by Erika Kelly
Ryder pulled a plastic Spiderman backpack out of a closet next to the front door and handed it to her. “Here’s his stuff.”
“Okay.” She slung the strap over her forearm. “So, you nervous? Got cold feet?”
“No, I’m looking forward to being a real family.” He glanced toward their dad and Theo. “When do you go back?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
Her answer seemed to disappoint him. “I just…” He rubbed his clean-shaven jaw. “I’m not sure they can handle Theo while we’re away.”
Handle him? “I thought his sitter was staying with him?”
“Well, yeah, but we just hired her. He’s not that comfortable with her yet, so everyone’s pitching in to help out. Mom and dad try to spend as much time with him as they can, but with the summer rush at the diner and Dad’s heart attack, I think it might be too much.”
Fear flew in and dive-bombed her. “Heart attack? What are you talking about?”
He cocked his head. “Dad had a heart attack a few months ago. Didn’t they tell you?”
“No, they didn’t tell me.” She could hardly take a breath. Her dad had had a heart attack? “What…what happened?”
“He thought it was indigestion, but Mom wasn’t taking any chances, so she gave him aspirin and took him to the hospital.”
“Is he all right?” Oh, my God.
“Sure, but, I mean, it’s his heart.”
Callie felt like she was standing on one of those Plexiglass platforms a hundred floors above the city. Her heart pounded thickly, and fear closed like a fist around her throat.
“They hired extra help in the kitchen, and he’s exercising for the first time in his life. Mom’s watching him like a hawk.”
“Is he going to be all right?”
“Well, a heart attack’s never a good thing, but I talked to the doctor. He said the good news is that it was mild, but the bad news is that he had a heart attack. There’s something wrong with his heart, and they have to monitor it.”
On his knees, her dad held out a pair of flip flops for Theo. The little boy rested his hands on her dad’s broad shoulders, putting first one foot in and then the other. As her dad tugged up the little boy’s sagging shorts, his shaggy hair—still more pepper than salt at age forty-eight—shook in the light streaming in from the windows.
Her dad. She’d been such a selfish girl, hadn’t she? Racing through the house to change her clothes, grab a shower, and a bite to eat. Hurrying past him as he tinkered on his snow blower, pulled weeds in the garden, or snoozed in the recliner with a book open on his flat belly. When had she offered to help? Hang out with him? He’d never complained. He’d never demanded her time or attention. He’d just given them a set list of chores each week and expected them to meet their responsibilities.
Her dad was the best man she knew.
And he’d almost died.
She couldn’t believe they hadn’t told her about a heart attack. “No one told me.”
He shrugged. “I guess they didn’t want to worry you.”
She closed her eyes, wanting to shut down all the noise in her head, but instead of blackness she got an image of her dad lying in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV. Fear jolted through her.
Her dad could’ve died. “I’ll stay.”
“What?” Ryder’s attention snapped back to her.
She hardly knew her brother anymore, and she didn’t know her nephew at all. No one had bothered to tell her about her dad’s heart attack. She’d made a terrible mistake. One she couldn’t take back. “I’ll help out with Theo while you’re on your honeymoon.”
“Yeah? That’d be great. There’s a lot of people watching him besides Mom and Dad. Lynn’s parents, Fin—”
He must’ve caught her flinch, because his features hardened. “He’s Theo’s godfather, and he’s great with him. He’s better with Theo than anybody.”
“Of course. I’m happy to help out however I can.” What did she expect? Fin was inextricably linked to her life in Calamity. “How often does Fin come by?”
“Come on, Callie.” His tone edged toward exasperation.
“What?”
“I’m going on a honeymoon and hoping Theo does okay with the people I’m leaving him with. I don’t need to worry about you and Fin.”
“No, you don’t have to worry about anything. I’m totally going to help out with him while you’re away. It’s just better if Fin and I don’t come at the same time. No one needs to be around the Fin and Callie Show, so I’ll just work it out with the sitter.”
“Jesus, Callie. It was six years ago. He was a high school boyfriend. Grow up.”
Hot shame rose from deep within. She stood there speechless.
“And, honestly, if you’re going to have issues with Fin, then forget it. If you’re not all-in with Theo then you’re no help at all.”
******
Fin had been joking when he’d offered Ryder the bunkhouse for the wedding reception. His friend didn’t have much money and wouldn’t accept any financial help, so Fin had suggested the Bowie man-cave, filled with every game table imaginable.
It was huge, with a massive kitchen and a custom-made dining table built to feed forty hands at one sitting. The era of ranching had ended with his grandfather’s death since neither of his sons had an interest in cattle operations, so the place had gone unoccupied until Fin and his brothers had decided to turn it into a gigantic game room. They’d blown out walls, turning dorm-style bedrooms into master suites. The lake wasn’t far, so after a swim, they’d have bonfires out back. In high school, this place had seen a ton of action.
They’d never hosted a formal event, though, so without telling Ryder, Fin had hired a wedding planner to transform the place. They’d wound up adding French doors off the kitchen so the guests could walk out onto the newly installed stone patio.
Now, with the reception in full swing, Fin liked the way it had all turned out. The Bells had set out a buffet on the long dining table and, outside, guests danced to a DJ’s tunes. He scanned the familiar faces—just about everyone in his life that mattered was right here. Except Gray, the brother closest in age to him.
And his dad. This was the first major event without him—and the loss slashed across his heart.
Callie appeared in the doorway, sunshine glinting off her glossy, dark hair, and Fin’s body snapped to attention. Flanked by her parents, they headed to the outdoor bar. In a pale pink, shimmery cocktail dress—way fancier than what any other guest wore— she looked beautiful. But she didn’t look like Callie. More like the Photoshop version.
Whatever hope he’d held that they’d find their way back to each other had crashed and burned the moment she’d entered the church with her parents that morning. She’d barely spared him a glance. He’d realized his worst fear—her indifference.
“You’re being creepy.” Megan grabbed his hand and jerked him onto the patio. “Dance with me.”
“I don’t want to dance.” He wanted to shove his hands in Callie’s hair and mess it up. He wanted to yank that fat string of pearls and watch the little pellets roll across the gray stone.
“Trust me, it’s better than trying to mind meld with your ex-girlfriend.” Megan dropped his hand on her shoulder. “Have you talked to her? She’s bo-ring. I had to walk away when she was telling my aunt and uncle about some artist she did her senior thesis on. Yawn. You want to get Uncle Jim and Aunt Jo’s attention? Tell them how you took down an elk from five hundred yards. Tell them about the new scope you just bought. But don’t tell them about the job you’re getting at the Museum of Fuck My Life.”
He found himself on the verge of defending Callie, until he saw the glitter of humor in Megan’s eyes. “Yeah, who needs that shit?”
Right then Callie glanced over, her features going rigid at the sight of him with her old friend.
Did she actually think he and Megan were a couple? Doesn’t feel so good, does it? But whatever satisfaction he got from the fla
re of jealousy quickly subsided. No matter how much she’d pissed him off, he’d never want to hurt her. He’d hired Megan to give private yoga lessons to him and his brothers. They’d bonded over the way Callie had carelessly discarded them, but it had never been more than friendship.
“I can’t believe you still look at her like that.”
“Don’t know why. It’s not like I’ve ever loved anyone else.”
“Fin.” Her exasperated tone didn’t match her wistful expression. “You realize you’re every woman’s fantasy, right? You’re as alpha male as they come—and yet you’re the most unabashedly romantic guy I’ve ever known.” She cut a look over to Callie. “She’s a fool. You both are.”
Right then Callie braced a hand on the edge of the bar and lifted her foot. As she reached back to adjust the strap of her high-heeled sandal, the fabric of her dress clung to her round breasts and ass. When she laughed at something her dad said, he caught a glimmer of his wild thing.
Fierce regret grabbed hold of his lungs and squeezed. He’d give anything to go back and change that one stupid decision.
As tenaciously as he held onto his anger towards her for cutting him out of her life instead of talking to him, he knew it was all on him. I did this. And it churned through him with unrelenting force.
Laughter fading into a sweet smile, she tipped her head back to reveal the graceful column of her neck. He’d kissed that neck. Run his hands over the swell of that smooth calf and gripped the back of her thigh. He’d touched every inch of her body.
And he was done standing there making cows eyes at her.
Instead of talking to her last night, he’d spent three hours in jail waiting while his brothers bailed him out. Wedding or not, it was time for them to talk. “I gotta go.” He kissed Megan’s cheek and made his way across the patio.
Her dad clocked him as he approached their small group.
“Hey, Mr. Bell. Congratulations.”
“Fin.” Her dad gave him a warm smile and firm handshake.
“Mrs. Bell.” When he leaned in to kiss her cheek, he got a whiff of a subtle, floral perfume. He smiled because, normally, she smelled like a mix of scents from the diner.
“Fin.” Her mom pulled away and rubbed a hand on his biceps. “You’re doing an awesome job as Best Man.”
“Thank you.” He reached for Callie’s hand. “Dance with me.”
She snatched it away. “Maybe later.”
“I don’t think so, wild thing. You’ve avoided me long enough.”
“It’s my brother’s wedding. Whatever you have to say can wait.”
“Yeah, I’m done waiting, so if you want an audience, I’ll say what I have to say right here.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Can we not do this in front of my parents?”
He flashed a big grin. “That’s what I’m trying to say.” Grabbing her wrist, he held on as she tried to pull away.
“What’re you doing?”
“Dancing with you.” He glanced at her parents over his shoulder. “Excuse us.”
Anger flashed in Callie’s eyes, making heat detonate in his core. Yes. She was still in there, his Callie, and he wanted to hold onto her as long as he could. He towed her toward the center of the patio.
Not releasing her wrist, he raised it to his chest, while his other arm banded around her waist. He couldn’t have cared less that everyone else was line dancing.
And, man, she smelled good. Not like his wild thing, who’d always carried the scent of paint and wildflowers, but elegant. A hint of fancy perfume, expensive shampoo, and that whiff of pure Callie that always stirred him down deep.
She remained stiff in his arms. “Why are you doing this?”
“Come on, Callie. It’s just a dance.” He paused. “In front of everyone we’ve ever known.”
Her lips pressed together and pink spread across her cheeks. “You suck.”
Her silky hair brushed his biceps, and goosebumps sprang up along his arms. “Nah. Just trying to talk to you before you slip away again tomorrow morning.”
She stiffened. “I’m not leaving.”
He stopped swaying. “You’re staying in town?”
She nodded.
Holy shit. “For how long?”
She gazed right into his eyes, and the connection zapped his heart so violently it nearly flipped over. “I’ll stay while Ryder’s on his honeymoon. He said he needs help with Theo.”
Two weeks. He could do a lot in two weeks. Like fix what I broke. “Nice of you to help your brother out.” Right then, holding her in his arms, their faces close enough to see the lone pale freckle under her left eye, his body went haywire. He had her right here—her lush breasts pressed against him, those feminine hands warming his skin, and the hazel eyes he’d thought he’d get to look into every morning for the rest of his life—but she wasn’t his. And his cock didn’t know what to do about it.
Not that she noticed. Her attention was on Ryder, who seemed to be sending his younger sister a warning. “What’s going on with you two?”
“I told him I’d help out with Theo.”
Fin waited, but she didn’t offer more. “Okay.” Still, nothing. “He’d like that.”
“He does.”
“Callie?” He gave her a gentle squeeze.
She blew out a very annoyed breath. “I politely suggested I’d prefer to come around when you’re not there.”
Fin burst out laughing. This new Callie was actually kind of adorable. Because as hard as she tried to look annoyed, her eyes gave away remorse at putting her brother in an uncomfortable situation. “I’m guessing that didn’t go over well.”
She looked caught between hurt and indignant. “He told me to grow up.”
“Did he offer to help pull the stick out of your ass, too?”
“Would you cut it out?”
Yeah, okay. He didn’t want to push her away. “I’m just giving you a hard time. You’re beautiful, wild thing. And if this is the life you want, then I’m happy for you.”
Her eyes turned glassy.
Oh, damn. This woman. “Is this about Ryder? You want me to talk to him?” Reddened eyes, scrunched features…it didn’t look like she was going to keep it together much longer. “Hey.” Reaching for her hand, he led her off the patio and around the side of the long, rectangular building. When he tried to lift her chin, she resisted. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
“I just…everything.”
“Start anywhere. Just let it all out.”
“My dad had a heart attack.”
“Yeah, he did. But it was mild.”
She looked devastated. In the old days, he’d have his hands on her, grounding her while she let her emotions fly.
“He could’ve died.”
“No. It was a warning, and he listened to it. He’s changed his ways. A lot. He was eating crap at the diner, working twelve hour days. Now we’ve got him on a—”
Her chin snapped up. “We?”
“Yeah. I worked out a diet for him, got him doing exercise.”
“He’s not training for the Olympics. He doesn’t need your kind of diet.”
Every time his wild thing shone through, a smile flashed through his body. “You this saucy with your fiancé?”
“I don’t want my dad eating five metric tons of meat a day like you guys.”
“You realize I adjust our diets and schedules according to the season, right? I know nutrition. And your dad actually likes the new plan. Instead of wolfing down a plate of whatever he’s cooking, he’s thinking about what goes into his mouth. And he’s exercising. It’s all good. It turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.”
“A heart attack?”
“A wake-up call.” He guided her onto a bench he and his brothers had crudely carved out of a fallen log.
“I can’t believe you know more about my dad than I do.” She shot him the evil eye.
He laughed. “I know about it because I’m here, wild thing.”
>
He could tell she wanted to be angry at him, but instead she let out a huff of breath and her shoulders slumped. “They should’ve told me.”
“If you’d kept in touch with them, they would have.” Wind rustled across the sage meadow, lifting the hair off her shoulder. He reached to smooth it but stopped himself. He didn’t get that privilege anymore.
She looked stricken. “I know that, okay? That’s why I’m staying in town this summer.”
“I thought you were staying for two weeks?”
“I changed my plans.”
“Just now?” He couldn’t keep from smiling.
She gave a terse nod. “It’ll be my last chance to spend any real time here.”
“Is your boyfriend staying, too?”
She looked away. “No.”
Hope kicked hard in his chest. She’d be home all summer—hell, yeah. But was she with Man-Bracelet or not? “You sure you want to leave a good-lookin’ guy like that on his own in New York City?”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about me and Julian.”
He didn’t miss how she called him by his name. Not boyfriend or fiancé. He reached for her hand, thumbing the ring finger. “You accept his proposal?”
She pulled her hand away. “Why did you call him out like that? It was a crappy thing to do.”
“Worse than hijacking the toasts at a rehearsal dinner to pee on your girlfriend?”
She cringed but covered it quickly. “A gentleman wouldn’t have called him out on it.”
“No one’s ever accused me of being a gentleman. And I make no apologies for who I am.”
“Believe me, I’ll well aware.” She got up from the bench. “I’m going back inside.”
But he wasn’t ready to let her go. “You forget I know you, and I’d bet the ranch you’re not marrying that guy.”
“It’s none of your business.” That sweet ass sashayed away from him.
He had a shot at bridging the gap between them and, instead of talking to her, he’d provoked her.
Part of him thought, She’s not Callie anymore. Let her go. But he’d seen her laugh with her parents at the bar, and it had thrown him back in time to when they’d been sixteen, hanging out on her bed after school. In jean shorts and a T-shirt, her dark hair streaked with purple, she’d belted out a Kings of Leon song.