When Bruce Met Cyn

by Lori Foster

  When no one else was paying them any mind, Joe relaxed. "You do draw men like flies. Sorry, honey, but it's the truth."

  Bruce hauled Cyn protectively into his side. "Joe."

  Joe shrugged. "The girl's not blind, Bruce. She knows what she looks like."

  "The girl," Cyn assured them both, "thinks it's no big deal. As long as Palmer isn't looking, then who cares?"

  "Exactly," Bruce said.

  She rested against his shoulder. "But man, I'll be glad to get back to Visitation."

  "Me, too,"Joe said. Then, just to tease Bruce, he added, "You think you'll have time to work up a sermon?"

  "I've been with you," Bruce joked right back. "I've had plenty of fodder for thought."

  They were all chuckling when the men became aware of the young suit across from them. He watched Cyn and made no bones about listening in on their conversation.

  Both Bruce and Joe glared at the hapless man with vicious intent.

  Cyn elbowed Joe, but that had no discernible effect on the big brute, so she turned her cannon on Bruce instead. "You're a preacher, for crying out loud. Preachers don't bully innocent people."

  Bruce blinked. "I'm not."

  "What would you call it?"

  Joe said, "Minding his interests."

  His interests, being her? Cyn considered the meaning behind that, and the young man wisely chose that moment to make a last-minute trip to the restroom. He no sooner left than an attendant announced they were seating for their flight.

  "If he misses the plane, it'll be your fault," Cyn said to both Joe and Bruce.

  Neither man, unfortunately, seemed too concerned about it.

  * * *

  "Hey."

  In a rush, the suited man grabbed several paper towels and glanced to the side while drying his hands. Next to the sink, a scrubby, ragtag fellow lounged. He had longish hair and a really hideous hat with the brim pulled low to hide half of his face. His teeth were yellowed and patches of whiskers covered his jaw and chin.

  Scary dude. But they'd just called his plane and he wanted to get to his seat, so he nodded, said, "Hello," and started out of the restroom.

  "I saw you were talking to a friend of mine. Valerie."

  "Who?" The passenger hesitated. First, he'd had the two guys glaring bullets at him, and now this loco. "I don't know any Valerie." Again he started away, but a heavy hand snatched at the sleeve of his suit coat, stalling him.

  "That wasn't her? She sat across from you. A real looker—long, dark hair." He winked. "Hot as a chili pepper."

  Realization dawned. "Oh, yeah." So, he wasn't the only one noticing the babe. Why the hell did the two bruisers with her act like he'd committed a damn felony? No sin in looking. "I don't know her personally." And with a grin. "Hard to miss that one, though."

  "I hear ya. She always was sweet on the eyes." He tipped his head, and his long hair fell past his shoulder. "Must be heading back to Iowa, I guess. I meant to stop and say hi, but I ran out of time and now she's already boarded."

  "But... we're not going to Iowa. We're headed to North Carolina."

  "North Carolina? What, like Raleigh?"

  "That's my stop, but I heard her mention something about Visitation."

  Fingers tightened on the sleeve of his coat. "Never heard of it."

  Pulling away, he glanced out to the waiting area and saw that the line to board was just about gone. "It's a little town. The guy with her is a preacher of some sort. That's all I know." He tugged on his arm. "Look, I gotta go."

  "Oh, yeah, sure thing." Grubby fingers smoothed his sleeve, and he got another vile, yellow grin. "You take care, now. And since that wasn't Valerie... well, no need to mention that I was admiring her or anything."

  "Trust me: The two with her would not like to hear it." He gave a hasty farewell and trotted to the attendant, who took his boarding pass. Once on the plane, he had to pass the woman again to gain his seat. After one quick peek, he kept his eyes on the aisle.

  Hell, no—he wouldn't mention his conversation in the john. The last thing he wanted was a run-in with that group. The woman might be sweet, about the sweetest thing he'd seen in his lifetime, but the two with her were all the discouragement any guy needed.

  * * *

  Cyn strolled across the barn to the spacious stalls where Satin and Silver Bells were kept Even before she reached them, the horses recognized her tread and greeted her by throwing back their heads and neighing.

  "You're both too clever," Cyn accused, and stopped in the middle of the stalls to greet her friends. She'd been back two days now, and still the horses celebrated her every visit as if she'd been gone a month instead of two days.

  Silver Bells butted her head into Cyn's shoulder, almost knocking her over.

  "Yeah, I'm happy to see you, too!" Cyn laughed and stroked the horse's muzzle.

  Jealous, Satin stretched out her neck to lip Cyn's hair.

  "Now stop that. I didn't have time to braid it."

  She freed her hair and stepped up close to Satin,

  charmed, as always, by the horses' antics.

  Since her return from Benworth, she hadn't

  had too many reasons to smile. It seemed she and Bruce had done nothing but argue. He was over-protective to the point that he'd expected her to stay with him. In his house, and maybe even in his bed.

  He might have lost all sense, but Cyn hadn't. Bruce was a preacher, and that meant he couldn't just move a woman in and pretend the town would understand. Bruce knew it was true, and frustration made him ridiculous.

  At least, she assumed that was the reason for his absurd suggestion that she stay with someone else. As if Shay or Luna, regardless of their claims, wanted her underfoot. She was responsible for herself, not a kid who still needed protection.

  And so she returned to the loft and her own lonely bed.

  It was only right.

  Still, she spent more time thinking of Bruce than sleeping. Odd, how quickly she'd gotten used to having him near. His body was big and bard, warm and comforting. With him, she slept in peace.

  But she couldn't ignore the difference in their outlooks. Even while Bruce seemed to enjoy then-time together, he held back from her, unwilling to go all the way because he saw that as a sin. He did as much as his moral conscience would allow, but for Cyn, it wasn't enough.

  How much longer could she keep from pushing him? How much longer before she convinced him to do things he wasn't comfortable with?

  She wanted to be a better person, and she'd start by honoring his decisions.

  Unfortunately, she could only do that by staying away from him.

  It hurt to know the truth, and Cyn sought to distract herself with the horses. "You want out to run, don't you? But I can't ride you both by myself and I'm not going to ask Bruce over. We'll just have to make do without him. I know, it won't be easy, but let's try. Maybe I can take turns riding you. What do you think of that idea?"

  "I think it'd be better if we took them out together."

  Cyn jerked around. She'd thought she was alone, or she wouldn't have been chatting with animals as if they understood her every word.

  Julie Rose stood there, amazingly enough in slacks and flat shoes instead of a ladylike dress. Her shoulder-length hair wasn't pinned up as usual, but instead had been pulled into a loose ponytail.

  It was the first time Cyn had ever seen her dressed so casually and the shock kept her tongue-tied for only a moment. "Julie. What are you doing here?" That sounded rude even to Cyn, and she made a face. "Sorry. Hi. You took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting anyone."

  "I know. I hope you don't mind if I visit a bit." Smiling in that gentle, understanding way of hers, Julie approached Satin. "What a beautiful lady you are."

  That won points with Cyn. "They're both gorgeous, aren't they?"

  "Very." Unlike Cyn, Julie seemed to know exactly how to handle the animals. "I used to ride a lot before last summer. I miss it."

  "You have horses?"


  "Yes. My father kept a stable and I used to ride at least weekly, but since his passing"-she shook her head—"things aren't the same. My uncle is very different from my father. He has strange notions about what's ladylike and what isn't."

  Fascinated, Cyn leaned on the stall door. "He objects to you riding?"

  "No. He objects to me riding with the hands." Suddenly Julie's brown eyes twinkled and she laughed. "There were rumors of me having a torrid affair with Angelo, the trainer. Can you imagine?"

  No, Cyn couldn't imagine Julie having an affair with anyone. Well, except maybe Bruce, because Julie, with her quiet grace and teacher's backbone, was far better suited to Bruce than Cyn would ever be. "Did you?"

  "No."Julie didn't take offense at the question. "Angelo is only twenty-two, built like a Greek God, and I'm sure, very popular with the ladies. His only interest in me was friendship, brought about by our mutual love of the horses. Still, it was fun, while it lasted."

  "What was?"

  "Being thought of as a siren." Julie reached out to Silver .Bells. "My uncle hated it, though, especially when it hit the papers and I wouldn't deny it."

  Cyn's eyes widened. "Why would the papers care if you had an affair?"

  "You don't know? I'm an heiress." She wrinkled her nose, looking very human, even vulnerable, for a blink of the eyes. "Daddy left me quite well off, but with my uncle in charge of my trust... well, I just dont care. In the big scheme of things, money means very little."

  Spoken as only the rich could speak. To those without money, it meant a lot. But at the same time, it was kind of nice to forget her own problems for a time while chatting with Julie. "You broke things off with your fiancé?"

  "He was handpicked by my uncle. And we got along well, or at least I thought so. I loved him, but I wasn't in love with him. Do you understand?"

  Cyn shrugged. "I guess so." Other than Bruce, she'd never really felt love, so maybe the little nuances escaped her.

  'Then I discovered that he had a paramour."

  Cyn's eyebrows shot up. "Paramour? You mean he was cheating on you?"

  "Yes. He promised it wouldn't happen again."

  Cyn snorted.

  "That was my reaction exactly! A cheater cheats, period. But my uncle thought I should forgive, I disagreed, and once again we're on bad terms." Julie quit stroking the horse to give Cyn all her attention. "I'm ashamed to say that I dumped my worries on Bruce."

  "Hey, Bruce loves that kind of thing. He probably enjoyed handing out the advice."

  "He was an enormous help."Julie straightened. "But enough of that. Would you like to ride? I'll confess, I'm hoping you'll agree. It's a beautiful day and now that I've left my fiance and decided to leave my home, too, I'm happy, and a ride in the fresh air is the perfect way to enjoy my new freedom."

  Cyn's head began to reel. "You left your home?"

  "I've yet to tell my uncle, but yes, I've decided to relocate to Visitation. I've spent quit a bit of time subbing here, working specifically with some of the children who are struggling or felling behind. I've found it to be so... rewarding. I always wanted to make a difference to children, not just accept astronomical pay for babysitting, which is what my former position amounted to. Here, in Visitation, I've made a difference. I can feel it."

  When she talked about kids, Julie got downright passionate. "Will your uncle have a fit?"

  "Oh, to be sure. I imagine he'll cut off my funds first thing. "Julie looked delighted by that possibility. "I can't wait to see his face when I tell him I don't care. He can take the money and stuff it"

  Startled by that colorful sentiment, Cyn laughed.

  Julie lifted her face to the sun and held out her arms. I'm twenty-nine years old, and finally, I'll be free."

  When she smiled like that, Cyn thought, Julie really was pretty. The sun glinted on her golden brown eyelashes, and the warmth of the day had brought fresh color to her pale complexion. Huh. The idea of Julie being attractive was almost as much of a surprise as her wearing slacks.

  But one thing was certain—Julie truly cared about kids. And just that easily, Cyn decided she liked Julie Rose after all. "You any good at saddling up?" Cyn hadn't completely gotten the hang of it yet, and she usually had Bruce to help out.

  Julie laughed. "Angelo taught me. I know what to do, but if we're using Western saddles, I may need help lifting the thing. I'm not exactly muscle-bound."

  "All right, then." Cyn led the way to the tack room. "I'm not so great at riding yet, but I suppose I can keep from falling off."

  Together, the two women prepared the horses, one at a time. They brushed Satin, then put on the saddle pad, the saddle itself, which probably weighed forty pounds, and finally the bridle. Silver Bells was next, and it took them a total of twenty minutes to prepare both horses.

  It was indeed a chore, but they talked and laughed the entire time. It was odd, Cyn decided, but she was actually more at ease with stuffy, prim Julie than with Shay or Luna.

  Shay was nice, nice enough that at times she seemed unreal. Nice enough that she constantly tried to give Cyn a handout. Be it work or contacts or whatever, Shay wanted to help, and it nettled Cyn that she was a person in need of assistance. She understood Shay's motives, and appreciated them, but she would rather have just been a friend, not a person who stood out as less than equal.

  Luna was lovely, too, very warm and friendly. But she went out of her way to show understanding, to include Cyn. And once again, Cyn felt the difference, how she didn't quite measure up.

  Julie was just Julie. She had no airs, said just what she thought, and she, like Cyn, was single.

  As the horses trotted into the far pasture, Cyn ventured a touchy topic. "So. You and Bruce got something going on?"

  The laugh erupted from Julie. "Oh, please. He's wildly infatuated with you. We're friends, and I love him as such. I want him happy. But we're not involved that way."

  "You think Bruce is unhappy?"

  "Not at all. Bruce can certainly handle his own business, as I'm sure you can. I only meant that I hope you feel the same as he does. You'd make a lovely couple."

  Cyn smirked. "Our backgrounds stretch the great divide."

  "Opposites attract? But no, that wouldn't be correct, because you're really very similar."

  "Wait," Cyn teased, "let me clean out my ears. I could've sworn you just said Bruce and I were alike."

  Julie grinned. "Indeed. Both of you are refreshing and ready with a smile, very open. I don't know if that's a good thing or not." She shrugged. "Love is a tricky business, I'm finding. Romantic love, anyway. Not that I'd know for sure since I've never been in love that way."

  They continued on in silence for a time before Julie said, "Forgive my curiosity, but do you love him?"

  Cyn chewed her lip, tried to work up some annoyance for Julie's prodding, but in the end, she felt like confessing. 'Yeah."

  "I thought so."

  Cyn groaned. "But I shouldn't, and don't you dare tell him."

  "I resent being labeled a tattletale."

  Since Julie didn't really sound peeved, Cyn let that go. "Bruce is ... he's one of the good guys, when I didn't think good guys existed."

  "Why would you think they didn't?"

  Cyn couldn't quite bring herself to burden Julie with her truths. "Colorful background?"

  "I see." Julie nodded as if in complete understanding. "I'm sorry."

  "It's done and over—no biggie."

  "Is it? I mean, Bruce did hint, rather heavily, that I come visit you today. I had the feeling he didn't want you to be alone for some reason. And since I know you're not given to melodrama, he must be worried for your safety, not your frame of mind."

  Cyn could do no more than stare at her. "You're scary."

  "I listen when people talk, that's all. At first, I thought Bruce suggested it for my benefit, which suited me just fine. I have missed riding. But the more I thought about it... if I'm intruding, you have my apologies."

  Cyn barely kept he
r seat on Satin's back. "Bruce really told you to come here?"

  Shaking her head, Julie said, "It was as much what he didn't say as what he did. He asked if I was busy, and when I wasn't, he told me you'd be home alone all morning and that you enjoyed riding. And so here I am."

  "What the hell does he think you can do that I can't?"

  "I believe Bruce thinks it's a matter of safety in numbers.''

  Cyn recalled how Shay and Luna had stopped by yesterday, trying to talk her into shopping with them. Had Bruce twisted their arms?

  Luckily, she'd already started a complete cleaning of the stalls and was knee-deep in manure, so she'd declined. She didn't want her company forced on anyone.

  Later, Bruce had slopped by, too, as had Joe and Bryan. Damn him, how many babysitters did he think she needed?

  "Should I go?" Julie asked. "Truly, I didn't realize it'd be a problem."

  "No, it's not," Cyn said through her teeth. It wasn't Julie's fault Bruce had gone overboard.

  When Satin sidestepped, Cyn made herself calm. "No problem at all. I'll just strangle Bruce later."

  "I doubt you want to do that," Julie said, taking her literally. "Besides, it wouldn't be easy. His neck looks pretty thick."

  "His head is thick, too."

  Julie burst out laughing again. "See? You and Bruce are perfect. Most of the women who meet him are awed by him. He is a preacher, after all."

  "And a hunk."

  "There is that. But it takes second place to his calling, from what I can tell. Even the most down to-earth women are tight-lipped and prissy when Bruce is in the room. But you ... you just treat him like a man."

  "That's because he is a man."

  Julie grinned knowingly. 'You see? He has to love that attitude of yours."

  "I worry about it," Cyn said. "I'd like to curb my tongue around him, but I haven't really had to do that in way too long." As an aside, she admitted. "I've been on my own since I was seventeen."

  "Goodness!" Julie stared at her, then confessed back, "I've never been on my own." Her eyes brightened. "Until now."

  "It's not all it's cracked up to be."

  "You were a child, so your experiences would be far different from mine. "Julie led her horse around a tall walnut tree, turning back toward the barn. Cyn followed.