The Good, the Bad, and the Pugly (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 7)

by Susan C. Daffron

“Yes, I am. If that’s okay with you.”

  He grabbed the plate and took it to the sink, where it landed with a clatter. “Very much so.”

  Clay led her upstairs to the master bedroom. It was easily twice the size of the bedroom she’d stayed in the night of the thunderstorm, with high cathedral ceilings that gave it an open, airy feel. There were windows on three sides and Brigid walked across the room to the largest picture window, which had a panoramic view of the barns and pastures. She smiled at Clay. “This is like being in a tree house.”

  “The sunrises are pretty spectacular if you happen to be awake, which I try not to be anymore.”

  Brigid looked down at the long dresser in front of the window, which was covered with little horse figurines. She picked one up. “You collect horses?”

  “No. They’re my mom’s. They used to be all over the house.” He gestured around the room. The other flat surfaces were covered with herds of tiny horses as well. “They wouldn’t fit in the RV, and she couldn’t bear to give them up, so I told her I’d keep them here for her. Whenever she shows up, I have to go on a dusting rampage. What a gigantic pain those things are. She’d have a fit if she knew how grubby they are ninety-nine percent of the time.”

  Brigid laughed, “I won’t reveal your dirty little secret.”

  “You have to make a few concessions when you buy the house you grew up in.”

  “Which room was yours?”

  Clay sat down on the end of the bed. “The one you slept in before, across the hall. TJ’s room was the office and Cole’s was the other one up here, next to mine. I got rid of most of the bedroom furniture though. It was too…I don’t know…full of memories, I guess. And sleeping in your parents’ bed is too weird.”

  Brigid turned away from the window, walked back to the bed, and stood in front of him. “There must have been a lot of adjustments after so much time away.”

  “Yeah. Mostly in my head. I probably spent too much time alone though.”

  “Really? But you must know half of Alpine Grove.”

  “Knowing people isn’t the same as spending time with them. It’s been good having you here, getting me out of my head.”

  Brigid wasn’t quite sure what to say. “I’ve enjoyed being here too.”

  He put his hands on her upper arms and rubbed them slightly. “You sure about this?”

  “Yes.” Brigid put her hands on his shoulders and smiled. “I’m surprised you can’t tell. For a while, I thought you could read my mind—it was like you could see into me. To be honest, it was a little creepy. I thought maybe you really are some kind of magic horse whisperer. But if that were the case, I don’t think you’d fall off so much.”

  “If you ride as many horses as I have for as many years as I have, you’re bound to fall off occasionally. But I don’t think real magicians have bruises like I do. There’s no magic to it.” He ran his hands up her arms to her neck and cupped her jaw in his hands, caressing her cheeks with his fingertips. “It’s just paying attention.”

  Brigid curled her fingers in the soft hair at the back of his neck. “You must have some amazing powers of observation then.”

  “Usually it’s the eyes that tell you.” He gazed up at her face intently. “People lie all the time with words. But if you look at someone’s eyes, oftentimes you can see the true emotion—whether it’s fear, love, hate, desperation, or whatever they’re really thinking. It probably doesn’t work with serial killers I guess, but with most people, if their eyes tell you something, you should believe it.”

  “That’s how you knew I was afraid. And not telling the truth.”

  “I was drawn by your eyes from the moment I met you.” He moved his arms around her back to pull her closer. “They are extremely expressive.”

  “They’re just boring old hazel. I always wished I had green eyes. I was convinced that would have counteracted the Pippi effect.”

  “I think you’re more Anne of Green Gables than Pippi.”

  Brigid leaned back on his hands to smile down at his face. “You’re kidding. That’s such a girl’s book.”

  “I stole them from TJ’s room. The whole series, one at a time, so she wouldn’t notice. Anne was funny and smart and worked really hard, which reminds me of you.”

  “I don’t know about that. I’m still working on it. Maybe by the time I’m eighty or ninety, I’ll have it all figured out.”

  “I think you’re doing just fine.” He pulled her down into his lap so he could kiss her and murmured, “Better than fine, in fact.”

  The thrilling sensation of his lips on hers again swirled through her and she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, wanting to feel the warmth of his skin. He captured her hand and lolled back on the bed, bringing her up next to him. Brigid opened her eyes and Clay pushed her hair back from her face. “Don’t be nervous, honey.”

  “I know. It’s not like I haven’t done…I mean I know how this works, but…well, this is so embarrassing. I’ve just been told I’m not very good at it.”

  “I’m not expecting you to swing from a trapeze or something, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  Brigid laughed in spite of herself. “Well thank goodness for that. Just so you know, I’m not very good at yoga either.”

  “That’s okay. If you let me take you riding again, I’ll teach you some of my wicked yoga moves.”

  “I’d like that as long as it’s on the ground.” She looked into his eyes. “So what do you see in my eyes now?”

  “Desire.”

  Moving closer to kiss him again, she said, “I think you’re onto something here.”

  Much later, Brigid was enveloped in Clay’s arms drifting in and out of sleep, listening to the relaxing sound of his even breathing. He started awake at a thump on the end of the bed, lifted his head, and grumbled, “Scout, we’ve had conversations about this.” The dog stood staring down at them, wagging his long feathery tail. Clay sighed. “C’mon, dog. Would you either just lie down or go away?”

  Brigid rolled over to face Clay. “Does he need to go out?”

  “No. If you’re wondering why I have a king-size bed, this is it. He’s like Goldilocks all night. First, he sleeps on one bed, then another, and eventually, he ends up in here and wakes me up before he lies down, just to make sure I know he’s there. As if I couldn’t tell that a fifty-pound animal just jumped on my bed.”

  “You could block him out of the room. Close the door?”

  “Nah, I don’t bother. It’s no big deal and it’s just him and me here anyway.” He moved his hand out from under the covers to trace the outline of her lips. “Well, usually, that is. If you want me to throw him out, I will.”

  “No, that’s okay. He’s all curled up now, keeping my feet warm.”

  “He thinks I don’t know he sleeps on all the beds, but the dog hair is a giveaway. It’s not like he doesn’t have a dozen dog beds on the floor scattered through every room of this place.”

  “You are such a softie. TJ told me that too.”

  “My sister has a big mouth.”

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you something about TJ. The day after the meeting, she left here before I could ask, but I was wondering how she knows Kat. They seemed to have a lot to talk about.”

  “As I understand it, they never met before that night. It turns out that Kat is related to someone TJ used to know.”

  “I guess it really is a small town. It’s going to take me forever to figure out all these relationships.”

  As he curled up closer to nuzzle her neck, he whispered, “Not as long as you might think.”

  The next morning, Brigid squinted at the light streaming through the windows. Clay wasn’t kidding about the sunrise. He’d pulled the sheet over his head. Following suit, she yanked the sheet up to cover her eyes, which caused Scout to stand up and jump off the bed. Clay rolled over, stretched his arms over his head, and yawned.

  She sidled up next to him and put her palms on his chest. “Good morning. H
ave you considered curtains?”

  Wrapping his arms around her, he gave her a lingering kiss. “It is a good morning. The best one I can remember in a long time. There were curtains in here. They were lacy frilly things and I couldn’t stand them, so I took them down.”

  She sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees, considering the slashes of pink and orange that blazed across the sky outside the window. “Maybe this is why people get up so early in the country.”

  “Because we’re too lazy to hang curtains?” He sat up. “Maybe. All I know is that at this hour, I need coffee in a serious way.”

  “I should get home. I need to take Judge to the vet this afternoon for another dip.”

  “Well, then you don’t have to rush off, do you?” He turned and leaned across her body so he could kiss her again.

  “I should go home and take a shower.”

  “It may be out in the country, but we do have indoor plumbing, you know.”

  Brigid slumped down on the bed and pulled Clay down on top of her. “You’re right. I don’t have to rush off. If last night was any indication, this could go from a good morning to an even better morning.”

  “I think so.”

  Much later, Brigid was standing in the kitchen wearing a gigantic maroon t-shirt of Clay’s that practically came down to her knees. It was from the Wall Drug Store in South Dakota, and the t-shirt proudly proclaimed the store was established in 1931. She wrapped her arms around Clay’s waist and peered around his arm at the pan of eggs frying on the stove. “Are they done yet? I’m starving.”

  “Some things are worth waiting for.” Clay took a sip of coffee. The phone rang and he handed her the mug and the spatula. “Take over for a minute.”

  Brigid stirred the eggs and smiled down at Gypsy, who was watching intently in case anything might leap out of the pan into her mouth. “Don’t give me those sad eyes. You had your breakfast. And some of Scout’s too.”

  Gypsy wagged her tail, looking pleased that she’d managed to score some of Scout’s food while he wasn’t paying attention.

  Clay walked back into the kitchen and gestured toward the office. “It’s for you.”

  “Me? No one knows I’m here.”

  “Well, someone figured it out.”

  She handed the spatula back to him. “Sorry about this.”

  In the office, she sat down at the desk and picked up the receiver. “This is Brigid.”

  There was a sniff and a tiny cough. “Bbbrigid! This is Maren. I’m at the police station and I need to talk to you about this dog. I’m so worried about him. It’s a little beagle, but he’s not friendly like the other beagles I’ve met before. I named him Lewis. He’s a little nervous and overweight. It’s like he’s never been walked before. Jake said that when Lewis was picked up he acted aggressive, but I don’t believe that. He’s not like that with me at all. Just scared. You have to do something. I’m afraid they won’t give him to you, and Maddie and I want to take him home right now.” Maren dissolved into weeping and she could hear Jake in the background say, “Hey, that’s my phone. Get that dog out of my office. They aren’t allowed to stay in here.”

  Brigid sat up straighter. “Maren? Maren, please calm down. I’ll be there in a little while. Put the beagle back in the cage. His stray holding period is not up. We aren’t allowed to take him yet. Do not take him home with you.”

  Maren snuffled a few times. “Why are you even out there? Everyone knows about Clay Hadley. We need to get the dogs adopted and away from there. I’m so worried about Judge too. The poor thing.”

  “Judge is fine, Maren. I want you to put the beagle back in his cage. Right now!”

  Maren apparently got herself under control enough to cover the mouthpiece and say something to Jake, which Brigid could only partially hear, but it sounded like “I’m almost done.” Returning to Brigid, she said, “All right. I’ll go put the dog back. But you need to do something.”

  “I will. Please put the dog away now and let me talk to Jake.”

  “Fine.” There were a few muffled noises and Jake said, “Hello? Brigid, uh, it would be good if you could come by here. I mean, we have rules, you know.”

  “I know. I’ll be there a little later, okay? For now, I just want to apologize to you.”

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll see ya.”

  Brigid hung up, leaned her elbows on the desk, and put her forehead on her palms. This Maren woman was going to drive her to drink. And what was this animosity toward Clay about? People kept making weird sideways comments. Ugh. She stood up and shook her head. Time for breakfast.

  When she returned to the kitchen, Clay raised his eyebrows at her. “What was that all about?”

  “It’s Maren again. In between bouts of weeping, she let me know she’s upset about a dog at the station. It sounds like she and Maddie are not big on following rules and now Jake is irritated with me. I hope they aren’t going to mess up the arrangement I’ve set up there.”

  He handed her a plate. “Food might help.”

  “I think Maren may drive me insane. Everything is a crisis with her.”

  He pointed his fork toward the door. “So I suppose you have to go smooth things over with the cops?”

  “I’m afraid so. I wish I could stay. I’ve got to go talk to them and take Judge to the vet for his dip.” She paused, holding a fork full of eggs in the air. “I forgot to check my answering machine! There are probably twenty-five weepy calls from Maren before she thought to call here. Who knows who else might have called?”

  “You’re quite popular.”

  “I think you’re confusing popularity with something else. Notoriety maybe? I feel like everyone hates me.”

  Clay pushed his plate forward and put his elbows on the table. “I don’t hate you. Quite the opposite, actually. I could get used to waking up next to you every morning.”

  Brigid jerked her head to look at him. He wasn’t kidding around. “What are you saying? I already told you, I’m not good at relationships.”

  “I think we had this conversation a while ago. After last night, you can’t possibly think we’re just friends, can you?”

  “Obviously, it’s more than that. But when you say every morning, it sounds like you’re talking about something more serious.”

  “Just because you had a bad marriage that doesn’t mean you can’t be with anyone else ever again.” He scratched at his ear and gazed out the window. “As my loudmouth sister mentioned, I’ve been married before too.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  “True. And it flamed out in a bad way. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t recognize that the connection we have is special. Not to mention the chemistry.”

  Brigid put her palm to her cheek. It was warm and probably a spectacular shade of crimson by now. “Well yes, last night was incredible. But that’s just sex.”

  “Which you also said you aren’t good at. I think we proved beyond a shadow of a doubt multiple times that’s certainly not true. So okay, maybe that’s what you thought last night was about—just sex. Or maybe that’s all you want to believe. But we’ve spent quite a bit of time together now and I know how I feel.” He paused. “And I can see by the look on your face that’s not something you want to hear about.”

  “It just feels so sudden.”

  “You say that even though you’ve been coming out here for weeks. How many times have we sat around in the kitchen eating together?”

  “But we hardly know each other.”

  “What exactly do you need to know about me that you don’t already know?” He crossed his arms across his chest. “You know where I live, you know what I do, and thanks to my sister and folks around town, you probably know what I’ve been up to just about my entire life. What else is there?”

  “I don’t know.” Brigid threw up her hands in exasperation. “I just…this isn’t what I wanted. It’s not what I planned.”

  “Well, what do you want? Because I’d like to know.” Clay loo
ked out the window again. “I’ll admit I’m no prize in a lot of ways. Maybe I’ve been wrong and you really don’t care about me at all. And if that’s the case, I’ll finally take the hint and leave you alone.”

  Brigid’s eyes widened and she reached over to take his hand, pulling it away from his chest. “No! That’s not what I mean. Not at all.”

  “Then what do you mean?”

  “You shouldn’t care about me. No one should, but especially not you. You know better than anyone what a mess I am. Everything will just end in disaster and I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Unless you happen to be psychic, I don’t know how you know that’s what’s going to happen.” He took her other hand and faced her. “I think you’re letting the opinions of one person—technically, one ghost—affect your life. You aren’t responsible for how I feel, only how you feel.”

  “I suppose.” She stared down at their hands. “I’m just so afraid of repeating the past.”

  “Maybe it’s rash and impulsive or maybe I’ve just been lonely for too long, but I’m falling in love with you. And if you don’t ever see yourself feeling the same way, it would be good to know that now, rather than later.”

  Brigid looked back up into his face. She knew every crease and scar and exactly how the little lines around his eyes crinkled when he laughed. Last night, she had memorized every contour of his jaw while he lay sleeping next to her in the moonlight.

  “I feel so many things. It’s like my heart woke up after being asleep for a long time.” She leaned closer so they were almost touching and ran her fingers along the scar on his chin and down his throat to his collarbone. “I’ve been trying to deny it, but I can’t say I don’t care about you, because I do. I just hope you don’t end up regretting that fact.”

  “No matter what, I won’t regret the time we’ve spent together.” Taking her hand again, he leaned to kiss her. “I suppose I may have engaged in some risky behavior in the past.”

  Brigid raised her eyebrows. “Gee, you think so?”

  “Yeah, okay, don’t give me that look. I know. This isn’t like that. Being with you is not a risk to me. And even if it is, it’s one I’m willing to take.”