by Kait Nolan
“Come on. Let’s either make plates or go sit down.” Porter’s voice interrupted Harrison’s thoughts.
“I’m not hungry,” Ty insisted.
“Then let’s get out of the way for the people who are.” Porter smoothly managed to nudge him toward a table.
“Always the peacemaker,” Harrison murmured.
“Yeah, he’s good at that.” Sebastian picked up a paper plate and began filling it from the assortment of dishes, skipping his own offering to the spread.
Not knowing what else to do, Harrison fell in behind him.
“How are you doing with all this?” Sebastian asked.
It was instinct to deflect. “Better than Ty.”
They both looked across the room, where he’d finally sat, shoulders bowed, head bent as if he couldn’t hold it up anymore. Porter had a chair pulled up, talking to him in a low voice, one hand on his arm.
Sebastian scooped up some kind of hash brown casserole. “You think he’ll come back from this?”
“You never come back from this. Not really.” Harrison twitched his shoulders inside the jacket of his suit, wishing the thing didn’t feel like a straitjacket.
Glancing at Ty, seeing the clench of his jaw, the lines of strain fanning out from his eyes, Harrison knew exactly the kind of shit going through his buddy’s head. He’d been there. It was the reason he’d left the Army. It didn’t feel like three years. Not when so many familiar faces filled the room. Men he’d fought with, bled with. Many were still fighting the fight. In his own way, so was he. But he couldn’t do what they did. Not anymore.
Harrison trailed Sebastian across the room, nodding acknowledgments to those who greeted him, but not stopping until he reached Ty’s table. Ty went silent, straightening in his chair with a Styrofoam cup he no doubt wished held something stronger than sweet tea, as they all realized Bethany Reeves had just arrived.
Ty hadn’t spoken to her at the funeral. He hadn’t even been able to go near her. He blamed himself for Garrett’s death. Wrongly. But none of them could talk him out of that at this stage. So the three of them ranged around him, buffers between their friend and everybody else here. They shoveled in food and talked football and other stupid, civilian shit because he needed distraction and it was all they could do here. But they each tracked Bethany’s progress around the room and braced themselves when she made her way to Ty.
He didn’t bolt. Ty was no coward and his mother had raised him better than that. But Harrison knew he wanted to.
Bethany’s face was ravaged by grief as she reached out for Ty’s hand. “Ty.”
“Ma’am.”
Her expression twisted. “Don’t you ma’am me, Tyson Brooks. You were the closest thing Garrett had to a brother, and that makes you family.”
Ty’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I loved him like a brother.”
“I know you did.” She tried to smile, but tears streamed down her face. “He got out because of you. You’re a hero for that.”
Ty shoved to his feet so fast his chair tipped over, the metal clattering against the industrial tile floor as he jerked his hand from Bethany’s. In the sudden silence, his words sounded too loud. “I’m no hero.”
He walked out without another word. With apologetic looks at Bethany, Sebastian and Porter followed, no doubt to make sure he didn’t do something stupid. That left Harrison to find the right thing to say to the poor woman to smooth things over. Fuck.
He didn’t know how much Bethany knew about the details of her husband’s death. Some of the details were classified, as Ranger missions often were. There were things he didn’t know himself, but could easily fill in from experience. And he knew those things wouldn’t bring comfort to Garrett’s widow. In truth, he had no idea how to comfort those left behind. Standing beside her, looking into her stricken face, he felt all the old impotence rise up, strong enough to choke him.
Harrison didn’t know what he said to Bethany. His head was too full of the visits he’d had to make to the significant others of his own men. But he said something, taking a moment to squeeze her hand because even he could tell she needed human connection. The grasp of her cold, clammy fingers sent him back, until his head echoed with tears and recriminations. Needing to get the hell out, he made his excuses and all but ran for the exit.
Outside the fellowship hall, he braced his hands against the trunk of a car and sucked in big, cleansing lungfuls of the cold, winter air. It was so cold it hurt, colder than it should be in north Georgia this time of year. But the pain was good. The pain brought him back to the now.
“Hey.”
Harrison straightened and turned to Porter. “Where’s Ty?”
“Sebastian took him home. He’s gonna stick around a while, keep an eye on him.”
“Good.” Ty didn’t need to be left alone right now. He had a long, dark road ahead.
Porter angled his head, studying Harrison with eyes that saw too much. “You’re not looking so great.”
Because it was Porter, because he’d see through the bullshit, Harrison admitted the truth. “I need to get the hell out of here.”
“I’ve got a cabin nobody’s using. It’s a chunk out from town, away from everything and everybody. It’s yours if you want it. Peace and quiet and a chance to get your head screwed on straight. And Eden’s Ridge is closer than you driving all the way home.”
The whole idea of being in the middle of nowhere in the mountains of Tennessee, away from people and pressures, where he could think was beyond appealing. He had some decisions to make. It would be easier to make them without all the reminders of the past.
“Lead the way.”
Get your copy of Baby It’s Cold Outside today!
Other Books By Kait Nolan
A complete and up-to-date list of all my books can be found at https://kaitnolan.com.
The Misfit Inn Series
Small Town Family Romance
When You Got A Good Thing (Kennedy and Xander)
Til There Was You (Misty and Denver)
Those Sweet Words (Pru and Flynn)
Stay A Little Longer (Athena and Logan)
Bring It On Home (Maggie and Porter)
Rescue My Heart Series
Small Town Military Romance
Baby It’s Cold Outside (Ivy and Harrison)
What I Like About You (Laurel and Sebastian)
Bad Case of Loving You (Paisley and Ty prequel)
Made For Loving You (Paisley and Ty)
Men of The Misfit Inn
Small Town Southern Romance
Let It Be Me (Emerson and Caleb)
Our Kind of Love (Abbey and Kyle)
Don’t You Wanna Stay (Deanna and Wyatt)
Wishful Series
Small Town Southern Romance
Once Upon A Coffee (Avery and Dillon)
To Get Me To You (Cam and Norah)
Know Me Well (Liam and Riley)
Be Careful, It’s My Heart (Brody and Tyler)
Just For This Moment (Myles and Piper)
Wish I Might (Reed and Cecily)
Turn My World Around (Tucker and Corinne)
Dance Me A Dream (Jace and Tara)
See You Again (Trey and Sandy)
The Christmas Fountain (Chad and Mary Alice)
You Were Meant For Me (Mitch and Tess)
A Lot Like Christmas (Ryan and Hannah)
Dancing Away With My Heart (Zach and Lexi)
Wishing For a Hero Series (A Wishful Spinoff Series)
Small Town Romantic Suspense
Make You Feel My Love (Judd and Autumn)
Watch Over Me (Nash and Rowan)
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Ethan and Miranda)
Burn For You (Sean and Delaney)
Meet Cute Romance
Small Town Short Romance
Once Upon A Snow Day
Once Upon A New Year’s Eve
Once Upon An Heirloom
Once Upon A Coffee
Once Upon A Campfire
Once Upon A Rescue
Summer Camp
Contemporary Romance
Once Upon A Campfire
Second Chance Summer
About Kait
Kait is a Mississippi native, who often swears like a sailor, calls everyone sugar, honey, or darlin', and can wield a bless your heart like a saber or a Snuggie, depending on requirements.
You can find more information on this RITA ® Award-winning author and her books on her website http://kaitnolan.com.
Do you need more small town sass and spark? Sign up for her newsletter to hear about new releases, book deals, and exclusive content!
