Next Door Knight

by Nicole Flockton

  *

  It was close to five by the time she arrived at Winthorn’s office, and she hoped he hadn’t decided to leave early. He hadn’t usually when they were together, but who knew now?

  She rushed through the door and practically slammed into the reception desk. “Hi, I want to see Winthorn, please.” She huffed the words, but they sounded strong.

  And please don’t give me a hard time. I just want this meeting over and done with.

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No, but I know he’ll want to see me. Tell him Kerry Williams is here.”

  “Mr. Hartigan is a very busy man; he doesn’t have time to see people who just drop in unannounced.”

  Her snooty voice was annoying, and Kerry cast her eyes to the ceiling and counted to ten. Once she felt she had herself under some sort of control, she pasted a smile on her face. “Look, I know just how busy Winthorn can be. I lived with him for quite a number of years. I also know that he won’t have any appointments this close to five. So please inform Mr. Hartigan the third that Kerry Williams is here to see him. Thank you.”

  The woman eyed her for a few seconds before picking up the phone and speaking quietly into it.

  “Mr. Hartigan said he’d see you. If you’d like to go to the conference room, he’ll meet you there. It’s the second door on the right down that hallway.” She pointed as she spoke.

  Kerry had no doubt if it were anyone else to see Winthorn, they’d be escorted to the room and not have to make their own way.

  “Thank you.” She tightened her grip on her purse, paranoid that somehow the letter from the solicitor would disappear. She made her way to where she’d been directed and stepped into the large space. Walking over to the window, she gazed out into the streetscape below. People were bustling along the sidewalk, heading for their cars or maybe to a bar to meet friends for after-work drinks. It may be a Wednesday night and hump day, but she knew, from the patronage at the restaurant, people began the count down to the weekend.

  The door slammed and she jumped, whirling around to see her ex standing, arms crossed and a thunderous look on his face.

  “What do you want, Kerry? Come to finish what your lackey started earlier?” He practically spat out the word.

  She’d never thought her ex would hurt her, but she took a step back now and her right hip connected with the credenza against the wall.

  “I-I’ve c-come.” She stopped and pushed away her fear. She was stronger than this. If he laid a finger on her, she’d press charges. Once it got out that one of Dallas’s elites had hit a woman, the press would be all over him. She’d then bring up everything he’d done to her. Raking his name through the mud would give her a lot of pleasure.

  She stepped away from where she cowered and lifted her chin. “I’ve come to give you a letter from my solicitor. The letter states that you have no right to demand any sort of payment from me. Under Texas law, we weren’t ever married, simply roommates with the odd benefit.”

  “You’re feeling brave now that your boyfriend came to see me, are you?” he sneered, completely ignoring her claim.

  But his words made no sense. She didn’t have a boyfriend. Well, she supposed she had a lover, but she and Caleb hadn’t discussed their relationship status. And she was certain Caleb wouldn’t come and see Winthorn, not without telling her.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. All I’m here for is to give you this cease-and-desist letter and leave.”

  “Does the name Caleb Bradshaw ring a bell?”

  Kerry couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping. Caleb had been here to see him? No, she didn’t believe Winthorn. But what choice did she have? No way could the jerk have pulled Caleb’s name out of thin air.

  Her simmering anger welled up inside of her, threatening to spew in the direction of both Winthorn and Caleb.

  Why did the men she fell in love with think she was incapable of running her own life?

  Granted, she’d been young and stupid and had let Winthorn take over. Caleb, though, after how he’d said last night that she was brave and strong, how could he go behind her back and warn off Winthorn?

  “I see that the name does. His words don’t mean anything to me, but give me the letter from your solicitor.” He held his hand out, fluttering his fingers in annoyance.

  Opening her purse, she pulled out the letter, gripping it in her hand. “Before I hand this over to you, I want you to understand one thing, Winthorn.”

  “What’s that?”

  She waved the letter. “My solicitor looked over your letter. Listened to everything I had to say. His opinion is attached. You have no leg to stand on, and the fact you expect me to pay you back when I never asked for anything is ridiculous.” He opened his mouth to say something but she didn’t give him a chance. “I never wanted you for your money. If you recall, I wanted to get a job, but you didn’t want me to. You wanted to control every aspect of my life. You used emotional abuse to keep me by your side.

  “Well, I’m telling you now, you have no control over me anymore. And you are not going to get your grubby little hands on anything of mine. The day you kicked me out was the best day of my life. If you ever try to come after me again, I will make sure everyone knows just what a controlling asshole you truly are.” She tossed the letter on the table, ignoring his still outstretched hand. “Goodbye, Winthorn. I never want to see you again.”

  She stormed past him and didn’t pause until she was half a block away from his building. Only then did she stop and wrap her arms around her middle. Her breath sawed in and out, and her heart beat out of her chest.

  She’d done it. She’d stood up to Winthorn and it felt amazing. She had no idea if he would try to come after her again, but she suspected he wouldn’t. This had been a test to see if she’d crawl back to him. If she’d still be that yes girl he’d known. Well, now he knew. She wasn’t, and if he did try anything again, well, she’d be more than willing to play dirty.

  Now that the adrenaline of facing her slimy ex had settled down, part of the encounter came back to her.

  Caleb had gone to see Winthorn.

  He’d gone behind her back, believing she was incapable of handling the situation, even though she told him she had it all under control.

  Just when she was beginning to trust him, he’d betrayed her by taking command of her life. Well, she wasn’t going to stand for it. She wasn’t going to fall into the trap of having a man take over her life. She couldn’t trust Caleb now. Couldn’t trust that this wasn’t the start of the long walk down the road she’d sworn she’d never travel again.

  To save herself, she had to walk away now.

  Her heart might break in the process, but she’d survive. She’d come back from being broken once, and she could do it again.

  Only this time the hurt cut deeper.

  Chapter Twenty

  Caleb paced his living room, stopping every now and then to gaze out the front window to see if Kerry’s car was in her driveway.

  After returning from his meeting with Winthorn, he’d gone down to the local gym where he worked off his anger. He was doing his bench presses when it hit him. He’d done exactly what the asshole had done to Kerry for most of their relationship—taken over. He’d taken a liberty he had no right to take by visiting Kerry’s loser ex.

  The Kerry he was familiar with was more than capable of dealing with whatever her ex was doing to her. He should’ve left it alone and just been there as a support for her.

  A loud pounding echoed through the house—his time had run out. He only hoped that if he apologized enough, she’d forgive him and give him a second chance.

  That was the only option he was allowing himself to think about. Any other option, such as she said she wanted nothing to do with him, he didn’t want to contemplate.

  “Open the door, Caleb Bradshaw. I know you’re in there.”

  Yep, he’d fucked it up badly.

  Never one to back down from a fight—hell
, as an airman he had no choice but to face untenable situations—he’d face this one head-on. Just because he planned to retire didn’t mean he’d lost any of the strength and resolve that had been drummed into him during the last twenty years.

  He opened the door and she marched right in. In another circumstance, he might have smiled at her bravado. But this was not the time for smiling.

  She stood silhouetted by the living room window, still wearing her smart black trousers and white blouse. Her hair was out of the ponytail she’d put it in for work and it looked knotted, as if she’d been winding it around her fingers.

  He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her while he said sorry over and over. Her back was ramrod straight; any attempt by him to touch her would be slapped away.

  As if sensing his presence, she whirled around, hurt and betrayal shining brightly in her eyes. Not the emotions he wanted to elicit from her.

  “Before you say anything, please let me apologize. I’m so sorry, Kerry, I fucked up badly. I interfered when I shouldn’t have. Can you forgive me?”

  She wrapped her arms around her belly, holding in the pain, and hope died a little. “No, Caleb, I can’t. You crossed a line, and that’s unforgiveable to me.”

  The rest of his hope blew up in flames, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. He’d thought losing Trigger was hard, but knowing he’d lost the only woman he’d ever loved devastated him, crushing his heart in way not even the visit from the police on the night of his father’s death had done.

  But he wouldn’t give up. Not now. Not when he’d found the person who made him whole.

  “Are you sure? Is there nothing I can say that will make you change your mind?”

  She shook her head. “Do you know what you did to me by going to see Winthorn?”

  Yes, he knew, but he couldn’t form the right words to say it.

  “Caleb, you treated me exactly like Winthorn did throughout our entire relationship. You took control of the situation because you believed I couldn’t. You believed I was too weak to be able to deal with his threat. He wasn’t coming after you; he was coming after me. It wasn’t your problem to take on. And by doing so, I don’t think I can ever trust you again.

  “Once I clawed my way back from the lowest point of my life, I vowed that I would never let a man control any aspect of my life ever again. And I thought you understood that. I thought you saw me for the person I’ve become. You even said the words. You said I was strong and independent. But they were just platitudes. Deep down, you think I’m weak.”

  “No,” he burst out. He closed the distance between them. The need to touch her was strong, but he shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “I never thought that of you. You are strong and independent. It’s what I love about you.”

  “Stop it. Don’t say that word to me. You can’t love me if you acted the way you did. That’s not love, Caleb. That’s control. And I’ve had it once in my life. I’m not having it again.” She stepped away from him, and his heart shattered until there was nothing left but a small pile of fragments he didn’t believe would ever be whole again. He watched helplessly as she walked away from him.

  He followed her into the hallway but stopped a few feet from where she stood by his front door. Did she stop because she’d changed her mind? No, that was wishful thinking on his part. Her spine was straighter than his had ever been during a parade. Her resolve to leave hadn’t wavered, and even though she was ripping him to shreds, the way she was standing up for herself right now only deepened his love for her.

  She looked him in the eye, tears shimmering from hers in the golden light from the chandelier. “I’d appreciate it if you would fix the fence so Willow can’t come into your yard. I think it would be best if we cut all ties.” She gripped the door handle. “Goodbye, Caleb.”

  This wasn’t goodbye. Yes, he’d fucked up hugely, but he wanted Kerry and Willow in his life for forever.

  And he was going to make it happen.

  *

  Don’t look over. Don’t look over.

  Willow pulled at her lead, trying to get her to change direction to head next door and not into her car.

  It had been three long weeks since she’d walked out of Caleb’s house. Three weeks where her emotions had ranged from anger to sadness. And underneath it all, one emotion never changed and that was the love she felt for Caleb.

  What she had gone through emotionally when Winthorn had kicked her out with nowhere to go was nothing compared to the void that kept her company now. Dad was constantly on her back, telling her to go over and talk to Caleb, that the basis of a good relationship was communication and the second people stopped talking everything fell apart.

  In her heart, she knew her dad was right, but her logic was cautioning her to protect herself. If Caleb could take over once, he could take over her life again. All the little things built up until there was a mountain and she was stuck at the bottom, struggling to climb up when she should be waving her achievement flag at the summit.

  Trust was another major factor in a relationship. If there wasn’t trust, what hope was there?

  Willow barked and Kerry looked up, her gaze connecting with Caleb’s.

  Damn the man. He looked sexy in his tight, white T-shirt and blue jeans. The sun hit his brown hair at just the right angle, highlighting the golden strands in it. He’d had it cut some time in the last three weeks. If she thought he looked sexy with long, shaggy hair, he looked even hotter with a short back and sides cut. From the distance between them, she couldn’t make out the look in his eyes, but she imagined it was warm and enticing like before he kissed her.

  Willow tugged hard on her lead and Kerry took a step forward, but then her mind overruled her heart and she stopped. Instead, she nodded at him and turned her back, walking to her car as quickly as she could, ignoring Willow’s bark and continual pulling on the lead.

  Once she settled Willow and herself, she gripped the steering wheel and let out a long, cleansing breath. A glance in her rearview mirror showed an empty space—Caleb had left, and the realization hurt more than she ever thought it could.

  Kerry laid her head on her hands. She counted to five, and once she felt in control again, lifted her head, rolled her shoulders, and looked in the rearview mirror. “Oh, Willow, what am I going to do?”

  The dog remained silent but had a reproachful look in her eyes.

  *

  Three hours later, Kerry opened the door to the veteran’s center and released Willow from her lead. As her pet trotted down the hallway, her furry butt swaying sassily from side to side, a bit of peace entered Kerry’s soul.

  She liked coming to the center. Liked knowing every time she and Willow visited, they brightened someone’s day and chased the shadows away from their soul.

  George had mentioned that today the organization she’d done her training through was visiting. She was looking forward to seeing Bill again.

  The buzz from the main room seemed a little louder and… wait? Was that Willow barking excitedly? Oh no, that couldn’t be good. Willow was meant to be a calming influence, not an excitable one, and it was so out of character for her to act this way.

  Kerry hurried into the room, not looking where she was going, and slammed right into a hard body holding something furry.

  She breathed deeply in an attempt to get herself under control and was assailed by a very familiar citrus scent.

  “Caleb?” she asked as she looked up into dreamy chocolate eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  He didn’t say anything but put Willow on the ground, patted her head, and then grabbed Kerry’s hand.

  She had no choice but to follow him out of the room.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, finally finding her voice. She started to tug her hand away but stopped. It was so good to have skin on skin contact with him. Her body warmed, and she hadn’t even realized she’d been cold.

  Caleb strode through the hall with purpose until he ushered them into Geo
rge’s office. “Why are we here?” she asked. “I need to go back out there. Check on Willow.”

  He still had hold of her hand and brought it up to his lips. “I’m sorry, Kerry, so sorry for what I did.”

  Her heart screamed at her to jump into his arms and kiss his face all over, while yelling, It’s okay. I forgive you. I love you.

  Dammit, the last bit of her thought was true. She did love Caleb. Hadn’t stopped in the time they’d been apart.

  But there was still the problem of trust. He had to show her an awful lot to convince her that he would take her trust and look after it.

  Kerry pulled her hands away, missing their connection straightaway. “You said that to me three weeks ago, too. I believe you are sorry, Caleb, and I want to forgive you, but I’m not sure I can.”

  His shoulders slumped for a second before he straightened them again. Determination flared in his eyes and she found herself moving toward him, not away. “I know what I did was the worst possible thing I could’ve done. I treated you in a way you didn’t deserve to be treated.”

  She couldn’t deny his sincerity, but sincerity wasn’t a guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. “As I said, I don’t doubt that you’re sorry. What I want to know is why. Why did you do it? Did you think I couldn’t handle Winthorn?”

  “No.” The word burst out of him. “I never doubted for a minute that you could handle him. You walked away and put your life back together. You are a strong woman.”

  “You’re right. I am, so why did you interfere?”

  Her heart dipped. He appeared to be struggling to form a reasonable explanation. Was he coming up with a lie to give her?

  She turned her back and gazed, unseeing, at George’s desk. She should walk out, but she was mourning the fact that being strong didn’t mean she couldn’t be hurt.

  *

  I’m fucking this up.

  The words twisted through his mind like a roller coaster. Everything he was saying was coming out wrong. It sounded smart in his head, but when he said it out loud, it came out the opposite of what he wanted.