Corey's Catch

by Jill Sanders

  “I know what you mean.” She sighed and dropped her arms. “I have a few calls to make tonight.” She looked down at her hands, knowing she was blowing him off. She really wanted to deal with her folks. For some reason, the urgency was almost deafening in her head.

  His eyes moved over her face and when he saw her determination, he nodded. “Time to break the news to your parents?” When she nodded, he moved closer. “If you need me, you know where I am.” He ran his hand over her back slowly. “Thanks for dinner.” He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Heat spread through her, making her question herself. Her body wanted him to stick around so she could enjoy his touches, but her mind kept telling her that her parents deserved to know where she was and what her plans were.

  “Thanks.” She stepped back and dropped her hands.

  “I can take these guys with me, since it appears they’re rowdy right now. You might not want barking in the background of a phone call this important.”

  She watched the two dogs playing with Dutch and made up her mind quickly. “Thanks again.”

  “I’ll bring them back in the morning.” He clapped his hands as he stepped off the porch. “Night and good luck.” She watched him walk off, calling the three dogs as he went.

  Rascal and Rusty didn’t even glance back at her as they chased Dutch through the field towards Corey’s cabin.

  Taking a few cleansing breaths, she stepped inside and grabbed her cell phone from the kitchen counter.

  Chapter Twelve

  As Corey walked home, his mind played over and over their last conversation. He’d seen the sad look rush into Bella’s eyes when he’d mentioned settling down.

  He wasn’t trying to spook her. Hell, he wasn’t even close to thinking about settling down. Or was he? Opening his mind to the possibilities, he thought about where he wanted to be and who he wanted to be with ten years from now.

  He wanted to be here. Looking around, he nodded his head in agreement. Yup, here. This is where he’d always felt like he belonged. Turning, he glanced back at the big house and sighed. He’d dreamed of owning the bigger place since he was a boy and had helped Bella’s aunt out one summer. He’d seen the inside of the house and had fallen in love. Of course, he’d also fallen in love with all of the animals Betty had had around back then. Even the pigs hadn’t bothered him.

  Actually, he was thinking of getting himself a few. Those and goats. Goats would help clear the brush and he’d heard they were great protectors for chickens since they didn’t let anything sneak by them. Goats and geese.

  Nodding his head, he continued on his way to the cabin. When he opened the door, the dogs rushed in and started playing with Dutch’s new toys. They were fighting over a particular stuffed duck when his phone rang.

  Seeing Grant’s number on the display, he took a deep breath and answered.

  “Hi, Grant.”

  “Hey, Corey. So, your father’s hearing was today.”

  “Yeah, I was expecting a call.” He held his breath.

  “Well, seems like the judge wants to try some new medicine. He’s not convinced that your dad is beyond medical help. They want to transfer him to Tyler and have him evaluated. Then, there’s a chance he might be released to your care. If you’re willing to sign for him.”

  He rubbed his forehead when he felt a headache building.

  “Do you think there’s any chance of it working?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure. I know that some cases…” There was a pause and Corey knew Grant was thinking about Mrs. Nolan. “…medicine wouldn’t help. I’m not sure how far your father’s case has progressed. Hell, we’re not even sure what’s wrong with him, at this point.”

  “Yeah.” He sighed. It had been playing on his conscious since they’d hauled him away. What if he just had a medical imbalance? Could he really condemn his dad to a life in some facility if taking pills every day would straighten him out? “Okay, let’s have him checked out.”

  “I thought you’d agree. He’ll be moved first thing Monday morning.”

  He nodded, trying not to think about the costs that would be associated with everything he’d just agreed to.

  “Corey, don’t worry about it. I’m sure we’ll find out what’s wrong. Your dad’s a good man. He just needs some help.”

  “Yeah, thanks Grant. Talk to you later.” He hung up and walked over to the fridge to pull out a beer.

  He desperately wished he could talk to Bella about it, but he knew she was probably fighting her own battles with her folks.

  He couldn’t imagine having parents who thought the way her folks did, that money and power were all that life was about.

  He remembered how her aunt had been. How she’d loved her animals, her small farm, the people in Fairplay. She’d been the complete opposite of how Bella had described her parents. At this point, he couldn’t even imagine Bella having that attitude towards life.

  She’d only been in town for a month, but she’d proven that she loved the animals and the outdoors.

  Sitting down on the sofa, he watched the dogs wrestle around until he felt his head nodding, then he carried himself back to his bed and fell asleep dreaming of Bella.

  Bella slammed down her phone and rubbed her neck. How could she be from these people? Rolling her shoulders, she walked around the house, locking up. She was so angry. What did her mother and father think? That she was still a teenager who had to be controlled and told what to do?

  Did they really think that demanding she move back to Austin would work? Sure, they had paid for her school, which she’d dropped out of to move here. They had also paid for her apartment and car while she’d been in school.

  She’d told them to come get the Mazda, since it was doing nothing but sitting under a tree at the end of her drive now.

  But none of that was good enough. They had warned her to sell her aunt’s house and continue back to school within the month, or they would pay her a visit themselves.

  This news had caused her to cringe. It had been almost two years since she’d last seen her parents. Two whole holiday seasons and birthdays later with only cards in the mail to show for it. Did they really think that she would jump because they told her to?

  Flipping off the bedroom light, she crawled into bed and felt Snubs and Beggar jump up on the bed with her. Just hearing their soft purrs as she pet them, helped settle her down.

  This was where she belonged. This is why she’d left the city. She sighed as she listened to the crickets outside her bedroom window. There was no way she was letting paradise go. Especially since she wanted to explore her relationship with Corey even further.

  It took her a while to finally settle down, but when she did, she fell into a deep sleep and dreamed about Corey.

  When she woke, it was still dark out and she had to blink a few times before she figured out why she’d woken up. It was quiet. Too quiet. Not even the crickets were chirping anymore.

  She heard a low hiss and rumble and felt around the bed for Snubs. Then her eyes adjusted, and she saw Corey standing at the edge of her bed.

  “Oh!” she said, holding her hand over her heart. “You scared me again.” He’d scared her once today already and this time, he wasn’t going to hear the end of it. She wasn’t used to living in a large house by herself and if he made it a pattern to continued scaring her by sneaking up on her, she was going to have to take her key away from him.

  She moved to turn on the light, just as Snubs leaped from the bed, landing directly on Corey’s face, which sent him falling backwards onto the ground. As he lost his balance, he knocked over the lamp on her nightstand. The loud crash echoed in the dark room.

  When he stood again, he jerked Snubs loose and tossed the angry cat across the room, over her bed. Snubs landed with a thump at the base of the opposite wall. That’s when Bella realized that the man in her room wasn’t Corey.

  She opened her mouth to scream, just as the dark figure rushed from the room. When she put her feet d
own, tiny shards of glass jabbed into her feet, causing her to fall down on her hands and knees.

  She cried out and reached up for her cell phone.

  She punched Corey’s number with shaky fingers as she backed up against the wall. Beggar rushed over to her and sat in her lap.

  “Hello?” Corey mumbled.

  “Corey, someone’s in the house.” She practically screamed it. “He was in my bedroom. Snubs attacked him.”

  “I’ll right there. Stay on the phone with me.” She heard him moving around. “Can you lock yourself in the bathroom?”

  “No, there’s glass. I’m cut.” She hissed at the shards still stuck in her feet.

  “Crawl,” he choked. “Get to safety.”

  “He’s run off. I think he’s left the house.” She held the phone tighter to her ear. “He hurt Snubs. I can’t see if he’s alright,” she cried.

  “I’m almost there,” he said and she could hear his truck racing up her drive. “Damn drive!” She heard him drop the phone. “Hang on baby!” he said.

  She closed her eyes and tried to control her fear. Beggar pushed his face into hers and she had to open her eyes again when she heard her front door slam open.

  “Bella!” she heard Corey call out. “Stay where you are.”

  She rested her head against the wall and waited until she saw Corey appear in the hallway. He’d turned on the lights as he rushed up to her. When her bedroom light flipped on, she gasped at the smeared blood all over her legs and feet.

  “Oh!” He rushed over to her, only to have her scream for him to stop. He was barefoot and only wearing boxers.

  “No! There’s glass,” she hissed as she held up her hand.

  He stopped and looked around, then took her comforter and tossed it over the glass. When he moved to her, he gently picked her up.

  “Are you alright?” he asked as he carried her into the bathroom.

  “Is he gone?” she stuttered, her eyes moving everywhere.

  “Yeah, the place is empty,” he said, gently setting her down on the countertop in the bathroom.

  “Snubs.” She glanced over to where the cat lay on the floor, not moving.

  “I’ll go check.” He handed her a towel. “I’ll call the police.”

  She held the towel to her bloody knees and closed her eyes as he walked out to check on the cat.

  “He’s breathing,” he called out from the other room. “Looks like he’s going to be okay. I’ll call Chase after I’m off the phone with the sheriff.”

  She could hear him talking to the police, explaining quickly what had happened. Then he hung up and called Chase about Snubs.

  “Yeah, they’re on their way. Okay, see you in a few minutes.” Corey walked back into the bathroom.

  She’d started pulling the shards of glass from her feet and legs. When he walked in, she glanced up. His hands were covered in blood.

  “Snubs?” she cried out.

  “Yeah, I’ve got him wrapped up in your sheets. Chase is on his way. What about you?” He glanced down at her feet.

  “I’m okay, just stay with Snubs.” She felt tears streaming down her face. “He saved my life.”

  Corey walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

  “You don’t happen to have any big sweats I can toss on, do you?”

  She leaned back and nodded. “Top drawer. I don’t know if they’ll fit, but they were Hugh’s.”

  He turned, then stopped at the door and glanced back. “Later, we’ll talk about why you still have your ex’s clothes.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Because I paid for them.” She chuckled. “And they were expensive. No other reason.”

  She could tell he thought about it, and then he nodded and disappeared back into her room.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Corey sat on the sofa in another man’s sweatpants and T-shirt and felt like hitting something. Bella sat beside him, her feet propped up on his lap as he carefully picked out tiny shards of glass.

  Chase had come and gone, taking Snubs with him. He’d said something about getting the cat into surgery, but nothing more. Bella was still crying over the entire situation as she pet Beggar on her lap, holding him tight against her chest.

  Wes and Sheriff Stephen Miller had shown up just before Chase had. They had walked through the place, making sure it was empty.

  “Found the back door wide open,” Wes said when he came back into the living room. “Are you sure you locked it tonight?”

  Bella had nodded as she wiped the tears from her face. “I had just gotten off the phone with my parents.” He heard her hiccup. “I walked around the place locking up.”

  “Where are the dogs?” Wes asked, taking a seat across from them.

  “My place,” Corey said as he carefully pulled another piece of glass from her foot with a pair of tweezers. She hissed and closed her eyes, but didn’t jerk her foot away. “I took them over there so she could call her folks. Besides, they wanted to hang out with Dutch for a while.”

  Wes nodded and pulled out his notepad. “You said you put in new locks since the last… incident?”

  “Yeah.” He frowned and thought about Ronny. Would the old man do something like this?

  “What about my aunt’s… What about Ronny?” Bella looked over at him.

  “Ronny?” Wes asked, leaning forward on the chair.

  Corey sighed. “I doubt it was him, but I suppose you’ll have to look into it.”

  It took him half an hour to explain to Wes his conversation with Ronny and how the man had just needed to grab some of his stuff.

  “I’ll go check it out and have a talk with Ronny.” Wes stood. “Maybe you should go to the clinic to have your feet looked at.”

  Bella looked down at her feet. He’d already tried to convince her to let him take her into town. But she’d said she was fine and that she just needed to get the glass out and soak her feet.

  “Bella, maybe we should head into town. That way we can check up on Snubs.”

  He watched her struggle with the decision and then instead of waiting for her answer, he picked her up and carried her towards the front door. “We’re going to swing by my place so I can grab some shoes and change first.” he said to Wes, who quickly nodded.

  “We’ll lock up when we’re done here.” Wes replied back. Corey waved to Sheriff Miller as they walked out.

  After stopping to make sure the dogs were okay at his place and putting on his own clothes and shoes, he carried Bella to his truck and tucked a blanket around her. Even though it was still very warm out, he’d seen her shivering and was worried she might be in shock.

  “I’m fine, really,” she said as he drove towards the clinic.

  “I know, but they’re better equipped to get all the glass out than I am with a pair of tweezers.”

  “I don’t want to be a bother.” She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder.

  “Trust me, it’s no bother.” He wrapped his arm around her and held tight.

  “I wonder if Missy’s had her baby yet.” She held in a yawn as she asked.

  “Haven’t heard yet. Maybe we can check when we’re at the clinic. They would know.”

  He pulled his truck up to the emergency drop and smiled when a woman came out with a wheelchair.

  “Wes called and told us you were on your way.” She helped him get Bella into the chair. “You can wait here; we’ll call you back when we’ve got her all cleaned up.” She nodded to the waiting area.

  After Bella was pushed through the doors, he walked over and stood by the counter. Kimberly was a nighttime clerk whom he’d seen a few years back. She was one of the only women in town that he was still on talking terms with. Maybe it was because she’d been the one to cheat on him, instead of him calling the relationship off. But, she’d ended up marrying the man and now had a kid of her own.

  “Hear anything about Missy and Reece?”

  “Heard from Nikki about an hour back. It’s a boy, Lev
i Colton West. Seven pounds, six ounces.” She smiled and flipped through her phone. “Here’s a picture.” She handed him her phone and he smiled down at the new family. The baby looked incredibly too small as Reece held him in his arms.

  He glanced up over the phone. “What time?”

  She sighed. “An hour after I predicted.” She frowned. “Twelve-thirty-two.”

  He smiled. “Two minutes after my time spot. I wonder if I’m the closest?”

  Kimberly shrugged her shoulders. “Ryan has the board. I’m sure he’ll let everyone know tomorrow. So…”—she leaned closer— “what happened out there?”

  He leaned his hip against the counter and replayed the entire story, knowing it would get out to everyone in town just as fast as the news of the new West baby would.

  Bella leaned back in Corey’s truck as he drove back to his place. They had stopped by the vet clinic and checked in on Snubs, who, they were told, was resting comfortably after surgery. One of his ribs had pierced his lungs and his hind leg was broken. He would have to stay at the clinic for about a week. After that, he would need to wear a small cast and cone. But he was going to live and he’d saved her life. If it hadn’t been for him jumping at the guy… She shivered, remembering the outline of the man standing at the edge of her bed. So close.

  “You okay?” Corey asked, reaching over and taking her hand.

  “Yeah.” She felt better sitting next to him. “Is it okay if we grab Beggar and stay at your place tonight?”

  He wrapped his arm around her, and pulled her closer. “How about we grab the dogs and we’ll all come over. That way, it’s like getting back on a horse.” He looked down at her for a moment.

  “I suppose you’re right. I can’t avoid staying there. After all, it’s my home.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, trying to hide the shiver that ran up her spine. “Did Wes tell you how he got in? Other than the back door?”

  Corey shook his head. “He said it didn’t look like he’d broken the door or the lock. First thing tomorrow, I’m heading into town and buying a security system for you.”