Tennessee Whiskey

by Donna K. Ford

  Dane wrapped her fingers around Emma’s hand. “I think he’s done with secrets.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  “Did you get any rest?”

  Emma sighed. “Honestly, I think I could sleep for a week.” She leaned her head in her hand and smiled at Dane. “You?”

  “It’s been a long night. I’m exhausted. Not to mention I don’t even know where to begin sorting out my feelings about what happened.”

  Emma squeezed Dane’s hand. “I’m sorry you got dragged into all of this. But I know what you mean. I’ve been thinking the same thing. I never would have imagined any of it. I don’t recognize my life anymore.”

  “I guess we all have a lot to figure out.”

  Emma’s heart ached. She had let Dane into her life and into her heart. She knew they were at a crossroads, and it was time for Dane to go back to her life. She had always known this time would come. She’d prepared for it, but she hadn’t prepared for loving Dane. She hadn’t been prepared for needing her.

  “Curtis and I will stay at Aunt Lily’s until I can figure out things with the house. Amy and her son Chris have been helping at the bar, and some friends have volunteered to help clean up the mess from the fire.”

  “I’m glad you’re letting everyone help out.”

  “Yeah, I guess some change is good. Not that I really have much choice.” She glanced at the door wondering how long she had before they would be interrupted.

  “You look like you have something on your mind. What’s up?”

  Emma leaned close, speaking softly so no one could hear. “Paul and James came back this morning.”

  Dane sucked in a breath. “And?”

  Emma smiled. “They said they had a productive trip. They had a nice bag of ginseng with them.”

  Dane frowned. “Is it over?”

  Emma bit her lip and glanced back at the door. “They didn’t give any details, but they said they found what they were looking for.” She cleared her throat. “They came back alone.”

  Dane closed her eyes, letting the meaning sink in. She didn’t want to know the specifics. It was enough just knowing the nightmare was over. Trevor and Milton wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Emma stared out the window as Dane dressed. “What’s your plan?”

  “I don’t really have one beyond getting through the next couple of weeks and starting physical therapy.”

  Emma turned to face Dane. “You could do that here.” Dane looked stricken. Emma knew she was making this harder for Dane, but she wasn’t ready to let go.

  “We both know I can’t stay at Lily’s. I need some time to heal. I’ll come back as soon as I’m back on my feet.”

  “I understand. You don’t have to explain. The next few weeks are going to be hard for you. It makes sense that you would go.”

  Emma couldn’t blame Dane for leaving. Why should she stay? There was nothing but heartache here. Dane had been beaten, burned, and shot in a matter of weeks. No matter what her own feelings were for Dane, it would never be enough to bridge the gap between their worlds.

  “Promise me you’ll do the physical therapy they ordered.” She brushed her fingers against Dane’s cheek. “And try to stay out of trouble.”

  Dane leaned in, closing the short distance between their lips, and kissed her. Emma savored the feel of Dane’s lips against hers, the taste of her, the warmth of her touch. One last kiss. She felt the faint brush of tongue against hers, and the familiar sinking feeling as if she was being swept away.

  Emma was the first to pull back. The moment Dane’s lips left hers, she felt the weight of loss settle over her like the dark cloud of lost hope.

  Dane pressed her palm to Emma’s cheek. “What is it?”

  “I don’t want you to leave.”

  Dane threaded her fingers through Emma’s hair and kissed her again, pouring her heart into the joining. She held Emma tight against her, ignoring the stab of pain in her back as Emma’s weight pressed against her injured arm. Emma met her stroke for stroke, her fist gripping Dane’s shirt. Emma groaned and sank against her.

  Dane deepened the kiss. The days of worry and fear combined with memories of her fingers inside Emma, fueling her already combustible need. She had so many doubts about her life, her future, but the one thing she believed in was Emma.

  She broke the kiss. Emma was breathless as she peered into her eyes.

  Emma’s brows furrowed, the question heavy in her eyes before she spoke. “Dane?”

  “Do you see now?” Dane asked. “You are a part of me. I’m not leaving you.”

  Tears glistened in Emma’s eyes. She let out a shaky breath. “What are we going to do?”

  Dane pressed her lips to Emma’s forehead. “There are some things I have to do. I just need a little time.”

  Emma could see that Dane was holding back. “And?”

  Dane shook her head.

  Emma took a deep breath and steeled herself against the loss that would overwhelm her the moment she let Dane go. She swallowed the lump of sadness growing in her throat. “Can you tell me where you’re going?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it when I get back. There’s just some things I need to do.”

  “I understand. Your life is waiting.” She pressed her hand against Dane’s chest. “Just remember you have a life here too, if you want it.” Emma pressed her lips to Dane’s, kissing her lightly, a kiss good-bye. There was so much she wanted to say, but she didn’t want to pressure Dane. “Promise me you’ll be safe.”

  “You have my word.”

  The silence between them grew thick.

  “Emma.”

  Emma met Dane’s eyes, but only for a moment. She took a step back. “I need to get to work.”

  “Emma,” Dane whispered.

  Emma shook her head. “When will your ride be here?”

  “Anytime now. Thank you for letting me leave my Jeep at the farm.” She patted the sling holding her arm to her chest. “I’m not up for driving yet, especially a stick.”

  Emma wiped her cheeks with her palms, gathering her emotions, pushing aside tears. “It will be there when you get back.”

  Dane started to reach for Emma but stopped and seemed to think better of it.

  “You are coming back, right?” Emma asked, her voice shaky.

  “I’ll be back. I promise.”

  Emma nodded. She took one step toward Dane, brushing a kiss against her cheek. “Good-bye, Dane.”

  * * *

  Emma wiped tears from her cheeks as she watched the car pull up outside the hospital. Her breath hitched when Dane stepped to the curb and climbed in the back seat. The brake lights flashed twice, the red glare distorted through the rain-flecked windshield of her truck. Emma waited, hoping Dane would change her mind. A moment later the lights dimmed, and the car pulled away. And just like that, Dane was gone.

  Emma let out a shaky breath. She should have listened to her gut all those weeks ago when a good-looking stranger sauntered into her bar. The fact that she had been attracted to Dane should have been enough warning for her to know better than to go anywhere near her. But it was too late now. She had broken all her own rules. She had let Dane into her life, and into her heart. It seemed the people she loved were always leaving.

  She took a deep breath. The truth was, letting Dane stay at her house had been the best decision she had ever made. There wouldn’t have been anything left to her life if Dane hadn’t been there. Dane had saved her life, and she had saved Curtis. She would never regret that.

  Emma put the truck in gear and headed north to the only place she had left to go. She stood in the middle of the room looking at the empty tables and booths. She had spent most of her life in that room. The bar was clean and fully stocked. The old chairs had been tightened and polished, and the floors had been scrubbed so clean she could see the grain of the wood. There really wasn’t anything she had to do.

  She pulled a beer from th
e cooler and the bottle of Jack Daniel’s from the wall. She took the seat at the bar where Dane had sat almost every day since the first night she had walked through the doors. Emma poured the drink. She lifted the glass and peered into the amber liquid. She knew there were no answers in a bottle of booze, but she had all the answers she could handle for a while. Tonight, she needed the numbing the whiskey would bring. “Here’s to you, Tennessee Whiskey, wherever you are tonight.” Emma tossed the whiskey back, draining the glass in one swallow. She took a drink of her beer to chase away the burn.

  She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting there in the dark when she heard a knock at the door. Jeez. “We’re closed,” she yelled at the door.

  “It’s me, Emma.”

  Emma closed her eyes and slapped the bar with a thud. “Not now.” She groaned. “Can’t I have one night to just do nothing but feel sorry for myself?”

  She poured another shot of whiskey and ignored the pounding on the door.

  “Come on, Emma, I know you’re in there. Your truck is outside.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “And you obviously just heard me yell at you,” she mumbled.

  The knocking continued. Emma sighed. “A week ago, I was freaked out because he wouldn’t come home, and now I just wish he would go away.” She slid off the barstool and ambled toward the back door.

  “What do you want?” she asked, pulling the door open.

  Curtis stood at the bottom of the steps and looked up at her. “About time. What are you doin’ in there all by yourself?”

  “Trying to be by myself,” she answered curtly.

  “Oh.” Curtis looked wounded. “Where’s Dane? They said she left the hospital today.”

  Emma swallowed. “She went home.”

  Curtis pushed through the door, oblivious to the intrusion. “Home where?”

  “She didn’t say exactly.”

  Emma followed Curtis to the bar. She slid back onto her stool and picked up her glass.

  Curtis plopped down on the stool next to her. “Can I have a beer?”

  “Get it yourself.”

  Curtis looked at her, stunned. After a moment his expression fell. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, I’m serious. I’m done being the servant, the maid, and the caretaker. You want something, you can get it yourself.”

  Curtis stared at her for a few long moments before getting up and going to the cooler. He pulled out two beers and set one in front of Emma. “You’re mad.”

  “No, Curtis. I’m not mad. I’m tired and I’m hurt. I am tired of working my ass off and not having a life of my own. You decided you could make your own decisions, and it almost got us all killed. If you want to be a grown-up so bad, you can start by waiting on yourself for a change.”

  Curtis peered into his beer. “I’m really sorry. I know I messed up. But I never wanted anyone to get hurt.”

  Emma sighed. “I know that, Curtis, but there’s a world of difference between wishing and reality.”

  Curtis thumped his elbows onto the bar and sipped his beer. After a moment he turned to Emma. “I don’t know what that means.”

  “It means that just because you want something to be true doesn’t make it true. You wanted Trevor to be your friend so badly that you wouldn’t listen to me or anyone else who tried to tell you the truth. You threw all of us to the wolves just because you wanted to believe a lie.”

  “I really thought Trevor was my friend. I never believed he would hurt us.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  Curtis nodded. “Is that why Dane left?”

  Emma ground her teeth. “No. She’s hurt and needs to take care of herself. She can’t do that here. Dane was always just passing through. She was looking for something and just happened to get wrapped up in our crap.”

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  Emma really wanted the Twenty Questions game to end. How did she know anything about what Dane wanted or where she was going? “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  “Is she coming back?”

  Emma closed her eyes. “I don’t know.” She tossed back the shot of whiskey and chased it with the beer.

  “You love her, don’t you?” Curtis asked.

  “Does it matter?”

  “I think so. I know I love her. Does she love you?”

  Emma poured another drink. She held the glass in front of her, swirling the contents as she contemplated her answer. “Yeah. I think she does.”

  “So she’ll be back,” Curtis said cheerfully.

  Emma shook her head. “It’s not that easy.”

  “Why not?”

  “It just isn’t, Curtis. Dane has a different life away from here. Why would she want to come back here when she could have so much more?”

  Curtis looked thoughtful as he considered the information. “Maybe you could go there.”

  Emma stared at him. “How?”

  “Just go.”

  Emma sighed. “What about you, and the bar, and all the other things I have to take care of?”

  Curtis shrugged. “I have Lily and James and all the others. We’re already working at the bar. Why couldn’t you go? Like you said—I have to grow up. Maybe if I can take care of myself, you could do all those things you never got to do.”

  Tears pricked Emma’s eyes. What if she didn’t have to do everything? Could she dare to have her own life? If she stripped away all that responsibility, what would be left? She had believed there was nothing left for her. Maybe there was still a chance. Maybe she could still dare to do something different.

  “You know I love you, right?”

  Curtis grinned. “Yeah. I know.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dane pushed the button on the elevator and waited. She drew in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. It had been years since she’d stepped into this building. Not much had changed. The lobby had been updated with a more modern look, but the feel was the same.

  A set of heavy glass doors slid open as she approached, giving her a clear view into the office. She stopped at the front desk where a twentysomething redhead with paper-white skin sat with a phone pressed to her ear as she typed something into a computer. Some things never changed. She clasped her hand over the sling cradling her other arm and waited.

  “Can I help you?” the young woman asked when she hung up the phone.

  Dane smiled. “I’d like to see David Foster please.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t have anyone on the schedule. Do you have an appointment?”

  “No. Just tell him his daughter is here to see him.”

  The young woman’s mouth fell open. She peered at Dane in disbelief. Dane was certain the young woman didn’t even know her boss had a daughter.

  To her credit she didn’t ask any further questions. “One moment.” She picked up the phone. “I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but there’s a woman here to see you. She said she’s your daughter.”

  Dane wished she could see the look on her father’s face at that moment. But she hoped she hadn’t just given him a heart attack. She was certain she was the last person he would expect to visit at the office.

  “Yes, sir.” The woman placed the handset back on the base. “He’ll see you now. I can take you in.”

  “That’s not necessary.” Dane looked down at the nameplate on the desk. “Thank you, Charlotte, but I know the way.”

  The woman’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Dane wondered how long she had been employed by her father. She could feel the young woman’s gaze burning into her back as she stepped into her father’s office.

  Her father stood, moving toward the door as she entered. “It’s been a long time, Dane. What brings you to town? After your call a few weeks ago, I figured you had gone back to New York.” He almost sounded happy to see her.

  “Hello, David.”

  His eyes fell to the sling holding her arm and the bandage around her hand, and then to the tender burns still healing on her face. “My
God, what happened to you?”

  “It’s a long story. Can we talk?”

  Her father motioned to a leather sofa and a set of chairs. “Okay. Have a seat. I don’t have much time. What do you need?”

  Dane looked at her father, really looked at him. She could see the young boy from Lily’s pictures in the eyes of the man sitting in front of her. His hair was grayer than she expected, and his shoulders seemed less prominent than she remembered.

  “I know I should have called.”

  “Nonsense.” He looked at his watch. “I’m glad you’re here. It really has been too long.”

  Dane nodded. “How have you been?”

  He shrugged. “I can’t complain. Business is good.” He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. He searched her face, as if cataloging each line, bump, bruise, and burn. He shook his head. “Why don’t we start with you telling me what happened to you.”

  Dane wasn’t sure where to begin. She needed answers he had never been willing to share with her. She was certain this time would be no different. She pulled the old photograph out of her shirt pocket and handed it to him.

  He stared down at the photo. His face paled as if he’d seen a ghost. “Where did you get this?” He ran his finger across the image of her mother’s face.

  “I’ve been in Jellico. I needed to know about her.”

  His head jerked back as if she’d struck him. “Why the hell would you go there? You had no business going there. Why couldn’t you just leave it alone?”

  Dane studied her father, surprised by the anguish she heard in his voice. “A lot has happened in the last couple of years. I needed answers. You would never talk about her, so I decided to go there myself.”

  “This is insane.” David shook his head and peered down at the photograph. “Who gave this to you? Was it Ann?”

  Dane shook her head. “Ann is dead. I got this from her sister Lily.”

  He nodded. His eyes became distant as if he had gone back into the past.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Tell you what? You were a kid. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”