by Jessie Evans
“Perfect,” Grayson said, smiling as he got back on the line with his sister. “Pack your things. We’re going to San Antonio for a couple of days.”
“Really?” Layla asked, sounding excited for the first time since she’d come to live with him, confirming that this was something they all needed. “Can we afford it? If so, I’d love to see Kathy and her kids. She’s been asking me to come visit for months.”
“We’ll make it work,” Grayson assured her. “I’ll call Chief Wyatt and make sure he knows where the spare key is hidden and where to find us if he needs us.”
He hung up and turned back to Reece, whose grin had become a grimace.
“Layla’s coming?” she asked through gritted teeth.
He laughed at her horrified expression. “Relax. My sister’s best friend lives in San Antonio. We’ll drop her off there before we get a hotel room downtown.”
Reece’s eyes narrowed. “That still means I have to spend hours in a vehicle with your sister, Grayson. I signed up for three days of hot Mexican food and hotter sex, not bonding time with one of the people on my shit list.”
“Well, now you’re going to get all three, and maybe Layla won’t be on your shit list for much longer. I know she feels bad about the way she treated you in school,” Grayson said, trying not to think too much about the “hotter sex” part of Reece’s statement, knowing if he did, he’d be embarrassing himself all the way to San Antonio. “You want to head back to your place to pack, or are you okay with being naked in a hotel room with me for a few days?”
Reece bit her lip and her irritated look became something more sultry. “I’ll go pack, but as far as I’m concerned, the sooner clothes are optional, the better.”
“Amen,” Grayson muttered. He felt like he’d been waiting an eternity, not three days, to take Reece to bed. He couldn’t wait to get closer to her, to make love to her, and to finish showing her that there were some people in the world who could be trusted with every part of you. Even your heart.
It’s only been three days, asshole, and she’ll be gone in not many more. If you’re smart, you’ll both keep your hearts in your respective chests and keep things casual.
But when he looked into Reece Hearst’s eyes, the last thing he felt was anything casual. She challenged him, intrigued him, and set his blood on fire. It might be smarter to try to keep that fire contained, but that was the thing about flames, they tended to spread, lighting up everything in their path.
CHAPTER TEN
Reece
Reece thought she was mentally prepared for a meeting with Layla Parker, the spoiled brat whose friends had spread nasty rumors about her in high school. But nothing could have prepared her for the change in her old nemesis.
The woman who closed the front door to the Parker home and started carefully down the porch steps was twenty pounds thinner than curvy, high school Layla. Her dark black hair was streaked with more than a thirty-year-old woman’s fair share of gray¸ her blue eyes looked watery and pale in her thin face, and she carried herself cautiously, like she was braced for an explosion or perpetually waiting for the other shoe to fall. She was a woman who had been living in a war zone for so long that her shoulders were permanently hunched in a defensive position and her skin was headed toward a collection of worry wrinkles, not smile lines.
Even before Layla climbed into the backseat of Grayson’s truck and looked up at Reece with a remorseful expression, Reece had already let go of any bitter feelings. It wasn’t in her nature to hold a grudge against someone who clearly felt sorry for what they’d done, and she would never kick another woman when she was down. The world did enough of that already, and obviously Layla had already been kicked around more than her fair share.
“Hey.” Layla held out an envelope with Reece’s name on it. “I wrote this for you. I’m better with words when they’re on paper, but basically it says that I’m sorry, and I wish I hadn’t behaved so badly in the past.”
Reece accepted the envelope. “Thanks. I’ll read it later, but go ahead and consider yourself forgiven.”
Layla’s thin eyebrows rose. “Really? Just like that?”
“Just like that,” Reece said with a grin. “We were stupid kids, right? And the past is better left in the past.”
The tight skin around Layla’s eyes relaxed. “Well…thank you. I appreciate that.” Her gaze shifted to Grayson as he turned the truck around in the yard and headed toward the road. “Did you get a hold of the chief?”
“I did,” Grayson said. “And he said we’re clear to travel. Dad’s the one under investigation, not us.”
Reece fell silent as Grayson and Layla discussed the police investigation, her mind still reeling. She’d known Neil wasn’t what he seemed, but he’d waited until she was eighteen to make any advances. Before last night, if she’d been asked, she would have said Neil was too shrewd to risk getting caught with child pornography on his computer.
But maybe he hadn’t made the connection between the images he collected and the little girls being abused to create them. But that was one of the major problems with pornography as a whole. It made it far too easy to see women as products or objects, commodities to be consumed and tossed aside, not people with lives and hearts and families.
The entire situation brought home Grayson’s arguments from this morning in a new and meaningful way.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she had been copping out every time she ignored the ugly way some men treated her. Maybe it was worth standing up and fighting back, simply to make it harder for those men to abuse the girls growing up behind her. Girls like her niece, Clementine, and the horse crazy munchkins who came to meet the cowboys and cowgirls before the rodeo.
She wasn’t sure, but the more she thought about it, the more she had the gnawing feeling that it was past time to start giving a damn about someone other than herself.
“So how long are you home for the holidays?” Layla asked as Grayson pulled past the Lonesome Point hospital and aimed the truck toward the highway.
“Just through the second.” Reece met Layla’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Then I’m headed to Vegas to rest up. It’s going to take time for my skull fracture to heal so I’m off the rodeo circuit for a while.”
Layla nodded. “I remember when Grayson was healing after the explosion. How long did it take your skull fractures to heal, Gray? Eight months?”
Grayson nodded, but he kept his eyes on the road. “Yep. But I had to have surgery. Reece might end up healing faster.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d had a skull fracture?” Reece shifted in her seat to study Grayson’s profile. “It would have given you way more street cred in the hospital.”
“And I’m all about street cred,” Grayson said, the hint of a smile curving his full mouth as he shrugged. “I would have told you, but you weren’t doing a very good job of listening that particular evening.”
Reece’s lips puckered. He was right, but he was also a question dodger. Grayson seemed eager to see her cards, but when it came to his own, he kept them awfully close to his chest.
But luckily for Reece, she had a secret weapon in the backseat.
She craned her neck, turning her attention to Layla. “So what happened? Was it combat related or just Grayson’s natural klutziness?”
“I’m not a klutz,” he said, at the same moment Layla said—
“Combat injury.” She smiled, her tired eyes lighting up as she talked about the brother she clearly worshiped. “He was a hero. That’s why he doesn’t like to talk about it. He’s too modest, but I don’t mind bragging on my big brother.”
Grayson grunted, clearly uncomfortable, but Layla was already launching into the story.
“He was working para-rescue during his last tour of Afghanistan and was dropped in to help some villagers who’d accidentally set off an unexploded bomb,” Layla said, pride clear in her voice. “Another explosive device went off right after the helicopter arrived to transport the wounded, an
d Grayson took shrapnel to the head.”
“Jesus.” Reece winced at the thought. That sounded a hell of a lot worse than a hoof to the skull.
“His skull was fractured in two places,” Layla continued. “But he still managed to drag all the wounded into the helicopter, including the pilot, whose arm was so damaged she couldn’t fly. But she talked Grayson through it and he flew the helicopter back to the base and landed it before he passed out.”
“Could have just as easily passed out on the way there, and everyone would have died,” Grayson said, his eyes still on the road. “I wasn’t a hero; I was a man who took a risk and got lucky.”
“He saved ten lives,” Layla said to Reece, ignoring Grayson. “And later, they found out the entire mission was a trap. If he hadn’t gotten those soldiers out, they would have died in that village. That sounds like a hero to me.”
“Me too,” Reece said, noting that Grayson’s eyes had gone broody again. “You must think people like me are pretty stupid. Risking potentially fatal injuries for a sport, instead of saving lives.”
The muscle in Grayson’s jaw leaped. “Nope. It’s your life to risk and I left a lot more people dead than I saved that day. The villagers didn’t know they were being used as a smokescreen. Twenty women and children were dead by the time I dropped in. The final death toll was double that. Two of them were twin girls, toddlers I’d just finished strapping onto the same stretcher when the second bomb went off.”
His words made Reece’s heart squeeze miserably in her chest. She laid a hand on his shoulder, knowing sometimes a touch conveyed more than words ever could. Grayson glanced her way, jaw relaxing as he reached out and gave her thigh a squeeze.
“It was a terrible situation,” Layla agreed from the backseat. “But you did the best you could. I wish you wouldn’t blame yourself for the lives you couldn’t save and take pride in what you accomplished, instead.”
“So what have you been doing with yourself for work?” Reece asked Layla, wishing she’d never asked her nosy questions in the first place. It was obviously difficult for Grayson to talk about and it wasn’t like her to pry into someone’s personal business. “Something smart, I’m guessing, since you were Miss Honor Roll back in school.”
Layla’s smile trembled. “Um, mostly management stuff. I kept the books for my in-laws’ meat processing plant in Houston. And I helped my father-in-law with the ranch budget every year.”
She crossed her arms and shrugged. “I’m not sure what I’ll be doing next. I don’t know what Grayson’s told you, but my ex and I didn’t part on good terms. I doubt I’ll be getting a reference from his parents, so I guess I’m back to square one.”
Reece cringed in her seat. “Damn, I’m sorry. I’m just going to shut up now and not say another word until we get to San Antonio.”
To her surprise, Layla laughed. “No, really, it’s okay. Wayne’s been sick so he’s been lying low, but everyone in Lonesome Point will get a whiff of my dirty laundry sooner or later. No point in trying to keep anything a secret in this town.”
“You ever thought of moving?” Reece asked. “You know there’s a lot of world out there, where nobody knows your business and most people wouldn’t care if they did. You could start fresh. We could share a bus seat on the way to Vegas. Lots of work there for someone who’s good with numbers.”
“Hey, now,” Grayson said, shooting Reece a hard look. “Don’t try to steal my sister. We’ve only had a couple of weeks to catch up.”
“I don’t think I’m ready for Vegas yet, but that’s a sweet offer.” Layla’s smile widened and her eyes warmed. “I’m so glad we got a chance to talk. I feel like an even bigger jerk now for being so petty and jealous of you in high school.”
“Of me?” Reece’s eyebrows drifted up.
“Yes, of you,” Layla said with a laugh. “Miss Rodeo Queen.”
“That’s crazy,” Reece said, shaking her head. “I was always jealous of you. You had so many friends and a dad who treated you better than his horses and school was so easy for you. I would have exchanged places in a heartbeat.”
Layla sighed. “Yeah, well now we both know Daddy wasn’t what he seemed. And being good at school isn’t the same thing as being good at life. You were obviously way more prepared for that than I was.”
“I don’t know how good I am at life,” Reece said honestly. “I just never stop moving long enough for any of the bad stuff to catch up with me.”
“Well, I’m pretty damned good at life,” Grayson said, earning a snort from Reece. “And that’s why I say, in sixty miles, we’re stopping for travel snacks at Stucky’s. I need caffeine and sugar. Especially if you two are going to talk feelings all the way to San Antonio.”
“Oh, hush up.” Reece punched his arm. “You talk feelings more than any man I’ve met in years. You’re practically a walking self-help book, Dr. Phil.”
Grayson’s jaw dropped. “I’m nothing like Dr. Phil.”
“Well, you’re accent’s sexier and you look better in a pair of jeans, but…” Reece cast a judgmental look Grayson’s way, loving the way his blue eyes flashed in her direction before he turned his attention back to the road.
“That’s it, Hearst,” he said softly. “Keep it up.”
“Oh, I will,” Reece said, toeing off her boots and propping her sock feet up on the dash. “I’m all about keeping it up.”
Grayson’s hand darted out so fast she didn’t have a prayer of dodging the smack to her ass.
“Ow!” She laughed as she sat up, crossing her legs in the seat. “No fair! I’m injured. What happened to treating me like a delicate flower?”
“Flowers don’t talk smack as much as you do.”
“Okay, you two. That’s enough. No more flirting,” Layla called out from the backseat. “At least not until I’m asleep. You’re going to give me an anxiety attack. It’s been so long since I’ve flirted, I’m never going to remember how to do it.”
Reece laughed. “It’s like falling off a bike. You’ll remember how the first time you find somebody worth the effort.”
“Well, now I guess I have to forgive you for the Dr. Phil comment,” Grayson said, casting an affectionate glance her way. “I knew you’d figure out I was worth the effort sooner or later.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Reece crossed her arms and huddled lower in her seat. “Just keep your eyes on the road, Broody. I’ve already got a dent in my skull; I don’t need a car accident in my life right now.”
He nodded. “As opposed to all the other times in life when a car accident is so enjoyable and convenient.”
Reece wrinkled her nose. “Was your brother always a smart-ass, Layla? Or is this a recent development?”
“I’m not sure. He doesn’t show me this side of him,” Layla said as she slipped off her clogs and stretched out in the backseat with a yawn. “I like it, Grayson. You should show me your sarcastic side more often. I’m not as delicate as I look, you know.”
“I tried to tell him that,” Reece said, feeling pleased with herself. “But he’s a very determined protector.”
“Which is sweet, too,” Layla said, yawning again. “Okay, I’m out. I didn’t sleep worth a damn last night so I’m going to grab a nap. Wake me up when it’s time to buy snacks.”
Reece fell quiet and turned to stare out the window at the snow-dusted desert rushing past while Grayson turned the radio to a country station. Before they’d passed five mile markers, Layla was out, snuffling softly in her sleep.
Reece stifled a giggle. “Your sister snores,” she whispered.
“I know,” Grayson said, smiling. “We both do. My ex-wife used to make me sleep in the guest room when mine got really bad.”
“A personal detail freely given at last.” Reece turned in her seat to face him. “So how long were you married?”
“Married when I was twenty-six and divorced when I was thirty-two, but I was deployed a lot or I doubt it would have lasted six years. My ex and I didn’t have a lot in c
ommon.”
“Then why did you get married?” she asked, before hurrying on. “I mean if that’s not too personal. Sorry about fishing the story from Layla earlier, by the way. I could tell it made you uncomfortable.”
Grayson shrugged. “I just don’t feel like it’s so black and white. If being deployed to war zones taught me anything, it’s that there are good guys and bad guys on both sides. And at the moment… I don’t know, it didn’t feel like a choice to save those people. I just went into survival mode and that’s what happened. It seems wrong to take too much credit for it.”
Reece nodded. “I get what you’re saying, but I still think you’re a hero. A few years ago, there was a shooting at one of the stadiums where I was scheduled to ride. A guy opened fire on a section of the stands after the national anthem.”
She shuddered at the memory still crisp in her mind in a way so few were. “You really see what people are made of in situations like that. Some people ran over their own families trying to get away; some threw themselves in the line of fire to save the stranger sitting behind them.”
“What did you do?” Grayson asked.
“Froze,” Reece said, wrapping a curl around her finger and tugging. “It just didn’t seem real at first. I mean, one moment, I was standing there with my friend Stanley, talking shit about this other rider we both can’t stand, and then…suddenly everyone was screaming. It was like my mind short-circuited and couldn’t tell my body what to do. I was so ashamed of myself later.”
“That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Grayson said kindly. “I know they say humans have a fight-or-flight response, but from what I’ve seen it’s more like fight, flight, or freeze. Sometimes the body just shuts down in the face of something like that.”
“It’s true,” Reece said. “I did, I just shut down. Stanley and I both did. After a couple of minutes, we snapped out of it and ran across the arena to help, but by the time we got to the section where all the shit was going down, the gunman had shot himself. All we could do was apply pressure to people’s wounds until the paramedics showed up.”