by Jill Sanders
Then again, the wings and the beer probably had helped.
“You look tired,” Mel said in the hallway.
“I am,” he admitted, then he turned to her. He noticed her eyes darting to her own bedroom and suddenly a flash of fear raced through him. Was she trying to pull away so soon? What would he do if she decided she wanted to revert back to being just friends and coworkers?
“I… I’d like a shower or a hot bath to soak in,” she said, looking a little embarrassed. He relaxed instantly and pulled her into his arms.
“You deserve to relax,” he said after brushing his lips across hers. “If you want to crawl in my bed after, I won’t kick you out,” he said, trying to keep things light between them.
The smile she returned assured him his words had done the trick.
He turned to go into his room as she disappeared into her own. Tugging off his clothes, he fell face-first into bed and didn’t wake again until the sunlight hit his eyelids, turning everything pink and red.
“We get to sleep in today, remember?” Mel’s soft voice said after he shifted to get up. Hearing it, he rolled over to pull her into his arms instead.
“Morning,” he said into her hair. She smelled like his shampoo and her hair was still a little damp. The rest of her was plastered against him, soft and feeling so damned sexy that parts of his body instantly woke.
“Good morning,” she said with a slight purr.
Just as he was leaning in for a kiss, he heard his phone buzz and realized the vibration from it had been the thing that had woken him up in the first place.
“Sorry,” he said, reaching over to answer it. Seeing his sister’s number he answered it quickly. “Morning.”
“Brent?” Dylan’s voice was off, and he sat up, instantly worried.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned.
“Bella was acting funny,” Dylan said. “We’re down at the clinic. She didn’t look right. They’re running tests.” His sister sniffled.
“We’ll be down there in five,” he said. He quickly pulled on the clothes he’d tossed off last night.
Mel seemed to guess something was wrong and rushed out of bed into the other room to get dressed.
She met him at the base of the stairs less than two minutes later.
“Bella?” she asked.
“Yeah, she was acting funny and looked off,” he said as they rushed towards the door together.
Fifteen minutes later, they walked into the clinic. They talked with Gail briefly while they waited for the doctor to come out and tell them something. The rest of the McGowans were either already there or just showing up and asking questions.
Gail had quickly told them that Trey had said Bella had started fussing in the middle of the night and had a slight fever. Shortly after eating breakfast, she had puked up everything and then gone limp in Dylan’s arms.
“That’s when they rushed her down here,” Gail said. “Trey and Dylan are back there with Bella. I came out to fill everyone in on what’s happening. I should probably get back there,” Gail added, looking tired and worried. “To see if they know anything more.”
Everyone stood around the small waiting area without saying anything. It was if everyone was holding their breath until they heard how Bella was doing.
He couldn’t imagine life without his little niece in it. She was less than a week old and had already pierced his heart.
He hated the thought of anything bad happening to her and knew that, if it did, Dylan and Trey would be crushed. The entire McGowan family would be.
Just then, Trey came out, his eyes red from worry. Brent felt his heart jump in his chest.
“She’s okay,” Trey said with a slight smile. “They’ve gotten the fever down and they’re telling us that it’s jaundice.” He looked relieved as he hugged his brothers. “They want to keep us overnight but they’re pretty sure she’s okay.”
He shook Trey’s hands and then stood there while the man hugged him, like he’d hugged his own brothers.
“Dylan wants you to go back for a quick visit,” Trey said. “Room one-eleven.”
Brent glanced over at Mel.
“Go, I’ll be here. You drove, remember?” she said with a smile.
“Right.” He nodded and turned to walk down the hallway.
When he stepped into the private room, Gail stood up and touched Dylan’s shoulder. “We’ll run and grab you some breakfast and be back soon,” she said to Dylan and then she left.
He walked over and looked down at his niece, fast asleep in a hospital crib. Dylan sat close to the crib, looking down at her child.
“How’s she doing?” he asked quietly.
“She’s finally sleeping,” she said with a slight sigh. “They gave her some intravenous fluids that had her screaming.” Dylan reached up and wiped a tear from her face. “I couldn’t stand hearing her cry in pain.” His sister’s eyes searched his. “It about broke me.”
He pulled his sister up into his arms and held her while she cried quietly. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to her.”
“I know,” he said as he brushed his sister’s hair with his fingers, a move he’d done all of his life. “She’s going to make it through this.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “She has the best of us and the McGowans.” She smiled slightly, looking up at him. “Besides, she takes after her uncle.”
“Smart? Good-looking?” he said quickly.
Dylan chuckled as he wiped the tears from her face. “She’s stubborn. Like you are.” She reached up and touched his face gently. “Hard to put down.”
“We’re both strong,” he agreed.
“This isn’t your first black eye, but it is the first one you didn’t do anything to deserve,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“I wanted to go down and punch the Phillipses myself when I heard what they’d done to you,” Dylan said.
He smiled. “I bet you could’ve taken them both.”
She chuckled then sighed. “Keep a lookout for them. I doubt this will stop them from sniffing around.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I was going to head into the city and buy some more cameras for the place. I wouldn’t put it past them to try and burn the place down.”
“If they can’t have it…” Dylan shook her head. “Yeah, I can see that.”
Bella made a soft sound and they both turned to look down at her.
“They want to keep us overnight,” Dylan said.
“I heard. Do you need anything?”
“No, Gail and Trisha are going to go grab us some stuff. Along with some food.” She turned to him. “It’s your first day off.” Her eyes narrowed. “With Mel.”
He smiled. “Yeah.”
“Go.” She nudged his shoulder, and he winced. “Sorry. Go have fun. She’ll probably sleep all day.”
He bent down and placed a soft kiss on his sister’s forehead, then did the same to his niece.
“Let me know if anything changes,” he said.
“We will. Thanks for coming.”
He nodded and then turned and left just as Trey was coming back into the room.
“How are they doing?” Mel asked when he stepped back into the waiting area.
“Good. Bella is sleeping and Dylan…” He shrugged. “She’s worried but happy that they figured out that it wasn’t anything too serious.”
“That’s good,” Mel said.
“What do you say we head out and grab some food, then head into town to do our shopping? Dylan said she’d call or text if anything changes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” He took her hand in his and started towards the door but stopped to talk to both Tyler and Trent before finally leaving.
“It must be nice,” Mel said once they were in the truck, “being part of a family that actually cares.”
He glanced over at her. In his youth, he’d been lucky to have his parents. Not that they had been perfect, but t
hey had never shown him or Dylan anything but love and kindness. Even though they’d left them to their own devices for the most part, they’d always been there when they were needed. Sure, they’d fucked up royally in planning for their children’s futures, but until then, they had given them a wonderful life.
From what Mel had told him about her childhood, she hadn’t had any of that. Not really.
He reached over and took her hand in his. “They’ve been great and have adopted Dylan into their fold.”
“And you as well,” Mel pointed out.
He thought about it and then nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”
He headed towards the donut shop, figuring he’d need the sugar boost for the day.
When they parked out front, he spotted Darla sitting at a table just inside the large windows. He thought of turning around and leaving, but then Mel said, “Is that Darla?”
He held in a sigh of frustration and nodded. “We can go somewhere else,” he suggested.
“No, it’s a small town. You can’t always run away when you see your ex. Besides, it might be a good thing for her to see that you’ve moved on,” she suggested. He glanced at Mel and saw her chin rise slightly.
“I’m game if you are.” He took her hand and brought it up to his lips to brush a kiss across her knuckles. “Let’s do this.”
He jumped out and rushed around to open her door, something he had never done for Darla or anyone else he’d dated before.
When they walked into the bakery, hand in hand, he avoided glancing over to where Darla was sitting. Instead, he focused on placing their orders and paying.
Then they found a seat at the countertop while they waited.
“I bet it’s killing her,” Mel said quietly.
“I think she’s long over me,” he admitted. “It’s been two years or…” He shrugged. “About that long.”
Mel glanced around like she was looking at the place, then looked back at him. “She’s not looking over here. I’d wager she’s moved on as well.”
He thought about how Darla kept showing up everywhere he was and realized that what Mel had said was true. It was a small town. How had he expected not to run into her all the time? Now he felt like a fool for thinking that bumping into her was anything but a coincidence. After all, when he’d broken things off with her, it wasn’t as if she’d come back begging for his attention.
She’d been working at the strip club back then and had quickly moved on to dating… Well, he didn’t know whom she’d dated, since he’d left town shortly after. Still, there had been rumors. Lots of rumors regarding Darla. Most of them had her moving to Helena into a rehab center there. Others had her heading to Vegas to dance on the big stage or gamble her life’s savings away or to marry a millionaire and take all his money.
Whatever the case, he figured it was better for him to steer clear of her since they had been a pretty toxic mix when they’d been together.
They were just finishing up their breakfast when Darla stepped over to the counter and got his attention.
“Hi, I know this is a bad time, but I was hoping to talk to you,” Darla said.
“Darla, I don’t think…” he started, but she held up a hand.
“Sorry.” She stopped him. “Not you, Brent. I was talking to Mel.” Her eyes turned to Mel. “I hear you’re still short a few hands and wanted to turn in my resume. I’ve worked behind the bar a few times before and am looking for something… different than what I did last time I was in town.”
“I don’t think…” he started again, but this time Mel stopped him by putting a hand on his arm.
“Why don’t you stop by sometime tomorrow?” Mel suggested. “Maybe just before we open? I’ll be around and we can talk then.”
Darla smiled and nodded. “Thanks,” she said, and then her eyes turned to him. “I… need to talk to you sometime too. About private matters.”
It was then that he noticed the fear in her eyes, a look that had never been there before. Before he knew what he was doing, he nodded in agreement.
“Thanks.” Darla touched his arm and then nodded to Mel. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you,” she said again and then left.
“That was…” Mel started.
“Strange,” he finished. “So unlike Darla.”
“Everyone’s allowed to change,” she said softly. It made him want to ask her questions, but she stood up and dusted off her pants. “We’d better head out if we’re going to getting everything that we need in one trip.”
Chapter 18
The drive into the city didn’t take as long as she’d expected. Maybe it was because the conversation with Brent was light and enjoyable. They talked about everything from their childhoods to other changes they wanted to make around the bar and grill.
Their first stop in the city was at an electronics store, where she helped him pick out two large flat-screen televisions to go behind the bar. The second stop was to a huge hardware store, where they purchased large garbage cans as well as some smaller items that had been on everyone’s lists.
At this point, Brent suggested lunch and she almost laughed, until she realized she was hungry as well. Since he knew the town better than she did, she let him pick a family Mexican restaurant and had some of the best enchiladas that she’d had in years, as well as a margarita.
“What about themed nights?” she suggested as they were finishing up.
“Themed?”
“You know, a variety of foods like this.” She motioned to her empty plate. “Mexican, Italian, American and so on.”
“Not bad. TK definitely has a wide range of cooking skills. We can bring it up tomorrow. Although, I think the wings are the biggest hit by far.”
She smiled. “They are indeed. I think everyone in town really likes the entire atmosphere of the place. The outdoor patio is a huge hit.”
“For now.” He chuckled. “Come winter we’ll have to shut it down.”
“With the firepits you built, there will still be some people strong enough to brave the elements,” she added. “Especially if we offer hot drinks—hot chocolate, hot rum toddies, and such. Along with some hot appetizers.”
“Everything is hot.” He laughed.
“I mean spicy.” She smiled. “Spicy wings, jalapeno poppers, those sorts of things.”
“I like it.”
In her mind, she could already see people enjoying the area. “Of course, we’ll need to make sure they don’t get snowed on.”
“I’ve been thinking of adding an awning or some sort of overhang to keep the sun off the deck. We can build it strong enough to hold the snow load,” Brent said.
“One of the old restaurants I used to go to in the city had those tent-like walls they put up in the winter to keep the heat in.”
“Not a bad idea.” He nodded. “Then again, we could always build on to the main dining area. There is enough land. Actually, I have about a dozen acres behind the main building.”
“What are you planning to do with the land?” she asked, curious as to what he saw in his future.
“I’m not really sure. I guess eventually I’ll build a home. Maybe on the back of the land?” He tilted his head as if he was thinking about it. “I think my land actually butts up against the tree line. It would be a pretty choice spot to have my own place back there.”
She thought about the beautiful field that separated the bar and grill from the trees along the hillside and nodded. She could just imagine a very masculine log cabin home nestled amongst the trees, much like the places she’d seen all over Haven.
How many times in the past few days had she caught herself dreaming about living in such a place? Settling down and putting down roots finally.
If only. The more she dreamed about it, the more she realized that there was no way she could chance staying still for that long.
Sooner or later, she’d slip and hint to her parents where she was or, worse, do something to call attention to herself. And then Ethan would be look
ing for her again, stalking her, most likely in the night and under the cover of his badge and the law.
“You turned quiet,” Brent said as they walked out towards his truck.
“Just… thinking,” she admitted.
“About?”
“My future.” She tried to sound casual. “For the past few years, I’ve never been really free to think any farther than a few months ahead.”
“And now?”
She leaned her head back against the seat and thought about it. “Now I’m too afraid to make waves. To try anything new for fear that I’ll get his attention again.”
“It was that bad?” he asked.
She turned and looked at him, wishing she could tell him everything. They’d promised to be truthful with one another, but that didn’t mean she’d open up and tell him all the raw bits.
“I’m not looking to attend any family reunions,” she admitted dryly. “Or any holidays.”
“Then, what? Just avoid your family for the rest of your life?”
“That’s the plan,” she answered as he started to drive. “Where to now?” she asked, hoping to change the subject.
“Now,” he said, thinking about it for a moment, “we head wherever you want to go.” He turned towards her. “I’m pretty sure we got everything off my list. It’s your turn to do some shopping.”
She felt her heart melt slightly. When was the last time she’d gone shopping for anything for herself? How long had it been? Years. Since before her marriage to Ethan. When she’d had her own money. Well, her parents’ money that they had graciously given her just as long as she obeyed their rules and lived the way they wanted her to. Which had all ended the moment she’d divorced Ethan.
“Where to?” Brent asked.
She thought about the things she’d wanted over the past few years and, somehow, she no longer cared about any of it. Instead, she thought about getting some pretty underthings to wear for Brent as well as a few necessities she’d needed for a while.
“How about a Target?” she asked, knowing she wanted to try and save most of the money Brent had advanced her to pay for her truck’s repairs.
“Target it is.” He pulled out of the parking lot.
