Tragic

by Devney Perry

  I followed his finger to where a grizzly bear was standing on its hind legs, staring at us with a crooked head.

  I gasped, clinging to Kaine’s shirt as my heart stopped.

  I was going to be mauled and eaten by a bear today. There would be no huckleberry pie for dessert. Instead, I’d be this bear’s treat.

  And I wouldn’t have any more nights with Kaine. When faced with an animal four times my size, that was the regret that popped to mind first. I wished I had gotten one more chance to kiss him.

  “Don’t. Run.” He reached behind him and put a hand to my stomach, gently pushing me backward.

  The bear watched us as we backed away with shuffled steps. It dropped down on all fours and took three steps in our direction. I nearly threw up my breakfast. Then finally, it let out a snort and ambled away in the opposite direction.

  My sigh of relief rang through the forest.

  Kaine didn’t relax though, his eyes glued to the spot where the bear had been standing. He urged me on faster and, with one hand, reached into the side pocket of his backpack to retrieve the bear spray.

  I had to spin around to keep from tripping as I hustled, though I was careful not to run. Every third step, I glanced over my shoulder to make sure the bear hadn’t changed his mind about making me his afternoon snack.

  It was only when Kaine turned, walking close to my side, that I began to breathe again. My hands didn’t stop shaking until we were on top of the ridge and out of the trees.

  “Is it gone?” I whispered.

  “You can talk normally.”

  “No way,” I whispered again.

  He chuckled, shrugging off his backpack and dropping it on the ground. He dug out two bottles of water, handing me mine, and then surprised me by taking out a gleaming silver pistol.

  I suddenly felt sorry for the bear.

  “You’re packing heat?” I teased.

  “Better to be prepared.” Kaine shrugged. “Bear spray is the best, but having a gun handy doesn’t hurt either. I prefer to carry it in a holster on my hip, but I didn’t want to scare you.”

  “It’s fine. Owen insisted I take a handgun class after he joined the military. Guns don’t scare me. Have you had that with us on every hike?”

  He nodded. “Just the last couple. With the berries coming on like they have, it’s not unusual to see more bears up here.”

  “How dangerous was that situation?” I asked, pointing in the direction of where we’d seen the bear.

  “It was good that we didn’t surprise him and we had some distance. But on the next hike, you’ll have your own can of spray, and we’re going to get some bells to make more noise.”

  “Seriously?” I was not feeling so hot about living in the forest at the moment. “Is it safe around my house?”

  “Bears are mostly pests, like big raccoons. If one gets comfortable around your house, they might make a damn mess of your garbage. So keep your lids on tight. But they normally live deeper in the woods. The only reason they’re venturing closer to town now is because the huckleberries are so thick this year.”

  “I don’t want to be eaten by a bear.”

  Kaine chuckled. “I won’t let you get eaten by a bear. But no more hiking without me.”

  “Oh, I’m never hiking alone again,” I declared.

  Kaine flashed me one of his rare smiles. “Want to keep going?”

  “Hell no. I’m locking myself in my camper for the rest of the weekend where it’s safe and there’s pie.”

  “Pie?”

  “Huckleberry. I was going to surprise you after dinner.”

  His groan was nothing less than erotic, and it made my mouth dry. I took a drink from my water, then put it in his backpack, doing my best to erase that delicious sound from my memory.

  Most days, it was easier to be around Kaine. But for some reason, today I was struggling to resist his temptation. After he left tonight, I’d probably be so wired, I’d have to take a shower and use my fingers to relieve some of the ache between my legs.

  Kaine took a long drink from his own water, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulped, then shoved it in his backpack. The bear spray stayed in one hand while his gun was tucked safely in his pocket as we descended the trail back to our homes.

  If we did see another bear, Kaine would keep me safe. Out here, he was my protector.

  A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth, and I looked down, hiding it from him with my hat. If my life was in danger, Kaine would wrestle a bear to the ground and kick its ass before making it his living room rug.

  A giggle bubbled free.

  “What?” Kaine asked over his shoulder.

  I shook my head, coughing to hide another laugh. “Nothing.”

  Maybe Kaine would let me name the bear rug. It would have to be something manly, like the owner himself. A name like Boris or Baran or Boryenka. Apparently Kaine’s imaginary rug was Russian.

  Too busy brainstorming names, I didn’t notice the shining black sedan parked behind my Mini. Not until a familiar voice startled me, and I knew exactly who I’d see as I peered past Kaine’s broad shoulders.

  “Who are you?” Adam was standing by the car, his hands fisted on his hips as he barked his question at Kaine.

  “This is private property,” Kaine answered. He might as well have said move the fuck on, asshole.

  “I know whose property this is,” Adam spat. “What I don’t know is who you are.”

  “Adam,” I snapped, moving up to Kaine’s side. I went to take another step, but before I could, Kaine took my elbow in his grip and secured me by his hip.

  At the gesture, Adam took two angry steps away from his car. “Piper, who is this guy?”

  “My neighbor.” The grip Kaine had on my arm tightened, almost as if he didn’t like my answer. “What are you doing here, Adam?”

  He shot a glare at Kaine. “Pip, can we talk in private?”

  “No,” Kaine barked.

  I appreciated his protectiveness for the second time today, but there was no escaping a one-on-one with Adam. So I pulled on my arm enough that Kaine set me free. “Would you mind?”

  He glowered. My eyes widened in a silent plea to not make this worse, until he grumbled, “Fine.”

  I expected him to stomp down the path to the cabin, but to my surprise, he stalked across my driveway, right to the Airstream’s door and let himself into my temporary home. The camper rocked as he slammed the door and went to the table, sitting down so he could watch us through the window.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as I walked over to my ex-husband.

  Adam looked down with the blue eyes that had once held power over my every mood. They didn’t inspire much loyalty anymore. His chiseled jaw was covered in a day’s worth of scruff, something Adam did because it was popular in the industry, not because he liked it. He preferred to shave every morning and wouldn’t be caught dead with a thick beard like Kaine’s.

  “I told you on the phone we needed to talk.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “And I told you not to come out here.”

  “Because of that guy?” Adam’s jaw ticked as he glanced over to the camper.

  Kaine was sitting at my dining room table with a fork full of huckleberry pie perched on his lips, simultaneously chewing another in an angry bite.

  The bastard was eating my pie.

  “Nice,” I mouthed.

  Kaine shoved another bite in his mouth. The look he sent me said, If you want some pie, ditch the asshole and get in here.

  I rolled my eyes and looked back to Adam.

  “Is that the guy you’re seeing?” he asked through gritted teeth.

  “No. He’s my neighbor.” And my friend. “That’s beside the point. What are you doing here?”

  Adam turned his back on Kaine and took me by the shoulders. “I want you back. I’m miserable. I need you, Piper. Come home.”

  Adam had only gotten more good-looking with age. Not that long ago, he’d been ir
resistible. The wind caught a lock of his blond hair, settling it on his forehead. Out of habit, I almost brushed it back in place.

  He was so handsome. And so out of place. He was built for the life he’d created in New York. He thrived on the fame and the fortune. He didn’t need me, he just didn’t know it yet.

  “No.” I shook my head. “This is my home now. Our marriage is over and you have to let it go. Let me go.”

  “All because of one stupid kiss?”

  “No, Adam. Not just because of one kiss. We had more problems than either of us ever wanted to admit long before that kiss.”

  “If this is about getting pregnant, then—”

  “It’s about all of it,” I interrupted. “Yes, the kiss. Yes, the wanting kids. And the fact that we rarely saw one another. I mean, in order to have sex twice a week, we had to schedule it for Sunday and Thursday mornings.”

  “Because we were trying to have a baby.”

  “No,” I countered. “Because that was the only time when you didn’t have morning rehearsal and I didn’t have an early meeting.”

  “Don’t you dare blame this on my work.” He shoved a finger in my face. “You worked just as much as I did.”

  “You’re right,” I said gently, and he dropped his hand. “Because it makes me happy.”

  “Are you saying I don’t make you happy?”

  “I’m saying that you kissed your costar a week after we found out I couldn’t get pregnant. Would that make you happy?”

  “So it is the kiss.” He tossed out a hand. “Just admit it was the kiss.”

  “Yes!” I shouted. “Of course it was the kiss. And a million other reasons, like the fact that I don’t believe you when you said you didn’t sleep with her. The man I married wouldn’t have hurt me like that. I don’t trust you.”

  He looked to the gravel beneath his shoes, refusing to meet my eyes. He’d done that every other time I’d confronted him about his affair with a costar.

  “Well . . . did you? Did you sleep with her?”

  He looked up and scowled, tossing a thumb over his shoulder in Kaine’s direction. “Did you sleep with him?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  Shock flashed across his face, but he schooled his features quickly. Then The Actor appeared, the one who was calm and collected in front of a packed theater. The man who could stand on a bright stage and charm an audience sitting in the dark.

  I hated The Actor.

  He always seemed to show up whenever we were fighting. It was Adam’s self-defense technique, his way of shutting me out. The actor was the one everyone loved, but I’d always found him kind of ugly.

  “This was a wasted trip,” he said coolly.

  I scoffed. “You think?”

  “Good-bye, Pip.” He brushed past me, going straight for his car.

  “Adam?” I called.

  He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “What?”

  “Did you sleep with her?” I asked again, one last time.

  Maybe I asked because I sensed there was more to his story. Maybe I asked so I’d stop feeling so guilty about being the one to drive our marriage into the oblivion. Maybe I asked because if he denied it again, I was going to accept it as the truth.

  “Stop asking me that,” he snapped.

  “Then tell me the truth.”

  With his chin held high, he turned and leveled his gaze on me. “Yes. I fucked her in the backseat of her car after we left the restaurant.”

  His truth knocked the air from my lungs. When I recovered my breath, I swallowed the burn in my throat, refusing to let Adam see one more of my tears. “Why wouldn’t you just tell me when I asked? Why deny it?”

  “Because I love you.”

  “Hmm. Funny kind of love.” My eyes drifted to the ground. “Good-bye, Adam.”

  He yanked open the door to his car and slid inside. Gravel bits flew from his tires as he reversed out of the driveway and down the road.

  I stood there, waiting until his car was out of sight, then I marched to the camper. Kaine’s eyes tracked my movements as I stormed inside and ripped open the silverware drawer for my own fork. My ass had barely touched the bench seat before a bite was in my mouth.

  With my cheeks full, I muttered, “You ate my pie.”

  “I needed some magic.”

  My mouth froze and the tears I’d fought outside came forward, though I blinked them away. I refused to cry for Adam. He’d gotten too many buckets of tears as it was. And surprisingly, it wasn’t as hard as I thought to keep them at bay.

  Maybe it was the huckleberry pie.

  Maybe it was because deep down I’d always known the truth of Adam’s betrayal.

  Maybe it was Kaine’s gentle eyes silently promising it would be all right.

  By the time the pie was gone, so was the pain.

  “I need to show you something.” Kaine slid out of his seat and put his fork in the sink.

  He grabbed mine and did the same before taking my hand and pulling me away from the table. As we walked out of the camper and across the path to his house, he didn’t let go of my hand. He held it as we passed the cabin and continued down to his shop.

  With his free hand, he opened the door and flicked on the lights. Then he pulled me through the labyrinth of incomplete projects in the center of the floor to something covered in the far corner with a canvas tarp.

  “Grab that end,” he instructed and let my hand go.

  I went to the opposite end of the cloth, taking it in my hands like he’d done on his side. With a smirk, he whipped the cover off the table beneath, forcing me to do the same.

  My jaw dropped as I let the tarp fall to the floor. My hands itched to touch the wooden top and they stretched for it but stopped an inch away as I looked to Kaine for permission.

  He gave me a slight nod, and I dove in, pressing my palms against the smooth grain. The warmth of the wood soaked into my fingertips.

  The edge of the table was rough—the live edge, as Kaine had called it. The contrast to the finished and flawless top gave the piece a rugged flair. And just like he’d promised, the stain brought out so many of the walnut’s grains that I could study them for hours and never get bored.

  “This turned out so . . .” I trailed off, without words to describe the masterpiece.

  “It’s yours.”

  My hands froze. “What?”

  “I was going to wait until your house was done, but I decided to give it to you now. This is for your dining room.”

  “But what about the person you were making it for?”

  He shrugged. “It was always for you.”

  Always? This was the unfinished table we’d had sex on over a month ago. Which meant he’d started making this for me long before I’d asked him to over cinnamon rolls.

  All this time, I’d thought Kaine didn’t know how to express his feelings. I’d thought that was why he hid so much and why he got embarrassed when I complimented his work.

  I’d been completely and miserably wrong.

  Kaine knew how to express his feelings just fine.

  I stepped on top of the canvas cloth as I went to Kaine. He stood stoically, watching as I breached his space and tossed my arms around his sexy shoulders. Then, with my fingers threaded into the hair under the band of his hat, I stood on my tiptoes and pulled his mouth down to mine.

  He flicked off my hat a split second before our lips fused.

  His tongue swept across the seam of my lips. His arms banded around my back as he hauled me against his body.

  The kiss was hot and frantic, the weeks’ worth of pent-up tension sending us both into a crazed frenzy. The kiss led to Kaine stripping us both naked and making me whimper his name as he fucked me on my table.

  The sex had been incredible, but it was the kiss that sealed my fate.

  I was falling in love with my grouchy, tormented neighbor. I was falling in love with a man who was sweet and kind.

  I was falling in love with a man who had a l
ittle magic of his own.

  The wait was over. One month and one week after Kaine and I went from being neighbors to lovers—again—I was moving into my new house. And the Kendrick crew had all come up to help.

  “I’m hungry,” Charlie told Thea.

  “Again?” Thea gaped. “You just had a snack. I swear your leg is hollow.”

  Charlie just shrugged and gave me a shy smile.

  “Good thing I’ve got lots and lots and lots of food in my new house.” I walked over to the pantry, where I’d loaded the shelves with crackers and chips and cookies. My cart had been piled high at the grocery store this morning.

  Charlie came to my side and her mouth dropped with a whispered, “Whoa.”

  I laughed. “Go crazy, kiddo.”

  “Me too! Me too!” Collin came racing in from the living room, where he’d been building a fort out of empty boxes.

  “I swear I feed them.” Thea shook her head. “Okay, what’s next?”

  I scanned the kitchen. There were a few odd dishes on the counter waiting to be washed before they were put away. But the rest of my drawers and cabinets were full. The furniture in the living room was in place, and we were just waiting for Kaine and Logan to bring over my table.

  “I think we deserve a snack break too. Chips and salsa?”

  “Definitely.” Thea smiled and followed her kids into the pantry for the chips while I got out some bowls and the salsa.

  The last month had gone by so quickly, it was hard to believe it was the middle of July and summer was halfway over. But it had been a wonderful summer.

  Work had been hectic and crazed and rewarding, like always. As much as I enjoyed going down to Thea and Logan’s house to work, I couldn’t wait to break in my office. I’d miss hearing the kids playing in the other room while I shared an office with Logan, but the desk I’d ordered was just waiting to be covered in paperwork. The bookshelves were empty and desperate for binders and books.

  It was going to be the room I finished decorating first, even before my bedroom.

  Besides work, I’d spent the last month falling deeper and deeper into Kaine.

  We spent most of our evenings together, eating dinner, then walking through the house. Most nights, there were a slew of decisions the foreman needed me to make, and with Kaine’s input, I’d picked out doorknobs and window blinds and light fixtures.