by Jill Sanders
Kristen had been right. Playing charades against them would be fatal. Tyler didn’t know how his mother knew what he was thinking, but it had always been nice knowing they were on the same wavelength.
“Yeah, which means everything will be extremely muddy in the coming days.” He sighed.
“I’ll have the trailer’s parking lot regraveled this week,” Trent added, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. “Come on, Mom, I’ll take us home.” Trey was already leaning against the hood of their mother’s SUV.
Kristen watched his family leaving, while Tyler watched Kristen.
“It must be nice to have such a wonderful family.” She sighed and turned back toward him.
“Sometimes.” He smiled and held out his arm, much like his brother had for their mother.
Kristen hesitated for a second, then tucked her hand through his arm and walked with him toward his truck.
He stopped her from heading toward her car and led her toward the passenger side of his truck instead. “I’ll take you back to the hotel.”
She smiled up at him. “Then you’ll be bringing me right back tomorrow morning for the car.”
“We’ll have breakfast here too.” He smiled down at her. He was just about to lean down and cover her lips when he heard someone clear their throat directly behind him. His entire body tensed since before he even looked, he knew who it was.
“What do you want, Brian?” He turned, making sure to keep Kristen behind him. He’d been sucker punched by the man one too many times to let his guard down.
“You should know by now to stop spreading lies about me.” Brian stepped into the light from the diner.
“Lies?” Tyler chuckled. “I don’t lie. Besides, I’d have to be talking about you in the first place. I don’t waste my time on gossip.” He reached around and opened the passenger door, then helped Kristen into the truck. She was wearing another skirt, and when she climbed in, he watched the material shift higher on her thigh.
Shutting the truck door quickly, he turned around to find that Brian had moved closer. He widened his stance automatically.
“Is there a problem?” His eyes narrowed on the man. Brian looked like he hadn’t showered or shaved since Tyler had broken his nose last week.
“No.” Brian smiled and took another step forward. “Just wanted you to know that I’ll be sticking around town for a while.”
“Seems like a bad idea to me.” Tyler took a step toward him and was pleased when Brian moved back. “If you come around the trailer or the office again, you’ll have me or my brothers to deal with.” He moved closer again, and this time Brian stood his ground. “Oh, and if I hear that you’ve been to see Rea, you’ll deal with all three of us at once.”
He turned to leave, but when he saw Kristen gasp, he sidestepped as Brian flung himself at him. Brian tripped over the parking block and landed on his hands and knees on the pavement, in the wet dirt.
Without saying a word, Tyler stepped over him and got into the truck.
“He tried to hit you,” Kristen said as he got in.
“He tried.” He smiled at her. “And failed.” He put the truck in reverse and pulled out of the parking lot.
Instead of driving back to her hotel, he decided a slow drive in the hills would cool him off. In truth, seeing Brian again had him itching for a fight. But with Kristen sitting in the truck, he’d decided against hoisting Brian off the ground and punching him until someone pulled them apart. Besides, it wouldn’t have been a fair fight.
He couldn’t believe that his father had once wasted an entire summer trying to help a young Brian. Playing ball with him, working with him on projects around the house, and even purchasing new shoes and a baseball glove for the kid. All he’d gotten in return was broken trust, missing money, and his oldest son’s bike totaled. Not to mention the many times Tyler or his brothers had been punched.
He steered the truck toward one of his favorite places to hike in the spring and summer.
The state park would be closed at this time of night, but there was a nice empty parking lot near the crest of the hill that overlooked Haven. It had been his favorite place to bring girls when he’d been in school. It had been everyone’s favorite place to bring girls.
“Where are we going?” Kristen asked when he drove past the hotel.
“I need a short drive to cool off.” He glanced over at her. “I hope that’s okay?”
She reached over and took his hand in hers. “That sounds wonderful. I don’t know why, but I’m too hyped all of a sudden.”
“Adrenaline,” he replied. “I get a dose of it every time I’m around Brian.”
She sighed. “You’re probably right. Does stuff like that happen to you often?”
“Only when that scum is back in town. Brian has always had it out for us, for me.”
“Why?” she asked.
He shrugged in response, but he had an idea why.
“Is it because of Rea?”
Glancing over at her, he shook his head. “No, I think it’s because of my dad.”
“Your father? What does he have to do . . .” Her words dropped off and he could tell she wanted to ask about his father and Rea’s relationship. In fact, a lot of people in town believed they had spent years having an affair.
“No,” he said, chuckling. “I can read your thoughts from here. My father and Rea were never . . .” He trailed off, his throat closing. “They were like brother and sister.”
“Oh.” He could hear the hint of a question still in her tone.
“Honestly. Rea and my mother were best friends growing up. Still are, if you haven’t noticed.”
“I noticed.” She smiled at him.
“After Rea’s husband died, Dad tried to take Brian under his wing. You know, he hated seeing a kid without a man in the house. Well, things didn’t quite go as planned, and Brian only got more jealous, especially of me.”
He remembered the first time Brian turned on him. They each ended up with a black eye. If his brothers hadn’t been there to step in, he doubted things would have stopped there. He had believed that his dad trying to help Brian would have changed things, but instead, it had only made things worse.
Brian did everything in his power to turn Thurston McGowan against his own sons. Of course, the man was too smart to fall for his tricks. But Tyler could tell it wore his dad down.
“He treated me like it was my fault I had an awesome dad and he didn’t.” He turned left and was pleased when they were the only car in the dark parking lot. “Come to think of it, he’d always treated me like that, even before his father passed away. But it got especially bad afterward.” He remembered all the times Brian had started after his brothers. He’d always tried to take the brunt of his attention since he doubted his brothers were big enough or strong enough to handle him on their own.
He smiled. Nowadays, he didn’t doubt either of them could handle anything Brian threw their way.
He pulled toward the edge of the hillside and shut the truck lights off, keeping the motor and the heater running.
“Wow, what a view.” She flipped off her seatbelt and leaned forward. “You can see all of the town from here. What is that?” She pointed to a cluster of lights on the other side of town.
“That’s the mill at Crooked Creek.” He shifted closer, putting his arm around her. “The crews work twenty-four seven.”
“And there?” She pointed to another patch of lights.
“Meadows Park subdivision,” he said, keeping his eyes on hers. He used a finger to turn her chin until she looked over at him. “Kristen,” he said softly, “I didn’t bring you up here to look at the lights.”
“No?” She smiled up at him. “Then why?”
His lips covered hers as her body melted next to him. Before he knew it, she was sprawled over his lap. Her hips grinding against his. She groaned when his hands traveled the smoothness of her skin, hiking up her skirt even farther. His fingers dug into her thighs, holding her ab
ove him. Imagining what it would feel like to have her slide down on him, here, now.
“Tyler.” Hearing his name on her lips as she hovered over him caused his entire system to jump into overdrive.
His hands found the silk covering her and he tore it away, plunging his fingers deep into her heat. He swallowed her gasp, moving his hand and savoring her resulting moans.
He couldn’t explain it, but for some reason, he felt like he had to take her quickly. Hurry to claim her and make her his. He knew she felt the same urgency when she reached for his jeans. He helped her free him as their lips stayed locked together. He closed his eyes as she pulled a condom from his pocket and slid it down on him.
“Now,” he groaned, his hands returning to her hips, ushering her to where he wanted. Lowering her, pushing up into her, until finally he sunk fully home and she closed around him. His fingers dug into her hips, urging her to move. The spikes of those damn sexy high heels dug into his thighs, causing him more pleasure.
Reaching down, he ran his hands over her legs, then gripped her ankles as she rocked above him. Her lips traveled the length of his neck until her teeth scraped just under his ear. Her hips bucked in a frenzied rhythm, her hands pressed flush against the roof of the cab for balance. She bit his earlobe and he couldn’t remember much of anything after that since the explosion in his body was so intense, he felt his toes actually go numb.
Kristen felt Tyler’s heart beating in his neck. Her lips were still pressed up against his warm skin, just under his ear. She’d been destroyed and loved it. Her body shook. Every part of her shook.
“Have you ever . . .” she started to ask, but he shook his head from side to side interrupting her.
“Never. You?” he responded. He still held her and she didn’t want him to let her go just yet.
“A first.” She laughed and leaned back so she could look down at him.
“Just so I’m clear, what are we talking about?” He smiled up at her, brushing a strand of her hair away from her eyes. His fingers traced down her arm to play with the bracelet she always wore, the one her mother had made for her.
“That . . . here . . . In a place like this . . . In a car—” she started.
He smiled. “It’s a truck.”
She slapped at his shoulder playfully and when she tried to move, he held her in place.
“The car thing, yes. Here.” His smile widened. “Yes, but that . . .” His smile fell away. “Never, before you.”
Something deep inside her clicked on. It was like a switch she’d held at bay, had suddenly flipped on. “I . . .” she choked. “I don’t know . . .”
“This is nice.” His fingers went back to her bracelet. “Something an old boyfriend gave you?”
She smiled down at the two interlocking silver hearts on the bracelet.
“No, my mother made it. She makes her own pieces and sells them. There are only two of these in the world.” She held up the bracelet in the dim light and smiled when the moonlight danced on the metal. “Mine and my mother’s.”
“Good,” he said, causing her to look at him. “I’d hate to think that you’re still wearing another man’s gift.”
She chuckled as his smile returned and he leaned up to place a soft kiss on her lips. “How about I take you back to the hotel?”
She nodded for an answer and moved off of him.
“This is the second pair of underwear you’ve ripped off me.” She picked up the ruined silk.
“I’ll buy you more.” He smiled as he took the useless undergarment from her and tucked the soft pink material into his jeans pocket.
“You’re going to keep them?”
He smiled and pulled the truck into reverse. “Yup. I tear ’em, I keep ’em. Like a trophy.”
She laughed as he drove down the hills, back to the town.
“You’ll have to bring me up here during the daytime,” she suggested.
He glanced over at her quickly and wiggled his eyebrows. “Like doing it with the lights on?”
She laughed again. “No, yes . . . I mean, for the view.” She shook her head.
“I’ll bring you back, but we need to keep driving up to the peak next time. You can see forever. Plus, if you like to hike, there are some old caves up farther.”
“Then it’s a date. How about this Saturday?”
“Sunday? My Saturday is booked.”
“Sunday then.” She wanted to ask him what he had planned for Saturday but bit her lip.
She didn’t want to come across as too obvious, and vulnerability felt new. After all, she didn’t know how much more time she had in Montana.
When they pulled into the hotel parking lot, he helped her out of the truck.
“You’re back to those fancy shoes I see.” He nodded to her heeled boots.
“Yes, they go better with the skirt than the mud boots I bought.”
He chuckled and opened her hotel door.
When she reached in and turned on the light, she gasped at the disaster that met them.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kristen sat in Tyler’s truck until two police cars pulled in next to them. Then he glanced over at her.
“Stay in the truck,” Tyler warned, but she was already climbing out to talk to the officers.
She’d already seen that her laptop was missing from its spot on the desk and laying in pieces on the floor. What she hadn’t noticed in her first glimpse of the ruined room was that most of her expensive clothes had been slashed.
“It looks like they used this.” One of the officers held up a bag with one of the knives she’d been using in the makeshift kitchen since arriving.
“Who would do this?” she asked, tears sliding down her face. “Why would they do this to me?”
Tyler gathered her up in his arms and held onto her. “I’ll call my mom. You can stay with her.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I . . .”
“It might be best,” the older officer broke in. “At least for tonight. Then you can come back tomorrow and start cleaning up after we’re done here.”
She hadn’t thought about what they might need to do. Did they take fingerprints? She glanced around and frowned. How would they know whose belonged?
“We’ll need you to keep track of anything that’s missing.”
“It’s all here, just destroyed.” She sighed.
“Are you sure?” Tyler asked.
“Yes.” She looked around and mentally took stock. “Everything is ruined.” She felt a tear slide down her face.
“Why don’t you take her over to Gail’s? We’ll finish up here. The hotel will replace the locks. You’ll have to get a new key at the front desk tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Kristen managed before Tyler dragged her back outside and helped her into the truck.
“Mom will have some clothes for you. It’s a good thing you’re about the same size.”
She nodded, resting her head against the window. She was too dulled to listen to what Tyler chatted about. She knew he was trying to get her mind off the destruction back at the hotel, but she just couldn’t seem to clear the image from her mind.
As they drove up to the house, she realized something and gasped.
“What?” Tyler jumped and looked over at her.
“I don’t even have a pair of underwear now.” She shook her head and felt more tears build up behind her eyes.
Then she reached out and smacked Tyler in the shoulder as he laughed.
“Honey, I’ll take tomorrow off and we’ll go into town to buy you everything you’ll need. Can you go one night without?”
Gail and Trent were waiting for them on the front porch. “Oh, honey.” Gail rushed toward her and wrapped her arms around her, causing Kristen to let loose more tears. “Everything will be okay.” The woman tucked her into her arms and walked into the warm house. “We’ve got everything set up in the guest room. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”
“Just tonight.” She held in
a sniffle. “I . . . I’ll be okay.”
“Sure, you will. Stuff is just stuff. It can be bought over and over again.” Gail smiled down at her as she sat down on the sofa. “Would you like some hot chocolate and popcorn?”
“That sounds wonderful.” She smiled up at the woman.
Gail turned to go but stopped. “Trent, why don’t you help me in the kitchen?”
Tyler’s brother rolled his eyes, but got up and followed their mother.
Tyler walked over and sat next to her, pulling her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and held on.
“It’s stupid to be so upset about clothes.”
“What about your laptop?”
“That was the company’s—I’ll have to call Mr. Burnett.” She pushed the thought away, unwilling to worry about what tomorrow would bring, then sat up. “I forgot. My iPad was locked in the safe. I wonder . . .”
Tyler pulled out his phone. “What’s the combo?”
She rattled off the numbers and held her breath as he relayed them to one of the officers.
“It’s still in there. Looks like they tried to get in but couldn’t.”
“Thank god.” Relief swept through her as she mentally crossed off having to buy a new iPad and remember all her stupid passwords for everything.
She relaxed against the sofa as Tyler continued to talk on the phone. By the time he hung up, Gail and Trent were back with drinks and a large bowl of popcorn that smelled amazing.
“Everything that was in the safe is there. And it appears that one pair of shoes was left unscathed.”
“The new boots?”
Tyler nodded. “Whoever did this wanted to destroy everything. Why leave the boots?”
“They weren’t expensive.”
“Forty dollars isn’t expensive?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“I hate to ask, but how much did you pay for those?” He glanced down at the boots she was wearing.
“You don’t want to know,” she said dryly.
He waited.
“Eighteen,” she said, looking down at her hands. She’d never felt guilty for spending her money before and still didn’t. She earned that money and used it to buy things that would make her feel good. But now, she realized, the stuff back at the hotel, lying on the floor, destroyed, didn’t make her feel good. Not the way she’d felt sitting down in a greasy diner, laughing with Tyler’s family. Or the way he’d made her feel up on the hill, overlooking the town.