by Ann Everett
When Jared got home, Jace waited. Jared’s heart hammered. He parked and jumped out of the car. “Oh, God. Is it Dad?”
His brother shook his head. “No. Dad’s fine. I came to apologize. Maggie pointed out you might really like this Raynebeaux woman and I shouldn’t be joking about her. Do you?”
Jared breathed easier, it’d only been an hour since he’d seen his dad but things happened so quickly bad news came to mind first. Lately, Raynie fell into the same category. “Yeah. But she considers me a complication, so there’s not much I can do.”
“Sure you can. Remember how relentless Maggie was with me? If you think this woman has any feelings at all for you, then don’t give up.”
Jared waited for the punch line, but none came. “You’re serious?”
“Hell, yeah. If she’s the one you want, then fight for her.”
Jace rolled forward and reached the bottom of the ramp, then looked back, and quirked a brow, as if to say, ‘the balls in your court.’
Damn. His big-mouthed little brother had turned into Mr. Sensitive.
Right on time, Jared pulled into Raynie’s drive. At the end of her porch, illuminated by light, a guy the size of a linebacker with blond hair, scruffy beard, and no shirt, held a drink in one hand and a hammer in the other. A leather tool belt hung low on his hips. To complete Raynie’s bad-boy taste in men, a dragon inked his left shoulder. Forget fighting for her. This explained everything.
Do not tell secrets to those whose faith and silence
you have not already tested.
~~Elizabeth I
THE LAST TIME JARED’S emotions flared this much was Jace’s sixteenth birthday. On that occasion Mom and Dad presented his little brother with a new Chevy truck. When Jared reached the same milestone, he’d gotten a five year-old Mazda.
Heat rose from the pit of his stomach to his throat, choking his breath. He had no claim to Raynie and never would. He pushed the thought away, grabbed the flower box and stepped out of the car.
The big guy eyed him and holstered the hammer, then strode down the steps to meet him half-way. “You must be Silbie’s date. I’m Dak Savage.”
Damn name sounded like a superhero or better yet, a thrill seeking adventurer. Jared hated the idea of Raynie providing the thrills. He accepted the guy’s handshake.
“Jared Sloan.”
“After the dance, we should go for a drink. I need a break from the females inside.” He jerked his head toward the door.
“You mean Raynie and Silbie?”
“Yeah, and my wife and daughter. Outnumbered four to one. Can’t watch sports. Didn’t bring my laptop because I promised myself no work during vacation. Thirty hours into this trip and I’m already going stir crazy.”
Jared’s chest relaxed. Best news he’d had all day. Cause for celebration. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll be ready.” He grabbed the knob, pushed it and yelled. “Jared’s here!” Dak stepped aside and let him pass.
Silbie came running, stopped short, twirled around, then smiled at her escort. “Do you like my dress?”
He knelt to face her. “It’s beautiful. You’ll be the prettiest girl there.” He slid a purple curl through his fingers. “Your hair matches.”
“I couldn’t believe Aunt Raynie let me do it.”
He opened the box and removed the wrist corsage, lavender roses, loops of pearls, and baby’s breath. “This should finish the outfit.”
She hugged his neck, then held up her hand. “Father Jared brought me flowers!”
He looked up to see Raynie, beautiful as always. Her hair hung loose, with the sides pinned away from her face. An oversized red tunic topped a pair of destroyed jeans. His mouth went dry.
She inspected the corsage. “What do you say?”
“Oh, thank you. I love it.”
Jared stood but kept his eyes on Raynie. Being in the same room caused his heart to accelerate. His brother’s words of wisdom, ‘fight for her’ rang in Jared’s head. He wasn’t sure he could. He’d already made so many mistakes, there might not be a way to fix them. “How are you?”
She smiled. “Good. You?”
“Keeping busy.”
“Me, too.”
“I like your hair.” Damn. He felt like a junior high boy making awkward conversation.
She twirled a bright blue lock around her finger. “Thanks. Silbie and I went a little wild.”
The stranger cleared her throat. “I hate to break up this reunion, but hi, I’m Quinn Savage.”
He shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jar. . . .”
“Oh, I know who you are. I’ve heard all about you.” She cut her eyes toward her friend, then back at him and smiled.
He wondered what Raynie had told her. Maybe he could find out from Dak. “Well, I guess we’d better go.”
“Not before we get a picture” Raynie grabbed her phone. “Stand by the fireplace.”
Jared took his position and Silbie hopped onto the brick ledge, then leaned into him.
“Okay, smile.” Click. “One more.” She snapped again.
Quinn straightened Silbie’s collar, then brushed her hair back. “Do a crazy one.”
Jared stretched his lips to one side and crossed his eyes. Silbie put her thumbs in her ears, fanned her fingers, and stuck out her tongue.
“That’s a good one.” Raynie held the phone so Silbie could see the results.
For a long moment, Jared locked eyes with Raynie, then turned away. “When we get back from the dance, I’m taking Dak for a drink.”
“Thank goodness,” Quinn said. “He’s driving us nuts. You’d think he’d enjoy days with nothing to do, but that’s not in his DNA.”
RAYNIE STOOD AT the window and watched them drive away, then spoke to Quinn. “In a while, I want to check on them.”
“Why? Don’t you trust him?”
“God, yes. He’s the best man I’ve ever met. But I hate being left out. It’s her first social function since . . .” Raynie swallowed hard. The thought of Silbie not having her parents to share all the important events in her life caused Raynie’s chest to tighten. “Didn’t they make a beautiful couple?”
“You mean like a real father and daughter?”
“Yeah. It makes me sad. I’ll never replace Celeste, but at least I can fill in. Once we leave here, who will do these things for her?”
“Dak will help out when he can.”
“I know.”
Quinn slipped her arm around Raynie. “He may have a girlfriend, but the way he looks at you tells me he’s not serious about her. Don’t push him away.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. I know you too well.”
Raynie shrugged. It was easy to get a guy to fall in love with her. She just couldn’t make it last. “Sure. I’ve noticed his smoldering gaze and if he was my flavor of bad boy, I’d encourage it. But he isn’t. He’s a decent man who buys into the fairy tale crap of until death do us part. I’m a novelty to him. Better to sever the relationship now before one of us gets hurt.”
Quinn wagged her head for effect. “Blah, blah, blah. But how do you feel about him . . . right now . . . this minute?”
“I’m attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be? But that’s all it is.” She stated it with conviction because she believed it to be true. She fantasized about sleeping with him, not marrying him.
For the next hour, Raynie prepared a tater-tot casserole, angel biscuits, and curried fruit for Sunday morning’s breakfast while Quinn rehashed all the reasons Raynie should give in to her desire.
She countered each one, but there was no stopping the matchmaker. She babbled all the way to the school. Raynie parked, and even from a half-block away, woofers and tweeters carried a heavy beat into the night. As she sprinted across the lawn, she motioned for Quinn to stay close. Raynie flattened her body against the building and eased down to a wall of windows, with her friend right next to her.
Quinn poked her sh
oulder and shouted above the music. “Good Lord. I feel like I’m on a covert mission. Why not just go inside?”
“I don’t want them to know I’m checking them out.” She tiptoed and searched until she spotted the couple. “Oh, they’re so sweet together.” The ballad ended, and the DJ announced the next tune.
“Okay, here’s the one you requested. The chicken dance!” The song blared, and the crowd flicked their fingers, flapped their arms, and waggled their butts.
Quinn elbowed Raynie. “You are making a huge mistake. You need to grab him with both hands and not let go. See how foolish he’s acting for a child who isn’t his daughter. And how she’s looking at him.”
“I know. She adores him. And that’s why without him around, it’ll be easier when we leave.”
The music stopped, and Jared and Silbie made their way to the refreshment table where one of the lady servers sidled up to him. She leaned in, pressed her breast to his arm, and Raynie’s stomach burned.
He smiled at the woman, then backed away. Raynie nudged Quinn. “Let’s go.”
“Yeah. We should before you go in there and whip that hussy’s ass for making a play for your man.”
“He’s not my man.”
“But he could be.”
Raynie had worked hard to keep the relationship with Jared platonic but couldn’t. The more she was with him, the more she wanted to have sex with him. But it would be wrong to add him to the list. Not that there had been that many.
Hmm. The one guy senior year of high school. Two husbands. She stopped and tried to recall who came next. Oh yeah. Eric. Then there was Clay. Christopher. Cliff. After the three C’s, she swore off sex. Well, with an actual person. Her assortment of vibrators increased and made it easier. She could get the same pleasure without having to shave her legs.
Quinn’s question snapped her from the math problem. “You’re quiet. What are you thinking about?”
Raynie slid behind the wheel. “Do you remember all the guys you’ve had sex with?”
“Uh . . . yeah.” She pursed her lips. “Three. No, wait. Four. That’s not a lot, is it?”
Raynie laughed and pulled into traffic. “Compared to who?”
Quinn palmed her phone and typed. “Here’s an NBC report from a while ago. Says 29% of males and 9% females have had more than 15 sexual partners in a lifetime. The median range is seven for men and four for women. So I guess I’m average.”
“I’ve had twice that.”
“Which figure? Fifteen or four?”
“Damn, Quinn. I’m not a slut. Seven or eight, but that still seems high. I should take a vow of celibacy. Give up men for life.”
“I agree. Right after Jared.”
“You’re funny.”
“I’m not kidding. If he was involved with someone why would he spend so much time with you? Why take Silbie to the dance? A serious girlfriend wouldn’t stand for that.”
God. Once Quinn set her mind to something, she wouldn’t give it a rest. No need to argue. Besides, they were back at home.
BY THE TIME JARED dropped Silbie off and picked Dak up, it was almost eleven. Still plenty of time for drinks before the bars closed at two. Tech Tavern, with over sixty taps, including several house-made beers, boasted the largest selection in the city. Jared figured this was his chance to show that Lubbock was more than flat land and farmers. He doubted Austin had better watering holes than this one.
On the drive over, Jared kept the conversation focused on his new friend. He’d asked about his job and daughter, two things Dak was more than happy to discuss in length.
When they got to the bar, Jared stopped to order, then found a table in the corner. He slid onto one of the red vinyl chairs. The Tavern smelled of beer and chicken wings. A variety of neon signs hung on the walls, along with signed photos from all the Tech football players who’d gone on to play for professional teams. Even though it was less than two hours until closing, the place was still packed, mostly with university students.
Dak took the seat across from Jared and leaned forward. “Quinn gave me strict instructions to find out what’s going on with you and Raynie?”
Jared chuckled. “You mean what are my intentions?”
“I told her it’s none of our business, but they’ve been friends forever, so I’ve got to give her something.”
“Friendship is all she wants.”
Dak raised a brow. “But you want more?”
The server delivered the mugs and Jared paid. He waited for her to leave before he answered. “What would be the point? In a few weeks she’ll be leaving. And . . . she hates Lubbock.”
“Hell, other than Quinn, she only has one close friend. And Rico, the guy she dates on and off is nothing but a boy-toy. For her to stay, maybe you should give her a reason stronger than friendship.”
Jared laughed. “I’ve tried, and for a while, I thought we were getting closer, but she ended it.”
“She thinks you’re seeing someone.”
Jared’s face drew tight. “Why would she think that?”
“Saw you with a woman at some cafe.”
So she did see me. “She was an old friend.” He wanted to change the subject before Dak asked too many questions. “Raynie mentioned you and your wife got together under odd circumstances.”
“About as odd as you can get. She tricked me into getting her pregnant and never told me about the baby. Fabricated everything, so I had no way to find her.”
Jared’s mouth hung open. “So, she lied?”
“That’s an understatement.”
When Dak finished the story, Jared sat in stunned silence. Compared to Quinn’s lie, his seemed insignificant. “Damn. How’d you get past all that?”
“Easy. I loved her.” He chuckled. “Not at first sight. She wasn’t my type. But after our weekend together, she’s all I thought about. And once I located her, because of what she’d done, I tried to hate her, but couldn’t. Oh, I put on a good act for a while, but when she threatened to leave, I came to my senses.”
“That’s some story.”
“Yeah. Similar to yours and Raynie’s.”
Jared choked on his drink. He saw nothing comparable. “What do you mean?”
“A card reader and a minister. Opposites. But you’re ahead of the game, because there aren’t any lies involved.”
I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.
~Louisa May Alcott
BLURRY EYED, JARED stared at the clock, then rolled to his back and gazed at the ceiling. It’d been another two weeks since he’d seen Raynie and shared a drink with her friend, Dak. Because of what Jared learned about the couple’s love story, and how Raynie had been a part of the deception, surprised him.
He swung his feet to the floor and rested his elbows on his knees. No time to think about his love life. He’d promised to mow his parent’s lawn. In the past, Dad always insisted on doing the yardwork, but since being diagnosed with angina, the doctor ordered no exertion for a while.
An hour later, with each strip he cut, his brain played a game of she loves me, she loves me not. One minute he thought the attraction was one-sided, and the next, mutual. He should forget her and move on with his life. There were too many things to overcome for a relationship to ever work. He was ready to settle down and she never would be.
He killed the engine and admired his work, loving the smell of freshly mowed grass. From Jace’s house, Mom walked Jared’s way with the twins in tow.
She smiled. “Thanks for mowing. It looks great.”
He raked fingers through his hair. “Glad to do it.”
“You need a haircut.”
“Nope. This is my new look. I’m letting it grow. Thinking about getting my ears pierced and a nose ring.”
“Over my dead body.”
He laughed. Nothing made him happier than getting the best of his mother.
Emma broke free and reached for him.
“Sorry, baby. I’m hot and sweaty
. Let me wash up and I’ll take you.” At the faucet, he picked up the garden hose, and trickled a gentle stream over his face. The little tots ran to him. He spread his thumb over the end of the tube and sent a spray into the air. Both girls danced in circles, raised their arms to catch the drops and giggled.
“Jared! You’re soaking them! Stop!” Mom threw her hands up, but when he aimed the spew toward her, she stepped back. “You’d better not get me wet.”
He smiled down at his nieces. “Think we should give BeBe a bath?”
She retreated and narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” He pointed the water hose, and a mist hit her.
She screamed and jumped back more, but he followed. The toddlers laughed and tried to keep up. Sunlight broke through the clouds and created a rainbow in the cascade. Damn, about the time he pushed Raynie from his mind, Mother Nature reminded him of her.
A FEW WEEKS AGO, hearing from Rico would have sent Raynie’s heart into a spin, but not now. He called to say how he liked California and missed her. Yeah, right. Before the conversation ended, he asked her to mail a package to him. Once she returned to Austin, she was to pick it up from the new owner at the tattoo shop. Just some old designs from Rico’s early years, before he put everything on computer. Funny, she never considered him sentimental, but he said they were important, so she agreed.
She went into the bedroom and marked the desk calendar. Fifteen days until she headed back home. She wrote Rico’s name and drew a heart around it. Silly. Her stomach knotted, and she didn’t understand why. He’d been nothing more than a good time. A convenient distraction. A scratch for an itch. Meaningless sex. The kind she liked.
Then she thought of Jared. Lord, she was a mess. A fickle woman who didn’t have a clue. Told him to go, but hoped he’d stay. Talk about screwed up. She deserved to be miserable wanting a man she couldn’t have.