by Amy Summers
“I hear that Brett is gone,” she said bluntly to Kendall one afternoon as they sat in the trailer drinking tall, cool glasses of lemonade.
“I hope he didn’t hurt you too badly. He always does seem to go eventually.” She shrugged. “Funny. This time I thought it might stick.”
“Well, it didn’t.” Kendall found to her surprise that she could smile.
“Just do what the rest of us have done,” Susan advised. “Just hold on to the good times. He makes a great friend, and he’ll always be a friend to you.”
A friend. The word stung. She didn’t want him to be a friend. She wanted his love. Had she ever let him know? Probably not. And it might just be too late.
Kendall was thankful for Susan’s interest and her friendship. She kept herself very busy, but the nights tended to drag. She hadn’t heard a word from Brett or Danni. After two weeks had gone by without any contact, she began to realize there wasn’t going to be any. That hurt, even though she thought she could understand it.
It hurt all the more when the time drew out to be almost three months. She didn’t even know the two of them were back in town until she saw Danni eating ice cream with a group of friends outside the Freezin’ Faucet as she drove by on her way to the cleaners. The girl was laughing and looked like a normal teenager having fun with her friends.
Kendall pulled her car to a stop and got out.
“Danni,” she said. “You’re back.”
Danni swung around and smiled. “Oh, hi Kendall. Yeah, we’re back. We got in about a week ago. I’ve been meaning to come out and say hi, but I’ve just been too busy, what with schoolwork to make up and all. And I’m trying out for a lead in the school play next week, so I’m not sure if I’ll have any more time to come out and help you.”
For the first time she looked uncomfortable, glancing at her friends.
Kendall realized her dilemma. No one else knew about her letting out the animals and she didn’t want to bring it up in front of the others.
“That’s all right,” she said quickly. “How... how’s your brother?”
“Brett? Oh, he’s fine.” Her gaze looked veiled, showing no emotion. “He got a temporary consulting job with the Department of Parks and Recreation that’s keeping him real busy right now.”
Danni avoided her eyes, jabbing her spoon into her ice cream again and again. “Give him a call one of these days,” she said, her voice bright with false cheer. “I’m sure he’d like to hear from you.”
“I will.”
Her heart felt like lead in her chest. It was as though there had never been anything between them. Danni’s eyes were blank. Would Brett’s be that way too? She couldn’t risk seeing that. It would surely break her heart.
She forgot about the cleaners and drove slowly home instead. She entered the compound, looking around herself as though she’d never seen the place before. Construction workers were hard at work on her new house, the brick structure that was going to replace her flimsy trailer. New cages were being built on the other side of the enclosure. Mountain Shelter was thriving.
“I did this,” she said to herself in wonder.
True, she’d had help. Pedro was invaluable and Susan was a godsend. And Brett and Danni had done things here and there. But it was her dream that had set this in motion, her courage that had launched it.
She was a different person today from the tentative widow she’d been months before, afraid of Gerald’s memory, afraid of men, afraid of life. She’d stuck her neck out, taken destiny into her own hands and molded it. She was strong. She could do things.
Brett had been a part of her emergence as a full person. He’d done his bit to make her see herself, to help her take steps that scared her. Maybe she didn’t need him anymore. Maybe it was all over, and she should be glad, go on to the next step, continue growing as a human being. Maybe...
No. No, that was all cockeyed and not a little selfish. Brett had helped her, it was true. But hadn’t she helped him? Hadn’t she loved him?
Could she live without him? Of course. The last few months had proven that.
But did she want to?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. How dare he! How dare he cast her off like an old shoe? How dare he go on living his life without a thought to her and how she felt, what she wanted?
Instead of getting out of her car, she started the engine up again and turned back toward town. As every mile rolled under her wheels, she grew angrier and angrier, and by the time she got to Brett’s Victorian house, she was steaming.
She jerked the car to a stop, got out, and strode toward the house. The front door opened as she came up on the porch. Brett was obviously on his way out.
The sight of him caught her off guard. Dressed in a brushed denim suit, he was wearing the same huge belt he’d worn the first time she’d seen him, his eyes were crystal blue, and his face was hard and handsome. He looked so good, her resolve almost wavered. But then she saw the wariness in his eyes and her fury surged back as strong as ever.
“Listen, you!” she cried, jabbing a finger at his wide chest. “I’ve had it up to here with your carefree attitude. I’m not some babydoll plaything to be cast aside when you’re through playing.”
“What?”
Genuinely startled, he backed into the house with Kendall following closely, more aggressive than she’d ever been before. He looked at a loss.
“I... I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She stood, legs wide, hands on her hips, and lectured him. All the pent up frustrations of the last few weeks came spilling out with her words. “You went after me from the beginning. I didn’t ask you to. You came on like some big game hunter, circling and circling until you got what you wanted. You told me I had to set myself free, but you didn’t tell me where to go once I’d done it.”
“Kendall...” He shrugged. “Kendall, listen...”
He looked so cute in his bewilderment she almost lost the edge on her anger. She bit hard on her lip to keep from smiling.
“That’s just what you were like, the bounty hunter that you are. You chased me down until I had no more resistance. Then, once you had your trophy, you lost interest. You walked off. I doubt if you’ve even given me a second thought.”
His face mirrored his confusion. He narrowed his eyes, frowning, then almost laughed. It was as though he weren’t sure if she were serious or just putting him on.
“Kendall, this is ridiculous. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sarcasm came easily. “Oh sure. So on top of everything else, I’m stupid. Is that it?”
“What?” He shook his head, totally at sea. “Kendall, this is... wait, you really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Her eyes flashed angrily.
“I know exactly what I’m talking about. I know about long, lonely days waiting to hear from you. I know about listening for a cell phone call that doesn’t come, about checking the mailbox every day and finding nothing, not even a postcard saying ‘wish you were here.’”
Now he was beginning to look sheepish. “I didn’t think you wanted to hear from me.”
“Oh really? I didn’t know you’d thought about it at all.” She shook a finger at him. “Who do you think you are to treat me like this? Was I or was I not a part of your life? What is it, do you have some sort of switch in your brain that turns off your past so that you can go on without having to worry about it ever again, regardless of who you’ve hurt?”
He stiffened, wincing. That concept seemed to horrify him. “Kendall, I never wanted to hurt you.”
Behind his words, they both knew what he was saying. He would never do to her the sort of thing Gerald had done. But there were worse things. Kendall was only just finding that out.
“You know what? I’ve learned something through all this. It’s not really the cruel intent to hurt that cuts so deep. It’s the careless abandonment, the person who just doesn’t give a damn for someone else
’s feelings. It’s being forgotten. That’s what hurts worst of all.”
He tried to reach for her. She stepped back, out of his arm span.
“No,” he said, agony in his voice. “No, Kendall, I wouldn’t hurt you. Never.”
“Never?” Her voice had softened, her anger mostly spent. “Then why do I ache so?”
His blue eyes searched hers. She could sense that he wanted to touch her, but she refused to allow it. Not yet.
“You know,” he said slowly, staring down at her, “I used to think that I understood women. I was sort of proud of it. Other guys would rant and rave and swear women were crazy, and I would be so smug, thinking I was the only one who could read their minds, knew why they did what they did, what they wanted from a man.”
He shook his head.
“But you and Danni have me so bamboozled I don’t know if I’m coming or going.” His blue eyes were open, completely guileless. “I... I love you, and I’m afraid to tell you so.”
Kendall blinked, not sure she’d heard right. “You love me?”
“Yes. Isn’t it obvious?”
“No.” She took a deep breath. Her heart was beating very fast and she couldn’t seem to calm it. Tears were forming in her eyes and she couldn’t see him anymore. His image swam in front of her, a blur.
“No,” she went on, her voice broken. “Not when you go off for months and don’t write or call or...”
He took her shoulders in his large hands, staring at her. “I thought you wanted it that way. You were always telling me to get lost. And when you said you wouldn’t come to Hawaii with us, I figured that was it. I ought to give you what you wanted, leave you alone. It was what you wanted. Wasn’t it?”
Tears were falling now, pouring down her face in rivers.
“Are you crazy?” she cried, trying to blink them back.
“Yes. I guess so.”
He took her in his arms and she laughed up at him through her tears of joy. “I know I’m crazy about you. That I can’t live without you. Does that mean I’m off my rocker?”
She nodded. “Way off. And I’m right there with you.”
“Kendall, I wanted to call you so many times. Danni did great. We got everything out in the open and had it out. She’ll be fine from now on, I think. But all those long walks on the beach, listening to the surf and thinking of you...”
She laughed. “Give me a break! With a hula girl on each side, I’ll bet.”
He shook his head. “No, no hula girls.” A wicked gleam lit his eyes. “Maybe an exotic dancer or two, but no hula girls.”
She began to growl and he pulled her close again, holding her, eyes closed, feeling her warmth against him and sighing contentedly.
“God how I’ve missed you, Kendall.”
“Me too.”
“I’ve been miserable without you.”
“Me too.”
Leaning back, he looked into her eyes. “Well, what are we going to do about it?”
She looked up at him, her own eyes wide with wonder. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated, obviously trying for delicacy. “I know you had a hard time with your first marriage. I can understand why you might be wary of trying it again. But...”
He didn’t go on. She waited, but nothing happened. He just looked down at her.
“Listen, Brett Carrington,” she said when she’d grown weary of waiting. “You cannot go through life using it up and never paying back. I know relationships are not a biggee with you, but they are with me. Now come on. Face it. Where are we going? Where do you want to go?”
Now it was his turn to ask, “What do you mean?”
She’d just about had it with this big lug of a man. How could someone so smart act so thick?
“Oh, will you just get to the point! Are you going to ask me to marry you or not?”
He blinked. “I guess so. Kendall MacKenzie, will you marry me?”
“Yes. Oh yes!”
She was crying and laughing at the same time. She’d never allowed herself to hope for this, and suddenly she knew it was all she needed to make her life complete. He loved her. He needed her. And she loved him beyond words, beyond believing. They would marry and it would be all right. No, more than all right, it would be wonderful. No more memories of Gerald, no more distrust. She was ready now, ready to give of herself and to take what he offered. She’d never been so happy.
“Good.” He sighed with relief. “Now that that’s settled, would you like to see my bedroom?”
She looked startled, still wiping her eyes. “What?”
“My bedroom.” He began to drop tiny kisses along the line of her neck. “You’ve never been there.”
She sighed, arching her neck to let him travel over all of it. “No, I guess I haven’t,” she murmured.
“That’s almost beyond belief. You’ve lived here all this time and you’ve never seen my bedroom.”
“True.” She was melting against him. “I didn’t know it was a major tourist attraction.”
“Definitely. It’s the highlight of any cultural tour of this town.” He found the tender area behind her ear and nuzzled it, making her tingle.
“I see. Well, then I guess I’d better go on up and take a look.”
“Be my guest.” He put an arm around her shoulders and began to lead her to the stairs.
She remembered how she’d first seen him coming down them. The memory made her smile. “I take it you’re the tour guide.”
“Oh yes. I’m going to make sure you don’t miss a thing.”
She laughed low in her throat as he lifted her in his arms and began to carry her up the stairs. “I love you, Brett Carrington,” she whispered.
“Say it loud,” he insisted, holding her close to his heart. “Say it a lot.”
“I love you, Brett Carrington!” she cried aloud. And it felt better than anything she’d ever said before.
The End
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Also by Amy Summers
The Destiny Bay Romances available from my website: AmySummersBooks.com
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Destiny Bay Romances~The Carringtons
Box Sets - 6 novels each - All The Carringtons Stories, bundled together!
The Carringtons~Volume 1, 6 Originals
The Carringtons~Volume 2, Baby Dreams
The Carringtons~Volume 3, The Ranchers
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Destiny Bay Romances-Forever Yours-Sweet Editions
Sweet and wholesome versions of the Forever Yours novels, 1-6.
The Carringtons Chronicles
Tne Individual Novels!
The Carringtons - Forever Yours
Book 1-My Little Runaway
Book 2-Wife For a Night
Book 3-Too Scared to Breathe
Book 4-Make Believe Wife
Book 5-Promoted to Wife
Book 6-Not the Marrying Kind
The Carringtons - Baby Dreams
Book 1-Husband Wanted:Will Train
Book 2-The Baby Invasion
Book 3- Waiting for Someone like You
Book 4-Just In Time
Book 5-Jilted
Book 6-Dream A Little Dream
The Carringtons - The Ranchers
Book 1 - Native Silver: Wait for Me
Book 2 - Destiny Ranch
Book 3 - Sweet Desperado
Book 4 - Stealing Shane’s Girl
Book 5 - Luck Be A Lady
Book 6 - Don't Tell Me You Love Me
The Carringtons - The Islanders
Book 1 - Saved by You
Book 2 - Found by You
Book 3 - Tempted by You
Book 4 - Rescued by You
Book 5 - Charmed by You
Book 6 - Blessed By You
Book 7- Amazed By You
The Carrington Cousins
Just Kiss Me-A New Guy in Town Novel
Just Trust Me, A Brother's Best Friend Novel
About the Author
Amy Summers is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 100 romances published under various pseudonyms with Harlequin, Silhouette, Loveswept, and others. She is currently revamping and rewriting much of her backlist--some available in the US for the first time--to present on Kindle.
Most of her current stories feature the Carrington family who live and love on the California Central Coast. Try them all! You just might enjoy the journey!
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.
Copyright © 2018 Amy Summers
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