by Lyn Cote
Keely leaned against him, her fine hair against his cheek. It was bad enough that he'd overheard the slam. This kind of talk always seemed to hurt her. Did she realize that she was highly regarded by most people around here? Did she realize that this was only spiteful envy talking? He turned to give everyone behind him a warning look. Few were able to meet his gaze. Why did people think they should say things like that about Keely?
Burke had yet to hear anyone say anything good about Franklin Turner. From what Burke had learned about the man, crossing him was dangerous. Were the snide comments pointed at Keely a result of the resentment people felt toward Turner but were unable to express?
Keely gave of herself to the county constantly. They ought to be ashamed of taking hard feelings toward her father out on her. Burke gave her a squeeze of assurance. Then another thought pinched him. She didn't need to hear any more snide comments about how he was chasing her for her money either. He released her
The rest of the auction went by quickly. Keely ended with enough to fill up three vehicles. They had two, Harlan's and Keely's. They'd need to find help. While working with Shane, Nick helped lift heavy items and load them into cars and trucks for others. Waiting her turn, Keely and Burke inspected the cluster of items she'd bought: the bedroom furniture, the dining room set, the Arts and Crafts floor lamp, the painted hurricane lamp, a pie safe, a primitive bench, and bookshelves. She'd done well for herself. He watched her admiring her purchases and was glad her father's holding up her furniture hadn't stopped her. We showed you, Turner.
Finally, Nick was done helping Shane who offered to deliver some of Keely's stuff too. He and Burke lifted the first batch of Keely's heavy antiques onto Harlan's truck. "They sure made this stuff to last," Burke gasped with a grin as they lifted the iron bed frame up the final foot into the truck bed. Then Burke and Nick helped heft more of Keely's items into Shane's truck.
By then, the crowd had thinned to very few. The auctioneer Colonel Bouchard came over and shook Keely's hand. He gave her his card and said he'd notify her when he was called to the county to do another auction. Burke listened with dry amusement as the colonel also offer to load the rest of her items on his own truck and deliver them as soon as he'd settled the take with the attorney. Keely thanked him but refused. Burke smiled aa the colonel went into the house.
Keely turned to him. "Let's go. I can't wait to see all this in my new home."
Night was gently dimming day's light. Burke stood beside Keely as they gazed out her windows overlooking the lake. Over an hour ago, Nick had driven Harlan home. Alone, Keely and Burke watched the lavender smudges and tawny gold darken into autumn evening. A day with Keely had lowered his resistance to her even more. He longed to put his arm around her shoulders, pull her close and .... He shoved his hands safely into his jeans pockets.
"I can't believe this is mine," she whispered. "I can't believe that I'll be able to come to this quiet place every evening and watch the sun set each night."
Her voice set off a yearning inside him. He'd spent the day with her, and everything about her had opened wide doors to feelings he'd long forgotten.
"I guess I better be going." His voice sounded rough to his own ears. He turned, secretly wishing, secretly wishing she'd ask him to stay.
Instead, she followed him to the door. "I can't thank you and Nick and Harlan enough for your help today."
"Don't mention it." He dragged on his denim jacket and paused at the open door. So much threatened to simmer up from inside him—
"I wouldn't have missed this special day for the world." Without warning, Keely leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. A million times—thanks."
In a rush, his resistance gave way. He tangled his hand into the back of her hair and pressed his lips to hers. He drew her closer and deepened his kiss, losing himself in the smoothness of her skin, the silky softness of her hair.
She sighed against him.
The sound snapped him back to reality. With reluctance, he released her. He touched her cheek and then stepped outside her door, cursing his weakness. He jogged to his Jeep. In his rearview mirror, he glimpsed her standing in the doorway, her arms wrapped around herself—watching him
What was she thinking?
What was I thinking?
When Burke's Jeep disappeared around her stand of pines, Keely finally closed the door. Waves of shock, sensation swirled through her. He kissed me.
Ring. The sound of her phone brought her back. Ring. She hurried to her purse and pulled her cell phone out."Hello."
"I'm sorry," Burke apologized gruffly. "I had no right. Forgive me ... it won't happen again."
"Burke—"
He broke the connection.
She pressed her fingers to her lips and then her palm to her jaw line where she still felt Burke's roughened cheek that had grazed hers. The truth glimmered, and she spoke into the silence. "But I wanted your kiss all day, Burke."
Chapter Nine
On the following Saturday night, sundown hugged the sky, trailing magenta. Keely sat beside Burke on a hardwood bleacher on the home team side of the crowded LaFollette Steadfast football field. But they might as well have been on opposite sides of the county.
He'd greeted her formally and said that the sheriff thought he should sit with her at the games from now on so everyone would be aware that she and the sheriff's department were working together. A daunting speech. More so, after he kissed her, apologized, and then didn't call her all week.
Only feet away, the charred bleachers were still roped off—unusable. This didn't look good for her school in front of the competing team and fans, but what could she do?
And what should she make of this man's kissing her and then distancing himself from her? It was hard not to take it personally. In fact, impossible.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noted her brother moving through the stands. Why? She was sitting halfway up so she couldn't see what was going on behind her or too far to either side. Evidently, Grady realized this. What was her brother up to now? Grady, just sit down and watch the game.
Too aware of Burke, she couldn't stop herself from trying to read his expression. But he had put the shutters up again. She stopped herself before she touched her lips. She'd found herself doing this once or twice already this week, thinking of Burke and touching her lips.
The fall breeze cooled her bare ankles. In spite of all her efforts, football remained an enigma to her. A glance at the scoreboard told her that the teams were tied and that the game was in its third quarter. The scent of hot buttered popcorn filled the air. She put a smile on her face.
Far below to her left, she glimpsed Grady's fair head. He was changing places in the stands—again.
Her parents had finally come home from California. Grady had managed to stay out of trouble while they were gone. That is, if he hadn't started the fire in the bleachers last week. Anyway, her parents were lauding this stretch of good behavior as proof that their decision to have him finish high school in LaFollette was working. Now her mother was busy filling out applications to colleges with low enough standards to admit Grady but with high enough tuition to please her.
"Hey, Turner!" the McCracken woman yelled. "Guess your brother must not be much of a man. He never made the team! At least when your dad was in high school, he liked to break heads on the field and off !"
Veda McCracken had parked herself high in the bleachers behind Keely and Burke as though she didn't want them to miss any of her "performance." Keely didn't even bother to look over her shoulder.
The unpleasant woman had turned up more grimy and disheveled tonight than she had been at Ma and Bruno's reception. Why did she make it a point to attend each home game?
"Can't you run any faster than that, Blackfeather?" Veda bellowed as Shane, the LaFollette quarterback, was tackled and stopped.
"Shut up, you old biddy!" Shane's grandfather shouted back at Veda, putting into words all the angry glances cast toward the woman.<
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"Hey, hot shot deputy, how come your nephew isn't on the team?" Veda countered.
Keely gritted her teeth, forcing herself to keep her eyes focused on the field. She wondered why Veda had brought this up when farther down and to their left, Nick sat on the team bench for the first time.
The coach had mentioned in passing yesterday that though Nick had come too late to make the team, he'd decided to let him practice with the team for the remainder of the year. She didn't doubt that Shane had talked to the coach on Nick's behalf.
She turned to Burke and whispered into his ear, "Did Nick play ball in Milwaukee?"
Burke looked at her as if he'd just realized that he was sitting beside her.
But she knew that wasn't true, couldn't be, not after that kiss last Saturday night. There had been no mistaking the kind of kiss it had been, the kind of kiss intended to melt her knees.
Suddenly, she wanted to shake Burke Sloan. Why was he acting like this? Maybe he couldn't forget it either. We need to talk about this, clear the air.
"Nick made the team the first three years," Burke replied at last, "but sat on the bench a lot last year because of poor attitude."
She nodded, biting back the question uppermost in her mind: Tell me why you kissed me.
Jayleen appeared in Keely's line of sight, walking hurriedly down from the vicinity where Keely had just seen Grady. Was he bothering her again? Keely looked down at the bench and noticed that Nick was no longer sitting there. What was he doing?
Earlier this week, a teacher had sent Grady out of the cafeteria to the office for "paying unwelcome attention to a female student." Keely had warned Grady that this school, like so many others, had zero tolerance of sexual harassment.
If it happened again, he'd be suspended. A third offense would put him in front of the board in an expulsion hearing. She'd also mentioned that it wasn't a charge he'd want on his record if he intended to get into college. As usual, she doubted he'd even listened to any of her words.
On top of everything else, Carrie's father Walachek was here watching the game. She'd seen the big man lumber up into the stands, but he hadn't talked to her or come near her. Still, he made her uneasy.
Keely pressed her temples. She tried to keep her mind on the game. The teams were tied once more. Then she saw Grady heading toward Jayleen again, and she uttered a barely audible groan. Why did he want to force her to reprimand him in front of his whole school, strangers from out of town, and most of the county? Did he think that he didn't have to behave here since he was a Turner?
A voice nearby, spoken just loud enough for her to hear said, "Everybody knows Turner bought his daughter her job, probably did it so his kid could graduate from somewhere."
Tears nipped at the back of her eyes. She'd known some people had been saying that behind her back. She'd known her father's influence had swayed some of the board members. But she'd taken the job, believing that no stranger could love her alma mater more than she did. Lord, I need backup here. Maybe I shouldn't have taken this job.
Behind them, Veda started yelling obscenities.
Keely tried to block out the words. Then Burke moved closer to her. A silent show of support? Keely wiped her moist eyes with her fingertips.
Both teams bumped up the intensity of play. The mood of the audience became more focused, more in concert with the teams. The scores inched up in lockstep. The large clock ticked time away. Two minutes remaining. When Shane fumbled a pass, an opponent claimed the ball and charged toward his team's goal. A LaFollette player tackled him. The stands roared.
Suddenly Keely's secretary, Freda, her face flushed and angry, appeared right beside Burke. "Ms. Turner, that brother of yours has been dogging the Kainz girl all night. Well, now he's got his arm around her. You can't see it from here, can you?"
Keely shook her head. How could she be simultaneously irritated at her brother and yet feel her concern for him increasing? She stood up. "Excuse me, Burke. I have to go take action against this."
He rose also. "I'll come with you."
Keely felt the knot at the base of her skull that announced a coming headache. She had read the story of the Prodigal Son in her morning devotions. Thoughts of Grady had rushed into her mind. Had the prodigal's older brother ever tried to reach his brother before he'd taken his inheritance and left? Had the older brother ever felt as powerless as she did?
Grady, haven't you spent one second thinking how this makes you look? Grady was also doing this to make her look bad and to cause their parents to pressure her into letting him get away with it. But I won't. Don't you know that? Do you care?
But Nick got to Grady--before she and Burke did.
Just as Keely reached Grady's side, Nick slammed his fist into Grady's nose. Blood spurted.
"Fight!" Veda shrieked with glee over the commotion of the game. "Fight!"
Burke shoved past Keely and grabbed his nephew before he could land a second punch. Seeing a chance, Grady rammed his head into Nick's abdomen. Burke thrust Grady backward against the bleachers. He stumbled, landed, but did not get up, the wind evidently knocked out of him.
On the field the game went on. The stands seethed and roiled with people shifting to get a look at the excitement. Shouts came from all around. "He knocked Grady down!"
"The new kid broke Turner's nose!"
Keely felt faint at the sudden violence. The blood. Some had spattered on her arm. She put her hand to her forehead.
Burke let go of Nick and grasped her shoulders. "Put your head down. You're white as a sheet."
She obeyed and the lightheadedness receded immediately. Ashamed of her moment of weakness, she looked up, trying to decide how to get everyone to sit down. The crowd had pushed forward to see the action, and she felt mobbed. She looked to Burke.
"Get back!" he ordered. "Everyone, back to your seats! Or I'll start picking people up for public disturbance. Back!"
His final word—a roar—turned the throng back. Teens and adults alike gave way before his stern face and forbidding tone. Keely stayed at his side, pulling herself together to confront Nick and her brother.
"Fire! Fire!" Shouts came from out of nowhere. "Fires in the parking lot!"
Shock ripped through Keely. She glanced at Burke and read her own shock in his eyes. What now!
Burke stood in the now quiet parking lot, watching the fire crew wrap things up. They'd put out the fires. The crowd had dispersed, but the heavy smell of smoke still hung in the cool, dark night.
Burke looked around him at the nearly empty parking lot. After all the tension and chaos of this evening, he was restless and edgy. He was waiting to consult with Keely. And the topic wasn't going to be a pleasant one, the second fire in two weeks on school property.
Keely had gone into her office to get her purse. The main entrance door opened then. He saw Keely emerge and was aware the second she caught sight of him waiting for her. Her glance sent an electrical charge through him.
He'd stayed away from her all week. Tonight he'd been caught on the horns of conflict. He'd dreaded sitting beside her; he'd exulted in being near her again.
She halted, gazing at him intently. "Is there anything else wrong?" She then moved forward quickly.
The sight of her hesitance wrung his heart. She didn't deserve what happened tonight. She was a good principal. And she's too good for me and that has nothing to do with money. He stood straighter to be strong for her though the weight of past regret he carried dragged at him. "Nothings wrong ...nothing new," he amended. "We need to talk."
When she reached him, he felt that unexplainable pull toward her. Yet who wouldn't be drawn to such a gutsy woman? How did she keep it all together and do such a great job? And with her brother making so much of the trouble? She was definitely out of his league.
"Do you have time to talk?" he asked, trying not to let her see how he wanted to drink in the sight of her. The sudden stillness around them swelled in his ears. The fall night had cooled and the crickets
were silent.
She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Of course. What ...where do you want to go?" She fumbled in her bag for her keys.
He'd already given that some thought. He needed some place where he and she could talk without alerting the gossip grapevine. That much he'd learned. "I thought we'd have a snack at the truck stop out on 27. You wouldn't have far to drive home then." The thought of eating didn't appeal to him. But he knew he needed hot food to make it through the final hours of his night shift.
She still hesitated.
Then it hit him. He'd asked this classy lady to go with him to a truck stop of all places. "Sorry-."
"All right," she said, her teeth crimping her lower lip. "It's really the only place open this late."
He gave her an apologetic nod. "See you there."
Under the glaring lights of the busy truck stop, Burke waited for Keely beside his car door. His eyes adjusted to the brightly lit oasis in the clear October darkness. Exhausted but keyed up, he wanted to go home and sleep, put an end to the long day, but he needed to prepare Keely for an unpleasant development.
"I know," Burke apologized as she approached him, "this isn't the country club, but--"
"This is fine. I've eaten here before."
As Burke led her inside toward a padded booth in the rear of the restaurant, he was bombarded by the scent of fried chicken All eyes turned to them. He'd miscalculated. They weren't the only ones ending the after-game evening here.
As they walked down a gauntlet of parallel booths, he caught a few whispered comments: "his nephew ...firecrackers . . ."
"...Turner's kid ...jerk . . ."
"...didn't need a kid from Milwaukee causing trouble . . ."
So the next wave of talk about Grady and Nick had taken off. The fight and fires would be served up as the latest gossip all over the county for breakfast tomorrow, along with his being seen here with Keely.