No Place Like Home (11 page)

T
hey were getting ready to head home when Jake showed up. He stepped down from the seat of his huge truck and Dottie had to smile. The dude was, as Cassie would have said, hunky! Hey, if she were ten years younger, Dottie would have said it, too. He wore a pair of knee-length swim trunks, flip-flops, a T-shirt with the arms cut off and a cowboy hat that had the rim curled up on the sides and bent non-traditionally down in the front and back like the younger cowboys had started wearing them. He looked as if he was ready to have some serious fun.

And he'd come for Cassie.

She snubbed him at first, but Dottie could tell she was interested and trying hard not to show it. The boy was her age. Jake was off the Richter scale for cuteness. He was ready to have a good time and he wanted to share it with her.
Those things had to matter.
Dottie was glad Cassie had already changed into jeans, so she had no excuses.

“Cassie,” he said, “if you stay behind, you're going to miss out. We've got an acre wet down and everybody's coming.”

“Is Bob?” she asked flippantly.

Dottie could have wrung her neck. But Jake took it like a man.

“
I'm
going to be there,” he said with more force than Dottie had expected. “And
I'm
the only one that counts.”

To Dottie's surprise, Cassie stuck her hand in her back pocket, and smiled shyly up at the earnest cowboy.

A few minutes later when she rode away in Jake's truck, Dottie felt a great sense of relief. Not that she was hoping they'd fall in love anytime soon. But they did seem to be right for each other. Maybe at a later date, though.

“You're smiling like that went well.”

Brady walked up to stand beside her. His arm was touching her shoulder, her pulse jumped immediately. “It did actually. They're going mudding. It sounds like fun.”

“You want to go?”

She didn't know what she'd expected, but it certainly wasn't an offer of an afternoon of fun.

“Really?” She knew she was gaping. She knew she should be saying capital N-O.

“Yeah, I go out sometimes and take my ATV.”

“ATV?”

“All-terrain vehicle. Or four-wheeler, as we rednecks call it.”

The corners of his lips turned up into that adorable
Brady grin, a tinge crooked on the edge. Dottie's mouth went dry.

“Oh—” she swallowed the cotton. “I've never been mudding before. But…I don't want to get in Cassie's way. I don't want her to think I'm following her.”

“Then we'll go on our own mudding expedition. I've got the perfect spot on my place. We'll go easy. I don't want to harm your back.”

It sounded fun, though she was curious as to why all of a sudden he was inviting her, when he'd spent so much time avoiding her.
Just say no!
her sane side yelled. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he echoed, suddenly looking as uncertain as she felt. “First I think we'd better go back and let you change into something more appropriate than that dress.”

“You don't think this'll work?” She looked up at him in mock shock, swishing the fluttery skirt.
Are you flirting with him?

He scanned the dress and shook his head.

A pebble skidded across her stomach and she took a deep breath. She was leaving tomorrow or the day after that and she was suddenly feeling reckless. “Then I guess I need to put on some jeans.”

He swung away and headed toward his truck. “That would be better.”

Climbing into the truck, Dottie felt self-conscious seeing the smug looks on Norma Sue's and Esther Mae's faces. Even Adela was smiling and Lacy gave them a thumbs-up as she wrapped her arm around Clint's waist.

This was not good, giving them false hope that their matchmaking wishes had a chance. But at the moment, fun just seemed more important. She ignored her guilt and glanced at Brady.

By the look on his face, he was having as many second thoughts about the situation as she was.

She told herself to ignore the disappointment his frown caused her. But there were some things a woman couldn't ignore.

 

Brady hadn't considered when he'd made his rash offer of a mudding excursion that she would have to hold on to him on their ride. He still hadn't figured out what had possessed him to make the offer. Especially since he'd been trying to distance himself from her ever since they'd kissed.

But she was leaving and he enjoyed her company. So he told himself it wouldn't hurt anything for him to relax and enjoy her company while she was here.

He hadn't counted on the feel of her arms around him. Or the rightness of the sound of her voice in his ears and the thrill her laughter gave him.

He was flirting with fire.

He knew it. But he also knew that for now he was going to enjoy every minute of her company.

 

The sun was going down as they topped the hill overlooking a low land he called “the bottom” because of the way it flooded when the river was up.

“I love this area,” he said, pulling the ATV to a halt. Dottie flexed her fingers against his stomach, as if not sure if she was supposed to continue holding on to him now that they'd stopped moving. He placed his hand over hers, letting her know that her wonderful hands were exactly where they belonged.

Looking down, he smiled. Her hands were small—long slender fingers tipped with short nails. He loved the way they felt beneath his. He'd watched her mixing batter with those hands and had imagined how they would feel holding his. Now that he knew, it was going to be tough to let them go. But he would. For her own good. She deserved security.

“What is this place?” she asked, having to lean forward because he'd held her arms in place against him. Her breath feathered against his cheek.

“This is my favorite spot. The river cuts through here and it's beautiful. The mud down below is left over from when the river overflows.”

“Can we get closer?”

He glanced over his shoulder. It was a dangerous move on his part because it brought their faces closer. So close that her hazel eyes took his breath away and the feel of her breath against his cheek was unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

“You can see it. But I'm warning you, not many people have ever been allowed back here,” he teased.

“Really? Does that mean you'll have to kill me once I've seen it?”

There was the gentle tinkle of laughter he'd come to…look forward to. “Naah, you're special. I'll let you live. And come back here as much as you want. As long as it's with me.”
Why did you say that, Brady?

Her fingers moved beneath his, and her gaze slid away. He understood immediately that he'd made her uncomfortable. He'd made
himself
uncomfortable.

“Hang on.” He revved the motor and took them down the steep embankment; she gasped and clung to him more tightly as the ATV crept down the craggy hill. When they'd made it to the trees, he took the trail he'd traveled all of his life.

“This is the place I used to come with my dad.” He stopped at the edge of the river. “We'd come here after working cattle all day and relax in the cool water before heading home. Those were the days.”

Dottie chuckled. “You sound so old.”

He turned to look at her again and they bumped noses.

“Hey.” She pulled a hand free and rubbed the end of her nose. He laughed watching her, knowing she was nervous, wanting so much to kiss her. Even with the mud clinging to her cheeks.

Wanting so much for this moment to last forever.

But with nothing to offer her, it was wrong.

 

Dottie's laughter died in her throat. She'd been running on nervous energy the entire ride through the mud, and now that they were stopped she couldn't deny
all the nerves were a direct result of her proximity to Brady. His smile sealed the deal. This was not fair.

“Well, are you going to show me more?” she asked, needing to break the moment. To breathe.

His eyes sparked mischievously. “Hold on. This could get crazy and I wouldn't want to lose you.”

For a woman who'd been almost crippled only seven months earlier she could not have fathomed the exhilarating freedom riding through the weeds and the dirt with Brady gave her. They flew like the wind along the bank of the river and when they reached a rocky area, Brady pulled to a stop beside a large rock that overlooked a section of raging water. It was breathtaking.

Before she knew what he was up to, he stepped from the ATV up onto the flat rock. It was such a smooth move she knew he'd done it many times before. When he turned back and held out his hand, she took it immediately.

Once she was beside him, she turned away from him to stare across the water. Her heart was pounding and her thoughts were colliding more than the river churning down the rocky path.

“So I'm guessing you and your father never swam here?” Her breath was shallow as she asked the question.

“You'd be right about that.”

She heard the smile in his voice even though she didn't turn to see his face. He knew exactly how she was feeling and he also knew that she was using diversionary tactics.

“Do you want to sit and relax for a while?”

His question was a whisper against her ear. She shivered but nodded. He startled her when he suddenly jumped the four feet to the ground and whipped around to look up at her. Before she could stop him, he took her by the waist and lifted her down to sit on the rock in front of him.

Everything went still. He studied her face. Searched her eyes. And Dottie couldn't breathe. It was as if the beautiful setting swirling around her was sucking all the oxygen from the air. She prayed a fervent prayer; she prayed God would take pity on her and give her a clue as to what was happening. She had a plan. She knew her path. She knew all of this, but right here in the midst of the beauty of the land and the warmth of Brady's friendship she could picture another life's path. She could see life with Brady. Children, family, a love so full that her heart was bursting inside the confines of her ribs. Suddenly he turned and stepped away from her.

She breathed in a sigh of relief and clasped her hands together.
Focus, Dottie. Focus.
Remember, he said when they'd kissed that it wouldn't work. He said he would never marry. He'd been distancing himself from her…until now.

Why had he asked her to come here? Why had she accepted? To learn more about him?

“Tell me about coming here with your dad. And about leaving Mule Hollow. You said your parents hadn't wanted you to go.”

“Well…” He glanced at her then turned toward the
water. “I left all of this right after I graduated. I couldn't wait to see the world. The world being anyplace but here.” He shrugged. “I got accepted to the academy, after college at Sam Houston down in Huntsville. After school I took a job in Houston and thought my dreams had come true.”

Dottie smiled when he ducked his head and looked over at her. He leaned against the rock beside her and crossed his arms over his chest. He was confident and at ease. It was a very appealing sight.

“But something happened, didn't it?” She couldn't help it. She was curious about him and suddenly she wanted to know why he didn't want a family. It had something to do with his past. It had to. A man didn't just decide not to have a family for no reason. Besides, she'd seen the hurt in his eyes.

He glanced her way and she saw his impulse to close the door again.

“Please tell me. I know I was all arrogant that day in the mesquite trees. But I really am here to talk.”

He nodded, she could almost see his decision to trust her. It caused a feeling she couldn't quite place to pulse through her. But she liked it. It linked them together.

“Like I told you the other day, my parents hated that I wanted to leave Mule Hollow. My dad kept telling me the town needed a man who wanted to be an officer. Sheriff Newman had been the sheriff here all of my life. I think he'd held the office unopposed for, like, fifty years. When he finally retired, the town had no one. Not that there was
a huge need at the time. But, believe it or not, every once in a while they do need emergency personnel.”

“I believe it. I mean, I was there…the small town where I'm from is not much bigger than Mule Hollow.”

“The men who saved you were dedicated. Were they trained well?”

It was a question. Dottie nodded. “Yes. They took their emergency skills very seriously. They each knew what they were supposed to do. They'd mapped out their disaster procedures and worked according to plan. Two were right beside me, but it took a collaborative town effort to pull me from the rubble. But what happened to you?”

For a moment she thought he would deny understanding what she was asking. Then he nodded.

“I could tell you that I couldn't cut it. That the city didn't agree with me, that I couldn't cope with…but it would be a lie.” He paused, studying the ground. “Actually, I was very good at my job. I was about to make detective when—” He raked his hand through his hair and Dottie reacted by reaching out and touching his shoulder.

“You know I told you my parents died in a car crash.” He paused. “Well, about a month before it happened, my partner was fatally shot in the line of duty.”

Dottie gasped. “Oh, Brady. I'm so sorry.”

“Yeah. So am I.” His eyes were so terribly sad when he looked at her. “He had a wife and kids. The twins were four. Just babies.” His broad shoulders slumped. “Babies.” She heard the anger then.

Her heart ached for the young family torn apart by a violent world and for Brady. She studied his profile and suddenly urgently wanted to comfort him.

“I'd never considered what happened to a family when a husband or parent died in the line of duty. I don't know, until I walked in and saw them so torn up I'd naively believed watching Eddie die was the worst thing that could happen.”