Walk On By (Passing Through Series Book 3)

by Sarah Hegger

  She and Poppy nodded a greeting.

  Kelly had never seen him before.

  “I’m new in town,” he said.

  As they walked away Poppy glanced at her and shrugged. “What was that about?”

  “No idea.” Kelly should ask Peg. She always knew what was going down in Twin Elks.

  They reached Poppy’s car and climbed in. Poppy mostly drove Horace’s old 1966 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron. Poppy had a thing for the old car, and Horace didn’t drive it much anymore.

  “I also escaped because Gabe and Belinda were at the house and you could cut the tension with a knife,” Poppy said.

  Way to bury the lead. “What were they doing there?”

  “Gabe said he brought her around to meet everyone, but I think he was avoiding being alone with her.” Poppy handled the old boat of a car like she was born to it.

  Kelly tried not to be too delighted by that news. “Well, it’s probably the shock.”

  Poppy’s hard stare called bullshit. “Plus, Dot is doing that thing she does when she doesn’t like someone and she’s trying her best to hide it.”

  “The squeaky voice?”

  “Yup.” Poppy flapped her hands about. “With hand waving.”

  Kelly made an impressed face. “With hand waving? I thought hand waving was reserved for Tara.”

  “Speaking of Tara, has anyone seen her around?” Poppy didn’t have much time for Ben’s ex. Then again, Tara still went out of her way to make life difficult for Poppy.

  She shook her head. “Nope. Her broomstick hasn’t been spotted recently.”

  They cackled together.

  Poppy took the road out of town toward the cabin.

  Large and rambling, the house bore no resemblance to Ben’s rough cabin, but it still held that cottage air about it with its stone and wooden features.

  Poppy parked and sat forward, staring at the house. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “It is.” Kelly squeezed her hand. “And built with love by that man of yours.”

  “That’s the best part.” Poppy gave a misty smile and climbed out. “Let’s go get those measurements.”

  Kelly followed her into the house.

  The house looked ready for its family and Poppy took her through the tour, pride and love shining through with each step. They stopped in the master bedroom and looked out at the view. The last of the sun caressed the mountaintops but left deep gray shadows in the valleys.

  “When I first got in my car and headed for California, this was not what I saw for my future,” Poppy said.

  Kelly leaned her tired head against a wooden pillar. “I know.”

  “I had pretty much given up on life and decided I had only one direction to go.”

  She knew that too, so Kelly let Poppy talk.

  “In the space of a few weeks, I met Ben and Dot and then you.” Poppy opened her arms wide. “Suddenly my life was filled with possibilities.”

  Kelly nodded. She’d been there at the time.

  Slipping an arm around her waist, Poppy tugged her closer. “My point is this, don’t give up on anything. Stay open to possibilities.”

  “You’re creepy.” Kelly couldn’t believe Poppy had gotten all of that from walking into the coffee shop earlier.

  Pointing at her, Poppy smiled. “And you’re hiding how you really feel about Gabe.”

  “Not so much hiding as not really knowing.” The ache in her chest started again, and Kelly crossed her arms over it. “I didn’t see this coming.”

  “Ah, Kelly.” Poppy side-hugged her. “Neither did I, and then one day it hit me that Ben was standing right in front of me. Do you think Claire planned on Finn happening, or being pregnant now?”

  “If she is pregnant.”

  Poppy smirked. “She’s pregnant. I’d bet my right arm on it. Anyway, none of us saw love coming, yet here it is.”

  Love? They couldn’t be at that point already. These things took time. “Anyway, the ex is not the point.”

  “What is?”

  “Gabe isn’t staying.” Kelly had to wrap her arms tighter around herself. “He wants nothing more than to get the hell out of this town.”

  “Maybe.” Poppy shrugged. “Maybe not. If it helps, you have Dot on your side about making him stay.”

  That wasn’t right either. Kelly shook her head. “I wouldn’t want him to stay if it wasn’t right for him.”

  “Damn.” Poppy stared at her. “You really do have it bad.”

  “Could we not talk about this anymore?” She’d been in emotional freefall for the last few days, and she needed to find a hole and crawl into it for the rest of the night.

  Poppy nodded. “Sure. As long as you’ll remember to do what’s right for you here.”

  Kelly nodded, but the promise was a hollow one. How could she do what was good for her, when inside, a battle raged as to what that should be?

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Her conversation with Poppy didn’t stop Kelly from letting Gabe crawl into her bed again that night.

  Kelly woke up before her alarm, very conscious of the warm man spooning her. Not wanting to wake him, she lay there and let the sweetness of the moment surround her.

  She didn’t delve into what had brought him to her, but he was there, and it might be the last time she had him like that. They were playing Russian roulette with their emotions, and it needed to end before one of them ended up with the wrong barrel spin.

  Turning in his arms, she tried to memorize the lines of his beautiful face. In honesty, she couldn’t say she was okay with Belinda showing up and staying with Dot, but the problem was larger.

  The longer this thing carried on with Gabe, the harder she risked falling. She traced the lines of his face.

  His eyelids fluttered open. “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  His dark eyes filled with humor. “I suppose I owe you an explanation.”

  “No.” Kelly didn’t want to talk. Moving her body against his, she kissed him.

  Gabe responded immediately, rolling her to her back as he deepened the kiss. He raised his head and looked down at her with his tar-dark eyes full of the same need taking her over. “Kelly?”

  “Yes.” She took his mouth again.

  Gabe groaned, and the kiss grew hungrier, deeper.

  Twining his fingers through hers, he raised her hands over her head and pinned them to the bed.

  His erection pressed against her hip.

  His desire for her fanned the flames inside Kelly. Robbed of her hands, she couldn’t do much more than move against him. His warmth crept past her skin to the hidden places inside her and made them glow. One more time, she could risk it.

  Holding her hands in one of his, he lowered his mouth to her breasts and gave them all the attention they craved.

  Thinking became impossible as her body took over. She arched into the heat of his mouth. A moan came from the deepest part of her, the part that demanded fulfillment from him.

  He pushed her thighs apart and slid his hips between them. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

  She would say she had a really good idea, because he did the same to her.

  “Gabe.” She tilted her hips up. “I need you.”

  He sucked her nipple deep and released it. “And you’ll get me. All of me.”

  His fingers slid over her wet folds and worked their magic, but she wanted more than that. The need raged through her. If she had only this of him, she wanted all of him. She wanted him inside her, making her feel like only he could.

  “Now.” She wrapped her thighs around his hips. “I don’t want to wait.”

  “Babe.” He pressed his cock against her. “You’re impatient.”

  “Yes.”

  He studied her for a moment, then let her go and gr
abbed a condom from her bedside table.

  Once he was sheathed, he pushed inside her.

  The sense of completeness rushed through Kelly, and she moved with him. Already they fell into a rhythm as if perfectly designed that way.

  He knew how she liked to be touched, and he knew how to wring gasps of pleasure out of her.

  Kelly let the sensation carry her over the edge.

  Gabe joined her and rode the aftermath with her, his forehead pressed to hers.

  Their breathing found a matching rhythm and sweat dried on their skin.

  Gabe dropped to his back and they lay side by side. He entwined their fingers. Bringing her hand to his mouth, he kissed her knuckles. “I should creep into bed with you more often.”

  Reality cast its harsh light into their intimate bubble. For both their sakes, Kelly couldn’t keep ignoring the obvious. Like a Band-Aid removal, it was best done fast. “Gabe?”

  He shifted beside her. “Yes.”

  “We need to talk.”

  “Uh-oh.” Propping himself up on his elbow, he looked down at her. “No good conversation ever followed that phrase.”

  Theirs would be no exception, and she couldn’t even muster a slight smile for him. “First off, please understand that I don’t regret anything that’s happened between us.”

  “Yup. Already this is starting to suck.” He cupped her face and locked his gaze on hers. “What are you doing, Kelly?”

  “I’m putting an end to this thing between us.”

  His eyes darkened. “Gonna give me a reason, because from my point of view, we’re good together?”

  “We are.” She felt too vulnerable on her back, so she sat up and tucked the sheet under her arms. “That’s part of the problem. We’re too good together.”

  Sitting up, he frowned at her. “Still not seeing the problem.”

  “If we let us go any further, things could get complicated.” Kelly took a deep breath and came as clean as she could. “You taking care of me after Piers, coming here to get away from your ex, that is starting to feel like a lot more than casual.”

  “Kelly.” His expression softened, and he ran his fingers over her cheek. “I’m leaving.”

  “Exactly! This thing has a shelf life, and for both our sakes, I don’t think we can pretend like that’s not the reality.” She motioned her bed. “If I thought it was just sex, I wouldn’t be doing this. But I like the other stuff as much. I like hanging out with you, drinking beer and playing pool. I love how you make me laugh. I’d even go hiking with you again.”

  “No.” He blinked at her. “You don’t mean that.”

  She grimaced. “Okay, maybe not the hiking thing. But the rest of it is true. I think of you as my friend, Gabe, and not only my lover. And that reeks of trouble.”

  Gabe sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. “But we said we weren’t going to do this again before and look how well that turned out.”

  “I remember.” If anything, the prohibition had made her want him more. “But this time, we need to stick to it.” She kissed his cheek. Already his face was imprinted on her mind. Hoarded in her memory were the different expressions he used. “I don’t want this to end badly between us. I want to be able to see you when you next drift into town and know that we’re friends.”

  “I have to go. Please say you understand that.” His expression begged her.

  And she did. She might not like it, but she did. “I absolutely understand, and I wish you all the best for yourself. I want you to have those things that make you happy.”

  He gazed into her eyes. So many emotions flit between them—fondness, friendship, sadness, and even a little frustration—before he finally nodded. “Okay, Kelly. But I really don’t want you to cut me out of your life.”

  She couldn’t if she tried. “You’ll see.” Leaning over, Kelly kissed him. “This is for the best.”

  *

  At the door, Gabe hesitated. Shaking hands seemed ridiculous, and Kelly was standing there sex tousled. By him.

  Screw it.

  He reached for her and kissed her.

  She opened her mouth for him, and he slid his tongue home. If it was the last kiss he’d get from Kelly, then he wanted to make it one to remember. The taste of her was all things good, like coming home and new adventures all at once. Too soon, she separated and stood back. “Bye, Gabe. See you around.”

  “Bye, Kelly.” He didn’t bother with a smile but turned and left.

  The cold morning air nipped at him as he walked home. He dragged his feet, not really wanting to deal with Belinda and all the decisions her arrival demanded from him.

  Around his relationship with Belinda, however, he wasn’t at all conflicted. If anything, her showing up had made his position even clearer. What they’d had was dead. Especially when he compared it to what he’d almost had with Kelly. What they could have if he stayed in Twin Elks.

  Kelly was warm and generous and passionate. She made love with her entire being, and she threw herself into life as if she had one day left to live.

  He loved the way she could make him belly laugh. He treasured those times they’d spent hanging out watching television or downing beer at the Elk. He’d never had a female friend before, and if he and Kelly couldn’t be more than friends, he was going to make sure he didn’t lose her.

  Chapter Thirty

  Thank God it was Saturday, and she didn’t have to deal with the morning rush, because Kelly was not doing well.

  Peg had offered to come in this morning, but Saturdays were quieter, and Kelly had told her she’d do fine on her own. She should have let Peg take over and stayed at home herself.

  “Kelly, hon.” Ronnie Falkirk held up her cup. “Is this nonfat milk because I hate that shit?”

  It might have been. Kelly took the cup. “I’ll remake it for you.”

  “Awesome,” Ronnie said in her quart and pack of twenty a day rasp.

  “Sorry about that.”

  Ronnie hoisted herself onto a stool while she waited. “You doing okay today, hon?”

  “Sure.” Kelly slapped a smile on her face. “Just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  Kelly had never thought she’d miss Peg so much.

  Ronnie patted her eye-searing copper hair. “Must be mercury in retrograde.”

  “What does that even mean?” Kelly put whole milk in a stainless-steel jug.

  “Not sure.” Ronnie cackled. “But it makes me sound smart and mysterious when I say it.”

  “Hey, Kel.” Kathy peered at her and blinked rapidly. “Did you put caramel in this?”

  “Probably not.” Kelly took the cup from her. “Sorry, Kathy. I’m having one of those days.” She pumped caramel into Kathy’s cup. “It’s probably mercury in retrograde.”

  Kathy looked uncertain. “Oh, right. Sorry about that.”

  “What are you gonna do?” Kelly shrugged and frothed Ronnie’s milk, ending all conversation.

  She replaced Ronnie’s coffee and handed it to her. Maybe Peg would consider working there permanently. Peg had a knack for it and certainly seemed to enjoy it.

  Ronnie winked at her. “Any chance you can drop a shot of whisky in here?”

  “That’s illegal, Ronnie.” Kelly kept her face straight. “As you know because you’ve been dispatch for our police department forever.”

  Sighing, Ronnie winked at her. “A girl can try.”

  She needed to get it together or she’d be giving away all her day’s profits in fixing her mistakes.

  It didn’t make any sense. She’d ended relationships before and after a good cry, she was back to her normal self. Besides, the thing with Gabe had ended before anyone could get hurt. It was probably that she’d gotten too used to Peg being there and having four hands instead of two.

  After work, she was calling
Peg and making her an offer. Nothing ventured and all that.

  The door opened and Vince walked in, a frown creasing his face.

  “Kelly.” He tapped his fingers on the counter. “Is India with you?”

  That chased all thoughts of Gabe out of her mind. “No. We haven’t seen each other since Piers attacked me.”

  “Would you have any idea where she would go if she wasn’t at Dot’s?”

  Kelly’s belly tightened. “She isn’t at Dot’s?”

  “No.” Vince pushed his hand through his hair. “I dropped by there earlier, and Dot says she hasn’t seen her since early this morning.”

  “Jacob.” Kelly grasped at the straw. “Where is Jacob?”

  “Dot said he was with India.”

  She couldn’t think where India would have gone, especially without telling anyone. She knew Piers was still out there somewhere, and it wasn’t like India to take such a risk.

  Kelly dug her phone out of her purse and dialed India.

  It went to voicemail.

  “Damn.”

  Vince frowned. “She didn’t answer when I called earlier either.”

  “Hon?” Ronnie came closer. “Is everything all right?”

  “Do you know where Ben is?”

  Ronnie nodded. “Sure, I do. He’s up at the cabin. He said he would be working up there with his brother today.”

  Gabe was there as well. It couldn’t be helped. “I need to speak to him.”

  “Want me to holler him up?” Ronnie raised her eyebrows.

  She didn’t want to go through official channels yet. India might have gotten itchy feet and taken herself and Jacob shopping or something. It seemed a strange time to, but India had been cooped up in Dot’s house for a few weeks. “No thanks. I’ll give him a call.”

  Kelly dialed Ben’s number, and then Poppy’s, but both went to voicemail. She was probably overreacting but that uneasy feeling in her belly wouldn’t go away.

  Before she could talk herself out of it, she dialed Peg.

  Peg answered immediately. “Kelly.”

  “Hey, Peg. Listen, I’m at the store and—”

  “Do you need me to come in?” Peg sounded breathless in her eagerness.