Walk The Line (The Dawson Brothers Book 6)

by Ali Parker

  “Dylan!”

  He turned and stopped working. Pulling the handkerchief from his neck, he wiped at his face.

  “Hey Connor, what’s up?”

  “This is all your fault. A perfect example of how your selfish bullshit makes trouble for the rest of us.”

  “Wait, what? What the hell are you talking about, Connor?”

  “Lydia was supposed to come out today to finish off the remodel, the biggest day of the job, and she sent her co-worker out instead. Why do you think that is?”

  “How would I know? Maybe she got sick or something.”

  “No way. She would have called me if that was the reason. She would have let me know with a text or a phone call, we are close like that. But since the fair she’s been distant, and now didn’t show up today without a word.”

  “Aw fuck. Connor, I’m sorry. Wait? She already knows I was in jail?”

  “Yes, she knows. I was supposed to spend the day with her after I interrupted our date at the fair, breaking up the fight and hauling your sorry butt home. So, I was going to go to her place and spend the whole day with her, but instead I was here dealing with the mess you created. So I had to tell her. I wasn’t going to lie. She deserves better than that.” I paced back and forth, feeling the anger boiling within me.

  “All right Connor. I’ll make this right. I’ll fix it.”

  “It might be too late for that. The damage is already done.” Turning on my heel, I walked out of there.

  “Connor wait!” he shouted after me. “I’m sorry!”

  But I wasn’t going to stay and listen. I had other things to do. I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket and called Lydia. There was no answer. “Dang it.” I sent her a text.

  Hey, call me when you get a chance.

  Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I wasn’t going to give up so easily. There was no way I was going to give her up without a fight, and I needed to know what was going on. She was obviously ignoring me. I walked toward the house and entered the kitchen through the back door. I could hear Abi and Whitney speaking in the living room. When I walked in, Whitney stopped in her tracks.

  “Is she really sick?”

  “Connor—yes, she is—”

  “Then I’m going to her place.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Whitney said.

  “Why? I just called her and she didn’t answer. I sent her a text and she hasn’t responded. Is she avoiding me?”

  Whitney sighed. “Look, I can’t talk about this. It’s not my business. I just know that she needs some space. When she’s ready to talk to you, she will.”

  I huffed. That wasn’t a good enough answer for me. “I’m going into the city.”

  “Connor! Don’t. You heard Whitney. Give Lydia some space,” Abi said.

  “You’ll only make her angry if you show up like that,” Whitney said.

  “Fine,” I said, and marched out of the house to continue my work. I was pissed. But I didn’t want to make it worse and have Lydia get even more upset. Whitney was her best friend and knew her well. I would have to heed her advice.

  34

  Lydia Myers

  I woke up very late. After having a hot bath and spending a long time on the computer looking at office space rental possibilities, I had fallen asleep. Without setting an alarm. I opened my eyes and suddenly realized how much sunlight was pouring into my bedroom.

  Looking at the clock, I was horrified. “Crap, it’s ten.” I rolled out of bed. Reaching for my phone on the nightstand, I realized that it wasn’t there.

  “Where’s my phone,” I said, fumbling around and wiping the sleep from my eyes.

  Then I remembered that I’d never taken it out of my purse. I went to the living room and opened my bag. My phone had both missed phone calls and text messages. Two of the missed calls were from Connor and I knew that he must be worried. Then there was a text from him asking me to give him a call.

  I sighed. I felt bad that he had been trying to get a hold of me. There was one text from Whitney as well. The placement went well. I’ll tell you all about it when I come into the office. I have a client in the morning.

  Putting my phone on the kitchen counter, I made myself some coffee. I needed to go into work and find out what happened from Whitney. Then I would need to call Connor. I wanted to respond to him now, but I didn’t know what to say just yet. I didn’t know how I felt about the whole situation. I knew I owed him a response, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

  Looking at my phone again, I picked it up. I was being silly. This was Connor. I had shared my body with him. I should be able to talk to him about anything, right? But what if he was mad that I didn’t show up at the ranch and that I’d ignored his calls. I put the phone down. I needed to think about this.

  Pulling the eggs out of the refrigerator, I put some bread in the toaster. I would feel better after I’d eaten some breakfast.

  On the way to work I picked up another coffee with whipped cream at the drive-thru place. I didn’t get one for Whitney because she wouldn’t be at the office until later.

  I went to work filled with anxiety, wondering what she would say. I hadn’t spoken to her either and really wanted to know what had happened at the ranch. She was out seeing a client this morning, so she wouldn’t be coming into the office until after lunch, and I was forcing myself to not call to ask her because I wanted to see the look on her face when she told me. You could tell a lot by someone’s expression, and I always knew when she was lying. So, it would just have to wait.

  But waiting was excruciating. I decided I would continue looking online for commercial spaces to rent. It was one thing that could hold my attention and made me feel better. Like I had something to look forward to. The idea of starting my own design business was beginning to feel like it could be a reality. But the rent on commercial spaces in the city was quite high.

  One hour later I was standing in my office, pacing back and forth. The anxiety was getting to me. “Screw it, I’m going to call her to find out,” I said out loud. Just then I heard the front bell go off. I was the only one at work since Janet had not arrived yet and Whitney was out. I put on a smile and walked out to greet the customer, but really hoped it was Whitney arriving early. Turns out it was neither.

  “Dylan? What are you doing here?” I was shocked.

  “Lydia. Oh good. I’m so glad you’re here. Can we talk?”

  “Sure. Is everything all right?” I asked, immediately scared that something had happened to Connor. I was feeling terrible for not returning his calls or message. If something had happened to him I would never forgive myself for ignoring him. It was in this moment that I realized I wasn’t prepared to live without him.

  “Sort of. Do you have a minute?”

  “Yes. Come on back into my office,” I said. He followed me to the back and I closed the door.

  “What is it? Is Connor alright?”

  “Yes and no. He’s alright physically. Nothing has happened to him or anything like that. But he is devastated, and sad. A shell of a man, really. When you didn’t come yesterday—”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “Look Lydia, this is my fault. I know it is. You’re scared of getting involved with him because our family reputation of being wild and crazy. But I promise you the Dawson boys do grow up and change. Connor ain’t like me. He’s grown and has sense. Me, I just needed a little time, but I’m learning and working some things out that were on my mind. I don’t plan on being in jail again I’ll tell you that. But please don’t take it out on my brother. This is not who we are. The Dawson’s are good people,” he pleaded. “We are a good family.”

  “Well, you guys certainly don’t have a lot of privacy,” I said, feeling embarrassed that Dylan knew so much, and I wondered exactly what Whitney had said to Connor.

  “No, there ain’t a lot of that in the family,” he said.

  “I can see that.”

  “Connor is a good guy. He has a good he
art. Maybe he used to be a little hot headed like me when he was younger, but we all grow out of it. I’m just about getting there myself.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. My brothers were so pissed at me they gave me a good talking to and let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty. Connor was especially hard on me. I know he only wants me to shape up and all, and I will.”

  “He does seem like a good man.”

  “He is! I mean, you are right. Just give him another chance, Lydia. I couldn’t stand to be the reason you don’t want to see him. I couldn’t live with myself. See, the thing is, you make him happy. We’ve all noticed the difference in him. He is pure sunshine when you’re around.”

  I laughed. “He makes me happy, too.”

  “Will you consider giving him another chance? What are you doing tonight? Can you meet him for dinner?”

  “Does he know that you came here?”

  “God no, he would kill me if he knew. This is all on me. I came here on my own, trying to fix something that I screwed up for my brother. Will you please come to dinner tonight?”

  I sighed. I didn’t know what to say.

  35

  Connor Dawson

  I still hadn’t heard from Lydia, and I was constantly looking at my phone. I didn’t want to annoy her, and push her even further away from me. I was giving her space just as Whitney had suggested. But how long was I going to have to wait?

  Driving the tractor through the back forty acres, I was trying to keep myself busy, trying to keep my hands occupied so I wouldn't call her. Then I felt my phone vibrating. I quickly pushed the tractor into park and turned the engine off. I pulled out my phone, hoping that it was her. It was not. It was Dylan.

  “What’s up?”

  “Meet me for dinner at the diner, okay?”

  “What? Why?”

  “I need to talk to you, it’s really important. Can you meet me there in two hours?”

  “I have a lot of work to do, Dylan. Can’t you just come home and have dinner here?” I wasn’t exactly feeling up to giving Dylan what he wanted. I was still pissed off at him.

  “Connor, this is important. Just trust me,” he said.

  “Fine. I'll be there in two hours, but you’re buying.”

  “Sounds good to me,” he said, and hung up the phone.

  Starting up the tractor, I began to drive it back toward the house. I would need to finish up a few things before I jumped in the shower and got dressed to meet him. I could go for a burger, though. I didn’t have the slightest idea what Dylan wanted to talk to me about. I hadn’t talked to him since the day before, when I was so pissed at him about Lydia.

  Driving the tractor into the barn, I turned it off, putting the keys on the hook that hung from the wall. I went inside, took a quick shower and got dressed. I checked my phone, still nothing from Lydia. I decided I would give it until morning, and if I hadn’t heard from her I was going into the city to see her, whether she wanted me to or not. I wasn’t going to give up on this easily. Being away from her only made me realize just how much I liked her—even loved her. It was hard to admit, but it was true.

  Two hours later, I walked into the diner. I looked around to see Dylan sitting in a booth. I walked over and slid in across from him.

  “All right, I’m here. What’s the big deal?”

  “I wanted to make things right,” he said.

  “You wanted to make things right by having dinner with me?”

  “No. You aren’t having dinner with me.” He stood up and I looked at him, completely confused. He smiled, then started walking away toward the door.

  “Dylan? What are you talking about? Dylan?” I called out to him but he just kept walking. He walked right out the door, but held it open. And Lydia walked in. She was like a breath of fresh air. Somehow I’d forgotten how absolutely stunning she was. Every time I saw her was like a jolt to my heart. Dylan looked at me and smiled one last time, then nodded. Then he closed the door and walked away. That clever little brother. This was a pleasant surprise.

  “Hi,” Lydia said, standing next to the table.

  “Hi. Sit down,” I said, giving her a smile. “I had no idea you would be here, this is a nice surprise.”

  “Yes, your brother came to talk to me. He set this dinner up.”

  “I’ll have to thank him. I’ve called you, texted you. I didn’t know what to think when you didn’t come to the house yesterday and then I couldn’t get ahold of you. Tell me what’s going on, Lydia. It’s me, Connor. You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

  “I know. I’m so sorry. The truth is I got a little freaked out. With the fighting, and all of that.”

  “I’m sorry you had to see that. There is a lot more to the Dawson brothers than all of that. Yes, we get a little heated sometimes, but we’re working on it. Growing out of it, one by one. I hope you believe me when I say that,” I said.

  “Connor, it’s more than that. There’s a reason I am so against the fighting. I had a boyfriend once. He seemed alright in the beginning, but then he became violent. He was abusive.”

  Anger started to rise up in me at the thought of anyone hurting my Lydia. “He hurt you? Who is he?”

  “Nobody. He is in my past and he’ll never touch me again. But that is why I’m cautious now. I don’t want to be involved with anyone that is at all violent, because of my past with him.”

  “I would never hurt you or any other woman. Or an innocent man for that matter. That is not who I am. Trust me, any fight that I have ever been in, the guy deserved it. But that has nothing to do with being abusive, I’m not like that. Not at all. I hope you can see that in me. I’m sorry you had to go through that with your ex-boyfriend. But know that you would never go through that with me. I only want to protect you and keep you safe.”

  “I know that. I can see that in you, Connor. You have a good heart. I’m sorry that I got scared off and freaked out. I just really didn’t know what to think. Getting in trouble with the police and all—that’s not something I want in my life.”

  “I don’t want that in my life either, and rest assured, we’ve all made that very clear to my little brother. I can’t promise you that things will change overnight, but they will change. It’s going to be up to you, I don’t want to force or pressure you to do anything that you don’t want to. But for me, I want to keep seeing you. I want to see where this goes between us because I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  She smiled and reached for my hand across the table. “I guess we could start with dinner at the diner.”

  “I would like that.”

  “What will you have?” the waitress came over to us.

  “I’ll have a cheeseburger, fries, and a strawberry milkshake,” Lydia said.

  “I’ll have the same,” I said.

  “Alright, coming right up.” She took the menus from us and walked away.

  “So you’re not sick?” I asked, Lydia.

  “No, I’m not. I made Whitney lie about it. I’m sorry,” I said.

  “That’s alright. As long as you’re telling me the truth now.”

  “I am. And I will in the future,” she said.

  “The future? I like the sound of that,” I smiled.

  “So Abi must be pissed at me for not showing up yesterday,” she said.

  “Nah, she understands. In fact she’s the one that was worried from the beginning that this whole thing with Dylan might put you off,” I said.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, and she was right. Women’s intuition I think,” I said.

  “Maybe. It was wrong of me, though. I can see that now,” she said.

  “I only want you to be happy, Lydia.” I squeezed her hand.

  “I am,” she smiled that gorgeous smile. Her green eyes were beautiful and radiant. I knew that I loved her. Being with her knowing she was going to give us another chance brought a calm and peaceful feeling over me.

  “Here you are, two milkshakes, and your food will be
right out.” The waitress slid two large glasses in front of us.

  “Thank you.”

  “Mm, it’s delicious,” Lydia said.

  “Yes. They have really good food here. The cook is awesome, you’ll see,” I said.

  A few minutes later, we were eating cheeseburgers and fries with our milkshakes. We talked about the remodel of the living room and kitchen, and I told her how well it turned out. Our conversation was light and didn’t have anything to do with fighting, police, or making decisions on our relationship. We were just enjoying each other’s company. For me, I was very glad to be with her. Dylan really did come through for me. He fixed it. I’d been worried that it might not be possible.

  “Hey, did you know there are no interior designers in the town of Safety?” she said.

  “Yeah, I do know that, because my sister and I were looking for one and had to go to the city to find one.”

  “Do you think the town could use one?”

  “Yeah, I think so. Are you thinking about it?” I raised my eyebrow at her, feeling excited that she might move to town.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t made any decisions. All I know is that I have been thinking about starting my own design business for a while. But when I looked into renting commercial space in the city, the rents were very high. But in this town, they’re affordable.”

  “I’m liking the sound of this.”

  “I’m just speaking hypothetically at this point, so don’t get your hopes up just yet,” she teased me.

  “Noted ma’am,” I said with a wink.

  We both laughed and finished eating our meal. I was feeling so much better, like a weight had been lifted off of me. I had missed this woman something fierce, and now that she was with me, I was so relieved.

  “This diner is open twenty-four hours right?” she asked, as I paid for the check.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “I was thinking maybe I could leave my car in the lot and you could give me a ride home?” She raised her brow and I knew what she meant.