“Just because you can’t see the little people you step over doesn’t mean you haven’t left footprints all over them. Maybe it’s time for you to come down from that ivory tower and figure out how real life works.”
Her chin shot into the air. Real life? He didn’t have a clue what real life looked like for her. An ivory tower? She wished with all her might he could see the small ranch house she’d worked her tail end off to finally afford. “I’ve got my feet planted firmly on the ground, thank you very much, and I have for some time.”
“I guess life in the fast lane isn’t as glittery as you once thought.”
The only thing fast about her life was how fast she’d been forced to grow up.
Fortunately, A.J. Dodge slapped his hands on the table and got slowly to his feet. “I’ve got to get back to work. I’m not sure there’s much left to say. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Lowry.”
Gretchen stood and shook his hand. “Likewise, Mr. Dodge.”
Tommy stayed seated and stretched his long legs beneath the table, crossing his boot-clad feet. The door at her back jangled at Dodge’s retreat. Gretchen remained standing. She didn’t trust herself to be alone with Tommy. She’d anticipated a difficult audience before she knew he was involved. But standing there, facing him, felt like facing a one-man firing squad.
“If you don’t have any questions, I suppose we can call this meeting adjourned.”
“I’ve got plenty of questions,” Tommy said, gripping his chin. The motion drew her attention to his mouth and the lips she’d dreamt about only the night before. In her dreams, they were soft and inviting, a far cry from the tight line they formed as he pressed them together. “Was this fun for you? Ambushing me?”
“It wasn’t an ambush. I didn’t know you had anything to do with STS until a few days ago. By then, I was already here and it was too late to back out.”
“Backing out is your style. Why change now when you can dig the knife a little deeper into my back.”
Oh, God. She’d hurt him. The anger and the pain were so evident, and she’d tried so hard to shield him from pain. “I’m not trying to hurt you, Tommy.”
“You can’t hurt me, Gretchen. I’d have to care for you to hurt me, and I just don’t anymore. You made sure of that.”
She swallowed against the wave of nausea. What would he do if he knew the truth? What would it cost her? “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
He stood up slowly, tucking his legs beneath him and straightening to his full six feet, two inches, forcing her to look up to meet his icy stare. “I don’t feel anything but disgust. I remember the girl who wanted to see the world and make a difference. I never thought she’d become a corporate hack. Course, I never thought she’d do a lot of things. Shame on me for expecting better of her.”
She should be numb. Why was he able to aim those darts right where it hurt the most? “That girl is gone. She died right along with her dreams.”
Tommy leaned down. Gretchen felt his breath stir her hair and squeezed her eyes closed. “I could have told you he wasn’t worth it,” he whispered. His boots clicked on the hardwood floors as he moved toward the door.
“We don’t always get to choose,” she murmured.
The door jingled as he gripped the handle, and Gretchen turned her head just as he cut his eyes out the front window. “Everything we have in life is a choice. I’m not going to let this valley suffer because you made the wrong one.”
He might not make the valley suffer, but he sure as hell would make her suffer.
Chapter 15
Dodge felt tired to the bone. When he drove up to his cabin, the last rays of the sun were casting the sky in sheets of pink. He wanted a cold beer, the couch, and the company of his wife—and not necessarily in that order. He scowled when he spotted Kevin’s car in the drive. The hired help should never arrive home before the boss. Dodge left his boots in the garage and dragged his weary body up the stairs. He found Kevin drinking his beer, on his couch, talking to his wife. “Something is seriously wrong with this picture.”
“Hey,” Sarah said, “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Did you deliver the cows to Ft. Marland?” Dodge asked Kevin.
“Done.”
“Clear out the ditch in the river pasture?”
“Done.” Kevin took a sip of beer.
“Repair the fence line by the barn?”
“All done.”
“How did you get all that done so fast?”
Kevin smirked in that sassy way he had that made Dodge want to hug him and strangle him all at once. “I’m young and able-bodied.”
“I’m going to whip your young able body if you don’t get off my couch and let me have some time with my woman. Go make up with yours and get outta here.”
“Dodge…” Sarah chided.
“What? He’s got a wife and a house and a fridge full of beer back in Denver.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Kevin said. She’d defend him to the death when they all knew what he really needed was a swift kick in the ass. “He’s right.”
“Damn right I’m right.” Dodge slipped off his jacket and hung it on the post. “I’m going to take a shower. When I’m out,”—he pointed at Kevin—“we’re going to talk. Man to man.”
Hot water did little to ease Dodge’s mood or his muscles. At the start of every winter, he contemplated hanging up his hat—or at least cutting back his hours. Maybe if his stepson stayed in town and was as eager and nimble as he seemed, Dodge just might consider taking it easy a little more seriously.
When he got out of the shower, he found Kevin alone on the couch with a football game on low. “Sarah make herself scarce?”
“I think she drove over to Lyle’s. She said something about checking out his new paint colors.”
Dodge grunted, popped the top on a beer, and stifled a sigh as he sank into his corner. “Hiding never solved anything.”
“I’m not hiding.”
“Have you seen her?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Then you’re hiding,” Dodge said.
“I trudged all over town today. That’s not hiding.”
“You know where she is, you know what you need to do, so go do it. Unless you don’t want to fix this.”
Kevin blew out a breath. “I do want to fix it. Not fixing it isn’t even on the table.”
“So mosey on over to the table. The stakes are too damn high to fuck around. You love her. You’ve always loved her. Go get her back.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Yes, it is.” Dodge ran a hand over his face and let out a frustrated groan. “I love your mother. If she left me, which by the grace of God she hasn’t, nothing would stop me from getting her back, including my stubborn pride. Memories won’t keep you warm at night or be there for you when you’re old.”
Kevin stared at his beer and mumbled, “You’re already old.”
“Don’t I know it?”
“I want her back, but we have to start over. I let things get out of hand. I let her set the tone for our marriage, and I won’t go back to that.”
“Okay, fine. So be a man, admit you were wrong, tell her you love her, and explain that things need to change. One of you has to make the first move, and from where I’m sitting, it should be you.”
“I know, I know. I’ll go see her tomorrow.”
“What’s wrong with right now?” Dodge asked.
“I need to think about my move.”
“The only move you need to make is out of here. I want my house back.”
Kevin nudged Dodge with his shoulder. “You like having us here.” When Dodge slammed his brows together and shot him a look, Kevin said, “Who would you pick on if we weren’t around?”
“Your mother.”
“No way,” Kevin said. “You’re as whipped as I am.”
“Yeah, I am, but my woman hasn’t left me. Not yet, anyway.” He grinned.
Chapter 16
Wood ch
ips flew and landed like confetti at Tommy’s feet. His muscles sang from the exertion, but he felt nothing but the urge to hit and hit hard. He drew in a deep breath as he lifted the ax, and he welcomed the sting of the cold air hitting his lungs. The ax whapped as the log split clear through the middle, each screeching yank to pull the ax out created another ring of sweat on Tommy’s shirt.
He couldn’t say how long he’d been at the task he’d put off for too long, but the pile of wood he’d tossed aside to stack had risen to his waist. He’d yet to exorcise his demons and the memories that had flooded back. Gretchen as a shy teenager skulking around when he’d been too angry about his parents’ divorce and his mom’s remarriage to deal with her grief over losing her mother. The way she’d morphed into a woman, taunting him around every corner. The sweet and desperate relief of their surrender and the feeling he’d never found with another woman. God knew he’d tried, but eventually he stopped trying and tucked love safely away where it couldn’t hurt him anymore.
One look, one syllable from that whisky-coated voice of hers, and he’d plunged right back into the past. Tommy was done with the past. He’d come to the valley at twenty-two, ready to start over and get reacquainted with his father. He hadn’t intended to get sucked into his dad’s second family. He’d married a gentle woman after escaping the sharp-tongued wrath of Tommy’s mother. Olivia and Tommy had bonded from the very beginning, and the glue only hardened after their father’s passing.
He’d set the past aside and eased into life with a mission to carry on his father’s reputation as a respected businessman. Tommy had succeeded on all fronts until the day before when his past had collided head first with his future. Gretchen had derailed him once before. He’d be damned if he’d let her do it again.
“Your back’s going to be screaming in the morning.”
Tommy whipped his head around. Patrick Garrity stood beside his truck and whistled at the pile of wood. “What are you doing here?” Tommy asked.
“Been looking for you. You weren’t answering your phone, and I couldn’t find you in town. Only place left was here.”
Tommy wiped his brow and seemed shocked to find his shirt soaked through. Now that he’d stopped, the cold air bristled his skin. “I had some stuff to do around the house.”
“You got enough wood there to last all winter and then some.”
“I had a tree fall.”
“You heard of a chain saw?” Patrick asked.
Tommy tossed the ax down and loaded his arms with wood. He walked toward the bin by the shed in the back. “What’s up?”
Patrick picked up a couple of logs and followed. “Wanted to know how the meeting went yesterday. Didn’t think I’d have to track you down to find out.”
“It went.”
“And?”
“It was the same old song and dance. We should be happy with the influx of tourists and the economic uptick and not worry our simple little heads over things like water and pollution and taxes.”
“So the guy was a prick?”
Tommy stood up straight, irritated by his initial instinct to protect Gretchen. “He was a she, and the meeting was a waste of time.”
“A woman?”
“What difference does it make?” Tommy started back toward the pile with a wheelbarrow he’d retrieved from the shed.
“I don’t know,” Patrick said. “It just seems kinda weird.” Patrick helped him load the wheelbarrow. “So where do we go from here?”
“Same place we’ve been going. Keep our eyes open and our ears to the ground until the environmental impact study is released.”
“She didn’t mention any type of concessions? Lower residential units? Smaller commercial space?”
“Nope,” Tommy said.
“Think we can sway this lady to our side? Might be easier than a man. How old was she? Was she hot?”
Tommy tossed a log into the wheelbarrow after shooting Patrick a withering stare. “That’s the best you can come up with?”
“You’re single. I’m divorced. I’ve slept with women for lesser reasons.”
Tommy tightened his grip on a piece of wood and didn’t even feel the sting of the splinter that pierced his finger. “Don’t go there.”
“Women divulge things to their lovers.”
Tommy unclenched his jaw and clapped dirt from his hands after tossing the log into the wheelbarrow. “We do this above board.” Although the thought of siccing Patrick on Gretchen did have a twisted kind of appeal. “We’ve come this far doing everything right. It’s not worth selling our souls.”
Patrick let out a howling laugh. “She must be dog ugly if you equate sleeping with her to selling your soul. Maybe I’ll ask Dodge. Heard you let him sit in on the meeting.”
Tommy should have expected Patrick’s jealousy. “I wanted another man’s take on the meeting. Waste of both our time.”
“I’m sick and tired of waiting on that damn study. What is taking the forest service so long?”
“Maybe no news is good news.” Tommy wanted Patrick gone. He was tired, freezing, and his mood was getting worse by the minute. Tommy couldn’t take an afternoon off without somebody coming around.
“Or maybe no news gives us time to do some digging.”
“What kind of digging?”
Patrick shrugged. “I don’t know. Everybody’s got a weakness. Holcomb’s proved too high up on the food chain to touch, but his lady friend might have some low hanging fruit.”
Tommy stood up straight under the guise of stretching his back. He needed to see Patrick’s expression. “What do you mean?”
“Everyone has a price. Maybe we can afford hers.”
“Drop it, Patrick.”
“Why? You had no problem with it when I had Daddy’s detective look for dirt on Holcomb.”
“Holcomb’s different. He’s in charge. She was just sent here on assignment. Her life doesn’t change whether the development goes through or not.”
“You think she’s not going to profit when this thing gets approved? She’s probably getting a cut of the action.”
“Doesn’t matter. We don’t operate like that.” Patrick mumbled something under his breath as he followed Tommy to the shed. “What’s that?” Tommy asked.
“Nothing.” They stacked wood in silence until the wheelbarrow was empty. “I gotta hit the road.” Patrick dug his keys from his pocket. “I’ll see you around.”
Tommy watched Patrick’s truck disappear down the drive and shook his head. Stupid hothead thought he knew everything.
Chapter 17
Lyle gritted his teeth as he helped Kevin carry his suitcases inside the cabin. Just because he’d agreed to let his brother stay with him didn’t mean he was happy about it. His brother had been a pig growing up, and Lyle expected the cabin—and his office—to remain in a state of disarray. Lyle was forced to move his desk into a corner of his already cramped bedroom to allow for the queen-sized blow-up mattress their mom had let Kevin borrow.
“If this is temporary, why do you have so much stuff?” Lyle asked.
“I’m not going home, remember?”
“Have you heard anything on the house in Denver?”
“Nothing, but I wasn’t expecting to. It’s only been a week.”
It felt like a year. “You talked to Shiloh yet?”
“I’m going today. Figure I’ve given her enough time to get over being mad.”
“So why are we bothering moving you in and setting up this bed? If she’s over being mad, won’t you make other arrangements?”
“Like what?” Kevin plugged the mattress into the wall, and it began to inflate. “Stay with her parents? No way.”
Lyle dropped his hands on his hips. “Here? Both of you here?”
“I don’t know.” Kevin let out a breath and looked up at Lyle. Lyle had never seen such a vulnerable expression on his brother’s face. “Go ahead and make fun. I lost my job, my home, and my wife. Thanks to Dodge, I’m working. If I’m lucky
enough to get my wife back, we’re going to have to bum some favors off family until we’re back on our feet.”
“I’m not trying to kick you when you’re down. God knows, I lived with Mom and Dodge for almost a year before they kicked me out.”
“Technically, you’re the reason I was only allowed to stay a week.”
“Well, you are married.”
“That remains to be seen.”
“Come on, Kev. You know she’s coming back.”
“I don’t know. Hopefully I will today.”
Lyle looked around at his new home and sighed. Images of Erica wrapped only in a blanket prancing through the den to the kitchen brought a smile to his lips. No more walking around naked. No more sex by the fire. They’d be locked in his room trying to keep their voices down. They could stay at her place, but something about that didn’t feel right. He was the man. She ought to stay with him, not the other way around.
“Go talk to her and make some plans,” Lyle said. “I’ve got work to do.”
“How’s the book?”
“It’s humming along. I promised Jack a first draft before Christmas.”
Kevin stood up. “Sorry about your office, man. I want out of here as much as you want me out.”
“Just fix your marriage. Lucky for you I can work from anywhere.”
Kevin slapped him on the shoulder. “I intend to.”
***
Kevin waited until he knew both the Robinsons had left for work before driving to their farmhouse and knocking on the door. His car was under the carport, so he figured Shiloh was home. How many times had he stood on the porch with his heart in his hands and a bucket of butterflies in his belly? He’d have felt fifteen again if the consequences hadn’t been so high or his confidence so low. He heard her footsteps pause before she opened the door. He knew she was contemplating whether or not to let him in. He shuffled his feet and tried not to appear impatient. He’d wait for her forever.
The knob turned, the door began its familiar creaking, and one of Shiloh’s big blue eyes appeared in the crack. “What are you doing here?”
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