by Jill Sanders
“She didn’t go to the hospital?” Carrie asked.
“No, she gave up on him long ago. Besides, she still has a few restraining orders out for him.”
“Right.” Carried leaned into him. “Several people dropped off some dishes for you. A few pies and brownies.” She glanced up at him.
He was brushing his hand down her hair. “Pride.” He sighed. “Always ready with the baked goods during a tragedy.” He pulled her up off the sofa. “I could use some pie.”
They sat in the kitchen, snacking and talking about what they planned to do next. With Tommy coming back into town tomorrow, Carrie thought about rearranging her schedule. She hadn’t seen Josh’s brother since he’d graduated a few years before them. Tom had joined the marines before graduation and hadn’t been back to Pride since.
“I can have the guest room fixed up for Tom, if you want?” she asked.
Josh shook his head. “He told me he’d stay at the B&B. He didn’t want to put a dent in the ‘us’ thing.” His eyes met hers. “As if Dad hadn’t already done that.”
“Hey.” She reached across the table and took his hand. “As I’ve said before, I’m still here. I knew about your father long before we started dating in school. I’ve been around here the past two years and have seen what he’s capable of. I’m not blind.”
“No, you’re not.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Is it wrong,” he said after a moment of silence, “that I want to take you right here, right now?” His eyes ran over her face and body.
She’d changed into a pink T-shirt and pink sleeping shorts. Her hair was pulled into a soft braid that fell over her shoulder. She’d pulled all of her makeup off and guessed that she looked half-asleep, since she’d fallen asleep waiting for him to come home.
Moving quickly, she pushed his empty plates to the side and straddled his hips. “No.” She kissed him, her fingers digging into his hair, holding him to her lips. “Not at all. I want you, too.” She moved her hips over his and felt his desire increase.
In a quick move, he had her back against the table. His mouth covered hers as he deepened the kiss. She wrapped her legs around him and held on as he started moving over her. His hands yanked her shorts down quickly and, before she could respond, his fingers dipped into her, forcing her shoulders to bound off the table. She cried out with pleasure as he hovered over her. When he sat back down in the chair and covered her with his mouth, she arched and held on as he pleased her.
She’d never felt anything like Josh demanding everything she had. It was intoxicating and impossible to deny him.
When she cried out with her release, he gave her a moment to recover, then he stood and slowly slid into her, holding her tight as his arms shook. She tried to wrap her legs around him, but his palms were rested on her inner thighs.
“Let me,” he growled out. “I want to watch us.” Her eyes opened, and she watched as he slowly entered her over and over again. She’d never seen anything more beautiful than him taking her like that.
His movements sped up and he pulled her closer. Wrapping her legs around him, he picked her up until they were standing. He took a few steps until her back was against the refrigerator. He continued to please her.
This time, when she cried out, he whispered in her ear, “I love you.”
Her legs slid down until her feet touched the floor. Before she had a chance to recover, he picked her up and carried her up the stairs.
He laid her on the bed gently, then crawled in beside her and pulled her close.
“Josh?” she asked after a moment.
“Hmm?”
“I love you, too.” He kissed her forehead, and she held onto him as they fell asleep.
* * *
When he met his brother at the Oar the following day around noon, he was surprised at how little Tom had changed since the last time he’d seen him. He was a man now, not a boy—the marines had seen to that—and he’d gained about ten pounds of pure muscle. But still, he was the same old Tom.
When he saw him, he shook his hand and pulled him into a hug, as if it had just been yesterday that he’d seen him instead of almost five years ago.
They sat in a back booth, ate lunch, and caught up. Carrie walked over and gave Tom a quick friendly hug but had to get back to work.
They were done eating when she finished her shift. She had changed out of her uniform into a pair of grey shorts and a red top and had pulled her hair into a loose braid. She looked amazing and he realized just how lucky he was to have her in his life for a second time.
Josh stood up and gave Carrie a quick kiss for the entire restaurant and his brother to see. They had planned to head to the hospital together after Carrie’s shift.
“How’s marine life treating you?” Carrie asked Tom as they walked out of the Oar.
“It’s been fine. But why in god’s name are you back together with this loser?” Tom elbowed him.
Carrie smiled and squeezed his hand.
“Remind me again, why are you still single?” Josh asked him instead of giving Carrie a chance to answer his brother.
“Because I can’t find a sexy redhead that will put up with me like you did,” Tom joked.
Josh opened the passenger door for Carrie and she climbed into his car.
Carrie and Tom talked about the past few years on the trip to the hospital.
When the talk finally turned towards his father, the mood shifted. He’d talked to Tom briefly yesterday, so he was filled in on the basics about the accident.
“What does Mom think?” Tom asked.
“You haven’t seen her yet?” Carrie asked.
“No, I got into town just in time to meet Josh. I was going to swing by the place and see her.” Tom shrugged.
“The last time you saw her was graduation?” Josh asked.
“Yeah.” Tom sighed. “I said some things I’m not proud of.” His eyes met his brother’s in the mirror.
“Yeah,” Josh agreed, remembering the fight. Tom had made a pretty valid point. He’d been upset that his mother was still in Pride and had stuck with their father for so long. Just before Tom graduated, she’d been thinking of getting back together with their father. It had been a temporary lapse in judgment, one where she’d ended up with a black eye and a new restraining order against him.
“Mom has changed a lot since then,” Josh said. “Give her another chance.”
“You told me she hasn’t gone to see Dad yet,” Tom said.
“No, she said she didn’t want to be the one to break the restraining order.”
“Right.” Tom sighed. They remained silent until he pulled into the parking lot. “How do we deal with the other family?” he asked.
“I’ve already arranged to pay for the funeral,” Josh answered.
“Did we know them?” Tom asked.
“No.” Josh shook his head. “They were traveling back to Portland from Disney.”
Tom sighed heavily. “What details do you have?”
“Mike Collins, father of three children, ages fourteen, eleven, and eight. He was in his late forties.” He’d memorized the man’s information. He turned the car off and leaned his head against the steering wheel. “His wife had beaten cancer last year and this was the first family trip they’d taken in years.”
He felt Carrie’s hand on his shoulder and realized he was crying again.
“What do you say to the people whose lives your father has ruined?” Tom asked.
He glanced up and met his brother’s eyes. “I cried a lot. The mother, Carolyn, was in a neck brace. The kids, a boy and two girls, were all untouched.”
“Thank god,” Tom said, and Josh nodded.
“Yeah. They’ve already left to go back home. Early this morning. Like I said, I made arrangements to pay for the funeral. They tried to talk me out of it. They wanted us to know that they didn’t blame us, but still…”
Tom reached up and rested his hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go in. We’ll deal wit
h the rest, together.”
They walked into their father’s private room, which he’d been transferred to earlier that morning. He was still handcuffed to the bed.
His father’s eyes were wide open this time and when he spotted the three of them, he smirked.
“Well, well, come to break me out?” His father’s eyes were glued to Tom.
“Hell, no,” Tom answered, walking over to the side of the bed. “I’ve come to clean up your mess.”
“Mess?” His father chuckled and rattled the handcuffs. “They’ve locked me up for no damn reason. So, I crashed my truck into a tree.” He shrugged. The bandage over his eye fell slightly and when he reached up to put it back in place, the handcuffs blocked him. Then his eyes turned to Carrie. “Tell your old man I’ll post bond. Just let me loose.”
“You’re beyond my father’s help this time,” she said softly. She reached up and took Josh’s hand.
His father noticed the move and smirked again. “So, you did shack up again. What’d I tell you, boy?”
Josh stepped forward, dropping Carrie’s hand. “Do you know what amazes me?” He didn’t give his father a chance to speak. “You actually think that any of us”—he glanced over at Tom— “would ever listen to someone like you. Carrie’s right. You’re not only behind her father’s reach, you’ve been beyond ours for years. We came today to say goodbye.” He glanced over at Tom. “To clean up your mess one last time. From here on out, you’re on your own.”
“It’s just a damn tree. I’m sure I’ll get my license back as soon as I make bail.”
“You killed someone,” Carrie said softly. Josh watched his father’s eyes narrow. “A father of three children. A man who courageously helped his wife beat cancer, only to die by being hit head-on by a man who doesn’t care about anyone other than himself.” She moved closer.
“Shut the bitch up,” his father spat. “She doesn’t know what…” He didn’t make it any farther, because Tom stepped closer and raised his fist.
The room was silent as his brother stood over their father, ready to strike. Josh nudged Carrie behind him.
“If you weren’t chained to that bed, I’d slug you.” Tom lowered his fist slowly. “I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I’d never end up like you, someone who would slug people weaker than them to show their dominance. You have no right to speak to Carrie like that. She and her people have been more of a family to us than you ever were. Besides, she’s right. You’re beyond our reach. The state has stepped in. You’re in their custody now. You won’t see a dime or an ounce of help from any of us.” Tom looked over at Josh. “Actually, this is the last time you’ll see any of us. From here on out, we’ll live as if our father died yesterday.” He started to walk out.
Josh stepped forward and got his father’s attention. “Kevin, while you rot in your jail cell, think hard and long about the choices you made in your life. When you realize—and you will someday—that no one else is to blame for your life turning out the way it did, know that the only thing you ever taught your children was how not to be like you.” He turned, took Carrie’s hand in his, and walked out of the room while his father spewed curse words and banged on the hospital bed.
Chapter 12
Carrie had never laughed with her friends as hard as she was at the moment. She, Josh, Tom, Brenda, and her parents were all crowded into a back table at the new local pizzeria, Baked. It was opening night and Carrie could tell that the place was going to be a huge hit.
The owners, twin brothers, Carter and Corey Miller, had come into Pride under a veil of secrecy. They were hardly seen outside of the old corner brick building a few doors down from Josh’s building.
The first thing the brothers had done was board up all the windows. Then they had begun work on the building all by themselves. Even Parker had been curious about what was going on in there. He’d talked to them about hiring him to help with the remodel, but the brothers had refused any help. Rumors were going around that both of them were licensed contractors in Oregon and had done most of the work themselves.
Looking around the gorgeous building now, she knew she wasn’t the only one in town who was impressed.
The brick walls had been exposed and sandblasted to make the old feel come to life. Industrial lighting hung from the ceiling, which was nothing more than cement beams. The tables were wood and steel, which added to the industrial feeling. Even the bar tops matched the theme. A long bar ran across the back where two large ovens and a massive stone wood-burning pizza oven sat.
The salad bar on the back-left wall was made out of steel and brick and had Edison bulbs hanging low to light the food up.
Carter, the darker haired of the brothers, was manning the oven while Corey, the lighter-haired brother, was taking orders. If it weren’t for the hair color differences, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart without looking at the name tags attached to their shirts.
The secrecy surrounding the brothers had almost been too much for the town of Pride to handle, which is why Riley was practically drooling over them.
Her friend had spent the last couple weeks talking about nothing else. It had even gotten on Lilly’s nerves, which was saying a lot, since Lilly was the most level headed one among them. She giggled as she watched her two friends sitting at the bar top across the way, each with a beer in hand, staring at the twin brothers as they waited for their pizza.
“You can invite your friends over to the table,” Tom said, nodding towards the pair.
Carrie laughed. “First off, I don’t think they’d come over, because they are totally macking on Carter and Corey.” She nodded to the brothers. “Second, trust me, you don’t want them to be sitting over here because all they would talk about is those two.” She smiled at Josh. “Besides, we’ve already finished our pizza.” She nodded to the three large empty pans at the table. “They just ordered.”
When Tom glanced over there again, she wondered just which of her friends he had his eye on.
“When do you have to be back?” She leaned in, scanning him. She’d never really gotten to know Josh’s brother much. He’d been older and had left just after she and Josh had started dating.
His eyes snapped back to the table. “I have to head back tomorrow.”
“Heading overseas again?” Brenda asked.
Carried had always admired Josh and Tom’s mother. The frail soft-spoken woman had always been so polite to Carrie. She wondered how the woman had survived the horrors of being married to Kevin Williams.
“Yeah. I’m thinking of re-enlisting when my time is up.” His eyes moved back to Carrie’s friends, and she saw something quick flash behind them, something she’d seen in Josh just a few nights ago—the desire to find home.
“You know,” she jumped in, “you could always come back and train with the coast guard. Or, I bet my dad would sign you on.” She shrugged when her father looked at her.
Thankfully, her father took her hint. “We have two guys retiring next year. We’re going to be hurting for deputies.”
Tom tilted his head. “I’ll think about it.”
Carrie could see the wheels turning behind his eyes and smiled. After a moment, she glanced out the front window and sighed.
“I’m thinking that things will be a whole lot quieter from here on out,” she thought out loud.
The table was silent. “I’m sorry they didn’t lock Kevin up long ago,” Brenda said. Tom reached over and took his mother’s hand while Josh did the same with her other hand.
“He’s out of our way now,” Tom said soberly.
“What happens to him now?” Carrie asked her father. She didn’t know if anyone else wanted to know, but she did. She had to be assured that there wasn’t a way Kevin Williams could do this to someone else.
“He’s being transferred tomorrow to the county jail. He may be eligible for bail until his trial. I doubt it, since someone was killed and there was another person injured, but it’s still up to the judge. Th
en, he’ll be charged with either criminal negligence or involuntary vehicular manslaughter.” Her dad turned to Brenda. “Since you’re officially divorced and separated financially, the chances of the family suing you are slim, but there is a chance they could come back and sue Kevin for medical and emotional damages.”
“Will that affect us?” Tom asked.
“I’m not a lawyer, but I doubt it. I don’t see how you could be held responsible.”
“I’ve paid for Mike Collin’s funeral,” Josh said. Carrie reached under the table and took his hand in hers. Their eyes met, and she smiled at him.
“That might be an issue. If they do decide to sue, they could use your kindness to prove to the court that you feel financially responsible for your father,” her father said. “I’ve got a buddy in law. I’ll have him contact you.”
“I had my own lawyer draw up the necessary paperwork. I think he’s got it covered, thanks.”
Her father nodded, and she wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw a hint of pride in his eyes as he looked at Josh.
As they drove back home that evening, she rested her hand in his across the center console.
“Dinner was nice.”
“Yeah.” Their fingers were clasped. He glanced in the rearview mirror and frowned. She jerked her head up in time to see a rather large truck barreling towards them. “Hang on…” Josh had barely had time to finish the words when the car was hit. He jerked his hand and gripped the wheel, trying to get the car back under control.
She held on to the seatbelt and closed her eyes. When the car stopped spinning, she peeked one eye open.
“Are you okay?” he asked. They were still, miraculously, on the road.
“Yes.” She glanced around. “Where did the truck go?”
“It’s gone.” He sighed as he pulled out his phone. “I’m calling your dad.”
She listened to the conversation, then waited for the red and blue flashing lights. It took her father less than five minutes to get to them. By then, they were both standing outside Josh’s car, looking at the damage.
