The Better Brother

by Rye Hart

  She’d met Brady’s father a year later. Unfortunately, that hadn’t worked out either.

  “No, not since I got a different number. Still, it’s scary thinking he can find me easily given his ties with the police force across the country. Listen, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me, but if you ever feel it’s too much for you and Brady, then you just say so. I’ll find another place.” I didn’t want to put anyone else in danger.

  She laughed softly. “Not around here you won’t. Besides, me and Brady always share a room and rent the other. It helps with the bills.”

  Mack called out as the order bell sounded and I grabbed the tray and carefully walked it over to the table as Liza busied herself pouring refills from the coffee pot.

  The bells on the door chimed and in walked the sexiest man I’d seen since coming to this sleepy little mountain town.

  His dark hair and beard were trimmed short, and his eyes were an icy blue that didn’t just meet mine but seemed to penetrate them. I was so entirely captivated by his muscular body and impeccably good looks, that I almost didn’t notice the young girl by his side. He towered above her, and she was so tiny, she couldn’t have been more than five years old. She had his eyes, but her skin was much paler, and her rosy cheeks were bright and framed by a mess of curly blond hair that had fallen out of her ponytail.

  He walked over to my section and lifted the little girl into one side of a booth and then took the other. Liza came up beside me with a stack of menus. “He’s a hot one, ain't he? He’s been coming in here for a few years now, but the little girl, she’s new. She started showing up with him about three months ago.”

  “They have the same eyes. Does her mother ever come in?” I figured the man would be married. He was far too hot not to be.

  “No, just the two of them. He’s the reclusive type, and she’s a total mystery. No one’s sure if she’s his or not. And if he’s her father, he’s very new to it.”

  “Why do you say that?” All I could see was the perfect picture of a father and daughter. He smiled adoringly as she placed a napkin in her doll’s collar and opened a menu for her.

  “I’ve been watching him, and he’s a bit awkward with her. He treats her like she might break, or like she’s a bomb about to explode in his hands. You watch him a minute, you’ll see what I mean.” She pushed the menus at me. “Go get him.” She gave me a wink, but I shook my head. The last thing I needed was another man, no matter how achingly handsome he was.

  I took a deep breath and walked across the room toward them. He’s just a man, Dream, nothing more. I couldn’t believe how shaken I was inside; practically nervous. “How are you today? What can I get for you?”

  He looked at me for a moment as if he had lost all train of thought, and I thought maybe he hadn’t heard me, but then he quickly recovered. “Fine, thanks. Sorry, you’re new.” He glanced over at Liza who had busied herself with another table but kept looking over her shoulder to see what was happening.

  “I could get you another waitress if you like.” I suddenly felt insecure.

  “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I just haven’t seen you around before.”

  The way he was looking at me made me feel all kinds of warm. He looked hungry for more than breakfast, which was odd considering he probably had women throwing themselves at him left and right.

  “I’m new in town; just started a few days ago. Do you know what you might like?” I didn’t want to have to answer any questions about my personal life, or what had brought me to Wyoming, so I kept myself in professional mode.

  “Yeah, I’ll take the All American. What do you want, Star?” The little girl kept her head down and gave me the side eye. “Remember our deal. If you want to eat you have to order your own food. Tell the nice lady what you want.”

  The little girl turned her head and looked up at me with those big blue eyes that matched the man’s. “I want waffles please, and one for Jackie too.” She tucked the little napkin into the doll’s collar a bit more as the man smiled.

  He cleared his throat. “Are you sure Jackie can eat a whole waffle by herself? She’s got an awfully tiny stomach. Maybe you should just share yours.”

  Disappointment dawned on her face, and I could tell she was upset, but she kept quiet.

  I leaned forward and spoke softly to the girl. “I tell you what, how about you order your waffles, and I’ll bring Jackie her very own little plate and a fork so you two can share?” I paused my pen as the little girl nodded her head.

  The man looked up and regarded me closely. I couldn’t tell if he was irritated by my suggestion or not. Either way, he didn’t say a word.

  “Can I get you a coffee or soda?” I put the pad away.

  “Yeah, I’ll have a coffee and get her a chocolate milk.” The little girl looked across the table at him and gave a slight smile. She seemed very cautious in her mannerisms, and I wondered if he were strict with her when they weren’t in public.

  “Coming right up.” I hurried to get their drinks, and when I returned with them, the two weren’t talking or carrying on a conversation like I’d expected them to be.

  The little girl was staring out the window with a somber expression, and he was looking at his phone. I was starting to see what Liza meant. The mystery deepened.

  “Here you go.” I placed the little plate in front of the girl’s doll, and then a fork too. Then I placed their orders in front of them. “Did I hear right that your name is Star?” I glanced at the man, but the little girl turned her head up and nodded quickly. “That’s a beautiful name. And it’s unique like mine. I’m Dream.” I pointed to my nametag.

  “That’s a pretty name,” she said, smiling.

  “Thank you,” I said. There was that look again. The man was regarding me with something a little more than interest in my name in his eyes.

  “Dream, huh?” he said. “It’s fitting.” A brief flash in his eyes had my knees feeling wobbly.

  I wasn’t sure what to say so I stuck with my usual waitress banter.

  “Well, you three enjoy your breakfast,” I said, turning to walk away.

  Just then the little girl tugged my apron and held up her doll. “Her name is Jackie.” She held her waffle to the doll’s mouth and then took a bite.

  “Well, it’s very nice to meet you Jackie,” I said, reaching over to shake the doll’s tiny hand, which thrilled the little girl to no end.

  “Use your fork, or you and Jackie will both be sticky.” The man picked up the fork and handed it to her with a frown on his face, and the little girl giggled and shook her head. As he extended his arm, his sleeve shifted, showing off his tattoos.

  My stomach clenched and my toes nearly curled. Good God. Tall, hot, muscular, and tattooed? I had to walk away before I needed a good hosing off.

  I checked back on the two of them a few times more in between my other tables and made sure they were well taken care of.

  Though I had zero intention of allowing myself to get involved with another man anytime soon, if ever, there was something about the guy that drew me to him, and the looks he’d been casting my way weren’t helping.

  As they got up to walk out the exit, he approached the cork board near the door where people hung business cards and help wanted ads. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and secured it to the board with a pin before taking the little girl’s hand and heading out.

  My curiosity getting the best of me, I walked over to look at what he’d put up.

  Help wanted: looking for a reading tutor for a kindergartner.

  I felt a tickle along my spine as I read the piece of paper over and over.

  This was either my lucky day, or a really cruel joke.

  CHAPTER THREE - CHANCE

  I hadn’t realized how long I’d been out of the dating game until I made eye contact with that hot waitress at Harold’s diner. She was the sexiest thing this town had seen in ages, and her name was fitting; she was a dream. A wet one.
/>   As I piddled around my shop and looked over some designs, I couldn’t shake the image of her from my mind. Asking her out had crossed my mind more than once, too, but with Star in my life, and things needing to be stable, I hadn’t let myself get back in the dating arena. A quick fuck was one thing, but an actual relationship was something different, and I’d been married one time too many as it was. I’d joined the US Navy when I was just out of high school at eighteen years old. By the time I was ready for the SEALs, I had met and married Becky, who I thought was the one. I’d wanted to have children with her, to have a family to come back to like all the other men, but she hadn’t wanted to be pregnant while I was on my tour. So she’d promised me that when I returned, we’d settled down and start our family.

  I had no reason to think she was cheating on me; she’d been good about hanging with the other navy wives and volunteering for programs that helped servicemen to fill her time.

  Once I had my accident and came back home for good, I could tell things had changed. I thought it was me, that my injury was too much for her. The morning sickness had started just a month after I got home. I was certain I’d knocked her up during the welcome home fuck she’d given me my first day back.

  I was over the moon. I was finally getting things the way I’d always wanted them, minus one leg, which I wouldn’t let get me down. I was a fighter, not a quitter, and as long as I had her and the kid, I’d be fine. But something wasn’t right. Although she put on a good face, I just didn’t think she was as happy about the baby as me.

  The time came to have an ultrasound, and that’s when I realized the math was all wrong. According to how far along she was, she had to have gotten pregnant before I’d come home, and that’s when she broke down and confessed she’d been fucking my so-called college friend Ben.

  The phone ringing brought me out of my daydream, and I picked it up to see my buddy, Austin’s ugly mug staring back at me. The guy was the only man from my group of friends in the past that I allowed back into my life, and that was solely because he’d been my brother in arms and we’d shared the hell of that god-forsaken desert for eighteen months. .

  “What’s up, man?” I pushed my work aside and leaned back in my chair.

  “Hey, Chance, how’s it been? Is that little girl giving you gray hairs yet?” Austin called at least once every other week, and I’d been filling him in on Star’s progress.

  “She’s not that high maintenance. What about you? Are you ready for your wedding?”

  “That’s three months away, and yes and no. I’m ready to get it over with, but we’re not done spending money yet. Lola has dragged me to every wedding venue and chapel in southern Cali, and I’ve tasted so much cake, that I probably have diabetes.”

  “Sounds like a real pain in the ass.”

  “Just wait until you find your pain in the ass, you’ll be doing the same thing, buddy.”

  “No way, man. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. No more weddings for me, my friend.”

  “Well, have you at least met a nice girl in that Podunk town to tug on your willy?” I couldn’t help but laugh. Austin had always had a way with words.

  “Actually, I did see a nice piece of ass down at the diner. She’s the hottest thing this town’s got to offer in the way of women. Don’t get me wrong, there are other pretty faces, but most of the women here taste like vanilla if you know what I mean.”

  “With that kid around, you better get used to the flavor, Daddy.” He chuckled, using the nickname he’d given me since I’d told him I was bringing Star home.

  “Hey now. I’m Uncle Chance. She won’t ever call me ‘daddy’, and I hope she never does.” That title was reserved for my brother and no one else. I’d never disrespect him by taking that from him, even if I had to fill the role.

  “So? Are you going to settle down with this one or what?”

  “You’re mental, man. I just met her yesterday. She’s a waitress down where I eat; new to town.” Not to mention, a nice girl like her would probably be totally freaked the minute my pants came off and she realized I only had one real leg. That’s how it usually happened. No, I much preferred the girls who didn’t care as long as I could make them come. And I always could.

  “Right, I forget you don’t exactly do the whole ‘love’ thing. At least not yet. You’ll change your mind when you find the right girl.”

  “There’s no right girl for me, not anymore. I’ve learned to live with it, and if I can provide Star a good home, then that’s all the purpose I’ll need.” If I kept telling myself that, I might actually start to believe it one day.

  “Did you get your new designs finished?” he asked, changing the subject when he realized I wouldn’t budge.

  “Yes. They look great.” I was really proud of my work and glad I’d put my artistic abilities to use.

  “That’s awesome man. I think it’s great you’re able to help others through your work.” I had been designing prosthetics since I’d recovered from losing my leg, and I’d sold a few of my designs to the leading company in the US. It was great money, but that wasn’t my passion. I’d been working on a side project to create an app for phones that would help wounded vets connect to services they needed, and that had been my focus for months, but I had yet to get past the planning and design stage at this point.

  Maybe it was fear of failure or rejection that kept me from putting it out in the marketplace, but whatever it was I needed to get the hell over it.

  I wandered into the kitchen to see what I had in the fridge to make for dinner. The shelves were bare but for a gallon of milk and a jar of jelly with the pantry just as empty. I would have to go to the store when I picked up Star from school. I grabbed my keys and headed out to my truck. Before I realized what I was doing, I started to drive toward the diner instead of the grocery store.

  I sat in the parking lot and looked in through the front windows, watching Dream go from table to table. She really was beautiful, with long dark hair, pale-green eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her creamy skin. She was at least a head shorter than me with ample breasts and curvaceous hips. But there was something more than just her beauty that was drawing me to her. Being a highly trained SEAL, I was good at spotting trouble; and Dream had trouble written all over her. Trouble I didn’t need, and yet here I was, trying to convince my dick not to salute her.

  I sighed and walked in, telling myself that I was just there to check on the ad I’d posted before heading to the store to pick up supplies. I went straight to the board and stared at the piece of paper with my name and number on it.

  “Can I get you a table?” I turned to see Dream standing just behind me, and I let out a low chuckle. Damn she was beautiful.

  “No, thanks. I wondered if anyone has asked about the ad.” Her face fell, and it sent an unexpected shiver through me. Had she been hoping I’d stop in to see her?

  “Not that I know of, but it is kind of nice you mention it because I wanted to talk to you about that.” She looked over her shoulder and then leaned forward to talk quietly. “You need a tutor for your little girl, and well, I was an elementary school teacher back in Chicago.”

  “You’re from Chicago?” She nodded in response as I looked her up and down. There was an ugly yellow mark on her arm, and I had a feeling I knew where it was from. Five distinct fingerprints marked where a large hand had grabbed her. My gut started to burn.

  She noticed me glance at her arm and quickly pulled down her shirt sleeve, her face turning pink. “Uh, yeah, well, if you’re still serious about a tutor for Star, I’d like to help.”

  I nodded and stuffed my hands in my pockets, fighting the strange urge to take this woman into my arms and protect her from whoever had given her those ugly bruises. “Yeah, that would be great. Why don’t you give me your number and we can set something up?”

  We exchanged numbers and she went to wait on her tables. I went out to my truck and sat for another minute, watching her through the glass. She be
nt over to clear a table and my dick twitched in my pants. Who in their right mind would ever mistreat a woman? Especially a woman as beautiful as Dream.

  I shook my head and started the truck, heading to pick up a few groceries before picking Star up from school. As I waited in the pickup line, I saw her standing with her classmates. Her eyes were cast downward and her shoulders were rounded forward. She was clearly upset and my heart ached for her.

  I helped her into the truck and buckled her into her booster seat. “How was your day today, kiddo?” I asked as I pulled out of the line and onto the main street.

  She shrugged and stared out the window.

  “Come on, Star. You know you can tell me anything. What’s up?” I gently coaxed her.

  Finally, she looked at me in the rearview mirror as I drove. “We were reading in class and I’m… I’m not very good,” she said quietly.

  My heart ached for her. “It’s going to be okay kiddo,” I reassured her.

  “How about I make us some spaghetti for dinner?” I asked, knowing it was her favorite.

  She nodded but didn’t smile as I’d expected her to. As soon we got home, I got out my phone and dialed Dream’s number.

  CHAPTER FOUR - DREAM

  I had been given the lunch shift that day, which was fine with me. I hadn’t slept well the night before; nightmares of Nick had kept me awake half the night. By the time I’d been exhausted enough to fall to sleep, dawn had been on the horizon. The later start time had allowed me to get at least a few hours of rest.

  As I was tying my apron, Liza approached with a smug smile on her face. “You’ve apparently made quite an impression on someone,” she said, pointing to a booth in the back where Chance sat alone.

  My stomach flipped at the sight of him and I subconsciously smoothed my hair back from my face. “Um, we’re the only diner in town. Plus, he is just here to talk over the tutoring job he offered me.”