by Ciana Stone
"I do. How's that boy of yours?"
Deacon smiled. "I never thought I'd have another child and I swear sometimes I feel thirty years younger. Others, like today, after he was up every two hours, I feel a hundred."
"All part of it. I'm happy for you and Mica."
"Thank you. Your time's coming soon."
"Yeah, strange isn't it. You're going to have a son, a nephew and a grandchild who are the same age."
"Yeah, who would've thought. And about Trina's reaction to Reese. Etta says that Trina's getting signals she doesn't understand, and now I get it. Reese is, from what you've said, as far from normal as you can get – at least intellectually. And she's secretive. That's what Trina's vibing in on, and it's making her mistrustful."
"I know. I get it, but she needs to back down, and I don't seem to be able to get through to her on that. Maybe you can."
"I can try."
"Thanks."
"Does Molly know? About Reese?"
"She does. She and Mercy."
"And?"
"She's fine with it. Mercy loves Reese and has given her stamp of approval, and you know Molly trusts Mercy without reservation."
"I do. And I'm glad. It's good to see you happy."
"It's good to be happy."
"So, what do you think about Reese and Mathias?"
Wiley shrugged. "That's between them. Have you heard from him?"
"This morning. He said he and Riggs were back from Mexico and he'd be back on base tomorrow."
"Mexico? What do you think was going on there?"
"Something about Riggs' little sister getting into a scrape with someone and ending up in a bit of a mess."
"So, Riggs and Mathias to the rescue. Yeah, I can see that."
Deacon chuckled. "They do make a pair, don't they? The cowboy and the Indian."
Wiley laughed. "Indeed. Okay, let's head back, and I'll get out of your hair."
They talked about inconsequential things on the return walk. It wasn't until they reached the parking lot that the conversation turned serious. "You don't think any of the people interested in Reese's work would do anything – unpleasant to her, do you?" Deacon asked.
"You mean to harm her? I can't see why. They want what's in her head so hurting her wouldn't benefit them at all."
"Well, that's a relief. After that incident at the stadium—well, anyway, I'm relieved. Tell Molly and Mercy hello and let's get together soon for a family meal."
"Will do and you got it. See you soon."
Wiley got into his vehicle and pulled away. Having told Deacon the truth about Reese was a relief. Now that he and Deacon had made peace, he hated keeping secrets. He also hoped Deacon would help smooth things with Trina.
As much as he loved her, she was proving to be a handful over Reese dating Mathias, and he didn't relish the idea of having to be harsh with her. But he wouldn't let her step in where she didn't belong. He meant what he said, whatever happened between Mathias and Reese was their business.
Besides, he also loved Reese and felt responsible for her, so he'd protect her however he could and not get in her way if she found a chance to be happy.
Everyone deserved that chance. Particularly someone who'd had everyone they'd ever loved taken from them.
Chapter Six
Rather than take the military transport that was offered, Reese opted to fly commercial for the trip home. Upon landing, she rented a car at the airport using an alternative identification she'd held onto and then drove past Cotton Creek and its home county to one of the counties bordering it where she rented a safe deposit box in the assumed name, with her friend Naomie listed as having rights as well. She put all her identifications, real and fake into the box, along with information about her father, her work and what she’d done for the government.
Once she finished at the bank, she drove to a car rental company, dropped off the car, called for a driver and had the car take her to Cotton Creek and drop her at the library. She was probably being paranoid, but she couldn't forget what happened at the football celebration.
Three people were shot. She'd kept up with their condition through Wiley, and with his help had anonymously paid all of their medical bills. She counted it as a blessing that n one had been killed. While Wiley wasn't convinced the shootings had anything to do with her, she feared it did.
She thought about it on the short walk to Wiley's house. Mercy answered the door when Reese knocked. "Hi, Reese. Welcome back. When did you get in?"
"Just now. I was hoping someone would give me a ride home?"
"Sure. Come on in. We were just about to have dinner. There's plenty if you're hungry."
"For your cooking? Always. Thanks, Mercy." Reese stepped in and then followed Mercy to the kitchen.
"Look who's back." Mercy announced.
"Hi, Reese," Molly greeted her as Kaylee jumped up and ran over to Reese.
Kaylee jumped up and Reece caught her in a hug. "Hey, Shorty,"
"Will you eat with us?" Kaylee asked. "You can sit beside me."
"I'd love to, thank you." Reese carried Kaylee to the table and set her down beside her chair then took a seat.
"Welcome back," Wiley said. "How was your trip?"
"Busy, productive."
"And?"
She looked around the table, and Molly smiled. "He filled us in. On everything."
"Okay, good. In that case, I did it."
"You did it?" She could tell Wiley was surprised.
"I did."
"Where is it?"
"Somewhere safe. I didn't think it was wise to bring it with me."
Molly looked at Kaylee and then at Wiley. "Maybe we can talk business later?"
"Good idea," Wiley agreed.
They chatted about the weather, the progress of the building and about the upcoming Founder's Day Festival. As they finished eating, Reese looked over at Kaylee, who'd been quite patient, listening to the adults.
"Why don't you tell me about your butterfly garden?" Reese asked Kaylee. "Mercy said you were helping her with it."
"It's pretty, and we have six butterflies."
"Six? Well, that's impressive. Do you know what kind they are?"
"They're orange and black."
"Monarchs."
"Yes, Monarchs. They won't let me touch them."
"Butterflies are a little shy, but maybe after lunch, we could try to coax one to sit on your hand. If you want."
"I do. Is it okay, Mama?"
"It's fine," Molly said and then added. "But first, Miss Reese and Dad have some business to discuss, so why don't you help Elisi clean up?"
"Okay."
"I can help," Reese offered.
"No, you and Wiley go ahead and get caught up."
"Thank you. And thank you for lunch. It was great."
"You're family and welcome any time," Molly replied.
Reese smiled at her. "I feel the same."
"Good, now get going so you two can get done."
"Yes, ma'am." Reese got up, watched Wiley rise, kiss Molly and then motion to her.
"Let's walk over to the site while we talk."
They headed out of the back door and across the yard. "You have a prototype?" Wiley asked.
"I do."
"And?"
"I tested as best I could in a controlled setting, and the programming appears solid."
"So, you really think we can produce enough to actually pollinate a field?"
"I hope. It'll be the first test, and if it works, we can still try to stop the natural pollinators from being destroyed and move forward with the breeding farms, but we can back up nature with technology and with luck, there'll come a day when no one has to ever be hungry again."
"And then?" Wiley asked.
"Then what?"
"What will you do?"
Reese had never considered the possibility, and his question literally stopped her in her tracks. She looked at him for a long time before answering. "Learn to be normal and
have a life."
"Being normal isn't something you learn, Reese."
"Maybe it is."
"No, it's not. Normal is defined in a lot of ways. What's normal to and for me isn't to and for you. So, you can't learn what your normal is, but you can discover it."
"Then that's what I'll do."
"And will that be enough?"
"It depends." She started walking again.
"On?"
Her thoughts turned to a set of dark eyes, set into a face she dreamed of every night. "On whether normal means always being alone."
"He's back, you know."
"He who?"
"Come on, don't do that with me. Mathias. He's back. He said he tried to call."
"I left my phone here, you know that. I couldn't take a chance on being traced or located."
"Well, you might want to give him a call."
"I will. When I get home."
"I can take you now if you want."
"Don't you want to go—"
"I've got it under control."
"I promised Kaylee to sit with her in the butterfly garden."
Wiley smiled. "Fine, then use my phone." He pulled out his phone, handed it to her and then turned toward the house. "I'll tell Kaylee you'll be along in a few minutes."
"Thank you."
Reese found Mathias' number in the contacts and placed a call. "Hey, what's up?" Mathias answered.
"Sorry I missed your calls. I didn't have my phone with me."
"Yeah, okay." She could hear the disbelief in his voice.
"I won't argue, but it's the truth."
"Why wouldn't you take your phone?"
"I didn't want to be disturbed and didn't want anyone to know where I was."
"That sounds annoyingly true."
She chuckled. "So, can we start over?"
"Sure."
"Okay." She ended the call and waited. A few seconds later it rang, and she answered.
"You're home?"
"I am." He replied.
"Was your trip successful?"
"It was. Was yours?"
"Yes, it was, thanks for asking. What are you doing tonight?"
"I don't know. What are you doing?"
"Hopefully, getting a chance at a do-over on that date we keep missing."
"I think that can be arranged."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I'll pick you up at six."
"I'll be waiting."
Reese ended the call and hurried for Wiley's house, suddenly quite excited to be home again.
*****
Four hours later, Mathias pulled up in front of Reese's house. Two seconds after he got out of his truck, the front door of the house opened.
Reese walked out, and Mathias nearly missed a step. Holy hell. He'd seen his share of hot women, but she was off the charts this evening. Wanting to appreciate the view as long as possible he took his time walking to the house.
Mathias had never seen her dressed this way. Her hair was loose, spilling down her back and making him long to run his fingers through those golden tresses. Eyes more copper than brown and rimmed in dark lashes watched as he approached.
Her lips, full and inviting, twitched into a slight smile as she walked over to the rail at the top of the steps. Mathias let his gaze drift down her body, taking in the tight tank top and a denim skirt that displayed not just her shape but legs that seemed designed for the phrase "legs that went on forever." Cowboy boots completed her outfit and added a good two inches to her height.
He smiled as he thought about how she'd tower over a lot of the men bound to be present at the Honky Tonk tonight. It was a sure bet Reese would be noticed. Hell, she was hot enough to give a dying man a hard-on.
And to his delight, was looking at him like a kid eyeing the last lollipop in the container. He was honest enough with himself to admit that her look did more for his ego than anything had done in a long time.
"Hey," he said when he stopped at the foot of the steps.
"More like wow," she replied and walked down two steps, stopping on the last one before the ground, which placed her eye level with him. "Just in case you didn't know, watching you walk is almost a religious experience."
Mathias smiled. "Religious?"
"Yeah, as in oh God. I'm happy to see you, Matty."
"Same here. You look amazing."
"Aww, I bet you say that to all the girls."
"Not even close. You ready?"
"Yeah, just need to do one thing before we go."
"Ok—" the rest of the word was cut off when she looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Not soft, or chaste or gentle. Reese turned on the heat, and before he knew it, his hands had moved to her hips to pull her more firmly against him.
When the kiss ended, the tip of her tongue touched her upper lip and then she smiled. "I've been thinking about that."
"And?"
"Even better than the last time."
"Then we might have to do it again."
"Oh yes. But first, we're going to eat and drink and dance and oh, we can go Dutch because I don't eat like a girl."
Mathias laughed and took her hand. "I admire a healthy appetite. In all things."
"Then this just might be your lucky night big guy."
Might, hell. It already was.
Reese watched Mathias as he drove. What he did for a T-shirt and jeans should be illegal. She wasn't a woman given to flights of fancy, but it seemed like he'd been created just to fulfill every desire she'd ever had. From those dark, unreadable eyes that spoke of fire and mystery, to a body more perfectly sculpted than any work of art could hope to achieve.
He was, at least to her, the perfect man. At least physically. What lay beneath the surface was yet to be discovered, but she was keen on the idea of exploring this mystery in depth.
"So, you never told me, what brought you to Cotton Creek? The military training facility?"
"No, it hadn't been built yet when we arrived. My sister and I bought the Smithy in town. I'd planned on leaving the service at the time."
"Can I ask why?"
"You can, but it's too soon for me to answer."
She admired his honesty and wasn't offended. "I get it. That's fine. Can you tell me why you made the move to being part of Clear Springs Ground Training Center?"
"As it turns out, I wasn't ready to leave the SEALs but was ready to be off the active roster, so when Deacon offered me the position, I took it."
"You think very highly of him."
"I do. Now, my turn. What really made you come here?"
The way he phrased the question took her aback for a split second, then she put the pieces together. Wiley and Trina were related, and Wiley had that thing he did, reading people. Chances were, Trina had a similar ability. And Trina had acted strangely that day at the diner when she touched Reese.
Plus, Trina and Molly were friends, and while she trusted Molly to keep her secret, Molly had only discovered it recently, and Trina might have questioned Molly, and there was no telling what Molly would have said. But Trina may have said something to Mathias.
Finally, the shooting at the high school still remained a mystery, but she knew he suspected it somehow involved her.
She wasn't ready to reveal too much but could be honest, albeit in a limited fashion. "When Penelope left, Wiley and Molly needed someone, and I was tired of where I was. Plus, like I said before, this is very ambitious. A chance to work on an immense scale. I couldn't pass up the chance."
"Yeah, they're good people. Her mother, Mercy, too."
"I agree. She's an amazing person."
"I think so, too. There are a lot of good people here. The family who owns the Honky Tonk are prime examples. Billy Sweet inherited the original bar. It was in his family for generations. He's now the Mayor of Cotton Creek. His wife, Stella, owns and operates Sweet's Sweets, and his daughters, Cody and Hannah run the Honky Tonk. Everyone loves them."
Reese had never lived in a small town, so
the idea of everyone knowing everyone and everyone's business wasn't all that appealing to her. She didn't care for people to know everything about her. Wiley knew her story that was okay. Reese had trusted him with her life since she was a child and he was the closest thing to a family she'd ever known.
"So, you like this place?"
"I do." He cut her a smile. "Give it time. It'll grow on you."
"We'll see. Okay, my turn again. A smithy? What kind of metal work do you do?"
"You'll have to come over sometime and see."
"Can we stop by on the way?"
"Oh, I sold the one in town to Linc, but I put in a new one when I built a house on the lake."
"I see. Well, I'd like to see your work."
"I'll be happy to show you. Maybe one day you can teach me how to sit in a field of flowers buzzing with bees and not get stung."
"I can do that. Wow, the parking lot is already packed."
"It's the most popular place in town. And the barbecue is amazing."
"Well, I'm ready for it."
They found a place to park and headed inside. Reese took pleasure in having Matty's hand on her lower back when they entered. Heads turned, and she saw women giving him admiring and lusty looks and then sizing her up.
She smiled up at Mathias and ignored the looks of men they passed as they made their way to a free table. Rather than sit across the table, he took the chair beside her, which pleased her. She angled toward him and leaned closer to keep from having to raise her voice, and because it gave her the chance to put her hand on his thigh.
Yes, she wanted all the women present to get the message. At least for tonight, he was taken. A beautiful blonde walked over to their table. "Hey, Mathias." She handed them menus.
"Hi, Hannah. This is Reese Quinn. She's the—"
"New bug doctor that's going into business with Wiley and Molly." Hannah stuck out her hand to Reese. "I'm Hannah Weathers, co-owner, and it's nice to meet you. I think you've already met my sister, Cody and my dad?"
"A pleasure." Reese shook Hannah's hand. "And yes, I have. Really nice people. It smells amazing."
"Tastes better than it smells. What can I bring you to drink?"
"Beer?" Matthias asked Reese.
"Sounds good."
About the time Hannah returned with a pitcher of beer, Charli and Grady Judd showed up. Mathias looked around. "Looks like the place is packed. Should we ask them to join us?"
