Teague

by Juliana Stone

  A heartbeat passed.

  “I don’t know how to be okay.” His answer was so brutally honest. So very much like the man. Was it that honesty that had her opening her mouth and disclosing her secrets?

  “I love to dance and I don’t think I will ever dance again.”

  Teague stared at her for a long time. So long in fact that by the time his gaze slid from hers, Sabrina’s cheeks were flushed. Something had just changed. The energy in the air was different. It was hot and dark and full of needful things.

  Teague reached into his front pocket. He retrieved the keys to his truck and unlocked the vehicle. He fired it up. Got out his phone and a few seconds later, a love song about want and need and pain filled her ears.

  A ballad with a haunting melody that made her ache even more than she already did.

  Teague slid from the truck and stood in front of her. His white button down shirt made his skin look even darker, and those eyes…those dangerous, intense eyes never left hers.

  He held out his hand. “Dance with me,” he said. There was nothing coy in his tone. Nothing playful or flirtatious. But there was danger there and she’d be crazy to poke the tiger.

  Sabrina slowly exhaled. Was she crazy?

  “We don’t even like each other,” she said softly.

  “That’s a little strong, don’t you think?”

  She shrugged. She had nothing.

  “Doesn’t matter really. We don’t have to like each other to dance.”

  “No,” she whispered, after a few seconds. “I guess we don’t.”

  Chapter Nine

  Sabrina Campbell smelled like the sweetest honeysuckle ever. It reminded him of the vines growing in his mother’s gardens, of hot summer nights and cold iced tea. She was so damn small next to him, so fragile and feminine. And so incredibly sad.

  What the hell was he doing out here with her?

  Sure she was cute as hell, but that didn’t matter because a woman like Sabrina wasn’t a good fit for a man like Teague. She had kids. Responsibilities. A family that she needed to answer to.

  None of those things interested him. He’d always been a lone wolf. Always been the guy to leave. Nothing had changed. Even after the hell he’d been through, nothing had changed.

  He should have gone home with Candace. Then he wouldn’t be out here in the dark with Sabrina. And he sure as hell wouldn’t be slow dancing in the parking lot of some country bar.

  And yet here he was, pulling her into his arms and settling her against him like she belonged there. The top of her head fit just below his chin and he slid his arms around her small waist.

  “Relax,” he breathed into her hair. She was strung so tight he could feel the muscles bunched in her back.

  She didn’t say a word. Hell, he wasn’t even sure she took a breath. But eventually he felt her relax and after a few moments she turned her head and rested her cheek against his chest.

  The song was about lost love, of mistakes and redemption and of finding your way back. Funny. He knew the song but he’d never really listened to the words before. Never took notice of the meaning.

  But right now, under a night sky that made him feel about as relevant as a gnat, he listened to the message behind the music. He wanted to say that the words gave him hope, but in truth they just made him feel empty.

  He would never have that kind of love because that kind of love demanded sacrifice, and Teague Simon had nothing left to sacrifice.

  But maybe he wouldn’t think about that right now. Maybe he would just enjoy this one moment that shouldn’t have been.

  So he moved slowly, eyes closed as he enjoyed the feel of Sabrina against him. His hands moved down her back until they settled in the hollow.

  He fought the urge to let them wander lower, and it was harder than it should have been. She smelled too damn good and she felt even better. When the song ended, she stopped moving and for several moments they didn’t speak. They did nothing but breathe each other in.

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice so low he barely heard her.

  Reluctantly Teague let her go and she took a step back. He shoved his hands into his front pockets because he needed to do something with them.

  “What for?” he replied.

  She shrugged and opened her mouth but no words came out. After a while she cleared her throat and attempted a smile. “I should go home.”

  “I’ll give you a ride.”

  “No. I’ll call a cab. Tucker and Abby are still inside.”

  Teague reached for his cell. “Don’t worry about them.”

  “But—“

  “It’s not up for discussion. I brought you to town and I’ll take you home.”

  She climbed into his truck while he sent his brother a text. The ride back to the cottage took less than ten minutes, but it was nearly ten minutes of low music and no talking. Sabrina sat as straight as a rod, eyes forward and hands folded neatly in her lap.

  She had small hands with delicate wrists and fingers.

  Teague pulled up to his place, cut the engine and glanced over to Sabrina. She was watching him and he felt a jolt when they made eye contact. Her tongue slid between her lips and licked the bottom one. It wasn’t meant to be seductive, but Teague’s body tightened at the sight.

  “Thanks for the ride home.”

  “No problem,” he replied.

  Several more moments passed and then Sabrina yanked on the door handle. She slid from his truck and Teague was rewarded with a glimpse of a lot more creamy skin than he was supposed to see when her skirt rode up.

  She paused just before closing the door and like an idiot he was still sitting inside his truck.

  “Your hair looks really nice by the way.” Okay. Now he sounded like a damn high school kid looking to score.

  She touched the edges, the wavy strands that kissed her shoulders. “Thank you,” she said once again and then closed the door.

  Teague watched her cross his driveway. He didn’t take his eyes off of her until she disappeared inside her cottage and even then he sat in his truck for another ten minutes or so.

  He was restless and yet tired as hell.

  He slid from his truck and locked it, glancing at his cell phone when it vibrated. There was a text message from Candace.

  Where the hell did you go? You know where to find me.

  He shoved the cellphone back into his jeans and headed up to the house. He wasn’t interested in a night of just okay sex.

  “Hell, it wasn’t even okay,” he muttered, letting himself into the empty cottage. He headed straight for the liquor cabinet and swiped a bottle of rye whiskey before heading back outside to the deck. He didn’t bother with a glass and made himself comfortable in his favorite chair. Legs stretched in front of him, he got down to the business of drinking.

  How long was he out there? No idea, but eventually his brother joined him and Teague passed the bottle over.

  “Abby go to bed?” he asked. He didn’t really care but it was the polite thing to ask.

  “Yeah.” Tucker took a swig from the bottle and handed it back. “That’s nasty shit.”

  “More for me.” Teague took another swig.

  “I take it Sabrina got home okay?”

  “Sure did.”

  “She seems to be doing all right.”

  “I guess.” All right? The woman had balls of steel as far as Teague was concerned.

  “I was a mess for longer than I care to remember after Marley went missing.”

  Teague thought of Tucker’s first wife and felt a tinge of sadness. She’d died in a plane crash a few years after they’d married.

  Teague shrugged. “Everyone handles tragedy differently. Some people like Sabrina move on and deal because it’s in them or because they have to. Others just kind of drift until they find something to hold on to.”

  If they found something to hold on to.

  “You found Abby.”

  “She’s one hell of a woman.”

&nbs
p; Teague looked at his brother, a frown on his face. “Where exactly is this conversation headed Tuck?”

  “Don’t get your panties in a knot.” His brother smiled wickedly. “I’m just making conversation.”

  “Just making conversation.”

  “That’s what they call it when two adults have a chat without the fists flying. I’m just saying Sabrina Campbell is a nice girl. That’s it. End of story.”

  Teague didn’t answer.

  “And she’s cute. Got nice legs and great teeth.”

  “Are you listening to yourself right now? You sound like you’re talking about a damn horse or something.”

  Tucker motioned with his hands. “Pass me some more of that shit.”

  Teague tossed the bottle over. “Don’t go there, Tucker.”

  “And where exactly would there be?”

  “Sabrina Campbell is a nice girl but she’s not for me. She’s not gonna fix whatever the hell is wrong with me and I sure as hell am not interested in being a stand-in for her dead husband.”

  “That’s a pretty harsh assessment considering…”

  “Considering what?” he barked.

  “Considering I saw the two of you dirty dancing in the parking lot. You sure as hell didn’t look like a stand-in to me.”

  “Go to hell, Tucker.”

  “Only if you come with me, Tigger.”

  Teague would have lunged at his brother but Tucker wasn’t dumb. He was on his feet with a laugh and several feet away in seconds.

  Teague glared across the deck at him. “Why do you always push me?”

  Tucker shrugged. “It’s been my job since conception.”

  “You’re a smartass.”

  “I know. It’s part of my charm.”

  “Yeah? I’d like to ask Abby’s opinion on that one.”

  “She’d say the same thing.”

  Teague snorted.

  Tucker shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the railing. “So, what are your plans?”

  Christ. Were they going to do this now? Teague shrugged. “I don’t know. Haven’t thought much past tomorrow.”

  “So what are your plans tomorrow?”

  “Thought we’d do some fishing.”

  “I’ve only got one more day up here so spending it out on the lake sounds about right.”

  Teague grunted and that was that for a few minutes. “Why the hell did you come all this way for a couple days?”

  Tucker didn’t hesitate. “Because you’re my brother and even though you’ve been an absolute dick lately, I love you. Because the family is afraid we’re losing you and Mom wanted an update. Because you dropped everything for me after Marley went missing and you were the one who was there with me when they found her.”

  Tucker slid the patio doors open but before disappearing inside, he cranked his head to the side. “I’ve got your back, Teague. I always will.”

  “Yeah,” Teague replied, his voice low. “I know.”

  “Are you ever going to tell me what the hell happened over there?”

  Teague ran his hand over his temple and stared at the floor. “Maybe.”

  “Okay,” Tucker replied softly. “That’s good enough for now.”

  The patio doors slid shut behind his brother and Teague rested his head back against the chair. He closed his eyes and thought of the night everything had gone to shit. It’s not as if he wasn’t used to that happening—he’d been a soldier once and shit was always hitting someone or something and hitting it hard. You learned to adapt and react and hopefully if you learned it well enough, fast enough, you survived.

  But that night anything and everything had gone wrong. That night his training as a soldier, his street smarts as a journalist—all of those things failed. He’d hesitated when he should have acted and an innocent man had died. An innocent man hadn’t made it home.

  At the debrief, he’d been told that he couldn’t have done anything different—that the outcome would have been the same. They told him it wasn’t his fault. That the situation was dire and extreme and complicated.

  Bullshit.

  He knew it was all on him. He knew it because the guilt was eating away at him. It was beside him when he woke up in the morning and it was there every damn night when his head hit the pillow.

  He was already falling away from the normal things in life when he’d agreed to the assignment. Hell, he’d been freefalling for years. Love. Family. Trust. Companionship. All of those things didn’t seem to matter as much. It’s what happened when you lived on the edge, when every day of your life was spent dealing with the reality of drug dealers, human traffickers, and dictators.

  Teague knew if he wasn’t careful the man he’d once been would disappear forever. Although he supposed the real question wasn’t when it would happen, but rather….

  Did he give a damn?

  Chapter Ten

  Canada Day came and went with little fanfare in the Campbell cottage. Sabrina took the kids to town to enjoy the parade and her mother-in-law tagged along to keep things real.

  Louise: What time did you get home last night?

  Sabrina: I don ’t know. Ten maybe.

  Louise: No, I think it was closer to eleven.

  Sabrina: If you know exactly when I came home, why bother asking?

  Louise: Because I ’m your mother-in-law.

  Sabrina: That ’s not a reason.

  Louise: In my book, it ’s the only reason that matters.

  Sabrina dropped Louise off at a lady friend’s for an afternoon of euchre though she suspected it was more of an excuse to drink wine and gossip. The women had planned an evening out and her mother-in-law was spending the night in town. After that Sabrina drove up the lake to the Maylocks. Their daughter Jessica had been begging for Morgan to come for a sleepover and for the first time in Morgan’s young life, Sabrina had said yes.

  She smiled as her daughter literally flew out of the car and ran up the steps of Jessica’s home. The two girls hugged fiercely, as young girls will do, and after a quick conversation with Jessica’s mother, Sabrina bent low for a kiss. She got a quick peck, nothing more than a butterfly kiss, and then Morgan disappeared into the house.

  How quickly she’d been dismissed.

  Sabrina waved goodbye to Jessica’s mother and slid into her car. Harry was in the backseat, quietly playing with one of his action guys. She pulled out of the driveway and glanced at him in the rear-view mirror.

  “You okay, bud?”

  Harry shrugged, tossing his action guy in the air and catching him.

  “It’s just us tonight. Do you want to see a movie or something?”

  He shook his head and Sabrina frowned. “Are you sure everything’s all right?”

  He shrugged once more and Sabrina let it go, but something was up. Maybe he was coming down with a summer cold or a virus?

  They got back to the cottage in time for dinner and she grabbed leftover burgers and improvised, grinding up the cooked meat and adding some spices to make tacos.

  She glanced out the window a few times, but the Simon cottage looked empty. The vehicles were still there but since she’d seen Teague, Tucker, and Abby head out on the boat earlier that morning, she wasn’t worried. Not that Teague needed anyone to worry about him.

  Especially someone like Sabrina.

  So it happened that Sabrina and her little man had a quiet night. They settled on a movie, an old favorite Finding Nemo, and Harry was quiet as he munched away on his popcorn, Bingo curled into his side.

  When the movie was over and he’d brushed his teeth, Sabrina sat on his bed, gently caressing his forehead. He gazed up at her with those big eyes of his and she melted.

  “Everything okay, Harry? You don’t seem yourself.”

  He shrugged and Sabrina’s stomach rolled over. Okay. He wasn’t right.

  “Harry?” she asked gently.

  He pulled his blankets up to his neck and scrunched up his little nose. “I’m sad.”

&
nbsp; Sabrina didn’t think her heart could squeeze any tighter. She paused, because it was beating way too fast and she didn’t want to scare her son.

  “What are you sad about?”

  Again with a shrug, Harry looked up at her. “Just sad.”

  “Is it because your sister had a sleepover and you didn’t?”

  “No.”

  Sabrina continued to rub his forehead. The most helpless feeling in the world was when your child was upset and you had no idea how to fix it.

  “Is it because of Daddy?” she asked carefully, watching her son closely.

  “Not really.”

  Okay. What did that mean? Not really? Did she push for more?

  “Do you want to tell me what’s making you sad?”

  Harry snuggled deeper into his blankets and shook his head. What to do? Did she leave it be? And see if he was good to go in the morning? Or did she keep quizzing him.

  In the end Harry made the decision for her because he yawned and turned onto his side. “I love you Mommy,” he murmured.

  “I love you too,” Sabrina whispered, pressing one last kiss to his cheek. She left the nightlight on and closed the door, leaning back against it with her eyes closed. The cottage was silent. Her child was sad. Her heart was heavy.

  This was her life now and she had to make it work.

  * * *

  A knock at the door had Harry scrambling up from the table. Sabrina had just served him a plate of pancakes and in less than ten seconds, he’d managed to get syrup all over the front of his superman pajamas.

  Harry yanked on the door and Abby Mathews stepped inside.

  “Hey Harry. Did you know you’re drowning in syrup?”

  Harry laughed. “I missed my mouth.”

  “Ah, I see.” Abby giggled. “I just wanted to say goodbye to you and your mother.”

  With a smile, Sabrina tossed her tea towel and walked over to Abby.

  “You guys leaving already?”

  “Yes. We have a flight to New York in four hours, and if there’s no traffic we just might make it. Tucker is such a bear in the morning.” The woman gave her a big hug. “It was so nice to see you again.”