by Becky McGraw
"Well?" Cole prodded in his stern cop voice. "What have you got to say for yourself?"
"Get the fuck out of here and leave us alone?"
"Seems you're determined to give me plenty of reasons to arrest you lately, or to make the mayor fire you." Cole said then continued gruffly, "Ten years of clean living and all of a sudden you, the Sheriff of this town, are my worst nightmare...kind of ironic don't you think?" He glanced over at Cassie his lips pinched.
Irritation bubbled up inside of her and she harrumphed. "I am not the reason he's getting into trouble."
"You're his kryptonite, babe, his weakness...you crook your little finger, and he's following behind you like a dog on point, and ready to chew off the face of anyone who crosses you."
"Shut the fuck up, Cole..." Luke snarled then added, "And don't call her babe!"
Luke pushed up to his feet and stomped over to the rock to grab his jeans. He stuffed his legs into them without putting on his underwear. Self-conscious Cassie pulled the blanket around her and tied it sarong style across her shoulder then stood too.
With a smug smile Cole spread his hands in front of him. "See, sugar? Pure kryptonite," he said to Cassie with a brittle laugh.
"Quite needling him, Cole. We're leaving...you can go now." Cassie said and then started to hobble over to the clothes pile, her movement unsteady on the loose rocks littering the ground.
Luke ran over to her and picked her up on his arms to carry her over to the rock and sit her there. "Don't do that!" He yelled, frustration radiating from his every pore, agitation tingeing his voice.
She dropped her chin down to her chest and twisted her hands in her lap. The fact that Cole, Luke's best friend, thought she made him weak and caused him trouble, gnawed at her. Now, Luke was yelling at her like she was an idiot, making her feel worse. When she'd left Phoenix, Cassie had been a strong independent woman with a good head on her shoulders, a successful business and a good life. Now, she felt weak and dependent, her future uncertain. If anything, Luke was her kryptonite.
Maybe staying in Bowie wasn't a good idea after all, she thought. She and Luke just weren't good together...they didn't strengthen each other as much as they set each other on fire. If being together didn't make them stronger, their lives better, they shouldn't be together.
"Luke, can you take me back to the ranch?" she asked quietly as she bent over to pick up her clothes from the ground. She worked under the blanket to put on her panties and bra, then slid on her shorts and tank top. She only had one tennis shoe, and Luke was going to carry her to the truck, so she didn't bother with it.
Cassie didn't regret last night. Regardless of Luke's arrest, it had been the best night of her life, hands down. Being with Luke again had restored her belief in him, and in love. He was a good man, and he deserved better than the trouble she brought him. She didn't want him to lose the job he loved because of her, or his best friend.
It was time for Cassie to head back to Phoenix and get her head on straight, and let him get his life under control again. She'd think things over while she was there and decide if she wanted to move to Bowie permanently or not. Her dad had a nurse to take care of him now, Luke was buying the cattle herd...so, he didn't need her here anymore.
CHAPTER TEN
Luke argued with her out at the lake for about thirty minutes, before he finally agreed to bring her back to the ranch, instead of taking her to the cabin. She'd stared at his angry profile and tense shoulders all the way home.
When he pulled to a stop in front of the house and got out to slam the truck door, she opened her door and slid to the ground without waiting for him. She'd had enough of his surliness. She grabbed her hospital bag from the floorboard and had the door shut before he made it around to her side.
He growled, then bent and swept her up into his arms and stomped across the yard to the porch. "Stubborn woman," he grated as he marched up the stairs to the door and opened it, walking inside without knocking. He strode through the house to the kitchen and then deposited her in a chair, before pulling out another one and propping her casted leg up on it. "Stay," he ordered and spun to stomp back through the house.
Imelda rushed around the breakfast bar wiping her hands on a dish towel, her round face curious. "Whatcha doing back here, sugar? I thought you were going to be at the lake house for the week."
"Changed my mind, mama," Cassie told her flatly.
"Your ankle doing okay?"
"Yeah, it's doing fine. Not even hurting yet today."
"You and Luke have a fight?" she asked with concern and put her hand on Cassie's shoulder.
"Not exactly...." She knew she was being difficult, but she wasn't going to discuss her late night activity or early morning eye-opener with Mama Melda...or anyone else.
Imelda walked back over to the breakfast bar and picked up the tray of steaming food from the counter. "If you need to talk, sugar...I'm here," she said and then walked out of the kitchen.
Luke passed Imelda in the doorway of the kitchen and stopped to kiss her cheek. They exchanged a few words that Cassie couldn't quite hear, then he strode over to her with crutches in one hand and her suitcase in the other. He leaned the crutches against the table, and plopped the suitcase down beside her chair.
"Think that's all," he said shortly his whiskey-brown eyes glittering with intense emotion she couldn't identify.
"Thanks...for everything," she told him letting her eyes drink him in, storing the images in her memory to tide her over when she got to missing him too bad.
He huffed out a frustrated sigh, then leaned over to gently kiss her lips. Tears burned behind her eyes, and it was all she could do to hold back the storm she felt brewing inside her. When he stood back up, she put her hand over her lips and whispered, "I love you, Luke." Even she heard the finality in her tone and flinched.
He just stood there with his hands on his hips, his eyes glittering dangerously. Then, as if dragged from the depths of his soul, he finally spoke in a harsh choked voice, "I love you too. Don't forget that." He shoved a hand through his hair then said, "Take care of yourself. I'll try and stop by tomorrow," then he turned and strode out of the kitchen and her life.
He didn't know it, but she wouldn't be here tomorrow when he came calling. It was best for both of them. Cassie put a hand on the table and pushed up out of the chair to reach for her crutches. With even strokes she used them to push herself across the floor at a steady pace toward her dad's room.
He was sitting up in a wingback chair with his white ankle to thigh cast propped up on an ottoman, his breakfast tray on his lap, when she made it inside. "Morning, daddy," she said forcing brightness into her tone.
He looked up, his gray eyes shining happily under his equally gray wiry eyebrows, a smile splitting his face. "Morning, sugar. You look plum tuckered out. A lot of excitement yesterday, huh?"
"There's been a lot of excitement around here for two weeks..." she told him as she walked past to sit on the edge of the bed to face him. "How's that nurse working out for you?"
"Crotchety old filly is like a drill sergeant. Bosses me around something terrible," he grumbled and forked a piece of scrambled egg into his mouth. "Kinda like those sponge baths though," he said around the egg and chuckled.
He would, she thought with a chuckle. "She sounds like just what you need, old man. Otherwise, you'd be running all over her."
"You're one to talk little girl. That wimpy ex-fiancé of yours still in jail?"
"As far as I know. Between your trespassing charge and mine for stalking, he'll either have to drop the charges against Luke or spend more time than him in jail. I'm going to get a restraining order against him once I get back to Phoen--" she let her sentence trail off and her dad's eyes narrowed.
There was dead silence between them for a minute or two then he asked in a low even voice, "So you're going back?"
"Yeah, for now. I've got a lot of loose ends to tie up with the business, and I need to really think about where I w
ant to live and what I want to do. I made a snap decision to stay in Bowie because I was excited about the horse breeding thing..."
"You can still do that, I have plenty of money darlin', more than I could ever spend."
"I know daddy, but if I do it, I want to do it on my own. It will mean more that way. But I'm not sure yet if that's what I want or not." She saw his eyes mist up and she reassured him. "I still might do it daddy, there's just a lot I need to deal with before I can make a decision...a lot I need to work out."
"You tell Luke?"
"No, I didn't...and I'm not. He wouldn't let me go. The time I've spent with him these past few weeks has been great...I love him, daddy...but I don't see things working out between us. We don't make each other stronger."
He threw his fork down on the tray and spat, "That's horseshit, girl. You two were made for each other, and it's a crying ass shame you can't see it. That boy loves you...he'll take care of you."
"See that's the thing daddy--I don't want him to take care of me. All that's done so far is get him into trouble. His life was solid until I came back. Even Cole said so. I think the best thing I can do for both of us is go back to Phoenix. For now, anyway."
"You've got some strange notions about love, honey." He shook his head and picked his fork back up. Staring down at his plate, he continued, "Your mama was the love of my life, and we argued every day. It didn't mean we didn't love each other. Love's hard work...not for the faint of heart." He stuck his fork into a piece of cantaloupe and waved it at her. "You're one of the strongest women I know, Cassie Bee...and you could work it out with Luke, if you'd just stick around and try." His eyes pleaded with her to change her mind.
He just didn't understand...they weren't good together. "Since I've been back in Bowie, I've gotten thrown from a horse, almost raped, broken my ankle and cracked my skull, then was stalked by my crazy ex--and Luke has tried to save me from it all. For his trouble, he's been antagonized by me, risked everything he has to buy a herd of cattle he has no use for, has had to beat the shit out of the cowhand who tried to rape me, been thrown in jail once, almost twice now, and he's arguing with his best friend over me. How can you say that we're good for each other?"
That got a chuckle out of her dad, but he sobered quickly. "None of that has anything to do with the price of tea in China--or love--girl. If Luke was there for you through all that, and you were there for him, that's what love is. Life ain't easy, you have to take the fleas with the dog."
"Well, I'm taking my flea circus and heading back to Phoenix for a while, daddy."
"Why did you run away after graduation, Cassie Bee?" he looked up at her and asked quietly.
She looked down at her hands and twisted her fingers in her lap. She figured she finally owed him the explanation she'd never given him. "Luke was supposed to meet me at the lake that night, and I went to find him. I found him tangled up with Becca Harvey, and thought he was cheating on me."
"Did you talk to him before you left? Ask him about it?"
"No...I was too hurt."
"So you just got your ass over the dashboard and left him dangling on the limb to head to Phoenix."
Cassie looked up at him and swallowed hard. "Yeah, I guess I did. But he didn't come after me either."
"You're wrong there. He came over here right after you left that night looking like he could eat nails. He grabbed me by the collar and yelled at me trying to get me to tell him where you were. I thought he was gonna cry when I told him you left, but didn't say where you were heading."
Her daddy had never mentioned that to her before, and a wave a guilt surged up to strangle her. "I didn't know."
"So now you're doing it again. Leaving him dangling without talking to him and heading off to Phoenix to run away and hide."
Was she doing that? Repeating history by being a coward and running away instead of confronting Luke? Her conscience whispered, hell yes you are. "Okay, daddy you've made a point. I'll call Luke and talk to him."
"There you go, Cassie Bee. I'm proud of ya, darlin'."
She got up and hobbled over to put a kiss on his weathered cheek. "Thanks for setting me straight, daddy. I love you."
"I love you too, sugar," he said and swatted her behind. "Now, you go take care of that business and let me finish my breakfast before the battle ax gets here."
Cassie chuckled feeling sorry for his nurse. Although her daddy was a hard man to handle sometimes, he had a heart of gold...and he was pretty damned smart too.
***
Cassie sat on the front porch swing waiting for Luke to show up. She had her bad leg propped up on the swing and her other toeing the floor to set it rocking in a slow steady rhythm, as she sat back against it and watched for the dust cloud that would announce his arrival.
At first when she'd called him, Luke was kind of cold to her. He said he was too busy to come by again today. After she begged a little, he finally agreed, but he didn't sound too happy about it. He was still on vacation, how busy could he be?
His brush off made her uneasy, because the way he sounded gave her a bad feeling he'd already figured out she was planning on leaving. Either that, or he'd decided the same thing she had about their relationship, and was trying to cool it. That thought made her heart twist in her chest. Whatever the result of this conversation, things needed to be said, to give them peace. It was time for them to have the talk that was ten years late in coming.
A lump formed in her throat when she saw the dust, then his big pickup broke through the cloud, barreling down the drive toward the house. When he pulled to a stop, she saw the firm set of his jaw, and flat line of his lips through the windshield. He didn't get out right away, just stared at her for a minute from the truck. She saw him lay his head down on the wheel for a minute, then he lifted it back up and opened the door.
Her mouth went dry watching his loose limbed strut across the yard toward the porch. Memories of last night and how he'd loved her senseless caused her heart rate to pick up, and her breathing to shallow. His boot heels beat a steady tune on the porch as he made his way over to the swing and picked her leg up before sitting down and putting it on his thigh.
"What's up?" he asked not looking at her, just staring straight ahead, his shoulders stiff. His voice was as cold as it had been earlier on the phone.
Cassie swallowed hard, "I was thinking of going back to Phoenix."
She saw a muscle tick at the side of his clenched jaw. He finally loosened it and said, "I know. So why are you still here, and why did you call me out here?"
"I didn't want to leave without talking to you this time."
He lifted her leg up off of his lap and stood, then laid it back on the swing, before he said sarcastically, "That's mighty nice of you, Cassie, but why break with tradition?" He turned one hip toward the porch steps making to leave then said, "I didn't mean a fucking thing to you then, and I certainly don't now, so why bother?"
Cassie felt her lower lip tremble, but hung for dear life to the tears that threatened. "You do mean something to me, Luke...you mean everything. I love you."
An angry flush suffused his face and he turned back to her and leaned very close to her face. "That's total bullshit, Cassie," he spat then turned to toward the steps again. At the top step, he stopped with his back to her, his shoulders tense and his hands fisted at his sides.
"Becca Harvey almost drowned that night. I jumped in to save her. I was trying to save her life when you saw us, not kissing her," his voice was low and choked. "Goodbye, Cassie...have a nice life."
Cassie found her voice, and yelled after him, standing up to wobble on her cast. "Don't leave, Luke--I have more to say!"
"I don't want to hear it," he said curtly and continued across the yard toward his truck.