Down the Hidden Path

by Heather Burch

  When Gray could stand the pressure no longer, she closed the distance to his mouth to find a new kind of heat waiting to consume her. He was warm from the fire and some internal blaze and all of it shot from her lips down. His hand kneaded the muscles at the back of her neck and it felt like . . . it felt like being stroked by the wings of an angel. His head tilted and she moved in response, giving him full access to her mouth. A tiny groan slipped from him, then a shudder ran the length of his body and she felt it in every part of her being from her mouth to her soul.

  She knew. She knew right then that Jeremiah McKinley had not only ruined her once, but quite possibly twice, and there was nothing—not a thing—she could do about it.

  When he finally broke the kiss, his lips left hers with such reluctance, it almost seemed the intensity might pull them right back together. “That was long overdue.” His voice was smoke and sin.

  And she wanted more. Gray tried to clear her throat, but it was bone dry. No moisture in the room; Miah had consumed it all. She wouldn’t be surprised to look around and find nothing left but a barren wasteland, all of life absorbed by him. But when she blinked, there was still a fire, a mantel, a lovely grandfather clock ticking away the minutes. There was still an area rug beneath her rear end and a hardwood floor beneath that. She glanced around, trying to find something to anchor herself to.

  And there it was. Standing behind them was David.

  Miah and Gray split apart like two rockets flying in opposite directions.

  David’s brows were high on his head. He pointed at the kitchen. “I just came down for a bottle of water.”

  Miah launched into a spiel about there being water in the fridge and some in the pantry if he didn’t want it cold and something about going to the store earlier in the day. Good heavens, he sounded like a teenager who’d gotten caught out with the wrong girl. Er . . . well, other than the teenager part, that was sort of close to the truth.

  “Miah,” Gray whispered, in an attempt to calm him down. “Not helping.”

  Miah clasped his hands at his waist and they both watched as a pajamaed David slipped into the kitchen like nothing had ever happened. The hems of his sleep pants made a whooshing sound as he moved. Once gone, Miah slapped a hand to his forehead. “Oh no.”

  Gray wanted to chuckle, but she wouldn’t. “Settle down. I’ll follow him up and talk to him.”

  The very thought must have horrified Miah because he turned white first, then a lovely shade of embarrassment-pink. She gripped his shoulders. “Calm down. You’re only making it worse.”

  “I just don’t want to confuse him.”

  “Miah, I’ll handle it.”

  She felt the tension leave his muscle groups. And loved the fact that she could calm the beast with just a few words. “I’ll go talk to David. You go check on Caleb. I thought he said he’d be down here after his shower.”

  Miah’s face fell. “You don’t suppose he . . .”

  “What? That he saw us, too? Probably. What else could go wrong?”

  “We’re a bit like gas and a fire, aren’t we?”

  She had to agree. They went off, two rockets in two directions with one destination. Try to smooth the waves.

  “Are you and Jeremiah dating now?” David sipped his water bottle then replaced the lid.

  “No.” Gray stood at the head of his bed and drew the flannel covers back so he could climb in.

  “But you kissed him.” David placed the bottle of water on the nightstand by his manga book.

  She fluffed the pillow. “Yes, I did.”

  “So you like him.” He climbed in and let her pull the covers up around him.

  Gray drew a breath and wondered how to tiptoe around such direct questions. There wasn’t any way, so she’d have to just give David what he deserved. The truth. “I like Jeremiah. I have for a long time.” She sat on the edge of his bed and it squeaked under the pressure.

  “Since you and him conceived me?”

  Gray cleared her throat. Angela had always insisted on David being told the “grown-up” version of things. No code words, no euphemisms, just the facts, ma’am. “Even before that. We were friends for a long time.”

  “And you liked him back then?”

  “Yep.” That was a nice, delicate answer. Oh, she was soooo smooth.

  “And now you’re kissing him.”

  “I know it sounds fairly simple, but there’s a lot more to relationships than liking and kissing. Sometimes, you have to . . . you have to . . .” And something Jeremiah told her skated through her mind. “You have to walk a path to know if it’s a dead end or a hidden place, a treasure waiting to be discovered.”

  “And that’s what you’re doing with Jeremiah?” David settled into his bed.

  “You’re so smart. I was testing the waters a little bit tonight.”

  David yawned. “You should, Gray.” He rolled onto his side and tucked his hands against his cheek. Practically angelic.

  David was one perceptive young man. He hadn’t been coddled, hadn’t been so sheltered that he had an unrealistic idea of life. He was grounded—even with all he’d been through. He was strong, maybe strong enough to understand that things like love and relationships didn’t always work out. And if so, maybe she and Miah could give this thing between them a chance. Carefully, slowly.

  David’s eyes were heavy and each blink became longer and longer. “He’s a good guy,” he said on a yawn. And as all the air left him and sleep was claiming him, he added, “He’s a good dad.”

  CHAPTER 12

  The house was busy in preparation for company, but David ignored everyone rushing around. He and Stacey were stretched out by the fire, foreheads getting hot, feet pointing at the front door. Stacey had a pillow tucked under her, but David was tough. He could take the hardwood floor with only the rug for cushioning. “My uncles are coming.”

  Stacey put down the fifth volume of his favorite manga series. Typically, he didn’t loan his books out, but this was Stacey and that made it okay. Plus, it was fun to have someone to talk to who knew the story. “What uncles?”

  “Isaiah and Gabriel. I’ve never met them. My dad said they’re both planning to get out of the army in the next few months.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Do you think you’ll like them?”

  He rolled onto his side. “If they’re like Jeremiah, yes. If they are like Caleb, no.”

  She brushed blond hair from her face. “I think Caleb’s okay.”

  Something fiery hot shot right into David’s chest. “He’s not okay.”

  She tilted her shoulder. “I feel kind of bad for him. His right hand doesn’t work as well as his left. And he limps.”

  “So? It’s not like he can’t live. He plays video games and everything.”

  “Did he really almost drown in the pool?”

  David chewed his cheek. “Yeah. He hasn’t been back in. Won’t even wade in the shallow end.”

  “I hope your uncles are like Jeremiah, too.” Stacey propped her head on her hand and smiled.

  “They’ll be here in a couple days. Dad’s planning a big fishing trip. Think I’ll be ready?” They’d spent almost every day at the lake’s edge with Stacey teaching him the tricks to casting, reeling, how to put a worm on a hook. He could do it now. Without jumping out of his skin or planting a hook in someone’s flesh.

  “Does your dad know we’ve been working on your skills?”

  “No, he keeps asking me to fish with him, but I keep telling him no and acting totally uninterested. I’m going to surprise him when we go on the fishing trip.”

  Stacey’s smooth brow tilted into a frown. “Will you be lakeside?”

  “No. He’s renting a big boat.”

  She sat straight up. “Don’t forget what I told you about snags. They’ll be worse out on a boat, even though you may be c
lose to the shoreline.”

  He sat up, too. “Why is it that people go out on a boat, then fish in places they could reach from the shore? Doesn’t make any sense.”

  Stacey rolled her giant green eyes. “David. Stop trying to dissect it.”

  He pointed at her. “You’re not answering because you don’t know.”

  She huffed, but a smile caught the edge of her mouth. “Maybe. All I know is that you go where the fish are. He’s going to be so excited when he sees your new fishing skills.”

  “I hope so.” David chewed on his bottom lip. “I want to make him proud.”

  “Gray calls this therapy. I call it free labor.” Caleb carried the toolbox to Jeremiah, who was straddling the snowmobile.

  “You’re the one who wanted this thing running again.” The sun had chosen to peek out from its hiding place behind layers and layers of winter clouds. Both men stopped to push the sleeves of their sweatshirts up to their elbows.

  “It’ll be great if this weather holds while Isaiah and Gabe are here.” Caleb inspected the sky.

  Miah nodded and pointed to the toolbox, so Caleb opened it and handed him a wrench. “It’s supposed to. If the weatherman has half a brain. Should be warmer all week.”

  Caleb knelt beside him. “You’re kind of getting into this whole ‘watch the news’ thing.”

  Miah leaned back. Already, his back was aching, but that had less to do with working on the snowmobile and more to do with busting his butt to get a couple more rooms ready for his brothers. Of course, the room he’d stayed in while Gray was there was complete, but he wanted two more done and an extra open in case . . . in case . . . He torqued the wrench until it slipped off and his knuckles came in contact with the side of the machine. Who was he kidding? There was no need for an available room for Gray because she was at her own house and David was at the lodge, doing well, adjusting like a champ, and though they both seemed to look for excuses for Gray to hang around long after work hours, once dinner was done and David’s homework was complete, she left. And every night, Miah hated to see her go.

  Miah would watch the clock, counting away the minutes until she was home. He’d made her promise to call every night once she was there. Which was silly, he knew. But it was winter in Missouri and the hilly, curvy roads could be deadly. And she had a decent car, but not a new one. And what if she got a flat on the way home? And . . . and he liked to hear her voice as he climbed into bed. He’d close his eyes and imagine her crawling into her bed, dressed in a long-sleeve T-shirt and socks. Just like she’d been the night David had his first nightmare. He’d come down the hall and she’d thrown the door open while dragging on a pair of sweats. She’d looked beautiful. Messy hair, torso covered, and legs disappearing into those stretchy pants. The image was still so fresh in his mind, it could have happened five minutes ago. That image sent him off into dreamworld each night. Yeah. He had it bad.

  “You gonna finish fixing this thing or just sit there and nurse your bloody knuckles?”

  Huh? Miah looked at his hand. His knuckles were bleeding. Well, that’s what he got for trying to fix the snowmobile. “You can take over anytime, little brother.”

  “Much more fun to watch you work.”

  Miah winked at him. “Work was never your strong suit.”

  Caleb sat down on the ground beside Miah. “Well, some of us get brawn and some of us get brains.”

  Miah retrieved the wrench from where he’d dropped it. “Yeah, what did you get?” This was good. Normal. Not like a few weeks ago when Caleb was still adjusting to his new life and had his sights set on Gray. There’d been a lot of anger in his little brother then, but now it seemed to be melting. He had even backed off where Gray was concerned. At the same time, Miah knew Caleb was embarrassed about the whole swimming-pool fiasco. Maybe his ego had taken too much of a hit to recover.

  Caleb pulled a shop towel from the box and lobbed it at him. “Here, clean yourself up.” Caleb took the wrench in his right hand, using his left as a guide.

  Miah fought the urge to tear up, which was stupid, but when he saw Caleb pushing himself, this pride in his little brother almost overwhelmed him. “You’re doing great with your therapy, Caleb.”

  The sunlight caught his blond hair, creating a halo around him. Blue eyes looked over, a smile on his face. “Thanks.”

  “I’m really proud of you.” Miah placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

  They didn’t have a lot of moments like this. But the ones they did have were important.

  Caleb rolled the wrench over and over in his hands. “When I woke up and they told me about my injuries, I thought I’d rather be dead. But life’s worth living, you know? Even if you can’t live it as fully as you’d like.”

  “It would have killed me to lose you.”

  There was a tear in Caleb’s eye. “I can’t remember the accident. I don’t remember anything about it, and even the things that happened after, the hospital and all, they’re hazy. Like a dream.”

  “That’s probably normal.”

  Then, Caleb’s gaze found him, and Miah saw more tears swimming in his eyes. “But I remember thinking I couldn’t die because I couldn’t let you down. You kept me alive, Miah.”

  Miah choked back a sob. “I need you, little brother. Life wouldn’t be the same if you were gone.” And they’d already lost so much. Their mother died young, their father in combat. The siblings only had each other and since the boys had all joined up at a young age, they’d missed out on so many things. Holidays, Christmas mornings, Easter, cookouts, and fishing trips.

  Caleb sniffed. “I think I blamed you. I kept thinking it would have been easier if I died. And you were the reason I was still alive. When I got here I had a major chip on my shoulder. But, I’ve been watching you and I’ve seen that everything you do is for others. For me, for David. You’re a rare kind of person, Miah. I’m sorry for how I treated you.”

  Miah slung his arm around his brother. “Don’t apologize. I’m just glad you’re okay. I’m also glad you’ve kept clothes on. As a kid, you ran around naked all the time.”

  “Just wait until the weather breaks. You won’t be able to keep clothes on me.”

  “Please. You’re making my lunch come up.”

  Caleb used his right arm to thread around Miah’s neck. He squeezed with all his might.

  “Hey, you’re getting stronger.”

  Caleb nodded. “Gray is a tyrant. She’s impossible. Good luck with her. You’re gonna have your hands full.”

  Miah wasn’t sure how to answer that.

  Caleb chucked his shoulder. “This thing between you and her. It’s good. It’s right.”

  “You’re okay with it?” Not that he had to be. Miah was going after Gray with every fiber of his being. No matter what his baby brother thought of it. But, it would be nice to have him on board.

  “Yeah. She’s really special. Don’t screw it up, bro.”

  “I thought she was a tyrant.”

  “She is. You deserve her.”

  Something caught in Miah’s throat because he’d maybe always known that Gray was so much more than he deserved. She made the sun brighter. And a bright sun could guide you and keep you no matter how dark the path. “I think I love her.”

  Caleb laughed. “No, really? There’s a shocker.”

  Warmth settled in Miah’s gut. “Yeah. I really think so.”

  “Well, Captain Oblivious. What now?”

  He shrugged, unwound from his brother, and took the wrench. “Don’t know. See what happens, I guess.”

  “Gabe and Isaiah will be here tomorrow. After they leave, you can make your kill shot.”

  “My kill shot, huh?” Miah laughed. “Spoken like a true sniper.”

  “Yeah.”

  Miah needed a change of subject. He wasn’t so comfortable with this kill shot idea
. “Hey, I wanted to tell you thanks for going a little easier on David the last few weeks.”

  Caleb squinted up at the sun. “Is that what I’ve done? I’ll have to up my game.”

  Miah shook his head. “I know you didn’t like him that much at first. I can see you two are beginning to acclimate.”

  “He’s a good kid. Always was, just soft as warm donuts, you know? Way too soft. He needed to be toughened up. I volunteered.”

  Miah wanted to launch into the spiel about how it wasn’t his job, or his business, but he had to admit, the two of them seemed to be doing better. David didn’t really seem like he liked Caleb any more than he ever did, but he also wasn’t letting Caleb push him around. It was a moment before he realized Caleb was talking again.

  “I learned from the best.”

  Miah scrunched his face. “What?”

  “I just treat him like a little brother.”

  Okay. He couldn’t argue with that.

  Gray and Miah put the finishing touches on the brothers’ rooms while Ian and Charlee went to the airport to pick up Gabriel and Isaiah. Yesterday, she’d watched through the upstairs window while Miah and Caleb fixed the snowmobile. And from the safety and quiet of the fresh, new room, she’d allowed herself to dream. What would it be like if this was her home? Today, she kept her wanderings in check. Mostly.

  Gray turned to face Miah, a pillow in her hand and a throbbing question in her heart. Miah had been busy the last few days preparing for his brothers’ visit, but still, he made time to gaze at her from across the dinner table, a longing so deep in him, it was practically screaming at her. And that, she understood. Every night she drove home and lay in bed thinking about the man she’d just left. Thinking about the life that might be available to her . . . if only she could stop being scared. She forced her thoughts in another direction. “Is Charlee angry all the brothers are staying here instead of with her at the retreat?”