by Beth Walker
"Cade, please."
"This is Natalie Bennington, and she and I are dating. In fact, we've had sex." Hands clapped and several gentlemen in the place gave him thumbs up.
"Damn it, Cade! I'm walking out of here right now unless you sit back down." She knew her face had to be flaming red, and she wanted to kill him right now.
He slid back into the booth and sipped from his cup.
"How could you do that? You've completely embarrassed me in front of the whole town. I do not believe you!" She made up her mind swiftly, grabbing her purse and sliding out of the booth. "You can eat by yourself, and don't bother to call or come over, because I don't want to see you again."
Tears burned her eyelids, but she didn't care. She had to get out of there and fast.
"Natalie!" he yelled behind her. "Natalie!"
She kept right on moving until she rounded the next corner and saw a cab sitting next to the curb. The door came open with a tug of her hand, and she rattled off her grandmother's address. "Quickly, please."
"Yes, ma'am," the driver responded, flipping the car into drive.
She glanced over her shoulder to see Cade sliding to a stop at the corner then throwing his hands in the air. Tears fell and a sad sob escaped her lips. I thought he really cared about me, but all he's interested in is showing off in front of everyone. I'll never be able to face anyone in this town again.
Moments later, her grandmother's house came into view, and the cab pulled to a stop at the curb.
"Five fifty, ma'am."
After paying the driver, she slipped out the door, slamming it behind her. The wetness on her cheeks felt cold, but her heart felt colder. Caring meant getting hurt. How in the hell she came to care about Cade in such a short time, she didn't know, but she didn't like it.
When she walked inside the house, her grandmother asked, "Where's Cade?"
"Still at the diner I would imagine, where I left his happy ass."
"Oops. What did the big jerk do, honey?" Tears started again and she couldn't stop them. "Come here, Nat. Grandma will make it better."
"Where's Mom?"
"Upstairs ruffling through things, just to be annoying."
She slid into her grandmother's embrace and laid her head on her lap as she did when she was a little girl. The scratch of her polyester pants felt rough against her cheek. The gnarled fingers of her favorite person in the world, stroked through her hair, easing the tension and heartache.
"It sucks to love sometimes," her grandmother whispered.
"I don't love him."
"Oh, honey, yes you do, or you wouldn't be so upset right now."
"I can't fall in love with someone inside of a week, Gram. It's not done that way."
"The heart doesn't always follow logic, Natalie."
"But what about Kale?"
"What about him? You don't sound like you care for him the way you care for Cade."
"I feel like I need to give Kale a chance, Gram. I've only been out with him once, and I haven't slept with him."
"Do you want to?"
"I think so." She captured her bottom lip between her teeth, pondering the thought. Did she really want to have sex with Kale? Did she crave his touch as she did Cade's? No, but it felt right to have Kale touch her. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I do. I haven't been with many men in my lifetime, and I sure don't want to settle with one unless I'm positive I don't want anyone else." She pushed herself up and stared into her grandmother's knowing eyes. "What am I thinking, Gram? It's not like Cade has proposed or anything."
"Then have a good time, honey. There's nothing wrong with making sure one or the other of them is the right man for you. Maybe neither is, but you won't know until you give it a chance to develop and bloom." Her grandmother wiped the remaining tears from her cheek.
"You're right. I'm going to ignore Cade for now and focus on Kale."
"What did Cade do to piss you off?"
"He stood in front of everyone at the diner and told them we were dating."
"There's nothin' wrong with that."
"It wouldn't have bothered me at all, but he made sure to mention we had sex too."
"Dumb-ass."
The chuckle spilling from her lips, made her heart feel lighter. "Typical male is more like it. Overbearing, boastful, arrogant—" The jingle of the phone interrupted her words. She grabbed the phone off the end table and handed it to her grandmother. "If it's Cade, I don't want to talk to him."
"You should tell him why you're pissed."
"He knows. Trust me."
Her grandmother answered the phone, winking at her as she said, "Sorry, Cade. Natalie doesn't want to talk to you right now." The nod of her grandmother's head and the smile on her lips, made Natalie giggle. "Sounds like you screwed up royally, boy. You should know better than to get all full of yourself and shoot your mouth off in front of a crowd." She could hear the low murmur of his voice even though she couldn't hear the words. "I don't think you're good enough for her." The tone got louder, and his words more high-pitched. "It doesn't matter what you want, young man. You need to prove to her you're worthy of her love. The stunt you pulled today tells her you aren't. From what she told me, it was immature, cold, and stupid of you. Get used to being alone if you are going to act in such a manner all the time." More loud noises and a few cuss words came through the phone. "Well, she's already called Kale, and he's planning on filling the hole you created. Suck it up, boy, and get a life." Her grandmother didn't wait for him to say another word before hanging up the phone.
"Oh my, Gram! He's going to be so pissed off."
"Who cares? He needs to understand, pulling shit like that is completely unacceptable behavior for a grown man. I can understand a teenage boy doing something so asinine, but he's old enough to know better."
"Very true."
"Stick to your guns, Natalie, and go out with Kale. If nothin' else, it will teach Cade a lesson he won't readily forget. He'll know he can't push you around or act childish in the future."
"I love you, Gram."
"I love you too, girl. I hope you find the happiness you deserve. You know, I would love for you to find a handsome, down home, country boy and settle right here in Red Rock, but I understand you need to do what is best for you."
"I know. I'm not sure one of the men you described exists though."
"Oh, he exists, all right. You just have to find the one right for you. Right now, you have two following you around like puppies on a string. Work it girl, work it!" her grandmother replied, swinging her hips and pumping her fists.
Natalie laughed so hard, her stomach hurt.
"My, my. Aren't we having fun down here," Marie said, coming down the stairs. "What's so funny?"
"Gram was just giving me some man advice."
"Oh?"
"Yeah."
Her mother arched an eyebrow, waiting.
"Don't worry about it, Mom. Cade did something stupid while we were out. Typical man behavior anyway, and I took a cab back here."
"What did he do?"
"Bragged."
"I don't understand," her mother replied, sitting in the recliner across the room.
"It doesn't matter, Mom. He knows he's in deep shit, and Gram gave him a thing or two to think about, so it's over for now." Natalie rose to her feet. "I need to make a phone call, so I'll be in the kitchen."
She dialed Kale's number and waited. Moments later, his gruff voice answered, making her smile. "Hi."
"Hi, Nat. What's up, babe?"
"Not much. I wanted to talk to you for a minute. Are we still on for Saturday?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't we be?"
"I wasn't sure if maybe Cade called you."
"If he did, I didn't get it. I've been in the barn all mornin'. You caught me comin' in for a bite to eat. Was there somethin' specific he might be calling about?"
"Um. No. I told him a little while ago, I didn't want to see him again."
A deep, choking cough sounded on the other e
nd of the line.
"Are you all right, Kale?"
"I'm surprised is all," he squeaked and coughed again. "Man, he must have really screwed up."
"You could say so, yes, but I didn’t call to discuss Cade."
"What did you call for then, Natalie?"
"I want to come out to your place tonight, and I want you to make love to me."
Chapter Ten
"Excuse me?" Kale asked, his voice high.
"I want you to make love to me."
"I-uh."
"What's wrong, Kale? Don't you want to?" She hadn't contemplated that he might have changed his mind.
"Well, of course, I do, Natalie, but I thought we agreed to wait until we knew each other better."
"I've decided I know you well enough."
"I don't know what to say."
"Say yes and I'll see you this evening," she said, hoping he wouldn't say no. She needed to do this to make sure her feelings for Cade were real.
"All right. I'll pick you up around six. Work for you?"
"Perfect. See you then." She hung up the phone and turned around to find her mother leaning against the counter. "Hi, Mom." Shit. How much did she hear?
"I think we need to talk, Natalie."
"Talk? About what?"
"You dating two men and obviously sleeping with both of them."
"I'm not sleeping with both of them…yet."
"Sit down, honey."
After glancing at the seriousness on her mother's face, she took a seat at the kitchen table. The same table she baked cookies with her grandmother on, did her homework on when her parents were at work, and the same table she had dinner with Kale on.
"Your grandmother informed me she told you about me dating two men in high-school."
"Yes, she did and I don't see a problem with doing that."
"Good. It appears you are taking the same path, to a degree, and a very strange one."
"I don't understand."
"One of the men I dated was Mitchell Weston. The other was your father, Gerald."
"So you chose Daddy over Mr. Weston."
"Not really, no."
"You didn't?"
"I had to marry your father because I was pregnant with you. But I never stopped loving Mitchell." Her mother stood and walked to the window. Natalie wondered what her mother saw—life how it might be if she’d held out for the love she wanted, or maybe the miserable existence she now lived. "I had been dating Mitchell for some time. Your father expressed an interest in me, and Mitchell had become distant. I wanted to make Mitchell jealous and to express his love for me, other than a high school crush."
"So you dated both men."
Her mother nodded and continued, "Your father and I went out several times. Mitchell and I had a huge fight over me seeing your father, but he still refused to tell me he loved me. I felt crushed and alone. Your father comforted me. I liked him, but I wasn't in love with him. We had sex once and you were conceived."
"You had to marry Dad then."
"I guess you could say that yes."
Trepidation rolled down her back as she thought about one possibly sickening thought. "Please, tell me I'm not Cade's sister."
A dry, non-humorous chuckle left her mother's lips. "No, Natalie. You are your father's daughter. Mitchell and I had never made love. I wanted to save myself for our wedding night. The wedding that never came."
Natalie stood, stepped behind her mother, and wrapped her arms around her from behind. "Oh, Mom. I'm so sorry."
"Seeing Cade today brought back all those memories. He looks exactly like his father—the same blue eyes, proud chin, and muscular build." A heavy sigh left her lips. "I found out a piece of information later on that made the whole thing make sense. Mitchell received acceptance to a college out of state. He knew I couldn't go with him, and he didn't want to leave me alone in Red Rock. He thought pushing me away would be the best thing. Mitchell and Gerald were both a year older than me and I still had to finish high school."
"He really did love you."
"Apparently, but by then, I had you and my marriage to your father. I gave my word to love, honor, and cherish until death us do part."
"Is that why you won't leave him, even though he continues cheating on you?"
"Yes. Unless he asks me for a divorce, I'll never leave him."
"Wow."
Her mother turned, and Natalie could see the terrible sadness in her eyes. "I don't want you caught in the same mistakes I made. Make sure you love the one you choose."
"I thought you wanted me with Steven?"
"I didn't realize how miserable you really were with him. When you told me you caught him cheating on you, it was as if my whole life came back to slap me in the face. I couldn't see past my own guilt to realize you needed out. Forgive me?"
"Of course, Mom. I love you."
"I love you, too, Natalie, and I'm sorry I've made such an unhappy family life for you."
"It's fine. I wish we hadn't moved from Red Rock though."
"We had to."
"I know. The plant closed."
"It wasn't only the plant closing. If we had stayed here, I would have thrown everything away to be with Mitchell again." They took their seats at the table, and her mother grasped her hand between hers.
"Seriously?"
"Yes. Right before we left, he and I talked. That's when I found out all the other things, and he admitted he loved me, but he had a wife and children, too, by then. He wouldn't leave them. The vows exchanged with Callindra meant everything to him, and he wouldn't break them."
"Mr. Weston sounds like an honorable man."
The sad smile on her mother's lips, almost made her cry. "You only know the half of it. But I didn't come in here to go into details about my mistakes. You seem to care for Cade."
"I'm not sure, Mom. We're great together, but then he pulled the stupid stunt today. It made me realize I don't really know him at all."
"Mmm," her mother hummed. "I understand you are dating Kale Dunn? I don't believe I know his family."
"Kale and Cade were best friends in school. They remembered me. After Cade rescued me the night I drove in, they've both been paying a lot of attention to me. Things happened between Cade and me the other day, but I haven't had sex with Kale. I plan to rectify the situation this evening."
"Are you sure you really want to?"
"Yes. I may not go through with it, but I need to know. Things started to heat up last night, about the time you called."
"I'm sorry I interrupted you."
"No big deal, Mom. Kale didn't want to take our relationship any further right then, but I was kind of in the middle of teasing him. He's going to pick me up around six. We'll have dinner and go from there. I need to figure out the feelings I have for both of them. I'm attracted to each of them in a different way and it's driving me crazy."
"Follow your heart, Natalie. It won't steer you wrong."
Her mother got up from her seat, kissed her cheek, and walked into the living room, leaving her alone in the kitchen with her thoughts.
* * * *
Six o'clock came and went, no Kale.
What the hell is going on? He's a no show?
No call. No nothing. She tried calling his house, but no answer.
"I don't believe this. I've been stood up."
"You never know. There could be a problem at his place, Nat. Give it some time," her mother replied, absently flipping through television channels.
"Time, my ass! I'm going upstairs to take a bath. He can go to hell," she grumbled and turned toward the stairs.
The doorbell rang and she glanced at the door. Do I want to answer it knowing it's probably Kale, or do I want to ignore it and climb into a hot bath?
"Oh hell." The door opened with a tug of her hand on the knob. "What?" she snapped.
No response. There wasn't anyone on the other side of the screen.
Ookay.
She popped the screen door open and stuck
her head outside. The screen was pulled from her grasp and a startled shriek slipped from her lips when Cade grabbed her arm, bent at the waist, and hoisting her over his shoulder. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear her grandmother's amused cackle coming from inside the house.
"Go get her boys!" Now that was definitely her grandmother.
"Go Kale," Cade yelled, taking off at a dead run toward his truck.
"Put me down, Cade!"
His hand came down hard on her ass cheek. "Hush."
Within moments, he stuffed her inside his truck, climbed in beside her and slammed the door. Kale sat on the other side, sandwiching her between the two of them.
"Move it, Cade, before her mother calls the cops," Kale growled, checking the mirrors.
Cade cranked the engine, shoved the vehicle in drive and squealed the tires as they took off down the street.
"What in the hell do you think you two are doing?" she snapped, while desperately trying to hide the smile on her lips.
"Kidnapping you. What does it look like?" Kale replied.
"You were supposed to pick me up two hours ago."
"I know, babe, but Cade and I came up with this plan instead."
"And what exactly is this plan you two concocted, and how does it involve me?"
"We're taking you back to Kale's so we can have a conversation about us."
"Us?" she asked, not sure she wanted to know what they meant by 'us'.
"You, me, and Kale, darlin'."
"After what you pulled earlier, Cade, there is no you and me."
"You're wrong."
"Wrong am I? How do you explain the fact that I called Kale and told him I wanted to come over to his place tonight, and I wanted him to make love to me? Hmm?"
"You didn't fuckin' tell me she said that, Kale," Cade growled, slowing down for a light.
"I figured it all came back to her wanting both of us, Cade."
"Don't talk like I'm not here, damn it!" she yelled. "This is my decision. Not yours."
"Do you want both of us, Natalie?" Kale asked, taking her hand between his.