by Leanne Davis
Luna sucked in a deep breath to stop crying. Clutching her crutches, she tucked them under her armpits and moved forward, taking a small hop and a step as she nodded. “Then… then we should all go back inside and figure out what needs to be done. Or purchased. Or fixed. Or cleaned.”
Jacob went ahead and opened the door for Luna. His smile shored up her confidence. She wanted to please him. And all of the people who were already inside. His family and friends, her customers, who were all connected in some way to the ranch. Luna understood even as an outsider that the ranch was the lifeblood of this town and its people. It provided an identity for the residents. It had its own presence. It made the small town of River’s End famous up and down the Pacific Northwest and even further for horse training and rescue. The resort and all the vacationing and recreational opportunities put it on the map. Without it, the town of River’s End would have probably died out sometime during the last century.
If the Rydells and their employees came back here, Luna had no doubt the rest of the townspeople would follow, and if not immediately, then soon. She’d have a thriving business again. Her stomach knotted. Could she do it again?
Her gaze dropped down and Luna started a slow, scrutinizing inspection of her once beloved little business. She exhaled a short gasp. It looked… normal? She was in a state of shock. It didn’t have any of the images that were fixed in her brain.
Instead, all the tables were turned upright, and the chairs were tucked neatly under them. The tables for the booths were placed in their correct positions too. There wasn’t one dish or utensil on the ground. The tables were uniformly covered with the checkered tablecloths, votive candles, and bud vases she used to imbue the café with a homey ambiance. There wasn’t one stain anywhere and the walls were spotlessly clean. A few pictures were missing but as for the rest? It looked as uncluttered and as ready for business as a banquet hall. The cash register was ready to ring up the first order. The dessert counter was empty, but other than that, everything Luna saw said it was open for business.
Her mouth dropped in astonishment. “I don’t… understand. How can it look so… so…?” She was at a loss for words.
“Jacob did it,” Brianna said as she came closer, her smile softly appropriate. “The cleaners finished, and Jacob recruited me first, then the rest of my family joined us over the last few nights. We tried to restore it to how it looked before. We found the linens and got rid of anything… well, anything that didn’t enhance the warm ambiance anymore.”
Luna’s tears were grateful ones. She flipped around and tilted her head back to stare up at him. “You did all of this? For me?”
“It was the least I could do. This place had become your albatross, and you’re right: you had to do something with it. You couldn’t just leave it. But I knew how hard it was for you to return to it. I wanted it to resemble the restaurant you moved here for, not an eyesore that would make you want to leave.”
Kailynn came forward. “I used to work here as a waitress. I can’t believe that Kelsey could have been me. We were glad to help if only to lessen your burden and take back the control from that monster. You, Jacob, this place, this whole town means everything to all of us.” She too had tears in her eyes. Kelsey was one of the servers and a longtime café employee. She had been shot in the head and killed instantly. Only forty-six years old. It still sickened Luna each time she recalled the smiling, helpful woman who did the most to transition her from last summer until now. Well, that is, a few weeks ago.
She gripped Jacob’s hand and tried to keep her tears from falling. Her breathing hitched as she was absolutely overwhelmed. The stress arose just from walking through the doors. All the terrible things she thought she’d see in here were not what met her eyes. The presence of so many caring individuals, who were now staring at her eagerly, touched her deeply. They were there for her. All were sincerely trying to help her. Their collective empathy for what she’d been through, and the crime scene that hurt so many families, was also her place of business. She expected that many, hopefully not the majority, but many people could not return to this place ever again.
Now she hoped they all would. And some of them already had. For her and for Jacob. Jacob did this for her, and his family and all the ranch people also supported him. But still, this community blew her away. Shaking her head, fresh, hot tears poured freely. They weren’t happy tears anymore, they were touched, tender tears for being the recipient of so much caring from others. So much goodness countered the deranged evil she witnessed in this very spot. Now, seeing it beaten back really helped. The vise that clamped her lungs released, and she felt free. Maybe having so much good around her could vanquish the dark heaviness of her depression and memories.
“Thank you all. For being here and stepping across the threshold again. Your solidarity is generous enough, but what I can see was done to this place—”
“Can’t be undone, honey,” Hailey said softly, coming forward to touch her arm. The subtle, kind support she offered was so nurturing and motherly, but it only made her cry again. Why couldn’t she ever have experienced that? “But maybe what happened was neutralized or at least unsettled by all the efforts to restore it. The goodness you provided was far, far more potent and enduring than what the murderer left behind.”
She squeezed her eyes, ordering her tears to stop and nodded at Hailey. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Hailey smiled with unconcealed kindness and gave her shoulders a squeeze. “You’ve been through so much. Come and sit down, that foot of yours must be hurting.”
Luna nodded, blind with puffy eyes as she stumbled to a nearby chair. Ordering herself not to overreact or freak out, she was ready to just sit there. In that space. It was okay now. It was fine. She was safe. She was safe. She was safe.
But lord, she didn’t feel too safe.
She never felt safe enough anymore.
Chills ran over her arms. Dumb. She was surrounded by thirty people and Jacob was right there. Close to her. Caring. Protective. Just like the night he fucking jumped on a gunman. But it occurred in this place, and all Luna could think about was that. The door wasn’t locked. Anyone could walk through, right here, right now. Anyone. She’d be an immobilized target this time. A sitting duck. With a broken foot. She’d be much slower and easier to hit. She was closest to the door right now.
She shook her head and felt the blood draining from her face in fear. Iciness. Dread.
She heard conversations that were so soft and pleasant. People were respectful that this wasn’t a grand opening or any kind of celebration. This was a rebirth. A baptism from sin. This wasn’t something she should enjoy.
Jacob sat beside her. She listened with abstract attention as he talked to Jack and Ian. Kailynn and Allison Rydell came over to extend their support. Erin, Jocelyn, and everyone from the Rydell clan really. They were all there to offer their assistance. She adored them for it. They made the place feel warm, welcoming, full of life with conversation, happy chuckles, and surprised exclamations. Instead of the ungodly quiet solemnity she usually felt at reliving that night, she was grateful to avoid it. It probably would have happened if she’d come in here all alone with Jacob. But now it felt like any other night in the café.
But it was still critically different.
A hand slid over hers and gripped her fingers. Jacob. He still talked to his uncle, but he was holding her hand in silent encouragement. She gripped it and covered her other hand with his. Jacob had large hands, and it was hard not to cling to him like a little girl to her big, strong daddy. Not something Luna had ever done, not even once in her life, with her own father. But here she sat quite happily with this man. This new person in her life. This person who saw her in a quiet, caring way, unlike her own dad, who never could. Jacob repaired her café in an obvious attempt to fix her. He strove to make it easier and better, so she could start taking baby steps toward closure. If she could just step outside without needing to hide behind a wall or shelf every
time she saw a stranger. Jacob did all of this for her, not for himself. She recalled he said he was helping her in order to help himself. Not a model she was familiar with.
The uncle drifted away, and Jacob turned toward Luna and leaned in. “Why don’t I take you home?”
“We can’t. All these people are here. They came for me, for us. I can’t just leave. And… and I haven’t thanked them or you enough. You did all this. I have to stay now and be here, present. I have to get over my, you know, my hang-ups. Get back—”
He suddenly shot upright and she found herself staring up when he towered over her. Startled, she kept looking up. “I didn’t do this to fix you. I did this so you could walk in and feel surprised. You did that, so there isn’t anything else required of you right now.”
“But—”
“We just wanted you to see it not all shot up and broken. Come on. Luna, there is no timeline for this thing.”
She felt tears in her eyes but blinked them back. “I’m just having a bit of a… a hard time.”
He leaned down, placing his lips just beside her ear. “I know. I was there, too. I’m here.”
She shuddered and nodded. “You were and are.”
“Yeah. And that’s not changing.” He brought her crutches over and helped her up. He waved goodbye at a few people and leaned over to talk to his sister. Handing her the keys and reestablishing her authority, he said to Luna, “Let’s go.”
“I need to say goodbye first—”
“What? Make the rounds? Say all your goodbyes? Nah. No one here wants you to do that. My sister’s got it under control now. Let’s go.” Relieved, but grateful, she was overwhelmed but also so touched.
Chapter Thirteen
LUNA’S FEELINGS WERE SCATTERED, but none were definable. Jacob took her to his SUV, helped her in and seconds later, realized how ridiculous it was not to walk, but they still drove back to her house. He helped her inside, and she walked over to the front window and stared out.
“The lights—wow, the café looks so nice lit up again.”
“You never noticed them during the nights we worked? Or our vehicles? I thought our little elves would get caught in the act and you wouldn’t be surprised.”
“To tell you the truth, I’ve been taking the sleeping pills right after you leave. I can’t sleep otherwise, and they help. Once you leave, it’s so quiet and dark that the whole fucking place seems creepy, like an evil stalker is staring at me. So, I keep the drapes tightly shut over the windows. No, I really never saw anything going on.”
“Luna?” Jacob’s quiet, deep voice filled the space behind her. She blinked her eyes open and tried to stave off the tears.
“I’m okay.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it?”
“Which part? All of this is hard.”
She watched him step closer. Her heart sped up, her hands got sweaty, and her skin tingled. Over the last few days, she found her nerves lighting up in response to his presence.
It wasn’t hard to see the fantasy others said they glimpsed in those pictures. There was a connection. But romance?
She felt the weight of his hand when it landed softly on her shoulder. The warmth radiated from his palm onto her skin. She closed her eyes to savor it and leaned into him. Gently tugging on her shoulder, Luna easily complied when she realized what he was offering. An embrace. She let him take her into his arms as he surrounded her, squeezing her slender waist. She instantly tucked her head and snuggled in the nook under his shoulder. Sighing, she let his warmth and intimate contact fill her senses. It had been a long time since anyone had taken care of Luna. Eternally strong and protective, she had to rely on herself at a young age because she couldn’t count on her dad or mom. She’d always stood on her own two feet, head held high, sure and fearless.
Even while justifying her reasons for moving to River’s End. Even then. But the murders? The shooting did a real number on her ability to cope and remain strong.
She enjoyed Jacob’s warmth for a long while and felt his heart hammer under her ear. His hands caressed her waist until he moved one hand upwards, and let it slide over each vertebra of her spine. Then he used both hands to massage her. They were so flat and warm, moving back and forth along her spine and right into her shoulder blades. She felt like a cat, ready to stretch and purr, relishing the warm embrace and most appreciated rub. It lasted for a long time, too.
His hands slid to her side. He lifted one to trail his fingertips along her rib cage. Her breath caught when he was barely an inch below her breast. He paused, and she felt his breathing stop. She looked up at him, and he glanced down. Their gazes met. Something she saw in his eyes melted her insides. It was very different from anything else they shared up until that point.
Sparks flashed in his eyes. She licked her lips when his gaze narrowed on her.
His fingertips fanned the side of her breast. She felt her blood heating up, and her mind spun in response. Her stomach clenched, and her nipples hardened.
She couldn’t hide her shock and knew her eyes were as big as saucers. Jacob stared at her, but didn’t give anything away by his expression so she wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Then his thumb stroked her side, moving slowly toward the front of her and her entire body responded. Jacob saw it as her permission to do more, so he leaned forward, bending toward her, and his eyes remained hot as pokers on hers.
He let his lips touch hers. Her lids fluttered involuntarily. She sighed into the kiss, melting into his arms as the wet heat slid over her open mouth. She pressed against him, and he shifted his hands back to her waist before bending down into a deeper kiss.
Their tongues clashed together, and she struggled to keep up the pace. With a moan, she allowed his mouth to devour hers. She loved how his mouth opened wider before his tongue crashed into hers with a wonderful momentum that only thrilled her all the more.
His hands bunched up her top and he caressed her lower back. All the while, their lips stayed connected, and their tongues busily choreographed a sensuous dance. She couldn’t help leaning into him. She did her best to balance herself on one leg and suddenly remembered her injury, which had briefly slipped her mind. The whole reason why they were still hanging together.
Jacob unexpectedly stopped kissing her and lifted his mouth just inches above hers. She blinked her surprise, trying to understand what happened. He stared into her doe eyes, then at her mouth and returned to her eyes. “Is this okay?”
“It’s more than okay. It’s all I want right now.”
He leaned forward and kissed her again but this time, it was a much calmer, softer, quieter kiss. “You are so beautiful,” he mumbled as he tasted her again. He wanted to coax her and seduce her, and Luna knew it. She nearly dragged him into her bedroom, which was conveniently located right behind her.
She loved hearing his words, and she let them flow through her mind while his kiss grew softer. He began nipping and sampling her lips before sliding his hand up to the back of her head. His fingers moved seductively along her scalp and her thick mass of hair. He deftly positioned her head, so he could kiss her again. She moaned at the soft, sweet contact and mild pressure, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue inside again. He slowed down the tempo to match the heat and emotions, gradually climbing a crescendo.
His next kiss turned Luna to jelly. The ascent that was building inside her was filling her up. He placed his hand on the side of her face and cradled it into the best position to meet his thrusting tongue. She instantly responded and pressed back as hard as she could with her tongue. Her own reaction astonished her, and she marveled at how deeply she felt the sexual urge for Jacob, which started down in her stomach, deep in her gut. Luna rarely, if ever, moved so fast with a guy. She was a notoriously slow burn, which all the guys she dated in the past would, no doubt, attest to. She could get there eventually, and she loved fiery hot sex, but the journey to the pot of gold was never fast or easy for her. Certainly, not like this.
What was it?
Was she really inextricably attracted to Jacob? Or was it strictly because of what they experienced together? They both confronted death on the same night, and now they were ready to start celebrating life and being alive. But sex? Orgasms? With each other?
Maybe. Perhaps. Oh, totally. But when Jacob swiped his tongue over hers again, Luna let out a satisfied groan and forgot to worry. She didn’t care about why. No over-thinking or over-analyzing here. No! Luna wanted it all. She felt the weight of his meaty arms surrounding her. He continued swiping up and down her back, bunching up her shirt and letting it go, driving her nuts with unbridled eroticism. Luna had no clue what he would do next, go up her blouse or drop it completely, but he kept fidgeting with her shirt. She wanted to rip it off and get it away from her overheated skin.
She loved the way his tongue slid beside hers, tracing her lips before plunging into her mouth and devouring hers. He kept stretching her lips wider, urging her to take him in. She was amazed by how deeply his tongue explored her mouth. She responded with demanding desire. She gripped his oh-so-soft, silky hair with her fingertips and feathered it gently. Combing her fingers through the strands, Jacob responded by pushing his mouth harder against hers. She strained upwards, seeking more of his heat. She adored his muscles. And skin. And wet, hot mouth. She cherished the way his body strained beside hers.
Pressing her round breasts against his hard chest, she found herself wanting, craving, and moaning her need for him to touch them. They needed his caress. His huge hands could cover her large, plump breasts and squeeze them. She longed for him to lift them, and swipe over the hardened, pebbled nipples.
Eventually, he understood her tacit demands from him. His hand slid down to the side of her boob and she wilted with unmasked passion. He put his hand around her entire breast and rubbed her nipple. She all but screamed, “Do it.” Her breast fit perfectly in his palm. He caressed her entire torso and back. Yes! she almost exclaimed. He lifted it up and held it softly, placing his mouth directly over her nipple. She gasped and pushed herself against him as if saying, Yes! Yes! Now! She got so excited, she was soaking wet and filled with desire for Jacob. Aching for more of his acts of pleasure, the intense pain she previously suffered was a distant memory. Jacob made her feel so alive.