Black Creek Burning (The Black Creek Series, Book 1) (18 page)

* * *

It was all over the news. "Teacher suspended for breaking procedure during lockdown."
"Gunman apprehended outside suspended teacher's classroom." Standing between houses
wasn't wise at this time of day, but the excitement of seeing Brie's trauma was too
much to resist. It was time to get intimate.

Pretending to stroll along the creek had been easy. No one could have noticed the
raw hamburger that was dropped in the tall grasses along the backside of Brie's neurotically
manicured yard. Standing here, watching the dog eat the poisoned meat, was more exciting
than gutting the rabbit.

The excitement turned to arousal when Brie came around the side of her house. She
must be looking for the mutt. Sort of dragging her feet. Poor baby. Poor, poor fucking
baby. This is what happens when you mess with people. Arousal turned erotic when Brie
saw the dog stumble and fall.

* * *

Brie's legs froze. Macey lay on her side in the yard back by the field next to some
winter-brown tall grasses. She battled the molasses feeling as she tried to make her
way through a dizzying mental fog to her lifeless dog. When she reached Macey, she
noticed the raw meat mixed with white powder lying on the ground next to her. She
could hear someone yelling her name. Her eyes rolled back and Nathan caught her as
she vomited violently in the damp grass.

Chapter 15

Nathan took Brie by the shoulders and shook her once, hard. "Listen to me. You are
not going to pass out. Listen to me, Brie." He grabbed her face in his hands and forced
her eyes to his. "I am going to carry Macey to your truck. You are going to walk.
We are going to get her help. Walk with me now, Brie."

McKinney came running from around the front of Brie's house.

Nathan looked at him from the corner of his eye, considering.

"What happened?" McKinney yelled as he jogged to them.

Nathan already had Macey in his arms. "Find a bag or something. It looks like the
dog ate some laced meat. It's in the grass by—"

"I'll get it," Brie interrupted. "I'm okay. Drive her to Dr. Lanter. Please, go. Corner
of Brookfield and James streets. I'll come with Brian and the meat."

"She's breathing, baby. We can fix this." He walked around to the drive, gently placed
the dog in the front seat and took off in Brie's pickup.

* * *

The three of them sat in chairs in the front waiting room of the vet's office. It
was a small area with cold linoleum floors and shelves filled with prescription dog
and cat food. Brian noticed some of the Pet Worldmagazines on the small tables between
the chairs were dated years ago. No one spoke.

He felt relieved Brie wasn't leaning on the new guy the same way she would never lean
on him. He watched as she sat, leaning forward between the two of them with her forearms
resting on her thighs and her head drooped almost between her knees. The new guy leaned
back in his chair watching her, too. Damn it, he missed her.

The doc walked out and Brie stood. He had a gray beard and mustache, pooch belly.
Her back was straight. Chin up. Just like Brie.

"She's unconscious, but stable. You can see her now."

Both men knew enough that this part was Brie's to deal with. Neither tried to follow
her.

Dr. Lanter took her to the same room they had been in a few days before. Wall-to-wall
cabinets filled most of the space and hanging metal instruments filled the rest. Macey
lay on the tall, stainless steel table with a long plastic tube deep in her mouth.

The doctor's youthful assistant stood behind Macey with a wooden clipboard in her
hand. She wore a light blue smock covered with pictures of cartoon dogs and cats.
Macey's tongue dangled out and to the side farther than what Brie thought was natural.
An IV was stuck into her front leg. Her underside was shaved with a long line of dark
pink stitches starting near her tail and along her belly.

"She has a good chance of pulling through this. Your friend got her here fast. Brie,
I had to remove her uterus. I'm so sorry." He placed his hand on her shoulder in a
way that reminded her of her father. "I'll need to keep her at least a few days."

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a business card. Turning it over, he wrote
down a phone number and handed it to her. "This is my private number. Call if you
need anything or think of any questions. There's nothing you can do now. Let her rest.
I'm going to stay a while."

"Can I sit with her for a minute?"

"Of course. I'll be in my office. Stop in before you leave." He gave her shoulder
a gentle squeeze and left them.

* * *

As he waited, Nathan made arrangements with his folks. They agreed to keep Duncan
and Andy for the time being. He sat back and quietly sighed.

McKinney stood, his chest expanding. "You can go on and take Brie's truck back. She
needs me now. We've been friends for a very long time."

Nathan didn't get up or even move his head, only turned his eyes up to meet McKinney's.
"This isn't the time to have a pissing contest over a girl," he said quietly, "and
I have no insecurities about what's mine. I
will
ask how you happened to be there today."

"Just what the fuck are you getting at?"

"Probably just what you think I'm getting at."

"You think I hurt her dog? You're sick. How did
you
happen to be there?"

Nathan heard Brie say her goodbyes to the vet. He leaned back and pulled a leg up,
resting an ankle on his knee.

Dark rings had formed under her eyes; her skin was pale and lifeless. This was the
first time he had seen her look entirely defeated.

"Dr. Lanter thinks she's going to be okay. She's still unconscious and will be here
for at least a few days." She walked up to McKinney. "I didn't have a chance to ask
why you stopped by today. I'll just say thank you. Thank you for your help." She wrapped
her arms around him.

Nathan refused to let it show the way his heart tightened and almost strangled him
from the inside out. He stood and put his thumbs in his pockets, but kept his distance.

Brie patted McKinney's arm twice, then turned to him. She walked over, pressing her
forehead on his chest. "Take me home," she whispered into his shirt.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, kissed the top of her head and steered her toward
the door. His staggering relief mixed with guilt from thinking of himself. They didn't
speak on the way to her house.

Brie sat in the middle of the bench seat of her truck, closed her eyes and rested
her head on Nathan's outstretched arm. Linking her fingers with his hand, she rolled
her head to the side to look at him as he drove. He'd stuck. She wouldn't forget it.
One side of her heart was broken. The other wanted to run away with this man. He seemed
to always be there for her without ever suffocating her.

They pulled into her garage, and he turned off her truck. He opened her door for her
before she could gather the energy to do it herself. As they walked through the quiet,
she felt his hand on the small of her back. Small gestures. She took a seat at the
kitchen table, folded her hands in her lap. Without asking, he pulled down some glasses
and an already opened bottle of wine and was pouring them both a half-glass when the
phone rang.

Brie didn't move and Nathan answered while handing her a glass. She could hear Liz's
voice.

She appreciated that Nathan read her enough to know she wasn't in the mood to talk
and didn't try to hand her the phone. She listened to Nathan as she drank her wine,
going over the story of the surreal evening and reassuring her sister that she was
okay.

"She says she's glad to know you're not alone and will call in the morning." He sat
next to her at the table and took her free hand, holding it in both of his.

"Don't leave." She lifted her hand with one of his and laced their fingers together.

Softly, he answered, "I'm not going anywhere."

Brie set her wine down and moved over to sit on his lap with her legs dropped one
on each side. "No. I mean
don't leave
. Stay with me, Nathan." She kept her eyes on his. "I don't want to think tonight.
Touch me." She slowly pressed her lips against his. "Take me." Kissing him again,
she let her lids drop and sighed.

Oh, shit. His pulse flew. He could feel hers mimic his as she leaned her body over
him, mouths moving together. Not now, not now... "Not now." Reluctantly, he pulled
back and took her shoulders in his hands. "Not like this."

Brie sat looking at him with deep, needy eyes. "From where I'm sitting, I can tell
not all of you agrees with that." She moved just enough to make his eyes cross. "I
want you. I've never said this to anyone before, but I need you."

"I'm in this for the long haul, Brianna. I'll be here for you, but when I make love
to you the first time it's going to be because it's time and not like this. It's getting
late." She looked tired and worn. Leaving the glasses on the kitchen table, he picked
her up and carried her to her bedroom.

She still had on her work clothes. He wondered if the news reports were right and
if she would be wearing them again anytime soon. He undressed her down to her lacey
camisole and panties, then pulled the pins from her hair. He remembered from New Year's
Eve that her pajamas were in her top drawer, and he dressed her in the first set he
found. He tucked her in much like he would Duncan or Andy and lay next to her on top
of her covers.

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Nathan." Her eyes were closed. "I'll behave.
You don't have to sleep in your jeans. Come under here with me."

He didn't know if
he
could handle it, but he undressed down to his boxers and crawled in with her. She
pulled herself partially on top of him, resting her head on his chest and was asleep
in seconds. He thought of how they fit. Lying awake for a long time, he combed his
fingers through her mass of hair, thinking of what had to be done next and how he'd
have to push her. He would give her some time, then he would have to push.

* * *

She woke to thunder and noisy drops of rain on her windows. It took Brie a minute
to remember Macey wasn't in her corner bed. Lying on her side facing the windows,
she also remembered she wasn't alone. He'd stuck. She kept her eyes closed, willing
herself back to the sleep that wasn't going to come.

Nathan must have sensed she woke. Although no movement came from behind her, he whispered,
"Hey."

She still didn't open her eyes. "Hey, back."

"How about I make us some coffee?" He kissed the back of her head, sat up and pulled
on his jeans.

She pushed her side of the covers away and stood, pulling her robe off the hook from
her closet door.

He walked toward the hall. "You need anything?"

"Just the coffee. The grinder is to the left of the stove. Thank you. For everything."

He left and she sat back down. Yes, she thought, he stuck. And he gave her room. It
would be difficult to push him away to survive the next several days. She hoped it
wouldn't push him over the edge. Taking a deep breath, she headed for the bathroom.

The hot shower and the smell of the coffee almost made her feel human again. Fully
dressed and anxious to check on her dog, she knew she needed to wrap things up with
Nathan first. She picked up the paper, kindly wrapped in plastic, from her porch and
tucked it under her arm. Leaning against her kitchen counter, Nathan held her phone.
He looked worn as he ran his fingers through his messy black hair.

"She's here." He held it out for her. "It's your sister." Handing it to her, he walked
away and stood looking out the glass doors at the down-pour of rain.

She tossed the paper on the kitchen table as she took the call. "It's me. I'm really
okay... No, don't. I'm just going to go sit with Macey anyway... I will. I'll deal
with that next week. Love you, too."

She wasn't sure where to start. She poured coffee and joined Nathan. Facing him, she
rested a shoulder on the glass. The steady thumping of the rain thrummed on her arm.