by Lori Foster
“Everything seems exactly the same, maybe aged a little more. But still…the same.”
“That bothers you?”
She leaned back in her seat and stared up at the sky. “No.” She spoke so low her voice almost got carried away on the wind. Casey strained to hear her. “It’s just that I’ve changed so much, and yet I still feel like I don’t belong here.”
A vague panic took Casey by surprise. “This is your home.” He sounded far too gruff, almost angry. “Of course you belong.”
Silence hung between them, pressing down on him, until she swiveled her head toward him. “If you have anything you need to do today, you can just drop me at the hospital.”
It bugged the hell out of him how she kept trying to shove him away. “I’ll wait for you.”
“Dad’s probably not up to a long visit, but it still might be an hour.”
“I’ll wait.”
She stared at him, so Casey gave her a smile to counter his insistent tone and then, because he had to touch her, he opened his hand over the gearshift in invitation. She hesitated only a moment before reaching across and lacing her fingers in his. Like old times.
Now, that felt right—Emma reaching for him, accepting him. The touch of her hand to his, palm to palm, fingers intertwined, filled him with a sense of well-being.
Two minutes later, he parked in the crowded visitors’ section of the hospital lot. Emma, now utterly silent, flipped down her visor to quickly comb her hair and reapply lip gloss. He’d seen the feminine routine performed by numerous women. But this was Emma, and she fascinated him.
He went around to her side of the car and held her door open. “You look beautiful, Emma.”
She sent him a look of tolerance. “I’ll settle for passable, thank you.”
“Very passable, then.” Casey took her arm as they crossed the scorching lot. Damp heat lifted off the pavement in waves. “Do you remember the last time we were here together?”
Nodding, she said, “With your Uncle Jordan and his wife. But that was before they’d gotten married.”
“The night they met, actually. Georgia’s mother, Ruth, was sick, and Jordan had brought them, along with Georgia’s two kids, to the hospital.” While driving to the hospital to lend a helping hand, Casey had found Emma walking on the side of the road. As if the picture had been painted on his brain, he recalled exactly how she’d looked that night in ultrashort shorts, a hot-pink halter, and her skin dewy from the humidity as she’d sashayed down the roadway. All alone.
He’d been worried about her, as usual, and had insisted on giving her a ride. She’d climbed into his car, then made him sweat even more with wanting her.
Shaking his head, Casey wondered why the hell he hadn’t taken what she’d offered. If he had, maybe he wouldn’t feel as he did now. And maybe he wouldn’t have felt this way for most of his adult life.
Putting himself back on track, he continued with the family discussion. “Ruth still has some problems with her lungs, but now she’s hooked up with Misty and Honey’s dad, and he pampers her. She’s doing pretty good.”
“Do you mean your grandfather? Do you work for him now?”
“Stepgrandfather officially, but yeah. I’ve been working with him since I finished college. I’m the executive vice president of sales and marketing.”
“Wow.” Emma sounded genuinely impressed. “That sounds like an important position.”
Self-conscious about the rapid and consistent promotions, Casey grumbled, “My grandfather has shoved me right up the ladder. He takes every opportunity to give me a bigger office, a better parking spot, more perks. It’s his goal that I’ll eventually run the company for him.”
“What exactly is his company?”
“Electronics, computer hardware. You know, very high-tech, state-of-the-art stuff for businesses. Boring stuff.” He laughed at himself. “Very boring.”
“I see.” Her look was filled with comprehension in a way exclusive to Emma. She understood him, which made long explanations unnecessary. “So you don’t like your job, or is it your grandfather you don’t like?”
He avoided giving her a direct answer by saying, “I like him fine. He’s loosened up a lot, especially since he and Ruth married.”
That disclosure diverted her. “Wow, everyone is getting married.”
Casey stared ahead, strangely annoyed. “Nope, not everyone.”
Emma did a double take, probably trying to judge his mood. When she saw his sour expression, she went a little quiet. “Like everyone else, Casey, you’ll eventually find the right woman and swear love everlasting.”
She didn’t sound overly thrilled with that prospect, which pretty much mirrored his own feelings on the matter. Marriage? Just the thought of it left him tight and uncertain in a way he refused to accept. “We’ll see.”
Emma bit her lip, feeling the new tension just as he did. In an obvious effort to lighten the mood, she said, “Georgia had two really cute little kids, right?”
“Yeah, but they’re not so little anymore. Lisa is fifteen and a real heartbreaker, though she doesn’t know it, or else doesn’t care.” He glanced down at Emma, saw her pensive frown, and regretted adding to her uneasiness. She had her hands full with the coming confrontation. “Lisa’s more into her studies than boys, and she’s so smart she scares me.”
Emma relaxed enough to grin at that. “As I recall, nothing scares you—especially a female.”
That was far from the truth, but Casey just shook his head. “Adam’s thirteen, a helluva football player and real interested in becoming a vet like Jordan. He’s even got the soothing voice down pat. They’re great kids.”
She gave a wistful sigh. “You’ve got a lot of cousins now, don’t you?”
He shrugged. To Emma, it probably seemed like a lot. She had only her mother and father, and had been estranged from them for a long time. “Jordan has those two; Morgan has Amber, now eleven, and Garrett who’s nine. And Gabe has the three daughters.” Casey grinned. “By the way, they not only look like Gabe, but they all take after him, too.”
“Natural-born flirts, huh?”
“Yep. And it makes him crazy. Gabe’s about the most doting father you’ll ever meet, and he shakes whenever he talks about his girls growing old enough to date.”
Emma snorted. “He’s probably remembering his own unrestrained youth.”
“Gabe was rather unrestrained, wasn’t he? Not that any of the women complained.”
“’Course not.”
Casey admired the way her eyes glowed, her cheeks dimpled when she was amused. Hearing Emma laugh was a treat. “I have a little brother too, you know. Shohn, who’s almost ten now. He’s a hyper little pug, never still, and he knows no fear.” Knowing he bragged and not caring, Casey added, “He learned to water-ski when he was only five. Now he’s like a damn pro out there.”
“Uh-huh. And who taught him to ski?”
Casey pushed the glass doors open and ushered her inside. “Me.”
Air-conditioning rolled over them as they stepped into the hospital and headed for the elevator. Casey transferred his hand to the small of Emma’s back, and just that simple touch stirred him. Her waist dipped in, taut and graceful, then flared out to her hips. Standing next to her emphasized the differences in their sizes. He told himself that was why he felt protective. Then. Now.
Always.
Naturally, he cared about her. They’d been friends for a long
time, and that, combined with the sexual chemistry, heightened his awareness of her. It wasn’t anything more complicated than that.
But even he had to admit that talking with Emma came pretty easy. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d shared stories about his family. When he was with a woman, he remained polite, attentive, but everything felt very…surface. There wasn’t room for personal stuff. Yet with Emma, he’d just run down his whole damn lineage—and enjoyed it too much.
He was disturbed with his own realizations on that, when he heard someone say his name. He looked down the hallway and saw Ms. Potter, the librarian, being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse, followed by her daughter, Ann. Casey drew Emma to a halt. “Just a second, okay?”
He went to Ms. Potter and bent to kiss her cheek, which warmed her with a blush. “Getting out today, huh?”
“Finally.”
“You were only here two days,” the nurse teased, then added, “And you were a wonderful patient.”
Ms. Potter fussed with the elaborate bouquet of spring flowers in her lap. “Even so, these will look much better on my desk than on the windowsill here.”
Casey gave her a mock frown. “Your desk? Now don’t tell me you’re rushing right back to work.”
“Monday morning, and it’s none too soon. I can just imagine what a mess my books are in. No one ever puts them away properly.”
Ann stepped up to the side of the wheelchair. Her brown eyes twinkled and her dark hair fell in a soft wave to her shoulders when she nodded down at her mother. “The flowers are gorgeous, Casey. Thanks for bringing them to her.”
“My pleasure.” He saw Ann look beyond him to Emma, so he drew her forward. “Ann, Ms. Potter, do you remember Emma Clark?”
Ms. Potter, always sharp as a tack, said, “I do. It was a rare thing for you to come to the library, young lady.”
Embarrassed, Emma stammered, “I—I’ve never been much of a reader.”
“You only need to find the right books for you. Come and see me next week and we’ll get you set up.”
Emma blushed. “Yes, ma’am.”
Casey did his best not to laugh. Ms. Potter had a way of putting everyone on the spot, but always with good intentions. She genuinely cared about people and it showed.
Ann stared hard at Emma before her eyes widened with recognition. “Now I remember. You went to school with me, didn’t you?”
“A long time ago, yes. I think we were in the same English class.”
“That’s right. Didn’t you move away before your senior year?”
“Yes.” To avoid going into details, Emma grinned down at Ms. Potter. “That’s a doozy of a cast you have on your leg. And very art deco, too.”
Ms. Potter reached out and patted Casey’s hand. “You can blame this rascal right here. I was all set to keep it snowy white, as is appropriate for a librarian and a widow my age. But Casey showed up with colored markers.” She pointed to the awkward rendition of a flower vine twining around her ankle in bright colors of red and blue and yellow. “Before I could find something to smack him with, Casey had flowers drawn all over me. After that, everyone else had to take a turn.”
The nurse shook her head. “She loved it. She wouldn’t let me move those markers and she made sure everyone who came in left their signature behind.”
“Tattletale,” Ms. Potter muttered with a smile.
Emma bent to look more closely and laughed. Casey had signed his name to his artwork with a flourish. Others had added a sun and birds and even a rainbow. “It looks lovely.”
“I think so—now that I’m used to it.”
Laughing, Ann said, “Mom is insisting on going back to work, but she’ll only be there part-time and with limited duties. Your dad is stopping in later today to see her, to make sure it’ll be okay, and he’ll keep tabs on her.”
Casey shook his finger at Ms. Potter. “I know Dad won’t want you overdoing it.”
Ann said, “That’s what I told her, which is why I got two student employees to promise to stay with her and follow her directions. They’ll be doing most of the lifting and storing of books.” Ann winked at Casey. “Mom’ll have the library back in order in no time.”
“I’ll be checking in on you with Dad,” Casey warned, “so you better follow doctor’s orders. That was a nasty break you had.” He took Ann’s hand. “If you need anything, let me know.”
Ann pulled him toward her for a hug. “We’ll be fine, but thank you. And, please, thank Morgan again for us. If he hadn’t found her car that night…”
Casey explained to Emma, “Ms. Potter ran her car off the road, and because of the broken leg, she couldn’t get out to flag anyone down. Morgan was doing his nightly check and noticed the skid marks in the road. He found her over the berm and halfway down the hill.”
“If you’re going to tell it, tell it right. The deer ran me off the road.” Ms. Potter sniffed. “The silly thing jumped out right in front of me. Of course, he escaped without a scratch.”
“Thank God for Morgan. I thought she was at bingo and wouldn’t have worried until she didn’t come home. She might have been there for hours if it hadn’t been for him.”
“It’s his job,” Casey commented.
Ann turned to Emma, and her dark eyes were sincere but cautious. “I should get Mom home. Emma, it was nice to see you again.”
Casey slipped his arm around Emma as she said, “Thank you. You too.”
“Have you moved back home?” Ann asked.
“No, just visiting my father.”
“He’s here at the hospital too,” Casey explained. But because he didn’t want Ms. Potter or Ann to ask Emma too many questions, he gave their farewells. Ann had been as nice as always, but anyone could blunder onto uncomfortable ground. He kissed Ms. Potter on the cheek again, and drew Emma away.
They moved inside the elevator and Emma pressed the button for the fifth floor. “Is Ann married?”
She asked that casually, but she looked and sounded stiff. Casey wanted to hug her close, but he had no idea why. “Not yet, but she and Nate—you remember Morgan’s deputy?—are getting real friendly, especially since this happened with her mom. On top of the broken leg, she had more scrapes and bruises than I can count. Nate was the one who went to get Ann while Morgan took Ms. Potter to the hospital.”
“They seem nice.”
“Ms. Potter’s a sweetheart, and Ann’s just like her.”
“Pretty too.”
Casey shrugged. Ann had dark hair and eyes, and a gentle smile. He supposed she was an attractive woman. What he noticed most about her though was that she didn’t judge others. She had a generous heart, and he liked that about her. “She’s thanked Morgan about a dozen times now. She and her mom are really close.”
Emma actually winced. If he hadn’t been watching her so closely, he wouldn’t have seen it. Emma quickly tried to cover up her reaction. “As big and bulky as he is, Morgan can be really gentle. He’s a perfect sheriff.”
Casey wasn’t fooled. “I think so.”
“Your dad’s the same way.” She spoke fast, almost chattered. “I remember when most every female in Buckhorn mooned over him and your uncles. Even the girls my age used to eye them and fantasize.”
Casey put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the elevator wall. “You too?”
She cast him a quick, flustered look. “No. Of course not.”
“How come?”
“I had my sights
set on a different target.” Her attempt at humor fell flat, even though she lightly elbowed him. “I was embarrassingly obvious.”
Something in her tone got to Casey. Nothing new in that. Emma had always touched him in ways no one else could. “You never embarrassed me, Em.”
She appeared rattled by the seriousness he’d injected, and quickly turned her attention to the advancing floor numbers. Casey crowded closer to her and inhaled the subtle aroma of her hair and skin. It was the same as and yet different from what he remembered. Would she taste the same?
The elevator door hissed open and Emma all but leaped out. He had to take big steps to keep up with her headlong flight down the hallway toward her father’s room. Her nervousness had returned in a crushing wave. He could feel it, but was helpless as to how to help her.
When she reached the right door, she gave Casey an uncertain look. “There’s a waiting room at the end of the hall if you want to watch a little television or get some coffee.” She pushed her hair behind her ear with a trembling hand.
He glanced down the hall. It was empty. Not that it mattered. In that particular moment, he had to hold her. He pulled Emma against his chest and gently enfolded her in his arms. She resisted him for a moment before giving up and relaxing into him.
God, it felt good, having her so close again. He lowered his mouth to her ear, felt her warmth and the silk of her hair against his jaw. “I’ll be waiting if you need me.”
She lifted her head to stare up at him, embarrassed, confused, a little flushed. “I’m fine, Casey. Really.”
The softness of her cheek drew his hand. He wanted to stroke her all over, find all her soft spots. Her hot spots.
Taking her—and himself—by surprise, he bent and kissed her. Her lips parted on a gasp, an unconscious invitation that was hard to resist. But Casey kept the kiss light, contenting himself with one small stroke of his tongue just inside her bottom lip. He leaned back, hazy with need, not just lust but so many roiling emotions he nearly groaned.