After the Rain (The Callahans)

by Jennifer Hayden

  She pulled herself up into a sitting position and eyed his coffee cup. “Are you planning on sharing that?”

  He offered her the cup.

  She took one long swallow, then another, wincing again when the pressure of the cup touched her lip.

  “I feel really badly about this,” he finally said, solemnly. “You can punch me in the mouth if you want to.”

  She smiled at that and reached out to take his hand. Their fingers entwined and their eyes met. “I’m not much for punching people in the mouth. Besides, I like yours the way it is.”

  After a moment, he smiled too. “I try not to go randomly punching people in the mouth either. Yesterday was an off day.”

  “Is he gone?” she asked, taking another sip of coffee before handing the cup back to him.

  “I had one of my deputies escort him to the airport this morning. I don’t think he will be bothering you again. At least not around these parts.”

  “Was he hurt really badly?” She almost didn’t want to know. She knew she shouldn’t care, considering the trouble Paul had caused. But for some reason she did.

  “He was walking on his own, Montana. His pretty, little face isn’t so pretty anymore. It’ll heal.”

  “What about Shayna?”

  His expression remained neutral. “She’s up at the house. I kicked her out when I got up this morning.”

  Kylie grinned at that. “She was trying to seduce you last night.”

  “I know what she was doing. I told you she’s trouble. You’re the one who made me let her stay here.”

  “I didn’t want you to toss her out into the dark.”

  He grunted and took a long swig of coffee.

  “I don’t suppose you can stick around a while. We could stay in bed a little longer, maybe make a late breakfast?” She pulled him toward her until their noses bumped. When his mouth covered hers, she winced.

  “Sorry.” He backed up a little.

  “It’s a little tender,” she admitted. She leaned forward and kissed him anyway, ignoring the pain and focusing on the pleasure.

  After a moment, he pulled back. “As tempting as your offer is, I have to go to work. Maybe we can continue this later on.”

  “In your office?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  He laughed at that. “I suppose if you have police business to discuss and it just can’t wait…”

  She laughed too. It felt good. Just being there with him laughing and content felt good.

  “You can hang out here if you want,” he finally said, squeezing her hand one last time and then standing up. “There’s some food in the fridge but make sure you check the dates before you eat it. My refrigerator is a little like my desk at work. I eat up at the house a lot.”

  “You’re starting to impress me as a slob, Sheriff.”

  He grinned at that. “Don’t let the secret out.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I think what I need is a shower.”

  “There are towels in the bathroom. I’m sure Faye will bring your stuff down if you call her. I have my cell if you need me.”

  He was gone a moment later.

  Not long after he drove off, there was a knock on the door. Figuring it was Faye, she walked over and opened it. She found her mother on the other side of the door, fresh faced and obviously well rested after the nightmare the evening before.

  “Oh your poor little face.” Felice frowned and walked into the house. “Where’s the ice? You should keep something cold on that. It will minimize the swelling.”

  “I think the swelling is minimized as much as it’s going to. How did you get here?”

  “Sherriff Callahan had one of his deputies bring me over.” Felice raised an eyebrow. “I must say, he’s quite stunning.”

  Stunning was one word to describe Trey. She knew her mother would have more to say about him than that.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

  Letting the door shut, Kylie shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. We only met a few weeks ago.”

  Felice walked over and dug through the cabinet until she found a coffee cup. “I am not blind, Kylie Marie.” She poured herself some coffee before walking back into the living room and sitting down on the couch. “It was obvious last night that there is something between you two. Something more intense than what you had going with Paul.”

  “What I had with Paul was a joke.” Kylie sat down, figuring at this point, her mother wasn’t going anywhere.

  “I’m aware of the problems you had with Paul. What I want to know is what makes this young man different?”

  “He just is,” was all Kylie could come up with.

  “And he knows what happened to you?”

  “He knows.”

  Felice contemplated this. Finally, she sighed. “He apologized to me this morning, for allowing Paul to hit you in the face. That took balls.”

  “Mother,” Kylie began.

  “What I’m trying to say, Kylie, is that I don’t know him well yet. But what I see, I like. Perhaps this Trey is a good man. Maybe this one will go somewhere.”

  “He’s a good man,” Kylie assured her. “But I’m not marrying him, Mother. Don’t get your hopes up. He’s been married before and things didn’t go well. He’s gun shy when it comes to that kind of commitment.”

  “Ah, so that’s his flaw. I knew there had to be something.”

  “I don’t want to get married either, Mother. We just met. We’re having fun just getting to know each other. Can you understand that?”

  “Of course I can. Just be careful. You aren’t one for casual flings.”

  She was right. Kylie could only shrug her shoulders.

  “Well, I’ve said my peace. I would appreciate it if from now on you would keep me more informed on your plans. I never would have allowed Paul to come here if I had known what was going on. I thought you loved him. I was trying to help.”

  “I know you were. I’m a big girl now, Mom. I know it’s hard for you to look at me like that, but I am.”

  Felice’s eyes seemed to cloud over. “I’m your mother. I can’t help but get too involved sometimes. You’ve been through so much.”

  “I’m happy, Mom. Right now, anyway. Just give me the chance to see where this goes.”

  “What about your house? I stopped by the other day and Richard asked about you. He said he’s been keeping an eye on the place for you.”

  Richard Melzo was Kylie’s neighbor. They’d become friends quickly when Kylie had moved into her two-bedroom rambler back in Montana.

  “I’m going back. Probably not until after the wedding.” The thought made Kylie uneasy and she struggled to tamp down on the feeling.

  “And what of this Trey Callahan thing then? You’re going to be able to just walk away?”

  Would she? She didn’t know. “I can’t just leave my house and job behind without a second look. I know that, Mom.”

  “Your father wants me to fly back home today. He thinks I’ve caused enough trouble.” Felice frowned. “In a sense, I suppose he’s right.”

  “I know you meant well,” Kylie said, honestly. Her mother had a good heart. And she loved her daughter. Who could fault her for that?

  “As much as I’d love to stick around and spend some time with you, I’m going to fly home for now. Your father and I will both be back in a couple of weeks for the wedding. Is that alright with you?”

  Kylie smiled. “Of course. Faye will enjoy seeing Daddy too.”

  When her mother had gone, Kylie poured herself some coffee and headed off to shower. Trey’s bathroom was clean and orderly, which surprised her. Apparently, he had a fetish about neat toiletries. The only thing out of place was his shaving kit, which he’d left haphazardly on the counter top.

  She made a mental note to call Faye when she got out of the shower and have her bring a toothbrush and her bags down from the house.

  After undressing, she climbed into the shower and let the warm water pour over body. It felt heav
enly. She lathered her hair up with some shampoo and rinsed it, careful of the lump on the back of her head. When she was finished, she turned the water off and reached for the towel she’d slung over the top of the shower door. That’s when she saw the shadow of a person standing just outside the foggy glass.

  “You came back,” she said, without thinking, and opened the sliding glass door. But it wasn’t Trey who stood on the other side of the door.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

  Kylie let out a shriek at the sight of the strange man reaching for her, a gun in his right hand. He was large and ominous and the first thing she noticed about him was that his breath stank like cigarettes and alcohol. Dear God, who was he?

  “Not so fast, little one.” He grabbed her and yanked her toward him. Immediately, she froze, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared up at him.

  He let one finger slide down the inside of her neck and her skin began to crawl. Not again. She couldn’t live through something like this again.

  “You’re a pretty little thing,” he said, his breath fanning her ear.

  She struggled to pull the towel up over herself.

  “Don’t cover up on my account.” He turned her around to face him. Her fear came out in a shriek again and he covered her mouth with his hand. “I’m only gonna tell you this once. Be quiet. Real quiet. If you don’t, things are going to get real nasty here. Do you understand me?”

  She didn’t answer but she stopped screaming.

  “That’s a good girl. Now where is she?”

  Kylie stared at him, dumbfounded.

  He grasped her arms and shook her violently. “Where the hell is she?”

  “Who?” she managed to stammer.

  “Don’t play stupid with me, bitch! I know she was here. I saw her last night.”

  Shayna. He had to be looking for Shayna. This was likely her infamous husband.

  “She’s not here,” Kylie said, finally forcing herself to speak.

  “I can see that. Where is she?” he asked, his teeth grinding. His grip on her tightened.

  “I don’t know,” she said, willing herself to fight back this time. She couldn’t go down without a fight. Not again.

  “You know what I think? I think you’re lying.” He reached up and grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. The evil in his eyes stunned her briefly. “I know she was here, sweetheart. I know she runs to that bastard of an ex-husband of hers every chance she gets. She calls him on the phone daily. They’ve been carrying on for years behind my back.”

  Obviously deciding he could overpower her without the pistol, he reached behind him and shoved the gun into the back of his jeans. “This time she went too far. She took my kids. She’s going to pay for that.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kylie said, shaking her head. “I don’t even know Shayna.”

  “Well….that’s really too bad. Because all I came here for was her.” His mouth curled into a sickly smile. “But perhaps you will be a nice little diversion for me.” He slid his hand down the front of her towel and she felt bile rise into her throat. She could not lie still for this again. She willed herself to fight back. The only weapon she could find was Trey’s razor, which lay on the counter next to his shaving kit. Without thinking, she grabbed it and swung around, catching him squarely in the face with its sharp edge.

  He howled, his hands briefly letting her go. She made a beeline for the bathroom door but he managed to reach out a long arm and grab her by the hair. “You’re gonna pay for that, bitch!” He slammed her hard into the doorjamb and for a moment, the wind was knocked out of her.

  Fight, she kept telling herself. Do not let this happen to you again.

  The phone began to ring. Trey, she thought—it was Trey calling. If she could only get to the phone…. But she couldn’t. It was all the way across the house.

  Looking up at her assailant, she saw that he was bleeding now. She’d managed to cut his face, but only enough to annoy him. She backed up into the hallway, desperate to find a safe place to hide. There really wasn’t any. She was trapped.

  He walked out into the hallway, clearly intent on cornering her.

  “I think you’d better leave, Matty.”

  Kylie heard the female voice and turned toward it. Shayna stood in the living room, a small, silver pistol pointed in the direction of her husband.

  “I should have known you were here. Lying bitch.” He walked toward her. She fired one shot. Then another.

  Trey sped up to the house and screeched to a halt, jumping out of his rig as quickly as he could. He saw the crowd gathered outside his guesthouse and his heart stopped. All he knew for sure was what Cia had told him over the radio. There had been a disturbance at the farm—specifically, at his guesthouse.

  He headed toward Dusty, who stood with Joe, and to his severe irritation, Shayna. Two of his deputies were standing just inside the door of his house.

  “What the hell’s going on?” he demanded, looking from Dusty to Joe. “What happened?”

  “Matt Clyde showed up here this morning looking for her,” Dusty said, quietly, indicating Shayna. “She wasn’t here.”

  Trey looked at Shayna. She was shaking like a leaf, clearly in shock. Then it dawned on him. Shayna may not have been here, but Kylie had been. His heart stopped beating for a moment. “Where is Kylie?”

  “She’s inside, man,” Dusty told him. “I’m not sure what happened. From what Shayna told us, she came down here and took a couple of shots at Matt. We heard them and came running. I think we scared him off.”

  Trey pushed passed them and entered the house. There were several shards of broken glass from the shattered front window. He saw Faye in the hallway and headed for her.

  “She’s in there, Trey. One of your deputies is questioning her.”

  Trey looked through the bedroom doorway. Kylie sat on the bed wrapped in a blanket. Her hair hung in wet swirls around her face. She was shaking uncontrollably.

  He swore and walked toward her. When she saw him, she jumped up. “Trey?” The word came out on a hiccup.

  He felt shear relief that she was okay. At least she looked okay. He pulled her up against him, wrapping her tightly in his arms, and breathed in her scent.

  She started to cry. He immediately saw red. Someone was going to pay for this. After a moment, he set her away from him and examined her closer. “Where are you hurt?”

  She sniffled, pulling the blanket around herself tightly. That was when he realized she didn’t have anything on but a towel underneath. He felt his blood begin to boil. “Do you need an ambulance?” The words came out very quietly and he watched her gaze narrow in what almost looked like fear.

  “No…No ambulance. I don’t want to go to the hospital. I’m just a little shaken up, that’s all.”

  He tossed a look at Faye. She shrugged her shoulders.

  “We have an EMT out here. You want me to send her in?” a deputy asked, poking his head into the room. Trey nodded absently, his eyes on Kylie’s again. He was trying to read her. At that moment, she was closed off.

  “I don’t need to be—”

  “Let her look you over,” Trey said, firmly. “I’ll be right outside the door.”

  She looked as though she wanted to protest but she relented when he nodded at her.

  “I’ll stay in here with her,” Faye offered.

  Trey stepped aside when the EMT came into the room. He backed into the hallway and found Dusty and Joey standing there, along with two of his men from the department.

  “Did she shoot him? You said she took some shots.”

  Dusty shook his head. “She missed. At least she thinks she did.”

  Trey looked over Dusty’s shoulder to where Shayna sat in a chair, chewing on her nails. Immediately he saw red again. For the first time in his life, he wanted to hit a woman. He wanted to kill her. “This is all your fault.” He said the words quietly, doing his best to keep control of his temper.r />
  Shayna stood up, defensively. “I was coming back to get my stuff!”

  “You shouldn’t have been here in the first place. You’ve put my entire family in danger.” He was so mad he could hardly see straight. “If he hurt her, I’m going to take you apart.” Trey stepped toward her but Dusty’s hand pushed him back.

  “We’re all upset right now. Just calm down.”

  Trey shoved Dusty’s hand off. “I told her to fucking leave two days ago! She shouldn’t have ever been here!”

  “I get that, man. I know.” Dusty forced his brother to look into his eyes. “We have other things to worry about here. Let it go.”

  Trey swore, ramming his fist into the wall. He counted to ten and then turned to one of his deputies. “Take her somewhere and question her.”

  “Where, sir?” the deputy asked.

  “I don’t give a shit! Anywhere! As far away from me as possible.”

  The deputy backed up and motioned for Shayna to follow him. Trey struggled to breathe normally. He finally looked up at Dusty. “If he raped her, I’m going to find him and I’m going to kill him.”

  “If he raped her, I’ll help you.”

  19

  Kylie gave the porch swing a good shove and stared out at the moonlight. Hours had gone by since the incident that morning. Lunch and dinner had come and gone. Trey’s men had spent the day scouring the land surrounding the farm to make sure Matt Clyde was gone. It appeared he was, for the moment anyway. It also appeared that Shayna might have hit her husband with a bullet after all. There were blood trails leading away from the house and into the woods. Unfortunately, they stopped not far from the farm.

  She had spent the morning with a young EMT, at Trey’s insistence, and half the day with his deputies being questioned about the incident. At this point, she wanted to forget it. The sight of Matt Clyde and his huge tree trunk arms was enough to make her skin crawl again.

  She wished Trey would come home. Shortly after noon, he had headed into town and had not returned since. She knew he was in on the search for Matt. Heck, everyone in town was. Dusty had been gone for hours too. Joe had stayed behind with a shotgun and Faye. They were all playing the waiting game now.