…” His voice trailed off once more.
“I’ll keep the offer in mind,” she reassured.
“I’m glad you brought that up. Have you gotten any offers on your grandmother’s old place?” Uncle Jody asked.
“This is my mom’s place,” she corrected. How on earth would he know to ask a question like that?
Because small towns weren’t known for keeping secrets, she thought bitterly. Another reason why a city the size of Dallas appealed to her.
“Sorry, Uncle Jody,” she began. “I just realized the time. I’m late, so I should go,” she said.
“Oh, well, if you have to,” he said, surprise gave him an edge to his tone. “I’d like to come by and pay a visit soon.”
“That would be nice,” she lied before ending the call. She didn’t know the man from Adam but didn’t have it in her heart to be rude to the only family she had left.
“Who was that?” Corbin asked casually, looking like he cared more than he was letting on.
“My so-called uncle.” She picked up the pencil and started tapping it on the table.
“Jody Reiss? Seemed like a strange conversation to have with him.” Corbin set his backpack down next to the leg of the table.
“The call came out of nowhere,” she said. “And he’s not technically my uncle.”
“Remind me how he’s related. Wasn’t he somehow connected to your mother?” he asked.
“Yes. I call him uncle out of courtesy but he’s my mom’s second cousin. He moved away from Lone Star Pass more than a decade ago,” she said. “Suddenly, he knows I’m selling this place. It’s weird.”
“He might have been calling because he found out the divorce is final and wanted to help,” he offered. Of course he would say something like that. His family would come together in a time of crisis, whereas all she’d ever had was her mother. And now? There was no one she could count on. More reasons to leave this place behind and start fresh.
“Almost fina
l,” she corrected. “I haven’t signed the papers to make anything official yet.”
Not that she wouldn’t once her family home was removed from the equation. She also needed to make sure nothing was hiding in the document. The only reason Kellan would ask for this place was to use a bargaining chip.
“Can I ask why not?” Corbin took a seat and reclaimed his coffee mug. He didn’t seem to mind the coffee was cold by now
“I wanted to get a second opinion,” she said.
“You need a lawyer?” he asked.
She nodded. And before he hit her up with another question, she said, “No one locally wanted to represent me. In fact, it was hard to find a lawyer in the state willing to take my side against the Firebrand family.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m sure everything in the papers is legitimate, but I’d feel better if a real attorney looked over the document before I signed it.”
“Who were you able to get?” he continued, his arched eyebrow said he didn’t like what he was hearing.
“Haley Smidt.” Barely out of law school with virtually no experience in divorce.
Corbin shot her a look.
“I know. She’s the only one who would take my case,” she defended with a shrug. “I think there’s software that will let me scan the legal document in and it’ll flag any potential problems. That’s pretty much what I’m reduced to at this point, but my first priority has been getting a job so I can move.” The small inheritance from her mother was running out and she’d spent the past year in Galveston, finishing up much-needed certification and volunteering in order to pad her resume.
“Maybe you’re not ready to sign for other reasons.” He didn’t make eye contact, but he should be able to feel her reaction for all the anger she sent his way.
“And what would those be since you seem to know me so well?” She couldn’t contain the bitterness in her voice. Had she made a mistake in marrying Kellan? Hell, yes. Did she need her nose rubbed in it? No.
“I have no idea why you would have married him in the first place.” Corbin held his hands up, palms out, in the surrender position.
The last thing she wanted to do was explain her reasoning to Kellan’s cousin. Allowing herself to believe she could love Kellan was bad enough on her part. He’d made it easy in the beginning, though. He’d been charming and attentive after her mother died. He’d pursued her until she finally gave in and agreed to a date. He gave the impression he’d won the big prize at the county fair when she’d said yes. Now, she couldn’t help but wonder if half the reason he’d pursued her so hard was to somehow get back at Corbin.
Being honest with Kellan about her feelings for someone else had been mistake number two. And since bad things usually traveled in threes, she’d agreed to marry him, thinking she would fall in love with him at some point when she stopped loving…
No sense going down that road again.
Once they married, Kellan shifted gears. He became a class-A jerk, demanding she leave the past behind and figure out a way to be happy. And then she realized she’d only ever been a ‘prize’ in his eyes. Someone to be ‘won’ instead of loved. Kellan could go beat his chest all day now. He’d done it. She’d married him. Good for him.
She snapped the pencil in two.
Corbin hadn’t meant to set Liv off. He wasn’t quite ready to get over being angry with her, but he needed to set aside his feelings for the time being and focus on who was trying to upset her. Plus, the timing of her uncle’s call was suspect. Someone seemed to be keeping track of her moves, which meant word could get back about Corbin being at her house.
Maybe it already had?
The last thing Corbin needed was more conflict at home. As it was, his father and his uncle were barely speaking to each other. Ever since Corbin’s grandfather died unexpectedly at the beginning of the month, the family had been divided. Divided? Corbin almost laughed out loud. Feuding was probably a better word choice. His father and Uncle Keifer had always been competitive, driven by the Marshall’s need to make them strong, as he’d put it. All he really succeeded in doing was driving a wedge between brothers. A wedge that had turned into a cavern. A cavern there was no bridge long enough to connect sides.
Shame, Corbin thought. With eight brothers and nine cousins, all males, there was enough testosterone at Firebrand Ranch to stir up a few showdowns. But if one of Corbin’s brothers needed him, he’d be there without question and vice versa. He didn’t think their father could say the same.
“Coffee’s gone cold.” Liv got up, emptied her mug, and then refilled it.
“Has anyone else crawled out of the woodwork to contact you recently?” Corbin figured he needed to get the conversation back on track.
“No one. It’s been quiet until I ran into Ed’s wife at the store last month,” she said. “He’s annoying, but also I think there’s so little business in Lone Star Pass that I think he’s kind of desperate.”
Corbin wasn’t so sure. Since it didn’t seem like there was much more to discuss for now, he grabbed the handle of his bag. “I’ll take you up on that shower now.”
The upstairs bathroom was in the middle of two bedrooms. One had been converted into an office and the other, he assumed, was the master. Seeing her personal belongings where she slept when she was home wouldn’t help in the least. Staying focused became his new marching orders. So, Corbin kept his head down and walked straight into the bathroom.
He showered military style, which basically meant in and out with a steady stream of cold water. And then he was done, drying off and trying to figure out how he’d signed himself up for this particular brand of torture. And yet the thought of losing Liv forever after this sat hard in his gut. He threw on a fresh outfit, not minding the fact he was going to sleep in jeans and a t-shirt as long as they were clean.
Corbin walked downstairs to find Liv slumped over the kitchen table, head on her arms, asleep. This wasn’t the time to get inside his head about the emotions trying to pull him under and wash him out.
Quietly, so as not to wake her, he cut off the kitchen light and then picked her up. She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He ignored the way his pulse pounded and electricity vibrated through his body just from holding her. This seemed like a good time to remind himself that he had no designs on her and vice versa.
But, man, she felt right in his arms. It was a fact that refused to be ignored.
Rather than tempt fate and take her to her bedroom, he decided to divert to the sofa in the adjacent living room. He gently set her down, but she immediately protested, holding on tighter to his neck.
In her sleepy state, she murmured his name and his heart clenched. How easy would it be in the moment to go with his feelings and plant a kiss on those cherry lips of hers? Capture the dimple on her chin and feather kisses down her neck?
His feelings had gotten out of control for her once and she’d been smart enough to rein them in, placing the friendship over a temporary physical attraction. It had seemed like the right move at the time. Now? He had regrets.
Yes, they’d preserved their friendship for years. Then, he’d gone on to date Dani Sheldon. They’d stayed together for long after the relationship had played out, then she’d backed him into a corner. Marry her or lose her, those were the choices. She hinted at being pregnant and he’d believed she didn’t want him to ask her to marry him solely based on a child coming into the world.
Corbin had taken the hint and bought the ring. He’d gotten down on one knee, knowing full well he wasn’t ready. He’d asked the big question, figuring he would get his mind around marriage and fatherhood.
Dani had agreed to marry him. She’d started planning a huge wedding with three hundred guests and twelve bridesmaids. Twelve? Who had that many close friends? Apparently, Dani did. Not even Corbin with his eight brothers and nine cousins had twelve guys he considered close enough to him to be in his wedding party. When he’d asked Dani if they could tone down the wedding, she’d burst
into tears, crying that they didn’t want the same things in life.
He couldn’t have agreed more. He’d told her that they would need to learn to compromise, especially when their kid came into the world. Her tears had turned to laughter. A kid? she’d said. Then, she’d come clean. There was no pregnancy. She’d only mentioned the possibility so he’d decid if he was in or out of the relationship.
It was that moment he realized he’d made a huge mistake. Undoing the whole affair took a few more weeks. By then, Liv had run off to Vegas and married Kellan. Talk about strange circumstances and twists of fate. He never would have believed any of it if it hadn’t happened to him. The whole incident had been surreal and not something he wanted to repeat anytime soon.
The worst part was that Liv’s mother had died a few months before and he wondered if he’d made it clear to Liv how sorry he was and how much he missed Ms. Holden. She’d been his favorite teacher sophomore year of high school, and she’d probably gone too easy on him. Knowing her personally and being best friends with her daughter had probably given her blinders toward him. He was smart and pulled good grades on his own merit. But still.
The memories caused a rush of nostalgia and it suddenly felt like his chest was caving in. This was the first time he’d allowed himself to think about Ms. Holden since her death two years ago.
Looking down at Liv now, he couldn’t help but feel like an overwhelming failure. She rolled onto her side and his heart took a serious hit. He pulled the blanket that was draped over the back of the sofa over her to keep her warm. A/C in Texas was nothing to be joked about, most folks set the temperature low enough to need thick covers at night and she’d kept hers on.
Corbin took great care in placing a pillow underneath Liv’s head. He situated the covers to make certain she was comfortable. At this point, he couldn’t help but wonder how little sleep she’d been getting. Between the threatening texts, which still made his muscles tense up thinking about them, the tires, and now the raccoon, he wondered how well she’d been resting, if at all.