The Pancake Club Anthology

by Jennifer Conner

  Not paying attention to the ground and where she was walking, she caught her foot on a large tree root and fell forward. “Watch out.” Dolan caught her by the upper shoulders. “I should have warned you not to celebrate too much. Your victory will be short-lived.”

  “Really?” She looked up into his handsome face as she tried to wet her suddenly dry lips. “You’re pretty sure of yourself Mr. Flat Rock King.”

  “No, there are a lot of things these days I’m not sure of. But something that is very clear in my mind tonight is that I want to kiss you.” He brushed her hair off her face with the tips of his fingers. “You’re a very beautiful woman, Tessa.”

  It had been a long time since a man looked at her like Dolan looked at her now. She felt a charge come off him like electricity. The barest shift of her body brought him flush against her. He wasn’t going to let her go. This was a bad idea. She was starting to want him to kiss her more than her next breath.

  Once their mouths touched, it would be too late.

  He kissed her lending a gentle touch of his mouth to hers.

  Too late.

  Feather light at first, then deeper. He slipped his hands through her hair, and held her like he didn’t want her to escape. That was good, because she wasn’t going anywhere.

  Her head swam from the gentle sweetness of his touch. It was a good thing he was holding her or she would melt down on to the blanket and blend in with the potato salad.

  He tasted like hops and smelled like the forest around them. Dolan took his leisurely time. He pressed against her, and forced her to take a step until her back was against a tree. He broke the kiss. When she looked up, he smiled.

  “This is what’s been missing in my life lately. I need to kiss beautiful women out in the wilderness more often. It’s much more fun than in L.A. There are always a million people in the parks there.”

  He moved in for another kiss. This time, he braced a hand over her head against the tree and leaned in. He brushed his lips against hers. It was more of a promise of a kiss than an actual one. Tessa tried not to sigh. He tipped his head and kissed a trail down and then back up her neck

  She wanted this moment to last for the rest of her life.

  Dolan finally stepped away. His hazel eyes were warm and gentle. He touched her cheek with his finger.

  “I think we’d better sit back down and knock this off before we boil the water in the lake,” he said and dropped back onto the blanket.

  She took his hand and let him guide her down.

  Chapter Four

  They talked for the next few hours. Dolan couldn’t stop himself from touching Tessa’s hair. It was smooth as silk and the color of mahogany. She rolled onto her back and placed her head in his lap. He’d made a joke earlier about boiling the lake, but he was only half kidding. He hadn’t been with a woman since his move up north, and he needed to kick it down a notch. He liked Tessa—a lot—and he hoped that things would work out to see her again. His mother always said, ‘good things come to those who wait.’-

  Many things had changed since the lady cruising, one-night stands in L.A. he’d had for the last eight years. Now, that didn’t seem like enough. Life was short, he knew, and he wanted more.

  The sun was beginning to set. Dolan felt sad to see the evening come to an end.

  Tessa let out a deep sigh and he rubbed the tight muscles of her shoulders with his thumbs. He sensed that she wanted to say something, but was holding back.

  After a long moment she confessed, “I haven’t talked about what happened in L.A. Even my parents don’t know. I lied to them and told them that I was on a long field assignment. I said I’d been putting together a story, so that was why I wasn’t on the air. I lied to my own parents.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “If I tell you why I moved back to Mercy Ridge, you need to tell me why you came here. A deal of the truth.”

  Was he ready to agree to her offer? Finally he agreed. “Deal.”

  “I worked my way up through the food chain on local news stations. I started on the radio here, but then left Mercy Ridge and headed off to fame and fortune for a television gig in California. I landed a job outside of L.A. and then in a year, became weekend anchor on the local evening news.”

  Dolan’s fingers stilled. “I remember you. I watched you. But, your name wasn’t Sheldon, it was Talia Salin.”

  She draped a hand over her eyes. “That was my new stage name they created when I started. They said that I had to have a different name just like my new radio persona here.” Her laugh sounded dry. “I think getting the lead anchor position had to do with the fact that I fell into the job after I fell for a guy who was in charge. When I moved in with him, suddenly I was the lead anchor. Everything was going well, and I thought I was on the top of the world.”

  “But something happened.” He didn’t want her to relive troubles from her past, but Dolan was happy that she chose to confide in him.

  “I found out as the months went by that Bradley had a wandering eye. And not just his eyes, but every molecule of his being was stepping out with half the unmarried and the married women at the station. Not one or two women, but double digits, and I felt like I was the last to know. I hoped things would change and he’d fall back in love with me, but...” She took a deep breath.

  “You finally had enough and left him?”

  “No...yes. One day while I was getting ready to go on the air, Bradley handed me this breaking story right before I went on air. I broke the story. It said that a popular local politician and his family were killed in a plane crash.”

  “I remember that. But, it wasn’t true. Why the hell did he do that?”

  She opened her eyes and she looked up at him. “He denied ever giving me the story. He’d printed it off my computer so it looked like it came from me, and then said that I made the whole thing up to build my notoriety. Their plane did have problems, but they weren’t killed. The station got a million upset viewer’s calls. It was a good old boys club there at the station, so they believed Bradley’s story. I was out of a job, a relationship, and an apartment in a few days. While I was trying to put out the firestorm, Helia, the new weather girl on the set, got my anchor position. She moved into his apartment by the end of the week. I swear, when my last suitcase and box was gone, she was waiting in the parking garage with hers.”

  “That’s terrible. Wasn’t there anything you could do?”

  “I tried everything I could think of, but he’d planned it to look like I was the one who leaked the false story. I had no proof it was him. No one would back me. After a few weeks of living at a motel, I ran out of money and no one would hire me, and I was out of choices. Well, I did have a couple choices. I could have moved in with my parents in Idaho, or I could move here to their summer cabin. Milton offered me my old job at the station, and I was grateful. No one wants to take on a labeled problem child at the networks, so this is as good as I can do right now if I want to stay in the business. So, here I am.”

  Dolan kissed Tessa’s forehead. He wanted to take the pain away from past memories. Good thing Bradley wasn’t here in front of him, Dolan would find a convenient excuse to taser the jerk.

  “Come on, a promise is a promise,” she said. “Let’s switch places. You can put your head in my lap. I’ll pretend I’m Doctor Phil.” She laughed.

  He swung his legs around and took another deep drink of beer. Was he ready to bare his soul to this woman he’d just met? But, he knew that the box he’d kept locked up inside his chest was bearing down on him from the inside out. If he was going to tell someone the real reason he came to Mercy Ridge, it might as well be Tessa. He settled his head into her lap. She stroked his temples. It felt so good and calming.

  “As I told you earlier, I grew up in Compton. Not a great area. As I got older, I tried to think of things I could do to make it a better place. I took Criminal Justice in college and became a cop. I wanted help the kids in the area not go down the path of gangs and drugs. I volunteered
with kid’s programs on my days off.”

  “What things were you involved in?” she asked.

  “Mainly local youth programs. I became heavily involved in a kid’s basketball league where they played almost every night. I’d go after work and ref or coach kids that were eight to twelve. Some nights, I’d be so tired, I could barely stay on my feet, but I knew how much it meant to them. Lots of their dads were out of the picture, so I was their role model.”

  He felt the past creep in and take a chokehold in his chest.

  Dolan continued, “I was covering a night shift. We got a call that there was gang activity and a possible shooting which was a common occurrence. When we got there, the kids scattered, but there were two kids left and one was lying on the sidewalk. It was David, a ten-year-old kid who was on one of my teams. He was shot in the chest.”

  “Ten... my God, he was just a baby.”

  “Anyone at any age can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. His friend told me that they’d been walking home from practice, when the bullets started to fly. David was hit in the crossfire. His basketball was lying next to him on the ground covered in blood just like him. I called for paramedics. I’d seen my share of bullet wounds working this area, and I knew David’s gunshot injury was bad.”

  “He died before help got to him?” Tessa’s voice sounded small.

  “Yeah...” Dolan pulled in an unsteady breath. “I was holding him when he took his last breath and tried to tell myself that I was glad he wasn’t alone when he died. I was the one who told his mom... she was such a good lady. He was her only son. Through her tears, she asked me why it happened and why I didn’t protect him.”

  “It was an accident. That wasn’t fair of her to accuse you of anything.”

  “I know. But I started to think about the big picture. Maybe someone else could, but I didn’t want to stay and see another innocent kid die. I couldn’t go through it again and again and pretend that it didn’t matter. I tried to make a difference... but... couldn’t.”

  “It sounds like you did, working with those kids.” Tessa wrapped her arms around him. She was warm and smelled like the sun. He took her hands in his and squeezed.

  “Yeah... well. I moved here. My mom passed away a few years ago and there was nothing to keep me in California. Kind of a cop out, huh? Pardon the pun.”

  “I came back to Mercy Ridge too. I’d forgotten how much I love this town.” She ran a thumb up his jaw on the stubble of his cheek. “Sometimes you feel like you’re the only one going through things and no one will understand how you feel.”

  “I thought I was, until I met you.” Suddenly exhausted from the stressful confession, Dolan sat up and started to place things back in the basket. “We’d best get back. It’s almost dark. I have a little flashlight in the basket. I hope the batteries are still good.” He removed the small, red light, shook it, and then turned it on. “Well, there’s a few minutes of life left in it before it goes out.”

  They walked back down the trail hand in hand. When they reached his car, he tossed the basket in the front seat.

  “Well, I have to say that this evening turned out nothing like I expected,” he said.

  “That’s an open-ended statement. Does that mean it was good or bad?”

  “Definitely good. Just to let you know, I’m not the kind of guy that unpacks my emotional baggage on a first date.” He grinned.

  “So, this was a date? Nice to know.”

  “Yes, it was a date and thanks for listening.”

  This time she came to him. He was happy she made the first move. She had no idea how much he wanted to feel his arms around her one more time before the evening came to a close. He hugged her tight. Tessa tipped her face up.

  Dolan wasn’t sure when he would feel something other than the pain and death that had surrounded him the past few years. This moment was different and felt so right. She pulled his head down and kissed him.

  He couldn’t believe how amazing she tasted. Sweet. He fought for the willpower to turn and get into his car. Okay, in another minute. This is just too damn good. He deepened the kiss and pulled her close.

  Finally, he stepped back, grinned, and then opened his car door. “I’d better get going or I may not go at all.” He kissed the back of her hand. “Sweet dreams.”

  In the dim light of the front porch, her cheeks were flushed pink and her lips were still damp from his kiss. He didn’t really want to leave... but it was the right thing to do, and he always tried to do the right thing.

  Chapter Five

  Tessa had an extra bounce in her step as she poured herself a second cup of coffee. She hugged the oversized wool sweater around her shoulders, and wished she’d made a fire in the cabin. She tried to convince herself that she wasn’t freezing as her teeth chattered. The fireplace was the only source of heat, and it was still cool in the mornings.

  She looked at the clock on the wall. Dolan must have forgotten about coming back to take care of the tree. That was okay, she would go into town and get the things she needed on her own.

  She trailed a finger over her lips thinking of the amazing kiss Dolan gave her the night before. That was the problem, she wanted to see him again. The town was too small. If they never went out again, Tessa would keep that first kiss to what it was. Amazing.

  Was she ready to even think about moving into another relationship? The wounds still felt raw and open, but Dolan seemed like such a nice guy. Was it time to move on?

  As she scooped her car keys out of the bowl to go into town, she heard the roar of a truck engine and drew back the lace curtain to peer outside. Dolan was already out of his truck and pulling his chainsaw from the bed of the truck.

  Tessa took her coffee cup and headed out.

  “Sorry I’m late. I couldn’t find my gas can.” He shrugged and then smiled. “I wasn’t sure you’d be up yet, but I figured when I started up the chainsaw it might be hard to sleep through the noise. I wanted to get an early start that’s why I told you eight. I probably should have said ten.”

  “I’ve been awake for hours. Well...at least an hour. Thanks for coming back.”

  “I said I would.” He smiled at her, as he took the cap off the gas can and poured fuel into the chainsaw.

  “Can I get you coffee?”

  He nodded. “That I’ll take. Cream and lots of sugar, please.” The muscles in his forearm flexed, as he pulled the cord and started the chainsaw with a roar. He slid the plastic protection goggles over his eyes and moved toward the fallen tree.

  After she poured his coffee into a thermal cup, she put on a pair of work gloves she’d found in the shed and pitched in to help. After an hour and a half, Dolan had the tree cut into manageable chunks and she helped him haul off the smaller branches.

  “Save these. I can come back later and chop them up for firewood.”

  “I’m sorry that you had to do so much heavy labor on your day off.”

  “I don’t mind. I’d much rather be busy than sit around with nothing to do.”

  “If you need things to do, there are always house projects around here.” She laughed. “Be careful what you wish for.”

  “I wouldn’t mind being around here more often.” He tipped his head and shot her a grin. Her stomach did a little flip. Dolan wiped sweat off his forehead with a red bandana from his pocket. “How about when we are done here, we take a break and drive into town to get breakfast. I’m starving and I’m not too sweaty yet.”

  Tessa slapped her forehead. “I should have asked if you’d had breakfast.”

  “I grabbed some toast, but I think I burned through that. Do you eat at The Memories Diner? They have the best pancakes I’ve ever tasted.”

  “I don’t go out much.” She ran a finger along the mossy wood post of the front porch. “You know, that whole ‘table for one’ thing is awkward.”

  “This morning, it’s a table for two.”

  Tessa could get used to the sound of that. “Only if you let me buy so
I can thank you for all of your help.”

  “This one time I’ll agree.”

  Dolan knew that both he and Tessa had baggage they still carried around from their pasts, but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d opened up and felt so comfortable with someone. Maybe never. It was like he’d known her for years and not days.

  As they drove in his pickup through the center of town, Tessa was animated as she pointed out the window. “In the old hotel there on the corner, the famous outlaw, Texas Billy Reeves was arrested. He held up the bank and then made a stop at the hotel which was wellknown for its ladies of the night. After he’d paid for one of the girls, she ran out and got the police. Not only did she get the money he’d paid her, but after she ratted on him, she also received the reward money for his other robberies around the area. She used the money to buy the hotel, and then hired all the girls who worked there for legitimate jobs. She owned the place until she was eighty-seven.”

  “Reeves robbed the bank and then only went next door?”

  “Yep. Pretty dumb.”

  “There are a lot of dumb criminals out there. I arrested this guy a few months ago who made a motorized bar stool and was driving it down Main Street. I had to give him an A for effort for the contraption... but still.”

  “He was drunk?”

  “Just a bit.” He chuckled. “The guy told me he’d consumed fifteen beers as he drove his stool from bar to bar. If I hadn’t stopped him, he could have run over some little kid or something. We kept him until he sobered up and told him that he couldn’t ride the stool down the street or we’d have to confiscate it for good.”

  “That sounds like something that would happen in Mercy Ridge.” Tessa laughed.

  “It’s a crazy little town, but I like it here.” He pulled the truck into a parking spot and turned off the engine.

  She looked out across Main Street and sighed. “Yeah... so do I.”

  Dolan seemed to come up with more and more free time if it meant spending it with Tessa. He’d fixed her leaky front porch roof with a new board and a little tarpaper. He’d also gotten rid of the mice under her kitchen sink. He wanted to use bait, but she wanted to set trap boxes that wouldn’t kill them, and then insisted that they be let go out in the woods.