Next Door Knight

by Nicole Flockton

  “Twenty bucks says you can get her tonight, Jed,” one of the guys from the table remarked loud enough for her to hear.

  Her back straightened and Caleb tensed. Anything might happen.

  The waitress glanced over her shoulder and a look of disdain crossed her features. “Baby, you’ve got no chance. And say something like that again and y’all will be out on your asses so quick you won’t know what hit you.”

  The guys looked like they were going to object, but Caleb sent them his don’t fuck with me look and they settled back down. The look probably wasn’t necessary; in his peripheral vision he’d noted the bartender and a couple of guys seated at the bar had been watching the scene unfold too.

  “What you staring at, old man?” one of the guys sneered at him.

  Caleb knew better than to engage. He’d come here to get away from his thoughts. Getting into a bar fight wasn’t on his horizon. “Minding my own business.”

  “Keep it that way.”

  His beer was plonked down on the scratched wood in front of him. “Don’t mind them. If they get too out of control, Troy and company will handle them.”

  “Believe me, I have no intention of getting involved.”

  The rest of the evening passed by without incident. Whether it was because of what the waitress said or because of him watching the rowdy group most of the night, Caleb didn’t know. What he did know was that it had felt good to be back in protective mode again. While it might have just been a bar, it reminded him of all the good he’d done in the air force.

  Decision time was looming. A final hearing by the medical board on his injury was due soon. He’d completed his required rehab a couple of months ago and now he was waiting to find out if he could stay in the air force in a new position or be medically discharged with full benefits. He was still young at almost thirty-eight. Sitting behind a desk pushing papers had never been his idea of a great job. Being in the air force was all he’d ever known. He hadn’t been a brainiac at school. He’d done enough to get by, which was why joining the military would guarantee him a job and a regular paycheck. Serving his country was a bonus he hadn’t expected to hit him deep in the heart.

  But he had expected to be an airman for life. Now the decision might be taken out of his hands.

  As he pulled into his driveway, he glanced at Kerry’s house. Darkness shrouded the structure and a sense of disappointment filled him.

  What had he been hoping? That she’d be waiting on her front porch for him to return? He shook his head as he got out of the car. Now that was a crazy thought.

  He was at a crossroads in his life. The career he loved was in tatters and the idea of being stuck in a role he didn’t love appealed about as much as a wet blanket on a cold day. Getting involved with a woman right now wasn’t conducive to anything.

  He had to find something else he could be passionate about. The problem was, he had no idea what that would be.

  Chapter Six

  The humidity hit Kerry the second she opened her front door. Wasn’t it supposed to be fall? Yeah, fall in Texas was one day in November, maybe a week at the most. Winter was another blink-and-miss-it season as well.

  Clipping the leash on Willow’s collar, she skipped down the path and headed for the sidewalk. A brisk walk was what she needed to clear her thoughts. Sleep had been as elusive as that Texas winter. Every time she had closed her eyes, she saw Caleb’s face. The slight uptick of his mouth in the sexy, teasing way. The way the corners of his eyes had crinkled as he talked to her. She’d even put the cake back in the fridge. The thought of eating it hadn’t appealed as much as it had earlier.

  She would make sure to keep her interaction with Caleb today to a minimum. Business, strictly business, was how she had to think about their relationship. She couldn’t let herself think about it being more. After having her life uprooted in a way she’d never thought possible, getting involved with a complex man like Caleb was the last thing she needed or wanted.

  Today she had a full day at work, before the cards tournament at the veterans’ center this evening. She’d be taking Willow because memories of playing cards while on deployment could be a powerful reminder of what the men had been through. PTSD came in all different shapes and forms, and the unlikeliest of things could set off an attack.

  It broke Kerry’s heart when these strong people crumpled in front of her. They’d sacrificed so much for her and her country. Training Willow to be a therapy dog, specifically to work with veterans, was her way of giving back.

  It wasn’t as if she had any family members who’d served in the various forces. But that didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate all they’d given up and lost over their time in the military.

  Willow pulled on her leash, jarring Kerry from her thoughts.

  “Stop.” Willow obeyed immediately. Her dog never pulled on the lead. Even as a puppy, the dog had always trotted beside Kerry, never attempting to dart away. “You don’t pull, Willow, and you know that.”

  Her dog let out a little bark and her tail wagged. Kerry looked across the street and saw a tall man walking, a slight limp marring his stride. Her breath caught in her throat.

  Caleb.

  He was wearing a tank top that clung to his torso. The jogging shorts accentuated the long length of his legs. From where she stood, it appeared that his hair was plastered to his head, as if he’d been running.

  Willow barked loudly, and because Kerry’s attention was fixed on him, she caught the way his head turned quickly in her direction before looking forward. His stride faltered and he clenched his fist.

  She still didn’t understand why he was so averse to dogs.

  She opened her mouth to call out a greeting, but Caleb lowered his head in avoidance and continued on his way.

  Well, that was rude. It wasn’t like that they were complete strangers.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever understand him. And why should I?” she asked Willow.

  Her dog yipped, but it wasn’t a helpful answer to her theoretical question. “Let’s go, Will. I’ve got a busy day, and I don’t need to be worried about my surly neighbor. And you need to leave him alone today, do you understand?”

  She was standing in the middle of the sidewalk talking to her dog. Who did that? She did, apparently.

  The rest of the walk passed without incident, but for half a heartbeat she paused at Caleb’s house. Should she ask him why he ignored her on the street or let it pass?

  In the end, she walked back to her place. There was no point in arguing with him. She needed his help for a few more days. Then they could get on with their own lives and never have anything to do with each other ever again.

  *

  “I’m glad you decided to come out tonight, Dad. I think it will do you good.” Kerry wheeled her father up the ramp to the front door of the veterans’ center, Willow sat on her dad’s lap looking like the Queen of England. Eric had called earlier, inviting Dad to join game night. Apparently, his daughter Isabella and her fiancé Ethan were thinking of going, but he warned it may not happen if Isabella felt too tired.

  Kerry was intrigued at maybe meeting the man who could’ve been her neighbor. Was he similar to Caleb? The strong, quiet type who kept to himself and buried any hurts deep inside? Would he, if she asked, tell her about Caleb?

  Stop it.

  The little voice in her head practically yelled the words at her. She’d been warring all day with that voice. Even though she’d tried to convince herself that once her dad was better she’d have nothing to do with Caleb, it was a lie. He was her neighbor; she couldn’t avoid him forever, not after he’d gone out of his way to provide her with help when he didn’t have to.

  “I’m looking forward to it, too. It’s going to fun. Although I don’t feel like I should be here, seeing as I’m not a veteran and all.”

  “Had you ever considered going into the military?” she asked as the double glass doors whispered open and she rolled them over the threshold.

&nbs
p; “No, I didn’t. I knew plenty of guys from my high school class who enlisted. Not all of them made it through basic training. I knew my limitations. If I’d joined, I’d have been one of the ones quitting after the first day.” He reached up and patted her hand curled around the plastic handle. “My skills were better off in building things. Besides, if I’d joined the military, I’d never have met your mom.”

  Kerry smiled as they continued in. Her parents met when Dad had been fixing the front porch railing on her mom’s parents’ house. Her mom adamantly denied that she’d deliberately tripped over a nonexistent raised plank so her father would catch her and sweep her up in his arms. Deep down, Kerry knew her mom had done just what her father said she’d done. Theirs had been a great romance, from the day they laid eyes on each other to the day her mother’s last breath left her body.

  A sigh rippled through her. She wanted that for herself. Mistakenly, she’d thought she’d had it with Winthorn Hartigan the third. He’d swept her off her feet, put her on a pedestal, too. The difference? Dad was quite happy for Mom to do her own thing, and he supported her. Winthorn had started off that way, but little by little, he’d changed the dynamics and Kerry had been so blind she hadn’t seen how he’d manipulated her until she was molded into what he wanted and had become a yes person. The type of person she never imagined she could be.

  Being dumped and called a usurper and leech had been a shock, and so very devastating.

  She’d been at the lowest point she’d ever been in her life when he kicked her out.

  Raucous laughter pulled her from the dark hole she had been tumbling into. That part of her life was over. She’d clawed her way back to being the independent woman she was. She had a house. A good job. A wonderful companion in Willow and a parent who loved her unconditionally.

  What more could she want?

  “Ron, you didn’t tell me you were coming tonight.”

  Her head shot up, almost giving herself whiplash. “Caleb?” She gasped. What was he doing here? Hadn’t Eric told her he always turned down the man’s invitations?

  What the hell was going on?

  Willow took the initiative to jump off Dad’s lap and waggle over to Caleb, where she butted up against his leg until he leaned down and scratched her head. How dare he ignore her on the street and now act like everything was normal?

  “So, she’s good enough to acknowledge now, is she?” she snapped at him as she took the two steps needed to get in his personal space. “What’s so different about now than this morning when she barked a hello to you?”

  When he went to open his mouth, she held up her hand. “I don’t want to hear your lame excuses.”

  Kerry bent and scooped up her dog, holding her close to her chest. Willow licked her face and snuggled her head against her shoulder. Kerry closed her eyes and let out the deep breath.

  “Well, this is a bit awkward, isn’t it?” Dad commented behind her.

  Damn, she’d made a scene and making scenes so wasn’t what she did. Not to mention being rude to him. She should apologize for her reaction, even if it had felt good to let off a little steam. Stubbornness kept the apology lodged in her throat. Caleb was a mass of contradictions she didn’t understand, but on some level, she wanted to unravel everything that made him the way he was. God, she didn’t have time for these thoughts when her focus was on being reliant on no one but herself.

  “Bad day,” she muttered, which was a little white lie, but she had no desire to explain her outburst to anyone.

  “I can relate. I should apologize for this morning. I have no excuse for the way I acted. I’m sorry, Kerry.”

  The last thing she expected was an apology from him. Again, another example of his contradictory behavior. She couldn’t deny it was nice to receive an apology just the same.

  “Thank you.” She lowered Willow back on her dad’s lap. “Shall we go in?”

  Caleb nodded and set off down the short hallway toward the game room. Her dad placed his hand over hers.

  “I’m not sure what’s going on with you two, but Caleb has been really helpful. Remember that.”

  “I know, Dad. I just, well, he ignored us on the street this morning and that hurt, considering the time you two have spent together.”

  “There’s a lot of pain inside of him. He thinks he hides it from me, but I’ve seen the way he retreats inside of himself. That’s when Willow goes over to him. Every single time. And it’s in those moments that he automatically reaches out and rests his hand on her. Pats her, and I see the tension ease in his muscles. I don’t think he even realizes he’s doing it, because when he comes back to himself, he snatches his hand away and gets up to put distance between them.”

  “How come you’ve never told me this?”

  “Because I didn’t think it was relevant.”

  “And now you do?”

  “Yes.”

  Her father was being mysterious and she wasn’t sure she liked it. “Why?”

  “Because it might help you understand him a little better.”

  “Stop right there, Dad. Don’t go getting ideas.”

  Dad was well aware of what happened between her and Winthorn. At the time, Dad had been all fired up to get up in her former boyfriend’s face. Her parents’ support, even with Mom in the last stage of her life, had been wonderful. But part of Kerry still wondered if her mom died disappointed that Kerry and Winthorn hadn’t walked down the aisle. She thanked her lucky stars that Winthorn had dumped her. Free from him, she was now aware of how she’d let him take over all aspects of her life. Of how she’d fallen into an abusive relationship and hadn’t even known it at the time.

  She was never going to let that happen again.

  Caleb was way too complicated and, even though she didn’t know the full story, he had a truckload of baggage she wasn’t ready to take on.

  “I’m not getting any ideas, sweetie, but you’re too young to be always alone.”

  “I like my own company, Dad and, currently, I’m not alone. I have you and Willow.” She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. They’d come for game night, not for deep and meaningful conversations. Time to get back to the purpose of their evening. “Come on, let’s go in. I’m ready to let Willow do her thing and partake in a little bit of gaming myself.”

  Not waiting for an answer, Kerry headed in the direction Caleb had gone. So what if seeing him tonight had been unexpected? It would be quite easy for her to avoid him if she wanted to.

  And tonight, she planned to.

  Chapter Seven

  Kerry’s laughter wasn’t loud, considering the voices in the room were a hundred decibels over normal conversation levels, but Caleb heard it all the same. He’d been aware of her the second she’d walked into the room with her dad. Every table she went to, he knew it. He was also very conscious of the fact she was avoiding him. Ron had been playing poker with him most of the evening. The second Caleb sat himself down at the last seat available at their table, Kerry had excused herself. Willow, on the other hand, had made numerous visits back to his side.

  The dog was amazing. Ron had told him about her being a therapy dog, and it wasn’t the first time Caleb had heard of them, but he’d never seen one in action. So this was why she always approached him when he drifted off to dark places on those evenings with Ron.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t pet her this evening. It would be too obvious to the watchful eyes of the people in the room.

  “Do you plan on playing this round or are you going to stay where you are with the fairies?”

  Caleb raised his eyes to find Eric and Ron as well as the two other occupants of the table watching him, speculation rife in their eyes.

  He looked down at the cards in his hand. He supposed he had a reasonable chance of winning this round, but his heart just wasn’t in it.

  A flash of blue exiting the side door caught his attention, and he tossed his cards on the table. “Nah, I’m out.” He pushed his chair back. “I’m going to get s
ome air.”

  Lame excuse and so transparent he wasn’t surprised the men at the table didn’t laugh at him. He caught Ron’s narrowed gaze and gave the man a slight nod. The message was clear in his eyes. Tread carefully, and if he did anything to hurt his daughter, Caleb would deal with his wrath.

  Caleb weaved his way through the tables, willing this compulsion to follow Kerry to go away. He even attempted to swerve in a different direction, but a few moments later he found himself standing by the door she’d exited through.

  Fighting the inevitable was ridiculous. He’d known the second he’d seen her standing in the hallway that he would seek her out sometime during the night. He’d battled and won the urge not to cross the street this morning and speak to her—fighting it twice in one day was impossible. Deep down, he knew he should stay away from her and her dog. The last thing she needed was him dulling the aura of beauty that surrounded her with his demons and doubts. Yet, she also represented hope. Hope there was still light and laughter in the world.

  A familiar brush against his pants eased the tension. Willow’s little doggie face stared up at him with concern. He’d been able to read Trigger like a book. When Trigger’s tongue lolled to the side of his open mouth, Caleb had known his partner was happy. Dogs had personalities, and the little one at his feet had been working her magic on many people in the room tonight. Why wouldn’t she want to work her magic on him?

  Why did he keep fighting it?

  He reached down and scratched her behind the ears, an action he’d seen a lot of men in the room do that evening. “I’m okay, Willow. Go help someone who really needs it. I’m going to find Kerry.”

  Her head cocked to the side the second he mentioned her owner’s name. Giving his leg another nudge, as if to say, Kerry? You’re going to see Kerry? Okay then. With another pat to her head, Caleb straightened and gripped the door handle, waiting until Willow trotted away, her little corgi butt swishing from side to side. Lightness filled him; she really did have a self-confident attitude.