SEAL of My Dreams
Page 24
“Why?” he shot back. “Why is it ridiculous?”
“Because I can’t go with you,” she sputtered. “Because I don’t want to.”
“Yes, you do.” He shot her a knowing look. “You wanted it four years ago, too.”
“But I couldn’t then. And now, I don’t want to, no matter what you think.” She shook her head. “We’re not together anymore, Jase. I might have slept with you right now, but that doesn’t mean we’re back together. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“It means everything,” he corrected.
As determination hardened his jaw, he rose to his feet, striding naked toward her. He noticed her eyes rest on his crotch, on the erection that thickened the closer he got to her. She swallowed, then averted her gaze.
“This is it, baby. You and me.” He captured her chin with two fingers and forced her to look at him. “We belong together. Always have, always will.”
“Jase . . . ”
“Remember how when we were teenagers, we’d talk about traveling the world together? You’d write, I’d take photographs. We’d roam the planet and go on adventures?”
She shot him a wry smile. “That’s kid fantasy stuff.”
“It’s not a fantasy. It can be a reality.” He took a breath. “If you leave Skylark with me tomorrow.”
“I can’t—”
“I paid off Susan’s mortgage.”
Callie gaped at him. “What?”
He dropped his hands from her face and rested them on his bare hips. “I paid your aunt’s mortgage. The day my inheritance cleared at the bank. I bought Odds ‘N Ends too. Well, the building it sits in.”
Callie looked utterly stunned. “Are you serious? When the hell did you do this?”
“A couple of months ago.”
“But Aunt Susan never said anything . . . ”
“I asked her not to,” he confessed. “I was planning on coming back to Skylark to tell you myself, but my physio took longer than I thought.”
Her brown eyes rested on the scar marring his right arm. “Physio . . . you were hurt. Bad?”
“Pretty bad.” Pain lined his throat. “I’ve got full use of the arm again, but I still get these spasms every now and then. Definitely can’t hold a weapon without shaking. I was honorably discharged after I recovered.”
She sounded genuinely regretful as she said, “Oh, Jase, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” He shrugged. “I told you, I reenlisted because I didn’t think I had a better option. You didn’t want to leave Skylark, and I didn’t want to travel without you. I’m happy to be out, though. I think I’m getting too old to play hero.”
She gave a faint smile. “You’re never too old for that.”
“Yes, I am. It’s time for me to focus on other things. Photography. You.” He hesitated. “If you’ll let me.”
“Will you . . . ” Her voice cracked. “If I don’t want to go, will you stay here?”
He knew she’d ask that. And as much as he wanted to tell her that he would, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“I can’t, Cal. And it’s not just because of all the shitty memories I have of this place. I can’t stay here with you because in my heart, I know that you don’t belong here either.” He locked his gaze with hers. “You’ve been aching to leave this town since we were kids. You would’ve done it too, if Susan hadn’t gotten sick after graduation. So no, I won’t stay.”
“But you want me to follow you.” Bitterness tinged her voice.
“I want you to follow your dreams,” he said gruffly. “I want you to write that book you’ve always talked about.”
“I can write it here,” she protested.
“Have you started it? Written a single word?”
Her silence was all the answer he needed.
“Come with me,” Jason murmured. “Susan doesn’t need you anymore. She’s got her house, her store. When I spoke to her on the phone, she even admitted she’s eager to go back to work. She’s bored, sitting in that chair all day while you take care of everything.”
“She said that?” Callie whispered.
“She did. So damn it, come with me.”
Hesitation dug a crease into her forehead. “I . . . don’t know if I can.”
Jason stared at her in frustration.
“You can’t just come back after four years and expect me to drop everything,” she burst out. “Expect me to trust you again. You broke my heart, you insensitive ass.”
Guilt prickled his skin. “I know. And I kick myself for it every day. I’ll keep kicking myself until I finally earn your forgiveness.”
She sighed. “Jase . . . ”
“Go home, Cal,” he said gruffly.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“Go home. Talk to Susan. Sit on the porch swing and think about it.” He suddenly realized he was still as naked as the day he was born, and quickly bent down to swipe his jeans off the floor. Slipping them on, he fixed her with a somber look. “I won’t push you, okay? I won’t pressure you to give up the life you have here and go on the road with me. But rain or shine, I’m leaving tomorrow, Cal. I’m going to live out the fantasy we always talked about. So go home, baby, and think about it. Really think about it.”
She swallowed.
“Think about the life you wanted, the life you have.” He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. “Think about the life we can have together, if you just let yourself take that leap of faith. You never know, you might land somewhere you never thought you would.”
Chapter Four
When Callie came to a stop at the end of the long driveway leading up to the main house, it didn’t surprise her to see that all the lights were on. Aunt Susan was a night owl. She’d always claimed the disease took a break after the sun went down.
Rather than heading over to the guesthouse, Callie climbed the rickety porch steps of her aunt’s house and let herself in. This was truly Susan’s house now, she realized. Jason had bought it. And the store. She still couldn’t believe he’d done that. Yes, Lewis Anders had been the wealthiest man in town, which meant Jason had money to spare now, but she hadn’t expected him to make such a grand gesture.
It would definitely take the heat off Callie now, not struggling to pay the bills. Susan could even sell the store if she wanted, now that she didn’t need to worry about a mortgage.
And you could leave town with Jason.
The thought hung in her mind, bringing both unease and a trickle of anticipation. Leave Skylark Springs. God, that had always been her biggest goal in life, to get out of this town. She’d dreamt of traveling, seeing new things, gathering up experiences and using what she learned to write her book.
She had the chance to do that now. With Jason.
Maybe that was reason for the unease. With Jason. The man who’d walked out on her. The love of her life.
Tonight had confirmed that she hadn’t managed to get him out of her system, even after four years. When he’d touched her earlier, when he’d kissed her, her entire body had sung with joy. Her heart had felt weightless and full at the same time.
“Cal, is that you, honey?”
Callie poked her head into the living room to find Susan sitting by the window in her wheelchair, a blanket draped over her legs and a hardcover edition of Great Expectations in her hands.
“I saw the lights on and decided to come in and say hello,” she told her aunt, walking over to kiss the top of Susan’s head.
Susan glanced at the intricate grandfather clock across the room. “You’re home late.”
“Yeah . . . I was . . . ” She took a breath. “Jason is back in town.”
To her surprise, her aunt’s face broke out in a big smile. “Finally. I expected him back sooner.”
Shaking her head, Callie flopped down on the armchair by the window. “Why didn’t you tell me he paid off the house?”
“He wanted to tell you himself.”
“So you’ve just been chatting it up with my ex
-boyfriend for the past couple of months behind my back?” Her voice was laced with weariness. She wasn’t upset with Susan. Just the situation.
“He’s not your ex-boyfriend,” Susan replied, the smile never leaving her face. “He’s the one.”
“The one what?”
“The one.” Her aunt rolled her eyes. “You know, the one you’re meant to be with.”
“I’d be more inclined to agree if he hadn’t left town four years ago and never looked back.”
“But he did look back. He came back. And now it’s time for you to go with him.”
She swallowed. “I can’t leave you.”
“Sure you can. How many times do I need to say it before you actually listen? You should have left me years ago, honey.” Susan made a tsking sound. “And you’ve been using me as an excuse the entire time. I’ll admit, I did need you, when I first wound up in this chair, but things are different now. I can take care of myself. And you, my darling, need to stop being so scared and take care of you.”
“I’m not scared,” Callie protested. But she had to wonder. Her aunt had been encouraging her for years to follow her dreams, but Callie had always brushed it off, convincing herself that Susan didn’t really mean it. That her aunt wouldn’t survive if she left.
Had that been an excuse, though? Was it truly fear holding her back?
“Hey, I’m not judging,” Susan said, setting down her book on the table under the window. “It’s a scary thought, leaving your familiar surroundings, stepping out of your comfort zone. Writing a book that the world may or may not read. It’s a risk, Callie.”
“But is it worth the risk?”
“That’s something you’ll find out. Either way, it’s time for you to go. I refuse to hold you back a second longer.”
Callie chewed on the inside of her cheek. Her aunt made it sound so damn easy. Just pack up, leave town, see where she ended up. And yes, it had been her dream for so long, but over the years, the dream had faded, dulled, seemingly so far out of reach that she could barely see it anymore.
But she was seeing it now. The shiny glimmer of promise, of new horizons and adventure. All she had to do was stick her hand out and grab it. But that meant opening her heart to Jason again.
“You’re right,” she murmured. “I’m scared. Most of all, I’m scared to love him again.”
Susan laughed. “When did you ever stop?”
She wanted to frown, but ended up smiling instead. She still remembered the day Jason had slid into the seat beside hers in English class during their junior year. They’d immediately gotten into an argument over something—she couldn’t even remember what they’d fought about anymore. But she did remember falling for him that day. Immediately. Any guy who could match her sarcastic remark for sarcastic remark was definitely a keeper.
They’d dated all throughout high school. Long-distance when he joined Navy. Lived together for those two months before he left again. And in these four years he’d been gone, she hadn’t been on a single date, or felt even an inkling of interest toward another man.
“Come on, tell me,” Susan said in a teasing voice. “When did you ever stop loving him?”
Callie shuddered out a breath. “I guess I never did.”
Chapter Five
She wasn’t coming.
Jason forced himself to swallow that devastating dose of reality as he tossed his duffel into the cab of his new pickup. He glanced around the deserted motel parking lot for the hundredth time, then at the empty road beyond it. It was past noon, and he’d spent the entire morning sitting in that drab motel room. Waiting. Hoping.
A part of him knew he was being unfair—storming back into Callie’s life, asking her to drop everything and leave town—but he was tired of wasting time. He and Callie had been dreaming of leaving this place since they were sixteen. He was thirty now. He’d had a long military career, he’d kicked ass and taken names and tried to save the world. And now it was time for something new. It was time to put Skylark Springs behind him, time to put the past—and his father—away and take the next step of his life’s journey.
But damn . . . he’d really wanted to take that step with Callie.
You broke her heart. She’s not coming. End of story.
Letting out a ragged breath, he unlocked the truck and slid into the driver’s seat.
And then he heard a car engine.
In the side mirror, he noticed a little red hatchback pulling into the parking lot. His pulse kicked up a notch. When he made out Callie’s pretty face and chestnut hair through the windshield, a grin swept across his face.
He was out of the pickup and at her door in a nanosecond. Looking hesitant, Callie stepped out of the car. “Hey,” she said.
Uneasiness tugged at his gut when she didn’t continue. Oh crap. Had she come here to dump him in person? To spit on his truck as he drove out of town?
But no, she was reaching into the backseat, pulling out a . . . suitcase.
His heart soared.
“You’re coming with me,” he said in wonder.
A smile lifted her mouth. “I’m coming with you.”
“And Susan?”
“She’s staying here.” Callie rolled her eyes. “Unless you want her to come with us.”
“Lovely thought, but no.” He grinned. “We need some alone time. Got four years to make up for, remember?”
“I remember.”
She set the suitcase on the pavement and met his eyes. “You’re not going to abandon me at a gas station or anything, right?”
He choked back a laugh. “Nope.”
“Leave me in a motel room in some random state?”
“Not at all.”
“Tell me you’re meeting me at a diner and then never show up?”
Pain circled his heart. “Never again.”
She moistened her lips nervously. “Don’t make me regret this, Jase.”
“I promise you, baby, you’ll never experience a single regret for the rest of your life, not if I have anything to say about it.”
He watched her face, the way color seeped into her cheeks, the apprehension melting out of her eyes, transforming into a sheen of clarity and excitement.
“Then let’s do it,” she said softly. “Let’s live out the fantasy.”
With a grin, he reached for her hand, tugged on it, and pulled her into his arms. “Best idea I’ve heard in a long time.”
TWENTY-ONE HOURS
Alison Kent
10:00
Teri Stokes stopped the rented box truck in front of her parents’ house, fearing she’d arrived too late. Not two hours ago she and her father decided she’d pick up the truck in Austin, he’d recruit local manpower to load it, and the two of them, along with her mother, would get the family’s barn full of irreplaceable antiques out of Crow Hill.
But the wildfire eating its way across the drought-ravaged grasslands of their south central Texas county wasn’t sticking to the plan. And now, counting the men at the controls of bulldozers and plows clearing brush and cutting firebreaks, and those on ladders wetting the barn’s tinderbox roof, she couldn’t imagine any local manpower remained to tap.
Meaning . . . she could get her parents to safety, and say goodbye to the antique business that had been her mother’s life, or she could roll up her sleeves, take her turn swinging buckets with the rest of the brigade, and pray. Not much of a choice, really. This was her family. This was their home. This was where she belonged.
Jumping from the truck’s cab was like jumping into an open barbecue pit. Heat blasted her face, sucked the air from her lungs. She blinked against the irritating haze, scrunched her nose at the acrid scent—both strong enough to sting her throat from miles away.
Gale force gusts whipped her hair, plastered her white cotton top to her torso. She dug an elastic tie from her bag and wound her hair into a knot, shoved her sunglasses tight against her head, and pocketed her keys. And that was when she saw him.
A laptop o
n the hood of a fancy pickup, a clipboard in his hand, a pair of dark green fatigues hugging an ass she dropped her tinted shades to see better. The black T-shirt stretched to accommodate his shoulders and his biceps drew another appreciative and admittedly lustful look, as did his strong jaw and cheekbones, the buzz cut of his dark blond hair.
He lifted his head in answer to another man’s call, shouting and pointing toward the break of trees along the dry creek bed behind the barn. He knew what he was doing, the crew of volunteers following his orders without question.
His gadgetry put him as the man in charge, as did the respect given him by the others and his authoritarian air. But his eyes and a good part of his brow were hidden by a pair of wraparound shades, leaving her with a single question.
Who was he?
She’d grown up in Crow Hill. She returned often to see her folks. They kept her apprised of the locals’ comings and goings. Neither her mother or father had said anything about a new man in town. Strange, since they were usually anxious to report on additions to the area’s bachelor pool.
“Teri!” Nora Stokes yelled from the porch, waving. “There you are!”
Shaking off her musings, Teri hurried toward the house. She met her mother at the bottom of the stairs and pulled her into a hug. The past week of worry seemed to have taken at least five pounds from the older woman’s already petite frame and added a new web of wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
“Oh, Mom.” Aching at her mother’s distress, Teri stood with her arm around the other woman’s waist, watching as in the distance, the blue sky disappeared behind the gray and white plumes rising from the fire. “I had no idea things were so bad.”
Her mother shook her head, her gaze on the same frightening view. “They weren’t until yesterday. Something about highs and lows and the jet stream. The wind shifted when no one was looking.”
“Is it predicted to get worse?”
“The forecasters say no, but they didn’t anticipate what happened yesterday either.”
“Who’s the hot shot down there with all the equipment?” Because, of course, that was important. Sheesh, Teri. Priorities?