Clues of the Heart: Baytown Boys Series

by Maryann Jordan

  “Sure thing.”

  “Do you know Walter Berry and, if so, what can you tell me about him?”

  Bob scrunched his face for a few seconds before his eyes widened and he said, “I heard he was missing.”

  Rearing back in surprise, Gareth said, “From who?”

  “His wife was in here a couple of days ago asking if I’d seen him this week.” He looked at Gareth and said, “Whoa…she’s hired you, hasn’t she? Damn, he really is missing.”

  Hoping to quell the young man’s inquisitiveness, Gareth just shrugged and said, “So, what can you tell me?”

  Leaning his arms on the counter, Bob replied, “Nice guy. Decent golfer.”

  “He usually in alone…with a group…his wife…some other friend?”

  Laughing, Bob said, “How about all of the above? He’s a real regular and I’ve seen him come in with a group that he’d introduce as clients of his. Sometimes he’d just play with whatever members were here to play. His wife played some, but usually she’d come and sit with a book while he played.”

  Nodding slowly, he asked, “So you never saw anything suspicious in his behavior? Or a change of behavior?”

  Shaking his head, Bob replied, “Nope, sorry. I told his wife the same thing. He was just a real good guy.”

  Thanking him, Gareth walked out of the pro-shop and headed into the restaurant. Finding Katelyn at the bar chatting with one of the bartenders, he had a flash of jealousy seeing the man leaning his arms on the bar perilously close to her. Hearing him come in, Katelyn’s beautiful smile filled her face as she beamed at him, causing his heart to skip a beat.

  The bartender leaned back, his face showing his disappointment as he poured Gareth a beer. Katelyn greeted him before inclining her head toward the bartender, saying, “Chris remembers seeing Walter numerous times, with all sorts of people. Groups, friends, and his wife.”

  “Bob from the pro-shop said the same thing.”

  “He was a good tipper,” Chris joked. “He came in almost weekly.”

  “Ever see him with a woman…uh, not his wife?”

  Chris’ eyes widened for a millisecond before he replied, “Yeah…but not alone. You know, not like he was hookin’ up or anything. Just sometimes there might be a woman golfer with some of the men he was with.”

  With a nod, Gareth stood and picked up his and Katelyn’s beers from the bar and walked to one of the tables overlooking the course. Settling in chairs, she turned and said, “So what do you think?”

  Taking a sip, he said, “I figured this was a long-shot. This place is too well known…too close to home and his wife. Odds are, he’d never bring another woman here, but I thought it was worth checking out.”

  Finishing their beers, they nodded to Chris as they headed back out into the sunshine. Driving back to town, Katelyn said, “If it’s alright, I need to leave a bit early this afternoon. I’ve got an AL Auxiliary officers meeting.”

  “No problem. I’ll spend the afternoon going over the Berry’s financial statements that you started on,” he replied, glancing to view her smiling face. “How’s the Auxiliary going?”

  “Really good. Just like with the AL, there are a lot of women who are interested in serving. We’ll keep doing fundraising to help with the programs you all are working on. We’re also getting a memory wall going, and we’ll have the newspaper do an article when we’re finished.”

  “Did you walk to work today?”

  “Yeah, so can you just let me out at the AL building? It’ll just be a short walk home when it’s over.”

  Pulling up to the curb, he turned toward her, wanting to lean over to kiss her but unsure what she would deem acceptable. Kissing at night on her front porch was one thing, but he knew it was entirely different for her to kiss him in front of others. Before he had more time to wonder, she leaned over and met him halfway. Her lips hit his and his hand automatically reached up to cup her cheek. Rubbing her soft skin, he smiled as he pulled back regretfully. “See you later,” he said, as she met his smile with one of her own.

  “Yeah,” she breathed against his lips, sighing before she hopped down from his SUV. Jogging over to the door, she stopped to chat as a group of women was walking up to the building.

  Gareth watched as Tonya Bayles greeted Katelyn with a hug and, for a moment, he panicked. Will Katelyn be upset if Tonya saw us kissing? Immediately chastising himself, he drove away, forcing the thought of Katelyn and Philip’s mother out of his mind.

  “Fabulous!”

  The pronouncement by Jillian, as the temporary chairman, in response to how much the Auxiliary’s officers had accomplished in their meeting, was agreed upon by all.

  “Okay, ladies, we’re ready for the next month’s meeting.” With that, the women stood and scooted their chairs back. Hugs and goodbyes took several minutes before the room was emptied.

  As Katelyn began walking down the sidewalk, Tonya called out to her. Turning back, she smiled as Tonya jogged over to her.

  “I couldn’t help but notice that nice young man who brought you to the meeting,” Tonya began and, with a huge smile, added, “And the kiss you gave him.”

  Blushing, Katelyn ducked her head, her grin slipping. Lifting her gaze back to Tonya’s, she said, “Gareth’s the first man in a really long time that makes me feel like there might be more out there for me.”

  “Oh, darling girl,” Tonya gushed, throwing her arms around Katelyn. “Yes, yes, there’s more for you.”

  Leaning back, Katelyn peered into the face of the woman she would always care for deeply.

  Tonya cupped Katelyn’s face and, with tears in her eyes, said, “I’ve prayed for so long that you’d find someone. Someone that deserved you as much as Philip did. And it looks like my prayers have been answered.”

  Swallowing hard, Katelyn felt the familiar stinging behind her eyes before a tear slipped over her cheek. “I would have lived and died his wife, you know?” she whispered.

  “Oh, Katelyn, I know. Philip loved you so. His father was so worried that you two were too young to be so committed, but I told him not to fret. I never worried about how young the two of you were.”

  “I just never thought I might find that kind of love again,” Katelyn whispered, her voice rough with emotion.

  Tonya smiled through her tears, one hand still cupping Katelyn’s cheek. “If you’ve found it, then don’t let it go. Don’t let the past…or fear, keep you from it.” Leaning over, she kissed Katelyn’s cheek before nodding and turning away, walking toward her car.

  Katelyn stood, rooted to the sidewalk for a moment, swallowing deeply. Changing directions, she hustled down the sidewalk in the opposite direction from her house, not seeing Gareth in his SUV parked on the road, watching.

  How can I compete with a memory? Heart heavy, Gareth sat in his vehicle, parked outside the Baytown Cemetery. His gaze still on the woman kneeling at a tombstone, he leaned his head back as a long sigh left his chest.

  A rapping on the passenger side window had him jerking his head around in surprise. Aiden’s face stared back at him. Shaking his head, he unlocked the doors, observing as Aiden climbed up into the SUV.

  Silence filled the vehicle until Aiden, unable to stand the quiet, said, “So…you doing a stakeout of the ghosts of Baytown now?”

  Rolling his eyes, Gareth looked over, his quip choking in his throat as he saw Aiden’s pained expression. Saying nothing, he turned his head back to watch out his window.

  “She does this, you know,” Aiden finally said, breaking the silence once more. “She comes here to talk to him.”

  Silence.

  “It’s just something we’ve all come to accept,” Aiden continued. “It’s harmless and seems to make her feel better.”

  Silence.

  Shifting in his seat, Aiden confessed, “Sometimes me or Brogan will come out here, just like you are now, and watch. You know…to make sure she’s all right. Years ago, she’d fall asleep out here after crying her eyes out and one of
us would pick her up and carry her back home.”

  Twisting his head back toward Aiden, Gareth’s brows lowered as he growled, “And you call that harmless?”

  “That was years ago, man. When it was all…I don’t know…fresh. Hell, Philip’s death just about tore all of us up.” Aiden let out a deep sigh and said, “We were all young, idealistic…hell, foolish. From this little town and we were going to go out, see the world, and save America.” Scrubbing his hand over his face, he said softly, “Jesus, we were stupid. Thought we fuckin’ knew it all. I guess we were lucky that only one of us didn’t come back.”

  Silence filled the vehicle once more only, this time, less strained. More introspective. Comforting.

  “I really care for her,” Gareth confessed, “but don’t know that I’m up to competing with Philip’s memory.”

  “Oh, hell, Gareth! That ain’t what’s happening here!” Aiden rushed. “She does this now when she has something on her mind. Sometimes she comes to talk to him about good stuff and, if I had to guess, that’s exactly what she’s talking to him about now.”

  Doubt in his eyes, Gareth stared back at Aiden.

  “I’m telling you, I know my sister and she’s been happier in the past week being with you than I’ve seen her in years! Katelyn’s not hanging on to Philip’s memory to keep her from moving forward. She’s just…” sighing again, “she just finds some comfort out here. It’s almost like talking to Jillian…only less loud.”

  A chuckle rumbled out of Gareth’s chest at Aiden’s description of Katelyn and Jillian together. As his mirth ebbed, he said, “I hope you’re right.”

  “I know I’m right,” Aiden confirmed. “And I gotta tell you, not to get all emotional and shit, but I’m real glad. She deserves someone like you.”

  Praise now from both MacFarlane brothers, Gareth dared to smile. Nodding, he said, “Appreciate it, Aiden.”

  “No problem. So, uh…you gonna wait on her now?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be here when she’s finished. I just hope she doesn’t mind.”

  “Like I said, if I had to guess, she’s telling Philip about you right now.”

  With that, Aiden jumped down from the SUV and, with a quick salute, jogged over to his truck, leaving Gareth wondering who would be walking home from the cemetery—a woman still devastated by her memories or a woman ready to take a chance on him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kneeling on the grass, Katelyn leaned her forehead against the cold, marble headstone. “Oh, Philip…” A silent tear dropped onto the marble base as her fingers trailed over the indentations that made the words she had traced a thousand times.

  SPC. Philip Michael Bayles

  He loved his family. He served his country.

  He is not forgotten.

  “I would have waited forever for you to come home to me,” she whispered. “My heart was yours from the time we were so little.” She smiled sadly, remembering his blond hair curling over his ears as the wind swept in from the bay. Freckles lined his cheeks and by the time he was a teenager, she loved to run her fingers through the long curls.

  “You were my first kiss…my first everything. And I thought you were going to be my last.” Wiping her cheeks, she said, “But there’s someone new…someone that’s given me hopes that I might have all that I thought was lost. And as crazy as this sounds, I think you would approve. He’s a lot like you. He doesn’t feel like he needs to be the life of the party…instead, he makes me feel like I’m the only one in the room. But I’m older now, Philip…I know more about what I want out of life. When you loved me, I was such a child. Gareth likes me for who I am now.”

  A raw chuckle erupted as she added, “And we’ve only kissed. Who knows if he’ll be my everything but, for the first time, I feel like living again.”

  Leaning back, her fingers dropped into her lap as she realized she had been sitting for a long time. The sun was dipping low in the sky, painting it with orange and red. Exhausted, she stood stiffly, wobbling slightly as she regained the feeling in her legs. Bending over, she kissed the top of the headstone before turning and walking out of the Baytown Cemetery. As she passed the iron gates, she startled, seeing Gareth leaning against his SUV, one booted leg crossed over the other, his hands shoved into his jeans’ pockets.

  Her heart pounded a staccato in her chest as she wondered if her eyes were deceiving her. If the fates had conjured him up from her dreams to place him directly in her path. Glad to see him, she took in his knitted brow. Walking up to him, she placed her hands on his forearms. His hands stayed in his pockets as he stared at her warily.

  “Hey,” she said, softly, her lips curving upwards. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to the meeting to offer you a ride home, then followed you here,” he replied, his gaze never leaving hers. “Are you okay?”

  Nodding slightly as she squeezed his arms, she answered, “Yeah. I come here sometimes.” There was no response, so she continued, “I know it seems silly, but I talk to Philip. Or rather, I talk out loud to myself and just happen to do it here.”

  Heart pounding so loud he was sure she could hear it, he asked, “Anything in particular you needed to talk about today?”

  “Yeah. I needed to tell him…” she swallowed audibly as tears formed again. Gaining control, she said, “About you. I needed to tell him that I’ve found someone special. Someone that I want to take a chance on. Someone that I have no idea what the future will hold with, but I want to work on finding out.”

  At her words, Gareth’s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. Slowly pulling his hands out of his pockets, he felt hers slide down until their fingers were clasped.

  “I’m not afraid of us…of trying…of becoming,” she whispered, drawing closer until her body was pressed against his. “I think I’m cautious. It’s scary opening my heart again.” Lifting on her toes, she kissed him. Soft. Slow. Sweet.

  He tasted the salt from the tear that escaped her eye and moved his lips from hers to kiss it away. He held her gaze as he said, “I was afraid…that maybe this wasn’t what you wanted.”

  “Oh, no. My heart’s sure. It absolutely knows you are what I want.”

  Leaning over until his forehead touched hers, he said, “You want a ride home?”

  Nodding, she smiled. “But this time, will you come in?”

  His voice raspy, fear mixed with longing, he asked, “You sure?”

  A smile was his answer.

  Entering her house, Katelyn stepped hesitantly into the small foyer, glancing over her shoulder at Gareth as he followed her. Turning, she asked, “Do you want something to drink…or eat…or—”

  Her words were halted by his lips on hers as his arm slipped around her. Melting into him, she gave over to the sensation of his body. The strength of his arms as her fingers dug into the muscles of his biceps. The softness of his lips as they moved over hers. His body, angles and planes of muscle, surrounding her as he nibbled at her mouth before plunging his tongue deep inside.

  Gareth stroked his tongue along the recesses of her mouth, relishing the taste of her, memorizing the feel. The physical pleasure zipping along his spine meshed with the overwhelming desire to claim her with his heart as well as his body. Pulling back, he chuckled as she moved forward, her lips attempting to stay in contact with his.

  “Hang on, Katelyn,” he begged, not giving back into the pleasure until her eyes opened and focused on him. “I know you said you were ready for us…but we don’t have to do more…not now—”

  “I want more,” she breathed into his mouth, dissolving any concerns he had. Looping his arms around her waist he lifted her up and she quickly snapped her legs around his hips, pulling him tight. He felt her core pressing hot against his crotch, his dick aching to be set free from the confines of his jeans.

  Their lips latched once more, he mumbled, “Where?” as he began to walk to the stairs.

  “Door on right,” she managed to say, her body flaming as he ca
rried her up.

  Once in the bedroom, he allowed her body to slide slowly down the front of his until her feet were firmly planted on the floor. His hands lifted to cup her face as he peppered her lips with kisses, nibbling at the corners until she gasped and he plunged his tongue inside once more.

  The moonlight filtered into the room through lace curtains, creating patterns across their bodies. Slowly pulling back, his eyes locked onto hers and he said, “Tonight is about us…taking it slow. I want to worship every inch of your body. I want you to feel every movement. I want you sure so when you look back, you’ll remember it as the beginning of you and me.”

  Her mouth opened slightly, the weight of his words moving through her, the only response she had was to nod.

  His hands slid to the bottom of her sweater and as he pulled it upward, she lifted her arms above her head, allowing him to continue to pull it until the soft material fell away onto the floor. His eyes held hers for a moment until dropping to her breasts, spilling out from her black bra. Lifting his hands, he clasped her waist before moving them torturously up, halting at the underside of her bra cups. He flicked over each lace-covered nipple with his thumbs, watching her eyes fill with lust as the hardened points begged for more.

  Reaching to the front, he unclasped the bra and his breath caught in his throat as the material joined her sweater on the floor. “Beautiful…perfectly beautiful,” he breathed as he palmed her breasts, the silky flesh filling his hands.

  Bending, he lifted her once more so that her breasts were at the level of his face and his lips pulled one deeply into his warm mouth. Sucking, nipping, soothing, he moved between the budded mounds as her fingers clutched his shoulders.

  Katelyn threw her head back as each pull on her nipples sent shockwaves straight through her core. It had been a long time…longer than she wanted to admit and her body was awakening from a long slumber. Before her mind had time to travel down that road, she felt her body being lowered backward and she clung to his massive arms as her back landed softly on the bed.