by Wendy Vella
“Not you too. Any chance we could go back to Brad?”
“It's all around the entire town by now. Try and fight it, and they'll just throw it in your face at any given opportunity,” Ethan said.
“Like they're not now?”
“Don't fight it, is all the advice I'm giving you. Look at it this way, they could hate you, and the name could have been really unflattering.”
“I'm leaving soon, anyway.”
Macy, who was now sitting on the other side of Cubby's desk, looked over her shoulder at Ethan and saw the flash of pain at Brad's words.
“So what brings you three in here? You come to talk some more about that Buchanan land business Jake told me about this morning?”
“Nope. Macy—”
“Maybe you should let Macy tell him,” Brad interrupted his brother, “seeing as she has all the details.”
Macy usually let people talk for her; it was just the way things had gone since the business with Brian. Her friends liked to protect her, and she let them.
“No, it's okay—”
“You took the call, Macy, so you tell the sheriff the details.” Brad didn't raise his voice, he simply encouraged her.
“I got another call from Brian, and this is the fourth one now.”
“Four?” Katie said. “I thought you told us a few months ago it was only one?”
“It was, and now it's four.”
“Okay, and the only reason you're telling us now is because these two were with you when you got this one?”
“Katie.” Macy sighed. “I'm telling you now, so let it go.”
The McBride eyes narrowed, but she simply nodded.
“I'll think about it, but first how about you tell us what he said to you?”
She did, relaying everything she remembered.
“Each time he's threatened you by saying he's coming for you?”
Macy nodded, and then swallowed because her throat felt suddenly dry. Damn Brian Delray.
“Do you say anything back, Macy?”
“Yes, I tell him he doesn't scare me and that he… he can't hurt me, or that he's pathetic.”
“Nice work, girl.” Katie smiled at her, then reached across the desk and squeezed her hand. “You got backbone now, don't you forget that ever, okay?”
Macy nodded. She did have backbone, even if sometimes Brian challenged that.
“And he said you can change your numbers but he can still get to you?”
Macy had thought about Brian’s words on the way to the Lair, while she was safe, wedged in a sexy Texan sandwich, and had an idea how he was getting her number. “I’m not sure if this is what’s happening, but his sister, Mel, is like this computer IT whizz kid.”
“And you think she’d help Brian?”
“I’d like to think she wouldn’t but she didn’t like me very much for taking her big brother away. Brian, however, she idolized.”
“It’s possible she could track down your cell number if she was clever with that kind of thing.”
“I’ve only changed it three times. One after he left, two after the first call, and then again last week.”
“But that’s not working, Macy,” Katie said.
“I'll contact the prison, and see if we can get this stopped?”
“Sure, Cubby.”
“If anything changes, if he escalates, if anything else disturbs you, you have to tell us.”
“I will, promise.”
“I mean it, Macy. We know what Brian is capable of, and I'm not taking any chances here. Any little thing, like a letter, parcel, or e-mail, any phone calls that you pick up and no one's there. You feel or think anything's wrong, you contact me or Katie.”
“I got it, Cubby.”
“Don’t you worry about this, Macy, he's locked up nice and tight for a long time, so he can't reach you.”
“I know.” And she did, it's just that Brian was a resourceful, insane man, and his hatred for her, the woman who had exposed him for what he was, went very deep.
“You okay?” The warm hand Brad rested on her shoulder should not have felt as good as it did.
“Fine.” Macy nodded.
“Now I want to talk about this Buchanan land issue. We need to get the facts together and then hold a meeting. We can't let anything happen to that place, it's one of the oldest pieces of dirt around here.”
“I know,” Ethan said. “Worst part is, I think our father may be involved.”
“Heard that too, and it's not a happy thought, but this is your town, and we're your family now.”
“I know it.” Ethan shook Cubby's hand.
“And yours if you want it.”
Macy, who had regained her feet, watched Cubby stick out his hand to Brad this time. Shock was etched on his handsome face briefly before he slid the composed look back in place.
“Thanks.” He took the hand. “But I'll probably be heading out soon.”
“Sure, but from what I gather you have a head for this kind of thing, so we'd appreciate anything you got.”
“Not sure as that's true, but I'll help where I can.”
“Nadine won't change her mind about selling this,” Macy said. “She has no loyalty to her parents, and definitely not anyone here.”
“We have to try.”
They did, but Macy didn't hold out much hope.
“Nice shorts.” Cubby was looking at Brad.
“You think?” Brad rolled with it. “DJ O'Donnell picked them out for me. I'm thinking of getting him to sign them before I leave.”
“You should, and also hang around for the Night Carnival in a few days, TJ. One of the highlights of the calendar for Howling.”
“I'll think about it, Sheriff, thanks.”
The three of them walked out of the sheriff’s office in single file, Macy between him and Ethan. Brad’s head was filled with thoughts about the brief facts Newman had furnished him with about Macy's ex.
He'd like to get on his Harley, drive to the prison Brian Delray was incarcerated in, and go a few rounds with the animal.
He looked at the soft curls coming out of the clip she’d bundled her hair in, and wondered how anyone could hurt her. She was sweet, and loved her son to distraction, and then there was the way she interacted with her friends. Loyalty was important to Macy Reynolds. She was also smoking hot, but that wasn't something he could contemplate again. She was off-limits to him. The night they'd shared was now a memory, and there would be no repeat. The thought made Brad’s chest feel heavy, so he did what he did best, and locked it away in the trunk inside his head where he stored shit that unsettled him.
To be fair, it was pretty full, but he had enough room to wedge this thought in there and slam the lid shut and throw the lock home.
Macy's cellphone rang and he watched her freeze, her shoulder suddenly rigid.
“Answer it, honey,” Ethan moved to her side. “He can't hurt you, remember.”
She gave a quick nod, then pulled out the phone. Looking at the caller ID didn't seem to relax her any.
“Mother.”
Brad shot a look at Ethan, who in turned mouthed the word bitch.
“Okay, I'll come now.”
“Problem?” Brad asked her when she'd finished the call.
“My d-dad's had a fall. I need to ring Jany to come in and run the shop, then organize for someone to pick up Billy.”
“I'll get Billy, Macy, no worries there. Newman will stay in the shop until Jany gets there, and Brad will take you to your mom's.” Ethan’s voice was calm.
“Oh no, I can get there myself.”
“No, you're upset, and your hands are shaking.” Brad slid his fingers down her arm and wrapped them around her wrist. “Let's go.”
They walked again, this time faster, with Macy braced between him and Ethan again.
“Where's your car?”
“Round the back of the shop.”
“I'll take Billy home with me, Macy.”
“Thanks, Ethan.”
>
Brad held out his hand for the keys, then climbed into the small compact, his knees nearly touching his chin. Wrestling the seat back, he turned the key in the ignition.
“Breathe in and out, honey.” He could feel her panic as he headed out of town.
“He must have tried to get out of bed again. He’s done that before and fallen.”
“You don’t know what’s happened, or if he’s now back in bed, Macy, so try not to worry.”
“If it were only that easy. I worry about him from the minute I open my eyes until the minute I close them at night. I wonder if each day is the last one I’ll share with him here in Howling.”
Brad had never been close to his parents, and wondered what, if anything, he’d feel if something happened to them.
“He won’t see my son grow old, won’t know if I meet another man or have another child.”
Brad didn’t know what to say to that. The idea of her with another man or carrying his child caused something to rebel inside him, which was just plain crazy, as he was leaving soon and they’d shared a single night together, nothing more.
“Left here.”
He followed her instructions and soon pulled up outside a tidy two-story brick house. It was nice, kind of homely, with white windows, plenty of trees and flowers, and a big yard. Getting out, he went round to let Macy out, but she beat him to it.
“I got it, thanks.” Her eyes were focused on the front door as it opened.
“Hurry, Macy. I can’t get him back into bed alone!”
The woman standing there was taller than Macy. Blonde and polished, she instantly reminded him of his own mother. Macy ran. Brad hesitated briefly and then followed. There was every chance two women may not be able to lift Mr. Reynolds back into bed.
The doorway was empty when he reached it, and he saw the back of Macy in the hallway, so he followed. Everything was cream. The walls, carpet, and furniture. Gilt-framed mirrors and paintings hung all over the place, and he saw figurines and other knickknacks that also reminded him of his mother.
It was his house on a smaller scale. Immaculate, cold, and presented like a show home.
He heard the raised voices up ahead, and looked into the room. A man was lying on the floor, and the two women were kneeling beside him.
“Let me lift him back onto the bed, Macy.” She shot him a surprised look as he approached. She’d obviously expected him to leave.
“I-I… yes please, Brad, if you could.”
She regained her feet, as did the woman he guessed was her mother. They didn’t go to each other for support or a hug, instead standing a few feet apart.
“Who it this?”
“A friend, and Ethan Gelderman’s brother, Brad, Mother.”
“Very well, you may lift my husband and put him back into his bed.”
Brad had already bent over Mr. Reynolds. The man had his eyes open and Brad could see he was in pain. He wore green pajamas and his face was the color of the gray band around the collar.
“Sir, I’m going to help you back to bed.”
“I’d be grateful.”
His voice was weak, obviously the effort of getting out of bed had cost him a great deal. Slipping his hands under his back and legs, Brad lifted him with ease. Walking to the bed, he lowered him onto it, and it was Macy who rushed to fuss with the covers.
“What were you doing out of bed, Harvey?”
Brad stepped back as Mrs. Reynolds moved to stand beside Macy.
“I needed to go to the bathroom, Delany, and after calling for you several times, I gave up.”
The words hadn’t been delivered in an accusatory tone, but Delany Reynolds grabbed her chest in a dramatic gesture and gasped.
“I merely stepped outside. I cannot believe you are censuring me!”
“Mother, you care for him alone for half a day only, surely you could have been available when he needed you.” Anger clipped Macy’s voice.
“How dare you speak to me that way!”
Brad thought about leaving, but one look at Macy’s rigid shoulders and the anger in her mother’s eyes as she glared at her daughter had his feet staying exactly where they were.
“Delany.” Mr. Reynolds’ words sounded weary. “Please don’t make a fuss.”
“You’ve just accused me of neglect!”
“He never said that, Mother, I did.”
“I don’t have to put up with this, and in front of a stranger!”
Brad stood to one side as Delany Reynolds stormed from the room.
“She’ll calm down, Macy, don’t worry. It’s just her way of dealing with the situation. She worries for me, and what will happen when she is alone.”
“Dad—”
“Now, introduce me to your young man, Macy.”
She blushed at her father’s words.
“Oh no, we’re not together. Just friends, Dad.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Reynolds, my name is Brad Gelderman.” Brad stepped closer and took the hand Macy’s father held out to him. “Friend to your daughter.”
He saw Macy in the eyes, but not much else as the man’s face was drawn, and like the rest of him, wasting away. His breathing was harsh, and Brad didn't know much about illness, or have a lot of experience with death, but he knew when it was circling.
“Bet your brother was pleased you arrived for his wedding.”
“He was.” Brad didn't add the word shocked.
“You got the look of him.”
“I was just thinking the same about your daughter. I can see where she comes from now.”
“I’m sorry to drag you here, love.”
Mr. Reynolds held out his hand, and his daughter clutched it between both of hers.
“I was coming anyway, so don't give it a thought,” Macy lied smoothly as she fussed with his covers. Obviously her father had forgotten she worked. “Now, have you had something to eat today? Want me to make you some eggs?”
“If I say no you'll still do it anyway, so yes.”
She laughed, then hesitated.
“Go, we'll be fine,” Brad said to her.
“I won't be long.”
Pulling up a chair, Brad sat beside the bed.
“I've been in this town for a few days, Mr. Reynolds, and I have to say it's not your regular place.”
The man chuckled.
“I've been given a nickname, forced into a pair of shorts when I went in to the general store for supplies, and don’t get me started on this business with putting my purchases in a book at the Hoot to settle up later.”
His smile was the same as his daughter’s, and Brad felt sad that he wouldn’t be around to see more of them.
“This town is not normal, Brad. It's the people, they're some of the best and most trustworthy you'll ever meet.”
“I've figured that out, but that secret can stay between us. These people already believe they’re better than anyone stupid enough to live outside Lake Howling’s borders.”
“Well, you are.”
“We can’t all live here, Mr. Reynolds, pretty soon you’d be full.”
“Harvey, and we’re fussy about who we let in, but I think you might have a chance seeing as you’re Ethan’s brother.”
He yawned and Brad guessed the fall had taken it out of him.
“You want me to leave?”
“Mostly I only get to talk to women, Jake, and that wonderful grandson of mine, so stay a bit if you have the time.”
Brad nodded, not entirely comfortable, but aware that he wouldn’t deny this man what he wanted.
“What's between you and Macy?”
Surprise held him silent.
“Son, when you’re dying, you can't afford to be polite and go through the usual preliminaries of getting to know a person.”
Brad looked into Harvey Reynolds’ eyes. The man was awake on all fronts, for all he was sick and exhausted.
“She's a friend, and someone I hope will always be so, and you’ll have to believe me when I sa
y there's nothing more to it than that.”
“Shame.” He sighed. “You look like someone who’d treat my girl like a princess, and she needs that now. She's been hurt bad, and her mother and I should have realized what was going on before that bastard nearly destroyed her. We should have done more to protect her, but I was too weak to see or do anything about it. Then it was too late. My wife is a dominant woman, and I allowed her to be that way. Lying here has made me realize my mistakes, Brad.”
Brad knew death made people face up to stuff, but he wasn't overly comfortable hearing the confessions of a man he didn't know, the father of the woman he’d had the best sex of his life with. A woman who intrigued him way more than she should.
“Mr. Reynolds—”
“I'm sure you don't want to hear any of this, but the thing is, Brad—” He had a coughing fit then, and Brad eased him upright and gently rubbed his back before lowering him to the pillows once more.
“I heard about him, her ex,” Brad said, not knowing what else to say.
“If I had the strength I'd go to that prison and shoot him dead, but I wouldn't make it out of the door.”
“If I'm ever passing, I'll do it for you.”
“Be grateful.” Mr. Reynolds flashed him a weak smile, and Brad saw more of his daughter.
“I don't know all the details, as it was not long after that I started to go downhill, but I've seen the shadows in my girl’s eyes, and I'm her father, I should be able to chase them away, or at least make her feel safe.”
“She has friends, Harvey, who look out for her.” Brad doubted the man knew about Brian Delray’s calls to his daughter.
His sigh shook his body.
“And for that I will be forever grateful. They’re good people, Brad, and I can never thank them enough for looking after my girl when her mother and I did not.”
“They seem really tight.”
“You have friends like that, Brad?”
He nodded, and the heavy feeling settled in his chest again as he thought about Mark.
“One just died.”
“I’m sorry for your loss then. Nothing worse than losing someone close.”
“There isn’t.”
“It hurts.”
“And then some,” Brad added.
“You never get over it, Brad, but it gets easier given time. You need to talk about him, your friend, so his memory stays strong.”