Her Homecoming Wish

by Jo McNally

  Dan outgrew his rebel phase in the span of one awful night, when Ryan Wallace wrapped his car around a tree and Braden Michaels died. It could have been him. He was supposed to be with them. More than once he’d thought it should have been him. He’d decided after that night, with a little tough love from Chief DiNofrio, that he was done with the whole criminal-in-training routine.

  But Owen hadn’t learned his lesson nearly as fast. He’d bounced around from job to job, living with his parents, getting high every weekend, playing video games in the basement. Then he was arrested in White Plains for possession, but Owen always insisted it was a setup. The only reason Owen hadn’t done serious time was because the detective screwed up the chain of custody and the case got tossed. Because of that arrest, Owen was one of the names on Dan’s short list of suspects for being involved with the recent influx of opioids.

  Mack said she wanted a walk on the wild side, but Dan didn’t think she wanted to get quite that wild. He stood, getting the attention of his friends. He flipped his thumb toward the back of the bar, where the restrooms were. But that’s not where he went.

  He walked around the bar to the group of tables on the other side. It didn’t take long to find Mack. Her golden hair was loose and full, catching the lights from the dance floor. She was in jeans, with a snug black knit top cut just low enough to be interesting. She and Shelly were laughing at something Kiara was saying. And sitting there, with his arm over the back of Mack’s chair, was Owen.

  Dan wasn’t sure what this emotion was flaring up inside of him or where it was coming from. He only knew his fingers curled and his pace picked up as he headed to their table. Was it knowing Owen’s shady past that bothered him? Or was it the way Owen was leaning toward Mack, his fingers touching the back of her neck? Whatever it was, it had Dan burning inside.

  * * *

  Mack sensed Dan’s presence before she saw him. She was laughing with Shelly, and just like that, she knew Dan was there. They’d just sat down from dancing to a bunch of pounding songs about bonfires and girls dancing in pickup trucks, and Mack had drained her frosty glass of beer. So not a country club thing to do. They were laughing at some of the lyrics when she lifted her hair away from her neck to cool off. Owen reached over to “help,” and she didn’t miss the way his fingers lingered on her skin. He’d been flirting lightly all night, but she had a hunch his heart wasn’t in it. He was smooth, but it felt like he was on autopilot. Still, it was fun to be on the receiving end of a man’s attention.

  She looked up and looked straight into Dan’s eyes as he rounded the bar. He was wearing well-worn jeans and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. And a scowl. What was that about?

  Giddy from alcohol and adrenaline from all the dancing, Mack jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Dan’s neck, surprising everyone including herself. “Danny! What are you doing here? Pull up a chair! We’ve got a big head start on you, so you have a lot of catching up to do, mister.”

  As she heard the heightened pitch of her voice, Mack knew she’d had too much to drink. But the bar was hot and the beer was cold and had gone down much too easily. Dan set his hands lightly on her waist, his scowl deepening. “I think you might be too far gone for me to catch up, Mackenzie. How many have you had?” She just shrugged, because she wasn’t really sure anymore. She smacked his shoulder playfully.

  “I’m a big girl, Danny. I don’t need some guy with a badge watching out for me.”

  Dan tensed, his eyes growing hard. “I’m more than a guy with a badge, Mackie.”

  Was he? She’d yet to see it. Even with his daughter on Gallant Mountain, he’d been cautious and protective. The ultimate good guy. The opposite of what she was looking for. His eyes were darting around the room, as if he was casing the place, looking for trouble so he could rush in and prevent it. A pretty young waitress came over to take Dan’s order. He looked at the pitcher of beer on the table and ordered a cola. Ugh. Even on a Friday night, he was still Mr. Straight Arrow. Dan’s expression cooled even more when Owen stood to hold a chair out for Mack. Was he...jealous? Dan grabbed a chair from a neighboring table and slid it close to Mack as she sat down between them.

  She pretended to fan herself. “Is it just me or is there a lot of testosterone in the air all of a sudden?”

  Shelly giggled. “I should get a pic of this. It’s like you have a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.”

  Owen laughed. “And which is which?”

  He was just as good-looking as ever, with auburn hair falling across his forehead and a wicked, fun-loving glint in his brown eyes. Looking for laughs, just like in high school. He’d been cracking jokes and buying drinks all night. But, like Dan, he was drinking cola. Kiara, whom Mack had never really known that well, had filled her in earlier that evening on Owen’s brush with the law. Kiara told it as a cautionary tale, warning Mack that a lot of people thought Owen was trouble. Which was interesting, because Kiara, with her skinny purple braids pulled high on her head and looking like an African queen, hadn’t taken her eyes off him all night. Maybe that was why Dan was all bristly and broody at her side. The lawman versus the lawbreaker.

  Mack pretended to consider Owen’s question. “Well, you were both devils in high school, but now? I guess I’d need to do more research with each of you to know for sure.”

  Dan was silent, while Owen just laughed harder, resting his hand on her shoulder. Kiara’s face fell just enough to confirm Mack’s suspicion that the woman had a mad crush on Owen. Owen’s shady past didn’t bother Kiara one bit. Owen was either completely clueless or was willfully ignoring Kiara’s attraction to him. He was treating Kiara the same as his sister—teasing and...brotherly. Kiara hadn’t exactly been welcoming to Mack, but she still felt a stab of pity for her.

  Shelly asked Dan about his daughter, which seemed to cool some of the edginess he’d brought to the table. The two of them settled into a conversation about something happening at school. Kiara wagged her eyebrows, looking between Dan and Mack, and Mack shook her head. It would be convenient for Kiara if there was something between Mack and Dan, but it wasn’t going to happen. Mack had already lost her trophy husband and all her so-called friends in Connecticut. She didn’t dare set her sights on Gallant Lake’s local hero. Kiara gave up, then put her hand on Owen’s arm and laughed loudly at something he said about the pitcher being empty again.

  Mack couldn’t remember the last time she’d hung out with friends and shared laughs over a pitcher of beer like this. She sighed. There was a good reason for that—she’d never hung out at a bar, drinking beer with friends. Good girls didn’t do that. Good girls sipped martinis while squeezed into torturous support garments under their cocktail dresses at parties where a sense of competition lay just under the surface. Who was skinnier? Who had the newest fashion? The most expensive jewelry? The most successful husband? The most interesting lover?

  How in the world had fun-loving ten-year-old Mackenzie Wallace, with her pigtails and scuffed-up sneakers, turned into a country club diva? It was a long, gradual descent into living a lie, but she hoped the path back to finding herself wouldn’t take nearly as long. And she was determined to make it as interesting a journey as possible. And one without making new enemies. She grabbed Kiara’s hand when another fast tune started blasting over the sound system. Kiara hesitated, then nodded and stood. Mack leaned forward when they got to the dance floor and winked.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in Owen.”

  Kiara’s eyes went wide. “Why are you telling me? He’s not my guy.”

  “But you’d like him to be.”

  Kiara stopped moving and almost got knocked off her feet by some guy behind her. She moved closer to Mack and started dancing again. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Well, I don’t think he has a clue, but yeah, I could see it. Have you told him?”

  “No way. We’ve been friends forev
er, and I don’t want to screw that up.” Kiara’s eyes clouded. “Besides, it’s strictly one-sided.” Mack couldn’t argue, since Owen had been paying more attention to Mack all night. Kiara glanced over at their table. “Why do you care, anyway?”

  Mack missed a step. “Ouch. Why wouldn’t I?”

  The volume rose on the pounding song they were dancing to, and someone in the crowd whooped, making everyone around him laugh. Mack had to lean in to hear Kiara’s answer.

  “I don’t know,” Kiara said, glancing away. Then she looked straight at Mack. “You were kind of a bitch in high school. You acted like you were too good for Gallant Lake or anyone who lived here. Everyone called you the ice queen.”

  Mack’s face felt like it was going up in flames. “I know. I had a lot going on at home, and...” She spread her hands and lifted her shoulders. “I was trying to be the perfect kid. Instead of being a happy kid. Or a nice kid. I’m sorry if I ever treated you bad.”

  Kiara didn’t answer. They kept dancing, but the song soon ended. They headed back to the table, but Kiara stopped Mack at the edge of the dance floor.

  “Nothing specific happened with us, but everyone said you were a stuck-up snob.” Then Kiara smiled and bumped her shoulder. “You seem cool enough now.”

  It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but at least it left room for hope. And maybe friendship. If she stayed around for any length of time, Mack would definitely be making more apologies like this. She’d left Gallant Lake after high school in a self-important blaze of glory, doing all but writing the words “See ya, suckers!” on the back of her car. People weren’t likely to forget stuff like that, even if it was twenty years ago.

  Kiara tipped her head toward the table. “What about you and Dan? Did I pick up on some chemistry there?”

  “No, thanks. He’s too... I don’t know... Mr. Lawman these days. Maybe if he was still the Danny Adams we knew in school...”

  Mack’s gaze met Dan’s as they approached the table, and he gave her a quizzical smile. Kiara was trying to say something, but the music was too loud. They moved closer.

  “That bad boy might still be in there. You just have to coax him out!”

  “And how do you suggest I do that?”

  “Dance with the man!”

  Dance with him?

  Mackenzie hadn’t danced with a man in a long time. Mason would never risk looking foolish dancing to a fast song. He’d told her he couldn’t afford to have someone video him and embarrass him with his investors, as if his dancing was really memorable. It wasn’t. He’d occasionally oblige her with a slow dance, but in the last few years of their marriage, it had never felt like he was there. Even with her in his arms, his mind seemed elsewhere.

  Kiara was saying something else, and Mack leaned in and turned her head to try to hear her. Her gaze landed on Dan again. He was looking straight at her. Again. They were almost at the table, and Kiara’s voice dropped.

  “...hasn’t taken his eyes off you. I think you should dance with the guy and see what a little body contact does!”

  As enticing as a little body contact sounded, it was a bad idea. If she really wanted to move forward and start fresh, dancing with her high school crush wasn’t the way to do it. Especially since he’d turned into Captain Responsibility. She wanted an adventure with someone who wasn’t afraid to break a few rules, and that wasn’t Danny Adams.

  Dan leaped to his feet to hold Mack’s chair, and Owen scrambled to match his chivalry by holding Kiara’s. Then Owen refilled Mack’s glass of beer from the new pitcher, smirking at Dan as if he’d just won extra points in some competition. Dan glowered in return. If Kiara wasn’t so into Owen, Mack might have flirted back more aggressively, just to see where it might lead. And what Dan would have done. She frowned. All her thoughts seemed to circle back to him.

  “How many have you had again?” Dan’s brow arched as she took a drink. She set the glass down and met his gaze, refusing to be intimidated.

  “I don’t see where that’s any of your concern, Officer.” Mack pulled her hair up and pressed her cool, damp napkin on the back of her neck. “I’m not driving, so put your badge away.”

  He scowled. “I’m not flashing a damn badge. I’m asking as a friend.”

  “Is that what you are? A friend?”

  “What else would I be?”

  They stared at each other in silence, although the din of the bar was pounding around them. People talking, shouting, laughing. Music throbbed, acting as the drumbeat beneath the action. With a start, Mack realized she was starting to lean closer to Dan. Don’t mess with the local lawman, remember?

  “Would you excuse me for a minute?” She stood, and Dan leaped to his feet again to hold her chair. Mack needed to do two things—visit the ladies’ room and put some space between her and Danger Dan. She’d felt slightly off balance from the moment he walked over to their table, and she didn’t think it was all due to the beer.

  She was mortified at her appearance in the ladies’ room mirror. Her hair was wild, her face was shimmering with sweat and her eyes were bright. Too bright.

  She put a cold, wet paper towel on her face and ran wet fingers through her hair to settle it down. When she came back out into the bar, Dan stood again. He sure was Mr. Manners tonight. But there was a heat there in his eyes that made her wonder if Kiara was right. If Danger Dan might still be in there.

  In an unplanned act of bravado, she grabbed Dan by the hand before he could sit back down.

  “Come on, Danny boy, let’s dance!”

  Kiara and Shelly let out catcalls from the table as Mack led a bemused Dan to the dance floor. A fast song was blaring about country boys and back roads.

  Dan protested he didn’t know much about country music, but Mack ignored him. Then he spun her effortlessly and she realized he was actually a good dancer. His eyes never left hers as she bounced to the song’s beat, but she couldn’t read his expression. All those years of law enforcement had taught him how to hide his feelings well.

  The next tune slowed to more of a two-step. It was one of those stereotypical country songs—the singer was crooning about how jealous he was of the beer his girlfriend put to her lips. Dan twirled Mack around again, leaned close and said, “Did that singer just say he wanted to check his girl for ticks?”

  Mack threw her head back and laughed. “Sure—but he wants to do it in the moonlight. That makes it romantic, right?”

  “I’d never thought about it, but I can see how that might be fun.” Dan flashed Mack a smile that almost made her heart stop. Her smile faltered, but she forced herself to respond lightly.

  “It’s every country girl’s dream.”

  “Okay, hold still then...” Dan grabbed her tightly by the waist and they both started laughing as his hands moved lightly up and down her back, making motions to check her for pests as she swatted at him.

  Then the song stopped, and a slow song came on. Dan pulled Mack close and there they were, locked in an embrace in the center of the floor, swaying gently against one another as the singer crooned about blue not being a good color on his girl.

  Back when she’d been a teenager, she’d privately dreamed of slow dancing with Danny Adams. It was surreal to actually be doing it so many years later. As the song continued, she found herself relaxing into his arms. Whether it was the alcohol, the song or his embrace, Mack felt a flood of emotions as they swayed together. She’d spent so much time being angry about the failure of her marriage, but some of that anger was beginning to ease. She rested her head on Dan’s shoulder and felt tears threatening to spill. She’d been without a man’s caring embrace for too long. She hadn’t realized until that moment how very lonely she’d been.

  Dan seemed as unprepared for the intimacy the song invited as she was. His hands fell to her waist. She could feel him hesitating, debating with himself. But as Mack snuggled c
loser, his arms tightened reflexively. One hand moved up her back. When she laid her head on his shoulder, he slid his hand to the back of her neck and dropped his cheek to the top of her head. It was intimate and private and lovely.

  The music built, and Dan spun across the floor without releasing her. She moved with him as if they were one, hip to hip, head on his shoulder, secure in his arms. For a moment, the rest of the world fell away. When the music stopped, they stayed locked in their embrace in the center of the dance floor. Mack finally blinked and looked up, surprised to see the floor crowded with other couples. It felt as though they’d been dancing completely alone.

  Dan took a deep breath, and his arms loosened enough for her to step back and look up into his eyes. They were dark and intense and were locked on her. His guard had dropped, and she was surprised to see sadness there, and longing. And there was also heat. She felt suddenly sober and stepped away abruptly.

  “You know, I’m thinking it’s time for me to head home.” Mack glanced away to break the intense moment. She’d wanted this, but now that she was confronted with the chance to be a little wild, she felt panic bubbling up.

  Dan’s brows rose. “You haven’t finished your beer.”

  “I think I can do without more beer, don’t you?”

  But she followed him back to the table. She tried to avoid Kiara and Shelly’s speculative expressions. After that slow dance, she and Dan were going to be gossip fodder in Gallant Lake for sure. When Dan leaned over to answer something Kiara said, Shelly grabbed Mack and started whispering.

  “That man has the hots for you! And it looks like it’s mutual.”

  “Shh!” Mack hissed. “You’re crazy!” Or was she? “He’s not what I’m looking for.” Or was he? “I’ve had way too much to drink.” Well, that much was true.

  She felt something touch her fingers and looked up to see Dan’s hand next to hers on the table. Their eyes met, and he smiled softly as he nodded to something Owen was saying about a baseball game on the television behind the bar. Mack felt an unfamiliar flutter in her abdomen. She was definitely feeling reckless tonight, but the past was whispering warnings even the alcohol couldn’t silence.