Need You Now (Love in Unknown)

by Lunsford, Taylor M.

  Chapter 11

  Caine kept his eyes trained on the field, watching as the next of his boys went up to bat. They were behind by two, bases loaded, and only five minutes left in the game. He glanced over at his brother standing beside third base and nodded. Alex Rice, their leading hitter, glared at the pitcher with a steely determination that looked a little out of place on his ten-year-old face. Here came the wind up and the pitch.

  Right over the plate. A crack echoed through the field as wood connected with the leather ball. Caine watched the ball sail over the heads of the infielders and toward the back of the same field he’d played on that their age. Cheering broke out.

  “Come on, Jack. Run, Tony!” Arms signaling madly, he willed his boys around the bases. A quick glance told him the outfielders were scrambling for the ball. By the time Alex sped past second, the center fielder finally had the ball. Caine watched his boy fly by third as the ball began to make it toward home.

  “Slide!” Caine’s order came at the same time as his brother’s.

  Alex’s body flew through the red dirt. The small hand connected with home plate a bare second before the catcher caught the ball. The umpire’s call boomed through the field. “Safe!”

  Behind him in the dugout, Caine heard his boys cheering and high fiving, the chant going up. “Rangers win! Rangers win!”

  Gage cuffed him on the back, grinning at him as he came to join the team. It took several minutes for them to get the boys calmed down enough for them to shake hands with the opposing team. During the chaos, Caine looked at the crowd. He loved that most of the town had come out to the game on a beautiful spring day. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw familiar chestnut hair in the front row, but the boys demanded his attention before he could confirm his suspicions.

  He joined his team in shaking hands with their opponents, then gathered them together for a brief meeting.

  “All right, men. Great job today. I know we had a rocky start to the season, but you just proved what you can do out there. Go home, rest up, and I’ll see you at practice Tuesday night.”

  He attempted to clean up the dugout, but he was stopped every five seconds to shake hands with parents and members of the community as they came up to congratulate him. Baseball came second only to football in Unknown, and having the mayor as the coach was an added bonus.

  A hand trailed down his spine, startling him. He whipped around to see Mel smirking at him as she leaned against the wooden wall at the back of the dugout. “Not bad, Coach. Nice to see that not all of your players end up with broken bones.”

  “Hey. Teddy’s a great kid, but he’d make Big Bird look graceful.” He pushed up his hat to see her better. The early summer heat had brought a little glow of sweat and color to her cheeks. Her silky brown hair was contained in a ponytail, lifted off of her neck where he imagined it was a little bit cooler. “What brings you here?”

  “Well, you see, I’m pretty good friends with one of the coaches. It boosts his ego when I come to watch him at sporting events. Been a tradition since we were kids.” Mischief lit her face. Excellent. Whatever reservations she’d had about their date, she’d obviously put them aside for now. And he was so excited about this date, he couldn’t even muster up the energy to be jealous that she’d come to see his brother and not him.

  Caine looked over his shoulder to where Gage was gathering up their extra equipment. “Believe me, that knucklehead doesn’t need an ego boost. Any bigger and he’d need an extra chair by his desk for it to sit in.”

  Mel shrugged. “I also happen to like baseball. And it gave me the opportunity to ask you a very important question.”

  “What’s that?” Caine leaned forward, bracing his hand above her head on the dugout wall. From his vantage point, he got a teasing glimpse of cleavage down her V-necked cotton shirt.

  Mel wagged her eyebrows. “What should I wear on our date tonight? You never told me where we were going.”

  Caine bit the inside of his cheek for a moment. Dirty images fitted through his head before he could stop them. It would be too easy to forget they were in the middle of the park with his baseball players still milling about, their parents not far off. This woman was dangerous to his reputation as the upstanding mayor. Not that he was complaining. “What would you say if I told you to wear that lingerie I got you and nothing else?”

  “I’d say…” She ran her finger along the top of his jersey, then reached up to pat his cheek. “Dream on, mister. You promised me a real date and I’m holding you to it.”

  “Fair enough.” He caught her wrist. “But if you decided to wear it under a nice sundress, I wouldn’t object.”

  She laughed, a light, happy sound that he loved to hear. “Wow. Your ego almost matches your brother’s. So, a sundress. I can work with that. Do I get any more details?”

  Caine considered for a second. “Sandals might be a bit uncomfortable.”

  With a sigh, she pushed back and away. In spite of the hot air around them, he missed the heat of her body. “In that case, I’ll go start getting ready while you head home and shower. Don’t want you to be stinky for this big date of ours.”

  He watched her leave, anticipation and lust pounding through him. No, he told himself. Not the time to get excited. The crowd had thinned out considerably, but there were eyes everywhere in Unknown. They were already bound to end up as the main story on Merna’s Matches tomorrow morning.

  “Down, boy,” Gage teased, coming into the dugout to grab his bag. “Save it for later.”

  Caine shoved his brother playfully. “Shut up, doofus. Are we done here? I’ve got… two hours before I have to pick Mel up.”

  “Need time to do your nails and curl your hair?” Gage snickered. “Yeah, everything’s cleared up, no thanks to you.”

  They walked out to their cars. “Where are you taking her, anyway? She said you refused to tell her.”

  “Uh-uh. For all I know, she’s bribed you to ask me so you can text her and warn her.” Caine shook his head, hefting his bag up on his shoulder. “Nobody knows and nobody will know until Mel does.”

  Gage tossed his bag in the back of his Jeep. “I do know that it has something to do with Race’s Drive-In. One of my officers spotted you out there yesterday with a small crew.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Caine set his bag in the bed of his truck. “You didn’t say anything to Mel, did you?”

  “As much as you’re a pain in my ass, you’re still my brother. I wouldn’t narc on you, even to the woman who happens to be my best friend.” He shrugged, leaning against his Jeep. “I know whatever you’ve got planned will be good. A guy doesn’t fight for a woman the way you’ve fought for Mel without setting up one hell of a date for her. Why should I take away some of the magic by ruining the surprise?”

  Caine paused, surprised by his brother's response. They'd gone their own ways for most of their lives, but few things felt better than knowing his brother had his back. "Thanks, man. I'll let you know how it goes."

  “Good luck, big brother. You’re going to need it.”

  He didn’t need luck tonight, he thought as he got in his truck to drive home. Everything was planned to be perfect for Mel. They’d never really been on a date before. At least not the type she deserved.

  The first night they’d slept together hadn’t even been intentional. He’d been at a party at his fraternity house when he spotted Micah’s little sister across the packed room. That’s how he’d started the night thinking of her as - Micah’s little sister. He certainly hadn’t ended the night thinking that. They’d both been on the deep side of tipsy by the time they made it up to his room that night. It had been a fast, sweaty, passionate encounter that blew him away. After that night, he’d had a hard time focusing on any woman but her, which scared him. God, he’d been a selfish bastard. He should have taken her on a hundred dates, but he hadn’t wanted the ties of a girlfriend. All of his friends had girlfriends who were whiney and demanding and didn’t let them have any
fun.

  He wanted to be different. And for some reason, Mel agreed to the terms he set for their relationship. No ties. Just sex. They didn’t tell anyone in their families. His stupidity ended up hurting them both in the long run, was still hurting them now. So many times since Micah and Mel had moved back, he’d thought about telling his friend everything, but there was never really a good time. How did he tell his best friend he’d slept with his sister when she was barely out of high school. Oh, well. It’d all be out in the open soon. No one could sneak around in Unknown. Merna’s Matches made sure of that.

  Tomorrow, he’d worry about damage control. Tonight was all about Mel and proving to her that they could be good together as a real couple.

  #

  Mel stepped out of the shower, a cloud of wildflower-scented steam billowing after her. The hot shower had helped to settle the nerves that were still jangling with excitement after her brief encounter with Caine in the dugout. Men should not look that good with sweat dripping off them. But seeing him with those little boys, watching him coach. She shivered.

  It definitely got to her. If she hadn’t already agreed to go on a date with him, she probably would have after today. He was just so patient and understanding with them. Instead of watching the game, her attention kept drifting back to him. She’d chosen her seat carefully so that she could see him, though he couldn’t see her too easily. And she’d loved the show.

  With her iPod blasting Faith Hill and Shania Twain, Mel went through the motions of drying her hair so it fell in loose curls and waves around her head. A little bit of make-up completed the look. Shaking her hips tot he best of the music, she danced her way to her closet and shrugged out of the yellow robe. Yes, she’d kept the robe. And the underwear. They were too lush not to, no matter how much she didn’t want to feel connected to the man who’d brought them for her. Another of the selections Caine picked out for her was identical to the red set, but these were deep blue. She shimmied into those tonight. While she had no plans to let Caine get past second base, if he was persuasive enough, he’d at least be surprised by what he found.

  The dress she selected was a light cotton sundress the same color as her underwear. She loved the deep V of the neckline and the short, flirty skirt. In the middle of her debate over whether to wear heels or flats, a knock on the bedroom door made her jump.

  “Jesus! Micah.” She covered her heart with her hand. Her broad-shouldered brother filled the doorway, his shirt still smudged with flour. “I know we’ve lived apart for a while, but the whole knocking thing still applies. And now that we’re adults, it extends to the front door.”

  Micah shrugged, taking a bouncing seat on the bed. “What are you doing wearing a dress? I thought you might want to come over and have dinner with me and Jax tonight. Mom’s got bridge or something.”

  “Thanks for the last minute invitation, brother dear, but I have plans tonight.” She grabbed two different shoes and held them out to him. "Which ones?”

  Micah pointed to the flats without really looking at them. Typical brother. Still, they were more comfortable. "Plans? Like a date? With who? Mom didn't say anything."

  “That’s because Mom doesn't know about this date." She gave him an annoyed look as she pulled on her shoes. Growing up, she'd always been too easy on him. Never acted like enough of a girly girl for him. "I know it's hard for you to understand, but I am perfectly capable of finding my own dates."

  He narrowed his eyes at her. That same look had always preceded him finding out that she'd stolen his favorite baseball card or spied on him and Gage while they looked at Playboy and talked about girls. "Maybe. But Mom normally would have heard that someone asked you out by now. And if she hadn't, Merna's Matches would have."

  Fair point. Keeping a secret in this town had never been easy, but Merna's Matches made it nearly impossible. "That might be true, if he hadn't asked me out yesterday."

  “Which brings us back to the question. Who are you going out with?" Micah's jaw set in a stubborn line.

  She glanced at the clock on her phone. Six fifty-eight. Shit. She needed to get Micah out of here now. Having him find out about her date with Caine now would be a really, really bad thing. Did that make her a bad sister? Probably. Okay, definitely. But still. "It's none of your business who I'm dating. Do I interrogate you about your love life?"

  “You would if I had one. But having a surly, mostly mute five-year-old messes with a guy’s dating life. Now, tell me who he is.” Micah stood, feet apart, arms crossed. So that was what she looked like when she dug her heels in. "I’m not leaving until you tell me. It’s too dangerous for you to be going out without someone knowing where you are.”

  Mel opened her mouth to tell him to go to hell when someone knocked on the front door. Shit. Didn't Caine know to be fashionably late in case she wasn't ready yet? She could just imagine the fall-out from this. It might take a bit of poking, but her brother could have a wicked temper when he wanted to.

  “Looks like I can find out on my own." Before she could stop him, Micah stalked through the apartment and threw open the door. Mel hurried after him, frantically trying to find some way to prevent a nuclear fall-out when her brother saw who was on the other side.

  “Caine?" Micah said. "What are you doing here? If you're here to see Mel, she's just about to leave on a date."

  Caine’s eyes widened as he looked over Micah's shoulder to find her. Helpless, she held up her hands in defeat. No way out now. Better to come clean. "He knows I'm about to leave on a date because he...is my date."

  Incredulous was the best way to describe the look on her brother's face. For the first time in her life, she'd managed to completely confound him. He looked back and forth between Mel and Caine, trying to process the scene before him. Poor Micah. "Are you serious? Since when?"

  “Micah, I would love to get into this with you right now, but I'm a bit busy." Best not to give him any room to maneuver. Bussing a quick kiss across his cheek, she barreled past him to grab Caine's hand. She whispered to him, "Keep walking, don't look back."

  Squeezing her hand, he led her to his car and helped her in. God, she loved this car. Growing up around Micah and Gage, she'd learned to appreciate fine cars, and this one was a car lover's wet dream. Sleek body, lush seats. She indulged herself with a quick caress of the buttery leather while Caine jogged around to the driver's side.

  He started the engine and pulled away from the curb before speaking. "Your brother still doesn't know about us?"

  “Nope." Mel looked straight ahead, refusing to back down. Micah had his own life and she’d kept a lot of hers to herself. “My life is my business. Not his."

  “Maybe, but he knows now and I won't lie to him. I just got my best friend back. Lying doesn't exactly help my cause with him as a friend or as the brother of the woman I'm involved with."

  She waved her hand dismissively. As much as she appreciated the fact that he valued honesty, she would handle her brother in her own way. Tonight wasn't about Micah. It was about her and him. The rest of the world could wait. "Don't worry. We'll fight it out tomorrow. Now. Where are you taking me? If you don't stop with the mysterious kidnapper vibe, I'm going to start to get suspicious."

  “Funny girl. I like that." He winked at her, driving the car through town. "I'll tell you one part of the date. We're going on a picnic."

  A picnic. Definitely a new one. Immediately, her brain began to scroll through the different possibilities in and around Unknown for a date-like picnic. They'd already passed the park and the lake. Where else was there? She really needed to get out of the office more.

  They drove for ten minutes, soft jazz crooning through the hi-tech stereo system. When he pulled off onto a well-packed dirt road, memory stirred in the back of her mind. "You're not taking me to Race's Drive-In, are you?”

  “There’s that genius IQ." He drove through the deserted gates to the spot he'd obviously set up before coming to get her. There was a pile of pillows and blankets. Citro
nella torches flickered in the gentle breeze. When he helped her out of the car, she saw an old-fashioned picnic hamper off to one side of the pallet.

  “Wow. You really don't do anything by half measures, do you?" Mel let him help her settle onto the pallet, just so she could hold his hand a little longer. He'd turned the charm on full blast and she had to admit that it was working. He sat next to her, his shoulder just brushing hers.

  Opening the basket, he chuckled. “When have I ever? Especially when it comes to you.”

  His words quieted her. Caine Maddox lived life at full throttle. When he was passionate about something, he put all of himself into it. In college, he’d thrown himself into drinking and partying to fit in with his frat brothers. That intensity had split to her after their first night together and she’d been afraid to see which passion he picked. Now that attention was back on her, and she still didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Until she decided, Mel would settle in to enjoy it.

  “We’ve got some burgers and fries. Sodas." He pulled each item out of the basket, setting it on a small tray in front of them. "Chocolate chip cookies for dessert. And popcorn for later."

  They ate quickly, conversation flowing between them easily. She got him talking about the baseball game, about his work. He reciprocated, encouraging her to tell him about some of her favorite cases from her residency.

  Mel smiled. Leaning back against the pillows, she admired him. "Well played, sir. Well played. The true test, though—what movie have you selected for us?"

  Nostalgia lit his eyes as the sun started to sink behind the big old screen. A boyish grin teased the corners of his mouth. "Do you remember the first time your dad brought the four of us out here?"

  “Of course I do." She sighed softly as the memory took hold. "We all piled into the back of his pick-up truck to watch the movie. He bought us all popcorn and candy. After the sun went down, I got cold. Micah and Gage teased me, but you just picked up the blanket you were sitting on and wrapped it around both of us. And you stayed right beside me the rest of the movie. I think you even covered my eyes when I got too scared. God, how old was I?"