A Promise Of Home (A Lake Howling Novel Book 1)

by Wendy Vella

  “I-I, yes, thank you, Buster.”

  “Good girl.” He then handed her the box before turning to Cubby, where he proceeded to question him in detail about who could have done this.

  Jake’s parents arrived with Mikey’s bike in the trunk. Jake was in sight of the door, scrubbing the walls, so he saw the boy start running for the house. His legs and arms pumped as he flew onto the porch and into the house.

  “Brace yourself, Rosebud.”

  Mikey ran through the doorway as she straightened, and she just had time to drop the glass in her hands onto the chair before he lunged at her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Mikey held her tight.

  “Hey, I’m okay, Mikey, promise.”

  His parents appeared as she lowered her head to Mikey’s and held the little boy close. Jake wondered why she thought she was unlovable when all around her people were telling her differently.

  Doctor McBride went to comfort the boy, and Branna and his father came to stand beside him, the look in his eyes as he saw the mess mirroring Jake’s.

  “Cubby have any ideas what sort of scum is capable of doing something like this?”

  “Not a one.”

  “This kind of thing doesn’t happen in our town, Jake, makes you question things when it does.”

  “It’ll be okay, Dad; Cubby will find them, he just needs time.”

  “It’ll rock a few people.”

  “I know.” And it would, the people of Howling didn’t deal with a lot of crime. There were the usual things, but nothing this vicious, nothing to shake people’s foundations. Jake had seen worse, many times over during the years he’d spent away from here, but some of Howling’s inhabitants had never left here and change didn’t sit well with them, good or bad.

  “That girl is getting a hug from me,” Jake’s father nodded to where Branna stood with Mikey and his wife. “Then, you give me a job.”

  Jake organized things while Branna looked on bemused, and it was when he had issued the last instruction that Annabelle, Penny, and Newman arrived. Her car sped up the driveway and ground to a halt behind Jake’s parents’ car. She leaped out before it had stopped, and like Mikey, ran inside, leaving her passengers to gather whatever was in the back seat and follow. She stood in the doorway, her eyes looking around the room until she found Branna, then she was on the move again.

  “Holy shit, Bran!” She grabbed her friend and Branna didn’t resist; in fact, he saw her arms wrap around Annabelle’s waist, and then he heard the first sob and soon they were both howling loudly. She needed that, to finally let go of the tears that were backed up inside her. Maureen came out of the kitchen clucking and ushered them, along with Penny who was patting Branna’s back, out of the room.

  “Tackle me if I even step in that direction,” Buster said, as he and Newman came to stand beside Jake, and then by silent consent, they headed out the front door to where Cubby stood once again writing in his book.

  “She ran up the trail in the dark to get to you?” Buster’s eyes looked at the end of the driveway, picturing how it must have looked last night. “In the dark,” he added.

  “She did.”

  “You in love, bud?”

  “Let’s call it care for now, so both parties don’t take flight.”

  “Good.”

  Newman grunted his consent, and that was how men did it, Jake thought, as he and Buster went back inside.

  Branna was worn out. She’d not gotten much sleep last night, and seeing all these people here in her house, helping her clean the mess was making her emotional. She’d cried all over Belle, Penny, and Cubby’s mother and that had only added to her fatigue.

  People seemed to be continually touching her. A hug here, the brush of a hand on her shoulder there. It was exhausting. Branna was a loner, but suddenly she was surrounded by people and she couldn’t seem to get her head around the fact that they were here to help her.

  For a person who liked to be in control and shared her life with no one but her computer, this was almost too much. Yet, inside her, there was a warm spot that was growing. She felt herself being sucked into all this, especially when she looked at Jake. He cared about her and somehow she’d told him she felt the same and that terrified her.

  Slipping out the back door, she made her way to the shed. Branna wasn’t running away; she was just looking for some breathing room. Opening the door, she took the key out of her pocket and slipped it into Geraldine’ lock. Pulling the back door wide, she got in, closing it behind her, and then she lay on the back seat so she wasn’t seen by anyone if they were looking.

  It wasn’t like she didn’t like all those people who were currently redecorating her house; it was just hard to work out why they were here. Of course, Jake was part of the reason. They all loved him and as he seemed to like her, they had come. But how did they know he liked her when she’d only found out this morning? Closing her eyes, she let the cool quiet of the car’s interior settle around her.

  “Dan lent me this car to propose to the doc, Branna.”

  Her eyes sprang open as Mr. McBride settled himself in the driver’s seat. “Don’t get up.” He lifted a hand as she attempted to do just that. “You’ve had a hard time of it, and I’m sorry it happened in our town.”

  “It’s not your fault, Mr. McBride.”

  “I’m sorry just the same, and the name’s Patrick. Mr. McBride was my father.”

  She lay there listening as he talked. He sounded so much like Jake she smiled. He told her all the town news and about the night carnival that was happening in a few days, his lovely voice calming her nerves and lulling her as he spoke.

  “Where did you drive Geraldine to propose, Patrick?”

  “Well, I picked up Nancy from her parents’ house…she wore this soft pink dress and was standing on the porch when I pulled up. Do you know what I thought when I saw her, Branna?”

  “What did you think?”

  “That she was the most beautiful woman ever created and that if I was lucky enough to have her say yes to me that night, then I’d spend my life making sure she never once doubted that decision.”

  “Oh, that’s so lovely,” Branna, sighed.

  “We started with dinner in the next town. There was no way only the good folk of Howling were seeing me in Geraldine, with Nancy seated beside me. I wanted to show them off to as many people as I could.” His laugh was a low rumble. “Then we drove back here and I headed for the lake. There’s a place past my boy’s driveway that has the best view, so I parked there.”

  When he’d said, my boy, Branna had heard the pride in those two simple words. She wondered if there’d been a time when her father had said “my girl,” sounding just like that.

  “I was so nervous when we got out of the car I had to wipe my hands on my pants a few times before I took her hand. Nancy, being the woman she is, just smiled at me and said yes.”

  “She said yes before you even asked her?”

  He laughed again. “She did, and said that she could see how nervous I was, so she’d thought to make it easy on me.”

  “It must have been a special moment.”

  “Even thirty years later, I remember it as if it was yesterday.”

  “That’s lovely, Patrick. My parents had me young, so I don’t think they had a courtship.” Why had she told him that? This town was loosening her tongue.

  “And they loved you so much they stayed together because you made that love they share stronger, Branna.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “Yes.”

  “They certainly seemed happy before my mother died,” Branna said, remembering the times she had watched her parents together. “They were always touching each other and fooling around.”

  “There you go, then.”

  She heard Patrick open his door again, and suddenly Mikey’s face appeared, looking over the front seat.

  “You tired?”

  “A bit,” Branna said, lifting a hand to tweak his chin.

 
; “Well, it’s lunch time now and we can’t start eating Maureen said, until we find you and Mr. McBride.”

  “Well, how lucky are you that you found us both in one place?” Branna sat upright. She felt rested and less confused. Her quiet time with Patrick had calmed her down and she felt ready to face the people out there again.

  “There’d better be chicken pie, Mikey, or I’m getting angry.”

  “There is, Mr. McBride, and cake with chocolate frosting.”

  “I always say that everything seems a lot brighter when there’s chocolate frosting around,” Patrick McBride said.

  Branna followed as Patrick teased Mikey. She let Jake’s father put an arm around her shoulders, just like he did to the boy and together they went inside, and she thought how lucky Jake was to have this man in his life.

  They ate and talked and Branna listened, as the people of Howling made her feel loved. They painted off the rude signs in her lounge and she laughed at Buster and Newman’s bad jokes, and by the end of the day her house looked better than it had before it had been trashed.

  “Pack some things, Rosebud, and we’ll head off.”

  “Why?” She looked at Jake, who was sitting on her porch waving off the last car, while she stood doing the same.

  “Because, firstly, you’re not staying here alone, and secondly we can’t stay here with the paint fumes.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  He rose as she spoke and Branna had the urge to take a big backward step as he closed the distance between them, but digging her toes into her boots stopped her.

  “Here’s the way it’s going to be, sweetheart. I’m staying with you until Cubby figures out what happened and who was responsible, so it would be in your best interest to get your head around that.”

  Suddenly, the man who had laughed and teased everyone today was gone and in his place was the one who had hard edges again, the man she’d met when she first came back to Howling.

  She’d seen people shooting him looks today, his parents mainly and knew they were enjoying seeing their son smile. Branna in no way wanted to analyze why he had changed, or if she had a hand in it, for now she just wanted to stand her ground.

  “And if you don’t come with me, then I’ll carry you.”

  “You don’t get to make decisions for me, McBride.”

  “Wrong answer, want to try again?”

  They battled wills silently for several long drawn out seconds, his eyes steady on hers until Branna sighed, knowing she was beat.

  “Fine, but we’re taking Geraldine. I’m not having those bastards come back here and go for her next time, because that would hurt just as much as the house.”

  “It’ll be a hardship seeing that damned rust bucket in my barn, but I’ll just throw a cover over it so I don’t have to look at it.” He was teasing her now, and she wanted to laugh, but managed to swallow it down.

  “I’m driving and you can take that big green beast of yours,” Branna added.

  He grabbed her before she’d reached the doorway and spun her into his arms, then kissed her senseless. It was long and steamy, and Branna wanted to rip his clothes off. She’d spent the day watching him and his big athletic body and she’d lusted after him, and it was disturbing because she couldn’t remember ever feeling that way about any man before.

  “Get your clothes now, and I’ll get Geraldine, and then we’re taking a shower.”

  Branna watched him get the key, then jump off the top step and jog to the shed. Smiling, she hurried upstairs, her body humming with every step she took.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  In the four days since her house had been trashed, Branna had stayed at Jake’s or he’d stayed at her house. Cubby had no leads, which was really pissing him off, as in a small town crimes were usually not that hard to solve. Branna didn’t want to get used to cohabitating with Jake, but she had to admit she was. She enjoyed waking in his arms, going for a run, cooking for him, but most of all she loved talking to him. They didn’t get into the deep heavy stuff of their past, they just talked about the years since she’d left Howling.

  She could write there too, sitting on his front deck with the lake shimmering before her; she’d managed to get her first draft near to completion. Her agent would be pleased.

  Jake had told her after their second night together that sometimes he had nightmares, and last night he’d had one. Heart pounding, Branna had woken when he yelled. He’d been lying on his side, fists clenched, arms curled around himself. She’d soothed him, wrapped her arms around him from behind, and he’d slowly begun to relax, and eventually he settled back into sleep.

  “If you want to sleep in another room tonight, it’s okay with me.”

  He was driving them into Howling; it was the Night Carnival, an annual event that Branna vaguely remembered from her years here.

  “It’s okay, Jake, I have nightmares too; so as long as you don’t take to lashing out at me, I can cope.”

  He took a hand off the wheel and ran it down her arm, the contact making her skin tingle. They’d made love often, and each time she felt as if he was pulling her deeper under his spell. Every time he was inside her, she melted her body his to command.

  “Thanks, and I’ll look after you if you look after me,” his smile was soft.

  “Deal.”

  They didn’t talk about emotions; the L word had never been mentioned and for that, Branna was grateful, as it scared the hell out of her.

  They parked on a side street just out of town, as there were cars everywhere and walked towards the main street. The sound of voices grew steadily louder as they drew nearer and Branna could see the blaze of lights from shop windows, as around them the day began to slip into night. The main street was hung with banners and decorations, and citizens of Howling were all out for the Night Carnival; they mingled with the outsiders who had bussed in for the occasion. Pretty colored lights had been strung up all over the place and that, combined with the delicious scents coming from some of the stalls, and the amazing and colorful variety of things people were selling, made the atmosphere almost magical.

  Jake and Branna walked along the main street, looking at the displays and chatting with people they knew.

  “I remember thinking this was pretty cool when I was living here,” Branna said.

  “I can mark my age by this event,” Jake said, taking her hand. “I had my first kiss behind that tent.” Branna followed his hand to a large candy-striped tent, where inside, children were having their faces painted by clowns.

  “Who’d you kiss?”

  “Annabelle.”

  “Hussy.”

  “What can I say? Even then, I had it.”

  “And there’s that ego I remember.”

  “Over there, I got drunk for the first time and my father tried to look angry in front of the townsfolk when I puked up all over the place. But when we got in the car, he laughed the entire journey home.”

  “I like your father.” Branna looked to the stage at the top of the main street where Jake was pointing. The band was playing country music and a few people were dancing.

  “Me too.”

  They fell silent as they contemplated their fathers, and Branna felt that pain she always did with the memory of hers.

  “You want some fudge?” He pulled her towards another tent. “Gussie Neeps makes the best fudge in town.”

  “That’s an unusual name.”

  “Gussie or Neeps?”

  “Both,” Branna tried to dig her heels in as he dragged her, but he just tugged harder.

  “Augustus Neeperman is a legend around here; she can trace her family back to the beginning of Howling, but if you don’t have a spare hour or two, don’t go there.”

  “Your teeth will fall out if you eat too much of that stuff.” Branna nodded towards the confectionary laden table they were approaching.

  “Will you still like me then?”

  “Maybe, although, I’d hate to have to eat soft food all the time
.”

  “And I couldn’t use my teeth all over your body and that would just be a downright shame,” Jake said the words into her ear.

  Branna shivered. She’d never thought of herself as a sexual person, but it seemed she was. Jake had ripped away any inhibitions she may have been harboring and now he just had to give her one of his steamy glances and she was mush. A few little words and her body ignited.

  “I like to tug on your—”

  “Stop!”

  His laugh was dirty, but he shut up.

  They didn’t talk about her father or Jake leaving the medical profession; she knew that would come, but for now they were just getting to know each other, and Branna could feel herself changing. Some of her hard edges were softening too; she was beginning to believe that maybe she was loveable enough to begin a relationship with this man. God knew she was so deep in like with him now, she wasn’t sure she could pull back.

  “Thanks, Gussie.” Jake paid the large woman with no front teeth for the fudge, then placed a piece in her mouth, then his. He hummed his appreciation before swallowing.

  “You didn’t answer my question, Branna O’Donnell, which leads me to believe that you won’t still like me if I lose all my teeth from eating this fudge, which in turn leads me to believe you’re shallow.” After these words, he ate another piece, making the same noise in the back of his throat.

  “I’ll probably toss you over for Ethan, Buster, or Newman, depending on which one has all theirs.”

  His smile was wide and showed off his sparkling white collection, all set off in a handsome tanned face. He’d dressed up tonight, his words, in jeans that had worn patches in all the right place and fitted him perfectly. His shirt was black and long sleeved, with buttons up the front, and he’d rolled the sleeves up so she could see his forearms. The man was a walking fantasy.

  “What?”

  “What?” She questioned him right back.

  “You sighed.”

  “You’ve probably heard this a million times, but in all honesty, I’m not sure I can cope with your handsomeness.”