Teach Me to Love
Tressie Lockwood
Copyright © August 2010, Tressie Lockwood
Cover art by Anastasia Rabiyah © August 2010
ISBN 978-1-936110-86-5
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Sugar and Spice Press
North Carolina, USA
www.sugarnspicepress.com
Chapter One
Something about his eyes calmed her racing heart. Clear blue like the Texas sky and complemented with dark hair tumbling over his forehead, his gaze flickered from her to her student.
“I told you not to open the door, man,” Jeff said, waving his gun back and forth. Several other students cowered in each other’s arms, crying and barely suppressing screams. Jeff tossed a threatening look in the stranger’s direction, but it faltered at the authority rolling off the man. “I don’t want to hurt nobody.”
“I know you don’t, son. Just put down the weapon, and we can all go home.” That was the voice of law enforcement, Bryah thought. Was he a policeman?
“Shut up,” Jeff yelled. He jerked the gun toward the stranger. To his credit, the man didn’t flinch or draw back. He held up his hands as if in surrender, but with broad shoulders that filled her classroom doorway, he could never be anything but in control.
Jeff turned to his classmates and aimed to the group Bryah had tagged as the class troublemakers, the boys who thought they were exempt from rules because their daddies had donated thousands to the Tarrant County school system.
“I’m just tired of being bullied, Ms. Douglass,” Jeff sobbed. “Nobody would help me. Nobody cared.”
“I care, Jeff,” she assured him. She dared to glance away from Jeff to the man in the door. He nodded encouragement. She swallowed, folded her hands calmly on the desk, and continued. “If you’ll put that gun down, I promise we will talk about it, and I won’t stop until something is done about those who’ve been messing with you.”
He hesitated. Bryah prayed he would accept her offer. The teens in the room would need to talk to the counselor after an ordeal like this, maybe someone outside the school. Hell, she’d need it too. Her light breakfast from this morning threatened to come up she was so scared.
“The cops won’t go for it,” Jeff said, shaking his head. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life in jail because of them.” He swung his weapon back toward the bullies and to Bryah’s, horror cocked it to fire. Bryah began to shake. Her mind went blank. She could think of nothing that would convince Jeff to let them all go.
“Ms. Douglass,” someone called. She turned to see that it was the same stranger. Without thinking, she told him her first name. He smiled. “Bryah. I’m Gavin Crain, a Texas ranger, just here for the kindergartners’ play. But I can promise Jeff if he’ll cooperate with us, something can be worked out for him.”
Bryah wondered why he was telling her all this instead of speaking directly to Jeff, but then she remembered his reaction earlier when Gavin had tried. Jeff had become angrier. Gavin must have guessed Jeff would respond to her, but she didn’t feel all that confident. She’d rather let the ranger handle it. Knowing he was law enforcement did calm her a little and helped her to focus. She stared into his handsome face, willing him to help her. He nodded for the second time as if to say, “You can do it. I’m here with you.”
Bryah squeezed her hands together until they hurt. He better be right, or else. Sexy ranger or not, she’d give him a piece of her mind if something went wrong. Bryah had dated different races and had even been engaged to an Asian man once. Common among all was her attraction to dark-haired, mysterious types.
She looked at Jeff. Why the heck was she thinking of whether or not she would date Gavin when she and her kids were in danger? Mental defense mechanism, she decided, and pushed to get her mind in the game.
“Jeff, listen, I know you don’t want to do this. You have your whole life ahead of you, and like I always say, you all can come to me whenever you need me.” She tried to smile, but her lips stuck to her teeth and felt stiff.
Slowly, she stood up and came around the desk. Jeff twitched. She stopped two feet between them and held her hand out. “I’m willing to stay late and work with you on the weekends. You know I care about you.”
The entire class seemed to hold its breath. Jeff didn’t move. He held the gun too tight with his finger on the trigger. Bryah met his frightened gaze, hating herself for missing the signs that this was coming. Jeff had been pushed beyond his endurance. She’d thought the meeting with the other kids and their parents had resolved the issue. She’d been so wrong, and Jeff had never said a word.
When he took two tiny steps closer to her, Bryah breathed a sigh of relief. Her arm muscles had begun to ache, but she’d kept her arm extended, hoping he would give in. Jeff raised the weapon to place in her palm when a comment from the back stopped him.
“Knew he was too chicken shit to do anything,” someone said in a stage whisper.
A collective gasp went up. Tears filled Jeff’s eyes. He swung to face his accuser, but as he did, his finger must have slipped. The weapon went off. Screams exploded all around her, and Bryah thought to calm everyone, but the sting in arm distracted her. As if she was trapped in a jar, all sounds muffled, she looked down at herself. A red stain spread fast over her white sleeve.
“Oh no, I’m sorry, Ms. Douglass,” Jeff yelled. “I’m so sorry!”
Officers she hadn’t even known were present in the school swarmed the room. One of them landed on Jeff and slammed him facedown on the floor. In seconds, he was cuffed, and the officer stood up, passing him to another man. He moved to Bryah, standing above her by several inches—six-three or four, her mind figured in her dazed state. She realized it was Gavin.
“Are you okay? We need to get you to a hospital.”
“I’m fine,” she whispered, but her knees gave out, and she sagged against him. His strong hands settled on her waist. Her eyelids drooped. Before she blacked out, her senses registered his scent—a cross between musk and patchouli. A woman could forget all the promises she made to herself and fall hard for a man like Gavin Crain, Texas Ranger.
Chapter Two
Bryah opened her eyes to a white, rippling curtain to her left. On her right, someone slept in a chair. His head was bowed beneath a white Stetson, arms crossed over his chest, and long, muscular legs stretched out before him. She shifted a little and winced at the ache in her arm. The wound from the shooting had been bandaged. She touched it lightly, stunned all over again that she’d been shot. Her groan alerted the man next to her, and he raised his head to push his hat back.
“Are you okay?” came the deep, sexy drawl. She caught her breath. It was the ranger from before. He’d said his name was Gavin Crain.
“I’m fine, thanks. How is Jeff? Did he get arrested?” She slipped her legs over the side of the bed. “I have to get out of here and go down to the station. They should know he’s not a bad kid.”
Gavin stood up and pushed her shoulders back. It was a good thing since dizziness overtook her. If she’d tried to stand, she would have landed on her face. So not done in front of hot men.
“Relax. If he was a good kid, he wouldn’t have had the gun in the first place.”
Bryah glared at him, shaking his hands off of her. “You wouldn’t understand. All you know is law and order, not about what people deal with and what pushes them too far.”
He smirked, not the least bit intimidated by her expression. “Yeah a cop wouldn’t know a thing about how the criminal mind works.”
“Jeff is not a criminal!
”
“He is now.”
She closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead. If the doctor had given her meds for pain, they weren’t working. “Why are you here? You did your job. I saw you cuff Jeff just before I blacked out.”
Gavin didn’t answer. When she peeked through slitted lids, she saw that he’d pulled the curtain aside to call a nurse. He turned back to bend over her, his gaze filled with concern. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay. The bullet grazed your arm, thank goodness, but that wouldn’t have happened if I had done a better job taking control of the situation. I’m sorry.”
Bryah expected a few responses like him going on the defensive about being off duty or not being allowed in the classroom, but she hadn’t expected an apology. She gazed up into those liquid blue eyes and found herself drowning in them. Blinking, she looked away and reminded herself that she’d sworn off men, and a policeman? Hell no! She’d been down that road before and wasn’t going back. “It’s not your fault. I’m sure during your review, your superiors will find you were on point. You can go now.”
He affected a shiver and pretended to rub his hands together to ward off frost bite. “Do you treat all men like this or is it just me?”
She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. “Sorry. This situation just got to me, I guess. What you said about Jeff ticked me off. I understand how you feel, though, because what he did could have put your child in danger too.”
His face went blank. “My child?”
“You said you were there for the kindergarteners’ play. I assumed…”
“Oh no, my ex-sister-in-law dragged me in to see my nephew’s play. Trust me, there are a million and one things I’d have rather been doing, like catching speed demons on the highway.”
“So you don’t like children.” Why did that fact annoy her? It’s not like she was sizing him up to date. He wasn’t her type, she wasn’t looking, and his attitude so far left much to be desired. Still, a man with so much else going for him seemed like a huge waste not to like kids.
The doctor came in and slid the curtain back. “Ah, I see we are awake. Good. Let’s do a few tests, and you should be able to go home. Do you have someone to pick you up?”
Bryah scanned her mind for someone who could come, but she had no family in North Richland Hills, Texas since she’d moved here from Maryland. Her friend, Redonna had moved to Virginia last year for a better job opportunity. Bryah was basically on her own. She tended to keep to herself. “I can call my girlfriend Redonna to get me,” she lied.
“Good.” The doctor shined a light in her eyes, checked her motor skills, and quickly examined her wound. He wrote out a couple prescriptions and her release form and instructed her to follow up with her primary care physician.
Bryah again swung her legs over the side of the bed. She didn’t tell the doctor about her dizziness, but instead, led him to believe her friend would be at the exit waiting and she’d be fine. It wasn’t like she’d been checked in anyway. The emergency room was a busy place, so no one would pay much attention. After the doctor entered the room, Gavin had drifted toward the door and then disappeared. She probably wouldn’t see him again.
Feeling disappointed about that fact, although knowing the man was not the one for her, Bryah worked her way slowly out to the lobby and then to the exit. The sun low in the sky still hurt her eyes. She squinted and felt nausea rising. A hand on the wall beside her kept her from toppling over. All she needed was to get her butt home and in bed.
“Is the person picking you up late?”
Bryah jumped. Gavin leaned on a pickup with his arms folded over his chest. She frowned at him. “What are you still doing here?”
“Where’s your friend?”
She pressed her lips together and started forward. Gavin blocked her path and gestured to his vehicle. Something told her he’d argue all night if need be, and she’d never win. Better to just give in because, the sooner she got a ride, the sooner she could be home resting. “Fine. Thank you,” she said grudgingly.
When they were settled and headed down the highway, she watched Gavin with one arm resting on the driver side door while the other hand lay on the wheel, barely steering with his fingertips. His hat rested between them on the seat. The interior of the truck was permeated with his scent. It teased her senses, making her want to touch him. Bryah bit down on her lip and looked away.
“So,” he said. She pretended not to hear. He touched a lock of her hair. “Why do you hate me?”
“What?” She twisted to face him. “I don’t hate you. I don’t even know you.”
He studied her when traffic slowed to a stop. Shadows from the waning light hid his expression. “Then maybe it’s like that old song says, you’re thinking of someone else when you look at me.”
The man was way too close to the mark for Bryah’s comfort. She decided to hedge. “Are you always so direct?”
“Pretty much. But you didn’t answer my question.”
Bryah smiled despite herself. “I plead the fifth.”
He chuckled and didn’t say more, but she wasn’t letting him get off that easily. Just because he was the law didn’t mean he could get into her personal business. A little turn about would get him clamming up real quick. “So, what about you? Are you married?”
He looked horrified. “No, can’t say that I am.”
She laughed. “I hear a ‘thank God’ in there somewhere. Hey, your brother took the plunge, even though it didn’t work out.”
“Precisely.” He shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. Kate, my ex-sister-in-law, is a good woman, responsible, soccer mom, that kind of thing. Getting shackled? Not for me. I enjoy my life as it is. Thanks.”
“Wow, I don’t think I’ve met a man as honest as you are.” Before she could continue the conversation, his cell phone rang, and he excused himself. Bryah tried not to listen in on the call, but she couldn’t help it, being right there. His responses had her wondering what kind of relationship he had with his sister-in-law and where his brother was.
“Yes, I’m fine, Kate. I had to leave because it was my job. I’d heard the play was canceled anyway.” He paused. “Dinner? I’m not sure.” He glanced at Bryah. Was he going to ask her out? After what he’d said about not looking for anything serious? He had to be kidding given that most women were searching for a man good enough to marry. No way he could sense she didn’t want to get involved. Then again, here she was, sitting here thinking about whether he wanted to date her, and the truth was, she hoped he did want to. If she was honest with herself like he’d been, she’d admit deep inside, she still hoped to find love. Idiot, she grumbled silently.
Gavin ended his conversation and waited until he pulled up in front of her house before he spoke again. “So I was thinking maybe you and I could grab a little dinner sometime.” He winked. “Tonight would be perfect.”
Bryah shook her head, smiling. “Man, you move fast. Do you pick up women on the job regularly, or is this a trial run?”
“Are you always so snarky, or it special for me?” he countered.
She stuck out her tongue. “It’s just for you, law man.” She opened the car door, stepped out, and then turned back to him. “How about Friday night?”
He jumped at the offer. “Deal. I’ll pick you up at seven.” Not waiting for her confirmation of the time, he backed his truck out of her driveway and disappeared down the road. What possessed her to accept a date from a man who reminded her of the fiancé she’d lost years ago? And to banter with him wasn’t even like her. One would think she was used to hitting it off with men and dating freely. She wasn’t. Her last relationship had ended in tragedy.
Dating Gavin might be a mistake, but hell, he had said he wasn’t interested in marriage. As long as she went into this with her eyes wide open, she couldn’t get hurt.
She spun toward her front door and unlocked it before going inside. Only after she’d kicked off her shoes and started a frozen dinner in the microwave did
she remember all that had happened that day. Emotions held at bay—from fear to sadness—hit her at once. She sank down on the floor and cried for a long time.
Chapter Three
Since school was canceled the next day, Bryah decided to go down to the police station to find out what had happened with Jeff and to talk to his mother. The officer at the station turned her away, but she had Jeff’s parent’s number, so she tried his house. No one answered. She guessed they had already been plagued with the media trying to get interviews, so she left a voicemail and hoped for a callback later. The thought occurred to her that Jeff’s family might feel the school system, and she in particular, had let Jeff down. She wanted to show them that she was here now. She’d do what she could and leave the rest to God.
Bryah had had to catch a bus down to the police station since she’d left her car at school. She walked the short distance to her place of employment and found it. Before she could even unlock the door, reporters came from nowhere, sticking microphones in her face and shouting questions.
“No comment,” Bryah insisted. They wouldn’t be put off.
“Do you work at the school, or are you one of the parents?” someone demanded. “What do you think of what Jeff Coles did? Do you think the school system failed him, or his parents?”
Bryah opened her mouth to answer, but a siren blared its interruption. The crowd parted. “Okay, folks, enough of your harassment. Move it along.” Bryah blinked twice at the man coming toward her. He was the spitting image of Gavin, only shorter with narrower shoulders.
As he drew up to her, he offered her that charming smile she’d come to recognize on southern men. “Are you okay, ma’am?”
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